“A lot,” she said as they started moving toward the door. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw both his father and Hornse on their feet, their own weapons out.
Rather, his father had his weapon out.
Hornse was just staring, and Arik was shielding him.
A blue light filled the room, flashing so bright, Polly winced and turned into Erzo. He closed his eyes as well as the scanner ran over them, deactivating any cloaking shields in the chamber. The smell of shorting machinery filled the Pit, and when the light stopped, it revealed twice as many Charro running around, the new ones all blue skinned.
And all of them were fighting.
“I’m getting you out of here,” Erzo said. He met her gaze, one hand on her cheek. “It absolute torture, watching you and Breal. Watching anyone hurt, or threaten to hurt you, enraged me. The old ways and traditions can die as far as I care. You are all that matters to me, Polly. Just you.”
Her eyes softened, and she smiled.
He held her for a moment longer, stroking her dark hair. “I do love you, Polly.”
“I love you too, Erzo,” she whispered back.
Blaster fire made him jump, and he put his hand on her cheek. “For now, though, let’s get somewhere else.”
A few more steps and they were at the door to the chamber.
“Who are they?” Polly asked, gesturing to the crowds.
“The Indigos,” Erzo said.
“Not big fans of your clan?”
“No, never have been,” Erzo said, and palmed the exit door.
It flew open, and standing there, was Phares, Olmed, Tori and Jana. All of them dressed like they were ready to fight their way out.
“What are you doing here?” Polly asked.
“We’re here to rescue you?” Jana asked. “That was the plan, anyway.”
“We have a ship,” Phares said, gesturing over his shoulder.
“Nice of you to come,” Erzo said. “We were handling it.”
Olmed looked into the arena. “Are you sure?”
“Clan business.” Erzo shrugged. While he wouldn’t mind knowing what would make the Indigos attack now, of all times, it wasn’t his fight. This was a clan issue, and they could work it out. He had to leave this ship and get Polly to safety. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”
Olmed held up his weapon, a traditional Kantenan ju-nak blade, covering them as they turned and headed back the way they all came.
“Where’d you get that?” Erzo whispered, glancing at the sparkles of citricite on the blade tip.
“Picked it up at home,” Olmed said.
“Nice.”
Erzo led the way down the corridor after Olmed told him where they’d docked the ship. The halls were empty, since most of the Charro were fighting in the Pit.
Something about it seemed weird.
Off.
It still bothered him that the Indigos were attacking now, of all times to do it. It seemed like they were taking advantage of this turmoil in the clans.
