Page 41 of The Alien Warrior's Vow

“Neh.” He lifted his chin.

“Where are the females?”

He said nothing.

Na’vak pressed in. “Are they the reason the four of you do not have your zaptens?”

A vein in Lans’s neck bulged.

Na’vak pulled away. “If what the Heronas said is true, we will have great use for these females, won’t we? And as the elders,” he gestured to the council, “we should have the privilege of picking them first.”

Lans felt his spine dagger rising. It was an instinctual response and the moment Na’vak saw it, he would know.

Tension poured from Korben, Pin, and Zar.

The air turned as taut as a string pulled tight.

“What if these females do not wish to be picked like tumari in the market?” Korben snapped.

Before Na’vak could answer, a commotion rose outside.

“What is going on?” Na’vak muttered.

The elders all stirred, staring at each other in confusion. Suddenly, the flap of the tent shot up and a warrior rushed in.

“What is the matter of this?” Na’vak barked. “I told you there was to be no interruptions!”

“It’s the force field! It’s down.”

“What?” Na’vak’s eyes widened.

Korben started to rush outside, but Na’vak swung to them and gestured wildly. “Stay inside. I am not done with you yet.”

“You would rather keep your best warriors imprisoned when the Healer’s life is at stake?” Zar growled.

Pin frowned. “Did you not just say it is better to sacrifice one to save all?”

“There is no time.” Clavas let his spine dagger unleash and snapped it free. “Choose now, Na’vak.”

The elder gritted his teeth. “You join the battle, but do not think I have forgotten this.”

Korben looked like he wanted to say something, but he simply dipped his head.

After Na’vak and the other elders ran off, Lans turned to the terros. “We can’t let them touch the females.”

“I do not care if they are Plutonian. I will kill them with my bare hands if they try to take Si-Moon from me,” Zar threatened.

“We save the Healer first.” Korben glanced at each of them in turn. “We bring him back home and secure the existence of our species.”

“And then?” Lans asked.

“We do whatever we must to protect our females.”

Clavas gripped Korben’s shoulder. “Do not engage on the front lines. You won’t have your zaptens.”

“We can handle ourselves just fine,” Lans grumbled. Sprinting past his comrades, he joined the charge into the Heronas city.

A Heronas guard stormed toward him. Lans stabbed the blade straight through the Heronas’s armor, drawing down with a powerful thrust. The enemy choked and gulped up blood, staring with unseeing eyes at the sky.