Grumpy Alien King by Celeste King
Heather
Smoke hung heavy in the hallways. I tried to stay below it, but my eyes still burned and my throat itched for clean air. We’d need to add a class for this in Teshie’s: What to Do When Your Compound Is Invaded. I tore the sleeve of my shirt and wrapped it around my mouth to help filter some of the air.
My hand fell on something soft and warm as I crawled.
A body.
I quickly searched it for weapons, seeing as how he wouldn’t have much use for them anymore, but all I could find was a small blade in his boot. I tucked into my own with a sigh.
This KV-38 will have to do.
It had done well enough with the Sanax dude, after all. The element of surprise might carry me through this.
The hum and sharp zing of weapons echoed throughout the compound. I didn’t want to think too much about what kind of enemy was strong enough to penetrate a known weapons dealer’s home, but the blasts sounded serious.
Xxuric and his people could handle the defenses. I was searching for the two people who couldn’t.
Dahrial and Rulora might be well-educated, but they sure as hell can’t handle themselves in a fight.
Two Sanax burst into the hall, wrestling for one weapon. I squinted through the smoke. I could make out a security uniform on one man, and the other wore clothing that Teshie’s had taught me Sanax often wore on their home planet. The fabric rippled and danced like water.
The security officer elbowed the Sanax man in the throat, and he stumbled. He aimed his weapon, but the other man moved fast. His shot went high, scorching the roof. The other Sanax brought his leg up for a brutal roundhouse kick.
I pointed the KV-38 at his temple and fired.
He fell immediately. The security officer blinked at me in shock before nodding and sprinting off. I didn’t take the lack of thanks personally. We both had places to be.
I continued towards Dahrial’s room with a new sense of urgency. That invader almost wrecked Xxuric’s personal security team. This is no joke.
“Stop it!”
Rulora.
Her voice was shrill, panicked.
I raced to the door on instinct. Locked. I could hear other voices inside, one laughing as Rulora sobbed.
I kicked the door as hard as I could. It shook on the hinges.
Blaster fire hit the door, and I ducked out of the way until it paused, and then kicked again. The blaster fire had weakened the wood, and it splintered apart with one final kick.
I saw Rulora through the gap in the door. Her eyes bulged, wide and wet. She heaved herself against thick rope, but she remained tied fast to a small wooden chair. We looked at each other, and she shook her head.
“Run!” She cried.
I couldn’t do that. From the doorway I could see several men, one Sanax, and one very hairy, very mean-looking Renuvian.
The Sanax grinned at me. “Looks like we’ve got another treat to wrap up.”
I entered the door, my blaster up.
It was a mistake. Four more men stood in the corner of the room. I might have been able to take three, if I’d surprised them. But it was seven against one, and they were all armed to the teeth.
I had to try.
Venom dripped from the Renuvian’s fangs, and his eight legs danced in anticipation. I managed to fire a shot at him, because no matter what the odds against me I didn’t think space spider was something I wanted to deal with. The Renuvian squealed in pain and curled in on itself, but I only had time to fire one more shot before a Sanax kicked the gun from my hand.
Pain exploded from my wrist.
That was fine, I had two feet. I twisted my ankle around his and kicked hard at his knee. But he was not Jiggian, and this was nothing like sparring back at Teshie’s.
Six weapons pointed straight at my head.
“Why don’t you have a seat?”
I raised my hands in surrender and allowed myself to be tied to the chair. Rope bit at my wrists and ankles. I kept my muscles tense as they worked so that I’d have more slack in the rope when I relaxed.
Another class to pitch for Teshie’s: What to Do When Kidnappers Take You Hostage.
I still had the blade in my boot. The situation was bad, but not hopeless.
Not yet.
“Are you okay?” I asked Rulora.
She nodded, miserable. “I couldn’t find Dahrial anywhere.”
“Oh, cheer up little frog,” the Sanax patted Rulora’s chin. I wanted to bite his hand. “I’m sure he’ll pay a lot for you. If he’s still alive.”
“He’s still alive,” I reassured her. “These guys have nothing on Xxuric. They’re dumb enough to raid a weapons dealer’s compound. Surprise is the only reason they got this far.”
“Hm. And who do you think was ‘dumb enough’ to sell us the weapons?”
Xxuric, you really couldn’t vet your buyers a little better?
I supposed he’d been a bit distracted lately. I tried not to feel too guilty about it. There was no way these guys were going to defeat him. Xxuric probably had weapons stocked there weren’t names for yet.
Right?
They finished tying me. I was trussed up like a Thanksgiving turkey right next to the Florian woman in love with my former future husband.
Not exactly what I pictured when I signed up to be a mail-order bride.
Our captors huddled together, planning their next move. I tried to listen, but their tones were too hushed. I gave up and turned to Rulora.
Her chest heaved as she sobbed, and her huge eyes leaked orange liquid.
“Hey.” I didn’t know what to say. “It’s okay.”
“It’s really, really not.”
Yeah, she was too smart for bland comfort. I tried again.
“We’re not hurt.” My wrist begged to differ, but I ignored it. “We’re together. The space spider’s dead.”
She looked at the curled-up Renovian and wrinkled her nose.
I went back to spying on our captors. I had to be ready for when they made a mistake.
