amaze me how small and light these Danans made me feel.
The race across the barren land was fast. I kept my eyes on the Vargeez behind us, as it wasn’t as disorientating as watching the blurred scene passing on either side. I knew the others used me as their form of rear-view-mirror, while I got to see the Danan ship ahead through their eyes. Mind Speak was way more than just speaking and, in moments like these, I loved it.
We should have been able to keep our lead, or even extend it, but I realized that a day of journeying had taken its toll on my podmates. Carrying the extra weight was also slowing the brothers down. And Nial was forced to match his speed to the other two.
The Vargeez had cleared the mountain and were coming at us at great speed. The size of the cloud told me we were looking at hundreds, if not thousands, of the creatures. A host of Vargeez, not just a raiding party.
How did they know we were here? Were they following us? They’d seemed to head in our direction last night, when they couldn’t possibly have seen Lain and the Theran from a distance. And tonight they came at us as if they knew exactly where to find us. It was too much of a coincidence.
‘They probably had search parties out scouting the land in ever-widening circles from the crash-site,’ Nial told me, running next to Meida and me. ‘And maybe one of the bastards from last night escaped to inform on us. I’m not sure how their communication works long-distance.’
‘Maybe they caught sight of our rescue ship in the sky and came to investigate?’ I offered, trying to keep my mind from focusing in on the worst case scenario.
But there was no way to divert my anxiety from what was coming. This was not the way I wanted to die!
26
MARISSA
My grip tightened on the back of the pilot’s chair. Time was running out. We’d made our descent into Vargan territory with only minutes to spare. Any time now the message would come through that we needed to immediately make our way north to the site of the first full-scale battle.
What if Rhain and Raesus had been wrong about the location? What if something had held up Jenna and her pod, and they wouldn’t get here in time? The possibilities seemed endless.
“There’s heat signatures directly ahead of us,” the navigator announced.
The viewing screen became our focus. The screen zoomed in. There, maybe ten miles away, were bright dots moving quickly across the barren landscape.
“That has to be them!” Rhain announced, squeezing Bronwyn’s shoulder. “Move closer.”
“More heat signatures behind them. A lot of them,” the navigator went on.
My heartbeat double-timed in my chest. More heat signatures could only mean one thing: Vargeez!
“Did you know the Vargeez would be here?” I cried, reeling from the news.
Raesus and Rhain both lifted their chins, but it was Rhain who spoke. “It was a possibility. Coming here always had the potential of drawing the Vargeez to us and our young. Our choices were limited.”
“If we get caught in that wave coming at us we’ll never get off the ground again. They’ll clog the propulsion units,” the pilot said, looking to Thaid for orders.
“Take us closer. Whether we fight Vargeez here or to the north makes no difference. Except to our sons and their podmate.”
“And the message from your HQ?” I couldn’t help asking.
Thaid looked from his mate to his brothers, and then to the approaching cloud of Vargeez.
Fear closed off my throat to the point I could barely breathe.
“What message? By the time any possible message comes in we’ll be clearing the skies of Vargeez. Right Kluodus?” Thaid said, looking to the pilot.
The teal green Danan nodded worriedly. “We engage them here; we stop this wave from joining the battle to the north.”
Thaid nodded in satisfaction. “Then get us closer and on the ground. We’re about to have the fight of our lives.”
“I’m coming!” I said with more determination than I felt.
Yet I knew it was the right choice.
“You need to stay on board, out of danger!” Kius said, his usually gentle voice threaded through with steel.
“While you fight? You never fight!” I argued heatedly.
“We all fight. That’s what we’ve been training to do during this voyage!” Bronwyn said calmly, meeting Thaid’s blue starbursts with determination.
“You die, you take us with you,” Thaid reminded her, even though we all knew what was at stake.
“Then I won’t die. You