and paced up and down the dank corridors. He couldn’t have Jabba waking up now. Perhaps Jabba could take care of the new business quickly and decide to catch another hour or so of sleep.
He heard Jabba’s booming voice. Something that might have been an argument. An outcry—and then from above the trapdoor opened, and two more bodies tumbled into the rancor pit.
Malakili moaned, kneading his fists together. “Why now?” He looked at his chronometer again. The rescue ship would be coming any moment.
Several of Gonar’s replacements pressed forward next to Malakili to watch the new victims die in the pit. He couldn’t remember any of their names. He couldn’t care about them now. He whispered a message he knew the rancor could not hear. “Just eat them. Hurry, my pet!”
He saw a young, thin human male—nothing to worry about there—and one of the stupid Gamorrean guards. Malakili cringed when he saw the guard stillhad his wicked vibro-ax, which could hurt the rancor—but the guard seemed too terrified to remember his weapon.
The piglike brute turned to flee, but the rancor was upon him in a second, grabbing him up and jamming the entire body into its mouth. It chomped down, then slurped the still-twitching legs down into its throat. The rancor turned to the human male and strode forward.
Malakili looked at his chronometer. Lady Valarian’s ship would be approaching even now, drifting silently across the sands, creeping to the secret rendezvous. “Come on!” he whispered.
Up above, the spectators cheered and cackled wildly. Jabba’s deep-throated laugh echoed into the pit. The watchers seemed to be giving the spectacle more importance than it should have had. Malakili wondered who this victim was.
The young man ran to the other side of the pit, snatching one of the discarded bones on the floor just as the rancor grabbed him in its claws and lifted him up to the jagged jaws.
The human thought fast and jammed the long bone like a support strut into the rancor’s mouth, and the monster dropped him as it bit down on the splintery bone, snapping it.
Malakili winced, remembering the shards from the combat arachnids that had caused so much pain to the soft inner lining of the rancor’s mouth. “My poor pet,” he said.
Malakili calmed himself. No matter . Once they escaped, he would have all the time in the worlds to take care of his monster, alone and at peace on their own world.
The young man ran in panic like a spooked Jawa, slamming against the open grille of the access doortrying to get out. Malakili batted him back, and the others pushed the young man away.
“Hurry up and get eaten!” he said, glancing yet again at his chronometer. There wasn’t much time.
Inside the den the young human ran straight between the rancor’s legs, beneath the monster and to the other side.
Malakili slapped his forehead in dismay. The same silly trick the combat arachnids had used, but the rancor had still not figured out how to defend against it.
The rancor turned and lumbered toward the human again, arms outstretched. The human ran into a low chamber where the rancor frequently slept, ducking under the heavy jagged door that could be closed off when others needed to clean the cage.
Malakili felt his heart pounding, and he hissed in a cold breath. Above, the others shouted and cheered even louder than before. Even if the rancor ate this human in the next few seconds, the spectators would not settle down for some time yet. He let another moan escape his throat. Now what was he going to do? Lady Valarian would not wait.
The rancor had the human trapped now, and it hunched low to pass into the sleeping den. The human grabbed up a round ivory boulder—no, a skull—and hurled it at the controls just as the rancor leaned under the jagged door.
The skull triggered the switch, and the massive durasteel door crashed down like a guillotine blade. The jagged end slammed into the rancor’s head and spine, hammering
He heard Jabba’s booming voice. Something that might have been an argument. An outcry—and then from above the trapdoor opened, and two more bodies tumbled into the rancor pit.
Malakili moaned, kneading his fists together. “Why now?” He looked at his chronometer again. The rescue ship would be coming any moment.
Several of Gonar’s replacements pressed forward next to Malakili to watch the new victims die in the pit. He couldn’t remember any of their names. He couldn’t care about them now. He whispered a message he knew the rancor could not hear. “Just eat them. Hurry, my pet!”
He saw a young, thin human male—nothing to worry about there—and one of the stupid Gamorrean guards. Malakili cringed when he saw the guard stillhad his wicked vibro-ax, which could hurt the rancor—but the guard seemed too terrified to remember his weapon.
The piglike brute turned to flee, but the rancor was upon him in a second, grabbing him up and jamming the entire body into its mouth. It chomped down, then slurped the still-twitching legs down into its throat. The rancor turned to the human male and strode forward.
Malakili looked at his chronometer. Lady Valarian’s ship would be approaching even now, drifting silently across the sands, creeping to the secret rendezvous. “Come on!” he whispered.
Up above, the spectators cheered and cackled wildly. Jabba’s deep-throated laugh echoed into the pit. The watchers seemed to be giving the spectacle more importance than it should have had. Malakili wondered who this victim was.
The young man ran to the other side of the pit, snatching one of the discarded bones on the floor just as the rancor grabbed him in its claws and lifted him up to the jagged jaws.
The human thought fast and jammed the long bone like a support strut into the rancor’s mouth, and the monster dropped him as it bit down on the splintery bone, snapping it.
Malakili winced, remembering the shards from the combat arachnids that had caused so much pain to the soft inner lining of the rancor’s mouth. “My poor pet,” he said.
Malakili calmed himself. No matter . Once they escaped, he would have all the time in the worlds to take care of his monster, alone and at peace on their own world.
The young man ran in panic like a spooked Jawa, slamming against the open grille of the access doortrying to get out. Malakili batted him back, and the others pushed the young man away.
“Hurry up and get eaten!” he said, glancing yet again at his chronometer. There wasn’t much time.
Inside the den the young human ran straight between the rancor’s legs, beneath the monster and to the other side.
Malakili slapped his forehead in dismay. The same silly trick the combat arachnids had used, but the rancor had still not figured out how to defend against it.
The rancor turned and lumbered toward the human again, arms outstretched. The human ran into a low chamber where the rancor frequently slept, ducking under the heavy jagged door that could be closed off when others needed to clean the cage.
Malakili felt his heart pounding, and he hissed in a cold breath. Above, the others shouted and cheered even louder than before. Even if the rancor ate this human in the next few seconds, the spectators would not settle down for some time yet. He let another moan escape his throat. Now what was he going to do? Lady Valarian would not wait.
The rancor had the human trapped now, and it hunched low to pass into the sleeping den. The human grabbed up a round ivory boulder—no, a skull—and hurled it at the controls just as the rancor leaned under the jagged door.
The skull triggered the switch, and the massive durasteel door crashed down like a guillotine blade. The jagged end slammed into the rancor’s head and spine, hammering
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