Page 11 of Alien Warlord's Fury

The ground beneath us trembled slightly, emphasizing my point. Small stones skittered down the nearby slope.

Claire's jaw tightened, resentment radiating from her in waves I could feel against my skin. But she nodded once, sharply.

"Your path," she conceded, the words clipped.

I took point again, leading us on the longer route. The detour required careful navigation—the ground increasingly unstable, with small fissures opening between rock formations. Heat radiated from these cracks, carrying that same metallic scent.

Claire followed in tense silence, her frustration a constant pressure against my awareness. The bond between us transmitted her emotions with uncomfortable clarity—anger, impatience, fear for the younglings, and under it all, a deep exhaustion she refused to acknowledge.

I felt a strange protectiveness rise in response. This human woman, with her reckless courage and fragile body housing such dangerous power, had become my responsibility in ways that went beyond the council's concerns or even the younglings' rescue.

"The field is part of a pattern," I said as we navigated a particularly treacherous section. "Hammond's experiments are creating energy disruptions throughout the region."

"All the reason to stop him quickly." Claire stepped carefully over a narrow fissure, heat rising from its depths.

"All the reason to move with caution." I paused, studying the terrain ahead. "His work is destabilizing the planetary energy. These fields are spreading."

She stopped beside me, looking out over the landscape. From our elevated position, we could see several more shimmer-points scattered across the forest below—places where reality seemed to ripple and distort.

"They're at junction points," she murmured. "Where energy lines cross."

I nodded, impressed despite myself. Few Nyxari without specialized training could identify the planet's natural energy flows. "You sense them?"

"Not exactly." She pressed her fingers to her temple. "The visions show me... connections. Patterns."

Her markings pulsed. "Hammond is tapping into something fundamental."

The ground trembled again, stronger this time. A section of rock face to our right cracked, sending a shower of stones down the slope.

Claire stumbled as the tremor continued. I caught her arm again, steadying her until the shaking subsided.

"The land itself rejects what he does." I kept my hand on her arm, feeling her pulse race beneath my fingers. "We must move with the land's rhythm, not against it."

Her eyes met mine, and for a moment, the barrier of frustration between us thinned. "How do you read it so well?"

"Aerie training." I released her arm slowly. "We learn the language of stone and wind. The mountain speaks if you listen."

Another tremor, briefer but sharper. A fissure opened directly in our path, forcing us to backtrack and find another route.

"The mountain is shouting now," Claire muttered.

We continued in tense silence, the day's heat intensifying. Claire's steps grew heavier, though she pushed forward with stubborn determination. I noted the sheen of sweat on her skin, the slight tremor in her hands when she thought I wasn't looking.

She needed rest, but would never admit it.

I shifted closer, ready to catch her if stubborn pride overruled sense. Little did she know how fiercely I guarded the thought of ferrying her through the night, one heartbeat at a time.

The path narrowed again, forcing us to walk single file along a ridge. Below us, the forest had given way to a rockier terrain, split by more of the ominous fissures. Steam rose from some of them, carrying that sulfurous scent.

Claire suddenly froze, her markings flaring so brightly I could see them through her clothing. She swayed dangerously close to the edge.

I moved quickly, pulling her back against me, away from the drop. Her body went rigid in my arms, head thrown back, eyes wide but seeing nothing of our surroundings.

"Claire." I turned her to face me, keeping her steady as the vision took her. "Focus on my voice."

Her markings burned against my skin where we touched, silver light meeting gold. The energy connecting us felt potent, almost overwhelming.

For a breath I let the current surge between us, savoring the fierce harmony before duty forced distance. It was madness to crave that burn—and madness had never tempted me more.

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