Page 59 of Dark Company

The texture of the meat is odd, rubbery, and devoid of flavor, but it’s sustenance. The moment it hits my stomach, my insides start to clench. Leon and I will need to take better care of ourselves if we want any hope of finding Karis. We have to remain strong for her sake. I buy several more skewers, toss the beta my money, and take off for the strange building a few rows up ahead.

It’s almost non-descript, except that it’s the tallest building in this port. The architecture is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Granted, the entire port is that way. Whoever built this is certainly not one to conform to convention. Perhaps they’re from one of the neighboring cities? But still, that can’t be the answer.

Every bit of this small town looks as if it were transplanted here from another era. I recall some of the buildings as ones I’ve seen centuries ago, but how in the gods would it be here for all this time and no one from Stanlion knows about it? There’s nothing so spectacular to this port that would warrant keeping it a secret, and if it were, Leon and I were High Echelon Guardian Alphas. We were the ones that held the highest classifications.

We should have known about this place. If it’s not as old as the designs imply, then someone went out of their way to make it look aged. Not just the building designs. Every bit of this place is coated in grime, wear, and tear. Who in their right mind would create this?

When I get to the building, I pause outside the doors, noting the sign. There are several languages used that I don’t recognize. Even when I scan them with my communicator, they don’t pick up as any known tongue. Unease drips down my spine as I continue to read through them. What are these strange markings? Do they possibly mean something to the others that are here?

When we started the resistance, we spoke in code, using a cloud of secrecy to keep us safe. Perhaps this is the same thing, and this is a port that harbors all sorts of refugees. It’s better than imagining that they’re all renegades or something worse. Still… it’s an unknown, and I don’t like dealing in unknowns.

I continue to scan the list, hoping to find something to explain where I’m at. Hathana. Perhaps this is the name of where we’re at? Hopefully, at the very least, it’s the name of this building. This one word stands out at the very end, past the native languages of Laxa and Gundhar, in a language I can read. It’s in older Stanlionian though, but still legible. The mystery surrounding this place just keeps getting worse, and I want to be out of here.

Looking around, I note the betas and Alphas milling about, studying them to see if there's anyone I recognize, something that I can cling to for a sense of familiarity. However, no one stands out to me. There are a few Gundharian warriors and some Laxian mystics, but the bulk of people seem average, unnotable, and plain.

Once more, unease grips me and doesn’t want to let go. The need to leave fires up my brain, forcing me into action. I slam open the doors and spot Leon off to the side in an alcove, his blaster pointed at the same guy that told us where Karis was in the beginning. Brennen.

Anger forces out my unease, rippling through my body like a live wire. I need to dispel the energy and soon. I can feel it gathering in my arms, strengthening my legs. At this point, I don’t actually care if anyone steps out and tries to stop me. Forget whatever rules might be in place here. All I can see is Brennen and his pinched face staring up at me as if he’s consumed something sour.

The actual audacity for this beta scum to stare at me as if I’m the problem when he stole my fucking mate. Storming over to Leon, I ignore the words that come out of his mouth, and instead grip Brennen by the front of his shirt and drag him out of the building.

Though the need to obliterate him is strong, I don’t want to chance breaking any international laws that I might not be aware of, so I keep my grip on his clothing but touch nothing else while we’re still in the confines of this strange port. Leon follows close behind after dropping some money onto the table, paying for whatever he consumed.

As soon as we clear the door, I toss the remaining bits of food to the ground, unwilling to eat anything else from this unknown place. There’s too much about it that’s not normal. I can’t chance either getting sick or eating something that I probably shouldn’t. The betas that sit outside are quick enough to scoop it up, devouring the skewered meat in a few bites, so perhaps it’s nothing that’s deadly.

My stomach turns as I watch them, unable to taste anything other than the rubbery texture of what I’ve already eaten. I shouldn’t have consumed anything I didn’t cook myself, but at that moment, I had no idea just how foreign the meat could be. The beta I spoke with sounded like someone from home. His words and nuances were perfect, and so, I trusted something I had no business trusting.

Leon continues to speak to me in low tones, but I ignore him, brushing past the people lingering in the street until we get back to where we tied off our horses. Hopefully, they’ll still be there, and that’s not the meat that I just ate. Looking up ahead, I spot our rides and let out a sigh as we get closer.

The little boy stares up at us, his eyes wide as he sees my grip on Brennen’s shirt. “Where’s the lady?”

At his words, Brennen starts to struggle. His hand claws at my fist, but he’s woefully underpowered. Right now, it will take an act from the gods themselves to get him loose from my fury. I ignore him and address the boy.

“You saw her?”

The boy nods and points to a horse near mine. “She was there but looking down at the ground. She did not move. Is the lady okay?”

Tears prick my eyes at his innocent question. He seems concerned as well, his gaze darting back and forth as if she’ll just suddenly appear, her lips curled into a smile at the harmless joke. If only I could bring her back that easily.

“I -. We don’t know. That’s why we’re going to ask this man questions.”

We turn to leave when the boy calls out to us. “She’s very pretty. Better than the other omegas here. I hope you find your lady.”

Nodding over to him, Leon and I guide our horses to the outskirts of the port. We don’t even waste time getting back on them, not when every second counts. The moment we clear the massive arch that leads into the port, Leon takes the reins from me and frees me up to take Brennen in both of my hands.

“Where is my mate?”

The scum has the gall to look up at me and sneer, as if I’m saying the funniest thing in the world. And in that moment, I stare down at him, imagining every little way I’m planning on torturing him.

The first thing I can take is his eyes. He doesn’t need those to answer. And after, if he still doesn't want to talk, I can snap his fingers. With the strength in my hands, there’s a chance that I’ll rip them straight off, but that’s a chance I’m willing to take.

“Of course you’d fuck and mark that cunt. I’m not surprised.”

Anger tinges my vision, and in that moment, all my planning goes out the window. I slam my fist into the side of his face, watching in detached fascination as a tooth comes flying out to land on the soft sand. Again, I strike him, reveling in the blood that spills from his lips.

It’s a vermillion that coats my fingers and stains the sands, only to be sucked up into the heat. Much more blood will have to spill to turn the ground into the crimson that I long for it to be. Leon steps forward and grabs my hand, refusing to let me pour my anger out on the maggot that dared to speak that way about my Karis.

I turn to him, sliding my fierce gaze over his face. With cool, level-headed tones, Leon urges my hand down. “You need to find out where she is. Then you can kill him.”