Chapter 141
Mexyn stood straight and walked over to where Gerax was standing.
"You can’t possibly think that it’s already taking effect." She tried to whisper but Tempest heard every word that she said.
"Don’t talk about me like I’m not sitting right here." Once again she pushed herself up. She wasn’t going to be kept out of this.
"Don’t worry yourself. We’ll figure this out." Mexyn issued her tight smile that let Tempest know that she wasn’t sure if what she was saying was true or not.
"You’re right. We will all figure this out. Together." Finally Tempest was able to get up to her feet. Just that little bit of exertion was enough to cause her to sweat a little more.
"Tempest, we all thought that we had more time. That we would be able to get to Dron or at least back home before the affects to hold. Not to mention if my calculations are correct your only a short time away from your next heat. We shouldn’t have come, not until we had a. Definite location on where Dron was. This is going to get bad." Gerax scrubbed a hand over his eyes.
Heat.
Tempest did a few calculations in her mind. If her heat synced up with when she was supposed to ovulate than the next one shouldn’t happen for at least another ten days, surely that was enough time.
"I still have time before my next heat. I’m sure I’ll be well on my way home before that happens." Tempest nodded her head and tried to smile but there was still a little bit of fear.
Both Gerax and Mexyn shrugged their shoulders as if they didn’t want to get involved in that aspect.
"Now tell me more about this sickness that you think I have."
Gerax opened his mouth to speak, but he didn’t have much time. A second later, Rynax burst into the opening of the cave, blood trickling down the side of his face and a wide eyed look on his expression.
"Run!" He barked and just like that everyone dashed out the cave and into the sweltering heat.
It was already night time which made the air a little cooler but Tempest was already drenched with sweat before she took more than three steps outside.
She wanted to ask Rynax what they were running from but she didn’t have to.
In the background she could hear some hoots and footsteps. Tempest turned around to see what was coming after them and she nearly fell when she realized that it wasn’t a few natives but what looked like an army of aliens racing in their direction. Some of them on foot and others on animals.
"You have to stay on your feet!" Rynax ordered Tempest as if the both of them knew that if she fell there was no way the group behind them wouldn’t catch them.
Tempest faught with every last breath to make sure she didn’t become an actress in a low budget horror film.
The one that falls right as the bad guy starts chasing them.
She, Gerax, Mexyn and Rynax ran and climb over rocks and large boulders but she whimpered when she realized there was a large cliff just ahead of them. One that she was going to have to take her time scaling.
"Foot!" Rynax shouted at her as they got to the base of the cliff.
Tempest didn’t have time to think about what was happening. She lifted her foot and in a move she’d sworn she’d saw in a cheerleading competition somewhere, Rynax lifted her straight up and with a power she didn’t know he had he threw her up the cliff.
She squealed and flailed her hands as she came to a stop on the small lip of the cliff. When she looked down she saw. Rynax doing the same for Mexyn as Gerax moved with a quickness on his own up the cliff.
It dawned on Tempest just how capable the three of them were. Just as she was looking over the cliff something straight and shiny came whizzing in her direction.
It was pure luck that she managed to move her head in time. A spear clattered to the ground next to her.
Tempest looked over again just as Mexyn landed with a thud next to her.
Rynax and Gerax were only about halfway up the cliff. Still much faster than if they had to worry about getting the two omegas up but not fast enough that they would be out of danger.
She wanted to help. Tempest wanted to find a way to do anything to get the natives away from her friends but what could she do?
Her eyes slowly scanned the ground and she realized the spear was still there. She reached for it. The weight of it felt unfamiliar in her hand but not bad. "What are you doing! Stop!" Mexyn tried to pull Tempest back, but she was already inching closer to the ledge.
She was crouched low and had the spear balanced on her shoulder.
Tempest looked down at the group of enemies closing in , some of which who had already started climbing up the wall behind Gerax and Rynax.
She wouldn’t be able to hit any of them but maybe one of the others.
Tempest scanned the chaos unfolding beneath her and somehow the light from one of the moon caused a gem lodged on one of the enemies to glitter. It was all the sign Tempest needed. She pulled her hand back, her eyes locked on that one glittering gem, and she rocketed the spear forward.
Part of her assumed that the spear would drop uselessly to the ground. Another part of her thought the man would see the projectile coming in his direction and dodge.
None of that happened.
Instead, the spear landed with a sick thud in the man’s chest, and he was thrown back off his steed.
For a second it was quiet. The rest of the natives who were chasing after them stopped what they were doing, and all looked down at the fallen man. Then a roaring sound Tempest had never heard in her life erupted. Instead of chasing after Rynax and Gerax, they all gathered around the man Tempest just buried the spear into.
"Moon goddess above, no. What have you done?" Mexyn whispered on the side of Tempest.
Instantly, guilt and regret wracked Tempest. She didn’t want to admit it but she knew what she’d just done.
She’d just killed that man.
She took a life. He could have had a family, someone waiting for him to come home. He could have been a good person who was only doing his job. There was a million and one reasons why he could’ve been here, but there was only one reason why he would never go home. Tempest had killed him.
The tears rushed down her cheek in a torrent, and her breathing became erratic.
In the same instant, Rynax and Gerax finally made their way over the cliff. The both of them looking at her with new eyes. They were looking at her like she was a killer; at least that’s how Tempest felt like they were looking at her.
"You had to. It’s okay." Rynax was the first one to try to comfort her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his chest.
"What have I done? Oh god. Oh god!" Tempest’s anguish grew by the second the longer she could here the people below mourning their fallen commrade.
"We have to keep moving, they’ll be up here in a moment." Mexyn spoke but Tempest couldn’t focus on that. She couldn’t focus on running.
"We’re safe for now." Gerax answered.
"How is that possible?" Mexyn looked over the edge.
Tempest was curious about that as well, surely the enemies below where only inches from them. She pulled away from Rynax and looked over the edge.
She sniffled and wiped her hand over her eyes so she could get a good look at what was going on.
The same group of people who had been chasing after them were no longer focused on them. Instead, they all had the man that Tempest had speared in their arms. They were lifting the lifeless alien over their heads, and they slowly walked in the opposite direction. "What is happening? What are they doing?" Tempest questioned, her voice still cracking from the emotions that were going through her body.
"They’re giving their final respects." Rynax answered with a grim look on his face.
"Final respects?" Tempest looked up at his face, "They do that for everyone?"
"No, that man was their leader." Rynax didn’t want to look at Tempest.
He didn’t need to. She knew what that meant. She hadn’t just killed some no named soldier; she killed the person holding that group together. It meant one thing for certain, all of her enemies now had a greater purpose—to find and get rid of her.
Not just because they were intruders in their land but because she killed an integral part of their way of life.
Their leader.
"Come on, we have to keep moving." Gerax reached down and helped Tempest and Mexyn up.
Tempest nodded her head; she knew he was right. They may be out of danger for right now but there was no telling how long that would last.
Tempest looked over her shoulder one last time and watched as the soldiers continued to march their fallen leader over their heads, wailing with every step.
Tempest may have stopped crying but it didn’t mean that the pain had subsided. With every step she could feel the jagged pieces inside of her. The moment she threw that spear, a part of her broke. A part of her that she never thought would ever be affected.
She taken a life.
It was something that she would never be able to change. For the rest of her life, she would know the truth.
She was a murderer.