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“But it sounds like they’re in trouble,” she said.
“Not your problem,” he said. “Unless they come in here. Stay put.”
Then he was sprinting away, moving impossibly fast for such a big man.
He’s not a man…
In seconds, Kinsley was alone in the longhouse with the baby, her heart pounding.
She spun around, pressing her face to the small window to try and get some kind of idea of what was going on out there.
Starlight illuminated the figures moving outside enough that it was easier to see out there than it was inside. The bandits appeared to be a race similar to Terrans, but much thinner. Their angular bodies raced among the members of the convoy, going after their opponents with an almost unworldly energy that was haunting to watch.
Though the bandits had only rudimentary weapons, there were so many of them and they moved so quickly, that they were able to get hits in.
She watched as one crept up on Avril, clocked her with something that looked like a piece of lumber, and then retreated back before she could retaliate.
It wasn’t until Kinsley strained her eyes to search deeper into the battle that she saw what was really going on.
The majority of the bandits were basically just sacrificing themselves on the field, creating a big diversion so that two or three could slip parcels off the back of the load.
Closer to the window, she heard a shout.
Hank was warning Lyslee that two of the bandits were sneaking through a patch of shadow near her. When one jumped to attack, starlight hit him just right, and Kinsley gasped.
TheywereTerran. They were simply very, very thin. Kinsley wondered how they could even function like that.
Lyslee turned and took the two out with a few practiced swings of her staff.
Kinsley wondered briefly why the convoy weren’t using their blasters, but remembered Kian’s warning about them freezing up. It was probably a good thing for the bandits, who were already pretty outclassed as it was. It might have even been the reason they waited to attack until the coldest part of the night.
Further along, Bill let out a string of curses as he ran after a group of the bandits, with Hank trailing behind.
They gave chase for a moment but seemed to give up quickly. It was as if he and Hank weren’t actually strong enough to fight the bandits, and all they could do was distract them and warn the others.
She wondered again if it was possible that these things just looked a lot like Terrans, but weren’t.
Kian had joined the others now. He took out three of the bandits without even using a weapon. The bandits rallied, but they might as well have been children fighting a tiger for all the good they were doing against the skilled Invicta warrior. As far as she could see, anyone who got even close to Kian was dispatched with minimal effort on his part. He didn’t even seem to be going all out on them, choosing to disable and incapacitate them with bare-handed blows. He even stunned a few and sent them Lyslee’s way for her to finish off.
Kinsley was beginning to understand why the Invicta had such a reputation as fighters. She and the baby were certainly in good hands.
But in spite of his obviously unparalleled skill, Kinsley found her heart pounding anytime one of the bandits got too close to Kian.
She would have thought watching a dragon warrior fight would be the most thrilling experience of a lifetime.
But something about seeing anyone trying to hurt him, even if she knew they didn’t have a chance, was repugnant to her. It was as difficult to watch as it was impossible to look away.
Her left hand clenched into a fist at her side, and her right hand tightened on the cold metal of the laser dagger.
Before long, the fight was finished, and the bandits were leaping over the sleds and sprinting off into the darkness of the tundra.
The whole conflict had ended within minutes of Kian joining the fray.
She heard voices growing closer and then the longhouse was filled with the gasping shouts of the adrenaline-amped convoy celebrating their victory.
But there was only one voice Kinsley was listening for.
Finally, Kian was striding through the longhouse, his footsteps reverberating through her as she waited, her mind and body awash with relief.
