I had forgotten how wonderful it felt to be submerged. On Xalan, I often swam for the pure enjoyment of it, but since Earth had much less surface water, I could not partake as often as I would have liked. Besides, Timber could not join me, so what was the point?
I dove deeper, kicking my legs to propel myself through the lake. I had to get far enough out from shore to make myself a tempting target. I did not think an assassin would attack unless I isolated myself, so I pushed to get as far as possible from the others. The Xalanite guards dove in after me, keeping pace.
Had the situation not been what it was, I might have enjoyed the swim. As it was, I had to keep on the alert for any potential attackers. I couldn’t really appreciate the exotic beauty of the Earth environment.
Timber often stated that Earth was dull in comparison to Xalan, but I disagreed. The water on Xalan, though roughlyequal in clarity to Earth water, had a purple hue, making it harder to visualize the flora and fauna around me. On Earth, I could see the fish swimming beside me, the seaweed dancing in the currents below. If I survived the day, I would have to return in the future to properly appreciate the beauty of it all.
For the first half hour, nothing out of the ordinary happened. I swam as far out as I was allowed then made wide, sweeping circuits around the perimeter of the cordoned-off section of lake. Above me, government vessels kept humans a safe distance away.
Forty-five minutes into my swim, I began to doubt my plan. Where was the assassin? I doubted he had left the planet, and the vehemence of his words at the cabin indicated a personal grudge in addition to any monetary motivation he may have had for attacking me. If that was the case, it made no sense for him to abandon his mission. I had left enough proverbial breadcrumbs scattered across the intake center in the days leading up to this trip. Where was he?
Keeping ahead of the Xalanite guards proved difficult. They strove to maintain my speed, and evasive movements were for naught. Nothing I did could shake them. Finally, after an hour of swimming, I managed to get a fair distance away. They were still within eyesight of me, but if the assassin chose to strike, they would not arrive in time.
Just as I noticed this, something hard and blunt collided with the back of my head.
I fought to remain conscious. My vision flickered, piercing blackness alternating with bright stars. Pain lanced through my skull.
“Foolish of you to venture so far away from your protectors.”
The voice, though muffled by the water, was unmistakable. I could never forget that grating sound.
I spun around and kicked, putting some distance between myself and the assassin. He grinned and brandished his weapon, a large chunk of Earth metal. It appeared to be a broken piece of human machinery, something industrial. Where did he get that, and how did he have the strength to swim while carrying it? Its weight alone should have dragged him to the bottom of the lake!
We faced off for a few seconds before he struck again. I managed to dodge the blow, but only just. A fraction slower, and the metal would have slammed into my face.
By that time, the Xalanite guards had caught up to us. Three on one; better odds, but he still held the only weapon. Together we could overpower him, but we’d have to avoid any attacks until we had disarmed him.
The next blow came straight for my chest. If hit hard enough with the improvised club, it could break ribs or cause internal contusions.
Asnap, loud enough to be heard underwater, sounded as the weapon knocked me back. It took the breath from my lungs, emptying them of all air. I opened my gills wide to take in more water in the hopes I could strain enough oxygen out of it. I gasped and heaved, gulping in huge gillfuls. A sharp, stabbing pain shot through me with each breath, confirming my suspicion: he had broken ribs with that shot.
My guards split, one swimming between myself and the scarred Xalanite and the other aiming straight for the attacker. It was a suicidal move, but I had to admire the guard’s bravery.
Their fight lasted but a few seconds. The guard’s body sunk to the lakebed, a black cloud of Xalanite blood spreading through the water. Soon, the murky cloud all but completely obscured my vision. I could see the silhouette of the guard in front of me, but everything else disappeared in the sable pitch. The assassin swung again, his improvised weapon caving in theother guard’s face. More Xalanite blood muddied the waters, and at that point visibility was nil.
I didn’t know which way to swim. The last I’d seen, the scarred man was in front of me and slightly to the left, but he could have since moved. The more I stirred the water with my movements, the worse my visibility became.
By the time the arm whipped around from behind me to clamp down on my throat, I was swimming blind.
Chapter 28
Timber
When the water started churning out in the lake, I got a little concerned. Was N’kal just swimming with the guards, or was something going on?
I askedMoya’aShil about it while he got my nanite injection ready.
“Is that normal, all the activity out in that area?”
He glanced up briefly from the instrument tray. “I would not worry. They are all capable swimmers.”
“That didn’t quite answer my question,” I said, gritting my teeth to keep from snapping at the man. “They could be better than the best human Olympic swimmers, but I still want to know if that’snormal.”
“Oh. Apologies. It is … unusual, yes, but again, I would not worry. Prince N’kal and his guards should be fine.”
“What do you mean by ‘should be’?”
The Xalanite doctor laughed as he drew up the injection. “You are just concerned about your procedure. You are transmitting your fears onto your mate.”
