Kyro - A.G. Wilde Page 0,89

the device projected him as a Hedgerud fighter. Turning his hands around, he looked at the distorted skin. The holo image looked real. He just had to hope there were no defraying devices onboard or the distortion would fail.

Without thinking about it further, Kyro stepped from his spot behind the docked ship to join the group of Hedgeruds now heading toward the Tasqal ship.

None seemed to notice he had just joined the party, too hyped up on the bloodshed they had just been the cause of.

The bodies of M’Agunt and the two Kleebas lay motionless behind them as they walked up the ramp and into the ship, mere signals that a brawl had just occurred.

It was a pity the Tasqal had ordered M’Agunt’s death. He’d wanted his own revenge.

As the doors to the Tasqal ship closed, his ears perked for sounds of Evren as the other guards dispersed, heading back to the stations on the elaborate ship.

Moving with purpose, Kyro headed toward the sleeping quarters.

It ripped at him, but he had a good idea that’s where he would find her.

The first one was empty and so were the second, third, and fourth.

As he reached the fifth, the ship rocked a bit as it lifted off, the low hum of the engine creating what should be a comforting sound. Only, on this occasion, all he could think of was the fact that they were in alien territory.

He had no idea how he was going to get them out of this, only that he could not fail.

Opening the door to the fifth room, his heart fell when he realized it too was empty.

There were only two more places to check: the upper room and the bridge.

According to data on this make of ship, there was one private quarters on the upper level of the ship.

He had no second guesses that was the room the High Tasqal claimed for himself. But he couldn’t get in without distorting, taking out his pad to create a code that would unlock the door, and then distorting back to the Hedgerud fighter form.

It would take much time and it would be quite dangerous to lose his disguise, if even for a minute.

He’d head to the bridge first and hope that his presence wouldn’t set off any alarms.

On the way to the bridge, there was no one. No fighters walked in the corridors and there was no other ship crew. The lack of their presence made something within him tighten.

Something was not right.

As he neared the doors to the bridge, they slid open with a soft hiss. Inside, several Hedgerud fighters sat at their stations controlling the ship. Another two stood guard at the door and two by the captain’s chair.

From where he stood, he could see that the chair was occupied, the white robes telling who it was that sat there.

Below, on the lower deck, Evren was on her knees and Kyro’s heart jerked just seeing her.

But something wasn’t right. Even more so now, the feeling was growing.

For one, he hadn’t expected to see the Tasqal sitting in his chair as captain. The Tasqals tended to let their minions do any and all labor. They were a hedonistic species. They preferred pleasures of the flesh rather than doing any sort of toil. A captain’s job they would see as menial.

It became clear to him then that he may have walked into a trap. He didn’t know what sort of trap yet but a trap nonetheless.

He could feel it.

40

Her head was pounding, the effects of the patch that M’Agunt had tried to fry her brain with still going through her body. Her legs had given out and she’d fallen to the floor on her knees just as she’d been placed in front of the High Tasqal.

She was unwillingly kneeling before it. She didn’t even want to raise her gaze to look at the evil beast. She didn’t want to give the beast the satisfaction.

Not kneeling. Not surrendering.

Legs are just weak.

Not surrendering.

GET UP, EVREN!

As she pushed herself up on her shaky legs, her gaze finally fell on the Tasqal.

There’d been an eerie silence in the room since she’d been brought in and she didn’t like the lack of sound.

It seemed as if the Tasqal was waiting on something.

Behind him, the doors to the bridge closed as another of his men walked in and she cringed as a slow smile spread the Tasqal’s face.

It was the creepiest thing she had ever seen in her life.

Its lips spread so wide; it