Storm of Eon (Eon Warriors Book 7)

by Anna Hackett

  As she threw up an arm, she heard a chittering noise. She grabbed Sabin’s hand.

  Several bugs came out of the darkness, and into the circles of light.

  Then she saw the Kantos soldier.

  It had four long, jointed legs, a strong torso made of a hard, brown shell, and two sharp, blade-like arms held out in front of it. More Kantos soldiers came out of the darkness. Sabin stiffened, and her stomach coiled.

  This wasn’t good. This was the opposite of good.

  One of the soldiers moved forward. It was paler than the others, a little taller.

  We want all your information on the Terran weapons system.

  The alien was talking in her head. She gripped Sabin’s fingers harder. It felt like an invasion. This had to be a Kantos elite.

  She stared at its four, bright, pinprick eyes. It was looking at her.

  Dr. Delgado, you will tell me everything.

  “Screw you,” she snapped. “I’m not telling you anything.” The StarStorm was the only thing between Earth and annihilation.

  A Kantos soldier moved forward and raised a sharp arm.

  There was a slash of a sword and Sabin moved in front of her. He sliced the Kantos soldier’s arm off.

  She gasped. Green blood splattered on the floor.

  More soldiers raced forward. Sabin fought, taking down another one.

  But there were too many. They surrounded him.

  The elite moved closer. The next thing she knew, it grabbed her, pressing a sharp arm to her neck. Fear was slick and oily inside her.

  Stop.

  Sabin saw her and froze. His sword retracted, and the Kantos soldiers hit him again and again. He dropped to the floor.

  “No!” she yelled.

  They kept hitting him and she heard his pained grunts.

  “Stop it!” Finley tried to pull away from her captor.

  One of the soldiers slapped something on Sabin’s helian band. It was a blob of thick, black gunk.

  He lay slumped on the floor, his face swelling from the beating.

  Her heart hurt. Sabin. Black terror rose inside her. Once again, she was helpless, a captive, watching the enemy hurt someone she cared about.

  You will tell me what I want to know.

  The Kantos elite swung her around. He pulled her up on her toes.

  Or I will torture the Eon warrior until you do.

  Her lips trembled and she bit her tongue. She wanted to scream in rage, but she knew it wouldn’t help.

  I’ll give you some time in a cell to decide.

  The elite lifted an arm and several soldiers dragged Sabin across the floor.

  Another moved forward and shoved her.

  How the hell would they get out of this alive?

  He woke with a groan.

  Sabin was facedown on the floor, pain throbbing through his body.

  There was no sense of healing warmth. He touched his wrist. It was sticky. He couldn’t connect with his helian, which left him lightheaded. He tried to sit.

  “Take it easy.”

  Finley.

  She was right beside him and helped him sit up. Memories poured in.

  They were on a Kantos ship. He shifted and pain throbbed. He groaned. Their cell was small and dank, with sticky lines of something running down the walls.

  “You’re okay.” She pushed his hair back. “I wiped most of the blood off your face.” There was worry in her eyes, and she stroked his jaw. “You aren’t healing.”

  “They cut off my connection to my helian.”

  She stared at the black gunk on his band. “Oh, God.”

  “Hey, stay calm,” he said.

  She nodded, but her eyes were wide.

  He realized that this had to be her worst nightmare. Held captive, seeing someone hurt.

  “They beat you so badly—” Her voice broke.

  Sabin hugged her to his chest, uncaring about his aches and pains. He slid a hand into her hair. “I’m tough. My body is stronger than a Terran’s.”

  She nodded against his chest.

  “I’m going to get you out of here,” he said. “I promise.”

  “Sabin.” She looked up. “They want all the data on the StarStorm.”

  Cren. “You aren’t going to tell them anything.”

  Her eyes flared. “They threatened to torture you!”

  He gritted his teeth. “We can’t tell them anything. Billions of Terran lives are at stake.”

  She pressed her hand to her mouth. Then she rose and started pacing. “I can’t watch them torture you. I won’t.”

  He pushed to his feet, stifling a moan. He strode to her and yanked her into his arms. “Shh.”

  “Sabin… I care about you. Please, I can’t watch them hurt you.”

  “Okay, okay.” Without his helian, their options were limited. “Then we need to escape.”

  “Escape?” Her eyebrows rose. “How?”

  “When the guards come, we’ll take them down. We’ll get free, find a ship, and leave.”

  “Fight them with what?”

  “You’re smart, Finley. I’m strong, even without access to my helian. We can do this.”

  He kissed her. Both to calm her, and partly because he needed it.

  “Okay,” she said against his lips. “We need a plan.”

  “Let’s see what we can figure out.”

  They made a plan. It wasn’t great, but it was the best they could do. Finally, they heard a buzzing in the corridor.

  The Kantos were coming.

  Sabin prayed to the warriors that there weren’t too many of them. “Ready?”

  She nodded and dropped to the floor in the center of the cell, sprawled out like she’d collapsed.

  Sabin climbed the sticky walls, and held himself above the cell door. His body ached all over, but he shoved the pain aside.

  Finley was the most important thing.

  The door opened and a Kantos soldier entered. It paused, looked at Finley, then rushed over to her.

  A second soldier stepped inside, and Sabin expanded his natural senses. Even without his helian, he only detected two soldiers.

  He dropped. He landed on the soldier and the alien spun.

  Sabin gripped its neck and heaved. The soldier spun again and slammed Sabin into the wall.

  Cren. Pain exploded through all of him. His vision swam and he fought to stay conscious.

  He twisted his hands again and he heard a snap as the soldier’s neck broke.

  The alien collapsed.

  Sabin landed and watched the second soldier turn to face him, its yellow eyes glowing.

  Finley leaped onto the alien’s back. The soldier turned, trying to reach her.

  Sabin knelt and broke off the sharp arm of the dead Kantos. He rose and rushed at the soldier.

  “Finley, clear.”

  She leaped off and hit the floor.

  He swung the Kantos arm like a sword. It cracked against the arm of the other soldier. They traded blows, crossing the cell.

  Sabin dropped low and whacked at the alien’s leg. He aimed for the joints.

  With another hard blow, he heard the Kantos soldier’s leg crack. The alien tilted.

  Sabin went in for the kill.

  The Kantos kicked out wildly and hit Sabin’s gut. He flew back, winded. His makeshift weapon clattered to the floor.

  Cren. He fought back the pain. The soldier straightened, limping forward.

  Finley snatched up the arm and held it up. She rushed at the soldier.

  She drove it into the alien’s eyes.

  A buzzing, high-pitched sound filled the cell, and the soldier staggered.

  Sabin got to his feet and advanced. Finley was stabbing at the Kantos with wild, desperate hits.

  He took the arm from her, then swung. The Kantos soldier’s head hit the floor.

  Finley grimaced. “Ew.”

  Sabin cupped her face. “Are you hurt?”

  She shook her head. “I remembered your lesson on the
weak spots.” She smiled. “I might’ve been a little distracted by my instructor, but I remembered something.”

  He pressed a quick kiss to her mouth. “We need to move.”

  She nodded, pushing her hair out of her face. “Now what?”

  “Now, we’re going to steal a swarm ship.” It had been done before. “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  The Kantos battlecruiser was a horrible place.

  Fear was a tight ball in Finley’s gut. The ship smelled bad. Like dog poop warmed up and mixed with week-old, rotten trash. She heard strange, distant noises. She stayed close to Sabin as they jogged down the corridor. The brown walls looked like an insect shell, and glowed in places with an eerie, gold light

  Sabin was limping. Her heart lurched. He was really hurt and had to be in a lot of pain.

  Suddenly, he staggered.

  “Sabin.” She grabbed him, and leaned his weight against the wall. His breathing was raspy.

  “Just… Need a minute.”

  “We need to get your helian free.”

  “There is an antidote.” A faint smile crossed his lips. “I don’t have it with me. Come on, we can’t stop.”

  She kept her arm around him. God, he was heavy. That he put so much weight on her told her how badly he was hurt.

  She heard the beat of Kantos footsteps approaching—the sharp clip of claws on the floor.

  Pulse leaping, Finley pushed Sabin into a shadowed alcove. They pressed against the wall.

  Please don’t see us.

  Several Kantos soldiers marched past in an adjoining corridor.

  Once they were gone, she blew out a breath.

  “Come on, Sabin.” She helped him get moving. How the hell was he going to fly a ship?

  They moved into a larger corridor. There were several doorways lining one side, and she glanced through one. Inside, the walls were covered with large, cocoon-like pods, and she shivered at the sight.

  All of a sudden, a bug skidded into view. It was a little bigger than a dog, with a yellow carapace. It was delicate, with six skinny legs and a flat face. Two large, black eyes looked at them.

  As far as bugs went, it was actually kind of cute.

  “What is it?” she whispered.

  “I’ve never seen it before.”

  A fan-like set of antennae rose up on its head. It almost looked like feathers. The antenna started out yellow near the head and changed colors to a vibrant purple at the top. The fans waved hypnotically. Well. It was the first time she’d seen a pretty Kantos.

  “Hey.” Sabin shook her. “Don’t look at the antenna.”

  “What?”

  “You froze, like you were in a trance.”

  Oh, hell. Maybe it wasn’t so pretty after all. The creature shifted closer, then spat a ball of something at them.

  Sabin slammed into Finley, knocking her out of the way. The poison hit the wall and started chewing a hole in it.

  “Cren. It hypnotizes, and then poisons.”

  “Wonderful,” she bit out.

  The Kantos bug moved closer.

  “I need to take it down. Stay back.”

  She grabbed his arm. “Sabin, you’re hurt. You can’t do this alone.”

  A muscle in his jaw ticked.

  “We’ll do it together,” she said.

  “You’re the bravest woman I know, Finley Delgado.”

  They turned.

  “One,” she said. “Two. Three.”

  They rushed the Kantos. Another ball of poison sprayed into the air, and Finley ducked. She slid in and crashed into the alien. She slammed into its legs, and it let out a low screech.

  Sabin leaped on top of it. He grabbed the fan-like antennae and snapped them off.

  The Kantos bug made a horrible noise, then curled in on itself.

  Finley rolled away. The Kantos was in a tight ball and not moving. Sabin was on his hands and knees, breathing hard.

  “Sabin.” She crawled to him and touched his back.

  “I’m…okay.”

  There was so much pain in his voice. Tears pricked her eyes.

  “Come on,” he said.

  The man never gave up. She helped him to his feet. They hobbled along until they reached a junction. A buzzing noise filled the air. Finley peered carefully around a corner, gasped, and jerked back.

  Sabin watched her, his eyes hooded. “What is it?”

  Despair pulled at her. “More of those yellow creatures. I’d guess about thirty of them. They’re blocking the corridor.”

  Sabin cursed. “Cutting us off from the main hangar.”

  And the swarm ships.

  “Now what?” she asked.

  “Plan B,” Sabin said.

  “What’s Plan B?”

  He grabbed her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction. “I’m not sure yet.”

  “What?”

  “Just don’t stop.”

  They jogged down the hall. She kept glancing at him. His face was so pale, and he was sweating profusely.

  “Stop here.” She pulled them to a halt. “Are you okay?”

  That muscle ticked in his jaw again. “Yes.”

  “Liar.”

  “I won’t stop until you’re safe.”

  The words and the look in his eyes melted her. He would do exactly what he promised. He was the most honest, honorable man she knew. She felt a flash of emotion under her heart. She was falling in love with Sabin.

  This day was officially the craziest day ever.

  She heard the Kantos in the corridor getting closer.

  “Come on.” He grabbed her hand.

  They started moving the other way. He yanked her down another corridor.

  He was slowing down, his limp worsening. “Sabin?”

  “I have some internal bleeding.”

  No. Brent had died of his internal bleeding. Old, ugly memories crashed in on her like a swarm of locust.

  No. She couldn’t lose it. She had to stay strong and help Sabin. She couldn’t lose Sabin.

  Suddenly, he stopped. “Here.”

  A door was set into the wall in front of them. Sabin tapped the wall and yanked open a panel. Wires, organic looking tubes, and some brown ooze filled the small compartment.

  He did something inside the compartment, and the larger door slid open. Inside, was what looked like a large cocoon. The top half of it was open.

  “What’s that?” she asked.

  “A Kantos escape pod. Get in.”

  She spun to look at him. “What?”

  “We can’t get to the swarm ships. I won’t last much longer. I need you to get in. I’ll program a signal that the Rengard can pick up. You’ll be safe.”

  Her eyes widened. “You’re coming, too.”

  “I need to keep the Kantos distracted so they don’t realize the pod’s gone.”

  “No.” She grabbed his arms. “I am not leaving without you.”

  His jaw tightened. “Finley—”

  “No.” She shook her head. “You and me, or I stay and help you fight.”

  He growled.

  “I won’t lose you,” she whispered.

  “Cren.” He yanked her in for a kiss. “Fine. Get in.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You first.”

  He scowled and climbed into the cocoon pod. She climbed in beside him. It wasn’t huge, and it was oddly shaped, but there was plenty of room for them.

  The door closed, and red lights flickered to life.

  “Buckle in the best you can. These are designed for Kantos bodies.” He touched the controls.

  Then, without any warning, a low beep sounded, and the pod jettisoned into space.

  Finley was pushed back against the pod seat, and her stomach dropped. Oh, God.

  Sabin wished he had control of his helian, so he could hack right into the escape pod controls.

  Finley was clinging to him, but not panicking. That was his tough, gorgeous Terran.

  He worked the controls and hoped the K
antos ship hadn’t noticed them leave.

  The pod jolted wildly.

  “Oh, God, what’s happening?” she asked.

  Sabin squeezed her arm. “The battlecruiser’s firing on us.”

  She made a sound and pressed her face to his chest. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “No. I’ll try to get us out of range.”

  He wished again for his helian. The pod wasn’t very maneuverable. He checked the screen and saw that there was a large planet nearby, though he wasn’t sure what it was. He did a brief scan and was grateful that the atmosphere was reading in range for him and Finley to be able to breathe. The air might be a little thin, but it was fine.

  “Can you send a signal to your warship?”

  “No. The Kantos would target us.”

  Her nose wrinkled. “You said you’d send one if you sent me out in the pod.”

  “Yes. Because I would have provided enough distraction to keep them off you. If I send one now, it will just help them hone in on us.”

  Suddenly, the pod was clipped by laser fire, and they spun out of control.

  Finley screamed.

  Sabin gritted his teeth and fought for control. “The pod’s systems are damaged.” More laser fire winged past them, making the pod rock. “We’re losing oxygen.”

  “Sabin…”

  He met her gaze. “I’m not going to let you die. We’re heading for the planet.”

  She nodded. “I trust you. Whatever happens…I’m glad we’re together.”

  He quickly kissed her.

  The controls made a squawking sound. “We’re entering the planet’s atmosphere.”

  The ride got bumpy, the pod spinning and jerking.

  He wrapped his arm around Finley. He looked at the screen and took a deep breath.

  “Brace for impact.”

  “Sabin—”

  He pulled her closer and kissed her.

  They hit the ground with a bone-jarring impact. They were tossed around, the pod tipping over and over and over.

  Finley cried out.

  He held her tightly as they slid along the ground and finally stopped.

  By Ston’s sword, he never wanted to do that again.

  “Finley?”

  “I never want to go into space again,” she said.

  Her tone was a little shaky, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Are you injured?”

  “A few bumps, but I’m fine.” She looked at him. “You?”