Page 40 of Guardian's Soul

I forced myself to focus, pushing down the fear and confusion. "Right. Right. I'm going." I discarded most of our equipment, hoping we wouldn't need it again, and sprinted to the east wall, where no forest loomed on the other side of the estate. He told me that he had programmed the ship to land there, promising it would take the wall down since we were no longer in stealth mode.

I kept a screen up to the side of my head so I could watch Thrax move swiftly, half-dragging Possedion with him through the house. My heart was in my throat as they navigated the twisting hallways of the compound while I was making my way across the lawn, passing the still-unconscious guards Thrax had taken care of earlier.

"Stop," I said suddenly. "Three more Guardians just ahead. They're blocking your exit."

Thrax's curse was colorful enough to make me blush. "Options?"

I scanned the feeds frantically. "There's a service entrance to your right. It'll take you the long way around, but?—"

"It'll have to do," Thrax cut me off. "Keep an eye on our friends, will you?"

"With pleasure," I muttered, watching as he changed course.

I ran past the pool and around the large bungalow toward the east side wall, where, up in the sky, I could make out our ship slowly coming down.

"Come on, come on, come on," I muttered as I impatiently shifted my weight from one foot to the other, eyes darting between the screen and the house, waiting for Thrax, who moved with unstoppable grace, swiftly neutralizing any Guardian in his way without releasing his hold on Possedion. It was… impressive. And more than a little terrifying. It was like watching an action movie, only that the actor in this movie could die at any given moment and meant a whole lot more to me than any hero in any movie ever.

Finally, they emerged. I allowed myself a moment of relief before reality crashed back in. On the drone feed, I watched a whole squadron of Space Guardians drive toward the gate from the other side. They were riding on some kind of alien hover bikes.

"Thrax, we've got a problem," I warned him, my voice tight. "More Guardians are heading for the gate."

Thrax's response was lost in a burst of static. My screens flickered, and for a heart-stopping moment, I thought I'd lost him.

"Thrax?" I called, panic rising in my throat. "Thrax, do you copy?"

The comm crackled back to life. "—ree? Can you hear me?"

I sagged with relief. "Yes, yes, I hear you. What happened?"

"EMPulse," he grunted. "I'm coming. Are you at the wall?"

"Yes. Hurry."

It only took a few seconds, but I swear they were the longest of my life, before I saw him with Possedion in tow bursting through the mansion's back door.

My heart leapt at seeing him finally off-screen.

I noticed a large shadow passing over me, and as I glanced up, I saw Thrax's ship. It was almost on the ground.

"Move, Hannah," Thrax shouted, and I realized I was standing right in the ship's landing path. I ran toward Thrax, who had his arms full with Possedion. The merchant was now seriously struggling against Thrax's hold. He must have come to the realization that his large army wouldn't save him at the last second. Thrax took a few more steps back, and I followed, feeling heat and wind coming down. His ship was so much larger than I remembered. Without a problem, it began landing right on top of the wall, taking it down.

From the gate, I heard the sound of motors and looked at my screen. "They're through the gate," I yelled as if Thrax wasn't standing right beside me.

The first bike was coming around the corner, going incredibly fast, just as Thrax's ship was reaching the ground. The cargo bay door opened.

"Go, Hannah," Thrax ordered, and I ran.

Thrax kept his hold on Possedion as he fired at the first approaching Guardian. Hit, the man fell unconscious immediately, losing control of his bike, and his body flew through the air. I averted my face and ran into the cargo bay, hoping the Guardian wouldn't be hurt too badly.

Right after me, Possedion flew into the cargo bay as Thrax tossed him like a bag of beans, while he kept firing, his hand pressed on the control to close the hatch.

The moment the hatch closed, Thrax turned to me. "Hannah, I need you to take Possedion. Can you handle him?"

I swallowed hard, eyeing the alien prisoner warily. "Y-yes. I can do it."

"Good. I have to go to the bridge to get us out of here. Take him to the room we prepared. Use your blaster if you have to."

I knew how much hinged on getting Possedion to answerour questions. I adjusted my blaster like Thrax had shown me to stun, thinking this might be an easier solution yet. Get him to the room, shoot him, and then help Thrax.

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