Page 47 of Orange Lake
I wrenched the black crystal from Roqs. This crystal and my Silver Beast do not mix well. But it’s the only chance we have to defeat Nialla and the Shura. I took a few steps back. The heat of the desert trying to creep up on me or it’s the crystal. It felt so heavy on my right hand.
In a heartbeat, I ran and scaled the wall and jumped. I saw the other warriors with us, looked at them. With my head, I nodded for them to help Crix. I saw them try to jump but cannot. I only have a few seconds to communicate this because Nialla will recover soon. I saw him slumped on the wall after firing but knowing him, he can do this all day if need to. They have a plan and I can’t see it.
The males nodded, turned around, and joined the fight to aid Crix.
I looked back and saw two officers are out. But Elyat and Amin are down as well. Elyat’s mate transformed into a beast. A deranged blue beast roaring in a fight against the remaining gang officer. The juvenile is helping Amin.
I saw Nialla stirring when he saw me. Taking the crystal, I felt it’s power crawling in my blood.
“You can’t control it, qhudril,” Nialla mocked me. He is slowly trying to stand up but his right arm is down, looking barely able to handle the Shura.
I did not answer. I was too busy trying to let the crystal form and project into a small shield. It is working but my beast is growling and trying to fight the black crystal. It is making me madder as hell. I need to maintain my form. How can Roqs handle this crystal? It’s too heavy. It’s like it has a mind of its own. I will lecture him about this. After I defeat my enemy.
It is hard to fight the beast and the black crystal at the same time. But I am determined. I promised to Brin, Coone, and Roqs that I will come back.
The shield formed. It is not a semi-transparent black, but more silver, like my beast. Just in time. The shield formed just as Nialla fired his Shura.
We took a second to assess. Even Nialla. I realized two things. One, it worked. Second, Nialla is not 100 percent back. When he realized it, he started shooting at me as I advance to him. I saw how he gets weaker and weaker as he continued to bombard me with his shots. I was focused to destroy him and the Shura. The shield is working perfectly. It took the shots without me freezing up. Good thing he doesn’t know my weakness. If he had threaten the juvenile and the others, I might have surrendered.
When I was almost near him, I saw him smirk. Something’s not right again. I can hear a wheezing sound, a vehicle nearby. I realized they might be evacuating but why?
That tingling sensation again. An enemy running towards me?
I do not want to stray my eyes away from Nialla but knew something is wrong. Too late I realized when he look up and I also saw the vehicle for the slaves. I looked back. Nialla has discarded the Shura and took out his sword.
I roared and advanced towards him. At the last minute, someone shoved me and I tumbled away, my momentum taking me away from Nialla. I recovered and looked up as a slave got taken up by the vehicle.
I growled and used my legs to sprint forward.
Now I know what they want.
They want to capture me!
Over my dead body.
There was something about that slave though. It caused me a precious second so I missed the way Nialla swung his sword and cut me. I did not feel anything.
“ZIRC!’
My sword cut through, severing Niala’s arm that carries his sword, and part of his shoulder near his heart. Good.
I can hear Roqs roaring. My heart is beating too fast. I feel faint. No. I will still fight.
Roqs rushed to me and using his short sword, he attacked Nialla but a beast lays in front of him and he killed it instead. The tractor beam from the vehicle whirred again.
No, they will not get me and Roqs. At the same time, the juvenile went to me and Roqs and shielded us. It got Nialla instead.
“NOOO” I roared and tried to get up. I did not notice that I was leaning heavily on my left side, using my sword as a cane.
Roqs and the juvenile tried to restrain me. There’s a need inside of me to go after Nialla. At the back of my mind I know we have the Shura but I want to make him pay for the misery he has caused my tribe and the slaves. For being a danger to Brin. But all I see is blackness. Why can’t I see? My ears are ringing.
“Oh, for the love of gods, just let him go,” I hear Crix’s voice exasperated. “Kasix, remove this shield. We need to tend to his -wounds.”
The blackness slowly receded and now I can see clearly. How much time have passed? Slaves litter the area. Helping us. That’s good. I don’t need to wring Coone’s neck. The slaves did not betray us.
“Zirc.” Roqs is holding me and pushing me to sit down on the sand dunes. I was panting.
“Zirc, look at me,” Roqs held my face in between his hands. I focused on his face. He looked worried. Not good. Am I cut that badly? But I don’t feel anything. Shit, it means my wounds are deep.
