Page 41 of Urzra

Jazmine knew she needed to get back to her apartment, just in case Lachial decided to check up on her.She still had no idea why the soldiers had all rushed northward.She learned the answer when she encountered a patrol of mercenaries after she hurried back across the bridge.

“Rahab’s enemies are even deadlier than our allies,” a frightened man was saying.“I can’t believe they snuck past our patrols and wiped dozens of us out without being caught.”

“Who are their enemies, anyway?”someone else asked.

“I heard they’re a biker gang who are just as big and muscular as Rahab’s crew,” a third person said.“But they don’t have their freaky red eyes.”

“What if the Mad Prophet is right?”the first man asked.“What if both factions are aliens?What if they’re here to take over our world?”

“So what if they are?”a human said in unconcern.“We need someone to lead us out of this chaos.Rahab’s ruthless, but he’s smart.Oliver Giamano is a spineless weasel.We all know who we’re really working for and it isn’t the politician.”

“Our representative had a meeting with the Governor to discuss how many of us have gone missing,” a male said.“He came out of the meeting with the feeling Giamano doesn’t give a rat’s ass about us.We’re just useful tools to him.We could all get torn apart and he’d just find more chumps to take our places.”

Murmurs of agreement came from the group, then they moved on with their patrol.

Jazmine continued her run and made it back to her apartment just in the nick of time.She sensed Lachial on the edges of her radar, then he moved closer.He paused right outside her building, making sure she was there.His four guards were with him, as always.They moved on and she relaxed again.

“Who are Rahab’s enemies really?”Jazmine mused as she took her shoes off again.She sat down on the couch and stared at the painting of the boy in blue.“This Mad Prophet knows more than the humans think,” she went on.“My sire and Rahab both want me to fight their foes.They must be aliens as well.”She’d been unable to think clearly when she’d been told about the enemy faction.Her curiosity had been roused now.Lachial had told her to notify him if she sensed someone who was similar to the soldiers, but different.

“They want me to breed with this knight,” she said to the painting.“As if I would ever allow a man to put his hands on me.”She shuddered at the thought and pulled the shadows around herself for protection.Nothing could get to her when she used her power.No one could ever make her do anything she didn’t want to do.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

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BRIA’S SLEEP WAS DEEPand she didn’t remember her dreams when she woke up at dawn.Urzra lay on the floor right next to the couch like a huge guard dog.He woke up as soon as she moved.“How did you sleep?”she asked, stretching her arms up over her head.

“Like the dead,” he joked, rising to his feet to offer her his hand.

She took it and allowed him to pull her upwards.Her head tilted back and she was reminded all over again how tall he was.“Are all of the knights as tall as you are?”she asked.

“I’m only six foot four,” he said.“Some of my brothers are several inches taller than me.Some are a bit shorter.”

“You’reonlysix foot four,” she said, shaking her head.“You’re fourteen inches taller than me,” she said, stepping around him.“Can you raid the pantry while I use the john?”she requested.

“What’s a john?”the warrior asked in confusion.