Page 45 of Alien's Challenge
“I do not know why you are surprised. You told me to steal it,” Perrigaul said.
“I told you to find a vessel that would beideal, not find a vessel to steal.”
“You thought that bucket of bolts was ideal?” Perrigaul waved a hand at the aging transport vessel.
“No, and quite frankly, I planned to take off without you. This vessel is an embarrassment. You need to consider how what you steal reflects on your choices as a person.”
Perrigaul’s tail twitched, his only sign of amusement.
While they distracted the guard, Alice unlocked the door and slipped inside.
It was time to end this farce.
“Are you going to fight me or bore me into surrender?” Faris asked.
Perrigaul grinned, baring his fangs.
They lunged at the guard.
Chapter 13
Faris
Years of experience let Faris and Perrigaul move in sync without speaking. They took the hapless guard’s blaster and baton.
More guards arrived, wearing their bright blue coats. The uniforms bore the signs of use. The people who wore them were more than a show of strength. They enforced the warlord’s law.
Good. Faris appreciated the challenge.
The guards fought with skill, but Faris fought better. From his youngest days, he had been trained for battle, then served for years in the Imperial military. One guard or three made no difference. They were bullies, relying on superior weaponry and numbers.
A solid blow between his shoulders sent him stumbling. The old wound howled with pain. He blocked and danced out of the way. Perrigaul fought alongside him until he no longer did.
The guards overwhelmed him. He moved defensively, blocking and dodging, but never gaining ground. Survival was moment to moment but so much relied on making it out of this wretched place. He could not fail.
He would not.
A female’s cry of distress broke the haze of the fight.
Alice.
A guard roughly marched her out of the ship, her arm twisted behind her back at an uncomfortable angle. A head wound bled copiously on the guard. Faris puffed up with pride at the sight.
A blow to his lower back sent him to his knees. He landed roughly on the ground. A booted foot pressed between his shoulder blades, keeping him down. Faris struggled to raise his head enough to watch Alice. If they mistreated her, he’d decorate the town with their blood.
“Stay down or the female suffers the consequences,” a coarse voice warned.
Faris ceased struggling, mentally eviscerating the guards.
“This one has a bounty for her return,” the guard said.
“Bind them and deliver them to the warlord,” another ordered.
Alice
“Owenfaris, fourth child of the Eternal House of Nakkon.” The man shifted forward in his chair. A thick scar ran along one cheekbone, bare with no scales.
Correction, throne. Constructed of metal and bone, a large animal skull, monstrous in proportion, perched at the top. The skull almost looked like a dragon’s. Alice wanted to believe it was fake because she didn’t want to imagine the living creature with such massive teeth.
