Page 76 of On a Barbarian World

“Kavon!”

Her voice made him turn his head. She was standing, as wobbly as a newborn hargon foal. She held her scanner device in her hand.

“I scanned it. You need to get an electrical pulse running through it. That’ll disrupt what’s holding the nanami together.”

Electrical pulse. Kavon instantly thought of lightning, but there were no storms here. There was only one other way he knew to generate the power.

He stepped forward and called on his nanami. He’d heard of warriors in the legends doing this, but he’d never succeeded when he’d tried in the past. His nanami had always helped him, worked with him, but now he truly needed them. He looked at Aurina and remembered her lessons. He’d remember to ask his nanami nicely. He closed his eyes and directed his thoughts to his nanami.

He needed them now to save his woman and his men.

He felt a prickle of energy over his skin. It grew, and he heard the others gasp.

Kavon lifted his sword and pointed it toward the giant warrior. “Now.” Please.

The flow of energy ripped from him and down his sword. Like lightning, it flew and hit the giant warrior.

Nothing seemed to happen. The warrior took a menacing step toward them.

Power still pouring through him, Kavon decided to send the others out. He would stay and keep the nanami warrior busy so the rest could escape.

But then the warrior started to sag, like he was melting. The nanami forming him flowed to the floor, like a huge splash of water.

All that was left was a pool of glimmering silver.

It had worked. Kavon felt the glow on his skin dim. He spun, and saw Aurina running at him. She launched herself into his arms, and he caught her close. Safe.

“Thank you,” he murmured into her hair. “Your advice saved us.”

“No, I’m pretty sure it was your badass warrior powers. I didn’t know you could do that.”

“I never have before.”

She smacked her lips to his, then pulled back, her gaze running over his face. Then she lowered her head and came back for a slower kiss.

“Kavon,” Colm called out, his voice awed. “Look.”

They turned and saw a portion of the wall sliding open.

Kavon set Aurina on her feet. He grabbed her hand and walked toward the opening.

Inside was as dark as the darkest night in the Wilds.

“Wands,” he called out, but before his warriors could comply, lights clicked on in the room.

His chest constricted.

It was filled with treasure.

Aurina gasped and stepped inside. “Oh, my God, look at this stuff.” She wandered closer to a gold-framed painting. Then she passed a shelf and reached out, her hand hovering over a row of books.

Kavon took it all in. There were weapons. So many of them, all hanging on the smooth rock walls—bows, staffs, guns, daggers, and swords.

“This was all the valuable treasures they’d brought with them from Earth.” She turned. “Art, weapons, books…oh, look.” She held up a small box filled with gems of all colors and sizes. “Everything that was important to them.” She looked at Kavon. “This obviously has a lot of historical value, and is worth an immeasurable fortune.”

He nodded, then his gaze drifted down to the shadowed end of the small vault.

He saw the glimmer of some sort of stand.