Page 90 of Fate of Draga

Gritting his teeth he answered. “What?”

“The king is dead,” Adelina stated – her voice was nearly unrecognizable with how cold and unfeeling it was. The same voice she’d had since they’d lost Giselle.

The king was dead.

Despite the overwhelming relief he felt, Asher feared it was too late.

“Congratulations sister, but I’m not sure I’ll make it off Kepri to celebrate with you.”

More dots on his holo appeared. There was nowhere for them to hide. He could escape back to his fighter and take off, but he would never leave Veri to these monsters.

Asher glanced back, seeing his fighter off in the distance. Could he make it back before the hounds came while carrying her? He could squeeze them into the cockpit and activate the shield until help arrived.

His sister didn’t respond to his statement.

“How fares the battle on the border?” the queen asked.

“We haven’t made it to Khara Prime,” Asher stated, still contemplating his next move. “Sirus?”

“The horde is closing in,” Sirus reported. “I’m holding the border, but everything I’m reading says their weapons are priming. Do we know their range?”

Gods be damned bad luck. Asher turned back to his fighter, sprinting as fast as he could with the precious cargo in his arms.

They’d managed to fail even though they’d killed the king. It hadn’t stopped the horde.

Instead they were probably going to obliterate everything in retaliation and take all three systems for themselves. A Neprijat prince – only one, was leading that horde.

At least there was that, Asher thought as he ran – hearing the howls and screams of the hounds as they got closer. The Neprijat were too territorial to have more than one king and one prince. Any royal males conceived after the heir were slaughtered in the womb.

It had disgusted him when Sozav had told him, but now he was grateful there was only one. Perhaps Adelina would still find a way to take the Neprijat – even if he doubted the majority of them would survive this. He was already on his last legs…

There—bloody hells.

Asher picked up the pace as the hounds burst from the brush, scurrying after him faster than he could run.

He wasn’t going to make it.

“I’m on my way,” Adelina stated. “Hold the lines just a little longer. Make sure our people are inside that line I drew. And Asher? I don’t give you permission to die. Find a solution.”

He wanted to call her every nasty name in the book, but the dominance in her command forced him to speed up.

“I’ll do what I can,” he gritted out.

Veri groaned as the hounds grew closer, their hunting screams spurring him on.

They were so close. And Asher realized they might actually make it – or at least Veri would. He couldn’t get them both inside in time, but he could toss her up just before the hounds reached them.

Five more steps. Then three.

Asher tossed her into the cockpit and spun around, unsheathing his blades. Plasma sparked and he beheaded two of the hounds in mid-leap. Still more came.

He fought back with everything he had – everything he’d ever learned; every dirty trick in the book. Asher fought for Veri – he fought for their future. He fought for his people and the time they needed to finish this.

The king was dead, but they had one more obstacle to survive – and to die now…

Asher wouldn’t allow it.

“William, drop your current orders.” Asher grunted as he managed to dodge a bite that would have taken his head off had it landed. “Assist Sirus in reinforcing the border. Leave the planets to those on the ground.”

---