Page 28 of Asmodel

“Yes.” Jaltaar nodded. “In the meantime, contact the Federation Consortium and tell them what’s happening here. Let them know they’d better send someone to get Izzy and keep the Krystalii from getting their hands on her.” His large body shivered. “No telling what those bastards would do to her when they try to make her species computable to theirs.”

Yeah, Izzy wasn’t on board with letting that happen either. Suddenly, a flashback hit her. The image of a painfully handsome man with dark, silky, brown hair framing a face too perfect to be real. She imagined she’d pleaded with him to find her. Telling him she was on CeluriaVO. He yelled, “Wait!” with an outstretched hand, an intense expression on his face, before he disappeared.

Izzy sighed.Geeze Louise. She’d give anything for someone like that in real life coming for her.

“Come on, Izzy. We’d better go before Jaltaar’s troops find us.”

Izzy jumped at the sound of Talira’s voice. Putting a hand over her racing heart, she gave the pretty cat-woman a small smile. “Okay, I’m with you.” She followed behind the lithe grace of the female trotting ahead of her.

Talira glanced behind them.

Which, of course, made Izzy do the same.

There stood Jaltaar with his striking colorful eyes glued to their retreating forms.

Izzy gave him a small departing wave before looking in front of her to watch where she was going. The last thing she needed to do was to fall flat on her face, tripping over a rock or something.

She shortened the distance between her and Talira in the dense foliage of the CeluriaVO jungle. Large fronds and feather-leaves brushed against her arms and face with each step. The air was thick with humidity and carried a symphony of scents—fragrant blooms with a sweet, heady perfume that mingled with the earthy musk of moist soil and the tangy aroma of strange fruits dangling from the twisted branches.

The forest floor was spongy under her feet, a carpet of mosses and unknown foliage that cushioned each step, so her stumbling progress was silent except when she occasionally stepped on a twig or swatted a biting bug. Overhead, the canopy formed a living mosaic of colors as sunlight filtered through, the beams dancing with a mix of floating spores and tiny, luminescent insects. Together, they added to the ethereal beauty all around her.

All at once, Izzy’s nose twitched as a rancid stench burned. “What’s that smell?”

“A skalderbeast is hunting us,” Talira whispered. “Stay close and we’ll be out of his territory soon.” Her striped tail flicked in silent agitation. Despite the warning, her voice was calm, a stark contrast to the chaotic chorus of alien wildlife around them.

No telling what a skalderbeast was, but from its smell, it couldn’t be good. Izzy jumped when exotic creatures skittered and slithered around her. Small winged insects danced above her like living embers. In the distant were roars of unseen predators. Good golly, that said it all. She was nowhere near home. A group of strange creatures resembling frogs caught her eye. They had translucent skin that revealed their luminescent innards, and were perched on feathery branches, eying them with four eyes that rotated as they passed.

A thundering growl pierced the air in the seemingly never-ending jungle.

Talira didn’t change her stride, moving with purpose as she guided them through hidden trails and secret paths. “Don’t worry, we’re almost there.”

The underbrush became less dense, the air cooler, and the sounds of the jungle fainter. Ahead, the forest opened, revealing a towering cliff face. The mouth of a vast cave yawned like a portal into another world.

Talira approached a seemingly random section of the rocky wall and pressed her palm against it.

The stone shimmered and then dissolved into thin air, revealing the entrance to a hidden village.

Izzy's eyes widened as she followed Talira inside.

The cave was alive with activity, illuminated by glowing crystals hanging from the ceiling like stars in a subterranean night sky. Structures of stone and natural materials adorned the carved cave walls.

The harmonious blend of nature and scikvak craftsmanship took Izzy’s breath away.

The sound of bubbling water flowing from various natural springs created a serene scene, the soft melody echoing.

“Welcome to Nekojin.” Talira’s eyes gleamed. “This is where the pardalions thrive, away from zaltrixan tyranny.”

The villagers, in their long midnight-blue fur with their distinctive tiger stripes, stopped and stared at Izzy.

She didn’t get a sense of hostility, just expressions with a non-threatening mix of curiosity and caution. Children peeked from behind adults, their eyes wide and filled with wonder as their tails swished behind them.

Relief washed over Izzy. Here, in this hidden sanctuary, the weight of what she’d been through melted away. Her journey might be far from over, but in the heart of the pardalion hidden village, she experienced a flicker of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could catch her breath and figure out what to do next.

Chapter Six

“Well,howinthehell are we going to get over there?”

Asmodel winced at Raxx’s question. After the man landed theShadow Drifterin a small clearing, he and his new companion slipped through a small sliver of a dense jungle until they reached the edge of a cliff. Squatting on one knee, he stared at the panorama before them.

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