Page 15 of Craved By the Alien Warlord

Thorodoth inclined his head in acknowledgment but remained quiet. He did, however, move his hand up and down, to indicate for his archers to lower their weapons.

"Follow me to where we are safer. Patrols move through these areas."

"You have noted their paths and times?" I inquired.

"Of course," Thorodoth confirmed.

"Good."

He didn't say another word but motioned for us to follow him deeper into the woods, away from Chrissy's FOB, and I noticed the long gaze she sent in its direction. I just wasn't sure if she yearned to be back with her people or dreaded meeting with them.

We walked for about an hour, and I memorized the path and direction should our meeting turn… hostile. I didn't like the surreptitious glances Thorodoth threw at Chrissy when he thought nobody noticed. I wouldn't fault the male for being infatuated with her, but somehow, I doubted that was the reason why he kept turning and staring at her.

The forest became denser, and I noticed how carefully Thorodoth and his archers now moved, ensuring not to break branches. They even walked sideways in places.

Two archers followed us, moving brooms to cover our tracks. I gave Chrissy a questioning look, and she nodded her approval. "Our soldiers are trained in guerrilla fighting. We know what we need to look for." And then she cautioned, "If the Terran Forces suspect you being out here, they might employ dogs to find your tracks."

"We've been briefed," Thorodoth remarked carefully.

"What does that mean?" Chrissy probed asking the same question that burned in my mind.

Just then, we entered an area that wasn't exactly a clearing, but most of the dense foliage had been cleared away. Small wooden huts dotted the area, and a quick count came to twelve. As expected, everyone I saw was a male warrior, except one lone female. A human with brunette hair and her arm in a sling.

"Colonel," she cried out when all heads turned toward our arrival.

"Rae!" Chrissy sputtered and rushed forward.

The two kallinies embraced each other like long-lost sisters. Thorodoth grinned at me as if he had expected this reaction, which seemed impossible, unless… "You've been following us since we docked," I concluded.

"As soon as I saw you had one of the human soldiers with you, I sent a scout back here to talk to Rae and find out if she knew what or who we were dealing with," he confirmed.

"Then all your questions earlier were…" I fished.

"To ensure you were telling the truth," he confided unapologetically.

Raepulledmeinsidea hut with a small burning fire, the smoke keeping to a minimum as it spiraled through an opening in the roof. I doubted it would be spotted from afar, but any drone coming in too close would notice it, not to mention drones flying by would sense the heat signature the Vandalls and the fires gave out.

"Don't worry, they haven't sent any drones yet," Rae told me, "and we have scouts in the trees looking for them. If they show up, they will be shot down, giving us enough time to move camp."

"It's still dangerous," I warned.

"Everything here is dangerous," Rae pointed out.

"I'm so glad to see you alive." I finally said what should have been the first words out of my mouth, but I had been too surprised to find her not only here but alive. "The others?"

"Are all dead," she confirmed my darkest fears. "I would have been too, but when Thorodoth and his men came back to bury us, he realized how stubborn I was. I still clung to life."

"Oh, Rae, I'm so sorry, I didn't know, I—"

"There would have been nothing you could have done, Colonel, you were taken," she reminded me gently.

"I could have fought harder," I argued. I could have. I had allowed the Vandalls to drag me away because I thought my entire squad was dead, and I hadn't cared what would happen to me.

"And then what?" Rae played devil's advocate. "You would have come running back to me? Pulled the arrow out of my shoulder and carried me back to our FOB? And even if that would have been possible, even if the Vandalls hadn't followed and stopped you, where would we be now? At the FOB, helping the bastards kill more Vandalls and readying themselves for the invasion on Thyre?"

She spoke passionately, and I let her finish, but I wondered where this anger came from. Rae had not been part of the meeting in which I brought the Vandall cause up, where I painted a target on my and my squad's backs.

"At the very least, this experience was eye opening, and I… I am ashamed of what we did," she said, wiping her eyes.

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