Page 54 of Made For The Alien Warrior

A sly grin crossed Si-Moon’s face. “Since you’re still calling her by her name, I’m guessing you didn’t seal the deal.”

Tiegan did not know what ‘seal the deal’ meant, but he had no time to inquire further. The emergency summons was getting louder. The faster he dealt with this mysterious crisis, the faster he could return to Sim-pony.

Si-Moon waved him off. “I recognize that look. You’re already in warrior mode. Go on. I’ll make sure your fiancée has extra pan—undergarments.”

Tiegan ran down the hallway, silently adding the word ‘fiancée’ to his repertoire of strange earthen language.

He skated into the war room and realized he was the last to arrive. Korben whirled around, a troubled look on his face. His lips were pinched and his hands were clasped behind his back.

Tiegan fell into a seat, his back erect. “My apologies.”

“Tiegan, you are finally here.” Korben’s grave tone sent alarm bells ringing through his head. “Clavas sent a video correspondence. We must watch it together.”

He nodded.

Korben set a holo disc in the middle of the table and tapped his comms. A stream of light spurted from the disc. Clavas’s face appeared in front of them. His eyes were wide and his voice harried.

“I was flying over Adhi’s landing point and saw something strange. Look at this.” The image changed from Clavas’s face to a trellis of vines. “Do you see that?”

Zar leaned forward, his eyes so wide they almost took up his entire face. “It’sxelan.”

Gasps rippled around the table.

Tiegan dug his fingers into his leg, his jaw going slack. “Are you sure?”

The holo returned to Clavas’s face. “I wanted to stop and investigate, but doing so may be the difference between life and death for this human. I cannot afford to take the time. Perhaps one of you can do so.” He lifted a thumb. “End message.”

The light got sucked back into the holo disc and Clavas’s face disappeared.

Zar ran the heel of his hand over his rough jaw. “That cannot be real.”

“Xelangets its source from the Healer and the sacred damas,” Pin mumbled. “But since the Healer has had to use all his power to keep us alive, thexelanhave died out.”

“They are practically extinct,” Zar growled.

“Legends say that just one bite of it can heal any wound.” Tiegan’s eyes lifted to the terros. “It can keep a Plutonian alive in the same way that the Healer can.” He shook his head. “And it has just… appeared?”

“Right where Adhi landed,” Pin whispered.

Urgent footsteps rang out and Sah-ah entered the room, followed by Si-Moon and Ki-ah.

“What is the matter?” Korben asked in concern.

“Korben, the sacred damas. You have to come see this.”

“Come on.” Si-Moon urged, giving him a pointed look.

Tiegan raced with the females and his comrades. He skidded to a stop when his eyes caught on the sacred damas.

“It… changed,” Pin breathed, standing beside him.

“It’s almost alive.” Korben shook his head. “I do not believe this.”

The Healer, Adhi and Sim-pony stood near the sacred damas’s edge. Sim-pony was trailing her fingers through the surface. She glanced up, saw him and frowned.

“I have been drawing from the sacred damas for many, many sun rotations. Each time, it has depleted from its power and that was reflected in the color of the surface.” The Healer gestured to the damas. “Now, it is new again. Almost as if it has been healed completely.” His eyes moved to the females. “Almost as if it has been given new life.”

Tiegan’s breath choked in his lungs. He already had his suspicions about the four landing points and whether it was the light or the females who were special. Now he had more evidence to feed his theory.

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