Back home, the main predator walked on four limbs, had black fur and a flat face filled with sharp teeth. They hunt in pairs. If you saw one, it was usually the last thing you saw as its mate was about to pounce. They would never take on a group of hunters, but a warrior on his own was an easy meal.
They were also immune to our charge.
“Do you want to test a charge?” Stunning an animal, or several, is the way we hunt. The herd then flees, and then we kill those that we shocked.
I assess the area, searching for places where are predator might hide, gauging where the herd might run when we attack. Because we are unfamiliar with the area, we do not have the advantage of choosing a better place to attack from.
“Do you want to send up a drone?” The third guard asks.
“Not yet,” Edilk says. “We don’t want to spook them, but once they are running, it would be good to follow them.” He asks Tiril to send a test charge to the beast nearest to us.
And we wait to see what happens.
I sense him running through different frequencies, like we are fighting and jamming. Are the beasts jamming, or are they immune?
The beast in question lifts its head as if sensing something.
The rest of the herd follows suit.
Every one of us, including the humans, freezes. We are downwind. They shouldn’t be able to smell us, but they might sense us because of the charge.
I scan the herd with the goggles. “I’m not sure if it was Tiril that caused the disturbance. There’s something moving on the other side.”
Some beasts make a noise, a wounded bellow, then they turn in our direction and run.
“Fuck.” If we don’t move, we’re going to be flattened.
I scramble out of the grass, seeking the shelter of the few small trees. Everyone does the same as we split into groups. The trees are too small for more than one man and will not be the weight of being climbed. But it’s safer than trying to outrun a panicked herd.
The guard who has done most of the complaining tries to shelter with me.
“Get your own tree,” I hiss.
The ground vibrates with the running of the beasts. I don’t know if I’m hoping that they are running from something or attacking. If they are running from something, it means that the something chasing them and will find us.
When the guard doesn’t move, I take a chance and prepare to run to another tree before the herd is upon us. He grabs my arm, knife in his other hand, then stabs me twice in the chest. “This is for trying to steal our women.”
I draw up a charge, my markings glowing bright, and he releases me with a yelp. Blood darkens the front of my shirt. I send another charge that connects with the knife and travels through him, stopping his heat. Then the herd is upon us. I fling myself at the tree and press myself to the bark. The beasts crash into my legs. I try to lift myself higher but lack the strength. Each breath becomes tight, and my grip weakens.
I’ve been stabbed by a guard for being with Harper. I’m losing blood.My brothers need to know what has happened. I hope that they have not met the same fate from the other guards.
They buzz me with concern and anger.
I can’t see you.
He will pay.
As soon as the herd passes, I will find you.
Their voices comfort me, but I am on my own. Dying, the way I always expected to die—in a hunt or a fight gone wrong.
My mind fills with Harper as I fall to the ground. The bellows of the herd surround me as they crash into me. I hold on to thoughts of her, her laughter, and the way she looked as she said she loved me.
19
HARPER
Iknew something was wrong as soon as I heard the rumors that more guards were being sent beyond the fence. But no one knows what’s going on. I make a laundry delivery as an excuse to leave the building and to find out more.
