Jupiter awoke with a splitting headache. The distant throb of pain from the tortured manta had reduced but a more immediate agony filled his brain. The memory of a banging thump came to him as he shook sleep off.
The pain from his headache spiked again. His eyes snapped open to a dim room, damp and dank. Something had died here, and not recently. He rolled into a sitting position on a hard wooden bench and coughed against the stink.
‘Tamm?’
No answer. He stood and felt around the space.
The room had stone walls with a low manisaur style bench. A foul ammonia stink came from a corner where floor felt gunky and slimy under his sailing boots. He backed away, scraping his soles on the stone flagged floor. He held his nose to the elbow of his jacket. It didn’t help.
Another bang came from the wooden door. Not a polite knock. Someone slammed open the lock on the door.
Maybe you could’ve let me sleep off this headache a little longer?
But fear shot through him. He did not remember getting imprisoned.
He held his head but the pain did not ease, or perhaps only a little. The door slammed open and light streamed in. Jupiter looked up under his lowered brow and blinked back the brightness as his eyes adjusted.
‘Out,’ said the manisaur guard. They held a long cudgel and swung it back and forth. Perhaps he had been knocking. Just not politely.
‘Where am I going?’
‘Exile. With the rest of you human dregs. If you’re lucky.’
‘Can I at least get some water?’
‘Move it.’
How long have I been unconscious? Jupiter wondered.
He entered the corridor where he joined other humans of all shapes and sizes, wearing clothing of different trades.
Where’s Maggie?
Only humans. No Tamm?
Where had they come from? Didn’t see any humans in Qhayuvakham. Just the old Japanese nuvra.
More guards arrived until they out-numbered the prisoners. Jupiter’s pulse increased.
No way that’s a good thing.
The humans shouted as fear gripped them. But the manisaurs just laughed and slammed the cudgels against the wall. The guards forced the humans backwards, shoved and herded like cattle, until Jupiter found himself in a narrow room.
To his, and everyone’s surprise, a table with water and food lay before them.
The manisaurs cackled as they slammed the door shut.
Jupiter stared around at the other humans. His mouth watered, but the sudden reversal had surprised them all. For a heart beat.
Then they fell on the food in a rush.
Why have they grouped all of us together at once?
It made more sense to keep them separate, and easier to control. A fear gripped him then.
Something did not feel right about this.
‘Settle. Settle. There’s plenty here.’ A large burly human shouted. But few took notice.
Stolen novel; please report.
Jupiter picked up a ceramic jar of water and grabbed some flatbread, not bothering to put anything in it. Jupiter pressed back against the wall to watch the others.
What had happened today.
Or had it been yesterday? He remembered the gharumal’s frenzied attack on the skyship flight works. And then after… the arrival of the…
Air Lord’s men.
‘Oh heck. I’m done for.’
All the prisoners eating were male. Young, and fit.
And now fed ready for a…
‘I’m not going to be hunted again,’ Jupiter said. ‘No way.’
The prisoner who had tried to keep order stepped up to him. Jupiter shrank away. They might all be prisoners together but there were no friends here. The huge man in his thirties, stared at him. ‘What do you mean?’
He had a thick black beard and the brawny muscles of a manual laborer. Or a warrior. ‘Hunted?’
Jupiter scanned the rest of room looking for someone who might help him get away from the large man. Everyone had slowed their feeding, and had begun to savor the food, even joking about how good the hotel had become.
‘Why do you say that?’
‘The Air Lord.’ Jupiter swallowed and took a breath. ‘He’s going to hunt us like animals.’
The laborer grunted. ‘If they’re going to feed us, why hunt us?’ He cracked his knuckles.
‘They want us fit. So they feed us.’ Jupiter said. ‘The Air Lord likes a challenge.’
‘And how do you know all of this then?’
‘I’ve been hunted.’
‘Then you escaped. A skinny wee thing like you?’ The man laughed. ‘This hunt can’t be too bad then.’
‘You’ve no idea.’
Manisaur guards broke up the dining party soon after. And not in a gentle way. They struck at the humans with their hands and jostled them outside as the soldiers jeered at them. But no cudgels, except the threat of them reinforced with slams against the stone walls. Jupiter and his large friend shared a knowing look.
‘Waste of good food…’ said one soldier. ‘You mammals eat too much.’
‘Move it scum…’
‘You there…’ A manisaur advanced on a tall thin man not yet finished eating. The guard drove the small end of his cudgel into the man’s guts, he doubled over and spat some food out.
A tall manisaur with officer webbing across his chest hissed at his man, perhaps for the blow. But he shouted along with the rest. ‘Get out.’
‘Enough of your gross eating.’
‘Don’t none of you stinking humans think of taking a piss yet.’
‘Move along.’
‘Get them into the piss pots,’ the tall manisaur officer shouted ‘At least they can provide some fertilizer before they die.’
‘Disgusting beasts.’
Peter stuck close to the big male laborer/warrior. ‘There’s no women?’
‘Nah. Blackbirding bastards took us from our homes. Left the women and children, but took all the men.’
Pushed now into the stinking ammonia of a toilet the manisaurs cackled and hissed derision at the pissing mammals. But Jupiter had to relieve himself. He did not understand the manisaur’s complaint. At least he didn’t have to shit a stream of stinking yoghurt out his bum. The slick on the floor of his cell made more sense now. He coughed back the thought and the ammonia smell of the urine.
‘You all from the same place?’ Jupiter managed when they emerged into the corridor.
’No,’ the laborer said. ‘They struck all the coastal villages over a couple of days. Some of these men I know, but most are strangers. Only these few of us got chosen from the group of captured humans.’
‘The biggest…’
‘Yeah. Something like that.’
‘Sounds like a hunt.’
But the blackbirders would not work with the Air Lord. Maybe I’m wrong?
The laborer nudged him. ‘So why do they have you here? You’re just a lad, and still growing into those long legs.’
‘Unlucky. Just got caught yesterday… I think yesterday.’
‘You were in town? That was mighty idiot of you.’
‘I was in the fortress.’
The laborer stopped walking and stared. ‘You what?’
‘We snuck inside…’
A manisaur jabbed their long black cudgel at the laborer, but he turned his body and the blow missed. But they both got the hint and started to walk again down the corridor towards where light spilled from a doorway.
‘Long story,’ Jupiter said.
‘And we’ve no time.’ The laborer stuck out his hand. ‘Khavuraqo, but most call me Khav.’
‘Jupiter…’
‘Joop…’
‘Yeah. As in Upariqami.’
‘The time keeper, the radiant star…’ Khav laughed. ‘A bit up yourself then?’
‘Call me Jupiter.’
‘I will. I will. Joopuhtah... Joop.’ Khav said. ‘You’re either a brave lad, or an idiot to sneak into the fortress of Qhayuvakham.’
But Jupiter’s mind had slipped elsewhere. Where had the others got to? He had to get away. To find them.
No way am I getting into the Air Lord’s hands again. Maybe I can do more sneaking. I’m shorter. Might be missed…
Ahead, the bright light spilled into the corridor. Manisaur guards jostled their prisoners though to the open space beyond. Other guards hung back wary of the humans. They kept their backs to the light.
Jupiter looked around for a place to run to, to hide. Manisaurs had good eyesight, but they could not see as well in the dark, into shadows. In that searing contrast between bright and shadow he might slip away.
As the guards shoved their prisoners outside, a group of manisaurs were herded amongst them from an adjoining passage. Unlike the humans these prisoners had leg shackles.
Jupiter looked for Tamm, and did not see him amongst the manisaur prisoners.
But there he was. A prison guard. With a cudgel in hand Tamm stared at Jupiter but only anger and derision shone on his aura.
Tamm had joined the enemy.