Azra & Elise’s Story (Uoria Mates IV Book 10)

by Ruth Anne Scott

  The man had a bandage wrapped around his body, but he didn’t appear afraid or as though he were being forced to walk along, and Azra felt a boost of hope within him. As the animal approached, he noticed the hybrid soldiers around him becoming anxious. They stepped away from the people they were fighting and started to back away. Azra could see the look of fear on their faces and their weapons drop to their sides as they took their focus away from their assaults and turned it instead toward the oncoming creature. He got the immediate impression that they knew what this animal was and why it was there.

  As the hybrid soldiers backed away, seeming to come together in the center of the battlefield, Azra noticed that they were leaving the wounded behind. Without another thought, he rushed forward toward the closest prone figure and scooped it into his arms, turning to bring it back to where Ero lay. The young warrior’s eyes were closed and his breathing was deep, telling Azra that Ciyrs had had to perform a complete healing on him. While this was the only way that the healer would be able to save Ero’s life, it also took away his strength and energy as his body accepted the healing and then rebuilt itself. This meant that the healing would ensure that Ero would survive to the compound, but it left him incapacitated.

  Azra lay the wounded man on the ground and noticed that it was a hybrid. For a moment, he was startled and felt unnerved, but then he realized that this man wasn’t wearing a hood and was one of the men that they had rescued from the breeding facility in the laboratory building on Earth. The man looked up at him and Azra was surprised to see a slight smile on his lips.

  “You’re going to be alright,” Azra said to him. “Ciyrs will help you.”

  “I know,” the hybrid man said, his voice breathy with the pain that he was feeling. “Even if he didn’t, I’ll be alright.”

  “What do you mean?” Azra asked.

  “I fought,” he said. “I looked them in the eye and I fought. It felt wonderful. I can be done now.”

  His eyes started to flutter closed and Azra tucked his hand beneath the soldier’s head to lift it up, trying to wake him.

  “No,” Azra said. “You’re not done. You’re far from it. Wake up.”

  Ciyrs grabbed Azra by his arm and pulled him back.

  “I’ve got him,” the healer said. “I’ll take care of him. You go help the rest.”

  Azra climbed to his feet and rushed back to the battlefield. The huge animal was standing at the edge now, baring his ferocious teeth as he strained toward the hybrids. Rilex stood in front of it, pushing against it as Severine tugged on its fur, talking to it and trying to calm it. The hybrid soldiers backed away from it, scrambling over each other as they tried to gather in the center and then move away from the battlefield. Out of the corner of the eye, Azra saw the flicker of another warrior rushing past him. He turned to look at him and watched him disappear behind a tight clutch of hybrid soldiers. Azra felt like something had hit him in the center of the chest, taking the breath out of him. It had been a glimpse into the past: the image of Jem fighting alongside him. Reinforced by the image, he ran past them toward the creature. When he was within a few feet, he shouted toward Rilex.

  “We need help,” he yelled. “The injured need to get to the compound.”

  Rilex looked up at Severine, who nodded. She used the fur in her hand to guide the animal forward at a slightly faster pace.

  “Gather them up,” she called down. “Get them onto the Meldor’s back. I’ll be able to get them there faster than carrying them.”

  Azra nodded and ran back toward Ciyrs and the injured men. Together the warriors lifted the injured men up and draped them over the animal’s back. Azra climbed up with them so that he could help to hold the unconscious men in place. Before he had the chance to really prepare himself, Rilex jumped up with him and Severine urged the animal ahead. In an instant, they were running away from the sounds of the battlefield and into the deeper darkness of the planet, heading toward the compound that had been their goal when they arrived on Penthos.

  Chapter Four

  Elise could hear heavy thudding sounds outside and for a moment thought that they were the drums again. The longer that she listened, though, the clearer it became that these were not drums, but something else, something stronger and deeper coming closer with every passing moment. Soon she heard voices along with the sound and she realized that someone was coming toward the compound. Dropping the blankets in her hands, she ran out of the building and toward the entrance to the compound, her heart pounding in her chest.

  Lila was close behind her and they ran in silence until they reached the arched entryway.

  “Do you see them?” Lila asked.

  Elise scanned the darkness outside of the compound, trying to see through it to find any indication of anyone who might be approaching. The heavy sound stopped and an instant later she saw a wall of people coming toward her. She stepped out of the way and they streamed past her, rushing into the protective surroundings of the stone wall. She noticed one of the warriors carrying a man over his shoulder, and then another, and another. She ran toward the first man and gestured for him to follow her.

  “Bring them in here,” she said, rushing toward the building that she and Lila had prepared.

  Elise stepped inside the building and turned to the door. All at once the space around her was filled with sound and tense energy that bordered somewhere between fear and anger. She watched as the men placed the wounded on the tables and then spread blankets on the floor to add more. She scanned the group for familiar faces, but she saw only Zyyr and Lynx. The rest were unknown to her, and she felt off-balance and bombarded. There were more of them than she expected, and though it was reassuring to know that their numbers were high enough that they might have a chance against the army that she had seen swarm the ship, it was also overwhelming.

  Ciyrs stepped up beside one of the tables and used a small knife to cut away the bloodstained clothing that the man was wearing. His chest exposed, Elise saw a deep gash across it and felt her stomach turn. Lila’s warning to her repeated through her mind. There are going to be injuries. Now she fully understood why the Mikana woman would give her this stark warning. Even coming to terms with the idea of the true hand-to-hand combat in her mind hadn’t fully prepared her for this. She remembered the injuries that Nylek and Kyven had suffered, but she hadn’t expected to see so many people suffering similar wounds after this first battle. It didn’t seem that these men were as severely wounded as either of those men who were now on Uoria, but the wounds that she did see were still horrifying and she felt her mind starting to reject everything that was happening around her.

  Pushing through the men, Elise ran outside and ducked behind a nearby house. She pressed her back against the stone wall and drew in a breath, willing her muscles to stop shaking and her mind to stop racing. Everything was pressing down on her. It felt almost as though she were watching it, standing on the other side of a screen just witnessing what was happening and not able to affect it at all. She struggled to bring herself into the reality of the moment, reminding herself that she was there, she was a part of this, and she could interact with it. She could make a difference.

  Opening her eyes, Elise forced herself to look down at her hands. They were streaked with blood from pressing through the group on her way out of the building. The longer she looked at them, the less terrifying it seemed. Soon the fear gave way to anger and then determination. It wasn’t just blood, it was a strong and vivid reminder of each of the people who had suffered at the hands of the hybrids. That filled her with a drive that she hadn’t experienced before, and she pushed away from the building, turning back and rushing toward the makeshift hospital. More of the group were streaming through the compound entrance and she ran toward them.

  “What can I do?” she asked.

  “Water,” a man with large, damaged wings said with a low, gravelly voice. “Bring water.”

  Elise nodded and ran to get the pitcher filled with water. She car
ried it back toward the men who were gathered outside and offered it to the winged man. He held it to his lips and drank it down eagerly before passing it to another man standing close behind him. Elise realized that none of these men were showing signs of injury and felt hopeful. The more she saw who had gotten through without damage, the more confident she felt that this was not the end. As the men passed the pitcher of water, she headed back to the fire and grabbed up another pitcher, bringing it to the pump to fill. When she got back, she handed off the pitcher and offered to bring the winged man some of the food that she and Lila had prepared.

  For the next several minutes she scurried around the courtyard, refilling the water pitchers, serving food, and helping men distribute fresh clothes that they had brought with them on the ship. She was accepting back the half-filled water pitcher when she looked up and felt the pitcher fall from her fingers. A gasp stuck in her throat and she stumbled back a few steps. Ahead of her a massive beast was coming through the entrance into the compound. Though none of those around her seemed frightened by its presence, Elise felt herself shaking.

  “What is that?” she asked one of the few women who had come with the group and who had started helping her with her tasks.

  “It’s a Meldor,” the woman said.

  The word sent a shiver through Elise. Hearing it reminded her of what Kyven had gone through under the ground because of that creature. The animal started coming closer and Elise backed up further, not wanting to turn her back on it for fear that it would attack her in the same way.

  “You don’t have to be afraid,” a voice told her.

  Elise looked up and saw a woman sitting astride the Meldor.

  “Is this thing safe?” she called back.

  The woman patted the animal’s flank and it stopped walking. She reached behind her back and Elise saw that she was untying the fabric from the front of her body. That was the first time that she noticed that the woman was holding a baby. The woman leaned down and carefully handed the baby to a man who stood close beside the animal. Once the baby was safe, the woman swung her legs over to the side and carefully climbed down until she could jump to the sand in front of Elise.

  “This is a Meldor,” the woman said. “I can assure you that it is perfectly safe.”

  “And who are you?” Elise asked.

  The question came out sounding more aggressive and accusatory than she had intended, but she felt intensely protective of the compound and everyone in it, and this woman and the creature that she rode felt like a threat.

  “My name is Severine,” the woman said. “This is my mate, Rilex.” She gestured toward the man now cradling the baby. “I have the trust of those who were on Earth. You can trust me. And you can trust the Meldor. It is just an animal. All it needs is to be taken care of, just like the men. Food, water, and rest. That’s all.”

  Elise looked at the animal again and saw it turn its head toward her. Huge dark eyes stared at her and she saw no viciousness in them. Instead, they seemed deep and soulful, with a hint that seemed like a slight veil of fear over them, as if it, too, had experienced something harsh and painful. She turned back to Severine and nodded.

  “Alright,” she said, gesturing to the cluster of buildings on the other side of the compound. “We aren’t using those buildings. They might have some things left in them, but they should be mostly empty. There is one that has double doors nearly the size of one wall, like it might have once been a barn or a stable. If it fits inside, it will be safe there. Bring it there and I’ll bring some water.”

  “Thank you,” Severine said.

  A few minutes later, Elise was walking away from the building that now housed the Meldor. Though there were still people rushing around, the compound felt calmer and more under control than it had when the group had first arrived. Feeling as though everything had settled down, she took up one of the lanterns from the ground and started through the clearing toward the far side of the compound. She knew that many of the people who had arrived would settle into the buildings closest to the main headquarters that they had established, which left much of the back portion of the compound empty and quiet.

  The lantern created a pool of yellow light in front of her and she followed it into the peaceful stillness of the shadows. Elise chose a spot beside one of the buildings and eased herself onto the ground. Her body relaxed as she settled down, tension from her muscles sliding out and her joints loosening. She sighed and leaned her head back against the wall, closing her eyes to rest for a moment. She had been sitting there for only a few moments when she heard footsteps coming toward her.

  Chapter Five

  Azra felt his heart swell when he saw the figure leaning back against the wall and recognized that it was Elise. It felt like it had been so long since he had seen her, and just getting a glimpse of her felt like a rush of cool air into his lungs. He took a few steps toward her, then paused, not wanting to startle her in the quiet privacy that she had found.

  “Elise?” he said loudly enough that she would hear him, but softly enough that it wouldn’t frighten her.

  Despite his efforts, Elise’s head snapped up off of the wall and she looked over at him sharply. He took another step forward, holding his own torch so that she could see his face. Even at the distance, he could see her eyes light up and in an instant, she was on her feet and running toward him. No longer caring about the illumination that the torch provided, he dropped it to the ground. It hissed loudly as it hit and the sand extinguished the flame, but he didn’t have a chance to see it. He was running toward Elise as fast as he could, holding his arms open toward her so that he wouldn’t have to wait a second longer than he had to to hold her.

  Elise came to within a couple of feet of Azra and leapt forward. Azra caught her in his arms and pulled her up against his chest so that he could tuck his head into the curve of her neck and breath in her scent. She felt warm and soft in his arms and he wished that he could stand there holding her forever. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him tightly as she kissed his neck and encircled his waist with her legs.

  “I’ve missed you so much,” she murmured in between kisses. “I was so scared that I was never going to see you again.”

  Azra made soothing sounds to quiet her and cuddled her a little closer, trying to comfort her.

  “I’ve missed you, too,” he said. “But you never have to worry about me. I will go through anything to be with you. There’s nothing that I wouldn’t do to make sure that I was with you again.”

  Elise pulled her head back and looked into his eyes, leaning forward to touch their foreheads together.

  “I know you would,” she said. “I would, too.”

  “You did,” Azra said.

  Elise pulled back to look at him again.

  “What do you mean? I didn’t do anything.”

  Azra gave her another little squeeze and then lowered her gently to her feet.

  “Of course, you did,” he said. “You’re still here, aren’t you? You didn’t have to be. You could have gone back with the rest of them to Uoria. You could have gone to Creia and had him contact Earth for a shuttle that would bring you back, and you never would have had to see any of us again, but you didn’t.”

  “I couldn’t have done that.”

  “Yes, you could. You could have decided that you weren’t going to deal with all of this, and that you would rather just put it behind you. That would be so easy for you. But you didn’t. You decided to stay here and wait for me. You’ve helped more than you will ever understand, and I am so proud of you. You are so strong.”

  He stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, gazing at her tenderly. She was even more beautiful than the first time that he saw her. Even with the exhaustion evident on her face, there was a radiance in her eyes that made him feel as though he were seeing the real her that he hadn’t encountered when they were on the ship. There was an authenticity, a depth about her now that seemed like she had just discovered a level of hersel
f that even she had never known and was now prepared to share it with him.

  “I would do it all again,” she said. “I would do anything to protect you.”

  It sounded strange coming out of her mouth, but as he thought about it, Azra realized that it was absolutely true. Though he was accustomed to being the one in the position of protecting others and would have thought that it would always be him who would be protecting Elise, he knew that what she had done for him, for all of them, had been invaluable. Without her, they wouldn’t have been able to use the ship properly or know how to access all of the supplies within it. Without her, they wouldn’t have been able to communicate between Penthos and Earth, or between the groups after they arrived. Without her, the compound wouldn’t have been prepared for their return, and they wouldn’t have been able to get the wounded the care that they needed, or the rest, the food and water they had been lacking in the battle. In her own way, she had protected him and all of them.

  “I love you,” he said. “I love you, Elise. I don’t know if I’ve ever said that to you, but if you’ll let me, I’ll say it to you a million more times, and then when I am finished, I will start again. I never want you to go a day without hearing me tell you that I love you.”

  Even in the dim lighting of the lantern in the desert sand, Azra could see the joyful sparkle of Elise’s eyes. She reached up and flattened her hand into the center of his chest, pausing as if she just wanted to feel the rhythm of his heart beating against her palm.

  “I love you, too, Azra,” she said. “I have been longing to hear those words. Thinking about them is what has kept me going. I don’t care how many times you say them to me, it will never be enough, and no matter how many times you say them to me, I will say them back to you. I can never tell you enough times how deeply I love you, how tightly I hold you in my heart, or how intensely I have longed for you since we’ve been apart. I’m sorry for every moment that I have missed with you.”