The ghosts that we knew

Chapter 9

~Touch my mouth

And hold my tongue

I'll never be your chosen one~

Carolyn tilted her head to look at Vaako. "You had better figure out a way to be in two places at once."

Hearing her voice, Vaako looked down at the small blonde woman.

"You need to get me on that ship, and you need to make sure he makes it out of here alive."

Vaako looked at her dryly taking a page from his Lord Marshall. "I already have a wife, thank you."

"Well isn't that quaint, but If you don't get me out of here, she's going to be a widow."

Vaako took a better look at this woman in his arms. She was dressed as the other women in this hall, a leather skirt that came to mid thigh, a sleeveless shirt that came up around her neck, covered by a wrap that went from breast to waist, gauntlets, thigh high boots and a neck choker with an attached cloak. Her hair was braided away from her face and fell in loose braids adorned with bone down to her shoulders.

There were two things that separated her from the rest. The tattoos that covered the right side of her face starting at her eyebrow, trailing down to her shoulder, and the look in her eyes that said she wouldn't hesitate to try to kill him.

Raising his eyebrow he replied, "I shall see what I can do."

"Better do more than see," he heard her mutter as she maneuvered around him, pulling out a knife where it was sheathed to his armor.

Rolling his eyes, he waited till most were pre-occupied with Riddick and his fight with Bellona, before firing his gravity gun, clearing a space large enough to get the woman he was charged with protecting out the door.

As they made their way out of the structure someone caught Carolyn's eye. One of his soldiers had already given a mortal blow but the man was still breathing. Keeping one eye on her while issuing orders to protect their Lord Marshall, Vaako watched as Carolyn bent over the man whispering something in his ear before putting her knife to his face. He continued to watch with interested detachment as Carolyn shredded the man. She was covered with blood when she stood, only to discover herself surrounded by men that looked like Vaako.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked as she stood there chest heaving.

She gave him a tight nod, so taking her by the arm he led her to a ship. He took only a few men with him, leaving the rest for Riddick as they broke orbit heading for the Armada.

As Riddick strolled back to stand in front of his mother's chair, if Carolyn's outburst had any validity to it, he eyed her and the rest of his "family" with disgust.

Bellona stood as he approached. "We were born to be kings, Royalty of the entire universe," she said stretching her arms out to encompass the room. "I have inside of me the blood of Kings, but instead of ruling, here we are, simply fighting to survive in this darkest of worlds because of a prophecy. A prophecy stating that a male Furyan child would kill the very man whose people you dare to come with here today. My eldest child was killed in the great infanticide. My second child was ripped from my very womb by my husband so that I might live to bear him more children," she said reaching out to touch her sons' arms. "But imagine my distress when I realized that it was in fact MY child to whom the prophecy referred. MY child that was responsible for the destruction of my world, the deaths of millions."

"Sounds like you have some issues. Have you thought about trying therapy?" Riddick replied smoothly, watching as his words rubbed like nails on a chalkboard in this woman's ears.

A pathway opened as bodies separated, allowing Riddicks passage out of the room as he wiped his knife off on the leg of his pants before returning it to its rightful place. On his way out of the fortress to the waiting ship, a contingent of soldiers following in his wake, he stopped briefly to stare at the body of a man whose face had been carved off of his head. He'd have to ask Vaako about that.

Taking a seat onboard the remaining ship, Riddick leaned back stretching out his legs and closed his eyes.

Ignoring his own wife, Vaako hastily escorted Carolyn off of the cruiser and into the heart of the Basilica surrounded by the men that had accompanied them. Some of the very soldiers that had watched the Lord Marshalls wife take a mans face off. Vaako gritted his teeth as he knew the rumors would be flying even by the time the Lord Marshal returned, less than an hour from now.

Carolyn was shaking. The adrenaline had finally worn off and she reeked of death. Dried blood covered her hands and arms, splattered her chest, face and hair. She could taste it in her mouth and smell it in her nose. She did her best to keep her head up straight and held high as Vaako hurried her through what appeared to be the halls of yet another hell finally ushering her through a set of doors, only the two of them entering the room.

Carolyn looked at him in silence.

"These are your chambers. The bathing room is through there," he said indicating what appeared to be a bedroom in the far corner.

"You'll stay out here?"

Vaako gave a curt nod. "I'll remain until the Lord Marshall returns."

Carolyn nodded in return turning towards the room before turning back to the man once again. She wasn't happy about depending on him but if Riddick trusted him enough to see to her safety she'd give him the benefit of the doubt. "I'm going to need some clean clothes."

"I'll see to it." He answered and she tilted her head before turning back once again.

Closing and locking the door to the bedroom behind her, she did the same once she entered the bath. Setting down at an ornate dressing room table, she slowly and methodically began to undress. Boots, gauntlets, skirt, cloak and choker. Unable to unhook the corset on her own she ignored both that and the shirt underneath it. Clad in only that and a pair of what passed for underwear she turned towards the mirror and her hair.