Trist leaned against the second one, sharpening a dagger. He winked at her.
When she boarded the rugger, she found a team of tough, rugged fighters already on board. They all eyed her with flat eyes, taking her measure. She was well aware that if she posed a risk to Rhain, they’d cut her down without any hesitation.
Rhain stepped aboard, nodding to his people. He sat beside her.
An unfamiliar sensation moved through her. She didn’t want him hurt. She was starting to feel way too much for this man.
As they journeyed away from Citadel, she looked out the reinforced window and watched the farmland pass by. The land slowly began to get rockier and rougher.
Then she saw the shadows of the Badus Mountains.
Mal bounced her foot.
“It isn’t too far to the outpost from here,” Rhain said. “It’s on the boundary with the Barrens.”
“What do they mine?”
“A metal called craxma. It’s extremely strong and durable.”
Suddenly, the rugger rocked violently.
Boom.
The whole vehicle shuddered, and turned sharply.
“Thadd!” Rhain yelled.
They rocked to a stop.
The captain leaped up out of his seat. “We’ve hit a mine field. Someone’s put explosives in the ground.”
Rhain cursed. “Krastin.”
“The other rugger got hit.”
Rhain reached up and opened the top hatch of the rugger. He jumped up and climbed up the short ladder. Mal moved up behind him. She could see the second rugger was on its side nearby.
“Stay in the vehicle.” Rhain stood on the roof.
“If we hit another mine, we’ll be blown into tiny pieces,” Thadd said. “The shield won’t take another blast.”
Mal’s gut cramped. She was hating this Krastin more and more.
Rhain lifted his hand and closed his eyes. Energy filled the air and she felt it pool around her, She wasn’t staying down here. Not if she could help.
She climbed up the ladder and moved up beside him on the roof.
Ahead of the rugger, she saw the dirt shiver, and an object flew up out of the ground. Rhain moved his fingers, and the object crushed into a tiny ball of crumpled metal.
Oh, God. He was pulling the mines up. More of them wiggled out of the ground.
She watched him grit his teeth. Multiple mines shot up; they were twisted things covered in spikes, and he destroyed all of them before they dropped harmlessly back to the ground.
“Can’t… Keep this up much longer,” he said between gritted teeth.
Led by some unknown instinct, Mal moved closer and pressed her hands to his arm.
He opened his silver eyes and looked at her, his irises glowing.
The energy in her uncoiled and flowed into him. She gasped. It didn’t hurt, but it felt strange.
His eyes flared.
All around them, mines flew up, high into the air. They crunched and twisted into nothingness.
“It’s clear,” he said, his voice strained. “Let’s get the other rugger upright, and get to Emex.” He met her gaze. “Thank you, Mal.”
Back in the rugger, tremors of energy still rippled through Rhain’s system.
Somehow, Mal had passed energy into him.
It was impossible.
No Zhalton could do that. They could draw from the field, charge objects and machines, but not pass energy between people. There were always those who attempted it, but none had ever succeeded. The closest they had to it was what healers like Tavith could do.
He eyed her, sitting quietly beside him.
She opened her eyes. “All right, spit it out.”
“Spit?” He frowned.
“It’s a phrase. Say whatever is bothering you.”
“What you did, giving me energy, Zhaltons can’t do that.”
Her mouth opened. “Oh.”
“Oh, is right.”
“I just wanted to help and did what felt natural.”
“You did help.” He grabbed her hand. “Mal, what you did… It’s special.”
Her cheeks colored. “I’m not doing anything special. Rhain, I’m stumbling around in the dark with these new abilities.”
He squeezed her hand. “I’m here. I’ll help you any way I can.”
“Thanks,” she murmured.
“Rhain?” Thadd’s voice. It was tense.
Rhain rose and walked to the front cabin. “What is it?”
“Overlord.” The co-driver turned in her seat. “We’re picking up strange readings on scanners.”
“What kind of readings?”
“We don’t know. There are several energy signatures closing in on us.”
He looked down at the projection and saw three dots.
“Visual?”
Thadd shook his head. “We can’t see anything.”
Rhain stooped to look out the window. “But we should be in visual range.”
“Yes,” Thadd said.
He didn’t see anything. They were right at the edge of The Barrens and all he saw was rough, rocky ground.
There were no vehicles in sight.
“Rhain?” Mal stood behind him. His first instinct was to tell her not to worry. He realized he didn’t have to hold back with her. In previous relationships, he’d shielded women from the hard aspects of ruling.
They’d wanted the enjoyment and luxury of being with the king, but not the hardship of difficult times and problematic decisions.
“Three signatures closing in on us.”
She looked up. “I don’t see anything.”
“Nor do I.”
“Are they cloaked?”
“Perhaps. Sarkan specializes in weaponry of war.”
“They’re almost on us,” Thadd said.
Rhain looked out at the other rugger.
Suddenly, something speared up out of the ground, rocks and dirt flying into the air.
“Watch out!” Thadd roared.
Their rugger swerved, and Rhain gripped Mal and the wall to keep them upright.
The second rugger slammed on the brakes. The creature that had erupted from the ground, whipped around and fired on the rugger.
“Shields up!” Rhain roared.
A glimmer of energy moved over their vehicle. He hoped the shields had recharged enough.
The other rugger took a hit, shaking violently. Its shield shimmered to life.
“Open fire,” Rhain ordered.
The drivers fired on the vehicle. Rhain realized then that it wasn’t a creature. Not fully.
It had tracks for legs and feet, and a pointed front end for digging through the ground. It had a taller back end, and some organic armor in parts.
A Zhylaw creation.
The rugger shot short pulses of energy at the Zhylaw vehicle.
They clipped it, but it sped off.
“The other rugger is having engine problems,” Thadd said.
“We need to keep the Zhylaw off them,” Rhain barked.
He raced back inside the rugger and popped open the top hatch again.
“Rhain—” Thadd sounded ready to complain.
“It’ll be fine, Thadd. Keep firing on them. Activate the turrets if required.”
Mal watched him, worry in her eyes.
“Stay,” he said. “I’ll be back.”
He climbed out of the hatch and watched as another Zhylaw vehicle burst up through the dirt.
The vehicles converged on the struggling rugger. His rugger fired, sending them scattering.
Rhain concentrated on one of the Zhylaw vehicles. He focused his power. He was tired from clearing the mines, so it felt sluggish.
The Zhylaw vehicle sped up, about to ram the stricken rugger— His energy wrapped around it. It stopped, like it hit a wall. It lifted off the ground and he heard its engine straining.