Riddik's Story: Escape

When Riddik and Twenty-Eight didn't come back after the two hours Riddik had said they'd be gone, Jay was worried. Not as worried as Thirty-Two, the equine construct, but still. Worried. She didn't know much of anything about the world away from In'kona-- what parts of it she was allowed to see, anyway-- or their home manor and its grounds. She didn't even want to think about how much she didn't know about anything beyond the planet, which was somehow where they'd ended up: beyond Dev'anon Kinau.

And now Riddik hadn't come back in time. Of course she was going to worry!

At least she didn't whine about it, like Thirty-Two. He was pacing around the ship, talking to himself, whining about how he missed Twenty-Eight, how scared he was, how much he hated this little airship... no wonder Riddik confided his annoyance so often under his breath. Jay kind of agreed with him.

When Riddik and Twenty-Eight weren't back by what would have been nightfall, by the ship's clock, Jay had gone past "worried" and into "scared". She didn't know what to do. Should she look for them? Should she try to contact them? Should she wait longer, or just leave? She'd watched Riddik fly the ship, she could... probably do it, herself. Maybe. If the alternative was staying here until they ran out of food and money to get food, she'd try. Maybe.

But not yet, because Riddik might still come back.

When Riddik and Twenty-Eight weren't back by the next "morning", also according to the ship's clock-- Jay didn't know how the whole of the universe kept time, but she kept to what was familiar-- she'd gone from "scared" to "determined". Riddik was in some sort of trouble, and Jay wasn't going to let him stay in it if she had anything to say about it. Just what she might have to say about it, she had no idea, but she was going to try!

Jay stalled out a little, though, staring at the collection of weird weapons the airship had. Though she knew it was stupid to go out without some kind of protection-- right?-- she was completely lost as to which one she ought to take. She'd seen Riddik check it, so she knew what it was, but she had never even seen half of these things in it, much less knew how they were used. Thirty-Two wasn't any help, for all he followed her with little clicks of his hooves and peered over her shoulder. "What's all that?" he asked.

"Weapons," Jay answered, and under his scrutiny picked something at random. It looked like a... an arrow-launching sort of thing, with a bunch of small arrows in a plastic case attached to it. It didn't look too complicated. She picked something else, too, a knife that looked kind of like Riddik's, only with a cross-looking piece between the handle and the blade.

"Weapons?" Thirty-Two repeated, a note of panic in his voice.

"Yes," Jay said, trying to sound strong and competent when she knew she was neither. "I'm going out to find Riddik."

"And Twenty-Eight?" Thirty-Two asked, long ears perking up nervously.

"Unless they broke the geas holding them together. Yes." The arrow-thing she slung over her shoulder, and the knife she stuck into the front of her tunic, into her underwear. It was the only place she could think of to hide it.

As she closed the doors and started towards the docking portal that led off the airship, she heard more hesitant hoof-clipping behind her. "I-- I'm going to come, too," Thirty-Two said, though he sounded more frightened than actually resolved.

"Are you sure?" Jay asked, looking over her shoulder at him. Part of her didn't want him along-- he was annoying and scared of everything. But there was a little part of her that was scared, too-- a very little part! she refused to think it anything more than very little-- that was scared, too, and maybe having him along would help.

Though he looked terrified, the equine construct bobbed his head and the little gems on his sides kindled a little in the dim airship. "Yes. Yes, I couldn't bear to think something had happened and I didn't look, too."

Well, even if he was a huge wimp, at least he was a little sweet, sometimes. Jay patted him on the nose. "All right. Let's go, then."

Planning to go looking for Riddik and Twenty-Eight was one thing, but actually doing it turned out to be even scarier than Jay had thought. The space station they'd stopped at was lots darker and dirtier than the parts of In'kona and the palace she'd been allowed to see, and it was crowded with people who looked, sounded, and even smelled strange, wearing clothes unlike any she'd ever seen-- some weren't wearing clothes at all! Jay could understand about a third of what was being said, since not everyone was talking in the Nexiian common she'd been taught and no one at all was speaking a Kinauan language.

And how she felt seemed to be nothing like what Thirty-Two felt, for the big equine construct was crowding up against her back, ears flat back and muscles twitching under his skin. He started at every unexpected sound-- of which there were many-- and nearly bolted a couple times but for Jay turning quickly to grab his nose and stroke his face soothingly while he stood stock still and trembled. He really was the hugest coward ever, but just having him around made Jay feel a little better about her own fear. Maybe it was that she was nowhere near as bad as he was, maybe it was that acting brave for him helped her feel less afraid herself, but she was glad he'd come along even if he was annoying.

Not even the company helped, though, when Jay realized they'd been going in circles and still hadn't found Riddik or Twenty-Eight. And then realized she wasn't at all sure how to get back to the airship. She was near to panicking and making things all the worse for cowardly Thirty-Two when a voice startled her and sent her pressing herself back into the equine construct's side.

"In need of some assistance?" the smooth voice said. From very far above them.

"N-n-n-no," Jay stammered, grabbing at Thirty-Two's moustache-tendrils like reins to keep him from bolting on her. Her other hand went to her chest and clutched the fabric of her shirt, though she was sure the knife concealed underneath would be utterly useless. "W-we're fine."

Looking down at them was something that reminded Jay a little of equine construct maybe mixed with an ursine construct and-- and-- curse it, she had no idea what it could possibly be, but it was big and all flamey-looking. And it was speaking. "You look a bit lost. Perhaps I can send you in the direction you need to go?"

Jay sucked on her bottom lip as Thirty-Two did his level best to hide behind her-- and failed, of course. He was far too big and she was far too small. If he really was honest, she could use directions. "Where are the ship docks from here?" she asked in a small voice.

The whatever-it-was smiled, showing some wickedly sharp teeth. "Why don't I show you?"

"Jay'tiel," Thirty-Two whimpered, and the big flame-colored beast focused entirely on him for one long minute.

Jay ignored him and tried to recapture the big beast's attention, herself. "Thank you," she said. "We'd appreciate that." What else could she do? She had a knife... and the arrow-thing... and maybe if she was quick enough, she could jump on Thirty-Two's back and let him run. She knew how fast he was, he could run away from anything. And maybe, just maybe, the big guy was being honest.

"It's right this way," the beast answered. "And my name is Phlegethon."

"It's nice to meet you, Phlegethon," Jay answered with an automatic half-bow. She even managed not to stumble over the very strange name. "Come on, Thirty-Two."

Phlegethon spent most of the walk to the docks-- and it really was to the docks, too; Jay recognized it after a few minutes, to her great relief-- trying to coax Thirty-Two out of his shell and make him talk. He failed entirely, getting nothing but wild-eyed looks and flattened ears and a little sidestep-dancing. Jay kept having to soothe him and shoot Phlegethon-- who had been nothing but a gentleman the whole way-- apologetic glances, to which the big whatever-he-was merely nodded understandingly and made yet another failed attempt.

When they reached the familiar airship, Jay turned to thank Phlegethon for his help, but Phlegethon was already speaking. "Thirty-Two, I need you to come with me."

"W-what?" the equine construct gaped.

"No way," Jay said quickly. "No. He's not going anywhere."

"Please don't make me take you by force," Phlegethon said, sounding remarkably reasonable for someone who had just threatened to kidnap someone else.

Jay didn't even have to think about it. Her hand plunged into her shirt, and she pulled the knife out-- barely managing not to slice her own chin open, in the process. "You can't have him," she said, trying to hold both hand and voice steady.

Phlegethon merely made a tsking noise in his throat and, without any further warning than that, lunged. Jay wound up tossed aside like a little doll, her knife knocked out of her grasp. By the time she'd scrambled to her feet and gotten the arrow-launcher thing into her hands, both Phlegethon and Thirty-Two were gone, leaving behind only a couple drops of blood and some vicious-looking substance that numbed Jay's fingers when she touched it.

Now... she really was alone.