Page 55 of Protected by the Alien Warrior Triad

Then I watch in horror as the Viceroy appears at the parapets overhead.

“Fire, you idiots!” He cries out. “Kill them all!”

I can’t believe that the Viceroy is so callous that he’d endanger not just the life of Lady Pooler, but also the three innocent orphans.

Gunshots ring out and bullets whizz past us as we rush away to safety.

Thundering across the garden, Diana points sharply towards salvation, and the Aurelians run in the direction she indicates.

Hadone is in front, and rushes forward with his shoulder lowered like a piledriver. The thin door Diana promised us shatters into matchsticks as Hadone bulldozes straight through.

Suddenly, we’re out of the estate and out into the beauty of the richest district of the Capital. If this were in any other situation, I’d be admiring the hand-laid cobblestones of the roads and the ornate designs of the bushes that line the streets – perhaps even the beautiful leaves of the trees looming overhead.

But there’s no time for sightseeing. Now, there’s only survival.

“Which way?” Stacy calls out in her shrill voice.

“My house has allies! That way!” Diana points again. The Aurelians can’t speak our language, but they can understand directions when they’re as simple as a pointing finger.

They set off at an incredible pace, and we’re hauled down the street in their arms – Diana and I in Forn’s huge biceps, and the orphans in Darok’s strong grasp.

Fine ladies and gentlemen leap out of our way as we sprint down the street. It must look like the Aurelians have kidnapped us all, and are stealing us away with them.

Diana slaps Forn on the back, and he suddenly stops in his tracks, realizing that she’s trying to communicate, not assault him.

We’re all deposited roughly onto the cobblestones.

Astonishingly, the Aurelians have been running at a full sprint all this time - but they appear barely even winded by the exertion.

Together, we stand in front of a towering townhouse, guarded by a large set of ornate doors.

Diana strides up and beats her tiny fists against the door. The door opens, and a middle-aged woman with a tight bun gives Diana a look of concerned recognition…

…then she take one look at the three Aurelians, and promptly faints.

Hadone rushes forward, grabbing the woman before she can hit the ground, and we all pile in through the open doorway.

I slam the doors shut behind us.

Suddenly, our breathless escape is at a pause.

I pant wildly, staring around the large entrance hall of this beautiful building. It’s a two-story apartment in one of the richest neighborhoods of the Capital – but inside there are no ostentatious decorations like in Lord Aeron’s gaudy manor.

Instead, books are strewn everywhere, along with papers and pen. A winding staircase leads to the second story, where a nobleman with a fine, white beard suddenly appears.

The white-haired stranger doesn’t look the least bit concerned that his house has been invaded by a triad of Aurelians, or that his servant is lying limply in one of the alien’s giant hands. He’s more concerned about our rescued prisoner.

“Diana! By the Gods, I thought the Viceroy had you!”

“I’m safe,” Diana gasps. “Thanks… Thanks tothem!”

She gestures towards the three Aurelians, but is still unable to look at the three warriors.

The white-haired old man nods, and stands peering down at us.

I’m astonished. I’d have expected a nobleman of the Capital to be yelling for his guards right now, but instead he looks at the Aurelians with wonder rather than fear or hatred.

Finally, the nobleman strides down the winding steps, leaning his weight on the banister. Hadone sets the unconscious servant down gently on a chair, then steps closer to me. The old man doesn’t look like he’ll pose a threat, but the Aurelian is still taking no chances.

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