by T. A. White
Her gaze shifted to Raider as she tried to force sound out. Bubbles of blood formed at the corner of her mouth.
The sword had punctured her lung. Speaking would be difficult.
"Run," she mouthed.
He took off.
"Protocol Phoenix! To me, to me. Jin, get that cage down!" Raider screamed.
Jin swung toward Kira but at Raider's order, he focused on the cage with a foul curse.
The Curs streamed toward him and the cage, herding the children in front of them.
Ayela laughed as she yanked the blade out of Kira's back. "These are who you chose to ally with? Cowards?"
Kira didn't respond, she couldn't. Blood poured out of her wound as she pressed her hands against her front.
Her vision wavered.
Raider and the rest were almost at the cage.
She needed to hold on. Just a little longer.
Ayela walked toward them, not bothering to hurry. Her prey had nowhere to go.
The cage dropped. Finally.
The Curs pushed the children inside. Raider and Blue yanked Finn and Noor after them as they dove for its safety. Jin turned the cage on.
Kira smiled. Finally.
She let the darkness consume her as she toppled forward.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Graydon roared, the sound the embodiment of denial and rage as the tip of a sword burst from Kira's chest, the shock and surprise on her face echoing Graydon's. The bright flicker of her spirit guttered.
The cage fell and Graydon's muscles bunched as he prepared to drench the room in his power. It answered his call, a cold so intense it burned.
The children and humans piled in, the cage flickering into place.
"What are you doing?" Graydon shouted.
He grabbed the human closest to him and shook him, the human's head wobbling like a doll’s.
"Open it," he roared.
"Easy there, hoss," a man said from next to him.
Graydon thought it might be the one called Raider. He couldn't be sure since he hadn't taken the time to learn all their names. He struggled not to rip the man's head from his shoulders. The urge was difficult to resist.
"You don't want to go out there right now, believe me," Raider said, his expression cautious.
A long menacing sound rumbled from Graydon's chest, primal and terrifying.
He hadn't thought these humans so devious they would leave one of theirs behind to die.
"Maybe you do," Raider said, correcting himself. "Just wait a moment.”
"Drop the cage, human," Graydon ordered, his voice eerily calm.
"We've adjusted the energy barrier. It'll protect us from what's outside," the woman with blue hair said. "This is the safest place right now."
"Except not everyone is in it," Liara pointed out, struggling to sit.
"Believe me, lady, everyone who needs to be is," Raider said, turning to stare out.
Graydon narrowed his eyes. The humans were worried. It was more than the Tsavitee. Until Kira went down, they'd been holding their own. Now, they stunk of stress and fear.
"Shouldn't it have already happened?" Blue muttered to the big man next to her.
He grunted, his eyes narrowed on Kira.
Raider paced in front of the cage wall as Ayela continued toward them, her lips curled up in a satisfied smile. The humans didn't spare her a look.
Graydon was known for his discipline. He was a stalwart stone when others let the eddies of emotion carry them into the rapids. He reached for that side of him. It was harder than it'd ever been before.
The humans had stopped seeing those outside as a threat. There was one thing that worried them, and it wasn't the Tsavitee.
Graydon was silent as he watched the humans stare at Kira's fallen body.
"Look at this, so many lovely sacrifices," Ayela murmured. "Bring me one of them."
The Tsavitee flanking her moved to obey. Graydon's muscles tightened as he prepared to attack, the rest of his warriors doing the same.
The Tsavitee's face reflected confusion when the cage refused to obey.
"What's the holdup?" Ayela demanded.
"It won't open, mistress."
Jin chuckled. "We own this space now, bitch. Prepare to be disappointed."
Her eyes narrowed as she turned to give him a look of dislike. She shrugged graceful shoulders. "No matter. I'm sure my companions can figure out how to reverse what you've done."
Jin got close to the cage’s barrier. "They're not going to have time to do much of anything. You shouldn't have done that. Now you're all going to die."
Ayela's head tilted with confusion.
Behind her, Kira rose, her hair covering her face as she straightened so very slowly.
"That was a mortal wound," Quillon murmured, rising from where he tended to the Luathan Overlord. His cloak whispered into place around him.
It had been. Graydon was sure of it.
"Kira," Joule and Ziva shouted in relief.
"Guess again," Raider said in a soft voice. "It's something much more dangerous."
"The Phoenix," the blue-haired woman whispered, her voice hushed as tangled notes of fear and awe ran through it.
The figure finally lifted her head, her expression feral, her entire focus locked on Ayela, the rest of the world forgotten.
Graydon saw what he and the rest of the Tuann had missed.
It wore Kira's shape, it had her face, but there were subtle differences. The pale creaminess of her skin was replaced by a dark gray. Violet symbols etched themselves across every exposed piece of skin, lines linking them in swooping patterns only the oldest of the ancients would be able to decipher.
To the uneducated eye, some might have mistaken her for a female Tsavitee general, but Graydon knew her for what she really was. Primus. Precious and rare.
Her eyes opened at last, glowing violet as she focused on Ayela's head.
"Primus form," Graydon said in stunned understanding.
"What are you looking at?" Ayela asked with a frown.
Kira's hands appeared on either side of Ayela’s head. They closed on it and wrenched, a crack piercing the room. Ayela's body slumped to the floor, her neck broken. She stared sightlessly up at the ceiling.
Kira stepped over the body, her attention turning to the occupants of the cage for the first time.
"Weapons up," Raider said.
Kira struck in the next second, the cage shuddering from the force of the blow. The walls of the cage crackled as she continued to press her hand against it, the smell of scorched flesh reaching Graydon.
She was damaging herself as she tried to break into the cage.
The humans had their weapons trained on her, fear and pheromones flooding the air.
"Will the cage hold?" Raider snapped.
"Probably." Jin didn't sound convinced.
"Not good enough," the human snarled.
Jin snorted. "That's the best you're going to get. I'm not a magician. I had seconds to switch the polarity to give us this much protection. Next time give me more of a head’s up if you want a more quality product."
"Can our weapons pass through?" the big man asked.
Both Graydon and Jin voiced an immediate denial.
"Look, we don't like this any better than you," Raider said, irritation making him snappish. "But she's in berserker mode. It's kill her or let her kill us."
"Your weapons won't do anything to her in that form," Graydon said, forcing reason into his voice. He stepped nearer, placing his hand in front of hers. He ignored the sting of warning, the small snap of pain as he waited for her to meet his eyes.
It took several seconds before she lifted her attention from the humans. When she did, it was like being punched in the chest. Her gaze cut through all the noise, as if seeing into the deepest parts of himself. It settled him even as he yearned to lose himself in her.
There was awareness in those eyes. Intelligence. Feeling. She was in a battle rage, yes, but
she hadn't let herself be lost to it.
"You are so beautiful," Graydon said in Tuann.
Kira blinked at him.
"It's time for you to protect yourself now," he said, his voice adopting a soothing cadence.
She drew one sharp claw down the cage wall. A streak of pale yellow followed.
"She's writing," Blue said in a stunned voice.
Graydon gritted his teeth and told himself that strangling the humans might set her off again.
"In primus form her instincts are close to the surface, but she isn't an animal. She's capable of thought and reason," he said, struggling for patience.
Although it was rare for one so young to possess enough discipline to gain control so quickly after the influx of ki necessary to achieve the transformation.
Ships as promised. Jin has recording. Protect all.
Raider's lips thinned as he considered. He seemed torn between duty and loyalty. That struggle was what saved him and the rest from a painful death at Graydon's hands later.
Raider gave a jerky nod. "You heard her. Get to work on the exit strategy."
"Roger that," several of the humans said.
They moved quickly, bending and placing putty in a ring on the floor.
"Graydon, you’re not going to let this happen, are you?" Silas asked urgently.
His former mentor wasn't going to leave her side willingly.
"I'm not leaving either," Liara said. Her face was pale and slick with sweat. Her objection mostly for form's sake.
A derisive snort escaped him. She should have thought about her cousin's health before making that asinine deal with her in the first place.
Graydon met Kira's expectant gaze. He let out a low sound of frustration. "I'll do it. I'll get them out safely," he told her.
She inclined her head.
There was really no other choice. He had a duty to his people and the Luathan Overlord. As much as he'd like to stay and fight, some things came first. "Follow the humans."
His first task was to see those assembled to safety. He'd come for her after that.
He chanced one final look behind him, mentally ordering Kira to stay safe until then. She'd better be alive by the time he returned.
"Do it," he ordered Raider.
Raider nodded. "Take cover."
Raider and the other humans crouched, curling in on themselves, covering their ears and tucking their heads down.
He looked up at Graydon. "You should do the same."
Graydon rolled his eyes. "We're not as weak as you."
Raider shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Graydon wrapped his soul's power around him and the others, creating a small bubble of protection seconds before the small space exploded.
The group disappeared into the gaping hole, gone in seconds.
*
Kira felt the vibration from the explosion.
The Curs might be human, but they knew what was at stake. They'd protect Liara and the others to the end.
Throw in Graydon and the others were as safe as she could make them.
She bared her teeth, ones every bit as sharp as the Tsavitee general's had been. She looked over her prey.
Now that the others were out of the way, she could take off the chains keeping her in check.
Time to go hunting.
*
A short time later, every Tsavitee in the chamber was dead. She stood over their bodies victorious, covered in blood. She tilted her head up and basked in the moment.
A slight warning beep from the platform shook her from her exultation.
She opened an eye and scowled at the offending sound. It ignored her displeasure, merrily beeping away.
She growled and stalked over to it, her clawed feet clicking against the stone. At some point she'd lost her shoes, not that that bothered her. Her feet were more powerful this way, and shoes irritated the claws.
Kira eyed the space. A small button glowed in midair.
Someone was hailing the command center.
She stared at it for several seconds, the urge to go back to enjoying her kills strong.
The beeping continued.
She jabbed her finger at the button.
"What?" she snapped.
"Tuann ship the Valiant hailing the Luathan Overlord. This is Commander Kai requesting immediate assistance."
Kira struggled to think past her immediate needs, the berserker rage of this form making difficult.
"Please come in," Kai said, some of his strain getting through to her.
Kai. She knew him. He was one of Graydon's people. She liked Graydon. He'd called her beautiful and kissed her. She sometimes wanted to bite him then force him to chase so she could run. He brought parts of her to life, made her feel whole and safe.
"What do you want?" The words were stilted and unnatural, not sounding like Kira in the least. This form wasn't meant for long conversations, it was meant for killing.
"Your second line defenses have gone online and are targeting my ship anytime we get close. There is a Tsavitee warship bearing down on us. My ship is a diplomatic ship. It’s not equipped to withstand the firepower of a dreadnaught. Let us pass through your defenses so we can land."
Kira looked at the array. "Don't know how to do that."
Silence crackled over the line. "This is Luatha command, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"Then you should be able to turn the defense off or at least point them toward the enemy," the commander said in a strident voice.
Kira's head tilted. "Impossible."
"What do you mean impossible?"
"Incident down here. Overlord set defenses. Can't be undone."
"Then find her," he shouted.
"Not possible."
There was another length of silence as she could feel him considering, weighing her words.
"Are you Luathan?" he asked suspiciously.
Kira chuckled. "No."
"The enemy then," he said it as a statement. There was resignation in his voice.
"Not the enemy," Kira said.
She could feel his interest. The longer she stood near the Nexus, the more she thought she understood it. Graydon had said it was controlled by the strength of your mind and will.
That was before the Tsavitee had run their lines and hijacked the link. She might not know Tuann tech, but she knew Tsavitee technology.
It might be enough.
She wasn't weak-willed. She might be able to help the ship above, or she might burn her brain up trying.
She paused. Would Liara consider being brain-dead a breach of their promise?
The concern floated away as quickly as it had come. Emotions were fleeting and hard to reach, locked behind a barrier of ice.
"Stand by, trying something," she told Kai.
"Of course, it's not like I'm going anywhere. There's just a warship heading my way," he said sarcastically.
Kira stepped onto the platform and waited. A force clamped on her mind, slicing through any natural barrier she might have had like it was butter.
She grunted at the feeling, gritting her teeth as she rode the pain. It was easier in this form, insulating her from the worst of it.
When it eased slightly, she found her mind split. Half of it was high above, standing on the bridge of a Tuann ship. The rest was standing in the stone room, her expression frozen.
She lifted her hand and stared at it as the Tuann near her jolted back, their eyes wide. She ignored them as she rotated her hand, fascinated by the slight translucence. She held up her other arm, seeing the same ghostly, insubstantial effect, her body shimmering in and out of view.
Someone cleared their throat next to her. She looked up to find the captain’s eyes fastened on her, his gaze nonplussed.
He seemed to be able to see her. Fascinating.
She dropped her arms. "Can't bring down the defenses without risking the planet."
And she wouldn't do that.
He shut his eyes. "Then we're de
ad."
"Not necessarily," Kira said.
He leaned in, a reserved hope in his expression.
"Full ahead. You need to take the fight to them," she said. "I'll guide you in."
His lips parted and then he gave a nod, barking orders at those around them. She could feel the ship accelerate, or maybe she saw it accelerate. Here in this space, it was hard to distinguish what input was from her senses and what she was picking up from this strange melding.
Something streaked across her right shoulder. The ship shuddered as a Tsavitee weapon punched into it on the right side.
Interesting.
Her body seemed to have taken the place of radar, telling her where the next attack would hit.
"Shift vector by five degrees," Kira called.
She didn't pay much attention to the frenetic activity on the bridge, concentrating on the surrounding space instead.
The defenses grew small behind them as they barreled toward the Tsavitee ship. An angel class six. A world killer. Even with the Tuann's considerably powerful technology, it would be a difficult foe.
There were thousands of Tsavitee on that ship. The Tuann ship contained at most fifty. Even with the other Tuann ship up here following them, their odds weren't good.
Both Tuann ships were fast and maneuverable, but they weren't meant to meet an angel head-on.
Her collar bone and the side of her arm tingled.
"Six degrees port side and two degrees up," she said.
"How is she predicting their movements?" someone muttered.
"I'm reading the energy of their ship," Kira murmured, her gaze focused and distant. "It's quite easy when you know what to look for."
And after several years spent sifting through the wreckage of every Tsavitee ship she could get her hands on, she knew exactly what to look for.
A spot on her stomach burned.
"Roll," Kira shouted.
The ship jerked around her incorporeal body, shuddering when one of the blasts glanced off the mid-section of the ship.
"Hull breach in decks six through ten," someone shouted.
"Increase acceleration," Kira said.
Distantly she noted a string stretching from her intangible body out into the void. It was faint, barely there, more suggestion than reality.
Curious, she tugged on it, faintly surprised to find it attached to something.