The Last Narkoy: Gathow: Book 2 by Elizabeth Price (good e books to read .txt) 📗

Tremble stood, dressed in black uniforms. On the right sleeves of their jackets they wore a symbol of a crescent moon inside a full moon. Zion went through each of their names quickly. “And you know Tremble. This is your new security team. So even if you go off on one of your half-cocked insanity trips, we’re ready.”

“Chadon,” each of the men nodded to her.

Sedom was speechless. Each of the group looked well trained and fearless. She watched Tremble again for a long moment, really looking at her. Other than having the woman follow her around, she really didn’t pay too close of attention to her. Tremble stared back, not backing down.

“Very well then. Let’s go hunting,” Sedom ordered with a wave of her hand for the group to follow.

“Half-cocked insanity trips?” Tremble asked, beside Sedom.

Sedom chuckled. “I’ve been known to make some rather--“

“Stupid,” Zion coughed.

“Eccentric battle decisions,” Sedom growled back, glaring at Zion. She was glad he was a mind-reader because she wanted him to know just how she felt. “Tremble?” Sedom asked the woman beside her.

She glanced down at Sedom, smirking. “Yes, Chadon.”

“I just realized, are you Human?” Sedom questioned.

“Mixed blood, Chadon. My grandfather was Human,” she returned low. “Those serving the Underground tend to mix it up a bit,” she explained.

Everyone raised their weapons, listening to the forest around them. A bolt of light smacked a tree near Sedom’s face. Tremble grabbed Sedom, forcing her against a tall boulder. Three more volleys of fire hit the trees around them, sending everyone in the group scurrying for cover.

“Hey boys, looks like we have a good ol’ fire fight,” Tremble called out. She popped up, shooting towards the forest. She ducked down just as several shots shattered through the trees surrounding them, breaking off large chunks of wood.

“Where is the ship?” Sedom called out over the pistol fire.

A very robust Zalmin man pointed off into the distance where a plum of smoke rose up into the sky. “Surround and conquer,” she thought to herself. If they needed to reach the downed ship with hostiles present, she would have to figure out a way to get around the hostiles. She motioned for three of her men to go one way, the other three to go the opposite and for three orbs each to follow them. She then motioned for Zion and Tremble to follow her right behind her. When it came to Danstu, she pointed for him to remain where he was sitting.

The two groups split off as Sedom, Tremble and Zion drew their fire. Danstu popped up, shooting his pistol into the forest. Sedom looked over to him just as a shot rung out in his direction. She quickly pounced on top of him, but not soon enough.

“Son-of-a…” he cried out.

Sedom crawled off of him, looking for his wound.

“He hit?” Zion called out.

Sedom felt to his shoulder to a small blood trail. “Minor,” she called back. “I order you to stay down. There’s no sense in both of us getting killed.”

“Hey, Sortec,” Zion called several feet away from behind a tree. “When I told you we’d talk about dying next week, I didn’t really mean it,” he joked.

“Really? I thought you were serious,” she called back.

The shots stopped followed by, “We got them!”

“Come on,” Tremble waved from beside Sedom. She grabbed Danstu, lifting him off the ground. “You good to walk?” she asked.

Danstu nodded, holding tight to his shoulder. “Flesh wound. I’m fine.”

They continued to follow Sedom through the forest. The other two groups met them in route. “Keep your heads down. There are vines in the section of the forest who would love to eat you,” Sedom called out over her shoulder.

Ahead, she could just make out the outline of a downed ship, hidden within the broken branches of a Limble tree. Above them, several white Tiketi birds circled, probably hoping for an easy meal. “Over here!” she called.

The group quickly converged around the ship. Everyone in the group worked together to remove the branches except Danstu. In the back of Sedom’s mind, she could hear Zion warn her he was rusty in the field. Now, she believed it.

The cockpit shield slid back, revealing a human male pilot and a male child about four years old, his face badly burned. Sedom hoisted herself up to look inside the cockpit. Carefully, she rested her hand on the child's neck.

Tremble climbed up beside her. “Over here, quickly. There's injured,” she called as she cut a harness off of the pilot. “It looks like he has multiple broken bones.” She felt to the pilot’s ribs. “Ribs too.” She tapped the man’s bruised face. “Hey, can you open your eyes for me?” she asked the pilot.

The man grunted and then coughed up a small trickle of blood. His weak and bloody eyes opened to Tremble. “What...”

“He’s got a concussion also,” Tremble relayed to Sedom.

“We have internal bleeding here,” Sedom returned, feeling the child’s stomach. “I need you to lift him out of here for me,” she ordered to Tremble.

They switched places, allowing Tremble to gather the child.

The man inside turned to Sedom, looking at her with pain-filled brown eyes. His shoulder and across his chest was covered with red blood.

She rested her hand on his cheek, “Have no worries, we're your friends. You've been shot down by the Marisheio. We're attempting to get you free. Just relax,” she assured.

“My… my son. Take care of--” the man passed-out before he could finish his sentence.

Rosanheer hurried over to Sedom, helping her force back the cockpit’s shield. Four more men converged on the area, including Zion, and proceeded to help pull back the cockpit’s shield. Rosanheer reached within the ship, cutting the man's harness away from the other side of his body while Tremble removed the child from