Page 132 of Warrior's Reign
“Guard Lohail and Vykhan,” she told her team. “I’m going for the princess.”
Her bodyshield shimmered just as she cleared the entrance. Blaster fire hit her straight on, the fleeing guards covering their tracks. She aimed back, paused a second to make sure her suit could absorb the energy, then ran.
The corridors were as clear as the lounge. Lohail must have ordered the entire deck free of innocents, and any residential guests confined to quarters.
Adevega didn’t stay on the deck, though.
She chased them out to a common corridor, only moments behind, but they blended in with the sea of brightly dressed, laughing civilians.
Movement caught her eye; a lift going up. Reign ran. “Move!” She had no authority to issue orders, and mentioning Ibukay would get herBdakhunin trouble. Nor did Lohail technically rule outside of his domain.
She fired up her blaster instead, hoping she’d be gone before the space station’s neutral security force arrived.
People got out of the way. She took a lift up, following her prey, and dived into another crowd on a level dedicated to family friendly restaurants.
Reign sheathed the blaster, biting back a curse. Her all black sexy assassin getup gained attention; Adevega and her people would look normal.
She slowed to a stroll, almost gasping when suddenly her marks flared with angry heat.
“Fuck, Vykhan,” she swore. A female passing by glared, ushering her children to the opposite side of Reign.
Slowing to a stroll, en-blade already depressed and held discreetly in her hand, she scanned the crowds, searching several restaurants before she began to think they’d given her the slip.
What had they been wearing? Yellow, green. Tan pants and jewel bright shirts with abstract patterns. The current vacation fashion was an eyesore in Reign’s opinion, but she supposed it was no worse than vintage flowered shirts on Earth.
But even dismissing neutral or flesh toned colors, the visual noise in the crowd put her at a disadvantage. Everyone was blue, taller than her, and partying. She wasn’t the only human, but there weren’t many.
Reign halted in a square courtyard shared by a bistro and a wine bar. The marks pulsed on her arms, probably in time with the heat of Vykhan’s wrath because she hadn’t stayed put. She pushed him out of her mind, his presence growing stronger and more demanding, and ignored the growing heat.
About to turn back in frustration, a high-pitched whirring warned her a second before the blaster fire would have blown a hole through her head. Reign dove to the ground, depressing her en-blade. A male broke from the crowd and fast walked in the opposite direction of the panicked people.
Reign ran after him, once again silencing her blade. When the overseers of this place played back the vids, they’d see that it was only Adevega’s people who had put Anthhori’s tourists in jeopardy.
The restaurant district thinned, buildings dwindling until they’d entered the park district.
:Reign, do not pursue,: Vykhan said, his voice coming through her wrist unit even though he’d neither requested a call, and she hadn’t accepted one. So, yeah, she would be reconfiguring this unit when back on planet.
“If we let her off this station, she’ll go underground,” Reign snapped. “She broke the treaty with Anthhori.”
:She will not go to ground. Breaking the treaty is not punishable by death, and to all appearance she only attempted to deliver an Imperial writ.:
Reign slowed. The lighting changed in this area of the park, trees taller and denser, twinkling with strings of yellow lightning bug lights. The design mimicked the popular parks in Naidekai city.
She left the main path, moving stealthily through the forest, avoiding foreign voices. “She won’t allow herself to go to trial. I’d be cross examined and her plans would unravel from there. We have to catch her now, or we’ll be hunting her down for who knows long.”
:You are the prey, Reign.: His voice was icy, controlled. :You are being led away from us so they can kill you. Wait for me. That is an order.:
“Just move faster.”
A scuffle of feet, and Reign whirled, then aborted her strike. Icolo stepped into a small puddle of light.
“Martha?” she hissed.
“It would take her too long to shift back,” he said quietly. “Lord Lohail has her guarding the warriors who surrendered.”
Reign nodded. He darted ahead of her as they continued the hunt.
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