Page 14 of Ruarc
“Kallen, is that you?”
“Gods of Ruk, let her go, Ruarc! She is one of us.”
“The frack I will, she was holding a knife to Slavic’s throat.”
“Oh, quit acting like he was ever in any sort of peril, Ruarc.”
Myev squirms in front of Ruarc, but he is still holding her tight, and I cannot help but snarl when she looks up at him and smiles. “Did you say Slavic? Then you must be Ruarc? Please tell me you are mam’s offspring?”
Slavic grabs her by the harness wrapped around her chest, picking her straight off the ground. His smile is replaced by a voice no one wants to disobey. “Where are they?”
Shockingly, she snarls at him, “You can growl at me all you want, but I am not saying a frackin’ thing until you answer, whoyou are? And how do you find yourselves in the presence of our princess?”
Slavic raises her above his head like she is a youngling. “You are in no position to question my authority, but I will introduce myself to you so that there are no doubts as to whom you are dealing with. I am Slavic Ramuguk, the firstborn son of Matuk and Shagar Ramuguk, and captain of the Zenith.”
“The gods have heard our prayers.”
I have had enough of the egos floating around, “Slavic, let her go now or I swear I will tell your mam.”
He drops her instantly, but Ruarc grabs hold of one of her arms, turning her toward him, “Why were you sneaking around like that?”
“I had no idea if you were friend or foe. The last time strangers showed up, we lost three of our own.” Myev looks over at me. “Kallen, how are you alive? I saw the Velgriddix drag you onto that shuttle. Did Shanakh and Ashga make it out as well?”
Grief at hearing the other females’ names consumes me. “No, we got separated. It is a long story I only wish to retell once, but as you can see, I am here and alive thanks to mam’s sons. Where is everyone? We came back to the settlement, and there was nothing left.”
“The moment the Velgriddix ship left the atmosphere, mam gathered the ones that were well enough to start the packing, and we worked nonstop until everything was erased from our previous location. She instructed us to pack up everything and ensure that no trace of the previous occupants remained. None of us knew at the time that during her last scouting trip, Lurtza had discovered a new site situated inside a hillside that wouldbe easier to defend as she had just returned when the Velgriddix invaded.”
“Why leave the huts or the crops?”
“Mam said it would appear that we had all perished, and luckily at the time, we had enough stored, so the unharvested foodstuffs were not needed.”
“We will contribute and not be a burden upon the resources available. Are you alone out here, or are there others patrolling the area?” Slavic has no more than finished his question when his comm starts going off. Without taking his eyes off Myev, he hits it, and Einar’s voice instantly surrounds us.
“Slavic, we believe we have captured one of the survivors. Falon was able to get the name Lurtza out of her, but she is fighting us like a baby Suet. We have packed up and are on our way to your location. We should be there in a few tics.”
“Be advised, Einar, she is not an enemy. Her identity has been confirmed by Kallen. She is a scout protecting mam and the other survivors.”
“Have you found them, Brother? Have you seen our mam?” Einar’s excitement at the possibility of reuniting is so intense it can be plainly heard over the comm unit.
“No, I await you and Falon before proceeding to the location just revealed.”
As the comm clicks off, I walk over to Ruarc, yanking his hand off Myev’s arm. “Did these brutes hurt you?”
“It would take more than a tumble to the ground in order to shake me up. I am just glad that for once, it was a friend andnot a foe. I was unsure how we would defend the colony against these Ruk males, given their immense size.”
“How are mam and the others? Was anyone else injured when the Velgriddix invaded?”
“A few had minor injuries, but you … Kallen, you practically sacrificed yourself so that the others could get away.”
“Better me than the younglings. When I saw them chasing after Atasha, I just reacted.”
Ruarc grabs me, turning me back toward him. “You never said it was our sister you saved.”
“Does it really matter which one it was? One is not more important than the other. They are all innocent younglings and did not ask for any of this.”
He is so angry, I swear it looks like he is getting larger. “Why were the younglings in the fields to begin with?”
“They must eat just like the rest of us, Ruarc. Every hand is needed. It is not like we give them tasks that their smaller bodies cannot manage.”
