Page 2 of Warrior (The Outlander Book Club… in Space! #2)

A few days before I arrived, an accident occurred in one of the tunnels.

A cave-in resulting in only minor injuries—save one child the guards took away to the medical unit to heal.

The children thought their friend was resting and recovering until Ewok found him yesterday afternoon in a hidden cavern.

The guards lied. They lied and dragged this tiny, gray alien child away to suffer and die alone. I didn’t usually curse but… bastards!

I swallowed hard before facing Ewok. “I think so.”

His eyes were deep brown, without irises, and just a white slash of a pupil in the middle. A flash of something that looked like determination crossed his features, and he issued a curt nod before reaching for the blanket wrapped body resting at our feet.

The weight was slight, and we gently placed the alien child into his final resting place. Regret, sorrow, and a wave of anger coursed through me as I gazed down at the figure.

"Do your people have funerals?" Even though I'd whispered the words, my voice sounded like a roar in the silence. When Ewok’s eyes clouded in confusion, I explained. “It’s a ceremony to say goodbye to someone that died.”

The shake of his head turned his whole body since his neck was almost nonexistent. “I don’t remember exactly. I was very young when they took me. I don’t remember much of my home world.”

Something tugged at my heart, and I gripped his hand between my own.

My husband officiated hundreds of funerals. I used to tease him that his funerals were better than his weddings, but it was true. Gavin had a way of calling sunshine on even the dreariest of days.

“What was his name?” I bit back a sob, praying this wasn’t one of the poor souls simply called slave by the guards.

“Akkatt.” Ewok’s voice was thick, and he scrubbed his round back nose with his hand. "We called him Akkatt.”

The air in the cave was stale and thick. Taking as deep a breath as possible, I clutched Ewok's tiny hand and silently prayed that Gavin's spirit could find me beneath this alien moon.

“Akkatt. We are angry at the events that led us here today. How do you make sense of the senseless? How do we find meaning in what you endured or how you died without falling into despair? All I can think of is that it is part of some greater plan. Your death, however unnecessary and sad, serves a purpose to help others. I wish I had known you, but even having never met you, I know you were a brave boy that helped others. I hope wherever your spirit resides is wonderful. You’re not a slave any longer, Akkatt.

You’re free now. Godspeed.” I kept my remarks omnist. I was on an alien planet, after all.

Ewok issued a loud sniffle. “That was nice. Thank you,” he muttered.

The rest of the tasks we completed in reverent silence—climbing from the hole and picking up our shovels. My heart stuttered at each thunk of dirt separating Akkatt from the land of the living. I tried to keep my attention away from similar small mounds adorning the ground like heinous jewels.

“I don’t want to tell the others. It will only scare them. They think the guards took Akkatt to be healed.” Ewok muttered as we gathered our tools and canteen of water.

"You're brave, Ewok. The way you take care of the others is wonderful.” I rubbed the top of his head, noticing the low purring rumble from deep in his chest. One small hand gripped my forearm tightly, ensuring I didn't stumble in the low-lit tunnel.

“I liked the words you said, kida. ” His dark button eyes narrowed, and I noticed the slightest twitch to his left ear. “Are you a speaker on your home world?”

“No,” I chuckled. The idea of standing before a large crowd gave me hives. “My husband was a minister. He spoke at a lot of funerals.”

“Min-is-tur?” The way Ewok said the word made me wonder if it didn’t translate. He pronounced it more like minotaur .

“Ewok, do your people have a god… a deity?” I knew there were mentions of gods and worship in the Star Wars movies and Star Trek, but this definitely wasn’t fiction.

His furry face scrunched like an angry puppy. “I remember my people used to give thanks after a good hunt to the mother.”

I stumbled, and his small hand tightened around my wrist. The top of Ewok’s head hit just below my breasts, but he was sturdy and strong. When his hand slipped downward to hold mine, it felt comforting, and I gave his fingers a squeeze of thanks.

"On Earth, most people believe in one God. We have buildings called churches where people join together to worship—give thanks, and ministers like my husband are church leaders. They help the church members and lead things like funerals and weddings.”

“Weed-eeng?”

I laughed as he turned into a larger tunnel, feeling the sadness of death fade.

“A wedding is a ceremony for two people who love each other and want to live together.”

“Oh, like mates.” Ewok’s face lit up.

“Like mates, “I agreed, although the word had an animalistic connotation to my mind.

“Is God a nice guy?” Ewok gazed up at me with innocent eyes.

“I like to think so,” I said, bopping him on the end of his squat, black nose with a finger. Ewok’s eyes went wide, and his childlike laughter echoed, but it didn’t last long. He froze, using the grip on my hand to pull me behind him.

“What’s the matter?” I bent to whisper directly into a twitching ear.

“I thought I heard something,” he murmured, taking hesitant steps forward.

“A guard?” I hissed. The idea of running into the gigantic hateful, scar-faced man that frequented the common area felt unsettling.

Ewok shook his head. Taking a full step back, he bumped into me with such force I nearly fell.

The thing that erupted from the darkness wasn't a guard. It was something worse.

He was a foot taller than the scar-faced dude, with rippling muscles under golden tan skin.

His tawny hair billowed around his head like a lion's mane, so wild and untamed it took me a moment to register the intensity of his eyes—like small suns swimming in a cobalt sea.

He was dressed like my idea of a medieval warrior in black leather pants, vest and boots with silver studded leather straps crisscrossing his massive chest. I had a sudden, irrational thought that he was the most beautiful man I'd ever seen—until he pulled twin axes from over his shoulders.

“Kerzak.” The man grated and lunged for Ewok.

Acting solely on instinct, I shoved Ewok to the side.

The alien skidded to a stop to keep from crashing into me, a low snarl ripping from his full lips as his attention shifted to where Ewok lay on the ground.

It was only a moment, but all I needed was a moment.

Spinning, I raised my shovel, bringing the blade against the side of the alien’s head with a resounding thwack.

For a moment, the hit didn’t seem to faze him.

I was a newcomer to violence, but I’d hit him with all my strength, the reverberation in the handle making the shovel painful to hold.

He turned slowly, gazing at me with surprise until the golden irises disappeared in a sea of cobalt, and he fell with the grace of a tree.

Ewok strode to my side, brushing the dust from his fur. He glanced from me to the alien lying face down in the dirt, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

“We’re going to have to dig a much bigger hole to bury this one, kida. ”