Wren let out a whimper.
“Keep going,” Malax said. “I won’t let it hurt you.”
“I don’t want it to hurt you, either!”
The creature let out another roar. God, it was right behind them. Malax wrapped an arm around her, and she clung tight. He was still kicking, but they were barely moving.
A splash of water. They both looked back, and watched the creature rise up out of the water. Its huge jaws opened and it rushed toward them.
Boom.
The noise in the sky made her look up. A ship appeared. A second later, laser fire tore into the creature.
It started shrieking and thrashing in the water. More laser blasts hammered into it.
Another piercing screech, and the creature went still, flopping down into the water. It floated for a second, then began to sink slowly.
Malax smiled. “My warriors are here.”
Wren eyed the black Eon shuttle as it circled above. God. A sob burst out of her chest. “I want out of this water.”
He pressed a kiss to the side of her head. “Hold on to me, Wren. I’ll get you out.”
* * *
Malax dragged Wren out of the water and up onto the sand.
Sabin’s deep voice came through his communicator. “Malax? Are you hurt?”
“We’re fine, Sabin. You have very good timing.”
“I’m glad you’re okay. We’ll find a safe place to land and—”
The line started to crackle.
Then the low sound of a muted boom that Malax knew all too well.
The sound of ships entering the atmosphere made Wren gasp. They both looked up.
Beyond the Rengard’s sleek shuttle, several Kantos ships had appeared. They were all large cruisers, with several long leg-like protrusions and an armored central hull. They started firing on the shuttle.
“Holy shit,” Wren said.
“Sabin? Sabin?” His security commander didn’t respond. “The Kantos are jamming comms.”
Malax watched the shuttle swing away, moving into defensive maneuvers.
Suddenly, a small Kantos swarm ship whizzed overhead. It had clearly come from one of the larger ships. It was heading toward the ruins.
Cren. It was coming for the helian.
“Come on. They’re going after the helian.”
“We have to stop them,” she said.
Together, they jogged up the hill. Wren’s wet hair was plastered to her head, but her face was set with grim determination.
As they ran toward the ruins, Malax felt conflicted. He wanted to stop the Kantos, but he now felt a competing urge…to keep Wren safe.
“There.” She pointed.
The archway appeared and they sprinted through it. The cobblestone road was uneven, and dotted with puddles of water. The ruins rose up around them, all made of large blocks of gray stone. Most of the blocks were covered in green moss, and vines twisted between the crumbling buildings.
A structure that looked like a large temple rose in the center of the city. The Kantos swarm ship was hovering above it.
Malax glanced back. His shuttle was still fighting the Kantos cruisers. His jaw tightened. They were heavily outgunned. He hoped the Rengard wasn’t far away.
He turned back. He couldn’t help them right now. All he could do was ensure the Kantos did not get the helian off the planet.
He looked down at Wren. “I need you to hide.”
She thrust her hands on her hips. “No, I can help.”
Suddenly, two Kantos hunting bugs leaped out of some rubble. The iridescent purple creatures leaped onto some broken pillars, antennae on the tops of their heads waving back and forth.
Cren. If there were bugs on the ground, that meant there was probably a Kantos kill squad close by.
“Stay back.” His sword formed on his arm, and he rushed forward. The bugs leaped at him.
Malax spun and whirled. He threw all his strength behind his swings. He skewered one bug, and flung it off his weapon. He turned to find the other bug hanging back warily, as it studied Malax. Its antennae were moving fast, clearly agitated. Suddenly, there was movement out of the corner of his eye.
He sucked in a breath. Two more hunting bugs were slinking out of the shadows. One branched off, heading toward Wren.
By Eschar’s arrow. Malax morphed a smaller knife from his helian, grabbed it, and looked back at Wren.
“Here.”
He tossed the knife, and it landed blade down near her feet. She darted forward and picked it up. She swallowed and raised the blade. Her face was filled with fear, but she didn’t let it stop her from turning to face the bug.
The first bug leaped at Malax. He lifted his arm. Throwing stars shot from his helian. They sliced into the creature. It made a terrible noise, skittering backward into the rubble.
He spun to see another bug diving at him. He slashed out with his sword.
Seconds later, it was down, bleeding on the paved ground.
He spun and saw the final bug was attacking Wren. It darted at her.
She slashed at it with her knife. “I’m so over freaking Kantos.”
The bug skittered back.
“Wren? Do you require assistance?” Sassy’s voice rang out over the fight.
“Not right now, Sassy.” Wren lunged again with her knife.
“My scans detected a strange energy signature in your vicinity,” Sassy continued.
“Shh, Sassy!”
Malax fought a smile and fired a throwing star at the bug. It sliced off an antenna and lodged in the creature’s head.
“How do you like that?” Wren cried.
He openly smiled now. His bloodthirsty woman. But his smile dissolved as he looked past Wren.
The Kantos kill squad had arrived.
There were six soldiers, and beside them, the elite who’d stolen the helian. It still clutched the container under one arm.
“Wren, I’m detecting several Kantos soldiers,” Sassy said.
“Not now, Sassy!”
Malax dragged in a deep breath. He needed to keep the Kantos engaged and away from Wren. “Get out of here, Wren!”
He took two steps and broke into a run. He leaped up onto a pillar and then onto a higher one. He could hear the soldiers buzzing, all of them shifting to follow him. He leaped over the top of them, raising his sword above his head. He came down in the center of them, crashing his weapon down into the closest soldier.
Malax knew there were too many of them. The best Eon warrior couldn’t hope to beat an entire kill squad.
But he wanted to give Wren a chance. He prayed that for once, she listened to his orders.
A sharp Kantos arm sliced through his armor. He hissed, feeling blood seeping down his gut. Ignoring the pain, he thrust his sword at another one.
Another soldier smashed a blow into his lower back, and a tearing pain ripped through him. Gritting his teeth, he swung again. But the swing was clumsy and he missed.
Malax kept fighting, his focus narrowed down onto the fight.
He heard a beep and glanced over. His blood ran cold. Wren was crouched behind a pile of rubble, swiping furiously on her tablet. “Wren! Go.”
“No way.” Her tone was bad-tempered. “Give me a second.”
Several soldiers turned and looked in her direction. Malax’s gut tightened. He was running out of options.
Another soldier rushed at him and he braced.
Then Wren lifted her head and smiled.
Bright lights flared all around them. Malax narrowed his eyes. The light was coming out of the ruins.
What the cren?
Chapter Fifteen
She’d done it!
“Nice work, Sassy.” Wren clutched her tablet, watching as the alien technology still active in the ruins flared to life around them. A hum of energy filled the air.
“It was lucky my scans picked up the alien energy signature,” Sassy said. “Once, this city possessed an advanced security system.”
&
nbsp; In front of Wren, colored lights flared. A wall of laser beams rose up, cutting through several of the Kantos soldiers.
“Badass.” Wren grinned.
“Uh-oh.”
She frowned at Sassy’s words. “What?”
“This system is too complex,” Sassy said. “There is too much data, and it’s overwhelming my system.”
“Just focus the weapons fire on the Kantos.”
Wren watched as more laser fire took another Kantos down. The remaining soldiers were diving for cover, long legs flailing.
But lasers were firing all over the place now. It looked like the world’s craziest light show. Wren bit her lip and ducked. Crap, it was totally out of control.
A laser blast hit the stone wall above her head, and she dived for the ground. Shittity, shit, shit. There was a hot burn on her skin and rubble collapsed behind her.
“Wren!” Malax jumped over a block of stone and slid in next to her.
“I accessed the ancient city’s defense system.” She gripped the tablet harder, trying desperately to shut the system down. “But it’s out of control.”
Suddenly, a mechanical whirr filled the air. Nearby, the stone floor opened up, and a large weapon rose out of the ground. It swiveled, aiming into the sky.
“Uh-oh,” Wren murmured.
The weapon fired. Several pulses of green laser speared into the sky.
Malax cursed. “It’s firing on the ships.”
She watched as one Kantos ship was hit. Ka-boom. The explosion filled the sky like fireworks, and she threw up her arm to shield her eyes. The ship broke up and plummeted toward the sea.
The weapons system continued to fire.
Laser fire hit the rock wall above their heads again, and she and Malax ducked down. Chunks of rock rained down on them. He shifted his body to cover hers.
When Wren looked up again, she realized the weapons system was firing on both the Rengard’s shuttle and the remaining Kantos ship.
Shit.
“Can you turn it off?” Malax bit out.
She swiped the screen. “I’m trying.”
More lasers cut through rock nearby, and she heard a rumble.
“Malax!”
Above them, a large pillar started to topple.
Malax scooped her up and ran. He leaped over a low stone wall and they landed…just as the pillar hit the ground. Rocks and dust filled the air.
She lifted her head, coughing. Through the dust, she couldn’t see any Kantos. Fingers crossed that meant they were all dead. But what about the helian?
More lasers flared to life, like a grid of light, cutting everywhere in a deadly light show.
“Overload warning,” Sassy said, her voice strangely monotone.
“Sassy, I need your help to switch this off—”
“Overload—” Sassy’s screen blinked off.
“No. No.” Wren tried to coax her tablet back to life. Nothing.
She looked up and saw that the Rengard’s shuttle was trying to evade the laser fire. She looked back at Malax, horrified.
“I can’t control it.”
He gripped her arms. “Wren—”
She shook her head. “I can’t get into the system and shut it off. This is what I’m supposed to be good at.”
Malax rose, bringing her with him. “Wren, you gave us a chance, now we need to get out of here.”
Laser fire arrowed in their direction. He dived on her, pressing her to the ground. As larger rocks rained down on them, Wren choked back a scream.
“Come on.” He urged her up. Bent over almost double, they ran along the wall of the closest building.
Then Malax picked her up like a football and ran full-out. He pounded up a set of broken steps, dodging through some overgrown vines.
He was headed for the temple. No laser fire seemed to be touching it.
Wren glanced back, and spotted two Kantos soldiers following them. The aliens were busy dodging the laser fire as well.
Then Malax ran into the temple and they were plunged into darkness.
* * *
Malax set Wren down inside the temple. The building was mostly intact, and he looked around the shadows. It was covered in stone carvings and ornate walls. Or what was left of them.
“Are you sure you can’t turn off the ancient weapons systems?” he asked.
Wren looked up at him and winced. “I can’t. It isn’t responding.”
He heard noises and pulled her deeper into the shadows. He heard the buzz of Kantos and guessed the remaining Kantos soldiers were taking shelter in here, too. Grimly, he pulled her deeper into the temple.
“I saw two soldiers,” she whispered.
He nodded. Here the shadows weren’t as deep. Some of the stonework gave off a golden glow. At least they could see where they were going. He pushed some vines aside and kept moving.
Suddenly, Malax felt the tile beneath his foot depress. Click. The sound of a grinding mechanism echoed through the room.
Projectiles shot out from the far wall. Right at them.
Malax dropped, dragging Wren to the floor. He pressed her flat, covering her body with his. The spear-like projectiles whizzed over their heads, slamming into the opposite wall.
“Oh, God,” Wren said.
Moments later, the weapons stopped. Carefully, Malax and Wren sat up.
Cren. The temple must be riddled with traps.
“Come on.” He pulled her up. “Watch where you step.”
She made a noise. “What am I watching for?”
“I have no idea.”
“Not helpful, warrior.”
They continued onward, moving cautiously. But they hadn’t gone much farther when a rumbling vibration started beneath their feet. Ribbons of dust fell from the ceiling.
The floor split open, a chasm opening up directly in front of them.
“Jump!” he yelled.
“I can’t. It’s too far.”
Malax lifted Wren into his arms and leaped over the widening gap.
She looked back, shaking the dust off her hair. “I have a really bad feeling about this.”
They continued carefully down the dark tunnel, and stepped into a large, round room. A domed roof rose up, disappearing into darkness overhead. The remnants of crumbling statues lined the walls. They were all imposing humanoids, with large bodies and flat faces.
The noise of something scraping on rock caught their ears. They both froze in place, searching the shadows.
The Kantos elite stepped into view, clutching the helian container. It stared at them, eyes bright in the dim light.
You can’t stop us.
“Yes, I can.” Malax held his arm out, his sword forming.
The Kantos retreated a few scuttling steps backward, then yanked something out of its armor. He tossed it into the air with his clawed hand.
“Watch out,” Wren yelled.
The small, scaled ball sailed into the air. Malax was already diving toward Wren when the object burst open. Black spikes burst out of the Kantos weapon. They sailed through the air, racing toward them.
He shoved Wren out of the way, and three projectiles slammed into his shoulder and arm, piercing his armor. Sharp pain tore through him.
“Malax!”
Gritting his teeth, he sucked in a breath. He staggered, dropping to his knees. He had to stay conscious. He had to protect Wren.
She ran toward him, dropping down beside him. She cupped his cheek, her horrified gaze on the ugly, black spikes protruding from his armor.
Behind her, he saw the Kantos loom closer, raising another round, scaled ball.
She was right in the line of fire.
The Kantos threw the weapon.
No. Malax threw his arm out, reaching for her.
The Kantos weapon exploded, and it felt like time slowed down. The spikes powered through the air, Wren turned her head, mouth opening in a scream.
Not enough time to toss her out of the way.
Suddenly, bla
ck scales flowed off his armor. They streamed off him, flying through the air. The scales hit Wren and she jolted. They flowed over her body.
Shock and awe arrowed into his gut. As he watched his helian protect Wren, a sense of rightness flowed through him.
A second later, she was covered in scaled armor. The first projectile skimmed her and she was already moving, aided by the helian armor. She bent backward and another projectile flew past her, the next one glanced off her arm but didn’t pierce the armor.
She leaped into the air, somersaulting backward. She landed on her feet, looking shocked.
The Kantos elite stared at them for a second, then turned, and ran deeper into the temple.
Cren. Malax forced himself to block out his pain and pushed to his feet. He gripped the spike lodged in his chest, pulled it out, and tossed it. He yanked the other two out of his arm, dropping them on the tiles.
“Malax, you’re bleeding.” Wren’s voice was clogged with emotion.
“My helian will slow it and start healing me. We have to get that other helian back.”
She nodded. “Thanks for the armor.”
He cupped her cheek. “I want you to stay safe.” He wouldn’t tell her yet of the significance of his helian bonding with her. Now wasn’t the time.
He charged after the Kantos, quickly spotting the elite at the far side of the expanse. It was searching for a way out.
Malax tackled the alien and they skidded across the floor. The elite’s sharp legs kicked and flailed, but Malax gritted his teeth and pinned it down to the tiles.
They wrestled, both fighting to gain the upper hand.
Malax could feel the blood seeping out of his wounds. Every jolt bumped them, and his strength was draining out of him. The Kantos sensed it.
The elite’s eyes flashed.
I will kill you, Eon. And I will kill your Terran, as well.
Anger surged through Malax, but the Kantos got one arm free, lifting the sharp edge high.
Suddenly, a glowing, gold sword slammed down, piercing through the elite’s chest.
The Kantos bucked, eyes flaring.
Malax looked up.
Wren. She drove the sword attached to her arm down, her face strained as she worked the blade through the Kantos’ hard shell.
Heart of Eon: Eon Warriors #3 Page 12