“The Rahl are patrolling the landing pads.”
“Any secondary pads?”
He ran through the overlay glowing over his right eye. “No.”
“Wait a second.” She drew to a stop. “Do they have a salvage yard?”
“Yes. A small one.”
“Then there should be pads there.”
He scanned the schematics. “Yes. There is also a record of a small starfreighter.”
She grinned. “Let’s go.”
They made it out of the building. Xander was grateful Rhage had a breathable atmosphere, with only a slightly decreased oxygen content. Surprisingly, he and Malin made it out into the courtyard in front of the arena without encountering any other Rahl.
“Look!” She pointed ahead. A high electro-link fence cordoned off a small salvage yard.
They’d only gone a couple of steps when a Rahl guard rounded the corner of the building. When he saw them, his eyes flared and he bared his fangs.
Xander leaped high and came down on the top of the guard. He gripped the guard’s head and with a violent twist, broke his neck.
He dropped the body and looked at Malin. “Keep moving.”
They sprinted across the open courtyard. Behind them, he heard the sound of running footfalls.
Malin glanced over her shoulder and her mouth tightened. “They’re coming.”
His sensors detected thirty Rahl in pursuit.
They passed a large statue of a Rahl set to attack—fangs bared, large fists raised. Ahead of Xander, Malin stumbled on her precarious heels. Without breaking stride, he swung her into his arms.
They neared the glowing fence. He searched for an entrance and then assessed the height in case he had to jump. Luckily electro fences didn’t carry enough voltage to do much harm if they touched it.
Malin cursed. “Xander, look at the freighter.”
He looked beyond the fence’s blue mesh. The small freighter sat on the landing pads. He swallowed his own curse. It had been sitting there a long time and wouldn’t be leaving any time soon. It had been partially dismantled and listed to one side.
He set her down, running through their options. He looked behind them and saw the Rahl racing toward them. Some were bounding on all fours like giant cats.
“Run.” He flexed his hands, letting his system run through the best attack plans. None of them had a hundred percent chance of success.
But he could distract them, take down enough of them to allow Malin to get away.
“What?” she stared up at him.
“Run. Get out of here. Find a way off the planet.”
Her eyes widened. “I’m not leaving you.”
“Then you’ll die.” He gripped her chin, wished for more time with her. “I don’t want you to die, Malin.”
Her lips parted. “They’ll tear you apart.”
“As long as you’re safe.” He stroked her smooth skin. “Go, find your cousins, and if you can, find the Antikythera.”
The growls and yells of the approaching Rahl filled the air.
