Isup stared at the unconscious Seneecian lying on the floor. Kyber’s
face was scratched and bloody, his hands and feet securely bound.
His waist was wrapped in a blood-stained cloth and he was barefoot.
Perspiration soaked the former Por D’har’s fur to the point where
moisture puddled beneath his body.
Giving a snort,
Isup walked back over to the fire, taking a seat beside it. Plat
dropped another rock into the blaze.
“Something has
made him sick,” Isup noted, speaking in Seneecian.
“Screw you both!
Speak where I can understand!” Dayall angrily demanded.
“He said Kyber is
ill,” Plat repeated in Terranese.
“Well, hell,
anyone can see that just by looking at him.” The ex-commander
sniffed. “And he stinks.”
“It happens when
we are sick,” Isup noted.
“His smell tells
us his blood is tainted,” Plat continued.
“Is he dangerous
to us?” Dayall asked.
“We will have to
wait until he awakens,” Plat answered. “If he poses a threat, we
will kill him.”
“Why not kill him
now?”
“He could prove
more valuable to us alive. But if he dies…” Isup left the comment
hanging.
“What good is he
to us?” Dayall insisted.
“His life,” Plat
told him. “Those who follow him will try to rescue him. We will use
him to lure them away.”
“We will gain
information about them,” Isup added.
A breathy groan
came from their prisoner. Plat got to his feet and walked over,
taking a stance at Kyber’s head. He watched the Seneecian open his
eyes, blinking several times, but it didn’t appear that his former
Por D’har was grasping his current situation.
Kyber turned a
dazed expression at him. “What…” An instant later, fury filled the
man’s face. Kyber snarled and struggled against his bonds.
Plat grinned down
at him. “Your struggles are in vain.”
Kyber paused.
There was a moment of confusion on his face, then it disappeared as
he struggled harder to be free. Droplets of sweat flew from his head
as he whipped it from side to side.
“Vile creatures!”
Plat stepped back
in surprise.
“Hey, Plat?”
Kyber snarled,
showing his fangs. “I will kill you all!”
“D’har?”
Plat turned to
Isup.
“The fever has
turned him,” Isup stated.
Dayall made a rude
sound.
“Vile, despicable
creatures!” Kyber roared and continued to fight against his binds.
“You will not get the best of me!”
Plat pointed at
their prisoner. “That is not the Kyber Nau I know. I have served
with this man too long not to recognize when a man is not in his
right mind.”
“I will kill you
all!” Kyber screamed again. His voice broke. He tried to growl, but
his throat refused to utter the sound. He coughed but he continued
to snarl, his breathing becoming fast and raspy.
“Is he going to
die?” Dayall asked.
Plat took another
step back. “I do not know.”
Isup got to his
feet. “Will he infect us?”
“I do not know.”
“Then explain to
me again why we don’t just go ahead and kill him?” Dayall demanded,
also getting to his feet. “Why are we risking our own health by
keeping him alive?”
He turned and
tried to wrest their only weapon from Isup, but the Seneecian
managed to keep the gun from the man’s grasp. The two men glared at
each other. Isup lifted a lip and growled softly.
“Enough,” Plat
stated.
Isup dropped the
snarl, but his eyes remained on the Terran. “We are still enemies,”
he softly reminded Dayall. “As soon as we no longer need you to help
us survive, we will kill you.”
Dayall replied
with an oily grin. “You’re assuming you’ll live long enough to do
that.”
“I said
enough!”
Isup walked over
to stand beside Plat. “I do not think we can get any information
from Kyber when he is in this condition. What if his delirium
worsens?”
“Let us hope it
worsens.”
Isup gave him a
surprised look. “Why?”
“Then he will no
longer be just our enemy. He will be theirs as well.”
“How are you going
to accomplish that?” Dayall tried to put as much sarcasm into his
voice as possible. “The moment you untie him, he’s going to attack
us.”
“He will not
attack us if we are not around when he awakens.” Plat smirked. “When
he sleeps again, we will take him where the others will find him.
And when he comes to…” The Seneecian smiled.
Isup finished the
sentence for him. “When he comes to, he will be deeper into his
fever and attack them. He will be our weapon against them.”
“But what if he
dies before all that happens?” Dayall persisted. “So much for your
grand scheme of things.”
Plat straightened.
“If he dies, be it from the fever or because of the dangerous
creatures that track us, then their tiny society will crumble. He
has taken over as D’har. Without him, they will be leaderless. Weak.
Vulnerable.” He looked down at the struggling man. “Isup, find out
where the others are located. See if they are searching for him.
Once Kyber goes to sleep, we will carry him to a location and untie
him. Sooner or later, either they will find him, or he will find
them. And they will have no option but to kill him if they are to
survive.”
Dayall made
another disparaging sound. “I’m willing to bet they’ll truss him up
and try to save him.”
Plat shook his
head. “How? There are no medicants available. Besides, Kyber is
already too weak to resist. Had he not fought me, he might have been
strong enough to vanquish whatever disease is eating at his brain.
But it is too late for him. Look at him. He grows weaker by the
minute. His mind has lost all sense of reality. His time is
limited.”
Isup showed
obeisance and started to leave the tiny cave where they were
gathered, when Plat held out a hand to stop him.
“If you go by the
gardens, bring us back more provisions.” Unhooking his water bag
from his belt, he handed it the subordinate. “And more fresh water.”
Dayall eyed Kyber.
“Shouldn’t we at least give him some water?”
“No.” Plat’s
answer was flat and brooked no argument. “The fever is dehydrating
him and will hasten the illness.”
Isup bowed again
and slipped out of the room.
“Now what?” Dayall
asked as Plat resumed his seat by the fire.
“Now we wait for
Kyber to go to sleep, and for Isup to return with news about where
the others are searching.” Motioning at the Terran, he added, “Sit
down and keep the fire alive. I am going to meditate and pray to our
four gods that our plan is successful.” He glared at Dayall. “I
strongly suggest you do the same to whatever deity you follow.”
Saying no more,
the former D’har turned his back on the Terran, faced the wall, and
began to chant in a soft voice. After one more glance at the
suffering Seneecian lying a few meters away, Dayall shrugged and
laid down on his side, facing away from the two Seneecians. |