Chapter 3
CristOF’s shuttle arrived at the Kiljorn prime city twenty minutes earlier than scheduled. He had rested only a few hours on the trip, but it was enough to replenish his energy. That was one plus to the mutation; he never needed more than a few hours of sleep a day to recharge. Most times he didn’t even dream, but this time…this time he had, and he could remember the dream in vivid color.
He was at the edge of the jungle. The suns were setting, and he looked over the hilltops to where a river flowed in a valley below. The air was humid and fresh smelling especially after a good rain, but there was a charge in the atmosphere that he could feel on his skin. He knew that he wasn’t alone.
“It’s beautiful here,” a woman’s voice said next to him.
He turned to look at her, but he couldn’t see her face clearly, just her profile. She was staring at the sky, her face tilted up. The glow on her light-colored hair and pale skin made her look radiant, like a goddess. Her lips looked perfect for kissing and her scent made every part of him aware of her. He knew she was meant to be his. CristOF reached out to touch her, but she evaporated into dust that floated away.
He woke up in a sweat, heart beating rapidly. It took him a moment to get his breathing under control. The light color of her skin made him think of the females from Earth, who came in all sorts of shapes and shades. His own coloring was dark bronze, as most of his own people were. She couldn’t be Kiljorn. Who was she? If only had seen her face fully.
That dream haunted him, but he had to put it aside. He had a job to do. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he made his way down the hallway in the prime building. He saw two warriors standing outside of the command room. They stopped him.
“Identify yourself.”
“Warrior CristOF, lead tracker.”
“They’re expecting you,” the warrior that stopped him said as he moved to the side.
Was this much security actually needed in the prime building? What was going on? The other warrior opened the door for him and moved aside as well, so that he could enter.
Two males stood when he entered. The tall, bald-headed warrior was Commander TylOR, and the slightly shorter, dark-haired male was Prime Leader KadEN. CristOF walked closer so that they could clasp forearms.
“Warrior CristOF, good to see you again,” TylOR said, clasping his arm first.
“You too, Commander.”
KadEN clasped his arm next. “I wish it was under better circumstances, CristOF.”
“How is your mate?” CristOF asked KadEN as the three of them took a seat.
It had been a few years back that he had helped save Prima Lindsey from being kidnapped. The female had impressed him, and that was partly what gave him hope that he might be able to find his own mate among the new females.
“Lindsey is doing fine, breeding our second young. She looks forward to seeing you again.”
CristOF smiled wide. “Congratulations.”
KadEN returned the smile. “Well, I have to catch up to my commander here, he’s got three.”
Commander TylOR chuckled. “Lizzie is wanting more but after just having the twins, I think we need to give her a break. She’s so tiny I worry that it’s taking a toll on her body.”
CristOF watched the two males he admired the most as they talked about their mates. They were fully settled into their family lives, happy and content. A longing filled him, something he hadn’t experienced in a some time—not since the passing of his grandfather to the other side to be with the Goddess. He cleared his throat, trying to keep his emotions in check. He waited patiently for them to tell him why they wanted him there. KadEN turned to face him.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why we called you back from your time off,” KadEN said.
“I am curious.”
“Take a look at this report.” Commander TylOR leaned forward, elbows on the table. He handed a digital tablet to the hunter.
CristOF took the tablet and pulled up the report. He read it twice, and then looked to Commander TylOR for confirmation.
“What the report says is true. Rumors have been going around that the remaining rebels are regrouping, and some say that Kiljor is their new training ground.”
CristOF couldn’t believe it. “That can’t be. There haven’t been any signs of rebel activity in over a year.”
TylOR looked at KadEN, who gave him a nod. “This information is strictly under top-level security. We had an attack on a shuttle that was transporting a few humans from Katiera to Kiljor. Our warriors on board were able to deflect the attack and capture one of the attackers alive. The others were killed. We had Interrogator StrykER question the attacker, but he was able to get only a little information before the male died.”
There was a pause, and CristOF found it frustrating. “What did he discover?”
