Page 76 of Infala: Claimed By Rivals
And with that, the two were gone in a flash, a team of not just rival companions, but deadly warriors. Olivia had seen but a sample of what they were capable of previously. These were the men training to escort an eligible female to foreign lands in search of her mate, after all. They were more than just company. They were bodyguards. And watching as they leapt into the clearing, weapons flashing on and smiting the first two Raxxian guards before they could even register what was happening showed just how skilled they truly were.
They targeted the most heavily armed ones first, slashing their bodies and weapons with fierce blows, severing limbs and crushing the three rifles the Raxxians possessed. The lizard-like aliens quickly realized they were under attack and mounted a spirited defense, pouring all they had into the elimination of the new threat.
It didn’t matter. Not to the whirling dervishes of death and destruction plowing their way through them like hot knives through butter. Olivia was astounded at the speed they moved,as well as the moves they were putting on display. The tricks up their sleeves were both impressive and deadly, and in no time most of the Raxxians lay dead or dying.
Olivia watched from safety on the sidelines as the men fought, the captives sitting in a state of shock at the unexpected bloodshed. The human, she noted, looked pretty hurt, a large red patch on his side where he’d sustained some sort of injury, though she couldn’t tell what through his clothes.
Screw this. I’ve got to do something.
She looked left and right, gauging the carnage and chaos. Olivia waited, and when she spotted an opening, she ran across the battlefield, her adrenaline pumping hard as she snatched up a knife from a fallen Raxxian, sliding to a stop in front of the two prisoners.
“I’m gonna get you out of here. Hang on.”
She began quickly sawing at the ropes, the sheer focus of her mind on the task making the knife cut much faster than she’d expected. Her runes were also faintly glowing as if channeling her intentions into her newly enhanced limbs.
“Olivia! Look out!” Rykker shouted, desperately trying to cut through the guard he was fighting to reach her.
She looked over her shoulder, eyes going wide. A massive Raxxian was charging right at her, knives in both his hands.
“We’re going to die!” the human tied up behind her wailed, making her adrenaline spike even harder.
“No we’re not! Back off!” she shrieked, throwing her hands up just as the Raxxian reached her.
The battle actually stopped for a split-second as all eyes turned toward the green alien violently blasted across the clearing, his chest caved in from the force. Olivia flopped to the ground, shocked and spent. Her two Maldonian suitors took full advantage of the momentary lapse, making the remaining Raxxians pay the ultimate price.
They quickly checked all the fallen guards, ensuring none would be getting up ever again, then hurried to the fallen woman, concern and love in both their gazes.
“Olivia, are you okay?” Arkness asked, lifting her gently.
“I—what happened?”
Rykker kneeled to join them, resting a hand on her as well. “Youhappened. I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Nor I,” his comrade agreed, staring at her glowing tattoos. “That was not a mere show of strength. The pigment, it has somehow formed new runes in your existing artwork. And your power… it is unheard of.”
“Not just that,” Rykker noted. “It’s the stuff of legends.”
Rykker ran a quick scan of her body, the display showing all of her tattoos, old and new, blazing with some sort of new powerful activity. And the formerly small spot of energy that had coalesced in her sinuses and brain? It was nearly as bright as the glowing rune in the middle of her chest.
“Her Infala,” Arkness gasped.
Rykker nodded. “I know. But I do not match. And after so many years, I know your Infala as well as my own. It does not match either.”
Arkness shrugged, utterly confused. “Then what is going on?”
“I wish I knew. But there is no time. We need to get this one back, and quickly. His wound appears serious.”
Arkness quickly unbound the man, this time willingly taking on the burden. “I will take him in my ship. If he needs emergency medical attention, I am best prepared to assist. You take Olivia and the Alvonkian female. We need to go. Now!”
Without further ado, and with no intention whatsoever of attempting to hide this scale of carnage, they set out at a fast retreat, heading for their ships and the safety of Maldonianairspace. The rescue and recovery portion of the operation had been a success. All they needed now was to make it out alive.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
As it turned out, the wholesale slaughter of the Raxxian retrieval and recovery team had been as thorough as it was violent, and as a result the hurried trek back to their ships was uneventful. The smaller group of Raxxians Rykker said had departed earlier had headed out in a different direction, so for the moment, at least, they were in the clear.
“Load and go,” Arkness urged, quickly securing the human whose name they had learned was Antonio into his ship then treating his wound with a basic cautery device from his medical kit.
Olivia stepped inside while Rykker fired up his own craft. “Is he going to be okay?”
