The Dawning of Fate
Chapter 25

Azandum

What was I thinking by bringing her here? This was a mistake. A stupid one, at that. As I held her close, rubbing my hand up and down her back with what I hoped were soothing strokes, I thought about all that transpired. I never wanted Echo to see me that way. Would she look at me differently now that she has seen the real me? Now that she has seen what a monster I really am? I can’t even fathom the thought of losing her. I won’t. Echo has become my north star, my guiding light in the midst of the blackhole that had swallowed me up. I fear who I’ll become without her.

“Too tight, babe. I’m not going to die,” she wheezes, patting my arm. I glance down and see that in my haze, I had cinched my arms around her. A grin splits her face when she looks at me as I release my grip. Echo places her hand on my chest. “I’m okay, Zan. It’s just all the blood and…” Her face twists in disgust. “Guts.”

“You should’ve never had to see that, my al sisi. I apologize.”

She shrugs, bringing her arms up around my neck, letting her fingers play with the hairs at the nape of my neck.

“It’s not your fault they decided to fuck with us. They got what was coming to them.”

Despite her casual attitude, I could feel the turmoil coiling through her. My little warrior, she tried to be so strong for us. When was she going to realize that it was my job?

“Zan?” Her inner voice was timid and uncertain, it set my protective instincts on high alert. “I think something’s happening to me.”

My arms tightened around her waist. “I’ve felt these bursts of pain from you, it has worried me as well. I’m sorry for not asking you before. This is not normal for you?”

She shakes her head.

Just then, the Xoid-Kyrin-bursts through the door with his beady eyes blown wide. “You need to leave. Now!” For a man of his age, he moves quickly. One second he was at the door, the next he was in front of me, latching onto Echo’s arm.

The snarl that rips from my throat surprises even me. How dare he touch my mate?!

“Must you be so eager to meet your death, Xoid?” The spike of fear that I feel from Echo doesn’t help ease the anger that still hadn’t fully dissipated since we arrived on this Gods forsaken rock. My people were naturally more aggressive and our rage was legendary, but this? It feels like an inferno within my chest waiting to erupt at a moment’s notice. I knew, instinctively, that my beast was fueling my own rage with his. I recall how our mentors used to tell us the stories of our ancestors, the berserkers. Before we became the Tumerian society that we have today, the first of our people would sink into a blind rage, tearing apart any and everything in their path until the bloodlust was sated. I wonder, was this how they felt?

“We have no time for your tantrum, child! Eterai is in danger. I must protect her at all costs,” Kyrin barks at me.

“I suggest you get your hands off me, Kyrin. You see, I’m having a really shitty day. My body is hurting, there are dead bodies piling up all over the place, and all I’ve eaten today is a fucking protein bar and a stick of meat! So you’ll excuse me if I’m not in such a forgiving mood.”

In the time that we were distracted, Echo managed to draw her blade, pressing the sharp tip into the space just above Kyrin’s groin. The look on her face was the fiercest I’ve ever seen and I truly felt sorry for the Xoid. I would not want to be on the receiving end of an angry woman. Slowly, Kyrin releases Echo’s arm and bows his head to her.

“Forgive me, Eterai. I have overstepped.” He looks up, a plea in his gaze. “But we must leave. You and your men are no longer safe here. Despite our efforts, our location has been compromised. I’ve located the base where the women are being held so we must head there immediately.”

Amondis walks over, his skin still covered in the black blood of our Myrthic visitors. “Where are they?”

Kyrin turns and begins marching out of the crumbling hovel, obviously expecting us to follow. “They are in The Abyss. We must hurry.”

“You’re just chocked full of bad omens and ominous titles,” Echo grumbles as we follow him out. Her surly disposition would be charming if I wasn’t feeling the exact same way. Nothing about being here put me at ease. Since I touched down on Niscus, I’ve felt like the drakul within me has been trying to claw his way out of my skin. I loved my wombmate and I thank Matu daily for returning him to me, but this mission of his puts my mate in danger. I don’t like it. If it wasn’t for Echo insisting we help him, I’m ashamed to say I would not have come. My first priority was her safety and the second, was her happiness. Returning to Niscus put both of those priorities at risk.

Kyrin leads our party back out into the alley. I make sure the Echo’s cloak is pulled up to shield her face as best I could. Taking hold of the chain dangling from her neck made me sick to my stomach. Some mate I turned out to be. Somehow Kyrin has managed to squeeze a smaller version of the hovertram we rode before into the alley. There was no way we would all be able to fit in that…box.

“Get in, we must make has-”

No sooner than the words left his lips, an explosion rocked the ground beneath our feet. I had Echo pressed to the ground beneath my body in seconds. Her cry of surprise was drowned out by the sounds of screams and crashing debris. Hard, jagged chunks of rock rained down as smoke plummed the air. I grunt as a heavy shard plummets onto my exposed wings.

“LET’S GO!” The start of an engine proceeds the familiar roar of my wombmate. Gathering Echo in my arms, I pushed myself up and lunged into the hovertram, landing in the center space between the seats. Something heavy lands just to the side of me. Whatever it is applying pressure to my wing causes a white-hot flare of pain to sizzle up my spine.

“Vrat!”

The hovertram lurches forward causing me to shift and it’s then that I remember Echo is beneath me. Shoving away the weight on me is met with a grunt. I ignore it as I push up to replace my lifemate curled into a ball with her arms folded over her head. She slowly lifts one arm, peeking up at me before her face breaks into a grin. How can she be smiling at a time like this?

“You’re heavy as shit, you know that?” A heavy sigh escapes me, seeing as she appears to be okay. The love of my life reaches up and wraps her arms around my neck, burying her nose into my neck.

“Thank you for protecting me, baby. I’ll take your body over mine any day.”

A chuckle rumbles from my chest. This female. How did I get so lucky?

Love mate. Yes, I agree with my drakul.

I go to wrap my arms around her but the motion pulls at my injured wing causing me to hiss. Echo stills in my arms before pulling back, the tiny fur above her eyes pinching together.

“You’re hurt.”

I open my mouth to deny it but snap it shut. I wouldn’t lie to her. Besides, she could feel me just as well as I could feel her. Squeezing between me and the flat bench that served as a seat, she made her way around behind me. I couldn’t really move. Not only would it pull at the injury, but there was barely enough space in here to fit one Tumerian, let alone two, a Xoid, and a human. We were packed on top of each other like a den of Quay.

Echo’s gasp causes me to wince. “It doesn’t hurt that bad, my al sisi. I would be no warrior if I couldn’t take a few injuries.”

“Zan…” I could feel the heat of her hand hovering over my wing. “You have a piece of rock lodged in the base of your wing.”

“Ah, I see.” I nod. “Well, my mate, you’ll just have to pull it out.”

“What?! How can you be so calm about this? I can’t pull it out, Zan! You need to see a doctor, right now.” Hearing the concern in her voice warmed my hearts. The last time I had someone to care for me this way was when I was a mere sapling still nesting at home.

“We don’t have the credits nor the time to stop by a healer’s hovel right now, Eterai,” Kryin scolds from his position in the driver's seat.

“Speak for yourself, Xoid.” The urge to reach out and snap his neck for speaking to her that way was held at bay only by Echo’s gentle fingers trailing down the membrane of my wings.

“We’re about to have company! If you’re going to do something, Echo, you need to do it now! I need my wombmate in fighting condition if we’re going to get out of this,” Amondis grinds out.

I reach my good hand back and it lands on her thigh. I give it a solid squeeze. “Tumerians heal faster than you’re used to. Trust me and pull it out.”

Her small hand lands on top of mine and she gives it a squeeze. “Okay.” It was only the slightest shift but I felt the pinch when she wrapped her hands around the shard. “I’m going to count to three, okay?”

I nod.

“One.” She rips the shard out, foregoing the rest of the numbers. The rigid stone scrapped against the bone, making my knees buckle. I planted my hand on the side of the hovertram to keep myself up.

“Faex! Sweet Fati in Voranu.”

Amondis chuckled beside me. Even as my warm life blood flowed down my back, I could feel the muscle and sinew stitching itself back together. Echo’s gasp draws my attention and I knew she was watching the process. My lips twist into a smile imagining the look of astonishment on her face. To anyone else, it was nothing special. Many races could instantaneously heal their own wounds but humans had yet to reach that stage in evolution. They really were primitive little people.

“Look out!” Amondis yells. Suddenly the hovertram jerks to the right, throwing me into the door. A low whining sound acts as a precursor to the explosive melting of the bricks on the building we were just beside. I’d never forget the sound of a plasma burst. The tune was on replay in my head for months after the war ended. Just hearing it now took me back to those days on the battlefield, surrounded by mutilated bodies.

“Will someone care to tell me who the FUCK is trying to kill us?!”

Kyrin glances back, his long snout of a face pulled into a tight grimace. “They’re not trying to kill us, Eterai. They’re trying to take us.” He faces forward. “Which is exponentially worse.”

“Just a bucket of sunshine, aren’t you?” I could hear her sharp sarcasm from a mile away.

“Who knew the Bringer of Destruction would trigger events so fast?”

Echo pushes forward in the tiny space so that she’s staring directly at the side of Kyrin’s face. “Are you trying to say this is because of me?!”

“Well…you are the herald of destruction and in case you didn’t notice, Eterai, we are currently in the midst of destruction.”

“That’s bullshit and you know it!” My mate seethes. “I am not this bringer of all things evil and bad.”

Kyrin glances over at her. “No one said Change was evil, Echo. It is only the natural way of things.” He looks back out the window at all of the plumes of smoke. “Though I must say, I would’ve preferred a bit more time to get to know you before you had me racing for my life. I am much too old for this sort of excitement.”