Soul of Eon (Eon Warriors #8) - Anna Hackett Page 0,21

and large, white pillows.

The warriors marched them to the center of the cavern. Other pale-skinned Mollai watched, both adults and children. One child watched them pass, holding a small frog-like creature clutched in his small hands.

All the Mollai wore gray pants, with their torsos bare. Some wore tight trousers like the warriors, others had looser, flowing garments.

“What have we here?”

A woman stepped forward. She was young with a slender body and a long neck. An intricate gold necklace wound around her neck, and her breasts were high and full.

“Aurelai, we found these two in the caves. They said they are enemies of the ravagers.”

“Really?” The woman’s sightless eyes focused on them.

“We were abducted by the Kantos from my planet,” Kaira said. “We’re trying to find a way to contact Thane’s people and avoid the planet’s predators until we can be rescued.”

The woman turned. “Lennar, you’ve been gruff and rude to these poor people. They need our help.”

The lead warrior scowled. “Your safety, and the safety of our people, is my first priority. Not the comfort of strangers who invade our tunnels.”

“He’s right.” Thane agreed with the warrior. “He’s done nothing except what I expect of a warrior protecting his people.”

“Men.” The Mollai woman stepped forward. “I am Aurelai, leader of the Mollai.” She held out a slender hand. “Welcome.”

“I’m Kaira. Kaira Chand of Earth.” Kaira touched the woman’s hand—brown skin against white. “And this is Thane Kann-Eon of the Eon Empire.”

“You are both welcome. Come.” The woman led them deeper into the cavern. “You must be tired and hungry.”

“It’s been a pretty wild trip,” Kaira said. “Your planet is dangerous.”

“The above has been contaminated by the ravagers. The Kantos. They brought dangerous creatures here to breed and hunt.”

“We saw ruins,” Thane said. “Do they belong to your people?”

A sad look crossed Aurelai’s regal face. “No. The Mollai have always been a people of the below. But our cousins, the Tollai, once called the above home.”

“There weren’t many Tollai left,” Lennar said. “Then the Kantos wiped them out.”

Aurelai waved at some large, white pillows on the floor. Kaira and Thane sat.

“We moved deeper to avoid the Kantos,” the Mollai leader told them.

“And we have our defenses,” Lennar added.

“We fell into the tunnels,” Thane said. “The Kantos were chasing us, but they didn’t follow us down here.”

“Then we got washed away by a flood of water,” Kaira said.

Aurelai gasped. “Lennar!”

“We didn’t know who they were.” The warrior shifted uneasily.

“The water is one of our defenses,” Aurelai said. “I’m very glad you weren’t hurt.” She looked up, and waved a hand.

Some men and women brought over platters filled with glowing, white flowers and set them down. They looked like the ones they’d seen in the artwork. There were also urns and glasses of pale-blue liquid.

“Please eat,” Aurelai said. “You’re safe here.”

Thane checked the food and drink, and his helian pulsed. He nodded at Kaira.

He took a long drink of the blue fluid. It was sweet and refreshing. He watched the Mollai eat the flowers, and gingerly bit into one of the petals. They were thick and fleshy, and had a unique flavor.

“These taste like chicken,” Kaira said, chewing on a flower.

“We grow the neelianna down here. It provides all we need.”

The Mollai in the cavern started to relax. Conversation resumed.

“Would you like to wash and change?” Aurelai asked.

Kaira nodded. “Please.”

She was led away by the women. Lennar led Thane to a different side room. Inside, he saw a natural basin of rock filled with water that dripped down the walls.

“There are fresh clothes on the bench,” the warrior said.

There was a stone bench cut into the far wall. A stack of neatly folded gray clothes rested on it.

“Thank you, Lennar. We don’t mean your people any harm. We need to find a way to the surface. We plan to find a way to the Kantos base, so we can get a message to my ship.”

“Ship?”

“My people are warriors. We travel the stars.”

A look crossed Lennar’s face. “Incredible.” The warrior shook his head. “Our home is deep in the below, but I’ve seen the night sky a few times. It looks like our caverns filled with gala worms. Beautiful.” Lennar backed out. “Wash. Change. We’ll talk more after.”

Thane retracted his armor, then splashed his face and body with water. His uniform smelled of sweat and he shucked it off. He pulled on some gray pants like the other warriors wore. There were no shirts in the pile of clothes, so he’d have to go