Isla

“Greetings, First Tiered Maul of House Lathuria,” Byland, the blue-skinned, red-masked man from earlier calls out as he steps forward.

“Greetings, Fourth-Striped Byland,” Maul returns less friendly as he and Marketh approach first.

Without being told to do so, Lexi and I instinctively hang back with Ryock at the foot of our landing ramp.

Byland’s blue eyes pass over our small party. “By order of the Supreme Leader, we are to escort you to the Citadel for an immediate audience.”

When Byland’s eyes meet mine I feel a jolt of recognition, though I swear I’ve never met him before.

Maul stares at Byland for the longest time, scrutinizing him, and my heart starts to quicken with uneasiness before he inclines his head. “We accept your escort.”

Byland’s eyes slip towards Lexi and I one more time before he gives a sharp nod of his head. He barks out orders to the formation of Red Masks standing at ready and they surround us as our group slowly moves forward.

Marketh zips back to us and circles around Lexi and I. “Omethingsay isyay offyay,” he says.

Lexi nods her head at Marketh and looks to me. She smirks at the confusion on my face and says, “I taught him Pig Latin.”

“Oh…” I drawl out and think on what he said. My Pig Latin is a bit rusty, but I’m pretty sure he just said something is off.

“Emainray igilantvay,” Marketh warns before zipping off and returning to Maul’s side.

This one takes me a little longer to figure out, but when I do the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Remain vigilant.

Ryock grunts and I can feel his confusion, but I have no way of telling him what Marketh is about without translating for all those around us.

I take a good look at all the Red Masks surrounding us and the area, searching for anything suspicious. But come on, to me everything about this situation is foreign and alien.

We look to be in some kind of hangar. There are walls at least three stories high, but the ceiling is completely open to the elements.

Spaceships of all shapes and sizes are parked in a uniform manner. The ships neatly line the walls but leave the center of the hangar clear for those landing. Though there are no lines or markings designating where to park, or where to land for that matter, everything seems to be done in what I can only describe as perfectly controlled chaos. Somehow everyone seems to know where to go and where they belong.

The hangar is massive, easily the size of several football fields, and we make it about halfway across the it before we’re attacked.

Most of those lingering around have kept their distance. The sheer number of the Red Masks accompanying us acting as an imposing deterrent.

Byland shouting out, “Halt, remain in your vessel until we pass!” is the only warning we get before all hell breaks loose.

At first, as the Red Masks tighten around us, I have no fucking clue what is going on. There’s a thunderous roar, a roar that sounds a lot like Ryock’s, and then it’s followed by a chorus of answering roars that chills my blood.

I glance back at Ryock to make sure he’s still behind me and watch all the color drain from his beautiful copper face.

Whipping my head back around, I watch in this kind of stunned horror as the front of the line get shoved backwards. The Red Masks directly in front of us stumble back, nearly crashing into Lexi and me.

Over the heads of the Red Masks, I catch a glimpse of several towering angry faces that look a lot like Ryock.

Are we being attacked by Argmaraths?

“What the hell do they hope to accomplish?!” Lexi cries out as she hugs Thorn tight to her chest and moves closer to me.

I shake my head, at a loss.

The Red Masks in front of us push forward, their weapons drawn. There are so many bodies crowded up front, so many orbs zipping about, I can’t make out Maul or Marketh.

“They have nothing to lose,” Ryock growls viciously, coming up to tower over us. “Once we reach the Tribunal, it’s all over for the Crima.”

“But to attack us right here, out in the open? On Tribunal ground? That’s crazy!” Lexi screeches.

Ryock clenches his fists and his entire body seems to shudder with pent up rage. Through the bond I can feel his anger, his pain that his brethren are being used against him.

His fangs flash as he snarls, “They are desperate.”

A massive Argmarath breaks through the front line, shoving Red Masks out of the way and toppling them over like they’re dominoes.

Head whipping back and forth, wild eyes scour over the bodies until the Argmarath’s frenzied gaze locks on us. Tipping his head back, the Argmarath lets out an ear-splitting roar, and charges forward, foaming at the mouth.

Ignoring the bolts fired at him from a dozen different blasters, the berserking Argmarath continues to knock over Red Masks, taking out the protective mass in front of us.

I’m overcome with the sudden urge to run, to flee, but my feet seem to be glued to the ground.

Ryock solves my little dilemma by grabbing Lexi and me by the back of our shirts and dragging us behind him. “Stay behind me.”

The ground thunders beneath our feet and the air smells like smoke and ozone. So many things are shouted out, by the Red Masks, by the Argmaraths, by others, the bellowing voices are a symphony of chaos.

I peek out from behind Ryock’s back to see the raging Argmarath gaining ground. He’s systematically taking down the Red Masks that almost stumbled into Lexi and me a few moments ago.

Ryock tips his head back, his own roar blending with the violent harmony. His entire body vibrates, shaking with the need to charge forward, to destroy those who threaten us.

Ryock takes one step forward, fists rising up in preparation, when Maul suddenly appears to the left of the charging Argmarath.

Throwing out his hand, the air crackles, the smell of ozone grows stronger, and the charging Argmarath is knocked off his feet. His flailing body goes flying through the air, knocking over more bodies, before landing in a stunned heap.

“Way to go, baby!” Lexi cheers, punching her fist in the air.

“Fall back!” Maul roars at her and spins around just in time to knock back another Argmarath.

Ryock shakes his head back and forth, as if he’s trying to dislodge something.

“Fall back!” Lexi echoes Maul.

She grabs me by the arm and begins to drag me in the direction we just came from. Those Red Masks still standing around us fall in, forming a small, protective circle around us.

We take a dozen steps before I realize Ryock isn’t following us.

His mighty roar thunders through my ribs as I glance back to see him charging into yet another Argmarath. The two bodies crash into each other with a mighty crack that resonates in the very marrow of my bones.

“Oh shit!” Lexi cries out, and I nearly fall on my face as she digs in her heels and forces us into a sudden stop.

My arm flails out and I rock back on my heels before I can process what I’m seeing in front of me.

A line of Crima armed with blasters step out from behind a parked ship and block our escape.

“Kill them! Kill the humans!” a Crima standing behind the line cries out.

I recognize him as the same Crima who attempted to board our ship a split second before the bolts start flying.

“Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!” Lexi screams out, and we both duck down behind the Red Masks in front of us.

The Red Masks return fire but there’s only a handful of us up against twice as many of them.

“We have to go back!” I scream at Lexi over the blaster fire and she nods her head in agreement.

If we remain here, we’re sitting ducks waiting to be picked off.

One Red Mask drops, then another, spurring us into action.

Grabbing Lexi’s hand, I help her up as she struggles to straighten with Thorn strapped to her chest, and we make a run for it.

Legs pumping, lungs heaving, we literally run for our lives.

We’re almost back to the fray when I see a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. I look over at Lexi just in time to see a bolt narrowly miss her.

Knowing that another bolt is soon to follow, on instinct I knock into her, taking us both down to the ground.

Lexi screams, arms wrapping protectively around Thorn, and twists her body, narrowly avoiding landing on top of him.

I feel a surge of guilt for endangering my nephew then something hard hits me in the side before I hit the ground beside her.

“What the fuck, Isla?!” Lexi screams out as she starts to scramble to her feet.

My entire right side lights up with a blazing, unbearable pain and I scream.

“Oh my god, Isla. What’s wrong?” Lexi cries out.

Fluttering hands roam over me, but I barely register it above the pain. “Oh no. Oh no… no… no…” Lexi keeps repeating in shock.

Another wave of agony pulses through me. I writhe, my back arching off the ground, and somehow manage to look down, searching for the cause of my misery.

Below my right my breast, my shirt is charred and blood is oozing out of me.

“No, Isla. No! Don’t you dare die on me!” Lexi screams, grabbing my face. “Don’t you dare leave me!”

I try to stare up into her eyes, but as another wave of pain hits me, my vision clouds over. The pain is so intense, for a second I feel as if I’m blacking out only to be brought back to suffer more misery.

Feet pound the pavement, and as I arch, my body twisting as if I could get away from what’s assaulting me, big hands grab me.

“Isla,” a deep voice rumbles and I look up, seeking out the comfort I need so desperately.

A deep purr rattles my ribs, but it’s not enough to dull the blazing inferno inside of me.

“I’m sorry,” I manage to gasp out.

Ryock’s tortured face is the last thing I see before darkness takes me.