Page 159 of Riv's Sanctuary
“He zapped them,” Riv offered.
Her eyebrows rose a little.
“Low power,” Ka’Cit said. “Just enough to zap them good.” He paused, his head turning to regard the other bodies. “Looks like they have new tech. Teleporters are rare.”
Riv grunted. Stooping down to her level, he touched her cheek. “Are you okay?”
Her gaze scoured his face. “I am, but you and Grot aren’t.” She glanced at Ka’Cit, then back.
“They came because of me, didn’t they?”
Riv’s lips formed a thin line but he didn’t respond.
“Help me round them up, Ka’Cit. We have to let them know my La-rehn is off-limits. Now and forever.”
33
Lauren paced, the rake still in her hand and her thumb in her mouth as she ground down the last bit of fingernail there.
Riv and Ka’Cit had set all eight guards against the side of the hovercar, the ones that had arrived the day before and those that had teleported.
She watched as they gathered the blasters and stepped back.
“Ready?” Ka’Cit asked.
Riv grunted.
With the press of some button in his hand, Lauren felt a soft zing across her flesh but nothing else happened.
She was about to ask what he’d done when one of the guards groaned.
The guard’s eyes opened and he snarled immediately.
She wondered why the guard didn’t attack at once but his gaze was on Ka’Cit, and when she looked, Ka’Cit had a blaster trained on him.
“What is the meaning of this, merssi?” The guard’s yellow-eyed gaze flashed to the men and then to her. As soon as he saw her, he snarled once more. “You harbor property of the High Tasqals.”
Another of the guards stirred.
The first guard continued, “You will relinquish the property or face…consequences.”
“We will do no such thing,” Riv replied.
The guard that she’d hit with the rake stirred, his clawed hand going directly to his head. With what looked like a wince, he turned his gaze on her.
Lauren gripped the rake.
She wasn’t sorry about hitting him with it. She’d do it again, too.
“Qrakking jekin,” he snarled and made to get up when Riv’s boot landed in his chest.
“Take one more step and I can’t promise you’ll have legs to walk with anymore.”
Ka’Cit grunted and pointed the blaster at the guard’s legs.
The guard growled and settled back down.
“You are trespassing,” Riv spoke. His voice was deceptively calm, but she could see from the look in his eyes that he was trying incredibly hard to control himself.