Chapter 14
Krashe
I was clinging to the third-grade revenant by my sword and my coils.
My scales clattering along my back to help my muscles cool down and sustain my tight grip.
My focus was absolute, destroy the machine and end the danger to my mate.
Climbing atop the machines and finding their vulnerable spots was the only way to kill them, but usually, warriors tackled such a beast with much greater numbers than this.
It didn’t matter, I’d taken down revenants before on my own, though never a third-grade one.
Joxra was clinging to the machine further down, stabbing madly at the cogs and pistons beneath the powerful plating that covered it.
Whatever he was hitting, it was disrupting the revenant’s ability to walk, making it lurch sideways in strange patterns.
But I’d hit the motherlode, as was usually the case the higher up on the machine one got. I was affecting its sight.
A few more strikes and I’d kill it, I was certain.
My blade had sawed through many thick cables, the special properties of the stone we used absorbing some of the lightning arcing inside the body of the machine.
But it did not absorb all of it, my fingers tingled, my arm was going numb, and my heart was starting to race in my chest.
Inevitably, we triggered the revenant’s final attack.
More red-fire barrels spinning into position to take me out.
I fought to curl my body out of the way and still deliver the final blows.
This revenant was fast, and its weapons moved easily, the red rot had not yet damaged its ability to move freely.
I was going to have to leap off, circle around, and try again.
Ice froze in my veins when the barrels of those red-fire weapons suddenly swiveled away from me.
I heard the whine as they heated up but I was already moving before they could fire.
Instead of leaping to safety, I struck with my sword, roaring with rage.
Go down, you abomination! My blow struck true, blue lightning sparking up the black blade that sizzled out into nothing.
The revenant started to pitch forward as limbs lost power, weapons angled down, and then the whole machine sank.
I clung to the top, riding it down to the ground, and throwing my body in a powerful leap at the last moment.
Naomi was right in front of me and I caught her in my arms, rolling her with me to make sure we were both well out of the way of the collapsing machine.
She’d crawled out of her hiding spot and yelled at the fucking revenant.
She’d caused the distraction that had allowed me to kill it.
She’d done so by putting herself in mortal peril.
I was completely torn between feeling utter awe at her daring, which had been far greater than that of any of the warriors on the ground with her.
Or furious anger at how much risk she’d taken.
What if I hadn’t killed it before it fired?
What if it had fallen on top of her? She couldn’t move fast enough to get out of the way…
I held her tightly against me, my chest tight with the powerful emotions roiling through me.
I couldn’t deal with this now, I’d snap at her, and I didn’t want that.
I found the perfect distraction in the warrior males that had survived the battle.
I fell back on old patterns and started barking orders, demanding a status report, dispatching two fit ones to scout around, and others to treat the injured.
That they fell into line instantly was no surprise to me, they were far too used to obeying my orders and rattled after the third-grade revenant had taken out half their numbers.
Still cradling Naomi in my arms I moved from one body to the next, engraving their names in my mind.
Bitter Storm was a huge Clan, I didn’t know every warrior personally, but I knew every face and name.
Even though we were at odds now, I still felt their losses.
If I had not taken Naomi out here, they would not have died.
Then I remembered that they shouldn’t be here at all, but out on the battlefront at the Thunder Rock Village.
The Queen had divided our forces by sending these warriors after us.
Joxra approached quietly, his head downcast but his eyes peeking at Naomi in my arms. She wasn’t protesting my tight grip, but she was patting me along my shoulders and neck.
Stroking me along my long hair even. The tiny jewel-green Sleara had darted out of the bushes where he’d been hiding and winged up to land on my shoulder with a little chirp.
I felt calmer knowing Kiwi was safe and sound, inexplicably getting attached to him just like my mate had.
“I’m fine, Krashe,” she murmured, “I knew you just needed one more strike.” I realized she’d said those words before but I hadn’t been able to listen to them, too worried and furious to focus.
At least it sounded like she was just trying to reassure me, not upset about my reaction to her after the fight.
I was still struggling not to be too rough; the battle high still gripped me.
With Joxra’s eyes on us, I dipped my head down to nuzzle her temple.
Finally, that soothed my ragged, exposed feelings until I could draw in a cleansing breath.
“You brave female, promise you won’t ever do that again!
” I still sounded furious to my own ears, my voice raspy, hissing rather than speaking.
Normally, my tone would not bother me, my warriors were used to me being gruff and short.
Naomi was an entirely different matter, I didn’t want her to think I was mean; a completely new experience for me.
She lifted her chin up and angled her face toward me, her blue eyes sparkling with her own battle high.
I knew instantly what she wanted and I didn’t hesitate.
I pressed my mouth to hers in one of those mouth-matings that she called kisses.
Joxra drew in a shocked breath to my left, staring openly at the sight and I felt a surge of satisfaction.
The warrior would probably never know what this felt like, and he was missing out.
When Naomi pulled back, I clamped my hand around the back of her head and pulled her back in.
Flicking my tongue into the warm cavern of her mouth, I drew her taste and her scent deep into my body.
She was alright, she was here in my arms, where I’d make damn sure she’d stay for the rest of her life.
Eventually, I allowed the kiss to end and lifted my eyes over my mate’s head to meet Joxra’s shocked ones.
He was one of my best warriors, an officer I’d appointed to a critical role in the battle at Thunder Rock.
“Did the attack go through? Who took your place?” I demanded of him, desperate to know if the Clan tried to move forward so we could finally address our food shortage.
He shook his head, shrugging his shoulders, and then he winced when that pulled on sprained and damaged tendons along his arm, which he’d wrenched when the revenant went down.
“The Queen dismissed all your plans, you are branded a traitor. She said we could not trust them.” I could see from the look in his eyes that he was confused now, rather than angry that I’d chosen my mate over the Clan.
I felt a sick sense of horror wash through me.
I knew I was an arrogant bastard, but I also knew that my plan of attack had been the very best. If the Queen changed them, and sent Joxra after me…
Thunder Rock would have defeated Bitter Storm, they had many good warriors themselves, and fortified walls to hide behind.
“So they failed,” I growled, “They failed, damn it!” Noami was already patting my chest, a sympathetic look on her soft, pale features.
She reminded me that there was more than the Clan to care about, there was more at stake.
Though I was certain that Joxra and the remaining warriors would let us go.
“Why do you care!?” Joxra snarled, his hand slashing through the air toward Naomi, not to attack, he was just pointing. I still flung my tail up and curled several coils around his limb to stop him in his tracks. I did not trust anyone to touch Naomi, to even look at her made me feel restless.
“I care! I have fought for more food, lobbied for better rationing, I planned our hunting ground expansion. Just because I found my mate and had to leave, does not mean I wish to see the younglings starve! I care.” He had the good grace to look apologetic, to duck his head and point his chin horn down to angle it at his own, vulnerable throat.
Yeah, that’s right, you know me. I would not betray the young and their hungry bellies.
It was, I knew with blinding insight, the Queen that had done that, growing fat and lazy while the rest of the Clan starved.
“Krashe,” Naomi said gently, “I’m sure there are other ways to feed Bitter Storm.
Trade, agriculture, new hunting methods.
.. We’ll think of something.” I felt astonishment rush through me when she said those words, my eyebrows rising, my mouth dropping open in surprise.
I knew Naomi had a kind heart, but why would she care about feeding my Clan when all they wanted was to see her dead?
“What? What did she say?” asked one of the other warriors from nearby.
He was on the ground, at the foot of the boulders where Naomi had hidden for most of the fight.
I’d caught him a good blow across the face during our first scuffle that had knocked him out.
He’d managed to crawl to safety when the revenant had fired.
Very lucky, the others I’d disabled hadn’t fared nearly as well as he had.