Page 20 of Heart's Keeper

"I think not, '' Xilya said. "The tracker is also picking up traces of Ionx. Looks like a hunter might have found their mark."

Lana and Xerus glanced at each other, then Xerus dipped his head toward Xilya. "Then we will make a stop and prepare to engage."

Chapter Eight

The planet was surprisingly lush with life. Save for the massive volcanoes and molten rock, the world was a jungle and sea teeming with all kinds of species of fish, bird, and mammal. If Lana weren't on such an important mission, she would have taken several days if not weeks to collect data on the world and study the various specimens in their habitat. Unfortunately, there was no time, and the draw to find the hunter and the human (or humans) were a larger priority that stole her focus from anything else.

Once touching ground, they expected and prepared for the possibility that the hunter would have their own security system and that he or she would know of their arrival. Locking on to the hunter’s ship, they landed as close to it as possible, drawing up their shields in case of an immediate attack. Lana stayed onboard, watching closely to the drone feeds, or "skyeyes'' as vrisha called them, while Xerus and their team exited the ship. They didn't need to all go out there. Even one was enough to take on one hunter. Instead, Gyrix and Krel guarded the perimeter of the ship, Aryus took up a position from above to keep an eye out, and the sisters followed Xerus to the hunter's ship close by.

The ship was a dark, hard-edged looking design similar to the vrisha's, but Xilya was absolutely certain it was a Xolis-made ship. When they checked it, they found it empty but not, from what they could tell, broken or run-down which was puzzling. Why would they come out to this planet with no known civilization to make a stop if they were not in need of repairs?

"They may be trying to hide," Xilya said as an answer. "Either they are waiting on their master's orders, or they are looking to refuel before returning to Xolis. Whatever the cause, they can't be far."

"But why take the humans with them into the jungle?" Lana asked. "Why not leave them on the ship tied up or caged or something?"

"In case of people like us coming along and stealing their cargo." Xilya tipped her head in a shrug. "Otherwise, it's hard to say."

Lana watched as Xerus and the sisters checked around the hunter's ship, tracking footprints on the ground and any evidence of a struggle or of someone fleeing into the jungle. After careful observation, they concluded there was only one human and that they had followed the hunter into the jungle. After some debate, it was assumed they were coerced to go into the wilds for whatever reason.

The sisters had begun to approach the forest edge when Xerus stopped them.

"I'll go," he said as his eyes drifted over the dark jungle. He lifted his head and smelled the air, his tail beginning to weave behind him.

Lana shifted nervously in her seat. "Maybe he shouldn't go alone," she said to Xilya beside her.

Xilya gave her a curious look. "Why? He is more than capable."

Lana knew that more than anyone. Still, something bothered her in the way he paced as if ready to charge into the underbrush.

"It looks like he might have picked up a scent," Xilya commented.

The sisters backed away but stayed close to the perimeter of the ship as Xerus found an opening and slipped inside.

It took a moment for one of the skyeyes to find him as it followed from above. He moved swiftly and silently through the forest, his body low to the ground. The way he moved reminded Lana of a jungle cat hunting its prey. Her heart fluttered at the sight, but she remained quiet and still as she watched, confident he was close. Even if the hunter had a weapon, she didn't think they would be able to use it in time before Xerus attacked. And if there was a trap, they would immediately respond.

The jungle abruptly ended at a beach. Before Xerus burst out from between two thick trees, he halted and scanned the coast. Not far off to the north, they could see someone sitting on a set of rocks. As Xerus moved closer, they could see it was a human woman. She sat alone, wearing nothing but undergarments, her hair dripping. She had clearly just come from a swim.

Lana frowned in confusion at the sight of her. The woman didn't seem to be in any distress. She was in fact sitting calmly, drying herself in the sun.

Maybe it was a trap after all. "Something isn't right," Lana said.

Xerus seemed to think the scene odd as well, for he hesitated in his approach. Then, slowly, he began to sneak up behind her.

"No need for that," Xilya said. "He's going to scare her if she sees him."

"He's just being cautious," Lana explained, though she grew tense as she watched, her heart beginning to pound.

"Why not call out to make himself known instead? What does he plan to do when he gets to—oh."

Xerus was only a few feet away when the girl turned her head and saw him. She let out a small scream and scrambled off the rocks. As she tried to stand, she stumbled and fell back, sand kicking up around her.

As she crawled back, Xerus went very still. Lana expected him to say something, even if the woman couldn't understand him, or to try to convince her he meant no harm. Instead, to Lana's sudden horror, he bared his teeth, letting out a deep hiss.

"What in Varadis' name is he doing?" Xilya started.

Lana rose from her seat, eyes wide as she watched Xerus follow the woman slowly, crouching low as if he were about to strike.

A vision of Xerus leaping at her from within the red room pushed its way into her mind, and Lana's heart dropped. "Get the others. Tell them to—no!"

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