not far-off. Whether allies or enemies, I cannot determine.”
With great reluctance I let my arms fall to my sides, clenching my hands to keep from reaching out. “You need to leave.” I look pointedly at Iraxion and Yania, hardening my gaze. “There is nothing more important to me than my children. You will take them and go.”
“No, Massela!” Yania shakes her head vehemently, her eyes two perfect circles. “You must come with us.”
“You will leave with Iraxion to guard you so that you can care for the children,” I say. “If we were to come along, we would only slow you down, rendering you unable to fly.” When Yania starts to protest, I hold up a hand, silencing her. “As I am your Massela, you will do this in obedience to me. You will nurture and protect the future of the tribe. That is your duty, and I will have your vow.”
Charlotte puts her arm around my shoulder, pulling me close. “Iraxion, in honor of Rozak and me, you will do as Makayla has ordered.”
“I swear it,” the warrior says. Then he turns to Yania. “We haven’t much time.”
When she hesitates, I almost tell her to stay. The idea of sending my children away goes against every instinct I have as a mother, and feelings of despair and emptiness sweep over me as I kiss my daughter’s forehead, followed by my son’s.
“Get out of here,” I say, my voice almost a scream. My desperation and pain seeps into every syllable and every nuance. “If you don’t, I’ll never forgive you, Yania.”
She gives me a solemn nod, her eyes filled with tears. “Of my family, of my soul. May we part nevermore.”
And then she takes my children, the very essence of my heart and soul, and disappears into the sky.
Chapter 16
The battle—if you can even call it that—was over before we even had a chance to fight back.
Once Yania and Iraxion left, I told Scarlett, Jeanine, and Charlotte to leave, offering to stay behind and lead anyone chasing us astray. They refused, and it wasn’t more than five minutes later that we were apprehended. In all likelihood, they wouldn’t have gotten far even if they had tried. Without the gift of flight, we humans are easy to track and subdue.
The western tribe members have us, along with every other person from our tribes, gathered in a small space within the campsite, each and every one of us on our knees. Our enemy has created a circle around us, while the octopuses stand guard further back.
Octopuses. Pfft. Stupid word for stupid-ass aliens.
I run my gaze over each and every face of the defeated, taking a mental inventory of who’s present. And I’m not the only one. Each of my friends chokes back a sob when she finds her husband alive, along with anyone else dear to her.
My heart threatens to seize when I don’t locate Jaxar among the crowd. Jeanine, no longer having access to her crossbow, takes my hands and squeezes them in a show of support. Her lips move, but there is no sound, and she never takes her eyes off Belvaire. He’s been pulled to the side, along with Rozak. It’s not hard to guess why. Their status as Masses has the odds of survival not in their favor.
Actually, the odds are looking quite dim for all of us.
The Boraq guarding us make room for a male that I don’t recognize. There’s nothing about him that’s distinctive except for the air of malevolence that drapes over him like a robe. The threat of violence all but oozes from him, and it sends a chill through me.
“I am known as Morox to some, Masse to the western tribe, and conqueror to all,” the male says, his booming voice easily heard. “Pay attention, all of you who opposed me. You are now defeated with your lives hanging in the balance. But there is no reason I cannot be merciful despite everything that has occurred.”
Morox scans the crowd, and I lower my head, not wanting to draw attention to myself. My friends and I already stand out just because we’re human, which is bad enough. Not to mention the fact that it’s hard to look at the evil lurking in his gaze.
“Where is the wife of Jaxar, the Masse of the south?” Morox’s inquiry has my lungs collapsing, and all I can do is pray that everyone is not looking at me.
After a while, when no one comes forward, Morox continues. “You