Page 73 of Made For The Alien Warrior

“Tiegan!” Sim-pony’s voice echoed. It sounded as though it was coming from far beyond him.

He crashed sideways. Pain exploded from his body, pulsing around the area where the spine dagger had made impact.

“Tiegan!” Sim-pony knelt beside him, her body hovering over his as she called his name desperately. His neural connector snapped with a black light, a visual indication of her dread and fear.

Tiegan’s eyes slid away from her as his head rolled back in the dirt. He saw the ontenta gathering into a concentrated cloud. In the distance, he spotted his zapten flying toward him.

Away, he thought.Away, Sida.

If his zapten landed next to the dome, Sim-pony would still be in danger. He could not rely on her to lead the zapten away. Not with her concern for him overwhelming her attentions.

The Plutonian stranger dropped the orange dome as Sida led the ontenta swarm in the opposite direction. Relief coursed through him when he saw that his plan was successful. Sim-pony would not be harmed by the ontenta. He could only hope the Plutonians would take care of her.

Interawon, Sim-pony.

Hot liquid dropped against his face like rain. Sim-pony’s grip on his arm tightened. “No, Tiegan. Stay with me. Stay with me.”

But that was one request Tiegan could not fulfill. He whispered her name as his eyes swept shut and darkness claimed him.

Twenty-Eight

Symphony

“Help!”Symphony yelled, bursting into the Healer’s sacred damas. Tiegan hung limply, carried in by two alien warriors.

His hair was matted and dirty with branches and leaves sticking out of it. Blood smeared his cheek like a cattle brand. His normally rich blue skin had turned to a pale blue.

Tiegan’s wound had been jostled during the transfer to the Healer’s sacred damas and it was bleeding profusely.

Her throat hurt from screaming and her head throbbed from crying. For the first time in her life, she wished she could trade her life for someone else’s. If anything happened to Tiegan, she had no idea what she’d do.

“Set him in the lake!” The Healer flew into the room, hurling instructions.

The warriors set Tiegan on top of the water. His body did not immediately sink to the bottom, which stunned her slightly out of her panic. The lake sloshed around the Healer’s legs as he strode in, his eyes calm despite his urgent movements.

The tall alien hung by her side. He clasped his massive blue fingers together. His neck craned as he peered closely at what the Healer was doing. Symphony wondered why the alien looked so concerned. Did he know Tiegan?

“We brought another one,” a deep voice announced. Moments later, more of the orange-dome wielding Plutonians scrambled into the cave. They carried another limp Plutonian with them.

Her eyes widened when she recognized the black band around the unconscious alien’s arm. Upon looking at his face closely, she realized it was one of the evil rebels that tried to kidnap her.

“The Healer is busy,” she said, stepping in the way of the Plutonians.

She noticed the tall one arching an eyebrow in her direction.

The Healer’s voice sounded grave. “Let them pass.”

“This bastard,” she stuck a finger at the alien, “tried to kidnap me today.”

“He is barely breathing,” one of the Plutonians murmured.

“If he does not get the Healer’s touch,” the other added, “he will expire.”

“If Tiegan doesn’t get help, he’s going to die too!” Tears gathered in her eyes.

“Sim-pony.” The firmness in the Healer’s voice made her jump. “I am the Healer. Choosing which life I will save and which I will allow to pass is not my place.”

“I’m not going to stand here and watch you save a criminal.”