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My task is one of secrecy, and I feel a moment of guilt that I did not speak to the tribe’s chief before embarking on my quest. Instead of asking his permission, I snuck out of the village before dawn, like a thief. But sometimes, a warrior must do what he feels is necessary to protect his tribe, and the clench of my gut tells me that this is of the upmost importance.
The lands of Laedirissae have changed so much since the days of the Ancestors, and even more changes have occurred since I was a kitling.
I think back to the sense of camaraderie that was present among Laediriians when I was a young kitling. We may have been divided into tribes, but we were still one people.
We celebrated that unity by joining together in celebrations as often as possible. Our biggest celebration was the annual proving games, when the young males who had not yet attained warrior status and the even younger kitlings would come together to compete against one another in games designed to test their skills and senses.
Then, our common enemy, the Pugj began attacking the tribes during the games.
The Pugj live on the very top of the tallest mountain, and until then, they had only carried out raids on our food stores, avoiding encounters with our males. But then, something changed and they began targeting us during their raids. Many young Laediriians died in the attacks, and the tribal chiefs decided it was too risky to gather for the games anymore. The tribes became more insular and isolated, and the Pugj used that to further divide us, spreading their attacks to our patrols and hunting parties.
Now, it appears even more change will be coming to our planet.
For a moment, I wonder if the other two tribes have something to do with the crashed ship, but then I decide that would be impossible. The Xeniiv and Tussoll are just as wary of outsiders as my own tribe. I cannot envision any of their males willingly making contact with beings from another world. It is unheard of.
Except. . . Havvor, the chief of the Tussoll has always been a little too foolhardy for his own well-being, but even so, I have a hard time imagining him doing something so risky.
Laedirissae is located in an isolated section of the galaxy, and the Ancestors chose to settle on this planet for just that reason. We value the protection our isolation provides, and no Laediriian would jeopardize our safety by inviting aliens to our world.
I debate whether to travel back to the village to inform the chief of what I have just witnessed, but I discard the idea. Chief Daggir has aged beyond his years over the last two seasons. Ever since. . . I shake my head and try to push those thoughts out of my mind before the dark cloud can descend upon me.
I do not want to place unnecessary worry upon him. His wide shoulders already carry so many burdens and if I can, I would save him from carrying more. Right now, there is not much to tell him – only that a strange vessel has crashed on our planet. I do not know why it has crashed or who is on it. I will find out more and then return to the village.
Still, it will be risky to approach the strange ship by myself without another warrior to be on the lookout.
Before I can stop it, my mind flashes back to an easy smile and a booming laugh that could be heard throughout the village.
My brother, Danir, should have been by my side. He would have placed his palm on my back and with a cocky grin challenged me to a race to see who could reach the crash site first.
He was the best of the two of us. He was intelligent, charming, and quick with a joke for the males in the tribe. The aching grief his absence causes shoots through me and makes my throat feel like it’s being constricted with a knot. I force myself to swallow and square my shoulders as I push down the memories until I can again turn my entire focus back to the crashed ship.
I will journey to the spot in the distance where the vessel crashed and observe it to see if any otherworldly beings survived. If the Universe finds favor with me, any aliens on the ship will have perished and they will no longer be a threat to Laedirissae.
And if they are still alive and I decide the newcomers are a threat, then my sword will make them wish they had perished in the crash.
Chapter 6
Haley
I uselessly swipe at my eyes in an attempt to clear my vision. Small black spots swim in front of me and a harsh ringing in my ears drowns out everything else. I swallow with a gulp as the sudden urge to vomit rises in my throat and I fight to keep from losing the meager contents of my stomach. Taking deep breaths through my nose, the nausea slowly recedes until all that’s left is a bitter taste in my mouth.
Quickly taking stock of my injuries, I realize that I’m lucky. Other than my body aching all over from being thrown about like a bull rider, the bleeding gash on my head, and a swollen ankle, I seem to be relatively unscathed.
I can’t believe it, I’m actually alive. I feel like pinching myself.
As the ringing in my ears slowly recedes, the clamor and groans of the others becomes audible. Someone is crying out in pain in great gulping sobs and another is pleading for help. I try to rise, but a wave of dizziness sends me crashing back to the floor and I fight against the darkness calling my name. It would be so easy to allow it to consume me, to just give in and sink down into the unconsciousness that awaits. The sweet oblivion of being able to escape from everything, even if for a little while.
I take a few deep breaths and then brace myself to try again. On my hands and knees, I slowly crawl out of the bathroom and into utter chaos.
The ship sits at a slight angle with one end buried in the ground. A hole of jagged metal in the ceiling spills a stream of sunlight into the room bathing the center of the cargo bay in a golden glow. Jagged bits of metal and vegetation are tossed everywhere on the floor.
My heart jumps into my throat when I notice that my cell door stands ajar with a narrow opening that looks just big enough for me to squeeze through. I immediately crawl to it and use the bars to slowly pull myself up. My head spins for a couple of minutes until everything settles.
Turning sideways and easing my way through the opening, I gaze down the line of other cells. Emily lies still on the floor of her cell, her skin drained of all color. For a split second, I freeze, terrified that she’s dead, but then I notice the slow rise and fall of her chest.
She’s alive. I gasp in relief and quickly make my way to her and pull on the door. Nothing happens.
My heart sinks. Damn. I had hoped the crash had damaged her door, too, and I’d be able to easily open it, but no such luck. But that doesn’t mean none of the other cells aren’t damaged. Maybe I can get them open.
