by Leslie Chase
The crack of the laser echoed in the woods, a blinding-bright line of light cutting through the darkness and into Arvid’s chest. His blade hit the tree trunk an inch from my face, biting deep and quivering there as I gasped down a sharp breath. Tears welled in my eyes as I watched Arvid slump to the forest floor in a heap.
No time to panic, I told myself. This was the only chance I’d have, and I had to make the most of it. I pulled myself up, forward, fast but low. Somewhere in the darkness another shot rang out and I tensed. But it hadn’t been aimed at me — or if it had, the shooter missed by a mile.
Praying it hadn’t hit Torran instead, I skidded to a stop next to Arvid and fumbled at his belt. Pulled my wristband from the bundle and prayed that our march had brought us close enough to the valley for this to work.
Henry appeared as I clipped the wristband shut, looking up at me with his big puppy eyes. I glared a warning at him not to make any noise and whispered.
“Emergency call to anyone in range.”
A bright red glow appeared around the wristband, announcing the emergency. The other bands buzzed and let out a high-pitched warning sound and I backed away from Arvid quickly. I swore, wishing it wouldn’t announce my location so clearly in the night, but there was no stopping that. An emergency was supposed to attract attention, and of course the other wristbands had picked up the call. I hoped that someone else would, too, before Gurral realized what was happening.
It only took seconds for someone to answer.
“Who’s there? What’s the nature of the emergency?” An unfamiliar voice. Somehow that took me by surprise. It had been far too long since I’d heard a new human voice and I wasn’t prepared for the sense of relief it brought me.
“My name’s Lisa, Lisa Hartman,” I said, struggling to control my panic and keep my voice down. The last thing I wanted to do was attract the attention of one of Gurral’s thugs — but getting this message out mattered more. “And if you’re in the valley settlement, there’s a force of prytheen heading for you. They’re raiders they attacked my home and—”
“Slow down,” the man on the other end said, alarmed. “We’re under attack?”
“Yes,” I hissed, struggling not to shout. “Or you will be soon. About two dozen prytheen, maybe less now. I’m stuck out here with them.”
He swore passionately, then got control of himself. “We can find your signal. Keep broadcasting and we’ll try to get you to safety and deal with those bastards.”
There were other voices in the background, too faint to make out. But just knowing they were there was enough — I slumped, tension leaving my shoulders. I’d delivered the warning. The valley knew what was about to hit them and would prepare for the attack. They might even get here in time to help me, but that was secondary.
Whatever happened out here in the woods, they’d be able to protect themselves. Or, if not, they’d never stood a chance anyway. I’d done everything I could.
Now it was time to think about survival. About getting me and Malcolm and Torran to some kind of safety. And the only way I could think of to get all three of us out of here meant doing something even crazier.
24
Torran
The ring of hunters closed in around me and I tried to keep myself focused despite the pain. This attack had been a long shot and while I didn’t regret my actions, it was clear I’d die here. That didn’t matter — I’d bought Lisa time to escape along with the other humans. A chance to get around Gurral’s men and on to the safety of the valley.
Except I had the sinking feeling she hadn’t taken it. That she’d stayed to help me. A spark of rage lit my soul at the thought of what would happen if she got caught fighting Gurral’s men, and I drew strength from that anger.
I needed every ounce of strength I could summon. The loss of blood was catching up with me, my limbs felt heavy, and the darkness at the corners of my vision wasn’t just due to the night. How much fight did I have left?
Enough to take a few more of these sthec into the dark with me. I braced myself, pushed off the tree and readied myself to pounce as an enemy came closer.
“Stop!”
Lisa’s voice carried through the trees, loud and clear, and everyone froze in surprise. I turned toward her voice, seeing her stand up in the open holding a light that shone through the trees as she turned. What in the Starless Void are you playing at? Are you trying to get yourself killed?
The first to attack her would die, I promised myself. Gathering myself for a charge, I watched for whoever would make the first move — but our enemies seemed as confused as I was, and none stepped forward to take the challenge. Lisa kept talking.
“This is over,” she said, loud and confident. I knew her well enough to hear the edge of fear in her voice, but I doubted anyone else did. “The valley knows you’re coming, they’re gathering their soldiers and they’re on their way to hit you first. If you want to live, get the fuck out of here and let us go. You’ve lost.”
Gurral answered from the darkness, angry and hate-filled. “Even if this is true, why should we not just kill you where you stand?”
“Because that gains you nothing,” a new voice answered, crackling with static. A human female, speaking through the comm link. “We know where you are, we have more guns than you do and we’re ready to use them. Our fliers are already on their way. Let your prisoners go and get the fuck out of our territory.”
I wanted to cheer her forceful voice. That was an ultimatum that Gurral and his men would understand, and surely no one would want to die just for the chance to get their revenge on a single human? With a flier the humans could rain laser fire down on the prytheen from above. Our greater strength and speed would mean nothing.
Around me, the prytheen muttered amongst themselves and I felt the tide turning. They had no stomach for that kind of fight, no love for being the hunted rather than the hunters. Some slunk off without waiting for Gurral’s decision, vanishing into the night.
I should have known better than to trust Gurral’s reason, though. His rage was too strong to restrain with mere threats, and with his control of his clan slipping away he needed to do something to restore order. He roared and bounded through the undergrowth, grabbing Lisa with a contemptuous ease. She squirmed in his grip, struggling helplessly against his strength.
“This is not how it ends,” he shouted. “I will not be robbed of my victory. Come out, Torran, come and face me or I will tear your khara limb from limb.”
That should have woken an even greater rage in me, but somehow I found myself calm as I stepped out of the trees to face my enemy. Of course it would come down to this, the two of us against each other. It couldn’t end any other way.
I would have been an easy target for any of the others now, my attention focused solely on Gurral. But none of them moved, watching me stride out to answer their leader. My eyes flicked to Lisa, checking for injuries. No, my khara was unhurt. Unhurt and outraged, struggling in Gurral’s grip. I marched towards the two of them, baring my teeth at the man who’d brought so much pain to us both.
“Release her,” I said, voice a low growl. “Release her and slink back to your stolen colony. You’ve lost this fight.”
His eyes flashed, claws extending as he grabbed for Lisa’s throat. And I lunged, crossing the distance between us in the blink of an eye, my fist slamming into his nose before I’d even thought about it.
All my training forgotten, I let the burning heat of my rage guide me. Gurral had hurt my khara, meant to kill her. Nothing could stop me punishing him.
Taken by surprise, Gurral dropped his human shield and lashed out at me with his claws extended. I ignored the wounds he opened in my chest. They were nothing compared to what I’d suffered already, nothing compared to the pain of seeing my khara suffer.
Instead of defending myself, I smashed my fist into his face again, all my weight and strength behind it. Pain blossomed in his eyes, pain followed by rage. As tough as Gurral was, he didn�
�t want to face me alone.
“Kill him,” he shouted, looking past me to his men. No one moved to obey, and I hit him again. This time he twisted away, ducked back, shielding himself from my punch. “What are you waiting for, fools? Tear him apart.”
He blocked a punch, tried a counter. I knocked it aside, snapped a jab into his face, felt his lip split. He howled in pain and staggered away.
“Not this time,” Tarva said, speaking for the other prytheen. “You can’t deal with this by yourself, then you don’t deserve our help.”
He yelled in rage, furious as he looked around. No one would step forward. No one would take his side. Their lights shone on us, illuminating the duel, and this was a challenge he’d have to face himself. His authority was slipping away, and he knew it as well as I did.
Snarling, he lowered his head and charged, hitting me in a tackle that carried us both into the muddy ground. Claws slashed at my neck and I twisted aside, driving a knee into his gut with all my strength. Gurral gasped, his grip weakening.
My vision swam, blood loss taking hold again. The weight of my injuries was too much to overcome and if Gurral kept me at bay I’d fall soon enough. I had to win the fight quickly, no matter the risks I took.
So instead of scrambling back and getting to my feet, I gripped him tight and clawed at him with all my strength. Flesh parted under my claws and Gurral howled with pain, giving as good as he got. Over and over we rolled, each trying to get the one blow that would finish the fight, neither having the strength to land it.
He’s good, I thought, too good. Even without my injuries, this would be a hard fight. But I had one advantage over him. Something he couldn’t match.
He fought for glory, for power, for himself. To win, he had to survive. I fought for my khara, and that meant I didn’t dare lose, no matter the cost.
Ignoring the pain, ignoring the fresh wounds and old ones, I roared and summoned the last of my energy. I forgot about defending myself, put everything into attack. My fist smashed through his guard as he clawed open the wounds on my torso. My blood flowed freely but I punched again.
And again.
Gurral’s head rocked back, smashing into the ground as I poured on the pressure. He gave up on attacking, trying to fend off my punches. I didn’t let him, snarling as I hit him over and over.
Desperation blossomed in my enemy’s eyes. I didn’t stop, didn’t pause, punch after punch driving him into the muddy ground until he stopped resisting. Panting, swaying, I straightened up and looked down at him.
There was no fight left in him. He couldn’t even raise a hand to block me, and blood splattered his face. I swayed, snarled, raised a bloody fist.
Brought it down in a final blow, driving Gurral’s head back. His eyes went blank and he slumped, unconscious. I pulled myself to my feet and turned to face the others, all lights on me as I snarled at them.
Lisa’s arm slipped around my waist, and I’d never felt anything so sweet as her touch. My mate was safe and so was I — no one else here wanted to take up Gurral’s banner after his defeat.
After a long pause, Tarva spoke again. “It’s done. You win. We’ll withdraw.”
I nodded, acknowledging her surrender. And acknowledging her leadership of what was left of this clan. The rest gathered around Tarva, looking from her to me to the unconscious form at my feet. No one wanted to challenge her.
“What about Gurral?” I asked. Tarva shrugged.
“His ambition brought us here,” she said. “We had a good thing going in the forest before he arrived with his big ideas for expanding. He fucked us, and then he wanted us to get him out of the fight he picked. Let him rot here or slink off into the forest to live somewhere else, but he’s not coming back to our camp.”
I nodded, accepting her claim to the colony pod and the farm around it. They needed territory to retreat to, after all, or there was no reason for them not to fight to the death. And Lisa had already given up on that colony when we left it.
We had a new home to look forward to. I heard a flier’s engines in the sky, getting closer.
25
Lisa
The prytheen held their discussion in their own language, and I had no idea what they were saying. No, that wasn’t true: I didn’t understand the words, but the meaning was clear. We’d won. Torran had beaten Gurral, the rest of the prytheen accepted that. Nothing else mattered.
I hardly believed it, but we’d won.
As the prytheen held their council, the other humans emerged from the forest. Malcolm hurried to my side, eyes wide, and I hugged him tight. My brother was unhurt, thank god. The Carringtons followed, the four of them slowly stepping out into the light and looking at the carnage. They stayed well back until the prytheen finished speaking and turned away, walking back the way we’d come.
Once they’d left, the Carringtons dared come closer. None of them looked comfortable speaking to me and I had nothing to say to them. The silence stretched awkwardly until Mr. Carrington broke it.
“All’s well that ends well,” he said with cheer that couldn’t have been more forced. He clapped his hands, faking delight. “Well done, Lisa, well done! Now we get a comfortable ride to the valley in a flier, eh?”
The sound of an approaching engine got louder as it circled, looking for a place to land. I looked up at the branches overhead, then back at Carrington’s desperate face. My desire to punch him was almost overwhelming, but I resisted it. There’d been enough violence and I didn’t need to add more.
“No.” I looked into Carrington’s eyes as I spoke. “You made your choice when you sold us out to Gurral. You’re not welcome where we’re going.”
“That’s not your decision,” he blustered, mopping his ruddy brow with a handkerchief. “You aren’t in charge of the valley.”
“True, but how do you think they’ll react when they find out what you’ve done? You didn’t just sell us out, you tried to help the prytheen conquer them because you’d end up in charge. I don’t think you’ll be welcome there at all.”
His jaw worked silently as he tried and failed to come up with a response. I could see him imagining possible reactions from the settlers, and none of them looked good. At best he’d end up hated and alone. At worst, executed as a traitor to humanity.
Not a risk he looked happy about taking.
“You don’t have to tell them,” he said, a wheedling note entering his voice. Nausea filled me as he begged, lacking even the dignity to stand by his choice.
“You’re right, I don’t,” I told him, watching hope shine in his eyes for a moment. Then I crushed it. “But I will. And so will Malcolm, and Alex and Maria and Tania when they wake up. You don’t have a place with us, and I wouldn’t risk our new home by inviting a snake like you into it.”
“If you leave me out here, I’ll die.” His chin wobbled, and he sounded near tears. I winced, but this cowardice didn’t make him any safer to be around. He’d been willing to see any number of people die for a chance at power, and he’d do it again if I gave him the chance.
“You can still crawl back to the prytheen,” I said, keeping my voice firm. “They’ll need workers for the farm, and you wanted to be in charge of the settlement. Now you get your wish.”
His mouth opened and closed soundlessly, and I stared him down. This was the fate he’d wanted for others, let him work the fields himself.
“Go on,” Malcolm put in. “If you don’t hurry up, they’ll get too far ahead for you to catch them.”
Carrington looked from me to Malcolm, then up to Torran. No one who would listen to his pleas, no one who’d take his side. Deflating like a punctured balloon, he turned and hurried into the forest, following Tarva and her men on the long trek back to the colony. His sons looked at each other and then followed. I felt a little sorry for them but not enough to call them back. They were adults, and they’d all willingly gone along with their father’s plan. Let them deal with the consequences of their choices.
As
they left our sight, I slumped back against Torran, feeling the strength go out of my legs. He caught me easily, lifted me and held me in his arms and let out a laugh that shook the surrounding forest.
“We won,” I whispered, feeling the warm solid strength of him against my back. I could scarcely believe it. We’d won, we were safe, we were alive. An hour ago I’d been sure I’d never see Torran again, but now here he was with me.
“Yes, my love,” he said, nuzzling my neck and sending a shiver through me. “Yes. We won.”
Malcolm made a disgusted noise and turned away, and I blushed, pulling away from my beloved alien warrior with an embarrassed laugh. Yeah, maybe this wasn’t the time and place to celebrate. Soon enough, when Torran’s wounds were clean. And we had a bed. Yes.
The engine noise overhead grew louder, and the lights of the flier shone down, pinning us in a bright white glare. Torran shielded his eyes as I waved, and the craft lowered itself into the nearest clearing large enough to take it.
Taking my khara by his hand, I led him towards our ride.
It took a couple of tries to convince the pilot to let Torran aboard the flier, despite the presence of a dozen men with rifles and riot armor. It helped that Torran looked like he might collapse at any moment. Now that I got a good look at him, I winced at the sight — his body covered in wounds and spray-on bandages, I wondered if he would stay conscious for the journey to the valley.
But his broad, victorious grin wouldn’t fade and he clung to my hand with such strength that I knew he’d be okay. And that he’d never let me go again.
I hope that’s only figurative, I thought with a chuckle. He’s not going to get much hunting done if he’s dragging me around with him.
Not that I’d mind if Torran never left my sight again. The flier took a detour to pick up the Dietrichs from our abandoned rover before flying us back over the forest to the valley beyond. I stared out of the window at the place I hoped to call home. Farmland covered the hillsides, so much better than the cleared forest we’d been stuck with.
