Page 20 of Starfallen
Chapter 9
Stolen in the Night
Isend a message tothe two carriers I’d stationed near the cave entrance.
Me: Do not allow anyone to enter this cave, and do not allow Tilly or the puppy to leave.
Carrier 24981: Is deadly force authorized?
Me: Not on her or the dog. Only on intruders.
Carrier 24981: Understood.
Gently, I swipe hair from Tilly’s face and place a tender kiss on her neck as she lies sleeping on her side, her breathing even and deep.
A tiny smile tugs a corner of her lips.
She’s going to be sleeping for a while.
KJ curls against her chest, his paws tucked against his chubby belly.
Rather than risking extra noise from trying to leave the bed, I teleport to the old prison.
Time for a little judgment.
I appear in the room Silarrian had held Tilly and me as captives.
The other carriers remain immobile, guarding the ship outside, the door, and the hole in the wall.
“Where are they?” I ask.
A black-gloved hand points at the door. “In the other cells just down the hall.”
Cracking my knuckles, I stalk to the exit and jerk it open, but hesitate as I step over the threshold.
‘It’s not our place to judge.’Tilly’s words ring in my head.
I stand inside the lit hallway. Silarrian and his team must’ve been using this place for a base and outfitted it with Baltin electricity. Most of Earth’s electronics were rendered useless by the EMP we unleashed over two years ago.
There’s a pulsing need within me to wrap my hands around his throat and choke the life out of him, yet that would be too quick, too clean.
After Therin stabbed Tilly and left her to die in that asteroid, I managed to break through the Henokan shields and ported into his cell. His death was not quick nor painless. I didn’t give him a chance for a trial because he didn’t deserve it.
And neither does Silarrian.
I stride forward, looking through the cells.
Lorna, the guard who jabbed her spear into Tilly, who cuffed and held her still so Silarrian could slice Tilly’s stomach, jumps to her feet, her brown eyes wide. She approaches the bars of her cell. “Your Majesty,” she stammers in our native tongue.
“Oh, you do me the honors of a title, now that I have you incarcerated?” I sneer.
“We...we followed Governess Chari.” Her brow furrows and her eyes hold a fevered, desperate plea. “Your mother only wanted to do the right thing.”
I let out a low laugh. “No, she only wanted power, no matter the cost or who she had to hurt to get it, including her son.”
“We should not be mingling with inferior races and diluting our bloodlines. It’s barbaric.”
She’s young. Looking up her files, I learn Lorna has been in security for three years. Long enough for my mother and the council’s poison to seep into her veins.
