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He edged forward into the hallway and checked each direction.
“It’s clear,” he said.
He helped me out of the tunnel. The natural light blinded me. I squinted to protect myself from the glare.
The others spread out, eyes wary and watchful.
Fiath reached for the statue of a Titan warrior carved from stone and pressed a button on the creature’s shield. The statue slid back into place. He checked it to make sure there were no lines or marks that would reveal the secret entrance. Confident, he turned to us.
“This way,” he said.
We hurried down the palace’s long hallways. The plan was to visit the armory and collect advanced weapons we needed to overpower the Changelings and take control of the defensive turrets.
We edged down the hallways. The others held their swords and knives raised. I felt a little vulnerable without a weapon in my hand.
Nus nudged my shoulder and handed me a knife.
I nodded in thanks to her… then realized I had no idea if I could bring myself to stab someone. Hopefully, I wouldn’t need to.
It was slow, steady work. We needed to be careful.
M’rar Thres came to a stop and peered out the window. His expression was frozen, ensnared by something outside.
“What is it?” I said.
I went up on tiptoe to peer outside and see what had arrested him.
The scene was terrifying.
In the distance, beyond the clutch of buildings of Okem town and its protective walls was a battle.
The battle.
The firepower of advanced weaponry was on one side. The Changelings attacked from the ground and air. The Titan army defended themselves as best they could with their shields, launching spears, axes, knives, and the occasional plasma bolt at the enemy, but it was clear who had superior firepower.
For every Changeling soldier they took down, three Titans fell in their place.
It was a massacre.
Our creeping through the palace to disable the defenses was being paid for with Titan blood.
Many of the injured were still alive, helped by their comrades, who dragged them through the mud to the rear ranks. From there, they were carried off on stretchers toward the impromptu field hospital.
Where I should have been.
“We must hurry,” Nus said. “They cannot fight much longer.”
“Sh!”
Fiath came to a stop and pressed his back to the wall. The others followed suit, with me hurrying behind them a moment later.
We didn’t move a single muscle as a pair of Changeling soldiers strode past at the end of the hall.
No one moved a muscle. They would have spotted us in an instant.
The soldiers continued with their conversation as they passed and headed down the hall.
Everyone waited a moment before sighing with relief.
