Adrik (Titans #1)

Chapter 10

“Ember? Can you hear me? Try to open your eyes.”

Tugged reluctantly back to consciousness, Ember moaned as she was greeted by a pounding headache in her skull and a throbbing ache in her thigh.

Where am I? What happened?

Following directions, she blinked weakly as she tried to force herself awake. Attempting to sit up, she was halted by strong hands holding her down.

“Easy. Don’t try to get up. You were medicated, and the drugs haven’t fully left your system.”

“M-medicated?” Her voice came out hoarse. Her throat felt like she’d swallowed a gallon of sand, and try as she might, no amount of swallowing seemed to produce any saliva.

“Here.” Those same strong hands transitioned from her shoulders, and then she was lifted slightly as a cup-like container of cool liquid was held to her lips.

Ember drank tentatively at first, and then more deeply at the sweet and tangy taste that met her tongue. The liquid was thicker than water and more viscous, but it was refreshing.

“We don’t have water, but Vashti said our liquids were sufficient for human consumption.”

What? Human consumption?

Jerking fully awake, the cup at Ember’s lips was shoved away as she forced her eyes open and focused her sight. Oh God, she wasn’t dead. She was still on the ship. Still a captive! Turning her head, she stared at the tall menacing figure standing beside her with the cup in his hand.

“Ember, my name is Obaida. I’m the ship Medicus.”

Shocked, Ember blinked up at the male. The words he spoke didn’t match the movements of his mouth, but she chalked that up to the drugs. Still, how was he speaking English? How did he know her name? Why hadn’t he spoken to her and her friends earlier?

“I’ve implanted translators so that you and your team can understand us, and we can understand you.”

That pissed her off.

“Implanted?” she seethed. Reaching up, she felt around her ear, her seeking fingers stalling when they landed on the foreign device behind her earlobe. Part of her wanted to demand Obaida remove the device, but where would that get her? Still, it pissed her off that they’d put her out and then taken liberties while she’d been unconscious. That thought had her taking stock of the rest of her body. “What else did you do?” she hissed.

“Nothing.” Obaida sounded genuine when he spoke again. “I implanted the translators and then scanned you for injury, disease, and foreign objects.”

The admission had Ember’s spine straightening. “Foreign objects?”

“We had to make sure none of you were carrying explosive devices.”

“Why in the hell would we be carrying explosive devices?” she raged, still trying to shake off the dizzying effects of the drugs.

Obaida looked contrite as he ducked his head and then busied himself, setting the cup he held on a nearby counter. “We aren’t sure of your intentions.”

“Our intentions?” Ember snapped. “We’re captives . Our intentions are freedom.”

Glancing around the open med bay, Ember saw several empty med beds lined up on either side of her. “Where are my friends?”

The change in subject had Obaida perking up as he crossed back to the bedside to explain. “Vashti and Nova are in rooms and resting. Kyan is…” He stalled and looked toward one end of the med bay.

Ember could see a large pane of glass, and on the other side, a pale and unconscious Kyan lay on a med bed. Wires and tubes connected her to devices that Ember could only assume were medicines and/or fluids.

Forcing herself to steady, Ember swung her legs off the bed and was on her feet before Obaida could stop her.

As soon as her feet hit the ground, a fierce pain shot up her leg and stole her breath. Glancing down, she gripped the bandage around her leg and hissed.

“Hey!Easy!”

Ember wobbled and leaned heavily on the bed until she felt steady enough to move. As Obaida circled the end of the med bed to get to her, Ember side-stepped him, demanding, “Take me to Kyan.”

Obaida growled and gripped her arm, stopping her in her tracks. “Get back on the bed.”

Turning to glare at him, Ember clenched her jaw hard and spoke through gritted teeth. “Let. Me. Go.”

Obaida was shaking his head, but a voice from the other side of the room thundered, “Release her!”