“I appreciate it,” I say.
Gashnaar and Teol share a moment before taking up positions with Keo behind us. I feel terrible that they’re here when they should be enjoying the race and a vacation on the cruise ship. As the ramp drops, I motion up the hill to the slit of black in the pale gray columns of rock. “That’s where they are. We’re going to have to make this fast.”
More weapons’ fire pelts the land around the vessel, cutting through our path.
What the hell? Where is Elix?
“Zariah!” A raucous voice echoes through the mountains.
Despite protests from my team, I peer out of the ramp and around my ship.
A yellow rectangular portal closes behind Cazir.
He’s a dirty, bloodied mess. I can’t believe he’s still alive.
The feds didn’t pick him up?
“Zariah!” he calls again, face reddening, veins rising in his neck. “Come out or I will teleport myself into that cave and fire until I am out! I know what you’re hiding!”
I glance back at Teol who shakes her head.
“You know the plan,” I say. I will serve as a distraction to my brother. “These children are the future. You get them out of here. With or without me. And you teach them that we don’t have to hate one another.”
Teol hugs me. “Stay loose and ready.”
I nod and shake off the tension that’s grown from hearing my brother’s voice. Then I lean around the side of my ship, skirt into the bushes until I’m away from my crew, and close in on him.
Once our crew is hustling up the hill on the other side of the ship, I aim at my brother, wagering he has a shield, and take the shot. It skips off of his shield and buries in a rock wall.
Just like Dad.
He spins around and smirks, lifting a cannon that swells with yellow light. “Zariah. You made a terrible mistake.”
Panic suffocates me. I scramble up and sprint through the bushes, pushing my legs as fast as I can. I know that weapon all too well.
A blast scores a charred path through the vegetation. Bushes and trees go up in flames so hot they’re rendered to coals, many crumbling to cinders and ash.
“You should’ve just done what you were told and left the feds out of this!” he shouts, firing again, closer to me.
Something falls from the sky. I glance as I run and see Elix slam into the ground. He straightens and produces two iceblades from the holsters on his back.
“She didn’t call them. I did!” Elix growls.
A Novark from the ship in the lower field climbs the hill and fires up at Elix. My stomach clenches so hard I feel like I might get sick.
Elix flicks a blade and deflects the shot like he’s playing a simple game of ping pong. “Now, you better start talking,tekowan,or I’m going to cut your heart out.”
Elix spins his swords and spreads his feet. “You killed my mate. Let’s see how long you last under the weight of my kind of revenge.”
34: Elix
Cazir splutters something about not knowing she was my mate. Inside, I feel as destroyed as the forest behind him.
He frantically aims his cannon at me and fires. I sprint toward him, easily dodging his careless shot with what looks like a weapon too heavy for his slender frame to wield with any tact.
I slash at his shield. My blade cuts through, scoring his armor. He stumbles, drops the cannon, and swings a rifle at me.
The Novark fires. I block the bullet with help from my racing core and MONA, which still defends our position from overhead.
