Lux Mori

Star had led me near the opening of the underground, still hiding us. It looked relatively safe, but I knew that the aliens were sneaky and could lead one easily into a false sense of security. I felt the energy shift in the atmosphere, the hairs standing up on the back of my neck signifying something was wrong. Then the door opened.

“Ellie, no,” I whispered, trying hard to communicate with her telepathically, but it was too late. The creatures had descended upon the girls and no matter how hard the girls fought, they were no match for the aliens that I had watched take down great god-like warriors touched by the Great Mother herself.

I turned to look at Star and she seemed to shake her head no, but I couldn’t heed her advice, not this time. I stepped out from hiding and raised my hands to the sky like Benebarak had shown me and called the lightning, praying it would be enough.

It merely distracted the creatures from their task for a split second, and to draw Ellie’s attention to me. The gamut of emotions ran across her face. Relief, shock, confusion, and then fear as several aliens seemed to simply pop next to me and wrangle me all too easily to the ground. They had manacles around my wrists and ankles, shackling me thoroughly in a single breath, but I could still move. I could still raise my hands courtesy of the chains. But whatever the ensarements were made of rendered my ability useless. I saw now why the other Stormriders had gone down. The Aliens had combative magic that not only rivaled their own but made it useless. That was worse; much worse.

“Kai!” I heard Ellie’s voice as she and her friend were dragged off to one of the ships, and it was all I could do to muster possibly the last promise I’d ever make to her, knowing I’d die trying to make it true.

“It’ll be okay, Ellie! It’ll be okay!”