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Chapter Twelve
Adreax
I tried to warn her. The Patrol was not there to help anybody. The Patrol helped no one, ever. But now I had a bigger problem. I knew nothing about how to handle this odd little human shuttle, and I wasn’t sure I could get it off the ground even if I wanted to. Second, the Patrol ships that landed outside were just a small contingent of the fleet that still circled overhead, meaning I would have to break away and outrun them.
And then there was the problem of Tayla. I knew I should let her deal with the Patrol on her own. No good would come of me trying to interfere on her behalf. But some part of me felt responsible. Some part of me knew that if I left her to her own devices, the Patrol would torture her, and I just couldn’t stomach that. Nobody deserved what the Patrol did to people, not even her.
“I know what you’re thinking, and I just want you to hear me say I think this is a bad idea,” Herod said from his place beside me, peering out the window as Tayla and Alec were both cuffed and hauled to their feet.
I nodded, acknowledging his statement. “I know it is,” I confirmed humorlessly. “But that changes nothing. You can sit this one out if you want.”
Herod snorted a laugh. “And miss my chance to take a few shots at those guys? No way.”
I smiled to myself, grateful that Herod was as reckless as he was loyal. I couldn’t remember why I had been irate with him earlier, and it didn’t matter, anyway. I went to one crate and popped the top open, pulling a long gun out for myself. I had to do some digging to find the ammunition, but once I had it in hand, I loaded up and squared my shoulders.
We stepped out of the shuttle’s cabin door together, marching across the dusty earth in lock step. I narrowed my eyes, surveying the officers lined up ahead of us and searching for the weak spot in their team. There was always a weak spot.
To my left, the sound of Herod’s rifle firing its first round and reloading made my ears ring, but he was an excellent shot. One of the officers fell, and the others burst into a flurry of activity. However, they did not respond the way I expected. Instead of turning on us and firing back, they huddled around Tayla and Alec, forming a tight shield and running for their ship. Only a couple of officers stayed behind to hold us off.
Were they really rescuing her? Then why did they have her in cuffs? No, they were not here to help her. I knew better than that. This was something else, and I needed to get to her.
I raised my weapon, taking aim at one of the two officers standing in our way and pulled the trigger. The gun leapt in my hands, but the officer did not fall. I was reloading for another shot when he fired back, and I felt the hot sting of his bullet pass through my side. Seething, I fired again, this time dropping him, but I was in trouble. I could feel the blood, hot and sticky, as the wound pulsated.
Herod took down his officer and rushed to my side, quickly pulling the shirt off his back and tearing it to shreds to tie a bandage over my side. I let out a pained roar as he put pressure on the wound.
“Go. Get. Her.”
“No, I’m not going anywhere,” he argued.
I glared at him, breathing hard through my nose as I tried to stay conscious. The edges of my vision were growing blurry, though, and I could see Tayla and Alec being ushered up a ramp onto the Patrol ship. Out of reach.
“Save her,” I tried again insistently.
“Shut up,” Herod snapped, reapplying pressure. “We’re going back to the ship and getting out of here. Just you and me.”
I looked longingly at the Patrol ship, feeling a rush of dismay. Why had I let her get away so easily? Why did I care so much? I was dizzy and hanging onto my train of thought was too difficult.
“Come on,” Herod said gently, and I had the distant realization that he had my arm around his shoulders and was trying to get me upright.
I shifted my feet uselessly, desperate to shake off the fogginess invading my brain. I just had to get up. I just had to get to my ship. Tayla’s ship. Any ship. I just had to get my feet under me. I pressed myself upward with Herod’s help, taking a moment to steady myself as I swayed uneasily. But then I felt a rush of blood to my head, and dizziness swept over me once more. My vision went black, and no matter how many times I tried to blink it away, the light did not return. And then I was falling, and Herod’s voice was calling to me in a panicked whisper. Somewhere beyond the fog.
