Crais(27)

Lucy, who had dropped back in unscathed, shook her head. “I don’t know how he thinks a dead man can answer questions.”

The nomad might not be dead – yet. But he was definitely knocked out cold, small slivers of blood seeping around his forehead.

“Jordan, I think he might be done,” I yelled, jumping to the side as two wrestling men crashed into our space.

“Enough!” a deep voice bellowed out, echoing through the cavernous area.

The nomads stopped actively fighting, although they still worked to restrain the remaining tribesmen.

“We will fight no more. Fury has agreed to stay and in exchange we will give back all of the others.” A nomad stepped into view.

He was tall and broad, his skin a fiery red although there was a white sheen across it, as if he was wearing heavy-duty sunscreen. He carried the aura of being ‘in charge’ and as his fierce eyes flashed around the room I figured not many would disobey him. Behind him stood a few dozen tribeswomen. They looked shaken but otherwise unharmed.

“Fury would never have agreed to stay.” Luiz, her friend, stepped forward. “Where is she? Let her speak for herself.”

Wow! I was surprised he had the guts to address the nomads so bluntly. I hoped they didn’t kill him; I truly admired loyalty in friends.

“Quiet, cave dweller. I’m not interested in you or your opinion. The only reason you will leave here alive is that Fury has agreed to co-operate fully.”

They’re going to use her as a breeder. Jordan mouthed the words to me.

My anger peaked then. What was it with men who thought they could just take you and rape you because you were female? It happened all the time on Earth too, and honestly we needed a way to defend ourselves against this brutality. Like barbed-wire vagina guards. I stepped around the men who were blocking me from view. I couldn’t stop the words spilling from my mouth.

“Listen up, red asshole. Fury is not a plaything for you morons to try and force a baby from.”

He spun around to stare me down, but I’d had far too much experience with arrogant Walkers. His power-play was nothing in comparison.

“I’m going to give you two minutes to release her. Or things are going to get very ugly.”

While I was speaking I noticed that the tribeswomen were being shuffled to the back of the caves. They soon disappeared from view, and I hoped that meant they were being taken to safety, because things were about to get messy. The nomad continued to stare before throwing back his head and laughing.

“I don’t know what you are.” He tilted his head to the side. “Some type of weird hybrid alien species, I assume, but you amuse me. I think I’ll keep you too.”

He gestured to a few of his men. They slowly moved into a circle to surround me. I sighed. No one ever wanted to take the easy way out. The one to my left dived in, arms extended. I sent a blast into his face, flinging him back ten feet. I followed this with a full extended kick into another’s throat, dropping him to the ground in a choking mess. The next golden ball was flung into the third one to try me.

A fourth stepped in from the side and clipped me across the chin with a well-placed jab. I winced as my head snapped back. One of my hands reached to hold my face, the other firing forward to crunch into his nose. My speed was turning out to be an advantage against the bulky nomads.

From the corner of my eye I noticed the remaining tribal men move across the room to intercept Lucy, Talina and Lucas. They then started to back away, taking my friends with them. What the crap were they doing? I spun around to follow but my path was blocked.

“Where are you taking them?” I screeched at the black-skinned Crais men.

The nomads continued to herd me toward their leader, although they now seemed reluctant to get too close. I watched in horror as three tribesmen maneuvered Lucy. Talina, who was virtually powerless in this land without water, was dragged along by another two, while six surrounded Lucas, pushing him back along the dark path. Were they taking them out into the sun? They couldn’t survive without my shield. When they disappeared from my sight, fear and panic flooded through me.

I let my power explode. It came in waves and torrents, knocking all those around me to the ground. I took off, sprinting as hard as I could along the darkened pathway. Reaching the end where the sun was too bright for me to see clearly, I erected my shield mere moments before I’d have been burnt to death.

I looked around. There was nothing: no tribesmen, no nomads, just a circling beast high up which looked very much like the mythical dragon again.

How could they have disappeared like that? Even if the suns had melted them or whatever, there would have to be something left behind.