Page 44 of Shielded Heart

Her face was paler than normal, her eyes as big as twin moons, and she clutched her weapon in two white-knuckled hands.

“B-back this way.” She gestured toward the hall behind them with the barrel of her auto-blaster.

“Good. Lead the way.”

Samantha held his gaze for an instant before nodding. She moved in a brisk, shuffling sort of sidestep that allowed Arc to keep the shield protecting them without removing his tail from around her waist.

Unfortunately, the ever-friendly elevator crew sped their advance, continuing their steady stream of fire.

“Vrek’osh!” Drakkal spat through the commlink. “I don’t know who you pissed off, but more just showed up out here.”

“They are covering each other,” said Sekk’thi. “Attempting to get more of them into the building.”

“Well tell them there’s no room!” Arcanthus turned his body perpendicular to his attackers as he and Samantha reached the door to the stairs. Plasma bolts zipped around the edge of the shield, burning holes in the wall.

An excited, guttural voice crackled over the comms—Thargen, hurling insults at his enemies in an amalgamation of Universal Speech and Vorgalese.

Samantha opened the door. Arc wedged the shield against the wall at an angle to keep her protected and leaned through the doorway with his blaster at the ready. Once he’d confirmed the stairwell was clear, he swung his tail, forcing his terran inside. Stepping backward, he swept his arm down. The shield’s lower edge embedded itself in the floor just in front of the doorway, effectively blocking off all but the uppermost half-meter of the entryway. He opened his fist, releasing the invisible field that kept the shield tethered to his forearm.

He returned his right hand to his auto-blaster’s foregrip and led Samantha to the steps. The shield would hold out either until it had expended too much energy to sustain its form or it was beyond the control unit’s range.

At the very least, it would grant them some time to make their escape.

Drakkal said, “At this rate, the Eternal Guard will get here before you’re out.”

“As I recall,someoneis meant to be clearing a path.” Arcanthus hurried down the stairs with Samantha close behind. Her breaths were quick and ragged.

“Who…who are you talking to?” she asked.

“Drakkal and the others. They’re outside.”

When they reached the next landing—Arcanthus had lost track of how many flights they’d descended—he glanced back at her.

Frantic pink splotches stood out on her cheeks, contrasting the heightened paleness of her skin. Arcanthus had little notion of terran endurance and limitations; all he could do was hope she could push onward.

“Almost out, Samantha. This will be over soon,” he said as gently as he could.

She nodded. “If we stop…I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep going.”

Arcanthus continued down, tightening his tail around her middle a little more; she wouldn’t feel it through her armor, and he wanted to ensure he could keep her upright if she tripped or stumbled.

After what felt like both an eternity and a fleeting handful of moments, they finally reached the ground floor.

Arcanthus guided Samantha under the stairs; it was the only spot that provided cover from above and a little protection from the door leading into the main corridor. He looked down at the indicator on the inside of his right wrist. The shield wouldn’t last longer than a few more seconds.

“Tell me one of the exits is clear,” he said. “I don’t have time to pull up city plans and puzzle out an alternate route.”

“Still hot out here,” Drakkal replied.

“They were reinforced,” growled Koroq. “Back is no good.”

“I suppose theyreallywant me dead,” Arcanthus said.

Drakkal snorted. “Don’t they know there’s a waiting list?”

The shield’s power indicator flickered off. Shouts sounded from high above. Arcanthus’s heart raced almost as quickly as his mind; they needed a way out, and they needed onefast. His own skin being on the line should’ve been enough to push him to a solution, but his concern was solely for Samantha. For hismate. If he couldn’t get her out of here, if he failed, the bestshe could hope for was a quick death.

Unacceptable.

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