Chapter Nine
An angry voice rang out from the trenches as a bright light flashed in the night sky. “Now what?”
“It looks like some kind of animal, General!”
“Well shoot it!” he ordered. “We don’t tolerate no mutants here!”
The archers opened up, sending a hail of arrows into the night. Sharp, stinging pain woke Lugah from unconsciousness, as an arrow pierced his arm. He still held Honey, and leant over her. The volley bounced off his thick Feral hide.
“Idiots!” he roared. He reached for his shield as the next hail of arrows rained down around him. He stood as Honey began to cough up water from her lungs.
“You’re okay!” he shouted.
“This is okay?” she replied, drawing in large gulps of air.
With his night vision, Lugah scanned the horizon. Far in the distance, a row of figures waved at him.
“They aren’t Ferals, but they seem friendly.”
“What are they then? More humans?”
“I wouldn’t call them human.”
“Do they have bows aimed at us?” Honey asked, sarcasm creeping back into her annoyed voice.
“No.” Relieved, Lugah smiled. She was going to be okay.
Honey’s frown turned into a scowl as another hail of arrows fell around them. Lugah lunged forward toward their apparent allies, as the archers fired burning arrows.
“I guess they can’t see too well—their aim is completely off.”
Honey struggled to bind Lugah’s wound as he charged for the safety of the trenches ahead of him.
“Oh? I wouldn’t say that.”
As they neared the trench, a deep voice called out to them. “Declare yourselves. You’re not human, and you’re not a mutant.”
Lugah stepped to one side. The sergeant’s eyes followed him.
“He can see in the dark as well,” he whispered.
“And I can hear in the dark too!” the sergeant replied. “Now declare…or die!”
The mutants in the trenches raised their bows.
Honey jumped from the safety of Lugah’s arms. “My name is Honey, and this is Lugah. We’re Ferals from Ketu. The world that is passing in the distance.”
“Ketu.” The Sergent pondered this information. “So you’re aliens?”
“Incoming humans!” shouted a soldier.
“Well you have two choices—you can fight or join the other Ferals.”
“Other Ferals? You know of them?” asked Honey.
“Of course I do. They arrived about two clicks that way. They never stood a chance.”
“They were killed?” she replied.
“Right where they stood. The humans take no prisoners.”
“Sarge!” shouted the soldier.
A human appeared behind the soldier, wielding a large sword. With a fierce growl, Lugah leapt into the air, grabbed the human and tore him in half.
“Behind you!” the soldier called out. He threw a small dagger past Lugah’s cheek and into the chest of another attacker.
The battle raged on. Lugah stood his ground beside Honey, bodies piling up around them. A large horn sounded. One by one, the humans grabbed their injured and retreated into the thick fog. Lugah leapt from the trenches in pursuit.
“The retreat has been sounded! Get back here,” commanded the sergeant.
“I don’t understand. We need to finish this.”
“Rules of war, Feral. We stick to ‘em here!”
Frustrated, Lugah replied, “Understood.”
He approached the sergeant—a large, disfigured man. He had one human hand, and a large crab claw where the other should have been. “We will remain here to avenge our fallen, and recover their remains for proper burial. After that, we must go.”
“Why is that? You can help us win this war.”
“Rules of the Ferals. We stick to ‘em here.”
The sergeant laughed and slapped Lugah on the back. “Agreed!”
Lugah sat down beside Honey. He watched in despair as only the faint glow of Ketu remained among the stars.
Honey stared up at Lugah. “If you’re going to send it, then you have to do it now, before it’s too late.”
“Are you certain we can’t…?”
Honey shook her head. “We’re too far away now. There’s only enough magic for the cube to get through. It’s the only way to let Lucas know.”
He clutched the small object in his hand. It was identical to the one he had given Prince Kayne and the others to spy on them. “So I record my message and we open your door?”
Honey nodded. “That’s right. It will send your message home.”
“But how will he know?”
“He’s a smart boy, he’ll figure it out. Say it in words he will understand. Like the time you wrote me that poem when I lost my child.”
“What do I tell him?”
“What’s in your heart?” She touched his hand tenderly. “It may be the last chance you get.”
“At least Olim and Sito are safe.” Lugah looked at Honey and fought back his tears. “I’m so sorry, Honey. I landed us in the middle of a warzone on some forsaken planet.”
“It’s not your fault. We were coming here to raid anyway. For now, we’re just Team Bomb. The Diggity is safe on Ketu.” She prodded Lugah. “Hey, at least we aren’t fish food.”
“Stop with the yapping,” a brusque voice shouted in the trenches. “You got to earn your keep here!” shouted the sergeant.
Lugah looked at the dead bodies at his feet and sighed. He peered over the top of the trench, his eyes flicking between sights, searching for the soldiers in the fog.
“It has to be now, Lugah,” whispered Honey. “Then we can slip away in the next attack and try to find any Feral survivors. Take heart. We will find a way home.”
“Silence, mongrel!” came another shout directed at Honey.
Lugah nodded and squeezed the cube. It lit up the ditch. The soldiers beside him stared in disbelief as his words echoed in the trench.
Lucas,
What I’m feeling now is akin to the day I had to say goodbye to your brother. Only this time, it’s me being left behind. My heart aches at the distance already between us. I've always been a man of science, but right now, I’m praying to whatever gods exist that I’ll find a way back to you.
We haven’t always seen eye to eye. But son, I want you to know how proud I am of the man you’re becoming. I know I've always told you to cast aside your childish dreams and grow up. Now I see that I should have simply embraced who you are; not who I wanted you to be.
I don’t know if we’ll ever see each other again, but I promise that I won’t stop searching for a way back. I love you, son.
Just look in your heart to find me
Close your eyes and my voice you will hear.
Though time and tide may between us come,
Know that I’ll always be near.
THE END
Other books by this author
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Drift Worlds Novellas’
Kayne - Crown of Dominion
Dalynia – Nature’s Slaughter
A Miracle in Thyme
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