by Elin Wyn
“I’ve got a better idea. Tu’ver, do what you need, leave your weapons with us. Only take what you’re confident you can hide on your person without being detected. We’re going to need a distraction to let whoever is setting the charges have time to set them.” He looked at me and smiled. “You want to be a distraction?”
I smiled back. “Oh, yeah. You know I do.”
“Then we’re the distraction. You want in on this, Karzin?”
The older Valorni shook his head. “As much as I would love to kill some bugs, I’ve got a slightly better idea. The brothers love to fight, as does Sylor. Take those three to create your distraction. The rest of us will set the charges and come back around to bail your asses out when things get too out of hand.”
With a smile on his face, Vrehx nodded. “That will do. How long to set the charges?”
“We won’t go around the whole ship. It’s too big, too much debris, too many hunters. We’ll concentrate on this side we can see, so…two minutes?”
“Do it. Sakev, Dax, make sure his back doesn’t get torn up and those charges don’t end up in Xathi control.” The two nodded and left with Karzin. Rokul, Takar, and Sylor came over, each of them serious.
“Thoughts?” It took a second to realize Vrehx was asking me.
“You know me…I’ve always loved a head-on collision.”
“That you have. Fine, let’s get over there,” he said, pointing off to our right where the trees thinned out. “We’ll come out over there and try to draw as many of the Xathi over as we can. No one dies, that’s an order.”
“Sir!” was the universal response.
We headed over towards where Vrehx had pointed.
“Listen, Axtin,” Vrehx said to me, drawing me to one side. “I apologize for having doubted you and your feelings. No, I’m not the only one ‘allowed’ to have a human and I was wrong to make you feel that way. You’re right, if this was Jeneva, I would have been the first to rush in.”
“Apology accepted,” I said with a toothy grin. “To borrow a phrase from Jeneva, she certainly took that stick out of your ass.”
“What?”
“She’s been good for you. It means that you’re not as rigid as you used to be. It’s almost like you’re one of us now.”
“She has been good for me, and you deserve the same. I’m sorry to have made you feel otherwise.”
“And I apologize for pushing you around and yelling at you. It was wrong to make you feel like a weakling,” I said, as the old camaraderie of warriors returned.
He was about to say something when he saw me turn away, hiding a smile. “Ass.”
I stifled a laugh, wouldn’t do to announce our position to the Xathi yet. Then our earpieces crackled as Tu’ver’s voice came on. He was being captured, broadcasting it to us.
“Easy, yeh frakin’ buggahs.” He was imitating some of the native slang. “I said ‘easy.’ No need fo pushin’.” Several seconds passed before we heard him again. His voice was low, like he was whispering. “Infiltration complete. In elevator. Up.”
Another few seconds passed. “Five levels. Now is good.”
“You heard him, time for a distraction.” I stood up, walked out of the trees, and howled at the Xathi.
As the others came out behind me, the Xathi perked up, chittered amongst themselves, and then approached. Of the nearly three dozen soldiers and hunters roaming outside, only seven remained behind.
“Five against twenty-six. Five apiece with one to spare. It has been a good fight, friends,” Rokul said as he brought his rifle to his shoulder.
“That it has, my brother. May we extinguish as many of our enemies as we can,” Takar added.
“Oh, just shut up and kill the srell.”
I guess Sylor was tired of the brothers being philosophical all the time. I nodded at Sylor, took out a grenade, flipped the pin, and threw. Sylor howled as he took aim, shooting the grenade before it hit the ground.
The explosion blew apart three Xathi and sent several others flying. Sylor and I let out twin howls and charged, both of us shooting on the run. Vrehx and the brothers were a few paces behind, providing controlled fire.
I found myself laughing as I put away my blaster and reached back for my hammer. The two berserkers were leading the charge. It was going to be fun fighting side-by-side with Sylor.
We crashed into the Xathi with force, my hammer clearing a path as it left Xathi arms, legs, and chunks lying on the ground. Sylor was to my right, jumping and flipping around, his blasters firing away. Vrehx let out a howl as he slid under a hunter, his knife extended upward, slicing through the underbelly.
I could see the brothers methodically firing away with their rifles, shooting anything that tried to get behind us.
A hunter managed to slice my arm, but I barely noticed as I kicked it in the chest. It fell against a soldier, impaling itself on the soldier’s mandible. As it tried to shake the hunter off, I swung once. As the Xathi’s ribcage shattered under my hammer, blood spewed from its mouth.
Sylor screamed.
I turned to see him surrounded, his blasters flipped in his hands. He was using them as makeshift hammers. Vrehx was fighting two on his own, the brothers were firing away, so it was up to me.
I yelled an ancient Valorni battle cry and rushed in. I arrived as one of the soldiers bit down on Sylor’s leg, making him howl in pain. I hurtled into the fray, kicking one in the head as I flew over. My hammer clipped the one that bit Sylor and ricocheted out of my hands.
It was enough to get the Xathi to let go, and I quickly grabbed its head and twisted, its neck snapping loudly.
I grabbed my blasters and stood over Sylor, firing away at the Xathi. He grabbed a grenade from my hip pack and tossed it just outside the circle. We threw ourselves to the ground just as the “thwump” of the grenade blew a hole in the ground. I got back to my feet and fired at the Xathi that were disoriented.
I took a quick look around. Of the twenty-six that first attacked us, half were dead or injured, but Vrehx was engaged in hand-to-hand, the brothers were now forced into close-quarters combat, and Sylor and I still had five or six surrounding us.
I was breathing hard, Sylor was bleeding and barely able to stand, and my hammer was too far away.
Our distraction might prove to be my last charge.
I clicked on the comm to Tu’ver. “Thank you, my friend, for helping me try to save Leena. Just get her out safely is all I ask.”
I clicked the comm off and reloaded.
The Xathi took two steps towards us, then the explosions roared through the air, turning their attention away from us. Karzin and the others had finally done their part. Sylor, bum leg and all, and I didn’t waste the opportunity.
We attacked.
The others came rushing over, controlling their fire to make sure they didn’t hit us. It was close, though. Just as I was about to kick one, its head exploded from a rifle shot.
I looked up and Dax saluted me before taking aim and firing again.
The seven bugs that had stayed behind to guard the entrances had joined the fight, but three grenades blew them to pieces. I could hear the brothers laughing.
The nine of us took down the remaining Xathi. Vrehx took care of Sylor’s leg with some med-foam and a wrap, the rest of us reloaded our weapons.
I got my hammer back.
A silent moment passed between us as we looked at one another. The Xathi knew we were here, and they wouldn’t let us in quietly.
I looked at all of them, then turned and headed towards the ship.
I wasn’t leaving without Leena.
21
Leena
I had to remind myself to breathe, to force the air into my lungs through sheer force of will. It hurt. Just existing seemed to hurt now.
I would love to say that I found some inner strength in those moments—a small kernel of bravery that propelled me back into reality—but that would be a lie. In truth, I probably would’ve laid there fore
ver, trembling on the cold floor as people continued to be slaughtered around me.
It was only the thought of Calixta that pulled me back from the brink. Nothing but the small girl at my side could’ve moved me then.
“Leena?” Her voice shook as she spoke, heavy with the kind of overwhelming fear that I was just coming to know.
I sat up with a groan, the world swaying as I did so. My eyes felt raw from tears, my hands still shaking from the force of my breakdown.
“Calixta,” I croaked. “Are you okay?”
Tears cut tracks down her grime-coveredcheeks, her eyes still wide with shock, but she nodded, nonetheless.
I opened my arms, gesturing for her to come nearer. With a whimper, she climbed into my lap, burying her face into me as if she could shut out the world.
I wished she could. I wished, more than anything, that I could offer this sweet girl some level of true safety. But we both knew it was beyond me. It was beyond us both now.
The Xathi were worse than I had understood, stronger, more vicious. In my world before they arrived, I could never have even imagined beings that possessed such a level of cold indifference to life.
I looked across at them, watching as they continued to process the humans at an alarming rate. There were no feelings in their actions—no hint of a consciousness beyond hunger. It was terrifying to witness, even more so knowing that it was only a matter of time before they turned their attention to us.
About a third of the humans had been processed, the fraction remaining looking on in various stages of defeat. It broke my heart to see it. These people were survivors, the last of their town.
For the briefest of moments, they must’ve imagined that they had made it, that they were coming out the other side.
And now this.
I couldn’t bear to look. I lay my head back against the wall, closing my eyes as I pulled Calixta tighter against me.
This was the end. After all the fighting, all the pointless resistance, this was how our story came to a close—huddled on the floor, clinging to each other like life rafts.
I thought of Mariella then, feeling tears sting my eyes. I should’ve said goodbye when I had the chance. But of course, I didn’t.
I was too stubborn, too sure. I had told myself that saying goodbye was the same as admitting the risk—that if I saved it for later, there would have to be a later.
It was childish. Stupid. And it had cost me a moment that I would never get back.
I could’ve stewed in that misery forever, or at least until the Xathi came for me, but I was drawn from my thoughts, the sound of approaching footsteps forcing my eyes to open.
As my blurred vision focused, I looked up at the newcomer, a large man I didn’t recognize. I instinctively redoubled my grip on Calixta, startling her as I flinched backward, away as the Xathi shoved him into the cell.
“Leena,” the man said, crouching down to our level. “Don’t be afraid. It’s me, Tu’ver.” He gestured in the general direction of his belt, drawing my eyes to the cloaking device attached to it.
My heart leapt in my chest.
“Tu’ver?” I sat up in a rush, leaning in to speak discreetly. “Where’s Axtin?”
“Don’t worry. He and the rest of the crew are on their way in. We’re going to get you out of here.”
I opened my mouth to reply, but there were no words for the gratitude I felt in that moment. I stuttered, trying and failing to stop the tears of joy that sprang to my eyes. It was no use.
Axtin was coming for me. I had never in my life heard sweeter words.
I reached for Tu’ver’s hand, clinging to him as I sobbed openly. In my lap, Calixta had sat up, tentative hope flashing in her eyes.
“Really?” she asked.
Tu’ver seemed to notice her for the first time. A smile touched his lips as he nodded.
“Really.”
She turned to me, throwing her arms around me in a fierce hug. It was like coming back to life.
“Thank you so much,” I said, tears still streaming from my eyes. “I can’t believe you’re here. You’re risking your life!”
“Well, Mariella asked me. Begged, really. I promised I’d do whatever I could to get you out.”
Mariella.
It was all I could do not to start sobbing all over again.
“But how did you find us?” I asked, turning back to Tu’ver. “How did you even get in here?”
How he could go from unassuming hero to completely smug so quickly is beyond me, but somehow he managed it.
He cocked his head to the side. “Stealth and sneak attacks are my specialty. I would’ve thought you’d been informed.”
I never thought I’d laugh again, but I found myself doing it anyway, giggling into the top of Calixta’s dark hair while she looked at me as if I’d gone insane. To be fair, I probably had. At least a little bit.
My mirth didn’t last, though. Of course it didn’t. For a moment, with Tu’ver there, it was easy to forget how dire our circumstances were.
The Xathi, though, were quick to remind me.
It was the sound again—the one that had notified me of their presence to begin with. Nonstop, an ever-present background noise since we arrived in this awful place, but now it drew nearer.
I looked past Tu’ver at the one that was approaching from behind him. It, like all the others, wore an expression of cold indifference. If you could even call it an expression, that is.
I wasn’t sure if the Xathi were even capable of making more than one face.
It was probably best that they didn’t, though; the one they had was already gruesome enough. I stared into it as the creature approached, its mouth opening to reveal rows of jutting teeth.
This planet was full of monsters, a fact I’d recently been reminded of since journeying into the forest. None of the others, though, came anywhere near the level of sheer horror that the Xathi existed on.
They were nightmare made reality, death incarnate. And now one headed straight for us.
I pulled Calixta tighter against me, gripping her in what I’m sure was a painful embrace, just as the beast reached us. I wasn’t about to let go, especially not as the monster’s eyes fell to her.
The Xathi ignored Tu’ver entirely; it ignored me. Its sole focus was the small child in my arms. It leaned forward, insectile arms snaking out toward her.
She screamed, sheer terror rocking her tiny body as she pushed tighter against me.
I dug my feet into the floor, desperately shoving us backward even as the wall bit painfully into my shoulders. There was nowhere to go, nowhere to run, but my body refused to accept it.
All I knew was that I wouldn’t let this beast have Calixta, no matter what it took.
Tu’ver stood between us and the door to the cage, but the Xathi knocked him aside with a hard blow. Terror wrapped my vision until all I could see was the Xathi soldier. All I could hear were Calixta’s screams.
It grabbed at her, its clawed limbs scraping against her delicate skin in a desperate attempt to rip her from my arms. I could already see the scratches forming, see small lines of blood appearing on her bare arms.
I kicked madly at it, my feet landing completely unnoticed against the crystalline exoskeleton. It merely snarled, not relenting in its task.
“Over here, ugly!” Tu’ver shouted as he rolled to his feet. From his waist he unwound a trail of silver; with a snap of his wrist, it turned into a lethal-looking long baton. Dancing between us and the Xathi, he kept shouting until I had Calixta safe in the back corner.
The creature turned toward the newly realized threat, its body puffing in challenge. I knew that Tu’ver could kill it; I didn’t doubt it for a second. But my heart raced in my chest nonetheless.
The Xathi were a hive mind. What would happen if Tu’ver did manage to take this one out? How long before the rest of them swarmed?
I pushed myself to my feet, still clutching Calixta in a death grip as my eyes scanned the room befo
re us.
None of the others seemed to have noticed us yet. Either that, or they were unconcerned about what they perceived to be a scuffle with a couple of humans.
How long before that changed?
I turned to Tu’ver, watching as he cocked back his arm, preparing to deliver a truly devastating blow. My mouth opened to object, a million thoughts pouring through my mind.
We couldn’t kill the thing, not without bringing the entire horde down on our heads. Master of stealth or not, even Tu’ver couldn’t save us from that.
I wanted to tell him to stop, that fighting wouldn’t save us this time. We had to run, and we had to go now.
“Tu’ver!” I shouted. “We hav—”
I never got to finish my sentence.
A bone-rattling blast cut through the noise, the walls of the room shaking from the intensity.
All movement stopped. Every head, Xathi and human, turned in the direction of the sound.
For a moment that seemed much longer, we stayed that way. The processing had halted, the horrors paused.
Then, as one, the Xathi began to move.
Tu’ver’s weapon hung forgotten in the air as the soldier before us turned, heading toward the source of the blast.
They fell immediately into formation, every creature in the room surging toward the exits as the rest of us watched on in wonder.
In no time at all, the last of them had funneled through the doorway, silence reigning in their wake.
I looked at Tu’ver, my mouth hanging open in surprise.
He deactivated his disguise and smiled. “That’s our cue.”
22
Axtin
I was the first one in the ship and the first one to shoot. Two Xathi down before I was three steps into their ship. The others were a few paces behind.
Based on the location Tu’ver gave us, it would take us several minutes to get there on a clean run. Knowing the Xathi would be in the way, we’d have to take it slow and smart, and that meant more time—more time for the Xathi to harm the humans, more time for them to harm Leena, more time for her to die.