I lay down and Hadone and Darok both wrap their bodies around me, holding me tight to them. My lust has quieted, and they simply whisper in their language, soft and reassuring, telling me with their tone, rather than the meaning of their words, that everything is going to be alright.
I take a deep breath and my tears stop. The wetness rolling down my cheeks is not a sign of weakness. It’s catharsis. Now I have the grief shed from my system, I’m more determined than ever in what I know I have to do.
Whatever happens, I must keep Stacy, Tod, Tyler and Runner safe.
I’ve got three new charges now, too. The Aurelians might have saved me back in Barl, but it’s now my job to keep them safe. The three of them are fugitives, even if they don’t realize it yet.
The penalty for an Aurelian incursion on this planet is execution. I have no illusions that the Capital will make an exception when they learn of the unusual nature of these three tattooed Aurelians, or hear of the fearless sacrifices they made to protect us.
No. Those childish ideals burned away with my city.
A deep exhaustion grips me. I’ve nearly died so many times today that the idea is starting to lose meaning. Death, life – they’ve become two sides of the same coin.
The huge arms of the Aurelians hold me reassuringly tight, so much so that I can barely move. Yet, I don’t feel trapped. Their skin against mine actually makes me ache for life – to live it, rather than just exist as I had done for so many years in Barl.
I turn my head and look over at Forn, watching him in his deep slumber. I feel the fatigue overwhelm me, too. As my eyelids become too heavy to keep open, I hope desperately that I’ll have a dreamless sleep.
And tomorrow… Tomorrow, I’ll decide where to take my little group. Tomorrow, not right now…
12
Tammy
“Don’t move a fucking inch!”
My eyes snap open. I’m greeted by an array of weapons. Yesterday, I would have given anything to have the Capital’s troops surrounding me, protecting me from Scorp attack.
Now? They represent just another deadly threat.
I don’t know how they found us, or how they managed to sneak up on us so effectively, but they’re here.
The Capital’s troops are wearing old armor, long faded, but their rifles are just as deadly as when they were first constructed.
Budget cuts might have affected their uniforms, but the polished sheen of the well-maintained rifles shows where our periphery taxes have gone to.
I feel the Aurelians stir beside me, and I desperately grab their arms to quiet them before they can try a suicidal defense.
As soon as I reach out, though, I realize that only Darok is beside me. He looks at me blankly, but I see his hand inching towards the hilt of his Orb-Sword. Even with a mass of armed soldiers surrounding us, his first instinct is to fight.
I desperately shake my head, pleading him not to. There are at least five gun barrels pointed right at us; and while I’ve seen the Aurelian in combat, the odds against Darok are simply too great. Edgar proved that a bullet could wound or even kill an Aurelian.
Darok nods, remaining still. I shudder, turning back to the troops - watching their fingers tighten on the triggers. The Capital forces have never seen a real-life Aurelian before, and they are nervous. Really fucking nervous – and understandably so.
I tighten my fingers on Darok’s huge arm, willing him to be still. If one of us so much as coughs, a volley of gunshots will ring out; but we might not even hear them before they kill us.
How did this happen? How did they find us?
“Slowly put your hands up,” growls the leader of the troops. He has an eagle insignia on his breast, which shows that he’s an officer.
Where is Hadone?
“Put your fucking hands up!” The officer’s command is a bark this time, and Darok tenses up beside me. I know he’s aching to activate his Orb-Blade and throw himself into battle.
“He doesn’t speak the common tongue,” I say quickly, and the captain snarls:
“Bullshit. If he doesn’t get his hands away from the hilt of that weapon in the next second, I’m going to blow a hole through his head!”
I reach out, slowly and methodically grabbing the hilt of Darok’s Orb-Blade. He looks pained to surrender it, but allows me to take the weapon and toss it over to the captain before the worst can happen. Instantly, the soldiers press closer, emboldened now that their enemy was unarmed.
We’re pulled out of the lean-to, and outside I gasp at how many more soldiers there are. They’ve sent a whole platoon! Row after row of rifles point at us, and I shudder as I witness Forn, still wounded and barely conscious, being pulled from the lean-to by more soldiers.
My heart aches as I watch Forn’s head bouncing against the packed ground. He’s handcuffed and thrown to the dirt. Six rifles are pointed at him, despite the fact that Forn is barely conscious, still weakened from blood loss and his other wounds.
Stacy, Tod, Tyler and Runner are standing unrestrained near two more soldiers. Runner is smiling proudly, and a soldier shakes his hand, saying something too low for me to hear.
Runner! It was Runner who alerted a nearby platoon!
I want to hate the child for it, but I can’t. His father brainwashed him into hating the Aurelians and blaming all of his problems on the alien species. At least now I understand how they found our camouflaged little structure – Runner lead them right to us.
My last days have been a constant series of betrayals. Only the Aurelians have held fast.
My grim thoughts suddenly shatter under the sound of a gunshot. I snap my head
