Page 14 of Akur

“Wheeee!” The female’s glee translated into words across his screen once more. “Do it again!”

She was happy? Not even the Hedgeruds themselves were happy to be in each other’s presence. This wasn’t the same female he’d had hold of before that beam caught them both. Something was wrong with her. He’d deal with that later.

With a grunt, he swung the arm with the blade toward the ship. The first attempt failed, simply skating off the dark metal. As the haze of clouds dissipated and the surface below came into full view, his nefre pulsed with insistence on his nape. He was in danger. He needed to secure himself, or he’d be thrown off before the shuttle stabilized.

With another grunt and a swing of his arm, he plunged the sword into a groove of the ship. He could see the red warning light that lit the interior. Almost hear the female’s awe as she giggled again.

“Oooh, is this a disco?”

“Silence, foolish jerkin!” A pause. “No, you fools! Hold your fire! You will hit us, too!”

In his periphery, he saw the other two shuttles swerve and come up on either side. Two Hedgerud pilots. He couldn’t see the passengers, but no doubt there were human females tucked behind them, too.

Three against one. The odds weren’t good. But that’s what made it exhilarating. With a grunt, he climbed higher, tightening his hold on the blade. It was the only anchor point he had. The surface was close enough that he could see details of buildings. Rivers. Trees. Hover vehicles.

They were nearing fast. And behind them, a shadow.

“What the qrak is that?!” Glancing up, he saw what the Hedgerud was referring to, and for a moment, a grunt of respect almost made him smile.

The little shuttle he and E’lot used to chase after these excrement holes was in pursuit. E’lot hadn’t gone after the big ship after all. Must have followed when he’d seen the reckless turn of events. Qrakking, E’lot. But he should have known his comrade wouldn’t let him die so easily.

“Blast it down!”

His nefre pulsed as he saw a stream of laser light erupt from the surface. The three enemy shuttles broke formation, swerving out of the way at the last second. But E’lot swerved, too. It was a near miss, but unlike the fresh new shuttles of their enemies, his evasion put him off course. At this rate, before he managed to realign, they would reach the surface.

Qrak.

“Split up and take that one out. I’ll deal with this pest here.”

Akur’s lips pulled back in a snarl as he stared at the Hedgerud before him. The one giving the orders. Sure enough, the other two shuttles headed in separate directions, and he could only pray that E’lot knew what to do.

He did. Just as usual, it was as if E’lot read his mind. E’lot swerved, choosing a shuttle and following it. Good. Divide and conquer. If anything happened to him, they still could save even one human. That had to be good enough.

Hanging on tight to the handle of his blade, he swung his other arm to his hip, hoping the tethering line was still there and not ripped off by his entry into the atmosphere. The gods must be on his side because it was. It took just a few seconds to grab the line, swing it around himself, and secure the other end to the hilt of his blade. Just as the shuttle suddenly dipped and swerved, going upside down.

Akur grunted as his body swung. But the tether held, barely. The ground was rushing up to meet them at an alarming rate.

Inside the shuttle, he could almost hear the female’s whoop of exhilaration. “This is better than a rollercoaster!Hey, lizard man! Do a loop-de-loop!”

“I said silence, jekin! This is no game!”

Jekin, huh? Akur grunted, still holding on. Jekin was a word used for the lowest of things. He couldn’t imagine what the Hedgeruds would have done to those humans if their masters hadn’t needed them so badly.

“Aww, you’re no fun,” the human’s words continued to translate across his screen. As the shuttle swerved again, flipping itself right-side-up, he swung himself so he could glare at the Hedgerud guard, whose eyes widened as they locked on him again. And so did the human’s. “Hey, rebel dude! You’re still alive! I remember you!”

His lips curled in confusion as his gaze shifted to the female.

“You know…you’re not so bad looking when you snarl like that. Gives big badass vibes. When we land, can I get a ride on your shoulders? I bet the view is amazing from up there!”

“Silence!”

Akur’s gaze shifted back to the Hedgerud, who was absolutely backed up with excrement. His panicked orders to the other shuttle pilots confirmed his rank. A general. Akur’s lips curled into a predatory grin. Oh, he wouldrelishkilling this one.

“No! Don’t fire! The fool damaged our stabilization, but I’ll take the shuttle down. Land in District Six.”

The vessel swerved again as the Hedgerud gave his commands, and Akur glared at the beast before him. It was clear he was trying to shake him off, but there was nothing else either of them could do. He could only hold on—

The shuddering was what made him look down just as they zoomed past a towering building. And then another. And another. The shuttle was coming in hot, as if the Hedgerud inside had little control, swerving dangerously close to the structures of the city beneath them.

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