Page 74 of Galactic Sentinels: Vol 2
“Behind all your grumbling, you’ve got a good heart.”
“You know nothing about me. I’ve done things your little mind couldn’t even fathom, you naive creature!” he snaps, glaring.
Startled by his outburst, I take a step back.
But so did our tiny audience. Little Zena, terrified by the sudden anger, lost her grip. My blood runs cold as I see her fall from such a height. But Nov reacts faster than me. He shoves me aside and leaps to catch her before she hits the ground.
In an instant, Gekkaris swarm him, their skin pulsing with shades of soft blue and green—colors of relief and gratitude.
As for me? When he pushed me, I dropped all my flasks and landed right on one. It shattered under me—I realize as I feel a suspicious wetness near my hip... followed by a stinging burn.
Shit.
Once the crowd disperses, taking the excitable children with them, only Nov and Goulou remain—and they see me still lying on the ground.
“You gah huh?” asks Goulou, tilting his head.
"You got hurt?" Nov adds, surprised I’m not getting up.
I feel dizzy. Nausea hits. My limbs are tingling. I know exactly what’s happening—and if I want to survive, I have to explain fast.
“Nov... the Mouerta... the vial...”
His sharp gaze spots the broken shards instantly. He grabs my hands and tries to lift me, looking for a wound.
“D-Don’t... touch me...” I whisper.
“What the hell is going on?” he shouts, panicked.
“Mouerta... poison...”
I shut my eyes, trying to calm my racing heart. If I can’t explain soon—I’m going to die.
“Nov... Mouerta is a neurotoxin. It causes... rapid paralysis... then organ failure...”
“What? What the hell are you saying? Should I dunk you in water? Make you drink tea? Or—”
“Nov!” I cut him off gently. “The doctor... at Gekkar... Creek... He has a serum. An antidote.”
“You need to get to Gekkar Creek? But you can’t even stand!”
His powers of observation are truly astonishing — if only his deductive skills could keep up. Guess I’ll have to spell it all out before I lose consciousness.
“Nov... I’m going to pass out. I’ve got eight hours before... irreversible damage... Ten before I die...”
I catch one last glimpse of his horrified eyes before I let go—and surrender to the darkness pulling me under.
19-Noviosk
Her frail body goes limp, and I lower her gently to the ground, careful to avoid the deadly liquid—even if the soil has already soaked most of it up.
Goulou rushes toward Sam, but I stop him with a sharp gesture.
“Don’t touch her. Her clothes are soaked in poison.”
His skin ripples with dark red patches, flowing in waves. Within seconds, several Gek
karis surround us.
