Page 47 of Hunted By the Dragon Alien

The outpost brimmed with unrest—traders shouting, workers scrambling, and at least one fistfight breaking out between two arguing merchants. But underneath her outward calm, Sevas trembled with a thousand emotions pressing down on her.Hope. Love. Fear. Joy. Maybe a little more fear. It all warred inside of her as they pushed through the crowded atrium, moving fast but nottoofast. Takkian, though weakened, kept pace. His grip was firm on her hand and his posture rigid with all the energy he could muster. Ellion and Cyprian stayed close around them, scanning their surroundings for any sign of Axis agents and forming a sort of physical barrier. No one stopped them, but wary glances flicked their way as they maneuvered through the maze of bodies and stalls.

When the docking bay entrance finally came into view, relief slid through her, but not completely. The massive Zaruxian warship loomed. Its dark, angular structure made it stand out among the patchwork of big, boxy freighter vessels around it. The ramp lay open, waiting for them.

Hurrying up the incline, Sevas glanced back one last time. The ship they’d arrived on was in a different bay entirely and unaccessible. This step would reunite her with her friends, but also put her and Takkian at the mercy of her old overseer, inside the very fortress that had loomed over her settlement for her entire life. It made her uneasy.

“Sevas?” Takkian touched her arm.

She glanced at the open hatch and swallowed. “It’s fine. I’m coming.” She took a deep breath, gathered her courage, and stepped inside.

Turi, Fivra,and Bruil were already inside waiting for them. With everyone safe, Sevas watched Turi operate the controls to close the hatch and seal it shut.

The interior of the ship felt eerily familiar. She’d never seen the inside before, and it was a mix of functionality and imposing authority. It brought a pang of bitterness to her chest, but she shoved it down. The walls were dark, sleek, lined with ridged panels that pulsed faintly with embedded lights. The place felt more like a stronghold than a ship. It smelled lived-in—like oil, leather, and something else she couldn’t name.

“To the command deck,” Ellion said as they moved toward a lift. His tall frame moved with the same calculated grace she remembered from the settlement. “We need to be off this outpost before more Axis agents appear.”

Turi and Fivra rushed up and flanked Sevas, staying tight to her and casting tentative glances to Takkian. He had a more brutal, scarred look to him than Ellion and Cyprian, and his mouth was set in a snarled line. Bruil looked no more His expression was unreadable as his sharp gaze darted around the ship’s interior.

Sevas followed along. She hadn’t been told she couldn’t. Takkian was walking better. He stretched his shoulders as he strode along, and flexed his fingers. Turi and Fivra appearedto know where to go and looked perfectly at ease in this monstrosity of a ship. They soon arrived at a sleek metal door that opened to a large control room. It was filled with stations and screens and an impossible number of indicator lights. Sevas swallowed hard, trying not to show how intimidated she was. Cyprian slid into a seat and tapped the control panel in front of him. Ellion did the same and even Turi and Fivra had spots at screens.

“Thrusters are primed,” Cyprian said. “Hey, Takkian. Know how to fly one of these?”

“No.” Takkian shook his head. “Bruil was our operator. He’s a fine one, too.”

Cyprian’s silver eyes flicked over to the quiet, older Zaruxian. “Great. Take a seat.”

Sevas had never seen Bruil blanch, but his scales actually appeared to wash out a few shades. “This is the royal warship,” he said with quiet reverence. “I’ve never been on anything like it.”

“But can you help?” Cyprian asked again, gesturing to an open station next to him. “It’s easier with another set of hands.”

Bruil nodded and slid into the seat. “Of course, your majesty.”

“Why—?” Cyprian began, but Ellion cut him off.

“Shields up,” Ellion said. “Disengaging dock clamps.”

A sharpclunkwas felt as the docking mechanisms released their grip. The floor beneath Sevas shifted as the ship tilted away from the outpost. Takkian grabbed her arm, steadying her as the artificial gravity rebalanced.

Sevas barely noticed. Her mind raced. They had escaped. They were actually safe—for now. But…your majesty?

Across the room, Fivra and Turi paid close attention to their screens. “We’re cleared for departure,” Turi said.

“No chatter about incoming Axis on the common frequencies,” Fivra added.

“Good,” Ellion said. “Set a heading and take us out.”

“We’re really leaving,” Sevas whispered to Takkian, where they stayed out of the way against the wall.

“We’re accelerating,” Ellion said flatly, glancing back at them. “Hold on to something.”

Sevas barely had a second to react before the ship jolted forward. She gritted her teeth, scrambling for balance as Takkian’s arm looped around her waist again, securing her against his side. “Got you,” he murmured against her ear.

Sevas pressed against Takkian as a deep vibration rolled under her feet. The ship rumbled. Takkian steadied both of them as inertia pulled them slightly to the side.

“Calibrating cabin pressure,” Bruil growled, and the floor felt even again. “And compensating for gravitational flux.”

Ellion pressed a palm to a panel before him and a blue holo-display popped to life. “Thrusters are at full power. Engaging.”

Sevas exhaled and eased herself from Takkian’s grip, though she wanted to stay right there. She met Ellion’s sharp silver eyes. He was so familiar. Settlement life had been filled with distant glimpses of him watching from above—but not like this. Now, he wasn’t her overseer. He was something else entirely. “We’re really out,” she whispered, half in awe, half in disbelief.

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