Four against three, now.
I saw my chance and darted free of the cage, to where the lone rifle sat.
The Drake weapon was heavy to lift, especially as my injured arm wasn’t fully functional. Humans were never permitted to wield such things, but my father had taught me how to handle the lighter weapons.
It had been a few years, but the principles were the same. It was the payload that was different. I stood with my back against the wall, and leveled it. Tried to track the frantic swirling movement of the Drakes. Too close, they were too close together. I couldn’t risk it.
Then Rhodes spun away from the Tazier he battled, leaving the Drake exposed for just a moment?—
I took the shot. It hit the Tazier in the shoulder, scorching through the scales to the skin beneath, and knocking him off his feet.
Rhodes was on him in an instant. I winced and looked away. Knives had nothing on talons. A split second later, the odds were even.
When I glanced back, he shot me a look, and for just a millisecond, his lips twitched into a smile.
Wow.It transformed his face, but it was there and gone so fast I wasn’t sure I’d seen it at all. He was jumped by another Tazier, and they vanished in a twirling vortex of slashing talons.
My arms shook with the strain of lifting the laser, and my injured one wasn’t up to the burden. Then, suddenly, Yani was there. She stood in front of me, so I could rest the heavy weapon on her shoulder.
“Be careful how you aim that thing,” she growled at me. “Punch a hole in the outer wall and we’re all going on a spacewalk.”
Right. I swallowed as I tracked the action, trying to find another opportunity to score without taking us to outer space. But the fighters were moving so fast, I couldn’t get a clear shot.
Then Xandros lifted his hissing opponent above his head and threw him. The Tazier crashed into the wall hard enough to crush metal.
Yani swore. “Good thing they build these ships for Drake wrestling matches.”
They didn’t, of course, but so far, theStardrifterwas holding up. A head shot would be the best bet, but her words reminded me that if I missed… as the Tazier began to climb to his feet, and Xandros charged at him, I aimed for the center of his chest and fired.
It hit him in the stomach, and he curled around himself—Xandros struck him, hard, and—the Raptors had the advantage now.
When the big guy moved to help Rhodes, I swung the rifle toward Zyair’s battle.
He and Senaik had fought themselves to exhaustion. Their breath whistled through clenched teeth.
“Get us closer,” I told Yani.
She muttered something I was sure was scathingly rude in Drolgokian, but she sidled around the cage. I moved with her, keeping the rifle on her shoulder as she brought us to within ten feet of the combatants. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get a clear shot at Senaik.
Then a big hand closed around the rifle, and lifted it away from me. I clung at first, then looked up to Rhodes.
“It is—good, little Draka,” he said in a dead calm tone. “You have done well, but I need you to stand back, now.”
I stiffened. “I’m not a Draka.”
One side of his mouth twitched up. “You are as fierce as one. Give me the weapon. You can barely lift it.”
I glared at him, but he had a valid point. And he’d called me fierce, which sent a flush of heat straight through me. I surrendered the weapon to him, and a millisecond later, Xandros came up from the other side, leveling another at the combatants.
“That is enough, Senaik,” Rhodes rumbled in a surprisingly deep voice. “It is over.”
Senaik wrenched away from Zyair. His torn wings arched over him as he snarled at Rhodes. Considering he’d been sheathed in scales the entire fight, Zyair had still managed to slice and dice him well.
For amoment, I thought Senaik would attack Rhodes. But then Xandros took a step closer, leveling his rifle to hover at head height, and the Tazier froze.
“Lose the beast,” Xandros ordered.
After a moment, Senaik decided to live. The scales dropped off his body, and the talons followed, hitting the metal floor with harsh clanks as he regained his humanoid form.
