Page 43

Baelon’s ship had come down less than a hundred meters from their own. It was a small vessel, a planet-hopper similar to theirs, which was both good and bad.

Good: it only held a maximum of four people so if there was anyone on board, he or she was alone. Bad: the entrance was small and could easily be covered by one person. Plus, the ship was sitting in a clearing – there was no way of sneaking up to it without being seen from the cockpit.

Kara found Vahn at the edge of the tree-line peering intently at the vessel.

“What are you doing here?”

he hissed. “Where is Baelon?”

“Dead,”

she said briefly. “Anyone on board?”

“What do you mean, dead?”

“He came at me. I had to shoot him.”

“You could not have shot him in the leg?”

“I didn’t have time to think.”

Vahn narrowed his eyes.

“You are a trained soldier. You could have incapacitated him.”

“He was a poisonous little shit and he’s better off dead.”

“Kara. Did you kill him on purpose?”

“Can we talk about this later?”

She gestured at the ship. “Is anyone on there?”

“The pilot. I saw him moving about.”

“Soldier or civilian?”

“Hard to tell. But we can’t rush the vessel. Whoever’s in there has the vantage point.”

“Not to mention guns mounted on the hull.”

Kara pointed. “Damn thing’s been retrofitted.”

“I am hoping he will simply come out when he wonders what has happened to the others.”

“Oh goody. The waiting game. My favorite.”

Kara settled down next to Vahn. She sensed his disquiet and knew he wouldn’t stay silent for long. She wasn’t disappointed.

“Tell me what happened with Baelon.”

“He had it coming, okay?”

“You shot him? In cold blood?”

“No, I…”

She swallowed, part ashamed of what she’d done and part defiant. She tried to choose her words. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it. But he gave me no choice.”

“I made it clear he was to be brought back to Vraxos for justice.”

“And he made it clear he’d spin that to his advantage. He was going to ruin you, Vahn. Use his trial as a platform and get under everyone’s skin. Surely you can see that?”

“Regardless, it was not your decision to make. I am the Zhaal. It was my decision.”

“And I get that you wanted to do the right thing, I really do. But sometimes doing the right thing is the wrong decision for everyone.”

Vahn growled in frustration.

“So you thought you would go against everything I stand for?”

“I did what I had to,”

Kara said heatedly. “I protected you, snake-boy.”

“It’s not your job to protect me,”

Vahn roared. “It’s my job to protect you.”

“Have you heard of feminism?”

she shouted back.

“Hey!”

They both started at the unexpected interruption. “You two. Stay where you are.”

The pilot had emerged from the ship and was standing on the exit ramp pointing his pulse rifle at them. He wasn’t dressed like a soldier; he was wearing the simple garb of a southern hemisphere engineer. His order was clear, though. “Drop your weapons.”

“Shit.”

Kara was disgusted with herself for letting a civilian get the drop on them.

They both rose to their feet but neither let go of their blasters. Vahn saw the Vraxian was young, barely out of his hatchling years.

“I am Zhaal Castellian,”

he said steadily. “Do you recognize me?”

The pilot swallowed.

“I do not recognize species traitors,”

he said. Kara had to give him kudos for daring to say that to Vahn’s face.

“Baelon is dead,”

she said. “You’re on your own. Do you really want to add murder to your rap sheet?”

“I don’t believe you. Put your guns down, I said.”

His hands were shaking. He was clearly unused to handling weapons and he was scared. A dangerous combo for someone pointing a rifle at them.

“Look, no-one else is around. Why don’t you just fly out of here?”

Kara put on her most winning smile. “We don’t know who you are. We can forget this ever happened.”

“I serve Baelon. I do not listen to Terrans.”

He spat in her direction and any sympathy she might have had for him vanished. Vahn sensed her anger and touched her shoulder gently.

“Calm, kalehsha,”

he murmured. He raised his voice.

“We are two. You are one. Whoever you shoot, the other will kill you. Do you want to die?”

Common sense finally prevailed. The pilot lowered his weapon fractionally.

“Baelon is dead? You swear it on your throne?”

“Yes.”

For as long as she lived, Kara would never forget the bleak expression that crossed the young Vraxian’s face.

“So he cannot protect me. I threw my lot in with him and he is gone.”

“It is not too late,”

said Vahn. “Leave us. Go back to Vraxos.”

“So you can hunt me down at your leisure? Arrest me as a militant and shame my family?”

He shook his head. “No. I’ll take my chances.”

Vahn saw what he was about to do. Without hesitation he hurled himself in front of Kara at the precise moment the younger Vraxian pulled the trigger.

At first he thought the shot had missed. But that hope was obliterated a split second later by the sledgehammer of pain that smashed into his skull. He cried out and fell to his knees in searing agony.

His consciousness started to shut down but one clear thought pushed through. He had to protect his mate at all costs. He managed to squeeze off a shot before blackness took him.

“Vahn!”

Kara knelt over his inert body. The energy blast had grazed his head, leaving an ugly gouge along his temple. He was unconscious, his limbs and serpetri sprawled across the ground.

She wasted one precious second checking on the civilian. He was crumpled lifelessly on the ramp of his ship, his stomach a gaping mess. She paid him no more attention.

Trembling, her body cold with terror, she put her ear to Vahn’s chest and held her breath. The moment stretched for an eternity.

But then she heard it - the faint thump-thump that heralded his survival. She let out a shaky sob.

“Vahn, wake-up.”

She shook him, knowing she ought to treat his wound but not wanting to leave him to run back to camp. She buried her face in his neck.

“Vahn, kalehshun, please don’t leave me. Please. I love you. Please wake up.”

She didn’t know how long she knelt beside him or how long her tears flowed. Only that when she felt the touch of his hand on her hair, she could finally breathe again.

“Kara. Kalehsha. My beloved.”

“Vahn! Oh thank God you’re okay.”

She smiled down at him through her tears. “You jumped in front of a pulse blast, you idiot.”

“I remember.”

“You’re lucky you weren’t seriously injured. Your head’s going to ache for a while though. And you’re going to have one hell of a scar. But that’s okay. I like a guy with...”

“No, Kara.”

His yellow eyes held hers unblinkingly. “I remember. I remember everything.”

Her heart stuttered.

“You… you mean…”

“Yes, kalehsha. Everything.”