Page 15 of Alien Warlord's Fury

"It feels like... heartbeats," I said. "Irregular, but deliberate."

Nirako nodded. "The planet is responding to something. The energy disruptions are triggering defense mechanisms."

"Or Hammond is causing them deliberately." I ducked under a low-hanging branch. "In my vision, he was connecting the children to some kind of machine. Their pain seemed to feed the energy disruptions."

Nirako's expression darkened. "Using living conduits to channel and amplify energy. Like the Ancients did during the Great Division."

We pushed forward in silence, each lost in our own thoughts. The terrain grew more challenging—fissures splitting the earth, vegetation withering in patches. Evidence of the spreading corruption was everywhere.

A particularly violent tremor caught us crossing a narrow ravine. The ground buckled beneath my feet. I stumbled, losing my footing on the crumbling edge.

Nirako's hand shot out, catching my wrist. He pulled me against him, steadying us both as the earth continued to shake. His body was solid against mine, his arm secure around my waist. For a suspended heartbeat his pulse thundered through my spine, steady and unyielding. Wrapped in that strength, I felt safer than I dared admit.

The tremor subsided, but he didn't immediately release me. I looked up to find his eyes on me, intense and unreadable.

"Thank you," I said, my voice unexpectedly hoarse.

His arm tightened fractionally. "We protect each other now."

Something in his tone made my breath catch. Not just duty or necessity—something more personal. The air between us charged again, the interrupted moment from earlier rekindling.

Another tremor, smaller this time, broke the spell. Nirako released me, though his eyes lingered on mine.

"We should find shelter soon," he said. "The tremors are increasing in frequency."

I nodded, trying to focus on our mission rather than the lingering warmth where his arm had circled my waist. "How much farther to Hammond's compound?"

"A day's journey, if the terrain remains passable." Nirako scanned the horizon. "But at this rate of deterioration..."

"We might not have a day," I finished for him. The urgency that had driven me to leave the settlement returned full force. "Those children don't have a day."

Nirako studied me, his expression softening slightly. "Your determination to save them... it's admirable."

"It's necessary," I corrected, uncomfortable with his praise. "I know what Hammond's capable of. What he's doing to them."

Understanding flashed in Nirako's eyes. He didn't offer empty comfort or tell me to calm down. Instead, he nodded once, decisively.

"Then we continue as quickly as safety allows. No unnecessary risks, but no delays either."

Relief washed through me. For the first time since leaving the settlement, I felt we were truly aligned in purpose.

We moved forward, more careful now of the unstable ground. Nirako led the way, his hunter's instincts guiding us around the worst of the fissures and energy disturbances. Ifound myself watching his movements, the confident way he navigated the dangers, the protective glances he cast back at me.

A small tremor shook me from my thoughts. This one felt different—more localized, centered somewhere ahead of us.

"Nirako," I called softly.

He had already stopped, head tilted as he listened to something beyond my human hearing. "Something's coming."

I extended my awareness, letting my markings guide my senses. A disturbance approached—not wildlife this time, but something larger. Mechanical.

"Hammond's people?" I whispered.

Nirako shook his head. "The energy signature is wrong. It's..."

A deafening crack split the air. Fifty yards ahead, the ground erupted upward. Earth and stone fountained skyward as something massive broke through the surface.

My markings flared, silver light blazing across my skin. The pain was immediate and intense—my connection to whatever had emerged too strong, too raw.

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