by KD Jones
“Did you recognize anyone?” FinlEY asked.
“No, they were strangers. I don’t know their names but I did hear them on the shuttle saying a name...LazarUS. I’m sorry CristOF I forgot all about that.” Tera turned to look at CristOF with an apologetic expression.
“It’s okay Tera, you’ve been through so much,” CristOF reassured her.
FinlEY continued questioning her. “Can you describe what they looked like?”
“Yes, if I had a piece of paper and pencil I could probably sketch them. I’m not great at art but I could do something.”
SimON pulled out his digital tablet and handed it her. “This has a drawing program on it. You select basic features like hair and eye color, shapes of faces, noses. Move two fingers on the screen apart to make the features larger and bring the fingers back together to make the features smaller. Press twice more to restart if you make a mistake.”
Tera took it and sat down on a nearby rock. It took a few tries to get used to the program but once she had the first image complete she smiled and held it up. “This is the first of the two that took me.”
SimON came over and pressed the save button. “Draw as many as you can and hit this button to save each drawing.”
Tera felt grateful to have something to offer. She wasn’t a leader, a tracker or a warrior. This was something that she could do to maybe help the mission and keep a civil war from happening. She would do anything to help CristOF.
Completing the last drawing and saving it she held it up for everyone to see. “This is the leader. He may be the one they call LazarUS. The man on the island didn’t introduce himself to me and thankfully CristOF rescued me before he had a chance to...interrogate me.”
CristOF took the digital tablet from her and looked at the image of the male. “I didn’t see his face but I saw his profile. SimON, when the others arrive, may sure they are given the images. It will help them identify the enemies among the prisoners.” He handed the tablet over to SimON.
“Yes, sir.”
Tera smiled up at him. “So now what? We go attack the island and capture the bad guys?”
He frowned at her. “We will be going, you will be remaining here. I’ll have a warrior and a medic stay with you. We’ll leave this shuttle behind in case you need to be taken off the island for safety reasons.”
She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. “Wait, you can’t be serious. You’re just going to have me stay here? While you’re off fighting…”
“Leave us,” he ordered his team.
Tera could hear the other men leave but she couldn’t look away from his handsome face. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of him in danger again. He was just recovering from being stabbed. And this time she wouldn’t be there for him. Truthfully, she knew she couldn’t be that much help, she hated violence, but the waiting and worrying for his safety was going to kill her.
Tera turned her back on him and started to walk away, but strong hands gripped her shoulders, firmly but gently making her turn back to face him. She had to let him do his job.
“Sorry, you’re right,” she said. “I would only be a liability. Hell, you were on your way back to your team and would have been here hours ago if you hadn’t had to take the time to save me.”
“Don’t talk that way!” He took her face in both his hands. “If I had lost you today...I would not have recovered from that. It would have been one too many lives lost to me.”
“Don’t you think I feel that way too? I left everyone I loved behind on Earth, and I was starting to think I wouldn’t find anyone here in this new strange world that could come close to touching my heart…” She stopped as a tear escaped.
He wiped away the tear with his thumb. “I was dead inside Tera. All my family passed on to the other side to be with the Goddess. I’m the last of my line and there has never been any female that filled my heart—until you. I don’t want you anywhere near those rebels. I couldn’t take it if something happened to you.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, holding on to him as if she could magically take them away somewhere safe. For just that moment, it was the two of them and the world faded away. He breathed, she breathed and their hearts seemed to find the same beat. The sounds of ships passing over them brought reality back to them.
He pulled away. “I need to go meet with Commander TylOR. Stay here at the shuttle.”
Tera nodded her head letting go of him. “Be safe and come back to me.”
He gave her a quick kiss and then ran off into the woods.
“God please watch over him and keep him safe.”
Chapter 14
CristOF hated leaving Tera but these rebels had to be stopped. If they were allowed to continue gaining force against the ruling primes, others might decide to join them. He’d read about Earth having had many civil wars, usually pitting brother against brother, and he didn’t think his people would survive such devastation. The Morins had almost eradicated their people, now the enemy was among them.
As he came out of the trees he watched Commander TylOR step out of his shuttle. He was an imposing figure towering over all the other warriors, but he was also one of the best and most experienced commanders. There was no one more equipped than TylOR to handle this situation.
He noted that Warrior SimON was already sending the images of Tera’s drawings to the warriors arriving. CristOF moved forward to greet Commander TylOR.
“We don’t have much time. Tera sketched the leader’s face because she was the only one who saw him up close, when she was taken to the camp. She overhead her captors mention a name—LazarUS. It’s not one I recognize.”
“Nor I. I will have someone look into it. How in Kitana did the rebels abduct a female from the prime city?” Commander TylOR swore.
“That will have to be something we find out and correct immediately,” CristOF told him. “Where’s the medic? I want him and a warrior to remain here with Tera to keep her safe.”
“Medic TynER!” Commander TylOR called out. A male came out of the shuttle carrying a medic kit.
“Yes, Commander.”
“You will remain here with the human female.”
“Her name is Tera. She has bruises and was shivering. I don’t think she has had anything to eat for a while.”
“I will make sure she is taken care of,” Medic TynER told CristOF.
“One more thing, she is mine.” CristOF felt the need to say it.
CristOF looked at TylOR. “I need to find a trustworthy warrior to stay here to guard Tera for extra protection.”
CristOF’s team approached as he made that last statement.
“Sir, I can stay with Miss Kincaid.” SimON came forward to offer.
“Good.” CristOF nodded his approval. Tera had already met SimON and would be more at ease with him there.
“Take the medic to her. If any of the rebels make it this far, get her in the shuttle and leave here. Her safety takes priority.”
“I will,” SimON promised.
He followed Commander TylOR into the shuttle. The warships would strike first, hitting all sources of transportation and any building that might contain weapons. Hopefully the island would be subdued in no time at all and he would be able to return to Tera. They had unfinished business.
TylOR motioned for CristOF to sit next to him in the front row, directly behind the pilot and co-pilot seats. It was uncomfortable for him to not be in the co-pilot seat. He felt less in control.
“How is Miss Kincaid? Prima Lindsey and my mate Lizzie are both very upset over her abduction.”
“She was shaken, a few bruises, but is holding up quite well. She didn’t go into hysterics but kept calm and even helped save me.”
TylOR raised an eyebrow at him. “How so?”
“After rescuing her from the cabin we were attacked on the beach. I fought two males and ended up stabbed in my side. She took the oar of the boat and hit my assailant allowing me to kill him but my energy was nearly
gone and I was severely injured, losing much blood. She helped get me into the boat, injected the emergency nanos to start the healing process, and then she took it upon herself to row us away from the island and the immediate danger. When I regained consciousness I took over the rowing but if she had not done what she did, we both would have probably been caught.”
“She is truly an amazing female,” TylOR commented with appreciation.
“I agree. She is also mine. I hope to mate her officially when this is all over.”
“I am pleased you found your mate. Mates will change your life and make it fuller than it’s ever been before. It’s a true blessing from the Goddess. Don’t take it lightly.”
“I won’t.”
While their shuttle was taking them to the island, they watched on the viewing screen as the warships blasted the rebels’ transportation. Commander TylOR’s lead warrior contacted them over communications.
“We have secured the island. All weapons have been confiscated and the island inhabitants are being lined up on the beach for your arrival.”
Commander TylOR responded, “We’re landing now.”
Within minutes the shuttle landed smoothly on the beach. The ramp lowered allowing them to depart. The other warriors, including CristOF, left the shuttle first before Commander TylOR. As the highest-ranking commander, TylOR was the priority. His safety had to be ensured at all times.
CristOF noted that their warriors had the males from the island lined up on the beach, kneeling down on their knees with their hands behind their heads. Some were bleeding; others were uninjured but looked scared.
Walking the line he looked down at their faces. How young were they? Fifteen? Seventeen? Warrior training could start young but these males looked worn out and beaten, exhaustion evident. He then paused at one male in particular.
“I know you,” he said to the older male who was holding a hand over a bleeding gash on his chest.
The male looked up squinting from the suns shining in his eyes. Recognition flashed in his expression. “Did you save the girl?”
It was the older male from the cabin. He helped the elder get to his feet. “I did and she is safe. My name is Warrior CristOF.”
“I am RedENkalachu,” the elderly male said. “Your female called me Red.”
He looked at RedENkalachu’s injury. “You have need of a medic.”
“I will be fine, though some of my people have a greater need for assistance.”
“Who is this Warrior CristOF?” Commander TylOR came to his side.
“This is RedENkalachu, one of the elders that had been imprisoned and tortured to keep his people in line. He needs a medic.”
TylOR called for another medic to come and help. There had been several medics brought with them. “Do you see the rebel leader, or can you recognize his followers?”
CristOF looked over the males. “I’m sorry, I can’t see the leader and I didn’t see the males who had abducted Tera. I would recognize them. As far as other rebel followers, I would not be able to identify them” Looking around at the males he added, “This can’t be all of them.”
“Warrior CristOF?” RedENkalachu called out as CristOF was about to keep walking down the line.
He turned back to the elder. “Yes?”
“If it helps, I can identify my own people. That might help reduce the number of males you have to interrogate.”
CristOF looked at TylOR. “Commander, it’s your decision.”
“Do you trust him?” TylOR asked not caring it was said right in front of RedENkalachu.
“I do. He was kind to my female when he didn’t have to be. He could have escaped the island but refused to leave his people,” CristOF stated. RedENkalachu’s shoulders pulled back in pride at the words.
Commander TylOR nodded. “Do it. I still want every male here questioned though. They might know where the leader is hiding. Splitting the group up would help quicken the questioning. At least we’ll know which group won’t be harboring the rebels.”
CristOF turned to RedENkalachu. “We would appreciate your help in pulling your people out of the line-up. We’ll question them separately, but also make sure they receive medical treatment.”
“Thank you.”
CristOF watched as RedENkalachu walked down the line of males, tapping his people on the head. They stood to follow their elder protectively. It was amazing to see how much respect the younger males had for their elder. He too admired the male for surviving such torture and refusing to leave them when he had the opportunity.
About half the males on the beach line-up were from the mining colony, but that didn’t mean the other males were volunteers. They could also have been taken from their families and threatened to submit or die.
There were five interrogators including his teammate that were pulled to do the questioning. They went down the line of about twenty males questioning each one. Then they did it again changing up the order of questioning. Thirty minutes of questioning felt like hours.
Commander TylOR had the rest of his warriors walk the island inch-by-inch looking for the leader and his followers in case they were hiding somewhere. News came back that no one else was on the island. If the leader and his followers were not here, they must have escaped. CristOF turned his attention back to Commander TylOR, but a skirmish caught his eye.
Both CristOF and TylOR ran over to see what the problem was. The skirmish was between two of the males being interrogated. The interrogators themselves were holding each of the males back from fighting one another.
“What is happening?” TylOR demanded.
“The leader and his personal detail left by boat an hour ago,” one of the males on his knees said.
“Shut up!” the male next to him yelled trying to attack him. The other warriors pulled him off.
“The leader is not on the island,” CristOF repeated. He had just come to that conclusion too but where would they go? How did they get off the island? They had taken out their shuttle, and the other islands had no ships that they could use to leave the area. There was only one shuttle left that they could use. He felt his heart clench tight.
“Tera,” he whispered in alarm.
Chapter 15
Tera found herself laughing at SimON, who was regaling her with stories of his training mishaps. The medic sent to take care of her bruises also fixed her something to eat. She couldn’t help but pace back and forth worrying over CristOF, hoping that he was okay. She had to wave the medic away each time he tried to give her a sedative to calm her nerves. That was a typical male solution to a woman who worried too much.
SimON decided to take it upon himself to distract her and she was eternally grateful. For just a short time, she could almost forget that the man she was falling in love with was going into danger.
The realization that she did have feelings for CristOF left her feeling a little dazed an in awe. It was just so fast. They’d only met a few days ago, but it felt like it had been longer. The time they shared was short, but in that time she’d gotten to know him.
CristOF was a brave warrior, honorable and dedicated to serving his people. He was also kind and gentle, patient with her, and had the ability to make her feel safe even in the worst possible situations. He brought out things in her that she didn’t know existed.
There was no way she would have climbed up or down a tree to escape if it hadn’t been for CristOF. He showed her how to remain calm and think clearly during a stressful situation. When she had to do something she had never done before, like row a boat, she was able to do so knowing that it had to be done to save both of them. She even found the guts to stand toe to toe when the older warrior questioned her presence. Tera liked how CristOF made her feel, like a strong and desirable woman.
Yes, she was definitely falling in love with CristOF. She wanted more time with him though—time to learn more about him, have him take her to where he grew up. He just needed to come back to her so that they could have that time together.
“Tera, did you hear what I asked?” SimON poked her arm lightly.
“I’m sorry. I was in deep thought. What did you say?”
“I asked if you missed your family.”
“Yes, I miss them terribly, especially my dad. He taught me how to fish and how to stand up for myself. I miss my mom and sisters too, but…”
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Four.”
“So many? Are they all as beautiful as you?”
She gave a bright smile to him and the medic, who had moved closer to listen to their conversation. “Actually, I’m kind of the plain-looking one in the family. My middle sister Vanessa is the great beauty.”
“You’re considered plain? That’s crazy!” SimON looked at her in shock.
“I agree, that is most inaccurate. You’re a rare beauty,” the medic added.
She laughed. “Thanks guys. You’re good for my ego.”
“If you weren’t already CristOF’s female I would definitely be all over you. I mean… I didn’t mean… Kitana!” SimON placed a hand over his own mouth and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink.
Tera placed a comforting hand on his arm. “It’s okay SimON. I take that as a compliment.”
The medic snorted. “Just make sure not to say that in front of her male. He’s very protective of her. No one is as skilled to track or hunt an enemy as he is.”
She liked hearing that CristOF cared for her. It made her heart warm and her own love for him grew even more. “I’m protective of him too.”
“I hope one day I will meet a female who feels for me what you feel for Warrior CristOF,” Simon told her.
“I’m sure you will.”
Suddenly, SimON stood up, reaching for his weapon. He sniffed the air.
“What’s going on?” Tera asked getting to her own feet. She felt a chill go down her back even though she had a new and CristOF’s coat on her.
SimON didn’t look at her but said quietly, “Medic TynER, get Tera to the shuttle.”
The medic reached for her arm and started pulling her after him toward the shuttle.