Nanny For The Alien General by Athena Storm
Keilon
The only good thing about the news the human girl brings is that suddenly there is something more immediate for the villagers to worry about than Serafina and I.
Beyond that, the facts of what the girl has just relayed are all very bad.
The humans rush off to follow the girl, intent on rescuing her friends. They’re fooling themselves. They will never reach the kids in time. The children will drown or freeze to death before the villagers can get to them. And even if the villagers arrive in time, none of their fragile bodies will handle the cold well enough to allow them to offer any aid to the children.
Their rescue attempt will result in nothing but more corpses on top of the two kids.
The children do not have to die, however.
With a growl, I strain at and then manage to break my bonds. The ropes tear at my skin, removing a few layers. I ignore the burn and the blood.
The men who were set to guard Serafina and I have moved several steps away from us, trying to get a view of the situation out on the ice. When they hear me break my ropes, they start back toward me in alarm.
“They will die unless I help them,” I say flatly. I don’t wait for an answer before I take off after the villagers. Fortunately, the guards follow without trying to interfere.
With my long strides and greater strength, I quickly overtake the rushing crowd of humans. There are a few shouts of alarm, warnings that I’m trying to escape and that I must be stopped. I ignore these, too. To their credit, no one grabs at me.
The minute I get to the edge of the lake, I see the spot where the humans fell in. The mistake the kids made is obvious. Though the ice closer to shore is thick, it thins out quickly. They were lucky it held them as long as it must have. I make my way out along the frozen lake to the hole, sticking to the places where the ice is dense enough to hold my weight.
Staring into the dark waters, the thin membrane over my eyes that allows me to have polarized vision helps me see through the ice glare and into the depths. I cannot immediately see the kids. I didn’t expect it. There’s a current under the lake’s surface that no doubt swept the kids under the surrounding ice.
Without another moment’s hesitation, I dive through the hole, into the frigid waters.
Even to my Kiphian body, the shock of the cold is enough to give me pause. I nearly exhale in surprise. Fortunately, I manage to maintain my oxygen. The water is colder than even I anticipated, and I realize I have to act quickly, before my own body seizes up.
Hurriedly, I scan the water around me and quickly locate the two human children, both young males. As I suspected, the current under the lake’s surface has pulled them back toward where the ice is thicker. They’re struggling to punch their way back through, but there is no way the ice above them is going to give way. Not to them.
They’re losing steam, anyway. One of them has begun to pass out, the other is close. Hypothermia is probably already setting in. There is no time to waste.
I swim to them and wrap them up in one arms. Fortunately, neither one struggles. Holding them tightly, ignoring the straining in my chest as I try to hold my breath against the cold, I summon all my strength and punch upward. My fist smashes through the ice and into the cold air. I feel a knuckle break. One more thing to ignore until we’re all safe.
Someone grabs my hand, letting me know they’re there. Thank the Divine Ones.
A second punch breaks up the ice even more. With the help of the villagers above, we’re able to clear a hole wide enough for me and the kids to get through. I surface, taking in a deep breath. Humans hands reach out and pull all three of us out of the freezing water.
Even with all my strengths and adaptation to the cold, my own joints have begun to seize up. Someone throws a towel at me.
“Get them out of their wet clothes!” a familiar voice orders. As I start to shiver, my teeth rattling painfully together, I catch sight of Serafina barking orders to the gathered crowd. Her hands are still tied behind her back and she’s struggling to free herself. “Dammit someone untie me!”
Someone does and Serafina is immediately hovering over the cold, wet children, shouting more orders. She organizes the shocked crowd, including several hysterical humans I figure must be the children’s parents.
In short order, Serafina has turned the panicked villagers into an organized workforce. The children are soon being carried off to get attention, care and warmth. As she starts to follow them, Serafina spares a quick, concerned glance at me.
I grit my teeth, forcing them to stop clattering. I take a deep breath and tense my muscles, managing to stop the shivering momentarily. Then I give her a reassuring nod. I’ll be fine. The children need her. She returns the nod, a relieved look in her eyes, then runs off.
Which leaves me alone with these humans who a few minutes ago were debating on whether or not to kill me, with more than half of them arguing in the assent.
The looks they are giving me now, however, are very different from the ones I was getting earlier. There is begrudging gratitude and even, here and there, nods of deep respect. I try to return them, hoping they can tell I’m nodding back and not just shivering again.
I’m inwardly thankful for what this could potentially mean for my safety here in the village. However, more immediately, I pray to the Divine Ones that this change of attitude might manifest in someone giving me a warm damn drink to combat this blasted chill.
