Shaneva turned her gaze on Zeus and he could see how worried she was. "He can stay for as long as he wishes, and even go inland, but he needs to be renewed by sea water for a couple of hours each day. A group of us will be close if he needs us."
His grin widened, and he hoped she understood he would take care of Canry. She returned his smile before wading into deeper waters, a pod of twenty following her.
Warlord Sohm'lan knelt next to Zeus. "A shelter has been erected for the two of you. I will ensure the princess's instructions are followed. Once you have rested, I will give a full report."
Zeus did not have time to rest. He licked his dry cracked lips. "I want a booster."
Sohm'lan's scowled deeply. The injection Zeus asked for was a serum to augment his energy for the span of a day. The downside, he would sleep for several days afterwards.
"That is not a good idea, Zeus. You are already too weary. Rest now, for a little while."
The concern in Alpha's voice heartened him and only reinforced Zeus’s determination.
"I need to see to my people and the wounded. I have to take the reports and contact my family, and then we must check on Dargon."
"You cannot do this all by yourself!"
"I dare not try. This is why we have warlords and lieutenants." He grinned at Alpha's loud huff.
"Prince Zeus?"
He had not realized he had closed his eyes. Mayra sat next to him and Canry.
"Dargon?" he asked.
She gave him a gentle smile. "He and the kits are fine. The young reached his pouch not long ago. They are now resting." Zeus breathed out a long sigh knowing they were safe. "Your warlord said you wanted a booster. I have added a double dose of vitamins. A meal will also be brought down for you and Alpha. You will eat all of it, and anything else I send to you." No one would believe such a tiny, passive female could be so forceful.
Alpha moved to allow Mayra access to Zeus’s artery. Mere minutes after the injection was administered, Zeus felt more revived. Ironically, the aches of his muscles intensified.
"Good!"
Alpha was way too smug about the lingering pain.
"I still believe rest is better than this."
"And we will have to agree to disagree."
When Mayra moved away, Warlord Sohm'lan grasped Zeus’s upper arm. "We have a temporary unit set up as a command center. We are ready to help you move him when you are."
Zeus flexed his fingers around the shaft of the trident and hissed. "His weapon."
A guard grasped the area above Zeus’s and Canry's joined hands. Zeus whispered in his brother's ear, "You can release the staff now."
Canry murmured something too low for Zeus to hear, followed by a whimper when Canry's arms twitched, but his hand did not move from the trident. Gently, he pried Canry's grip from the cool metal. Zeus made soothing noises when Canry moaned in pain.
When Sohm'lan and the guards assisted Zeus and Canry to their feet, he refused to let his brother go, keeping his shoulder under Canry's arm. One of the Monticore ducked under the other arm to help keep Canry on his feet.
The Vondorian pavilion that was normally carried on Azaes's warship had been assembled not too far away. It appeared they used whatever they could find to erect walls for privacy, from lengths of canvas to stacks of empty cases that once stored weapons to medical supplies.
Sohm'lan led them past six guards through the entrance into a divided area. The front half held a couple of collapsible tables and chairs with various electrical equipment and portable vidscreens. Two Monticore guarded the flaps to the back area and moved quickly to hold the canvas aside for them to pass through.
Sohm'lan steered them over to an oblong, capsule-shaped tub. The outside swirled with a rainbow of colors, much like mother of pearl. The base was encrusted with barnacles and colorful shellfish, while the edge of the rim was engraved with watery-looking glyphs. "Shaneva brought this to us. She said that depending on how tired he is, he could be unconscious from several hours to several days. I have assigned him a contingent of his own personal guards."
After relieving Canry of his armor, they eased him into the water-filled basin. Zeus followed his nose to the table set with multiple platters of food. He fell on the modest feast with all the grace of a starving lion. Sohm'lan sat next to him and concentrated on his own food. When Zeus slowed down, he turned to give Sohm'lan a sheepish grin.
"I would have been worried if you had not been hungry." Sohm'lan pushed his plate away.
"You need to rest,"
Alpha groused.
"I promise I will." He cleared his throat, attempting not to laugh at the sound of Alpha's exasperation. "Sohm, have we heard from Azaes or Mestor?"
Wiping his hands on a dark linen, Sohm'lan poured both himself and Zeus a glass of water. "With the help of the Feteine, they were able to capture the Terren vessels. Galactic Patrol is sending more starships. Valespian space will be more heavily guarded from here on out. The Gorgon, as well as the fleet brought by the Empress, will police the area until Galactic Patrol arrives to relieve them. The Feteine are holding the Terren vessels. Empress Ashari has arrived safely at Haven. I have sent a communication to your father, giving him the news of our victory here. Haven is under lockdown until it is verified all V'Saar have been captured or are deceased. The vessel that was cleaved in two when we passed Valespia's shield defense seems to have had a number of V'Saar aboard that we believed survived the crash." Zeus gave Sohm'lan a questioning glance, amazed any being could walk away from such a disaster. "Only the bugs survived. They secrete a gelatinous mucus from pores in their exoskeleton, allowing them to be dropped from orbit into a planetary atmosphere without burning up on entry. Those that disengaged before the ship crashed survived, those who did not perished."
"And Athena and her people, have they reached Haven?" Zeus stood and tested his weary muscles. As long as he did not do anything too strenuous, he would be fine for a few hours.
"Yes, they have been reunited with the others rescued by the galactic armada. The Fal'Amoric are staying in a temporary camp at a site above Haven. Athena said her people were afraid to go back to their abandoned homes when the Galactic Imperials brought them back to Valespia. She has been inundated with requests since she arrived. I assured her we were not in need of assistance, so she could focus on her duties. More Valuzial guardians continue to arrive now that they are aware the Fal'Amorics have returned.
"It seems no one at the capitol knew the Valuzials stayed on the planet when Athena's people left, that they too have been in hiding all of this time. The emperors are very upset ... over many things, but at least they caught the traitor who assisted the Terrens in securing Valespian space. Your father believes the treachery goes back many years, possibly decades."
Zeus checked on Canry, not wanting to leave him alone, but knowing he had obligations to attend to. Sohm'lan followed him out of the tent, where he left strict instructions for the guards regarding his brother.
"Medical tents have been set up for the human wounded. The injured Monticore have been moved aboard the Oethra 7. Sun Eater arrived soon after the conclusion of the battle. He has been assisting the Feteine with the Terrens who have been poisoned by the V'Saar."
The Feteine had hauled the bodies of the V'Saar into the middle of the plain to be burned. The smell caused Zeus’s stomach to roll. Breathing through his mouth did not help either. Zeus’s heart twisted a little bit to see the once-beautiful view of the grassy plain trampled and bloodied. The hunter had not been moved, but neither had a torch been set to the body. Strange. He stopped and watched as Monticore in groups of two or three walked up to the dead bug and did something he could not quite see.
"What is going on there?"
Sohm'lan followed his gaze. "Ah. They are ..." He seemed to be searching for words as he stared at Zeus with an expression he had never seen Sohm'lan give him, nor did he know how to interpret. "They are touching the fang of the Striker."
"What do you mean?" For a split second Sohm'lan's words did not make sense. He reached for both of his swords, only to remember one was missing when his fingers closed around the empty scabbard. "It is a simple sword."
"No. It is your sword," said the guard closest to him. "You are the Gerrho'Sauridae. All look at you but do not see you, they walk on by without knowing you are there. When they finally see, they ignore you and discount you to their detriment. You are the Striker, and death is the promised end of your bite."
The eight Monticore guards encircled him and Sohm'lan. With a fist to their chest, they bent at the waist in unison with a growling hiss. The honor—Zeus’s eyes burned.
"I am not worthy of such a title, but I will do my best to live up to it." He swallowed thickly, thumped his fist over his heart, and returned the bow.
"Zeus, look."
Alpha's voice brimmed with excitement.
When he stood straight, his gaze was drawn to a group at the top of the ramp to the Oethra 7's shuttle bay. Dargon's tall form stood in the midst of twenty Monticore. His feet moved toward Dargon without thought. The morning sun caressed Dargon's golden skin, glinting off the polished stones lining his teardrop-shaped ears. Instead of his typical hyde skirt and wide belt, Dargon wore a billowing crimson robe with a scoop neck collar. His single line of copper hair was cut so short it bristled, now only a couple of centimeters tall. Zeus’s heart pinched to see the long braid dangling from Dargon's fist. When Dargon looked at Zeus, his emerald eyes began to burn with fire.
Zeus quickened his steps, wanting—no, needing—to touch Dargon. It had been only a day, but it seemed as if they had been apart much longer. When he reached Dargon, the Monticore parted, turning their backs, giving him and Dargon a modicum of privacy. He did not care. He reached up and grabbed Dargon's neck, pulling him down into a blazing kiss. He ate at Dargon's mouth as if starved. Teeth clashed, tongues collided, and he wanted to weep at the beauty of it. By some miracle, they had made it through the storm. There were no words to express the sheer amount of joy he felt at that moment.
When their lips parted, Dargon's hands cupped his face. Zeus leaned into the touch, needing the connection. Dargon's kiss-swollen lips turned up, showing a hint of fang. "You are not leaving my sight."
Alpha purred.
"Sounds like a brilliant idea."
He pressed his forehead to Dargon's and sighed, his eyelids fluttering closed as he released the tension of the last couple of days. He would kill any who attempted to part them again.
Dargon followed Zeus as he visited the wounded Monticore. They were stopped several times by people who wanted Zeus’s blessing or to wordlessly clasp his hand. He did not ask Zeus about the battle. Seeing the gore-filled plain, he was unsure he wanted to know. The sheer number of V'Saar being burned turned his blood cold, and a glimpse at Alpha's memories was enough.
The Feteine either carried carcasses to the fire or seemingly rested along the edge of the forest. He could not locate Europa's white form and wondered where she had gone. His speculation stopped when he glimpsed the largest bug he had ever seen. The front legs crumpled forward, burying the head in the ground with the tail end high in the air. One of its stiff, black legs barely touched the ground, since it was tipped slightly to the side. Underneath, the hilt of a blade protruded. The soil below the bug was black and crusted from the amount of pooled, dried blood under the creature.
The Mar'Sani approached the dead creature on soft feet to kneel just outside the circle of blackened soil. They made curious hand gestures, some chanted softly. Before they left, they kissed their fingers and touched the hilt of the sword. Alpha called it a hunter. The cold satisfaction emanating from Alpha, along with his visual of Zeus plunging his sword into the creature, turned Dargon's blood to ice.
Even with everything there was to see, his attention kept being drawn back to Zeus, who pushed his body to the maximum as he completed his duties. Zeus refused to stop, going from one task immediately to the next, giving orders, asking for updates, sending various communications, and always searching for new information on his family.
Headed for the shelter holding the injured Humans, they had a brief encounter with Otho. He danced around Zeus’s knees, gray soot trapped in his hair, his tail ramrod straight, speaking so quickly Dargon could only make out one word in three. Had Zeus allowed Otho to play with explosives? Otho scampered off before Dargon could even ask. Zeus continued as if he was not disturbed by Otho's exuberance with 'continuing his research', whatever that meant. He ducked into the triage tent behind Zeus, immediately spotting Mayra, Amlyn, Madux, and surprisingly, Star Eater attending to those stung by the V'Saar.
"Father. Dargon. Prince Zeus." Star Eater greeted them warmly.
Star Eater's gaze lingered on Zeus, whose weariness created deep lines in his forehead and about his eyes. "You should rest soon, prince," Star Eater softly chided quietly enough only the three of them heard.
"He will not listen. He is stubborn."
If he had not been worried about Zeus too, he would have grinned at Alpha's grousing.
"Thank you for your concern. I will rest soon." Zeus grasped Star Eater’s arm companionably.
Alpha snorted.
"How are you feeling? I noticed you have been staying near Madux. Are you still experiencing lingering effects from the pool?"
Star Eater glanced back to where Madux sat, blotting a gaping wound with one hand while he held the other above the wound, a soft warm glow emanating from his palm.
"No. My body took his healing well. The emperors have asked a favor of me. I could use Madux's expertise and would like him to accompany me. Besides, I enjoy his company. I have received authorization for his inclusion if Madux volunteers for the mission, but it may take some coaxing. He has formed a strong bond with the Oethra 7 crew and feels obligated to their welfare."