Page 23 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

“He’ll wake up,” Bruil said gently. “But not soon. He’s exhausted himself. That happens when a Zaruxian changes form.”

But they weren’t leaving him there. “Ulo,” she said, heart racing as the urgency of the situation settled in. “We need to move. Can you carry him?”

Ulo yanked the blanket from Takkian’s bunk and rushed forward. He crouched beside Takkian and wrapped him in the blanket, then slid his arms beneath Takkian’s shoulders and legs, lifting. “I’ve got him,” Ulo said, holding him easily.

Sevas glanced nervously at the wrecked door, half expecting a squad of mechs to come pouring in.

“I don’t remember this being the plan.” Bruil stood beside Ulo and fixed her with a hard look.

“They put us in a final match,” she said. “Against each other.”

“Ah.” Bruil’s one word held a wealth of knowledge. “That explains it.”

Sevas leaned back and looked down the corridor. “You can explain what ‘it’ is once we’re out of here. We need to get to the ships.”

Bruil nodded. “To the ships.”

She led the way. The dismantled corridors were as disorienting as she remembered, but adrenaline propelled them forward, around piles of rubble and smoking debris. The memory of Takkian’s enormous presence in the arena was burned into her mind, bold and primal, but she refused to letit overwhelm her. They had an opportunity to escape. They couldn’t mess it up now.

Sevas’ heart raced as Ulo trotted behind her, carrying Takkian in his arms. The weight of the warrior’s form was nothing compared to the strength the young Dokkol exuded. They navigated through the winding corridors of the arena. Their footsteps echoing eerily in the tense silence that hung around them.

“Stay close,” she urged, glancing back to make sure Ulo and Bruil hadn’t fallen behind. Both stuck tight to her. She tried not to think about all that could go wrong between here and departing the hangar—where she’d been once, when she’d been delivered here. Every shadow felt alive. Every flicker of movement sent a shiver down her spine. They had definitely disrupted something in the arena, and the last thing she wanted was to get caught now.

The door to the hangar bay was just ahead. The moment they passed through it, a group of freed fighters emerged, battered and fierce. Their expressions were twisted into a determined grimace. They eyed Sevas, Bruil, and Ulo cautiously. Their gazes moved to Takkian, who they likely recognized, with a mix of curiosity and wariness flashing across their faces.

Sevas held up her stone hammer, but the fighters moved on. They were as done with fighting as the rest of them.

In the hangar, the scene was a chaotic whirlwind. Fighters scrambled about, some dragging makeshift weapons while others loaded up supplies into whatever starships remained intact. The air buzzed with tension and excitement. Everyone knew this was their chance to break free.

Sevas glanced up at Ulo, whose face was a mask of determination and fear, and then over at Takkian, still limp in Ulo’s arms. “We need to find a ship, fast,” she said. There wereplenty around, but she had no idea which would be suitable. And an unoccupied one would be a lot easier to take.

“That one.” Bruil pointed toward a smaller vessel at the corner of the hangar. “It looks fast and no one has grabbed it yet.”

It gleamed in the harsh lights overhead. “Okay, let’s go.”

They started forward. The other fighters were like a swarm, working frantically to access the ships or grab any supplies they could find. Those who had come as spectators found themselves trying to defend their ships or running for cover from determined and merciless fighters. Weapons fired, sending flashes of light and smoke through the hangar.

“Be careful,” Sevas cautioned Ulo. Her voice was almost drowned out by the shouting and shooting around them. “We don’t want to draw attention.”

Ulo nodded, his expression resolute. They reached the ship, a sleek, silver craft with a narrow design that seemed perfect for a quick getaway. The hatch opened with a quick pry from Ulo’s finger, and they piled inside.

Now they had another problem. Takkian had planned to force whoever owned or operated a craft to fly them out of there, but this ship was empty. “Can anyone work the controls?” Sevas asked, her gaze flicking between Ulo and Bruil.

“I can,” Bruil announced, looking grim. “I operated dozens of them during my peoples’ battle for our planet, Zarux. It was a long time ago, but I can figure it out.”

“Then, you’re on,” Sevas said, glancing over her shoulder as the sounds of chaos echoed around them. More mechs could be arriving at any second. They had to hurry.

Ulo placed Takkian, who was still wrapped in the blanket, on one of the ship’s seats and clipped him in. Bruil clambered into the cockpit. His hands moved over the controls with ease, hisbrow furrowing in concentration. Sevas peered at the dizzying array of controls as she waited for Bruil to power it up.

The hangar was filled with pandemonium—fights breaking out between desperate fighters, mechs trying—and failing—to restore order, and others seizing the opportunity to escape. She turned back to Bruil, who was already working rapidly.

“How soon?” Sevas asked, heart racing as she peered out of the hatch for approaching mechs. “More are coming.”

“Almost there.” Bruil slid his scarred hand over a touchscreen, turning it blue with a satisfyingping. The ship’s engines hummed to life, vibrating beneath their feet. “Secure the hatch.”

Sevas nodded, moving deeper into the ship’s hatch. She shut it and, since she didn’t know how to use the screen beside it, she hand-cranked the latch until the door locked and sealed. She stepped back. The reality of their escape set in with a snap of giddiness. This could actually happen—they could leave this nightmare behind them.

Bruil navigated the control panel, muttering to himself as he adjusted settings and input coordinates. The ship hummed beneath them, ready to take flight. “Just a little more power, and the thrusters will be hot,” he said, his voice gruff but focused.

---