Release(19)

Keirth nudged her forward. “Keep going.”

Within a few more feet, Ariana realized they were near the loading ramp. There was an incline that led up to the upper levels of the ship—the bridge and living quarters. And the loading ramp was right next to it. She hit the button that lowered it, holding her breath in case Risciter heard.

But he didn’t appear, so she and Keirth ran down the ramp.

They were back out in the strange forest. Still on the planet Kush, then.

“He hasn’t moved the ship,” said Keirth. “Your ship is close.” Keirth backed into a tree, hooking his tied-up hands over a branch. “It’s just on the other side of this group of trees. It’s covered by some vines, so look for something that looks like a vine-covered rock, okay? Go inside and lock up.”

“What are you going to do?”

Keirth snapped his bonds and flexed his newly-freed hands. “I’m going back in after Risciter.”

Ariana shook her head. “No. You can’t. Let’s just go.”

Keirth clenched his teeth. “Go to the ship.”

“I don’t want to go to the ship. I’ll be trapped in there. I’ll have nowhere to run.”

“Then hide in the woods somewhere,” said Keirth. “Just get out of here!”

Okay. Okay, she’d hide in the woods. She took one last look at Keirth, and then took off into the woods, running as fast as she could.

It was dark. She could hardly see where she was going. This planet had one tiny moon high in the sky. It filtered down blue-green light over everything. Branches slapped into her face, tearing at her skin.

She was so confused. Why would Risciter drug her? Why would he tie her up?

Her breath came in gasps. She took daily exercise like everyone else in the nobility, but that mostly amounted to easy strolls in gardens. She wasn’t used to running like this.

Her feet pounded against the forest floor. Why had Keirth said Risciter wanted to kill her? Risciter wouldn’t do that. She didn’t think—

But she had no idea, really. Everything was so horrible. She couldn’t understand how the entire world had been turned inside out so quickly.

She ran, crashing through the foliage, tripping over roots, pushing thorny vines out of her face. She ran until her side ached and sweat was pouring out of her pounding forehead.

Then she slowed to a walk, sure she’d gotten far enough away. She tried to steady her breathing as she continued forward, glancing about at the woods around her. Shouldn’t she have come out in the town again by now? But she didn’t know what direction she’d run in. Maybe she’d run in the opposite direction of the town.

And then, with a growing sense of horror, she saw Risciter’s ship between the trunks of the trees in front of her. The loading dock was down. It was haphazardly covered in branches and vines. But it was definitely his ship, just from the opposite angle she’d seen it when she’d started running.

She’d run in a circle.

She’d thought she was getting far, far away, but her traitorous legs had taken her right back where she’d started. Should she try to find her ship, as Keirth had told her to?

“Miss Gilit,” said a silky voice.

She turned. Coming at her through the woods was Risciter. He was smiling a horrible smile, and it twisted his boyish good looks into something monstrous. His blonde curls glinted in the scant blue-green light. He looked so unlike the man she’d been nearly engaged to that Ariana screamed.

Even though she’d barely had a chance to catch her breath, she started running again, away from Risciter, away from his ship. She crashed back into the undergrowth of the forest.

And she could hear Risciter behind her, his footsteps close.

She didn’t get far before Risciter tackled her.

They both fell onto the ground, branches from trees tearing into her skin as she fell, tangling in her hair.

Risciter was on top of her, his face at the back of her neck. He was laughing.

He sounded like an imp from hell.

“Let me go,” she sobbed, because tears were streaming down her face now. She forced an elbow back into Risciter’s rib cage as hard as she could.

He grunted and moved some of his weight off of her.

Ariana scrabbled forward on her hands and knees.

Risciter’s hand came down on her neck, pinning her to the ground. “Shh, Miss Gilit. Where do you think you’re going?”

Ariana whimpered. “What’s going on, Risciter? Why are you doing this?”

His grip on her neck softened into a caress. His hand traveled down to her shoulder, and he turned her over. Now she lay on her back, gazing up at Risciter, who straddled her. Risciter ran a finger over her jaw. “Well, we can’t get married now. Not if you told the authorities in Ossile about being captured. It ruins that whole plan.”