Wish

Starship, mini-zip, even mamot, I've travelled in style in the past but there is just something epic about striding through the furlongs cradled on the shoulders of a giant tiolf. The air, even murk-filled as it is, blows through my hair.

I crumple the tiolf's fur in my hands and lean low as Selnar leaps over a rocky outcropping. We sail smoothly and she lands on confident paws. Her claws dig into the dry dirt with every stride. My heart races as I feel the way her muscles move beneath me. We're united. I hadn't even felt this close to the mini-zip when I'd had the power of that tech beneath me.

I hear Niah's laughter and glance to where she rides on the tiolf beside me. She's wearing Bellamy's coat again. I'm glad to be free of it because I didn't much like being taken for him. I wonder if she hates it as much as I do.

Tye commands Ke-am and Niah sits behind him watching me. She sits so close against Tye's back, with her arms wrapped around his waist and her head tucked between his shoulder blades, that it looks like she's hugging him. It reminds me of the satchel that bounces against my back and the fabrication drive within.

"What?" I shout, hoping my voice carries to her ears before it's whipped away by the wind.

Niah lifts her head from Tye's back and shakes it. "I don't think I've ever seen you so happy."

I grin. "This is wild. I don't know that I'll find riding a mini-zip exciting ever again."

We make swift progress over the dark space between the edge of the catacombs, the Outer Rim, and the small crater where Elixr kinda landed. Beneath me, I feel Selnar's tension as she approaches. She senses the unrest well before we can see it through the gloom and darkness of the Shadowland.

The tiolf band closer together. I'm almost brushing shoulders with Niah as we gaze out over a ridge to the ship below. Tye grimaces. "Stalkers."

"What are they doing here?" Niah's voice is tight and I can tell she's tired. I reach a hand out to hers. She squeezes mine as if she's reassuring me, not the other way around.

Tye strokes a hand down Ke-am's neck. "Lord Oliver must have sent out recon when he learned of you. The Elixr will be strictly off limits. He can't risk word getting back that Captain Bellamy has returned."

Beside us, Hart clomps to the ground. I glance at him, not sure if he fall off Farlem or chose to dismount the beast. His hover jets thrust to shove him upright and he glances around. "Well, really. Confounded rug," he says. He brushes his metal hands down the chrome panel of his chest as if dusting himself off. The blue orbs of his eyes narrow at the tiolf. Farlem leans over and runs a wet tongue across Hart's face screen. The droid's eyes go wide and he raises his hands to ward off the animal.

Tye ignores the robot and young tiolf. "We'll need to approach carefully."

Niah nods. They gaze at each other a long moment so I give up waiting for them and climb off Selnar's back. "Sneak tactics, right?"

Tye helps Niah down from Ke-am. She lands heavily on the ground. I notice her sway a little. She places her hand on the tiolf's hide to hold herself upright, steadying herself before Tye slides down to the ground too.

"You okay, Niah?" I ask.

She shakes her head. "I'm fine." She turns away, to gaze at the ship in the distance. "We should go. We don't want Lord Oliver to have an opportunity to destroy the cure."

I bite my lip because I can't help feeling like she's lying but there's nothing else I can do so I follow her and Tye to the edge of the crater. We climb over the edge, into the crater, and make our way through the outcroppings toward the ship.

Several Stalkers pace the edges of the light cast by Elixr. They keep a rough formation that is probably intended to keep people at bay. "Sneak past?" I suggest.

"And then what?"

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

I shrug. "Then we go release the cure."

I can see Niah thinking and eventually she nods her head. "Okay, but carefully."

Tye waves a hand signal to Ke-am and Selnar. They both crouch low along the edge of the crater. Beside them, Farlem copies their movements. He's more wiggly as he crawls across the ground, nudging farther and farther forward. The two older tiolf tuck their heads against their forelegs and keep their gazes fixed on the four of us as we make our way down the rim and toward the ship.

The Stalkers move in short circuits around the ship. Their formation is staggered rather than uniform. There are gaps in it that may make it easier to sneak past. As two stalkers turn toward the back of the ship, the two at the front turn toward us. I freeze in place because our position puts us directly in their line of sight. Beside me, Hart continues on, oblivious to the danger, but Tye and Niah dart behind a rise in the earth. Tye pulls Niah down beside him and they collide in the dirt. I glance around, wondering where I can hide.

As if sensing my danger, Farlem bounds down from the crater rim. The guards see his warm tanned fur as he strides toward us. Beside me, Niah calls softly, "Make a run for the ship, Wish. They haven't seen you."

I glance back at the guards who are aiming their plasma pulsers at Farlem. My heart stops as a streak of white fire lances forward. The tiolf darts aside with a yelp. He tucks his tail between his legs but keeps bounding forward.

"No Farlem! Go back!" I shout, racing back for the lesser beast. The Stalkers strike out toward us. Farlem dives into my arms. He's so big that his weight throws me down on the ground. I try to push him aside as he tucks his whole body close to me. He licks at my face and hands in a frenzy. "No you crazy fursack, they're coming! We have to run!"

A blast of plasma pulses past us. Between Farlem's panting breaths, I catch a glimpse of Tye standing to fire at the Stalkers. They return his shots. Beside him, Niah gets to her feet. She rushes toward me but freezes in place when a blaze of plasma cuts just inches in front of her and creates a scorching pothole in the earth.

It feels like Stalkers are coming upon us from every direction now. One grabs Niah's arm. She yanks back, pulling them both off balance. She recovers fastest and shoves the Stalker away. She tries to sprint toward me but the Stalker trips her. She lands with a hard thwack against the dirt.

"Niah!" I cry. Farlem startles at my voice. He raises his head, looking around at the frenzy of men. His eyes settle on Niah, motionless on the ground. He darts toward her but I tug him back. "No, Farlem! Go home!" The tiolf whimpers. He's stronger than me so he pulls out of my arms. He dashes toward Niah. A pulse of plasma streaks toward him but slams into the dirt at his feet. He yelps and darts away, this time racing toward Tye who is ducking another lance of hot plasma. He slams his own weapon against his open palm as if trying to get it working again, then tosses it away.

"Run!" he cries. He kicks away a plasma pulser from the Stalker nearest him and then raises his fists, slamming one into the chin of another Stalker.

The Stalker who knocked Niah to the ground grabs her arm and pulls her to her feet. She sways in place but still tries to take a swing at him. He locks his arms around her. She can't move.

I swallow, roll to my belly and push myself up from the ground. I race toward my sister, shoving the Stalker away from her. He swings at me. I duck under his clumsy arm, dancing away.

"Go, Niah! Run!"

"Wish!" she cries. The Stalker reaches to tackle me and I dart out from under him. Niah grabs his arm to hold him back. They tussle but I can see her growing weaker and weaker.

"Please, Niah! You have to get away!" Niah's breath is racing so fast. I can see the colour flaring in her cheeks. It reminds me of the way she looked in the infirmary before we could take her blood. "Please, Niah!" I cry, wishing she would stop because every moment must be making her sicker and sicker.

"You have to get away, Wish. Please!"

"I'm not going without you!"

"Chortessa's guts!" Tye mutters, slamming himself into another Stalker as he tries to reach Niah.

Two more Stalkers come upon us then. They hold me back. My arm aches as one of the two Stalkers grips it and pulls it up high behind my back. The other clamps his meaty fingers around my other elbow. I struggle against them, but their grip is so hard that every time I move it hurts.

Niah rushes them. She slams against the back of the one holding my elbow. We all stumble forward and I drop to the ground. As I push myself back to my feet, I reach and grab Niah's hand. I pull her with me as I try to run away. The Stalker nearest me grips my hair. I wince as he tugs, yanking my head back.

Tye jumps onto the Stalker's back. He stumbles, letting go of me, and I fall forward from the sudden lack of resistance. The Stalker rolls Tye off his back and throws him over his shoulder. Tye lands with a gasp. Niah tries to help Tye up but another Stalker grabs her arm. She yanks away.

I see it in her face the tick before her eyes seem to lose the spark of her consciousness. Her breath is rasping so fast in her lungs that I can hear it.

A Stalker aims his weapon at Tye and I gasp as his finger tightens around the trigger. Niah acts faster than I can. She rushes at the man. I see the colour darkening her skin. She stumbles at the last moment and falls, crashing into the man. Their collision throws off his balance. The plasma pulser skitters across the dirt and Niah and the Stalker land heavy beside it. Her eyes are closed. She doesn't move.

"Niah!" I cry out but she doesn't even stir.

Tye reaches for the plasma pulser. He fires at the Stalker before the Narian can recover. Then he lifts Niah into his arms. "Come on, Wish! We have to go!"

He's already racing toward the rim of the crater. He whistles and Selnar and Ke-am dive over the ledge. Ke-am runs close to Tye. He grips the tiolf's fur. The animal bends low as if scooping Tye up, and with a tight grip around Niah, Tye scrambles onto the tiolf's back. They disappear over the rim of the crater in ticks.

A streak of plasma spears past me. It slams into the hip of Selnar as she bounds toward me. She crumples, slamming into the dirt. Her body lands hard, rolling head over tail before coming to a stop. I hear a snarl behind me and glance back to see Farlem take down the Stalker who must have fired the weapon. The beast rips the flesh from the man's throat. The Stalker screams until his gurgling breath fades.

I turn to run back toward Selnar and the rim of the crater behind her but several hands reach for me. I'm surrounded. I thrash against the Stalkers but they hold me so tight that I can't move.

"Let me go you baull-scat void scum!" They laugh and I glare at them. They drag me back toward the ship. There's no sign of Hart. I wonder if the droid managed to sneak onto the ship, if he's been captured, or if he escaped. I struggle again, trying to pull away from the meaty hands clamping my arms.

A heavy thud slams the back of my skull and my head spins. Every part of me feels heavy. I hang loose in their meaty grip. My feet trail behind me, and I cling to the edges of consciousness, as the Stalkers drag me into the ship.