Chapter 20

Blaide

Blaide woke before the sun, rising from his dreams in a rush that had his mantle bristling. He wasn't sure what disturbed him until the low hum of engines drew his attention to the broken window beside him.

Almost every building had some amount of damage, so the people had split themselves between the ones that were still safe enough to occupy to get some rest. Many of them hadn't slept since the attack and had been ready to drop, and there was no way they'd have lasted even an hour trying to walk through the jungle at night. As much as he hated the delay, they'd had no choice.

The ship flying overhead made him worry it'd been the wrong decision.

He held his breath as the noise passed over the broken village, moving in the direction they needed to go. The ship was barely above the treetops, likely trying to sneak closer to the city. His estimation about how long they had dropped, and he gently pulled his arm from under Liz.

Liz shifted, letting out a whine in her sleep, but it was her nana's blue eyes that stared up at him as he rose.

"It's time to go."

Her tone was matter of fact. No question in the words, though he answered with a nod. He'd been worried about her keeping up when he lifted her from the basement, but the older woman had shown a surprising amount of strength, rebounding and helping others get settled for the night after a bit of water and food.

Running a hand through Liz's hair, she pressed a kiss to her granddaughter's forehead before levering herself up and moving on to the family sleeping on the opposite side of the room and gently waking them. His mate finally stirred, sitting up with a groan she tried to stifle.

Crouching beside her, he cupped her face and stroked his thumb along her cheek.

"Time to get everyone moving. Are you ready?"

She gave him a quick nod and let him pull her to her feet, leaning into him before kneeling and rolling up the blankets they'd used. According to the residents, they would reach the city before nightfall if they made good time, but he did not know what state the city would be in. It was better to take things and not need them than leave anything useful behind.

Letting her know what he was doing, Blaide stepped out into the chill of the morning to wake the others. The motion within the surrounding buildings let him know he wasn't the only one awakened by the ship, and he nodded to the people who poked their heads out.

"Time to go. Grab rations and water and meet at the clearing."

He repeated the message at each place people had bunked down. By the time he made it back to where he'd began, Liz, Nana, and the families who had rested with them were ready to go. Leading them to the clearing at the edge of the town, they stopped and waited until the others joined them.

"I need the strongest in the front with someone who knows the route. Take turns cutting a path when needed. Families with children in the middle. Use slings to carry them if possible."

He gazed around at the grim faces staring back at him. This trip was going to be harder than his first trek to the city had been, but he could see the determination of those around him.

"Keep as quiet as you can and stay close to the person in front of you. Do not stop for any reason."

A few eyes went wide and there were some rough swallows, but it was better for them to be prepared for the worst. Meeting each of their gazes, Blaide did his best to project confidence. When he was sure everyone was ready, he nodded to the two alphas who'd helped in the school, letting them take the lead.

Blaide stood and watched as people passed by, following behind the men he'd set as the leaders of the group. It was hard to hold back his wince at the noise and the trail they were leaving, but he had to remind himself these weren't soldiers, and moving fast was more important than moving quietly.

A small hand slipped into his, drawing his attention to his mate. He'd have liked her in the middle of the group with her nana and the children, but she'd insisted on staying in the rear with him. They'd make sure no one fell behind. But he'd placed himself at the back because that's where he expected the danger to come from. He didn't want his Red in danger, but there was no time to argue. They needed to leave. Now.

***

He ended up only being partially correct. They made it until just past noon before a noise alerted them they were close to a group of enemy troops. Making everyone freeze and hide in the undergrowth while he checked the soldiers' position, he realized they'd come close to stumbling right into them.

Blaide picked his way back to the villagers, careful not to make a sound. Motioning for the others to be as silent as possible, he directed the men leading the group to move to the west before continuing toward the city. He stood vigil as they moved, unable to relax knowing they were so close to death.

Even when they'd moved far enough that he couldn't pick up the sounds of the troops, he remained tense, and it was the only reason he found the enemy coming up on their tail a few hours later. Shaking Liz's hand loose as the hair along his ruff stood on end, he turned and checked the jungle behind them, knowing they were running out of time.

He raced to the front of the line of refugees, heart thumping with each step he put between himself and Liz, but there was no time to waste. Catching up to the alphas in the lead, the look on his face must have given his thoughts away.

"We need to move faster, but we can't make noise."

Their eyes tightened, and a glance passed between them.

"There's a river a little further west. It's full and runs fast," one of them said.

Blaide nodded at the words, a touch of relief passing through his chest. The noise of the water would hopefully cover the sounds of the group.

"Go."

The men turned, once again forced to pull the group off course, but it was the only way they'd have a chance.

Blaide waited as everyone passed, worried eyes turning to him at the change in direction. He studied each person as they passed, gauging whether they'd be able to do what was going to be asked of them. Nana's gaze met his, holding him captive until her face tightened and she gave him a slow nod. A bit more relief loosened his chest knowing she'd be sure Liz was safe as long as she was standing.

Once his mate had caught up to him and the others were moving ahead, he pulled her into his arms.

"I need to check behind us. If you hear anything, anything , you run. Don't wait for me."

He could feel the fear pulsing through their bond, and he tried to push calm assurance back to her. She lingered in his arms before letting out a sigh and pulling away.

"Be safe."

Her whisper brought a smile to his lips, memories of all the stupid things he'd done flashing through his head. He'd taken more unnecessary risks than he'd had any right to live through, but now he had a reason to be careful.

"I will. I'll catch up soon."

Her tails wrapped tight around her as she turned to follow the others. She reached for her favorite as she glanced back at him. He kept his smile in place and his worry tightly under wraps until she'd taken her place beside one of the other villagers. Then he melted into the jungle.

It was easy to fall back into old habits. He moved through the dense underbrush without a sound or a trail, relying on his heightened hearing to direct him to the right place. He spotted the scout before it noticed him. It made so much noise it was louder than the villagers.

Needing to know how far ahead of the rest it was, he slipped past it until he spotted more soldiers.

Breath catching in his chest, he realized it wasn't only one unit coming up behind them. There were enough men to flatten the ground, the rattle of weapons and armor rising the closer they came.

Blaide turned and ran, almost forgetting the scout between him and the people he was trying to save. He slipped past the soldier again, moving as fast as he dared until he was sure he was out of sight before charging on. The trail his group had left was too obvious to his eyes; chest tight with worry, he tried to figure out how to keep the soldiers from bearing down on them.

He found them sitting along the edge of the river, refilling their bottles.

"Move out. Now."

His rough bark had those nearest him jumping, wide eyes turning to stare back at him before the words penetrated. They scrambled to their feet, parents muffling the startled cries of the little ones as they rushed to obey his order. Blaide could feel Liz's eyes on him, but he continued on to the men in the lead.

"We have to go. No stops, pick the fastest path. Noise doesn't matter anymore."

They could hear the seriousness of the situation and didn't hesitate. Urging the others to follow, they set off through the area of least growth, one rushing ahead to be sure the path was clear.

Blaide jogged back to Liz, trying to help the stragglers get their packs back on. Their reluctance disappeared when they noticed him. They rushed to catch up with the tail of the pack as he claimed Liz's hand in his and pulled her along.

"What's wrong?"

He didn't want to tell her how bad it truly was, but he would not lie to her.

"There are soldiers behind us. Too many. We have to reach the city before they catch us."

He didn't voice the worry that the enemy would be too close for the guards to open the gates. He hoped they didn't become like so many of the casualties trapped between warring forces. Screams of the innocents still haunted his nightmares.

The group moved in silence for a time, pushing faster than they had before, but he could see some villagers slowing. When a parent carrying a child stumbled, he called a halt.

"I'm going to go back and check. Maybe they've stopped."

He didn't believe the words coming out of his mouth, but he said them to ease the worry on the faces looking at him. Making sure he'd secured his blades, he dropped his pack so he could move faster before giving Liz a brief kiss.

"Same as before. You hear anything , you run. I'll always find you," he whispered.

The flood of love through their bond was her answer. It was all he needed. He knew she hated the distance between them, but she also knew it was important.

Moving off their trail and deeper into the cover of the jungle, Blaide headed back the way they'd come, hoping maybe something had delayed the soldiers but knowing in his heart it was unlikely. He ran into the scout far too soon, coming upon him suddenly and having no choice but to silence him before he could warn the men not far behind.

Snarling to himself at his carelessness, Blaide cleaned the blood from his knife as he ran toward his mate. He went through every idea that popped into his head as his legs pumped, knowing he had to slow the men behind them, especially now that they would know someone was ahead of them and had killed one of their own. He hadn't come up with anything by the time he reached his weary group.

Liz lurched to her feet when she saw him, shock written across her face. The others followed her lead, and he realized crimson still smeared his arms.

When he stopped to assure her the blood wasn't his, an alpha interrupted him.

"Would a trap slow them? Do we have time?"

Blaide's lips spread in a feral grin, the others lingering around them scrambling after the people already moving deeper into the jungle. Giving the man a nod, Blaide turned to Liz, resisting the urge to pull her against him so he didn't cover her in filth.

"The soldiers are close, and they won't stop. You must keep them moving. We'll set a trap and catch up."

Her lip trembled and he let out the richest purr he could manage, trying to steady her nerves.

"I—Okay."

She squared her shoulders, turning to her task and ushering the last few to catch up with the disappearing group.

Turning to the alpha by his side, Blaide tried to think of the easiest traps that would slow down the troops behind them. In the end, they could only set up three small ones before shouting alerted them to the soldiers finding their downed scout. It wouldn't take out many men, but hopefully it would make them more cautious.

The two raced in the direction their group had taken, catching up too soon for Blaide's comfort. The alpha who'd helped him continued on to the front of the group as Blaide slowed beside Liz.

He took her hand, having washed himself while he was beside the river. She gave it a squeeze and shot him a shaky smile, but he knew her worry was growing. Her eyes locked on her nana, still walking ahead of them but having dropped back further in the group. He was opening his mouth to say something when the other alpha caught his attention again.

The grin on the man's face spoke of bad things for the soldiers behind them, and Blaide couldn't help the rush that flooded through him at the thought of dealing the enemy another blow. Dropping a kiss to Liz's cheek, he released her hand to talk with the man again.

"There's a cliff up ahead with a bit of an overhang, and we have something that could cause a little shake."

The man held something out toward Blaide. It took a moment before he realized what the man was saying. The little tool wasn't strong enough to be a weapon on its own, but the battery would explode if they overloaded it, which could do some serious damage if it were in the right place.

"The only issue is someone would have to be close enough to set it off."

Blaide chuckled, taking the machine from the man with a nod of thanks.

"Let's get these people past the cliff, then leave it to me."

***

The first of the troops came into view between the trees, following the trail the villagers had left. Baring his teeth in a wide grin, Blaide slipped his knife between the battery's terminals and flipped the machine on. It would take a few minutes to overheat, and by then, the soldiers would be beside the cliff. The explosion might only hurt a few of them, but, hopefully, the rockslide that followed would take out more.

Turning, he darted to a safe place to wait and watch. They were closer to the city, and he planned to stay behind to make sure the others had as much time as they needed to reach the gates before the soldiers made an appearance. He knew this trap wouldn't take out all of them and would likely enrage the others, but he'd do what he could to slow them and buy his mate as much time as possible.