stretched over him to grasp the Nobek’s shoulder. “That goes double for your Imdiko. Stay safe, Japohn. No irresponsible stunts. Promise.”
With such long arms, Japohn was able to embrace them both. “Now that I have more than I could have dreamed of, it’s an easy promise to make. You have my word.”
* * * *
A year later, a couple of months after the war ended, Japohn made good on his promise and returned to Bacoj and Vax, whole and healthy. It was fortunate he did so. The adventure that followed put them all to a test greater than any they’d encountered before.
The End
Clan Bacoj’s story continues in Clans of Kalquor 4:
Alien Salvation
Lindsey is an Earth survivor who could complete Kalquor’s Clan Bacoj…or destroy it.
Lindsey McInness and her parents are barely surviving on post-Armageddon Earth. When a Kalquorian shuttle crashes nearby, Lindsey has no choice but to offer herself to the clan on board in exchange for food and rescue.
Bacoj, Japohn and Vax are stunned when a young woman presents herself to them for their sexual pleasure. Kalquorians of their youth and low rank have no expectation of finding the elusive Earther mates Kalquorians covet so highly. But the strong-willed and yet yielding Lindsey seems to be a perfect fit for them…until they learn her secret that threatens to tear the entire clan apart.
Read the first chapter now:
Lindsey McInness peered through her binoculars from the top of the office building, looking at the Fort Lauderdale beach three blocks away. The object she watched, a silver oblong shape, lay unmoving on the shore. The Kalquorian shuttle tilted drunkenly to one side. One of its landing struts was obviously badly bent. The vessel had landed hard, skipping across the blond sand like a stone skipping across the water. Lindsey had watched it come down half an hour earlier.
Her father Aaron squinted through his own set of binoculars while her mother Tara crouched between them, her face eternally peaceful as always. The sharp sea breeze lifted Tara and Lindsey’s matching chestnut locks and Aaron’s soft gray strands. The breeze was cooling in the heat of the early spring sun.
Tara finally asked, “Any signs of life?”
“Not yet.” Lindsey put the binoculars down and looked at her mother. Despite Tara’s serene expression, her appearance made Lindsey wince. She was too thin, her tank top and shorts accentuating her starved appearance. Her arms and legs were sticklike. Food had been hard to come by lately, and none of them had possessed an extra ounce of fat when Armageddon had struck Earth six months earlier. With Aaron injuring his back falling down the stairs a few weeks ago, the situation was becoming desperate for the little family.
Desperate enough that Lindsey had decided to approach the Kalquorian ship the moment she saw it careening through the powder blue Florida sky. With no sign of life coming from the craft, it was time to make her move.
“I’m going down for a closer look,” she informed her parents.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Aaron frowned, putting down his binoculars too. The past two years had been harsh to him. He was in his mid-fifties, but living in hiding and then seeing most of Earth demolished in cataclysmic explosions had aged him badly. His eyes were sunken, his face almost skull-like. It broke Lindsey’s heart to see him look so old.
Her pain gentled her voice when she answered him. “It isn’t a good idea, but those Kalquorians probably have food. If they survived, they might be willing to share. If they’re dead, they won’t need it anyway.”
Before Aaron could argue any further, Lindsey hurried across the roof to the door leading into the building. As she moved, she kept her gaunt frame huddled in a crouch. Kalquorians, other Earthers, whatever was out there — she had no intention of advertising the family’s presence to anyone. Her parents followed, Aaron shambling awkwardly with pain.
At least he could still walk, Lindsey thought. Maybe there was a Kalquorian doctor on that shuttle. Maybe the Kalquorians were friendly, having nothing to do with Armageddon. And maybe Santa Claus was with them, handing out presents to good little children. Help was too much to hope for, but Lindsey had lived on little more than hope for a long time.
They entered the stairwell, finally able to straighten and walk normally without the fear of hostile eyes upon them. Tara also existed on hope, which was obvious in her next statement. “They might know Jessica.”
Aaron’s voice echoed in