Knightqueen - Page 83

“And we’ll stop them,” he said resolutely.

She touched his hand. “We will.”

They left the city, moving from the wide roads to the Lantonas plains. It was mostly flat, lush farmland. In areas, crops of yellow and purple flowers grew.

Sten peered through the front screen of the vehicle. Ahead, he saw the twisted wreckage of the Urata ship, smoke rising into the blue sky.

His gut hardened. He saw movement. Gek’Dragar troops were amassing outside the ship.

He activated his comm line. “Ashtin, we’re going in hot.”

“Good.” The other knight’s voice came over the line. “Let’s do this.”

Ashtin sounded ready for a fight.

Sten turned to Carys. Her gaze was narrowed on the crashed ship. He knew she would fight. She was the knightqueen. However much he wished he could lock her away and keep her safe, she would never allow that.

“I’ll stay at your side,” he said.

She nodded. “I know you will. Let’s defend our planet, Thorsten. And destroy the Gek’Dragar leadership once and for all. Their reign of terror is over.”

The Oronis vehicles drew closer to the crashed ship.

They pulled up, all the knights exiting and moving into their combat groups. There were several Terrans and Eon warriors to bolster their ranks.

Ahead, several Gek’Dragar soldiers started marching to meet them. They held heavy blasters in their hands.

Sten walked down the line issuing orders. He saw his own group of knightguards and nodded at them. They all nodded back, ready to fight.

“Today, we protect our freedom,” Sten said. “Today, we prove our honor. Today, we defend all the innocent people of this planet. We do this with our allies at our sides.” He nodded at the Eon, then at the Terrans. “We fight to stop the tyranny of the Gek’Dragar. For honor and duty!”

“For honor and duty!” the Oronis knights bellowed back at him.

He turned, moving back to where Carys was watching him with a small smile. Then she turned to the Gek’Dragar.

“Look,” she said.

He saw they were going through the var. Even from a distance, he saw their gray-skinned bodies morphing and bulging.

He ground his teeth together. “Charge.”

The Oronis knights started running, their black cloaks whipping out behind them as they picked up speed. He saw blue energy balls being created all across the field. Several of the knights leaped into the air, swords forming in their hands.

Sten had never been prouder to be an Oronis knight.

He ran. Beside him, Carys pumped her slim arms, her glowing blue sword in her hand.

The front knights reached the enemy, and the Gek’Dragar shouted.

The fight had begun.

A Gek’Dragar soldier appeared in front of Sten, thick tail whipping behind him. Sten slashed and sliced with his sword. He ducked the Gek’Dragar’s axe, and thrust his sword through his opponent’s middle. He kept going, staying close to Carys as she engaged the enemy.

All around him, knights threw energy balls. Swords whirled and slashed. He spotted Nea, who held a wicked bow in her hands, firing off glowing energy bolts in quick succession. He saw one bolt hit a Gek’Dragar in the eye, sending the alien flying backward.

A Gek’Dragar charged at Sten, holding a combat sword. Sten batted it aside, then launched his own strikes: slash, slice, left, right.

The soldier fell and Sten stepped over him.