by Tim Marquitz
She squeezed the trigger.
Chapter Twenty-One
Taj’s shot was perfect.
Commander Rolkar froze as Zel Ga’Vor, the queen’s representative, gaped at the sudden hole blown through his chest. The man stumbled as the queen spun about, watching him as he fell face-first to the ground, wisps of smoke billowing out from beneath him.
The knife he’d raised clattered to the stage and slid to a stop at the queen’s feet. Her gaze was torn between it and her man, gasping his last in front of her.
As Taj landed, Commander Rolkar tossed her gun aside as she reached the queen, wrapping her arms around the woman in a protective embrace that spoke of more than simple loyalty.
She loved her queen, that much was clear.
And Taj had nearly killed Rolkar, so focused as she was on her dislike of the woman and her mistakes.
Had Taj not spied the knife slip loose of Zel’s robed sleeve, had she not realized that the man who’d cowered in the caravan vehicle shouldn’t be able to move so quickly or so gracefully across the stage, Taj might well have killed the wrong person.
But she hadn’t, and Taj could finally breathe again, guilt and anguish giving way to relief.
She ran toward the stage, the way now clear, soldiers and citizens dead all around, but despite the shot that had saved the queen’s life, it hadn’t been enough.
Alshan Ra stepped up behind the queen and Rolkar and drove a blade into the commander’s back.
Rolkar shrieked and went to lash out, but Alshan Ra struck her with the knife again, then again, ripping the commander loose of his sister and hurling the soldier aside. She stumbled to the stage, hands still grasping to protect her queen.
Then Alshan Ra’s forearm wrapped around his sister’s throat, the blade leveled to her eye just as Taj leapt onto the stage.
“Stay back, Furlorian,” Alshan Ra warned, nicking his sister’s cheek and drawing a drop of blood. “I will kill her.”
Taj dropped her gun and raised her hands to pacify him. “I believe you. Don’t.”
The zealot master glared at her, and she could see the absolute hatred boiling within his four eyes.
“You will not take this moment from me, Federation lackey.”
Taj said nothing, only inching forward as best she could without him realizing it.
Can anyone shoot him? she asked across the mental link.
No clear shot, Dent’s thoughts came back immediately. Queen’s in the way. I’m repositioning.
Hurry, she told him. Running out of time here.
“This throne should be mine!” Alshan Ra screamed. “She stole this from me. It was my destiny, my inheritance as foretold by the great goddess Elerus. She promised me this!”
Froth flew from his mouth as he raged, and Taj feared for the queen’s life. The blade pressed harder against her cheek, where a rivulet of blood ran down her face and dripped from her chin.
“Don’t hurt her,” Taj begged, still trying to close the distance between them, trying to buy time for Dent to get a clear shot. Something.
Anything.
“Don’t hurt her?” Alshan Ra shrieked at Taj, nearly howling, his voice was so forceful. “Don’t hurt her?”
He backed toward the side of the stage, seeking a way out. Taj spied the wreckage of the Heltrol who’d been stationed at the back, and saw the remnants of the zealots that had decimated them at some point during the chaos.
Alshan Ra pressed the blade deeper, drawing more blood from Queen Rilan. She cried out, his grip tightening at her throat, and that was when Taj saw just how much her brother really did want to hurt her.
That was all he wanted to do.
And if Taj or the others didn’t stop him, and he couldn’t use the queen as a shield to get away, that was exactly what he would do.
She was alive only because he needed her alive if there was any hope of him escaping with his life. She was all that stood between his getting away or not, and his self-preservation was the only thing that kept her alive.
Come on, Dent, where are you? Taj asked over the link
There was no reply.
Taj needed to act.
She willed all the power she could into her suit and went to pounce. She could close the distance quickly enough. She’d done it in practice. She knew she could do it.
Only no one’s lives had been at stake in practice.
Still…
“Don’t you do it!” Alshan Ra yelled, waving his blade her direction as he recognized Taj stiffening up, readying to act.
Then Alshan Ra’s eyes went wide.
He stumbled, and Queen Rilan broke free as his arm lost its strength. She lurched forward and fell, crashing onto the stage and crawling away from her brother.
Alshan Ra dropped to his knees, and standing behind him, however unbelievably, stood Grom Hadar. The knife he’d used to stab the zealot master remained in the man’s back where he’d driven it deep.
Alshan Ra turned slowly toward Grom, his own knife still in his hands. Too weak to do much of anything, Grom toppled to the floor in front of the queen’s murderous brother. He laid still, staring at Alshan Ra with resignation, but there was something else there, too.
Satisfaction.
He’d saved the queen.
He was okay losing his life doing that.
Commander Rolkar, however, had something else in mind.
At some point during the scuffle, she’d crawled across the stage and reclaimed her pistol.
Eyes hazy and filled with agony, she shot Alshan Ra dead before he could bring his knife to bear on Grom.
Taj let out a shuddering breath as she watched Alshan Ra collapse, and then her sight was blocked by a horde of Heltrol soldiers storming the stage. They formed a wall and pushed Taj back as they collected their queen and commander and rushed the pair away to safety.
Once they were gone, Taj went over to Grom and dropped down beside him, helping him to sit upright. The man grunted and stared out at the crowd where her crew continued to aid the people who needed it as best as they could.
Taj watched them with pride as she gathered the strength to go help them.
“You ready to go home, Grom?” she asked.
Grom Hadar managed a nod and the barest sliver of a smile.
“R-ready.”
Epilogue
In the throne room days after the massacre, Taj stared up at Queen Rilan as she sat on the throne, set upon the dais. Her face had been patched up, though she’d barely had a scratch and it looked fine.
Commander Rolkar was absent, her injuries too grievous to easily repair and get her up and about. Taj had heard she would survive and would have no lasting ill effects, except for some impressive scars. And despite all of Taj’s earlier misgivings about the woman, she was glad she would be okay.
The zealots, what was left of them, had been rounded up and sentenced to death by the crown, and Taj thought that was a pretty fitting end, all things considered.
Her crew gathered around her. Cabe had his hand in a splint, but the rest were hale and whole, for which Taj was grateful. They’d seen enough the last few days to haunt them for a long time, and Taj was glad none of those scars would be more serious than a few nights of lost sleep.
“So, is it true you do not really have access to the Toradium-42 you initially offered?” Queen Rilan asked.
Taj smiled. “I’m sorry, but we don’t. We lost our planet months ago and might never get to return. The mineral resides there, a foul alien army tearing apart our home to steal it away.”
The queen sighed. “That’s too bad. But if you ever do find your way back there and reclaim your planet, please, keep the Orgesse in mind.”
Taj bowed and offered the queen a conciliatory nod.
Not on your gacking life, she thought, grinning ferally as they said their good-byes and returned to the Arrant, where Grom Hadar waited to be taken to the Federation.
Back on the space station Corzant, Taj and her crew sat
in the meeting room where Lance Reynolds had first offered them the mission of rescuing Grom Hadar.
A lot had changed since then, mostly Taj.
As she waited for the General to make his appearance via view screen, she looked around the table at the people who mattered the most to her.
They’d proven themselves during the mission, and she couldn’t have been prouder at how they’d handled themselves. Thousands of lives on Zoranthan had been saved because of their efforts, and she only hoped they knew how much she truly appreciated them.
She’d make sure they did.
The crew sat there quietly until the screens flickered, glad for the silence for once, and General Reynolds appeared. Unlike before, he looked rested and back to his robust self.
“I’ve read your reports,” he said, foregoing any casual greeting. “Very impressive. You’ve acquitted yourself with honor and grace. The Federation thanks you.”
He looked out over the crew, their situations reversed—the Furlorians and their friends the ones tired and frayed and in need of a vacation.
“We owe you a debt of gratitude,” the General said. “We have already promised you a planet, a new home where you can all begin again, both the Furlorians and the Dandrinites, and we’ll make good on that promise as soon as humanly possible.”
The General smiled at their reactions to the news, pausing for just a moment before going on.
“That said, if there is anything else we can offer you to show our appreciation, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“General.” Taj raised her hand. “If I might.”
“Please,” he replied. “That wasn’t just lip service. You want it, ask.”
Taj glanced around the table at her companions, taking a second to examine each, before she turned back to the view screen.
“I’d like to take you up on that offer, sir,” she told him, rising to her feet to look him in the eyes as best she could.
“Name it,” he said.
“We could use an army,” she requested. “We’d like to go home.”
Author Notes - Tim Marquitz
Written October 17, 2018
Howdy folks!
Here we are on the third book of Enemy of My Enemy, and I hope you’re enjoying reading about these misfit cats as much as I’m enjoying writing about them. Getting a chance to write in the Kurtherian Gambit world with both these books and working with Craig Martelle in the new Superdreadnought series has been amazing, and I’m loving all the feedback we’re getting in reviews and online, so keep it up please. Every bit of it is awesome.
I’m working on book four of Enemy of My Enemy right now, as well as Superdreadnought 2, and I can’t wait to get these books out to you. Enemy four will end the current arc of stories for the Furlorians, but it most certainly won’t be the last you see of them. New stories and ideas are in the works, and I can’t wait to share them with you.
This whole process has been a fantastic experience, and we couldn’t do it without you. So, raise a beer (or your drink of choice) to yourself and shout cheers real loud because you deserve it.
Thank you so much for reading and hanging out with us. You folks rock. See you soon with more words.
Tim Marquitz
Author Notes - Michael Anderle
Written October 21, 2018
Author Notes (on behalf of Michael Anderle):
Thank you for reading! Once again, all the way to the end and beyond! I’m glad you liked this latest iteration of Enemy of My Enemy. Michael is not a cat guy, but he wants to be. He wants to retire to Cabo San Lucas where he can surround himself with the world’s greatest hunters. Maybe not, but he’s not opposed to cats, as long as they aren’t climbing on him, unless they are.
When Tim talked about the plot for this one, we wanted to focus on the main characters, without distraction in a way that you could get a better feel for Taj and her leadership skills as well as how the supporting cast could measure up. Are they a strike team for the Federation or a bunch of cats trying to get home?
How about both?
When I first read the story, I was as happy as could be about the plot and character development. Well done to Tim Marquitz for another out of this world winner!
I’m not in the sub-arctic right now, but in Illinois spending time with my brother after the passing of his wife a little over a week ago. His wife was in pain for a long time. It is comforting to know that she doesn’t have to suffer any longer. It’s also sad that her newest grandson was born after her stroke but before she passed. His birthday is one day prior to the day of her death. We will all miss her. We welcome the family’s greatest sleeper – this little guy, Junior, is an all-star when it comes to rack time.
Part of returning to normal for my brother is wargaming, so that’s where we’re at – a gaming convention playing fantasy role-playing games. We went after the town bad guy in a marathon session yesterday. Today, we’ll have some new challenge awaiting our stalwart characters. I ate a Wisconsin bratwurst that wanted to carry on a conversation well into the night, but through perseverance, I held him at bay.
Traveling like this, I’ve discovered that I like the Starbucks iced coffee mochas that you can buy everywhere. I’ve probably had more of them than I should have, but we’ll chalk it up to stress coffee drinking
I look forward to getting home to sleep in my own bed. Slept in four different places over the past week – a chair, a couch, and three separate beds.
And tomorrow (publication day) is my birthday! I’ll be traveling all day on my way back home to Alaska. I hope I’m able to access the net and get my newsletter out to announce both these releases. I’m a big fan of our fans. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read one of our stories and then comes back for the next ones. You are the real heroes of these stories. Our intent is to take you away from the real world, for a little while, leaving you happy at the end because the good guys have won. You know there’s more for them to do, but for now, you’re satisfied that they were able to come through.
With that, it’s time to go. I have morning stuff to do before heading to the game show to play a morning session before driving back to my brother’s house to wrap up the week and get ready for my flight tomorrow morning.
Go forth and do great things. If you’re thinking about someone, drop them a line, give a call, send a card. You’ll never know if you won’t get another chance.
Peace, fellow humans
Craig
Books By Tim Marquitz
Also Available from Tim Marquitz
The Demon Squad Series
From Hell (Novella)
DS1 - Armageddon Bound
DS2 - Resurrection
Betrayal (Intro short to At the Gates)
DS3 - At the Gates
DS4 - Echoes of the Past
DS5 - Beyond the Veil
DS6 - The Best of Enemies
DS7 - Exit Wounds
DS8 - Collateral Damage
DS9 – Aftermath
DS10 – Institutionalized
To Hell and Back - A Demon Squad Collection (books 1-3)
The Blood War Trilogy
Dawn of War
Embers of an Age
Requiem
Clandestine Daze Series
Eyes Deep (novella)
Influx
Standalone Fantasy
Dirge
Witch Bane
War God Rising
Sci-fi
Excalibur
Dead West
Those Poor, Poor Bastards
The Ten Thousand Things
Omnibus 1
Horror
Prey
Serial
Skulls
Heir to the Blood Throne: Inheritance
Collections
Tales of Magic and Misery
Non-Fiction
Memoirs of a Machine – w/John MACHINE Lober
Grunt Style: The Blue Collar Guide to Writing Genre Fiction
Ant
hologies
Blackguards (Ragnarok Publications)
Unbound (Grim Oak Press)
SNAFU: Survival of the Fittest (Cohesion Press)
SNAFU: Hunters (Cohesion Press)
SNAFU: Future Warfare (Cohesion Press)
SNAFU: Black Ops (Cohesion Press)
In the Shadow of the Towers (Night Shade)
Neverland’s Library (Ragnarok Publications)
At Hell’s Gates 1&3 (Charity)
American Nightmare (Kraken Press)
Corrupts Absolutely? (Ragnarok Publications)
Widowmakers (Charity)
That Hoodoo Voodoo, That You Do (Ragnarok Publications)
Books By Michael Anderle
For a complete list of books by Michael Anderle, please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/ma-books/
All LMBPN Audiobooks are Available at Audible.com and iTunes
To see all LMBPN audiobooks, including those written by Michael Anderle please visit:
www.lmbpn.com/audible
Books By Craig Martelle
Craig Martelle’s other books (listed by series)
Terry Henry Walton Chronicles (co-written with Michael Anderle) – a post-apocalyptic paranormal adventure
