Page 7 of Rescuing Red

Attention:

Attack imminent on the planet Jun’gale. Mesi will blockade at dawn. All residents seeking shelter within the city walls must arrive before dawn. The gates will not reopen. Off-world transportation will cease when enemy ships arrive.

Holding back his own reaction, Blaide passed the note to the group who claimed to lead the town, unable to ignore the inappropriate spark of satisfaction as their fear filled the surrounding air. When they only stared at each other, he could no longer resist the need to take control.

“I’m leaving for the city in an hour. Anyone who is willing and able may accompany me. If you cannot make the trip or refuse to leave, stock up on food and water, board your windows, prepare to hunker down for at least a week. Keep the gates closed and don’t open them unless you know it’s our troops on the other side. Keep quiet and try not to create smoke or anything that will draw attention to you.”

Voices rose, shouting questions he had no time to answer. He’d only given the ones who wanted to accompany him an hour to prepare because the city was even further than the town wasto his den. He knew he couldn’t push them to his pace, and he’d need the entire night to get them through before the blockade was in place.

“Anyone leaving with me, bring only enough food and water for a night of travel. If you know you cannot make the distance, you’d be better off hunkering down here.”

He knew he sounded harsh, but they were in a survival situation and his training had kicked in.

Turning to the shopkeeper, he got the man’s attention.

“I need a place to rest for the next hour.”

The smaller male stared up at him for a moment before giving a sharp nod and turning to lead him back to the shop. Directing him up a narrow set of stairs in the back, the man offered his own bed, assuring Blaide no one would bother him until he emerged.

Stepping out of the building an hour later, the sight that met him caused him to pause. Warships couldn’t pass through the atmosphere, but they were so big he could see them from the ground with his naked eyes. Turning in a circle, he spotted two along the horizon, preparing to attack.

A little less surprising, there were only a handful of people waiting for him to lead them away. He hadn’t expected many to take the offer, and he had to swallow the need to convince more to come. He could only help those that wanted aid, and even the few willing to make the trip were going to be a challenge. A mother and father each carried a youngling in their arms.

Making eye contact with those standing before him, he assessed their chances of making it to the city by dawn.

“It’s going to be a hard walk, but you must keep up. See those warships?” He pointed to first one, then the other. “Soldiers will flood the surface of the planet in a few hours. If you fall behind, I can’t risk the others to stop for you.”

He got nods from each, though worried looks passed across many faces. Stepping over to the pair holding their children, he offered them his most assuring grin as tiny faces tipped back to watch him.

“Find some long cloth and strap them to you. It’ll balance their weight better and free your hands.”

The male looked confused, but the woman nodded, immediately turning to dash toward a modest home near the gate. He gave her time to return and helped get the children safely tucked into place before looking over the group again.

“If you fall behind, follow the dark moon. When it disappears, the sun should rise behind you.”

It had taken a little while for him to get used to a planet with three moons, but they were convenient when moving at night since they all headed in different directions. He could tell which way he faced and the time by where they were in the sky, and it had helped him more than once as he explored.

Pushing away his worries, he led his little group out, watching the gates close behind them, the sound of the bar dropping into place echoing through the space beneath the trees.

***

Blaide had thought the trip from his den to the town had been too slow.

Even knowing he’d have to moderate his pace for civilians, the trek to the city took hours more than he’d expected. Despite his threats to leave them behind if they slowed, Blaide gave as many breaks as he could until the birds stirring in the treetops warned that their time was ending, and he didn’t know how serious the city’s guard would be about stopping their entrance after dawn.

Halfway through the trip, he took the youngling from its mother and strapped it to his chest. Her feet dragged on thepath. Luckily, the little one was so exhausted, it snuggled against his sternum without protest and promptly fell back asleep. When the chill of night lifted, he took the other child as well and pushed the weary travelers as fast as they could go. It was strange to hold something so small and delicate, but he couldn’t stop a smile from crossing his face each time he looked down into innocent, violet eyes as one watched him in silence.

The city walls appeared before them just as the sky lightened. A relieved sigh passed from every person in their little group. Their steps took on new life with the end in sight. Handing one child back to its father and relieving himself of the sling holding the other, Blaide moved to the front of the group and led them toward the barriers funneling a line of people through the gates.

The scent of milk and honey tickled his nose as they reached the entrance, causing him to raise his head and look around. Something about it called to him. His groin tightened, but the scent wafted away. Shaking off the sensation, he focused on getting through the gate.

The guards barely glanced at them as they passed through into safety after their long night of travel. It was almost disappointing to walk into the city unchallenged after pushing so hard to make it in time. Still feeling responsible for his little group, Blaide waved them to a small open space behind the line of guards before approaching the nearest male in uniform.

“Excuse me, where can we rest? Are there any updates?”

The guard eyed him for a moment before looking at the group behind him. Grunting, the man raised his arm and pointed to a tall building near where they stood.

“Last I heard, there were still rooms available there for anyone waiting on transport or staying in the city. I’m sure you saw the ships on the horizon, so they’re being cautious with takeoffs. We’ve lost touch with most of the outlying villages and outposts, and backup won’t arrive for at least two days.”

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