Page 28 of Stone Awakened

“Oh, thank you. I’m Agatha Munster but please just call me Aggy,” I said, my eyes darting back to the broken gate, searching for any sign of Sunder. We needed to get the boys, I understood that we’d taken over this place, that we were safe now. But I needed to hold my kids in my arms and let them know it too.

“Abigail,” she said, and her hand landed on my shoulder, giving me a comforting squeeze. “Look, there he comes,” she added, pointing at the dark figure leaping out of the back of the ship. I recognized him as he soared over the gate, landing near me, and kicking up dust. Then I was in his arms and he was holding me so tight I could barely breathe, I loved it, I was clutching him back around his neck just as tightly.

“Aggy, my Fire,” he murmured in his gravelly voice, “You remain unharmed.” I pulled him in for a kiss, not caring a single bit about the audience or the sudden catcalls that colored the air. Seemed like males the universe over were all the same about such things, warmth filling my belly at the camaraderie that surrounded Sunder and his gladiator brothers.

“We need to get the boys,” I said when we finally pulled apart. Sunder was smiling, his gray eyes shimmering with happiness. I thought that maybe he was a little overwhelmed with emotion as if he was finally free now that his son was safe.

Chapter 18

Sunder

The fight was over and we had sustained no casualties, though a few of my brothers had gotten injured. Thorin was in the med bay with some serious burns on his back, Eoin, the new kid had taken a shot to his shoulder, but he was already bragging about it to Tori so he was going to be fine. I thought that some of the others had burns, cuts, and bruises, but they were all walking.

Or’tal was standing with Ziame, their heads together as they discussed what needed to happen next. I was happy to leave that to the Captain for once, to not be responsible for everything, I had my mate, and soon I’d have my boys in my arms. Then Or’tal loudly said in his deep, booming sub-harmonic voice, “The female, she is a magnificent shot. I do not suppose she’d be willing to enlist with me?”

It was a good thing Thorin was out cold in the med bay or we’d have had a fight on our hands. As it was, Camila started laughing and shaking her head while she lovingly stroked the laser rifle hanging from her shoulder. “I don’t think so, I’ve been screwed over by one military too many to ever think about doing that again.”

There was a huff and a low growl that came from Da’vi, the Kertinal male was leaning against a scorched wall, shaking his head. Or’tal had to have seen him, he was sharp as a tack that one, but he pretended as if he’d only just noticed his fellow Kertinal among my brothers. “Well, I’ll be damned, Commander Da’vi Ertague if I’m not mistaken.”

Da’vi made another rude snorting noise, turned his back to the First Class spy, and stalked away. Behind his back, I saw how his agile tail curled back and forth, the barbed and metal-clad tip coiling in a way that I knew meant something incredibly rude. Or’tal didn’t seem too bothered, no longer having to act like the tough guy, he seemed to have relaxed considerably. Laughing at my brother’s response, he turned back to Camila and clapped her on the shoulder. “Sure, I understand, no hard feelings.”

Kitan jogged by with a grin on his snout, his three tails coiling and snapping behind his back. “Chloe, look!” he said, holding out a swatch of colorful fabric in front of his female. Young Chloe was only a little older than Tori, and like most of the other humans, she was clustered around Aggy, saying hi. I thought my Fire was doing alright in there so I had just let it happen, but I was keeping a sharp eye out for an opening.

Chloe was technically blind when not plugged in with her nav-port into the navigational computer, or she had been when last I’d seen her. Now Kitan held up the brightly colored bit of fabric, “What color is it?” She squinted her eyes at what he was holding, “Red?” The male eagerly nodded his head, “Damn right it is!” So her vision was coming back, which was good, Luka had predicted that it might as damaged portions of her brain regrew.

As the females applauded her success, I called out to Kitan. “Brother, can you fly Aggy and me somewhere in the shuttle? We need to pick up our kids.” My announcement was met with a moment of silence, and then Aggy wriggled her way out from between the women and jogged towards me.

“Yes, please! We need to go get them,” she added urgently. It had only been a short while since the fight was over, just enough to clear the area, lock up the baddies, and rush the wounded to the med bay, someone was out reassuring all the slaves here that they were now safe. Like her, it had felt like a long time to get to his moment. I was sure that the kids were safe where I’d left them, but now that we were free, I wanted to hold my son in my arms and tell him that he was.

“Ah, sure of course! Right this way,” Kitan said, his snout pulling into a happy grin as he gestured toward the Vagabond. I jogged after the male and realized Aggy was flagging when she limped after us and dipped to pick her up in my arms. She curled her arms around my neck, her eyes huge, as I trotted after Kitan into the Vagabond. Behind me, Chloe was easily keeping up, not seeming to need much help at all at finding her way.

We ducked into the hangar bay, where Ziame’s old stealth ship was parked, along with the two short-range shuttles that came with the ship, a Star Class Cruiser once belonging to some military in the Zeta Quadrant. Pirates had owned it next, and now we were its owners together, or if you believed Da’vi, her.

Boarding the nearest shuttle, Aggy and I strapped ourselves into jumpseats while Chloe and Kitan parked in the pilot and nav chair up front. Kitan was probably going to be flying by visual for a short flight like this, but I didn’t doubt that Chloe just wanted to hang out with her pilot partner. I had heard it say that the bond between a pilot and his nav was something that transcended everything.

I explained to Kitan where he needed to go and soon we were up in the air, racing towards the planetary defense tower that had been Arakon’s downfall. The clearing near the tower was tiny but Kitan had no trouble landing the small shuttle, expertly setting it down between the overhanging trees.

Neither Aggy nor I waited before we rushed from our seats, the hatch barely open when Aggy squeezed outside. I was hot on her heels as we reached the scratched, slightly warped panel that held this tower closed. It took me a moment to pry open the lock, then I struggled to heave the warped panel out of the frame. The Jukjuk’s that night with Aggy had not done this thing any favors, and my shoulder was starting to hurt again, which was not helping either.

“Here, let me help brother,” Kitan offered, he’d shifted into his skin-form for the flight, but shook himself into his bigger, stronger hybrid-form in the blink of an eye. His clawed hands curled around the metal and with a low growl of effort he yanked the panel open. The gap he exposed was at first not big enough for me to climb through, but Aggy was off again like a shot. Calling out for the boys eagerly.

The sound of their voices answering was a balm to my soul, and I couldn’t help but sink to my knees in the open doorway. Staring at the two kids as they leaped into Aggy’s arms, shouting for joy, exclaiming over the games they’d been playing on her datapad. They were alright.

Jett extracted himself from Aggy first, rushing to leap into my arms, and I felt tears sting my eyes. I had my boy back, my search was finally over.

*

Agatha

I had always found the Sune a little bizarre, with their three different forms. One so very different from the other, turning them into what looked almost exactly like a giant fox. I was rapidly learning that Kitan, the Vagabond’s pilot, was something else entirely. As he calmly flew us all back to the ship, he made the boys laugh by shaking his head into one strange animal shape after another. Jett would eagerly call out options, testing to see if Kitan was up to the challenge, and the pilot always was. I stared at it with an open mouth.

Chloe was sitting next to me on the jumpseats, not flying with her mate, having given up her seat for Jett. “So, he’s Ulinial huh?” the young woman asked, “I’ve seen a few of their kind out on the fringes before. Did they make you his family?” Surprised that she knew of their customs I nodded, my hand going to my long, now very messy, braid of hair. I didn’t think I’d ever cut my hair again, just to remember Amar’s true family by, to help him honor the traditions of his species.

“Yes,” I said, and I stuck out my wrist to show her the familial mark that Amar had instinctively made on my skin when his mother had asked him if he wanted me in his family. The boy was curled in my lap, watching Kitan up front and laughing uproariously with each shift. I hadn’t heard belly laughs like that in so long that I was struggling to hold in my tears.

Chloe’s eyes were a pretty blue, her blonde hair in a pixie cut about her face. She seemed to prefer wearing voluminous clothing that hinted at her figure but hid it more. She was very pretty, and if I hadn’t seen Kitan openly ask her about the color of that bit of fabric, I never would have guessed that she had issues with her vision.

She looked me straight in the face as she spoke, but now that I knew, it was easier to tell that she didn’t focus correctly on my eyes. If I had to guess, she could see blurs and vague shapes but no detail. She seemed quiet but confident in her own skin, and I liked how she seemed to have this calmness about her that balanced out her mate's loud exuberance.