Page 22

CHAPTER 22

KARC

T he corridor stretches ahead, a maze of steel and glowing conduits, but the real obstacle isn’t the layout—it’s the horde of Grolgath blocking our path. More than a hundred of them, scales glinting under the harsh artificial light, armed with blades, staves, and spiked gauntlets. Their hisses echo off the walls, a cacophony of reptilian menace.

Raven’s grip tightens on my arm. “Why don’t they have guns?”

“Projectile weapons are ill-advised on space stations like this one,” I say, my voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through my veins. “They might knock a hole in their atmospheric dome. But don’t underestimate them. Those weapons in their hands are just as deadly.”

She gives me a sideways glance, her dark eyes narrowing. “Then why are you smiling?”

“Because I am far more lethal.”

The rage I’ve been holding back since seeing my father collapse on the street boils over. My vision tints red, and I charge into the fray like a hurricane. The first Grolgath swings a spiked mace at me, but I catch its arm mid-swing, twist, and snap the bone with a sickening crunch. The sound fuels me.

“Stay close!” I bark at Raven, but she’s already darting to the side, using her agility to avoid the chaos. Smart girl.

I grab a Grolgath by the throat and hurl it into three others, sending them sprawling. Another lunges at me with a serrated blade, but I sidestep and drive my elbow into its scaled face, feeling the crunch of cartilage under the impact. Its weapon clatters to the ground, and I snatch it up, using it to parry a swing from a Grolgath wielding a double-headed axe.

“Karc!” Raven’s voice cuts through the din. I glance over just in time to see her duck under the swing of a Grolgath limb and kick the back of its knee, sending it crashing to the ground. She grabs a dropped dagger and jams it into the creature’s side. It lets out a guttural howl and falls.

I grin despite myself. “Not bad, Blackbird.”

She smirks, though there’s a flicker of fear in her eyes. “I’m full of surprises.”

The Grolgath swarm me again, and I focus on the fight. I’m a blur of motion, my fists and feet a whirlwind of destruction. I rip a staff from one’s hands and use it to shatter the jaw of another. A blade grazes my shoulder, but I barely feel it. The pain is nothing compared to the fire burning in my chest.

But they keep coming. A spiked gauntlet slams into my ribs, and I grit my teeth against the sharp, searing pain. Another strike to my thigh, and I feel the warm trickle of blood. They’re wearing me down, but I can’t stop. If I do, Raven dies.

I let out a roar, a primal sound that echoes through the corridor, and redouble my efforts. I grab two Grolgath by the skulls and smash them together, the impact sending them crumpling to the ground. A third tries to tackle me, but I pivot and drive my knee into its gut, sending it sprawling.

Raven’s by my side again, breathing hard but still standing. “How many of these things are there?”

“Too many,” I grunt, blocking a swing from a battle axe. “But I won’t let them touch you.”

She meets my gaze, and for a moment, there’s something unspoken between us. Fear, determination, and something else—something that makes my heart clench. But there’s no time for it. The next wave of Grolgath is already closing in.

My body screams as I slam another Grolgath back with the flat of my hand, its scaled face crunching under the force. My legs wobble, my arms burn, and I can feel the sting of a dozen shallow cuts across my torso. Blood drips from a gash on my temple, obscuring my vision. I swipe it away with a growl, but it’s no use. They’re closing in.

“Raven,” I bark, my voice hoarse. I don’t even know if she can hear me over the chaos. “Run!”

She doesn’t run. Of course she doesn’t. Instead, she grabs a fallen stave from the ground and swings it into the back of a Grolgath’s knees, dropping it with a satisfying thud. “Not a chance, Scales,” she shouts back, her voice steady even though I can see the fear in her eyes. “You’re not dying on me.”

I want to argue, but I don’t have the breath. Another Grolgath lunges at me, and I barely manage to sidestep, driving my elbow into its ribs. The sound of cracking bone is drowned out by a sudden roar. It’s not from the Grolgath.

A blur of golden scales barrels into the fray, a whirlwind of fists and fury. The newcomer grabs two Grolgath by the necks and slams their heads together with a sickening crack. A third tries to flank him, but he spins, delivering a kick that sends the creature flying into the wall. The impact shakes the corridor.

I blink through the blood and sweat. “Who the hell?—?”

The figure turns, and my jaw drops as recognition hits me like a charging bull. “Father?”

Vrahmin grins, his fangs glinting in the harsh light. “About time you showed up, boy. I was starting to think I’d have to do all the heavy lifting myself.”

I’m too stunned to speak. My father—my dead father—is standing here, alive and kicking Grolgath ass like it’s a Tuesday night at the tavern. I shake my head, trying to process the impossible. “How? You were… you were on the street. Your hearts?—”

“Medics?” he interrupts, cackling like a hyena. “I don’t need no fucking medic! I just dragged myself over to a street light, kicked it until it fell over, and then jammed my tongue into the light socket like I was giving an odex a rim job! Kick-started my own hearts.”

Raven’s eyes go wide. “Is… is that what really happened?”

Vrahmin winks. “Maybe. Let’s go stop this Armageddon so we can get back to the party!”

The Grolgath recover from their shock and close in again, but with my father at my side, the tide turns. He fights like a demon unleashed, his movements precise and brutal. For every strike I land, he lands two. Together, we clear the hallway, leaving a trail of crumpled bodies in our wake.

When the last Grolgath falls, I turn to my father, still struggling to believe my eyes. “You’re… you’re really here.”

He claps me on the shoulder, his grip firm. “Damn right I am. Now quit gawking like a hatchling and let’s finish this. That asteroid’s not gonna stop itself.”

Raven steps up beside me, her stave still clutched in her hands. “I like your dad,” she says, a smirk tugging at her lips. “He’s batshit crazy, but I like him.”

Vrahmin laughs, deep and booming. “I like her too, boy. She’s got spine. Now let’s move!”

The control room is a sprawl of flashing lights, holographic displays, and enough buttons to give a Pi’Rell engineer a migraine. The air smells like ozone and desperation. The asteroid launch sequence is already underway, the countdown ticking away on a massive screen. Red letters scream INITIALIZATION IRREVERSIBLE at us like we’re idiots.

I slam my fist against the console. “It’s locked out. We can’t stop it.”

“Of course we can’t,” Raven mutters, already scanning the room. Her eyes dart from panel to panel, zeroing in on a smaller display tucked in the corner. “But we don’t need to stop it. We just need to redirect it.”

My father, ever the optimist, grunts. “And how, exactly, do you plan to redirect a million-ton rock hurtling toward Earth?”

“Easy,” she says, fingers flying over the keyboard. “We use the station’s maneuvering jets to flip the whole thing around. Point the asteroid into deep space instead of Yellowstone.”

I blink. “That’s… actually not insane.”

She smirks. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Scales.”

“Don’t get cocky, girl,” my father barks, though there’s a hint of approval in his tone. “Just make it happen.”

Raven’s hands are a blur, her focus razor-sharp. The consoles chirp and beep in protest, but she doesn’t flinch. “Thrusters are coming online. Brace yourselves.”

The station lurches violently, throwing me into the wall. My shoulder takes the brunt of the impact, and I wince. Raven grabs onto the console for dear life, her knuckles white. My father, ever the show-off, plants his feet wide and rides it out like he’s surfing a gravity wave.

“You did warn us,” he says, grinning like a madman.

The station groans, a deep, metallic sound that makes my scales crawl. The holographic display shifts, showing the asteroid’s trajectory curving away from Earth, out into the void. The red letters on the screen flicker and change: LAUNCH SUCCESSFUL. TARGET RELEASED.

I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “We did it. We actually did it. We saved the world.”

Raven turns to me, arms crossed, one eyebrow arched. “What do you mean we ? It was my idea. All you guys know how to do is smash stuff.”

My father almost falls over himself laughing, his booming voice echoing through the control room. “What a mate, boy,” he says, slapping me on the back hard enough to make me stumble. “You did good.”

I glare at him, but there’s no heat in it. “Thanks, Father. Really inspiring.”

Raven’s smirk softens into a smile, and for a moment, the weight of everything we’ve been through lifts. She saved the world. Hell, she saved me . And now, standing here in the dim light of the control room, with my father’s laughter ringing in my ears, I realize something.

I wouldn’t want anyone else by my side. Not now. Not ever.