Page 9 of Urzra

“Why did you lead him to me?”she asked accusingly.“You could have headed to the mainland to the west instead.”

“My instincts told me to come here, female,” he said apologetically.“We don’t have much time.They’ll be here any minute.”

Bria gave him a light push and he stepped aside so she could lock the door again.It wasn’t much of a barrier against five aliens who were apparently all tall and muscular like he was.“Block Island isn’t exactly huge,” she said as she headed back to the living room.“Where are we supposed to hide from them?”

“There is nowhere on this island for us to hide where they won’t find us,” Urzra said, following right behind her.“There have to be more boats somewhere.We just need to find one and use it to escape.”

Bria snorted out a laugh.“The only reason the boat I rescued you with still works is because I’ve been maintaining it,” she said.It didn’t even belong to her, but to a neighbor.She’d used the internet to figure out how to operate boats and keep them in good working order before everything had stopped working.It was an insurance policy just in case she ever needed to flee from the island.

“Maybe someone else has been looking after a boat, too,” the warrior pointed out.She could feel his growing anxiety, which made her own fear begin to escalate.“We don’t have time to argue, female,” he growled in frustration.“We need to leave now, before it’s too late!”

Bria sensed a flicker of another being, then it receded from her radar.“I just sensed someone,” she said, dread worsening.“They felt similar to you, but slightly different.”

“It must be Deumos,” he said bleakly.“He’s found us.They’ll surround the house and try to flush us out into the open.I don’t know why Rahab wants to capture me.Probably to torture me and try to lure my commander into an ambush again.It’s an old tactic they haven’t used in eons, but maybe they’ve resurrected it.”

Sure enough, they both sensed the five soldiers rapidly moving towards her house a short while later.Bria turned towards the back of the building where she could sense one of the men more strongly.Her senses had been enhanced with Urzra’s arrival.She could feel all of the soldiers were evil.

“Urzra!”one of them said in a raised voice.“I know you’re in there with my offspring!Surrender peacefully, or I’ll burn this building to the ground!”

Bria felt Urzra use magic of his own as she hurried to the back door.“I just muted the house, so they can’t hear us talking,” he said as she stepped into the laundry.She peered out through the window to see two huge men holding weapons.Her eyes widened when she saw her resemblance to the taller guy.“That’s Deumos, your sire,” Urzra said from behind her.

They watched the tall blond warrior lope over to her shed and vanish inside.He emerged holding a jerrycan of fuel.“He’s going to do it,” Bria said in dread.“He’s going to burn us to death if we don’t surrender to him.”

“You’ve got one minute to come out!”Deumos called out next.

“Can you use your talent to manipulate emotions on several beings at once?”Urzra asked.

“I’ve used it on three of my neighbors,” Bria replied.“But they’re just humans.It didn’t last long when I used it on you to make you leave my home.”

“I suggest you try, female,” he said grimly.“Or we’ll both be captured by our enemies.”

Deumos strode towards the back door and Bria knew she didn’t have a choice.Reaching deep, she sent out a blast of power that ensnared all five soldiers.She could feel their triumph and manipulated it into abject failure.“There’s no one here,” she said, using her words to focus and enhance her magic.“You need to go back to your boss and explain your failure.”

Urzra’s huge hand came to rest on her shoulder and she could feel him trying to boost her strength.It did nothing, but knowing he had her back helped bolster her confidence.She watched through the window as Deumos woodenly strode away, still holding the jerrycan of gas.His men followed in his wake, eyes glazed and walking like malfunctioning robots.She’d never used so much power before and it hadn’t even drained her this time.

“They’re leaving,” she said in relief.“That worked a lot better than usual.Maybe they’ll actually go back to their boss and give up on trying to capture us.”

Urzra withdrew his hand and she turned to face him.He shook his head without taking his eyes off his foes.“Like you said, your magic didn’t last long when you used it on me.You need to decide what you want to do, female.”He lowered his gaze to her and his dark blue eyes were intense.“If you stay here, Deumos will take you and enslave you with his parental bond.”

“He can’t really turn me into his puppet,” she said in disbelief.He’d told her all about his enemies and their ties to her kind.

“He can and he will,” the knight said.“Do you want to risk your life and your freedom by staying here?”

Bria couldn’t hide her anguish at the thought of being forced to leave her home.She didn’t even have time to think about her options.This stranger had turned up in a blazing gold comet and she’d felt compelled to save his life.Now he was trying to get her to leave her house and embark on a journey with him.His soul was white, so she knew he wasn’t going to hurt her, but she couldn’t trust someone she didn’t even know.

“I’m sticking with you no matter what you decide to do,” Urzra told her grimly.“It’s up to you whether we flee and remain free, or if Rahab will cage us both.”

“No pressure,” she muttered, torn between two unappealing choices.