Stolen - Nhys Glover Page 0,88

can’t expect me to stay on board and watch everyone I love fighting for their lives? This has to be my fight as well. If not here, then in the north as you said. I’d rather fight here.”

I wouldn’t have had the courage to stand up to Thaid’s fury in that moment, but Bronwyn did. My admiration for her grew in leaps and bounds.

“We fight too, for Jenna and the boy,” Hayley declared from the doorway, already holding one of the newly developed double-headed spears.

The other Victims were appearing behind her, each holding a spear.

“Hope you have one of those for me,” I said with a manic grin.

Shawna, wild red curls tied neatly back, threw me a spear. For once, her expression wasn’t sullen.

Thaid sighed heavily. “I seem to be out-voted. You women will stay in the center of our circle. You understand?”

We all nodded, willing to agree to anything as long as it meant we were included in the battle.

“Let’s get this done!” Thaid declared, as the ship accelerated across the plains until the heat signatures ahead of us became people and the Vargeez became more than a blurry cloud.

27

JENNA

“The ship’s moving closer. It’s seen us!” Lain yelled in triumph.

I don’t think he’d wanted to admit it aloud, but he was tiring. It had been a long day after snatching only a few hours of sleep last night. I expected the others were feeling it too. The sooner we got somewhere safe the better.

But the Vargeez were closing in on us. How were they doing that?

Would we make it to the ship in time?

“They’re landing just ahead!” Nial said, the relief evident in his voice.

“Shit! Shit! Shit! The monsters are breathing down our necks!” I cried, tightening my grip on Meida.

I could feel the punishing pressure he was putting on himself. Every muscle was working overtime, the sweat was streaming off him, making it hard to hold on. His breaths were labored and raspy. This wasn’t good.

“The ship won’t be able to take off if it’s surrounded by Vargeez. The flying bodies will interfere with the propulsion system,” Nial gasped out, worry now supplanting relief.

What if the ship saw the danger and took off before we got on board? If they stayed, it would be like a swarm of bees attacking an intruder. Those on board might die trying to save us.

Did I want that? No! But neither did I want us to be left to fight alone. Or die alone. Because that would have to be the inevitable end result. This way, at least we had a chance.

Through Nial’s eyes, I saw the ship touch down no more than a mile away. The ship’s bright lights flashed into being, illuminating the path between us as the darkness became even more intense. In the next moment, I saw a flood of Danan warriors racing from the interior of the ship, heading in our direction.

I felt Nial’s shock. He hadn’t expected anyone to come to our aid. He’d thought they’d wait for us to get to them.

And who were those others? Smaller figures, far smaller than the Danans.

The women? The human women? Surely not!

Lain threw up one arm and Nial and Meida came to a sudden halt. The approaching figures were maybe a quarter of a mile away now, but the Vargeez were closer. The sky was black with them. Only the ship’s lights illuminated the area.

It would give us an advantage, that light, wouldn’t it? The Vargeez had better night vision than day. This bright display would have to be painful and blinding for them, even if their eyes adjusted to it. But would it be enough? Even with the reinforcements, we were still horrendously outnumbered.

We couldn’t survive this. There was no way we could survive this.

My pod placed me in the center of an impromptu circle, their backs to me. Even Rian formed up, getting a little more room because of his staff.

They were on us then, wave after wave of them, the air almost impossible to breath because of the stench of their bodies. I cowered in place, wishing there was something I could do. Part of me wanted to run and hide, while another part wanted desperately to stand up and fight.

I looked toward the ship, as a line of brightly colored Danan bodies surged towards us. Behind them came another group, formed up around the human women. But those women were carrying staffs. Not just staffs, I realized as they drew closer. They were some