Edge of Eon: Eon Warriors #1

by Hacket, Anna

Aw, hell.

  The Kantos switched their attack from Eve and Davion, to evading the lava creature. The beast was huge, with giant horns and huge powerful arms. It looked like some devil rising out of a horror movie. Shaggy let out a hissing whine.

  Lava dripped off the monster, landing nearby in sizzling puddles. Eve and Davion leaped back. They continued to retreat, but they were still trapped between the lava creature and the rows of Kantos fighters.

  “Lava beast or Kantos?” she said.

  His unique eyes met hers, the blue strands gleaming.

  She nodded. “Kantos.”

  They turned and ran. She let out a whistle for Shaggy to follow. As they sprinted toward the nearest bugs, she saw that many of the Kantos were retreating as well.

  Suddenly, the lava creature let out a terrifying roar, and thumped one of its giant fists onto the rocky ground. A huge ball of lava flew through the air. It smacked into a bug, lifting it off its legs. The Kantos’ clicking turned into a high-pitched frenzy that hurt Eve’s ears.

  She kept running, leaping over some rocks. Davion kept pace beside her with ease. Her lungs were working hard and he wasn’t even breathing heavily.

  God, he was all strength and stamina. She liked him so damn much.

  “That way.” He pointed through a crack in the Kantos troops.

  They changed directions, running through the field of large, scattered rocks.

  “Think we’re almost out of range of the lava creature,” he said.

  But suddenly, Davion jerked to a stop and Eve slammed into the back of him.

  “Dav—” She looked up. “Fuck.”

  Ahead, a fresh wave of Kantos soldiers marched toward them, their sharpened arms pointed at Eve and Davion. Shaggy hissed, standing beside Eve, body quivering.

  War Commander Thann-Eon. The raspy words echoed in Eve’s head.

  A tall Kantos elite stepped forward, his four legs moving smoothly. He had the same powerful body with brown scales that the soldiers had, but was a little taller and held himself straighter.

  Davion pushed Eve back behind him and she rolled her eyes.

  Come with us. The Kantos leader tilted his head, his four yellow eyes gleaming. Avoid more bloodshed.

  Davion stayed silent, but she felt the tension pumping off him.

  “Tell him to go fuck himself, Dav.”

  More silence.

  Frowning, she looked up at him. His face was set, hard.

  “You made a grave mistake attacking me,” Davion said. “The Eon Empire will not forgive this transgression.”

  The Kantos leader didn’t move. The time has come for the Kantos to rule the galaxy.

  Davion lowered his voice. “You really think you can beat the Eon warriors?”

  With the military secrets we gain from you, yes.

  Oh, shit. This was bad. Really bad. Eve swallowed, trying to find a way out.

  The Kantos leader tilted his head again. We can make a deal.

  A deal? Eve blinked. What kind of deal? “Davion?”

  The Terran is not important to us.

  Davion nodded. “I come with you, and you let her go. Unharmed.”

  Eve felt like he’d punched her in the gut.

  The Kantos nodded.

  “No!” Eve shook her head, slapping a hand at Davion’s chest. “You are out of your ever-loving mind.”

  “Eve—”

  “No!” The word exploded out of her. “You know me. God, I think you know me better than anyone in the damn galaxy. You know I don’t want this.”

  Something flickered in his eyes. “You matter to me.” His words stole her breath away. His voice lowered so the Kantos couldn’t hear. “They’ll hurt you to get to me.”

  “No, they won’t, because we’ll fight.” She grabbed his hands.

  He stroked her wrist. “You stay safe. You stay alive. Wait for my men to arrive.”

  “No.” Panic slid into her veins. He was leaving her.

  Davion stepped away from her.

  “If she’s harmed, our deal is off,” Davion said darkly.

  The Kantos leader nodded. Armor off, War Commander.

  Eve was horrified when Davion’s armor retracted. The Kantos soldiers swarmed him, hitting and kicking. Shaggy moved forward and Eve grabbed him.

  A different type of soldier flowed forward on four legs. He had a stockier body than the other soldiers and gray, hard skin. He dripped black ooze on Davion’s symbiont, and then he lifted one arm and stabbed it against Davion’s side. She felt a flare of energy in the air.

  Davion’s body shuddered. The Kantos was delivering some sort of electric shock.

  No way. Eve exploded into action, kicking at the closest soldier.

  The rasping mental voice of the Kantos leader echoed in her head. Do not harm her.

  They didn’t attack her, but they blocked her path to Davion.

  “Eve.” He was still standing, his hands curled into fists and his jaw clenched. She heard the pain in his voice.

  She saw two soldiers kick Davion’s legs out from under him. Tremors still wracked his body. The gray Kantos shocked him again.

  Fury ripping her open, she spun, fighting the soldiers. Shaggy leaped up beside her, growling.

  The Kantos leader waved a hand, turning away.

  Two soldiers started dragging Davion.

  An elbow rammed into Eve’s chest, knocking her back. Shaggy growled, jumping in to protect her. Another soldier thrust with his arm, trying to get Shaggy to back off.

  But Shaggy wasn’t giving up. He flew at the Kantos’ head. A second soldier lunged in, thrusting his sharp arm into Shaggy’s body. It pierced the animal right through.

  “No!” Eve screamed.

  They shoved Shaggy away and his body flew into Eve. She fell to the ground, the animal a dead weight on top of her. Eve struggled to try and get him off her.

  She felt the blood. It was warm as it trickled over her.

  “No. No.” She looked into Shaggy’s face.

  He made a horrible sound, clearly in terrible pain.

  “It’s okay, boy.” She pressed closer, managing to drag herself out from under his weight. She put pressure on the wound, but the way he was bleeding told her the Kantos had hit something vital. The red blood gushed through her fingers.

  She looked over and saw the Kantos were mounting up on their bugs. They’d dragged Davion onto one bug and he was heavily bound. His head hung limply.

  Before she could move or plan, the leader raised an arm. The Kantos turned their bugs and took off.

  Emotions swelled inside Eve’s chest, making it hard for her to breathe. She watched, helpless, as Davion was taken away from her.

  She swept her arm across her forehead, brushing the sweat from her brow. She stroked Shaggy’s side, listening to his labored breathing. She felt like she’d been cut open. Like she was bleeding, just like Shaggy.

  Murmuring to the animal, she kept stroking him. “I’m here, boy.” His breathing started to falter, and a rock settled into her throat.

  She waited with him, stroking and talking gently until his lungs stopped, and his chest no longer rose and fell.

  He let out his last, shuddering breath, his eyes closing. Closing her own eyes, Eve pressed her face to his scaly hide.

  She was all alone. Davion was gone—a captive of the Kantos. He’d be tortured and killed. And Shaggy was…

  She pulled in a shaky breath. Tears threatened and Eve hated the fact. She hated crying. Even as a little girl who’d lost her father to death and her mother to alcohol, she’d lain dry-eyed in bed. She hadn’t wanted to be weak.

  Instead, she embraced the anger boiling deep in her gut. It exploded and she surged up, pissed and furious.

  She found a dead Kantos soldier nearby and kicked the body. “Assholes!”

  Kantos. Fucking Kantos. They destroyed everything good.

  She stumbled over to where Davion’s things had been dropped. She found his wrist screen. It was cracked, but when sh
e touched it, the screen flickered to life. It showed a map of the area.

  She slipped it onto her wrist, watching as it shrunk down to adjust to her smaller size.

  A map indicating the nearest weapons cache appeared on the screen.

  Perfect.

  On the other wrist, she still had some of the black scales from Davion’s symbiont. She stroked them and felt a pulse. It made her feel less alone.

  Then the screen chimed and her chest hitched. The ground started to change.

  Biome change.

  She stood there, watching as the lava started to drain away. The mountains shrank, like they’d deflated. A wave of golden grass sprang up, crossing the black rock like a wave. It kept growing, brushing her boots, then her waist, then her chest.

  And Eve found herself standing in an endless grassland.

  There was nothing around her, but in the back of her head, she wondered what beasties the long grass was hiding.

  She set her shoulders back. It didn’t matter. She had a job to do.

  Damn you, Davion. She was pissed at him, as well. Sacrificing himself for her. He’d made her fall in love with him.

  Love. Jeez, the one thing Eve had vowed to avoid had hit her when she’d least expected it. Fear and excitement mixed inside her. Well, she sure as hell was going to rescue her man and then give him a piece of her mind.

  Eve started to jog in the direction of the cache, pushing through grass. It wasn’t too far away, but she wanted to get organized. She’d wait for nightfall, then track down Davion and rescue her man.

  A screeching noise pierced the air and she swiveled. An abandoned bug burst out of the grass, its saddle empty. Its six legs skittered, its two giant compound eyes staring at Eve. It had a streak of green blood on its side, but looked otherwise uninjured.

  Eve’s gaze narrowed on the alien creature. Slight change of plan. She strode toward it.

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Eve approached the metallic weapons cache nestled in a tiny clearing in the grass, she worried about how she was going to open the damn thing. But as she got closer, the symbiont scales resting gently around her wrist slid over to cover her hand. When she pressed her palm to the panel, it chimed, and the metallic dome opened.

  Inside, lay a small supply of food, drinks, and basic medical supplies.

  She quickly tore into the nutrition packets, then gulped down some water. Next, she found an injector and pressed a stim to her neck, wincing at the sting.

  Straight away, energy seeped through her tired, battered body. She grabbed several injectors and slid them into her pockets. Davion might need them.

  Right, time for weapons.

  She sorted through a strongbox filled with different Eon weapons. She picked carefully, finding several Eon blasters that she’d always lusted over. At the same time, she tucked a few knives into her belt. There were even some grenade-type devices, and she smiled as she helped herself to a few.

  Finally standing, she slung a blaster over her shoulder. She was ready. She pulled in a deep breath.

  When she headed back to her bug, it skittered nervously, trampling the grass. It had taken her a while to get the damn thing to obey her, but they’d come to a cautious truce. Luckily, these bugs were clearly bred to be compliant transportation.

  “Too bad, bug head. I have a man to rescue.”

  As she climbed into the saddle, the alien let out an unhappy squawk.

  Eve didn’t give a fuck. She urged it on, and they were soon moving fast through the grass. It made a swishing sound.

  She quickly adjusted to the bug’s odd gait, and she leaned forward as they moved swiftly toward the last place she’d seen Davion. They passed through a patch of grass that had huge, globe-shaped purple flowers on top. Eve eyed the flowers warily but they passed without incident.

  At the spot on the map, they circled around a few times. It didn’t look anything like it had when the Kantos had taken Davion. Damn. There was no trail or tracks to pick up.

  But then the bug tensed, like it sensed something. It took off in one direction and she gave the creature the lead.

  Hope you know where you’re going, bug. They raced through the grass and ahead, she saw the large orb of the orange sun sinking toward the horizon. Night would be here soon.

  They continued on and soon, the shadows grew. Eve wondered how she was going to see in the dark, but as twilight fell, she noticed light coming off the grass.

  The grass glowed a faint gold. Cool.

  Then a familiar clicking echoed through the night and the bug slowed. In the distance, she saw a large gleam of light. Gotcha.

  Smiling grimly, she urged the bug on. Not too far from the Kantos camp, she slipped off the bug and tied its reins to a clump of grass. “You stay here. I’ll be back.”

  Then Eve moved forward, quickly and stealthily, using the grass for cover. Above the sweep of grass, she spotted the heads of several saddled but rider-less Kantos bugs. They weren’t moving, so she guessed they were secured.

  A long, pained masculine groan came to her on the wind. It was coming from just beyond the bugs. Her heart clenched. They were torturing Davion.

  Dropping to her belly, she slithered through the grass and up a gentle hill. Reaching the top, she paused, parting the grass and peering down.

  On the other side of the slope was a large clearing of trampled grass. Davion was trussed up between some posts set in the ground, his arms held out to the sides. His bare chest was covered in wounds and cuts, and too much blood. His symbiont had been confined, so he couldn’t use it.

  Bile rose in her throat. The bastards.

  It looked like they’d finished their torture for now. Davion’s chin was resting on his chest, his hair covering his face. A group of Kantos soldiers were walking away from him.

  She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Hold on, warrior.”

  As one, the Kantos soldiers moved toward several long lines of other soldiers. She watched as they assembled themselves in rows, standing still, their arms by their sides. It looked as though someone had pressed their off buttons. They were clearly resting, just standing there, still and unmoving. It was creepy.

  Eve waited a few more minutes. She didn’t see any of the Kantos move, or even twitch.

  Now or never. Moving quietly, she pushed through the grass, her gaze locked on Davion.

  At the edge of the clearing, she looked around, checking for sentries or anyone left to guard Davion. None of the Kantos moved. She raced across the clearing to Davion. As if it anticipated her needs, her symbiont moved, creating a knife on her wrist. She reached up and started cutting his ropes.

  Before long, they broke, and he fell. She caught him, but he was dead weight, and drove her down to her knees.

  He groaned.

  “Hey, warrior,” she said softly. “I need you to help me.”

  His beautiful black eyes threaded with blue opened. They were drenched in pain.

  “You… Dream?”

  “Nope.”

  He blinked rapidly, eyes slowly clearing. “Eve?”

  “The one and only. You really didn’t expect me to leave you, did you?”

  “So stubborn.”

  From her pocket, Eve pulled a pressure injector. She touched it to his neck and dispensed the stim. Then, she pulled out the antidote and freed his symbiont. Her hands slid up his body, and she gently touched the wounds on his chest. She couldn’t treat them yet, but as his dark armor flowed up his body, covering his chest, she figured it would help stop the bleeding for now.

  “Up,” she urged.

  With her arms around him, and him helping as much as he could, she got him on his feet. It wasn’t pretty or graceful, but he was up. He was still weak and he was heavy as hell. They stumbled across the ground, heading to the edge of the Kantos camp. Eve kept a careful watch, certain they’d be mobbed by soldiers at any second.

  But the Kantos stayed, unmoving, in their creepy little group.

  Eve released
a breath. This was too easy and that made her nervous.

  They moved into the long grass. She shouldered through it as they crept uneventfully through the faint glow from the vegetation. Finally, they reached her bug.

  Davion eyed it. “You’re joking.”

  “Nope, this is our ride.”

  She helped him onto the beast, and she heard him try to stifle his groan of pain. Then she climbed on behind him.

  She nudged the bug and got it moving. She tilted her wrist to look at his screen and quickly spotted a rest station. Her priority was getting him healed.

  “Eve—”

  “You can get angry with me for rescuing you later.”

  He turned his head. “I wanted you safe.” He released a breath. “But thanks.”

  Warmth moved through her. “You’re welcome, warrior.” She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his.

  * * *

  Davion was in agony. He had internal injuries, but he was hiding it as much as he could from Eve.

  She rode like a woman possessed, pushing the bug they were riding as hard as she could. Soon, he saw a brighter blue light glow through the grass ahead. The rest station.

  Blinking back the fatigue and pain, he gripped the bug hard to stop from falling off. Then a thought occurred to him. “Where’s Shaggy?”

  The jagged silence behind him made his gut tighten.

  Eve stopped the bug and slid off. “The Kantos killed him.” Her voice was flat.

  Cren. Davion awkwardly maneuvered and slid off the bug. When he hit the ground, his knees shook, but he managed to stop himself from collapsing.

  He grabbed her and pulled her to his chest. Her forehead rested against him and he just held her. The animal had come to mean something to both of them.

  She pulled back. “Come on. We need to get these injuries sorted out.”

  “The bug—”

  “Can it lead the Kantos to us?”

  Davion shook his head. “It can track its own kind, but has no special senses to track us.”

  “Good.” Eve slapped the back of the bug and it took off with a shriek. It disappeared into the grass.

  She slid one arm around Davion and parted the long grass with the other. Several huge, gray boulders were heaped in a pile, surrounded by grassland. The rest station was nestled in among the rocks—a small dome made of shiny gray rock—and looked far smaller than the one they’d had in the snow biome. He climbed up the rocks, Eve helping him.