Page 35 of Keeping Freya (Warriors of Arracate #3)
Freya
I bellow out an anguished scream. Begul shoots away from me, and I am left alone. Lightning strikes again and I see T’Rak’s form on top of the arch. A sob escapes me. He is alright, and I am very, very happy about it, but Trjegul. She sacrificed herself…
I run towards the bottom of the arch and try to look beneath it. It’s too dark and I’m afraid of what I will find. What if the High Commander miraculously survived, but my cat is dead?
Before I can completely lose my shit, T’rak, jumps to the ground next to me. I fling myself into his arms, clinging to him. He lifts me up and kisses me, and for a blissful moment, I let myself be enveloped in his arms, his strength. Forgetting about the world when he kisses me.
Breathing hard, he puts his forehead against mine. “I should go check.”
I nod. “I will come with you.”
We walk together to the part of the river beneath the arch. It’s shallow here, and there’s a heap lying at the edge of the water. T’Rak pulls out his gun and moves towards it. I follow, clinging to his harness.
The High commander is lying face down. T’Rak kicks his side, rolling him over, and he does some scanning with his wrist com.
“He is dead.” His tone is flat, and I make a mental note to check in with him later
Bitterness fuels my veins. “Good.” We stand in silence until a mewling sound pulls us from our thoughts.
“Trjegul!” I hurry towards the sound, T’Rak hot on my heels, and I get down on my knees in front of the pair of cats. I throw my arms around Trjegul, petting and checking her for injuries.
T’Rak does some scanning before saying the magic words. “She is alright.”
I beam at him. “That is the best news! I hoped they would be like Earth cats, always landing on their feet, and I guess this arch is high enough for her to land safely.” He smiles.
“T’Rak! Are you even listening?”
He shrugs and does one of his signature grunts.
His wrist com starts beeping with an incoming transmission, and when he answers, I see the face of one of his crewmate appear in a holographic image.
“You picked the wrong day to receive guests, my friend. This weather is terrible. Is there a good place to land here?”
He chuckles. “Not without the best pilot.”
They both stare at each other, and it feels like some secret conversation is being held.
“There is a landing spot just at my side. It is higher up, and an archway leads you down to us,” T’Rak instructs him.
“Thank you, we will be there shortly.”
T’Rak
The thunder of the storms drowns out any noise, but I know the moment the ship touches the ground. My connection with D’Var and O’Rec starts flaring, and I feel grounded again.
“Did you make it alright?” I try our mental connection.
“We did, Captain, should we leave the females inside?”
“Only if they do not want to get wet. The High Commander is eliminated, and there are no further threats here.”
Amusement courses through the bond, and I look at my mate, who is still petting and cooing the felines.
“Backup has arrived.”
She straightens and yawns. “What do we do now?”
“We go to the settlement and talk with the Sternotheri female.”
“Aneetha,” Fr’Ya adds.
I nod. “Aneetha. Then we decide what to do next. If they want to stay here or if there are better options for them. At least they are free of the High Commander and should know that.”
She sighs, and I pull her into my arms.
“Captain!”
“T’Rak!”
I hear my crew yelling and take my mate to greet them.
“That is some nasty weather here,” L’Ren says, completely soaked but smiling. Marra looks around in wonder, sparks in her eyes. She grew up in space with the Sternotheri and has not seen much of the Galaxy.
“This way.” I lead them towards the cave and the stairway. I will catch them up out of the storm .
“This stairway leads to a plane where a small settlement is located.” I start. “A Sternotheri settlement.”
Marra pales, and L’Ren stands a bit closer to D’Var.
“They are friendly!” Fr’Ya rushes in to aid me. “There’s only women and children. They cared for me when I was sick and…”
“You were sick?” I interrupt her, but she waves me off.
“Just a minor concussion, the first evening was the worst, but it is much better today. Anyway, the women are friendly; they helped me, and the kids did nothing wrong. Life hasn’t been easy for them either.”
The felines pick out this moment to join us in the cave, rubbing themselves on Fr’Ya’s legs.
“What are those!” Marra exclaims, and L’Ren looks delighted.
“You found yourself some junglepets, Freya?”
Fr’Ya laughs and begins to talk to the females. The bond pulses as I realize how much she has changed. She seems so much more comfortable with the females.
O’Rec turns his attention to me. “What do you think about the Stenotheri?”
I shrug. “I did some eavesdropping, and they appear to be genuine. Their leader is fierce and strong and begged me to kill the High Commander. He was her mate, and she left him because his hate was poisoning their children’s hearts.”
“Ananta’s mother…” Marra joins O’Rec, and he pulls her into him. They have a silent conversation, and he wipes a tear from her cheek.
“I think I can understand,” he says. “Please lead us to them.”
Without further conversation, we make our way to the camp.
The gates are open, and every single inhabitant is standing next to their houses, lining the path that takes us to the communal square. Right in the center stands Aneetha, waiting for us. She pales at the sight of my crew but keeps her back straight.
“Welcome, Warriors,” she says in her soft voice.
O’Rec steps forward. “I am O’Rec of Arracate, King of my people. You might know my queen, Marra.” He takes his mate by the hand and brings her next to him, his tail sliding protectively around her waist.
Aneetha gasps and covers her mouth with her hands. “Mara. I never thought I would see you again, I hope… Are you well?”
Mara takes a tentative step forward. “Hi,” she says softly.
Nobody speaks while the two females work through their issues in a wordless conversation.
Aneetha steps forward and grabs Marra’s hands, bowing her head. “I am sorry, my dear child. Your companionship was the best thing that could have happened to my daughter. I thought it would save her, but I am afraid it made you the victim of her cruelty. You did not deserve that.”
“It’s okay,” Marra whispers. “You did the best you could. Things could have been way worse, and in the end, it led me to O’Rec.” Her smile grows wide as she turns around and looks at her mate. Our king.
“Come, let us gather inside. This is no weather for an outdoor meeting.”
The villagers all move towards their homes, and Aneetha leads us into hers.