The Alien’s Reward by Luna Kingsley
Chapter 13
Sarah
The sky darkens above me,the first clue we’re no longer alone. Warriors drop down from above, enclosing Vah’all and me in a wide arc, putting the pond at our backs.
“What’s going on?” I ask unable to keep the quiver of nerves from my voice.
Before Vah’all can respond, I’m grabbed and yanked off the ground. Then I’m held in the air above the warriors as a fight breaks out below. Growled rasps and shouts saturate the air around me as Vah’all turns feral toward the warriors who have come to take me.
I squirm in my captor’s arms but I already know he’s too strong to escape. And if I managed to get free, he’d drop me and there’s no way I’d land without injury. All I can do is watch as Vah’all fights six warriors like himself.
“Why are you doing this?” I ask the one who’s keeping me out of harm’s way. Not that I expect an answer but I say it nonetheless.
“We’re following orders,” he says. Recognizing his distinct voice, I turn to see the familiar scar above his eye. It’s the same warrior who had a problem with me being here before.
Vah’all slashes out with his talons, cutting deep slashes into the skin of one of the other warriors…the one with the black streak through his hair. Blood flashes red against the silver before sliding down in thick rivulets. Their blood may be the same color but it’s much thicker than human blood. The gashes don’t slow the warriors down. They press forward toward Vah’all, intent on subduing him.
“Don’t hurt him! What are you trying to do?” I’m shocked that my initial reaction is for them to back off and leave him alone. Leave us alone. We were finally having a moment, just the two of us before they arrived. We connected beyond the physical and now they’re trying to take me away and attack Vah’all? I don’t understand any of this.
“We’ve been given new orders by the council. You’re to be kept at the military compound for now.”
Vah’all hears him and pauses, giving the others the opportunity they need to pounce on him.
“Why have they changed their minds?” Vah’all asks. His voice is muffled from having his face pressed into the ground. He has four warriors on his back so for now he’s stopped fighting. “Why do they want to take her from me?”
“They’ve created too much controversy. Until another larger council can be convened, the females will be kept at the compound. For their safety, Vah’all. They will not be harmed.”
“Why didn’t you just say that from the beginning?” I ask, annoyed with the way they chose to handle the situation. Though looking down at Vah’all with the bloody warriors breathing heavily as they restrain him, it’s clear he wouldn’t have handed me over without a fight. No matter what excuse they gave. “Have you already taken the other women?”
“Yes,” Aeh’ers says.
Vah’all growls from his place on the ground, his wings fluttering as he tries to throw the warriors from his back. “Release me,” he says, his voice deep and threatening.
“Not until I’ve taken her,” Aeh’ers says.
This only angers Vah’all more. The sounds coming from him send chills through me, making me glad I’m not on the receiving end of his wrath. As my captor begins to take me higher into the sky and further away from Vah’all, panic kicks in. He may have been my kidnapper but he’s protected me from the beginning. Without him, I’m vulnerable to whatever the council decides to do with me. Not only that but I have no idea what they plan to do with Vah’all once they take me away from him.
My mind is spinning with everything that’s happening but I can’t fight back or run until we land. Moments later, as if we’ve somehow become linked after this short time together, I sense Vah’all. It’s impossible to get a good look around from where I’m being held against this Aeh’er’s chest, but I could swear we’re no longer alone up here. Aeh’er’s grip tightens around me as his speed increases. Vah’all is here but so are the others. We’re in a high-speed chase in the sky, the only thing keeping me from plummeting to my death is the tight grip of my captor. While I want to be set free, I’d prefer Vah’all wait until we reach our destination. If there’s one lesson I’ve learned so far in my life, it’s how fragile and fleeting life can be. After surviving an entire spaceship crash, I don’t want to test my luck any further.
“Give her to me!” Vah’all’s furious cry penetrates through the sky. The pained emotion of his words sink into my heart making me ache to ease his suffering.
“Do not lose yourself, Vah’all. To go against the council means punishment. Think before you make a choice you cannot undo.” Aeh’ers speaks to him like a friend. Like someone who cares about what happens to him because of the impulsive choices he makes. Even I don’t think I could reach him at this moment. They’ve gone about this all wrong—even I can see that.
A scream sounds behind us, a shout like someone is falling. Then it ends abruptly. My stomach twists with nausea with the realization that someone is either badly hurt or dead. These are the choices Vah’all can’t undo. The only question left in my mind is what will they do to him because of it? How do they punish their own on Bameh?
My captor’s grip loosens, and I slip through his grasp, suddenly free falling from the sky. I’m screaming with my eyes squeezed closed. Considering I’ve never liked roller coasters or any kind of ride that made it feel like I was free-falling, my current situation is a nightmare scenario. Not only am I actually free-falling, but I don’t have any kind of harness to keep me from splattering all over the rocks below.
Something grabs me again, throwing me in the opposite direction and giving me whiplash in the process. I know even before I look that it isn’t Vah’all who has me. It’s like a game of keep away in the sky except by the time this is all over, there’s no way I’ll have kept the contents of my stomach where they belong. Sadhaih is my new captor, easily recognizable because of his unique hair. He begins his descent and I’m able to see our destination. It’s a domed building not far ahead that looks to be made of smooth cement and hundreds of small circular windows. It’s surrounded by trees, not another building in sight.
As soon as we land on a platform at the top of the dome, the other warriors quickly surround us. But there aren’t as many as there were back at the pond.
“Put her with the others while we wait for the rest to return.” Two of the warriors lead me toward a doorway that will hopefully take me to the other women. If I can’t be with Vah’all, I want to be with my friends.
“Where is Vah’all?” I ask as they lead me inside. “Is he in trouble?”
They don’t answer me, but they don’t look happy either. I can’t help but wonder what mess we’ve gotten mixed up in and if it would’ve just been better if he would’ve let us leave when we had the chance.
“He’ll be brought back shortly,” one of the warriors surprises me by saying. “I doubt you’ll be allowed to visit him while he’s in confinement.”
Confinement.
I had a bad feeling about this from the beginning. I shouldn’t worry about what happens to me when Vah’all is the one who’s in trouble but our fates are linked going forward. If I lose my protector, the one who fights for me to be here, what happens if I must rely on myself? I’ve never been a fighter, only a healer. I’m suddenly out of my element in more ways than one.
Once we’re inside the dome, the walls quickly close in on me. Paneled lights illuminate the corridors. Even though there are so many small windows, they don’t allow much light inside. I’m led down until we reach the floor they want. It has been quiet so far aside from soft voices in some of the rooms that we’ve passed along the way. This floor has an open carpeted space in the middle that leads to a large partition of glass on the far right. Trinity, Willa and Maren all sit on different cots that rest against separate walls of the locked room. Even as I approach, it doesn’t appear that they can see me.
The guard opens the door and motions for me to enter. All three of my friends look so happy to see me as we hug and tell each other how relieved we are to be together again. But they can’t hide the worry that’s etched across their faces or the way their fear has manifested in the way they make their bodies so small within this room.
I wish I could reassure them and tell them Vah’all will come for us and figure it all out but the truth is, I don’t know what happened to him. The guards sounded confident that they’d capture him and bring him here and if that’s the case, I don’t know what our future holds.