Chapter 3
Zathar
My heart was pounding in my throat when my female suddenly went limp in my grip.
How badly was she hurt? I hadn’t even seen what had hit her, but our situation was dire.
Our exit was tilted such that the only way out was now a several-foot drop into the deep water, an icy swim, followed by a steep climb.
I heard Corin and Iave call for me, urging me to hurry; they’d seen the first Bitter Storm warriors approaching through the woods below us. Not good, they would outnumber us, and I doubted they’d do anything good to these strange new people we’d found.
Curling my tail up, I pulled the female’s limp form in close until I could lift her beneath one arm.
My eyes told me there was a red smear on her temple, a cut from where something had hit her.
I didn’t like the look of it, but the taste of her salty, metallic blood on my tongue was enticing.
With her under one arm, I pulled myself through the hole, my long tail curling and twisting to find purchase.
Draping my body just right, I let us slide down the slick side of the vessel and into the water, breaking our fall with my muscled coils.
She gasped and spluttered as she hit the water, rousing a little; much to my relief.
She had only been out for a few seconds altogether but that was still far too long.
I curled her just so in my arm that her head remained above the water, coiling my body to propel us as fast as I could to the nearest climbing spot.
A wave caught us, sending us to the rock wall far faster than I anticipated as the vessel finally sank completely beneath the water.
I braced for impact, hitting the rocks with my tail and shoulder but shielding the fragile female with her soft, warm skin.
Skin that was rapidly cooling in the near-freezing water, her lips turning an alarming shade of purple and blue.
Grabbing on, I hauled us over the edge, helped at the last moment by Corin’s tail as he slung it in my direction, yanking us onto soft pink grass. “You made it, thank the stars.”
We had made it, but my female was shivering in my arms, her eyes fluttering as she struggled to rouse.
As I lifted myself up off the ground, cradling her to my chest, I eyed the approaching warriors.
They had fanned out, hoping to surround us.
Their red scales shimmered in the sunlight, their obsidian blades black and sharp.
“We’ll head for Vangor pass,” I instructed Corin, “You carry the injured female.” I indicated the wounded woman we’d pulled from the wreckage.
“Iave, you carry the one with bad legs,” I instructed, casting my eyes about to locate my other friend.
He was between the humans, squaring off against a dark-skinned female and one slightly bigger male that stood at her side.
The other two females were on the grass, sitting down with pale, scared looks on their faces.
They were arguing, but Iave was hissing in our tongue, while the newcomers spoke in their oddly lyrical language.
I doubted any of them understood each other, but the effect was dramatic and they hadn’t even noticed the approaching warriors.
“Iave!” I yelled, pointing my hand at the row of menacing Bitter Storm males.
They were grinning furiously, their teeth painted black, spears readying for a throw.
Iave’s eyes went wide and his hand went to his ax, but this was no time for fighting.
He seemed to conclude the same thing because he dipped and lifted the female with bad legs into his arms, throwing her over one shoulder as if she were a sack of goods.
“Vangor?” he demanded, proving he’d heard me after all.
For a brief second, I wondered if the pitiful group of crash survivors was going to protest, especially the male and the tough-looking female.
A look at the approaching warriors seemed to make up their minds.
With Iave and Corin each with a burden in their arms in the lead, the others scrambled to follow.
I was the last, with my mate in my arms, but I made sure to protect our rear.
A wave of spears came flying at us through the air just as my female fully roused.
She let out another of her earsplitting shrieks, making my sensitive hearing ring.
As far as defensive mechanisms went, not the most effective, but it was definitely uncomfortable.
While I swung my body left and right, dodging the falling obsidian spears, I could tell the Bitter Storm warriors were briefly derailed by the sound.
My female hadn’t been the only one that screamed, some of the others had as well.
The male and the brave warrior female had yelled in angry tones, not nearly as impressive, more reminiscent of cursing.
They must be able to temper their fear response better.
If I wasn’t so worried about making it out of here, I would have wanted to ask my mate about this difference.
Ahead, Corin was the first to slide between two narrow rock faces, out of range of the Bitter Storm spears.
Iave paused, freeing his ax with one hand while he kept hold of the small injured female with the other.
He was urging the refugees through, which they did in a mad scramble to get to safety.
The only one who paused was the warrior woman, she stepped up at his side with a fierce glare, yanking a knife from a sheath at Iave’s hip and brandishing it in front of her.
I smirked as I rushed past them, no wonder my friend had gotten so intrigued with her stasis pod.
They seemed well-matched and I was happy for him.
This would heal the chasm between us and end the arguments we’d had over how to find a mate.
I was very ready to be done arguing with my friend, it would leave more time to woo my new mate.
“Kalani, careful!” my female said, “Those look like they’re not here for a friendly chat.
” I didn’t pause for the female to respond back but slid myself and my precious burden between the tall rock walls with only a little room to spare.
I trusted my friend to follow us through the narrow crevice immediately after us.
As soon as my tail was free, I whirled around.
I shifted my precious burden to the crook of my elbow, so I could free up one hand and grab for one of my swords.
I brandished it in front of me as I carefully watched for any sign of trouble.
Iave was pushing the dark-skinned female through the crevice and she was yelling and gesturing with her hands as she went, almost hitting my friend in the eye with her pilfered blade.
I saw the change in Iave’s face before I caught on to what he’d sensed.
Tilting my head, I spotted the pair of Bitter Storm Naga with their shimmering red scales and even more menacing black spears.
They were coming down the mountain to our passage, having found some other path up there, worse, they were jabbing their spears down into scree rubble lying on a ledge above us.
They were about to create a rock avalanche, one that could very well crush us, but it was going to take them down with it.
Locking eyes with my friend through the narrow opening, he gave me one sharp nod, his jagged horns almost hitting his chest from the quick move. He whipped his tail around and yanked the warrior female out, just as I leaped my body back, yelling at the others to start running.
The rocks started sliding, first just a few thudding into the narrow passage we were in, then more, until it was raining down on us.
I hunched myself over my mate, shielding her from the blows with my much tougher scales.
The chaos of our frantic retreat meant I had lost sight of the two enemy Naga but I had my focus on our rescues and Corin; they were out.
They’d made it far enough before the rocks started pelting down.
The roar behind me had me spinning, slashing my sword without thought, while I remained curled around my mate.
I caught the Naga across the chest, my sharp blade cutting deep.
The male fell limply to the ground and was promptly covered by the last of the rocks, a sharp pain at the tip of my tail warning me that I was now pinned in place too.
No longer at risk of getting crushed, I gently put my female down behind me and whirled back the way we’d come, peering at the settling crush of rocks that now filled the narrow passage.
Where was the second one? Had he survived?
I had to locate him or I just knew I’d end up with a spear in my back when I tried to leave this place.
I had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching me, and I wasn’t talking about the huddle of refugees at my back.
Corin was trying to calm them but I didn’t think they were finding the sound of his voice all that soothing.
No longer touching my mate, I couldn’t understand what she was saying, but I was fairly certain she was talking about the rocks piled on the end of my tail.
Lifting my head I growled when I finally spotted my adversary, still on the ledge somehow and yanking free his own tail with a scraping noise that certainly meant he’d just lost a good amount of his scales.
I grabbed my second sword, meeting the male head-on as he leaped down the crevice, making more of the rocks tumble and slide.
We clashed fiercely, our bodies writhing together, as the both of us growled and hissed insults.
I was only too aware of my fragile mate with her head injury, just a few feet behind me, standing unsteadily on the sandy path.