Right Hand

8



Riddick did sleep. Lightly, and he woke when Vaako did.
They gazed at each other for a moment - Riddick hadn't
lost his grin even in his sleep - then realized why they
had woken. The room was dark, evening fallen while they
slept. There was a scratching at the door, a low growling
whine. One of the Hellhounds was trying to get their
attention. Riddick was up and dressed in an instant,
opening the window and tossing Vaako his own clothes
before he went to the door.

Vaako sat up, winced and got quickly to his feet. He moved
out of sight from the door before Riddick opened it, speaking
to someone in the outer room in a low voice. Vaako looked
down at himself and saw that he was clean. He was amazed -
both that Riddick had to be responsible for that and that he
had slept through it. He must trust his Lord Marshal more
than he thought. His hips were lightly bruised where Riddick
had gripped them and he felt a tingling against the base of
his neck that was probably a bite.

His shirt would cover that. Vaako always knew the high collars
were good for something. Dressed, he moved closer to the door,
realized that it was Troan Riddick was speaking with, something
about the translation being almost complete. Riddick was leaning
a broad shoulder against the doorframe, his other arm flung across
the top of the door, holding it half-closed. He showed no
intention of moving, even when he accepted the data pad his
First held out. Vaako could feel curiosity and some amusement
coming from Troan... and a touch of something else. Jealousy?
Yes, definitely jealousy, but not direct. He tried to sort it
out, his own emotions rusty from long disuse, and decided that
Troan didn't want Riddick or himself. It was more nebulous
than that.

Troan was - lonely?

And jealous of companionship, and what only an idiot wouldn't
realize had happened in this room.

Vaako thought of Garen, and the way he looked at Troan with
longing in his eyes. He smiled with a little amusement of
his own.

Maybe Troan wouldn't be lonely for much longer.

The open window stirred fresh air and cloying dust through the
room, erasing the erotic scent that lingered from earlier. The
dust made Vaako grab for his breather. He didn't feel like
having that settle in his lungs. He turned back to find the
door closed and Riddick watching him, amusement and something
else in his silver eyes. Vaako raised an inquiring eyebrow.

"Don't like that," Riddick said, moving closer and running his
fingers along the edge of the breather, grazing the sensitive
skin of Vaako's jaw. The dark-haired man gave a tiny shiver and
Riddick grinned wolfishly. "Don't like it at all - can't kiss
you through a breather."

"You cannot kiss me if I am coughing and choking, either," Vaako
said mildly, but he took the breather off. Riddick's grin grew
evil - he jerked the man tight against him, grabbing a handful
of long black braids and yanking Vaako's head back. He zeroed
in on his mouth and claimed him again with a ferocious kiss, his
tongue invading that warm mouth and demanding that his tongue
play along. Vaako surrendered without a qualm. The kiss continued
until his knees were weak and his lungs screamed for air - but
it was all right - there were strong arms around him, holding
him up, strong hands searching his body, a strong knee pushing
between his. With that, who needed air? He trembled and wrapped
his arms around Riddick's neck -

- and jerked away, gasping harshly, eyes wild.

"Vaako?!" Riddick tightened an arm around his waist, turning
the man's chin so that he faced him again.

"...something is coming..."

"What, Vaako? What's coming?" Riddick didn't like the way those
hazel eyes weren't focusing. He gripped the smaller man's shoulders
and shook him. Vaako didn't respond, still staring at something
Riddick couldn't see. "Vaako?"

"...something hungry..."

"Vaako!" Riddick's palm smacked against the man's face, and the
empty eyes abruptly focused.

"W...what...?"

"What did you feel?" Riddick hadn't let the man go.

"Hungry - it is so... so hungry... they were not enough..."

"Who wasn't enough?"

Vaako blinked rapidly, looking puzzled. "I - do not know.
Something was speaking to me - but it is gone now, and I do
not remember..."

"Need to rest?" Riddick was surprised at the concern he felt -
how had this man become so important to him? He'd wanted him
from the first time he'd seen him, when he'd fought the soldier
on that ship. Killed the man and turned to see those eyes
fixed on him.

If he could have, he would have taken him right then - something
deep inside had roared, ‘Mine!'

He forced the thoughts away for now. Vaako was shaking his head.

"No - I am fine now."

Seemed to be true - his eyes were clear, and even his trembling
from the sadly short moment of passion had stilled.

Too bad.

Riddick would have been more than happy to start him trembling
again, but they had things to do. They needed to find out what
that book had been about, what had happened in this house.
Especially now, since some... *thing* was talking to Vaako.
He had no illusions that might be something friendly.

Not if it was hungry.


*


"A spell?"

"Yes, Lord Marshal. A Summoning spell, to bring what the book
calls ‘The Avenger' to them."

"That's what the book was open to?"

"Yes, sir."

Riddick gazed at the tech, frowning slightly. He'd always hated
mystical shit, and he wasn't feeling any differently now.
According to the book, the Avenger was ‘summoned' whenever the
people of this planet were threatened, under attack - and it ate
their enemies. Normally, he'd snort at such as stupid fairy tale,
but something had happened to the people on this rock! If this
so-called ‘Avenger' had somehow backfired and eaten them instead,
he needed to be prepared. Vaako had said the thing that spoke to
him was hungry. Hungry things were dangerous. He wasn't going to
let it feed on him or his army.

And he was *damned* if it was going to eat his empath!

His eyes went automatically to where Vaako stood, leaning against
the wall of the chamber where they had found the book, silently
reading the data pad with the translation. Protega leaned against
his legs, purring softly as one slim white hand absently stroked
her head.

Riddick gazed calmly at him, too self-controlled to shake his head
with confusion. Some of the feelings he had for this man puzzled
him. Not the possessiveness he felt - no, *that* didn't confuse
him at all. Vaako was just *his* and that was all there was to it.
It was the concern he felt over the threats to his well-being that
were confusing the former convict. The knowledge of what the Nobles
would try to do to him if they found out about his talents, and the
nebulous threat of ‘something hungry.'

Then there was the tenderness he felt, the desire to never hurt this
man, when all of his other so-called relationships had been slam-bam,
rough almost to the point of violence. A little pain had just made
things more interesting. Yet he quailed at the thought of hurting
Vaako that way.

Completely baffling.

And beside the point at the moment - he had to figure out what was
going on. He reached for his own data pad, only to pause at
Vaako's soft, rich voice.

"What is this other spell?"

"Sir?" The tech asked politely, standing with her head tilted
as she waited for more information.

"This spell on the page before the Summoning spell. The...
‘Spell of Opening'? It says ‘to reveal the way the Avenger
shall come'... But it's not like the Summoning spell." Hazel
eyes met Riddick's black goggles.

The Lord Marshall quickly found the page Vaako was referring to.
The man was right, of course. Vaako's quick intelligence had
made an excellent impression on Riddick, and this time was no
different. The Summoning spell was a mix of pompous phrases, a
plea for help and praise for the Avenger's many qualities. The
Opening spell was only a few lines long, a series of sounds
and unrelated words.

Riddick hesitated for about half a second, then said them aloud.

And the wall behind Vaako just disintegrated, sending the man
tumbling backwards into darkness, his eyes round with surprise.


*


"It's a voice lock. Very old, perhaps a hundred years old. The
combination of sounds unlocked the entrance." The tech was
standing on a chair, examining the new doorway, other techs
clustered around her. "The wall was a hologram over an inlaid
door. It's very well done, and so old our scanners completely
overlooked it. We should have them calibrated for ancient
mechanics, if it pleases the Lord Marshall?"

"It damn well does please me." Riddick growled, still angsty
over watching Vaako vanish into darkness, although the man had
gotten no more than dusty on the floor of the hidden corridor.
The Empath had seemed amused, although Protega had gone on high
alert, ready for a threat to her charge.

Part of Riddick's agitation stemmed from the fact that she
had yet to calm down.

Even now she stood inside the doorway, gazing down the hall
with her red eyes gleaming. She looked ready to attack - but
there was nothing there.

"Bring the other Hellhounds in here." Riddick said to Garen,
who was standing nearby. The man nodded and vanished, returning
in seconds with Rage and the cub. Both of them surveyed the
room, then went straight to Protega, to stand by her and add
their growls to her own.

"Something is down there." Troan murmured, putting everyone's
thoughts into words. "Are we going to go see?"

"Of course." Riddick answered. He'd been standing shoulder-
to-shoulder with Vaako, reassuring himself that the man wasn't
hurt. Now he moved towards the door, a single quick tug of
Vaako's sleeve telling him to come along. He came willingly,
as curious as the rest to see what might be down there.

"Send a lensor first, after the Hellhounds." Riddick ordered,
"and bring some lights." They had yet to discover any built-in
way of illuminating the corridor, and it vanished into darkness
after a few feet. This wouldn't have bothered the lensor, the
Hounds, or Riddick, but the others he was bringing along would
need to be able to see.

"Five soldiers with us." He ordered, as Troan looked expectantly
at him. "You and Garen take care of things here."

His Second of Commanders nodded firmly, accepting the
responsibility given him. He'd have liked to go along, to
see what was down that dark corridor, but he knew where he was
needed. He'd find out soon enough, anyway. Turning, he motioned
for five of the elite Guard to follow after their Lord Marshal.

Yur fell into step behind them. No one commented - they'd known
he would go where Vaako went. Yet, Troan caught a flash of
irritation on the Lord Marshal's usually stony features as he
looked at the man.

He wondered how long before those two attacked each other?

Troan wasn't blind. He'd seen the way the big Captain's eyes
devoured the Lord Marshal's Right Hand. Stupid man, for
desiring what no one else would *ever* be allowed to touch,
not so long as Riddick was breathing. And Yur was no match
for the dangerous new Marshal - he'd never defeat him and be
able to take what he wanted.

But the man probably didn't realize that, or didn't care.

After all, he'd attacked Vaako, when the whole Necromonger army
knew about Vaako's superb fighting skills. Troan had pulled up
Yur's record, a quick scan telling him the man would never go
beyond Captain, that it was luck, stubbornness, and the element
of surprise that had gotten him that far. It would have taken
intelligence and patience to go further, and Yur had neither.
He could never have hoped to win against Vaako, and Troan
wondered absently why he'd bothered to try.

The thought stirred something in his memory, something he'd
seen - he couldn't quite grasp it, so he let it go for now.
It would come to him.


*


The passageway was cold as well as dark, and was only paneled
and floored for about fifteen feet. After that, it became more
cave-like, roughly hewn out of rock, musty and dripping with
damp. It was narrow and low, making it hard to walk without
brushing against the moldy walls, without smacking one's head
against the uneven granite roof. Vaako was glad he wasn't
claustrophobic. He felt like he was in a small, dank tomb.

"Nice place for some mighty Avenger." Riddick said sourly, his
steps careful as he tried not to slide on the wet rock floor.

Vaako murmured a soft agreement. He didn't like this place - some
deep instinct was screaming at him to get out, get away! He
ruthlessly quashed it, forcing himself to keep going. It was
just nerves, after all, built up to a frenzy after years of being
ignored. Every emotion he had was multiplied today, and would be
that way for about a week. At least, that was his estimate. A
week seemed to be the limit for changes to his psyche. A week
between Purifications, a week to wake up to sensations after
the last one he'd had. So, hopefully in a week this inner
turmoil would settle down.

After about fifteen minutes of walking, the narrow corridor
spread out into an open, empty chamber. Big enough for them
to stand up straight, with the ceiling several dozen feet
above them. The floor here was sandy, a nice change from
the slick wetness of the corridor. Soldiers moved to light
up the room, shining the powerful searchlights around. There
was an opening on the far side of the chamber, about a
hundred feet away.

A black, yawning opening into what seemed to be another, bigger
chamber. Vaako and the others approached it carefully, to stop
halfway there at a sudden hiss from the lensor. It had ‘seen'
something move.

At the same time, Vaako felt a sudden, strange hunger gnaw at
him. He resisted the urge to back away. ‘This is what I felt
earlier,' he thought, the edge of panic trying to take hold of
him. This was dangerous, very dangerous - and he didn't know
how he knew, but he was in more danger than anyone else. Some
long-forgotten instinct stirred in him, trying to tell him what
to do, but he was so out of touch with it...

The Hellhounds were growling, crouched low to the floor and
staring at the entrance to that chamber. Their ears were flat
to their heads, all their vicious teeth showing. Vaako was
startled to realize that it was a defensive pose, not a
threatening one.

What could make such incredible beasts as these go on the
defensive?!

He glanced at Riddick, saw the man had a gun in one hand,
the other hovering close to where his favorite shiv was
fastened at his waist. So Riddick felt the threat as well,
enough to want weapons ready.

This was not good.

The soldiers with them had taken their cue from the Lord
Marshal, getting their weapons out and ready. Yur moved
to step in front of Vaako, ready to do his duty and defend
his Master with his life. Vaako pushed him to stand at his
side, not willing to sacrifice anyone to save himself, and
not willing to have his view of what was going to happen
blocked.

The last thing he wanted was to be caught blind.

A rumbling sound came from the chamber, so low it was
barely audible.

The Hellhounds growled.

The sound increased in volume slowly, separating and
becoming smoother, more musical. The men exchanged glances,
and began backing toward the corridor.

The sounds increased, formed themselves into words, spoken
in a language they didn't understand. After a moment the
sounds became frustrated noises, then faded.

Then started again, more cognizant, growing in familiarity
until they began to understand actual words.

"Ddddoooo ... yyouuuu... s...summmmooonnn... mmmmeeee....?"
The question was a drawn out, gurgling hiss, like someone
speaking with a mouthful of water. The voice was thickly
evil and Vaako shuddered, wanting nothing more than to run.

He stood his ground instead. He was still a soldier.

"Ddddooo... yyoouu... summooonn... yyour... Aveeenngerrr?"
The words were a bit clearer, and that title was definitely
one they knew.

~ Summon the Avenger, to devour our enemies ~

The line from the Summoning Spell echoed in Vaako's memory.
He darted a quick look at Riddick, saw that the Lord Marshal
had recognized it as well.

"No." Riddick's voice was firm and stopped the slow retreat
in its tracks. "No, we didn't summon any Avenger."

"Ddooo... you... bbringg... to ... me ... a ... sacrrriiifficce?"
There was an eager sort of curiosity in the voice now that made
Vaako's instincts scream ‘Get Away!'.

"No, we damn well didn't bring you a sacrifice! What the hell
*are* you, anyway?!"

"I... am... the Avenger... I w... will give you... your ...
deeeepesst... dreams... if ... you... g..give ... me ... a
sacrifiiiiccee..."

"No sacrifice. Show yourself." Riddick demanded, his finger
tightening on the trigger of his gun.

A low, thick chuckle sounded in the room, then two vague
streamers of light issued from the dark cavern, undulating
across the floor towards them. The Hellhounds backed away,
then darted forward and snapped at them. The teeth that
could crush bone passed through harmlessly, dissipating the
light only to have it form itself back into solidity a second
later.

The two streamers went past Riddick and wriggled toward
Vaako - Riddick shot out an arm and pulled his Empath away.

The streamers didn't follow - they settled on Yur, twining
around the man without touching him.

"I ... know. I see... what yooouu want. I will... give it
... to you... I will ... give him ... to you... if you...
will sacrifice to... meee..."

Yur's eyes rolled around wildly, settling on Riddick with
panic in their light blue depths. There was panic - for a
moment. Then they filled with jealousy and rage as they
stared at the Lord Marshall, who had one arm wrapped
protectively around Vaako, holding the man against his
chest as he kept the gun trained on the chamber door. The
tentacles of light were coming from there, after all,
certainly that was where the biggest threat lay?

Not that Yur cared at the moment. Jealousy, greed, and
anger rolled off him in waves, his hands twitching with
the desire to reach out and grab his Master away from the
one who held him. The emotions hit Vaako like physical
blows - and made the tentacles quiver in what looked like
ecstasy. Vaako didn't know for sure how he knew that it
was the emotions affecting them, but he did.

So did everyone else in the room.

"Ddddelllicious..." The ugly voice crooned. "Come...
little one... sacrifice to me... and I will give him to
you..."

"Like hell you will!" Riddick knew exactly who the ‘him'
was, but the voice ignored his outraged cry.

"Sssacrifice to me..." A constant, continuous urge, and
Yur quickly gave in.

"What do you want?" He gasped the words out in a voice
gone suddenly hoarse.

"Yyyoouuu... be mine, and I will... give him to you..."

"No!" Riddick shouted.

"All right, so long as he is mine." Yur agreed. So he
would switch his loyalty to this... thing. Who cared
who commanded him, so long as he could wrap his hands
around Lord Vaako and call him his?

"Agreed!" The voice was a cackle of glee, and Yur barely
managed to wonder if he'd made a mistake before more
tentacles shot out from the room, wrapping around him
in a maelstrom of power and spinning him toward the cavern.
He felt a moment of terror, a sharp instant of pain, then
an odd floating sensation as he was pulled into darkness...

The others watched in horror as Yur's body dissolved into
grey dust and a vaguely Yur-shaped shadow was drawn into
the darkness.

And vanished.

"Quite... a nice little... snack." The voice said smugly,
"Now I ... wish for... the main course..." The tentacles
began to writhe around the entrance, but came no closer.
They seemed to be waiting.

"Main course? What the hell does that mean?" Riddick
demanded. Vaako had sudden visions of the entire Necromonger
army vanishing in that same puff of dust...

...grey dust?

He suddenly realized *why* this planet was covered in choking,
cloying layers of the stuff - billions of people, and the
Avenger had apparently recoiled on them...

He remembered wiping the dust from his clothes, brushing it
from his skin and spitting it out when it got in his mouth.

He was going to be sick...

Apparently the other soldiers were too, as they stared at
the little pile of dust Yur had left behind and realized
the same thing he had realized. Every one of them was
beginning to turn green.

Riddick alone seemed unaffected.

"Well? C'mon, you think you're going to eat us all? You
ain't *our* Avenger!"

That was true enough, Vaako realized. Apparently the
people of this planet had worshiped this thing, so they
belonged to it - and it hadn't eaten Yur until he agreed
to belong to it, as well.

Did that make it harmless, or not?

His question was answered a second later, as the tentacles
shot out. Stronger and thicker than before, they twisted
around the gun and had it yanked out of Riddick's grasp and
away before he could react. More of them twisted around the
two men, pulling them off their feet and into the air, pulling
Vaako away from Riddick even though both of them fought to
hang on.

The Hellhounds got over their fear and attacked, leaping up
and snapping at the light, their teeth almost seeming to set
into the transparent tentacles before the Hounds fell back to
the ground. Unfazed and furious, they leapt again and again
until the tentacles struck viciously back, knocking all three
of them across the room and slamming them into the rough rock
walls. They were up and snapping again in an instant -
Protega's jaws clamped down on one of the tentacles holding
Riddick, and she hung for an second before falling, the tentacle
tearing apart and clear fluid dripping onto the sandy floor
before it pulled itself together again.

The moment had been long enough for Riddick to act - the other
tentacles had paused in apparent surprise and the former convict
had ripped them away, plummeting to the floor to land neatly on
his feet. He snatched up the gun and poured bullets into the
tentacles around Vaako, his aim far too good to ever risk
hitting the man.

More of the liquid rained down as tentacles broke and reformed.
Several times Vaako thought he was free, struggling to get back
to solid ground, before more of the things wrapped around him
and pulled him back up - and closer to the cavern door. They
weren't spinning him like they had done to Yur, and there was
no sign of his turning to dust, yet they held him in a painfully
tight grip.

‘Strange,' his mind thought calmly while his body fought, ‘they
seem so insubstantial, yet they hurt...' He could almost feel
bruises forming on his body wherever these damn things held him.
He fought one hand free and grabbed for his blade, slashing
angrily at the alien... entity holding him. The metal passed
through the waving, twisting appendages easily, some leaking
fluid for a moment while others just dissolved. It didn't help -
the ones he slashed just reformed, and more shot out from the dark
to join them.

He heard Riddick roar in anger behind him - beneath him? He was
beginning to feel drained and confused. The knife fell from his
hand and he heard it thump on the ground. The ground that seemed
to be... above him?

How very strange.

One of his hands wandered to his own arm, feeling carefully of the
solidness beneath the smooth cloth of his shirt, making *sure* he
wasn't turning into that grey powder. No, he seemed to be remaining
whole - just his brain was apparently turning to mush. He felt like
it was literally going to leak out of his ears. His mind became a
roaring rush of noise, Riddick shouting, the Hounds howling, the
soldiers shrieking while the guns blasted all around him.

He couldn't take this...

Darkness filled his vision, restful, beckoning to him. Something
alien but soothing touched his mind, urging him to sleep.

He had no resistance, no strength left to fight it.

He gave in, and his eyes slid closed.