Page 4 of The Warrior's Oath
“And put it to great use.”
“But you still didn’t tell me how we wound up here all alone.”
The alien cocked his head once more, his gold-rimmed irises sparkling with curiosity. “You truly do not recall.”
“I told you it’s all fuzzy.”
“The ship began breaking apart. It was clear the Raxxians had lost this fight, and we had no time to stop and plan. The hull was breached and we began to lose air pressure. We had to act immediately before the void claimed us. You and I dove into the nearest open compartment and I sealed the door behind us. We barely made it in time. The Raxxian craft broke apart moments later.”
“And the others?”
“You and I were the only ones in that particular compartment.”
“So the other humans?”
“I cannot say.”
“And your general?”
He shrugged in stoic silence.
Nyota reached out and rested her hand on his ankle, the only part of him within reach. “I’m so sorry.”
He nodded his appreciation and crouched down beside her. “Thank you. And I am sorry about your compatriots.”
“There was nothing you could do.”
“Thateitherof us could do,” he corrected, brushing her hair aside and examining the bruise on her temple. Nyota winced. “At least the skin was not broken.”
“Be happy for the little things, right?”
“Indeed.”
She looked up into his violet eyes, the gold rings around his irises glinting in the dappled light. “We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Nyota.”
“I am called Korvin,” he replied.
“Nice to meet you, Korvin. I wish it was in better circumstances.”
The slightest hint of a smile creased his lips, but only for an instant. “Yes, this is not ideal,” he said. “Now, you should rest. You need to recover from your injury.”
“But what if the Raxxians—”
“I have ensured we are well hidden from sight. You are safe for the time being. Now rest.”
Nyota considered protesting, but her pounding head and exhausted body had other ideas. She quickly began drifting off to sleep, Korvin keeping watch. But while his imposing presence was likely comforting to the injured woman, her guardian could not help but wonder just how safe they actually were.
CHAPTERTHREE
Concussion protocol back on Earth was pretty straightforward. Basically, the main point was to keep anyone who suffered from a loss of consciousness from a head injury awake for a day or so. It sucked, but this was to ensure they didn’t have a subdural hematoma slowly leaking into their brain, gradually applying pressure, ultimately causing them to go to sleep but never wake up.
The rationale was that one would be able to notice the change in their level of consciousness and overall mental capacity long before a slow leak developed into something major.
On Korvin’s world, however, it seemed that system of rules did not exist, and as a result he let Nyota sleep as long as she needed. As it turned out, that was well into the night.
It wasn’t a restful sleep, however. Nyota tossed and turned as fitful dreams danced around in her traumatized head. Memories of her life on Earth. Flashes of her abduction. Glimpses of faces she seemed to know. Faces from a variety of races, and not all of them human.
She had been going about her life. Nothing out of the ordinary, just a day at work, followed by a quick stop at a nearby food stall to pick up her meal for the night. It had been a busy afternoon and she simply didn’t have the energy to cook. It was an indulgence she had gotten over fretting about and now allowed herself without guilt.
