EIGHTEEN
"FIND ME THE locationof that attack," theza na ri naordered, looking at the master of her guard.
Unlike other Haldeel, this man wore clothing appropriate for a warrior. His garment fit closely to his upper torso, faithfully outlining his chest before stopping at his shoulders. It left his forearms and biceps seemingly bare, exposing the violet markings set against skin as black as ink.
At his waist, the garment fell in a series of panels that resembled a skirt. Only unlike normal skirts, the slits in the bottom half would allow his lower prehensile appendages complete freedom of movement.
Such a consideration would enable him to use those appendages as a weapon against an enemy.
It was lucky for the rest of the galaxy that not many Haldeel chose the warrior’s path, preferring disciplines linked to intelligence instead. Those who did were exceptional even by Tuann standards.
Their prehensile appendages could grow back, giving them a considerable advantage. Couple that with their tendency to wind their appendages around the limbs of their opponent to immobilize them, and they were a headache to fight.
"Security has been dispatched to the origin of the attack," the Haldeel Master of the Guard informed the royal. "In addition, I've instructed the remainder of our force to spread into the surrounding city to lock down potential conspirators. Anti-ballistic systems have gone online and will shoot down any further attacks."
There was no explanation of how a rocket had managed to slip past their defense system in the first place. This incident would tarnish the perfect reputation of the Haldeel.
Above, the two lead racers managed to veer to avoid the rocket, crashing into each other instead. The resulting uproar from the crowd nearly drowned out theza na ri na'snext statement.
"Deploy our recovery forces."
The Master of the Guard's expression tensed. Seconds later, he glided forward, bending to whisper in the royal's ear.
"What?" she asked, sounding shocked.
One racer fell, their body limp in a way that signaled unconsciousness. The other spun into the updraft of the tower, hitting it before careening wildly in the opposite direction.
The oshota standing behind Yukina took a step forward.
The atmosphere around him warped.
Graydon moved quickly to intercept, putting his hand up to stop the other man. "If you go there now, you will create an incident."
Whether he successfully saved Devon or not, it wouldn't matter. There would be consequences.
The rules under which the Tuann had to abide while on Haldeel territory were very strict. Intervening without permission would be considered a violation.
