Free Checkmate by Katherine Kingston

They let them
gather in a pile on the floor ahead before they proceeded. To avoid a spot
where electrical sparks shot from one side of the corridor to the other from
knee height to just over their heads, they had to get down on their bellies and
slither along the ground.
    Nothing could have gotten them past the swarm of biting
insects without losing a few bits of flesh. They had no repellant with them and
could find no way around the area that didn’t dead-end. Since they saw the bugs
ahead, however, they did race past and thus got by with only a few annoying
bites. More laughter rose from the crowd along with some applause.
    By Devonne’s calculation, they had to be getting close to
the end when they met with a nastier obstacle. They made a ninety-degree turn
to the right, and then another just a few feet beyond. As Raje cleared the
second bend, Devonne heard a solid whack and he shouted in surprise and
pain. When he backed up, Devonne stopped and waited for him.
    “What—” She leaned around the corner and got her answer.
    A lone Sangari warrior-male stood there, armed with a pistol
in one hand and a narrow, two-foot-long rod in the other. The pistol moved from
its aim on Raje to focus on her when the Sangari saw her. He took up more than
half the width of the corridor.
    Raje rubbed at his thighs and swore with enthusiasm. Devonne
looked back the way they’d come. “You think it’s even worth trying to find
another way?”
    “What have we got to lose?” he asked.
    “A few more pounds of flesh to the bugs?”
    “Votes?”
    “Let’s try,” she suggested.
    “My vote, too.”
    They retraced their route and tried alternate turns. As
Devonne expected, each of them ended abruptly at some point, leaving them with
only the option of braving the armed Sangari.
    “Stay close behind me,” Raje suggested as they prepared to
pass him.
    “Hey, thanks for the gallantry, but you’ve already got a
bruise from him once today.”
    “I can handle it.”
    He didn’t have to, though. The Sangari let him go by without
making any attempt to swing his rod. She wished the same were true for her. He
couldn’t reach the front of her body since she followed so closely behind Raje,
but as they passed, the Sangari struck her a backhanded blow right across her
buttocks. She jumped and swore at the sting. The crowd cheered and roared with
laughter.
    “You all right?” Raje turned around to check.
    “Okay. The stupid Sangari decided I needed a spanking.”
    “Got a heavy hand, too, doesn’t he?”
    “Yeah. Let’s get out of here before he decides he isn’t
finished.”
    They couldn’t manage to avoid the rain of dirt that sprayed
down on them at one point on the trip but raced through it quickly enough to
come out with just a few sprinkles on them instead of the thick layer they
might have acquired.
    At the next intersection some change in quality of light and
shadows indicated that corridor would be the last. It wasn’t until they made a
sharp turn, though, that she saw the last challenge before they reached the
opening at the far end of the passage.
    The corridor widened for its final hundred feet. The last
half of that length was lined with Sangari on either side. Each one held a
thin, whippy staff.
    “Transport them all to a supernova and let them burn,” Raje
growled through clenched teeth.
    “I second the motion.”
    “I’m sorry,” he said. “I wish this whole thing hadn’t
happened.”
    “Me, too, but it’s not your guilt. Anyway, I’ve tackled
worse than this.” She drew a deep breath. “Let’s get it over with.”
    He nodded. “Just make sure you stay on your feet.”
    It wasn’t fun and it wasn’t always easy to stay upright as
the flailing sticks landed on her shoulders, back and rear end, but they fought
their way through it to the end. Once back out in the open, Raje embraced her,
holding her close against him. It felt good to be there. Entirely too good. He
was a Gambrian prince . Still, she had