Episode Five We Attack

N ear the gates of the Works

Eldar

I haven't let anyone see my fear. Zoron and I will be at the tip of the spear, the first to breach the compound gate. Though we'll have an army behind us, we'll be the obvious, prominent targets.

It's the most dangerous thing I've ever done, but it's the right thing to do. We'll be attacking the Works and freeing all the slaves. Since most people are stolen when they're young, many of those in the compound have been there most of their lives. I was lucky to have escaped when I did. I was still a child. It's my duty to free them.

Our plan is sound, and there will be hundreds behind us. Even though our enemies have laser weapons and all most of us have are spears and arrows, we outnumber them so greatly, we're going to win. It's just that many of us will die in the process.

I jump off Zoron's equine back and step in front of him. It's such a stupid thing to say, but I love this male more than life itself. It's about more than his beautiful face. Although I love looking at those gorgeous green eyes in his perfect human face, it's so much more than his looks that I hold dear.

The centaur befriended me after I escaped the Works compound. He brought me home from where I had been fending for myself in the forest, and his family took me in. What started as friendship grew into sexual attraction, but we passed that description long ago. We love each other.

I step into his embrace and throw my arms around him. We're silent as emotion flows between us. Sometimes it feels as if we can read each other's minds.

"I worry I'll lose you," I whisper as he tucks me closer.

"Aye. And I you." He pulls away just far enough to look at me with such exquisite sweetness in his expression. After trailing his knuckles down my cheek, he adds, "We're doing the right thing, my love."

"But it's dangerous," I say, then whisper, "I won't be able to live without you."

"I'm going to hug you, then kiss you," my mate says, "then you're going to jump on my back and pull your bow. We're going to lead this fierce group through the main gate the moment Azael uses one of the two laser pistols we possess to shoot through the lock."

"Then," I finish his thought, "we're going to kill as many as we can on our way to the red brick building where they store the weapons. Once we're armed, we'll cut down anyone who stands in our way until we can free every soul in the compound."

"Then tonight I'll fuck you until you can't walk straight," he says, trying to make it a joke but failing miserably.

When I don't laugh, he adds, "You're the best male I know and the only person I've ever loved, except for my family. We're going to emerge victorious because we're in the right."

With that, I kiss him one last time, jump on his back, and pull my bowstring taut. My quiver is jammed with arrows I've been making in preparation for this. As I glance behind us, I see dozens of centaurs, some mounted with elves like Zoron and me, some running alone.

Behind them are others: many orcs, some wolven, some monks, and several other species. We've all had family stolen by the humans and then forced to manufacture goods for the people in the Tower. This is it. We draw the line here. Today.

We've smelled the acrid stench of the Works for miles and now the foreboding factories are within sight, all tucked behind tall wrought-iron gates topped with razor wire.

"We attack!" Azael shouts.

The monk is our leader. He's flanked by his two male mates, Thallose, the starflyer who is a two-legged centaur with wings, and Dhar, an orc chieftain who has never fought a battle he didn't win.

Thallose and a half dozen griffins will take to the air and attack with spears and arrows at the same time we attack from the ground.

We take off at a run, eating up the last mile of our trek in no time. Azael shoots the locking mechanism on the gate as if he's used a laser a hundred times, though fuel is so precious he only shot it once. His laser burst hits the mark and the gates spring open as if the gods themselves are on our side.

We catch them unawares as we ride in. Though Zoron has a bow and arrows, he doesn't shoot as swiftly as me. He's focused on getting us to the armory. In the process, he actually tramples one of the humans who steps in our way, trying to stop us.

We waited until mid-morning to attack, knowing the slaves would be out of their locked barracks. As I expected, the moment they realize what's happening, they turn on their masters.

The humans aren't as large, strong, or muscular as many of us. Even though they're armed with powerful weapons, their reactions are so slow the guns are still secured to their belts. The males are totally unprepared for an attack and are no match for our sheer numbers and determination.