Page 62 of The Blind Hordesman

The screen shuts off, then turns back on, showing a beach full of Regha males and snarling hounds. The Horde really is here, and we’ve been watching whatever false images the general fed us. I search the faces for Seer. It’s a sea of green-armored males as big as the fridge, and I don’t see him.

The Horde parts like the sea to reveal the biggest red-armored male I’ve ever seen. He sprints toward the hive, reaches the four males with shields still at the shore, jumps onto their shields, and they shout, throwing him toward our screen. Midleap, venom shoots out of the male’s mouth and blades extend from his wrists. He thrusts his hand blades forward, and the screen goes dark. Thumping rings from above; metal screeches and dents.

Outside, the Horde is splitting up into groups, their rattling forming a beehive sound even a sheltered ranch girl like me recognizes.

The Teleans start scrambling, running around the room, their hands flying over the screens. Father enters, holding the gate. He wastes no time and runs straight for me, grabbing me by my hair. I clutch his wrist and scream as he drags me across the floor. At the door, he spins around. “Open it.”

The Teleans ignore him.

“Open the door, I said.”

One Telean turns, his gaze vacant. “Negative.”

“What?”

“The Horde has come,” the male says. “Release the girl and the gate, and die defending your throne.”

Father releases my hair, and from under the red fur draped over his shoulders, he takes out a laser gun. He fires across the room, and Telean bodies fall. Their blood spills, fumes coming out of the wounds. Father rushes to one panel and speaks in Rahkan, then turns toward his throne, where a tiny red light scans his chest. He rattles, and the screen shows numbers. It’s a timer counting down five minutes.

“What did you do?” I ask.

He walks past me and opens the now-unlocked door, tucks the gate under his arm, and exits, locking it behind him. I run and bang on the door. “Father! Father!” I shout as he runs down the hallway and turns a corner.

I spin around and stare at the countdown.

A sound comes from above, and I look up, trying to find the source. Banging continues as I presume Seer’s trying to enter Father’s command center, but what’s that other noise? The room becomes cloudy, and I inhale a foul scent that makes my lungs heavy. I cough, and that makes me want to cough even more. Father’s gassing me. He left me in here and released a gas.

I look up at the opening he came from and notice a lack of stairs. I’m a foot shorter than necessary to reach the bar so I can swing up and hopefully find a way out of here. Turning, I look around the room, and my gaze lands on the throne.

“Kiki,” Seer shouts from above.

“I’m here,” I shout back and try dragging the throne. It’s made of steel, and I can’t move it. I go behind it and try pushing, straining with all I have to get it under the exit so I can climb out and get some fresh air. My breaths become more labored, the coughing takes over, and I slump to the floor, leaning against the throne. A glance at the screen tells me I have a minute and a half left. I wipe sweat off my forehead. Hitching breaths, tiredness comes over me, and I lie on the floor, counting down with the clock. “Fifty-nine, fifty-eight….” Dark spots swim in my vision, so I close my eyes and inhale.

Chapter 24

Seer

The hatch the imposter used to get to the surface is so cleverly concealed that if I hadn’t landed on the nose of the hive and scented the male crawling on top, I wouldn’t have found it. Unfortunately, climbing onto a smooth metal object required a great deal of effort, and when I finally reached the top, the imposter had escaped.

Which is fine.

I’ll find him later.

My Omega is inside, and I need to get her out of there. “Kiki,” I call out again, hoping she can open the latch. I keep punching it.

I’ve made a dent in it, but I need it to break.

“Kiki,” I shout again and stand, then start jumping on it. I hop two times, feel the latch give out, and crash to the floor below. Oh no. Poisonous gas enters my nose, and I can’t smell anything else. “Kiki,” I call out. I tilt my head to hear Kiki, but all that comes back is the faint ticking of the clock. I cough and crouch, hands extended. My right arm touches a large metal bar. It’s not Kiki, so I round the object, and my boot kicks a body. I know it’s a body. I’ve kicked many bodies.

I grab the small figure and throw her over my shoulder, then run back to the hole, hop up, and catch some sort of a bar. I use it to swing my body up and run across the hive shifting Kiki to my front. I jump off just as the explosion propels me forward. Landing on the sand, I stumble forward. One hand extended, I hit the ground.

Fumes rise from my back, telling me my armor is burned. I lay Kiki on the sand and press an ear to her chest. Her lungs wheeze. “Medic,” I shout. The explosion likely incinerated anyone near the hive. The survivors fight in the water to my left. I listen for the Horde and count half as many males. I wish Dreikx never brought them here. They’re gonna die. The Horde can’t hold back the army of hatchlings, and they definitely can’t hold them with the active drones circling above their heads and cutting into their armor.

I felt this way about the Stronghold with all the walls to protect them, and nobody fucking believed me. The few Telean pods battle the drones, but I hear the heavy pods hitting the water. No medic is coming. The imposter has escaped, and my Omega is barely breathing.

I knew this battle would be hard, but Great Serpent, if you would grant me a mercy and let her live, I would forfeit my hunt for the imposter and the crown.

I would give up everything.

---