HAGAR'S LITTLE HELPER - PART 8

“No sign of Tallam yet, and it’s been over an hour.” Reid pokes at the dying flames, then he frowns toward the archway the old man left through. “I’m getting kind of worried here, Zel. You think maybe they decided to take him hostage as a trade or something?”

“Could be,” Zelaniel runs a hand over his hair and sighs. “But it’s the ‘or something’ part that worries me the most. They could be interrogating him, or -”

“Or something,” Reid replies bitterly.

“Yeah.”

“What if they kill him?” Reid vents his frustration on a loose stone, kicking it across the floor.

“They won’t,” Zelaniel replies. “We have their princess, remember?” He waves a hand in my direction and then both men turn their heads to blink at me and my sudden outburst of laughter.

“I may not be the bargaining chip that you think I am,” I say to them. “Lotor’s already tried to kill me once since I’ve been here. I’ve been thinking about the possibility that he could use this situation as a second attempt.”

Zelaniel is dumbfounded. “He tried to kill you? But...he’s your brother.”

“It doesn’t have the same meaning for him as it does for you, I’m afraid.” I glance at his peacefully dozing sister, curled up in her borrowed cloak. “He sees me as a threat to his rule of the Empire, so it’s in his best interests to be rid of me.”

“Damn,” Reid says. “That’s harsh.”

“To say the least.” I get to my feet and turn away quickly to avoid the looks of sympathy that get fastened to me. Zelaniel moves to block my path as I attempt to walk away. His lips are pursed, as if he wants to say something. I smile and poke him in the belly with my box of candy.

“Here, have a truffle. They’re very good.”

He accepts the box and watches me step around him to go and stand by the far end of a support pillar. After a moment I hear his footsteps move away. I fold my arms and frown at nothing in particular. Then I notice a flicker of light about ten feet away, in a shadowy recess amid the debris. It looks like two yellow eyes blinking at me.

Coba? Is that Coba?

I take a quick look over my shoulder. Zelaniel and Reid are holding a discussion at whisper level with their backs to me. I slip away quietly and head toward the shattered stone, leaning down to get a closer look.

“Coba...?” I say, very softly. “Is that you, kitty-kitty...?”

A shadow comes up behind me suddenly. I raise up and turn to see a Doom soldier’s uniform right in front of my nose. A hand claps over my mouth and I’m backed toward a fallen statue nearby. I raise my eyes to see who it is. At last, it’s a uniform filled by the correct person. Garn puts the finger of his other hand to his lips before releasing his hold on my mouth.

“Garn!” I gasp at him, keeping as quiet as I can. “How did you get here?”

“I took an improvised path, through some of the older structure.” He looks me over with concern in his golden eyes. “Are you all right, princess?”

I smile up at him. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” There is something other than worry in his features now, something soft and earnest that makes me want to kiss him. I draw close and take his face in my hands to do just that. His hands rest on my waist, slip up to caress my back as he draws me tightly against him. Then I hear the soft clearing of a throat to my right. Kyle suddenly appears, silent as the pool of shadow he emerges from, his rifle hanging loosely from his hand. He takes note of our embrace with amusement.

“Not exactly the best place for the victor to enjoy the spoils, is it?” He winks at Garn and looks toward the far end of the pillar where I once stood. “They haven’t noticed she’s gone yet. Let’s get going before they do.”

Garn nods. “Come with us, Your Highness. You’ll be safe now.” He rests a hand on my shoulder. I catch a flash of movement by my feet and feel the tickle of warm fur against my leg. It was Coba, just as I thought. I smile and bend down to give him a pat. He accepts my show of affection, then he wanders off to do some nosing around.

“Hagar sent you, I see.”

“She sent him,” Kyle corrects, pointing at Garn. “I’m just the faithful sidekick in this endeavor.”

Garn flicks a glance at his partner. “Hagar had her suspicions about what was happening, so she wanted you to be rescued by someone other than Cossack.” His expression darkens. “She doesn’t realize the half of it.”

“What do you mean?”

Kyle nods in the direction of Zelaniel and his group. “They’re finished once Cossack gets his hands on them. He’s planning to kill them all - all except his ‘girlie’, that is. The old one’s dead already. Cossack had him shot right after he delivered his message, and...” He pauses, glances at Garn and casts a cautious look in my direction. “And then he said he had to take four more bodies back in addition to the first one. He claimed it was ‘King’s orders’.”

“King’s orders,” I repeat quietly. “Four corpses, and Cossack obviously plans to keep Aria for himself, so that means...” Anger fills my belly at the realization. I was right all along; Lotor had no intention whatsoever of letting me survive this situation.

I draw a deep breath and attempt to calm myself. Garn squeezes my shoulder gently. I turn and look up into his handsome face.

“You don’t have to worry now,” he says with conviction. “I’ll protect you myself until we get you safely back to Hagar.”

“On that note,” Kyle says, “we should be taking our leave of the area. Cossack will be on his way any moment now.”

“Wait,” I tell them. “I want the humans to come with me.” I start back the way I came and Garn catches my arm.

“Princess, taking them along will slow us down and increase the chances of Cossack catching up with us.”

I spin back toward him. “You know what’s going on here. They’ll be slaughtered if they’re left behind.”

“You’re going to risk your life for some humans?”

I plant my hands on my hips. “Do you have a valid reason as to why I shouldn’t?”

He shrugs. “They’re rebels. Slaves. Whatever. What’s the difference?”

“The difference is that they are innocent people and I happen to have a greater respect for life than my brother does. Or do you consider me to be in the same league as he is?”

Garn frowns, evades my gaze and sighs. “No I don’t, Your Highness.”

“I didn’t think so. Now come with me.” I turn and head back to where Zelaniel and the others are. He and Reid look up as I round the pillar and their mouths drop as Garn and Kyle appear behind me. They cast quick looks around and realize their rifles are closer to us than to them. Reid seems rather embarrassed as they both sigh, rise to their feet and raise their hands in surrender.

“Say, nice outfit you got there,” Kyle quips to Zelaniel. “Who’s your tailor?”

Zelaniel arches an eyebrow at me. I shake my head in reply.

“Drop your hands, you two,” I say to Zelaniel and Reid. “You’re not being captured.”

They do as they’re told with confusion in their eyes. Then I hear a groan from the floor. Dana is finally waking up from my sleep spell. She sits up slowly, rubs at her eyes and as she lowers her hands she happens to notice Kyle’s boots because he’s standing close by. She raises her gaze up along his body to his face. He smiles back and wiggles his fingers at her.

“Hi there,” he says. “A funny thing happened while you were sleeping.”

She shrieks and scoots away from him, slapping at the floor with her right hand in a vain attempt to locate her weapon. The noise awakens Aria and she sits up, squinting all around her with a weary, uncomprehending expression on her face. Zelaniel kneels beside her to rub a hand across her back. She wakes up enough to notice Garn and Kyle and she shrieks too, pointing a finger at them.

“What are they doing here? What’s going on?”

“We have allies, I think,” her brother replies.

Aria blinks at Kyle. He grins and nods at her.

“So you don’t like Cossack, I hear. You know what? I think he sucks too. So get this - we’re all going to go and piss him off together! Isn’t that great?”

Aria gets a look on her face like someone has just told a very complicated joke and she’s waiting to have it explained to her. Zelaniel looks up at me.

“What’s he talking about?”

“I told you not so long ago that I thought my brother might use this situation to make a second attempt on my life. Well, now I know it for certain. I’m the real target, you’re going to be killed with me to provide cover for the crime, and Cossack gets to keep your sister as payment for a job well done.” I turn to Kyle. “Tell them what happened to their friend.”

Kyle relates the details of Tallam’s death at Cossack’s hands. Zelaniel stares at the floor and his shoulders slump, his body hitching with unvoiced sobs. Aria throws her arms around his neck and begins to weep. Dana stands, clenches both hands into fists and looks lost. Reid rests a hand on her shoulder, and she wipes hastily at her eyes. I lower my head and turn away with a heavy sigh.

Zelaniel aims his voice at my back. “So what happens now?”

I straighten and turn back to him. “Do you trust me?”

For a moment the hurt in his green eyes fades and turns into something else, something just as uncomfortable for me to think about.

“Yes,” he says quietly. “I do.”

“Then it’s decided. You’re all going back to Marlowe.”

I get looks of surprise all around. Reid’s jaw drops. “You’re serious, you’re going to help us get back home?”

“I most certainly am.” I look at Garn and Kyle. “What’s the best way to do it?”

Garn turns thoughtful. “The main bays are all covered, because they’re expecting the humans to try for a ship there. We’ll stand a better chance if we load them up on one of the cargo skiffs that makes a regular run to Marlowe.”

“Yeah,” Kyle adds. “We can dress them up in rags, dirty their faces a little and they can mix in with the rest of the slaves that get sent along to work the mines. No one will notice them. All monkeyboys look the same to us.” He notices the sour looks on the humans’ faces. “Sorry.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Reid retorts. “There’s going to be one Drule in particular looking for a specific pair of bright green eyes.” He glances at Aria.

“I can take care of that, Reid. I’ll use some magic to disguise -”

Garn holds up a palm to quiet me. Everyone pauses to listen. A low rumbling noise reaches my ears, a faint sound that quickly becomes loud enough for everyone to hear. It’s a stampede of dozens of feet advancing at a hard run. Garn and Kyle exchange looks. Dana startles and goes for a rifle. Zelaniel springs to his feet and tugs his sister up with him. I wave a hand at the dying fire to snuff it altogether.

An instant later a dozen soldiers emerge through the opposite entrance with rifles at the ready. A second wave spills into the room, closely followed by a third and a fourth. Commander Cossack staggers into view last of all with a sober Captain at his side. We shrink behind a large pile of loose rock to hide.

“You damn idiots find those humans, you hear me?” Cossack bellows. “And nobody shoot my girlie!” He steps forward and almost pitches onto his face when he trips on a loose stone. The Captain averts disaster at the last second by discreetly snagging his sleeve and yanking him back upright. Cossack makes a awkward dusting motion down the front of his uniform and attempts to look dignified. Aria cringes at the sight of him and Zelaniel gives her a reassuring hug.

“Don’t worry. He’s never going to touch you again.”

“Close up that cloak,” Kyle waves a hand at Aria’s bright green and gold costume. “She’s a beacon.”

Zelaniel nods, wraps the fabric around her and flips the hood over her head to hide her face. She reaches up with one hand to fumble with it, complaining about not being able to see. He helps her adjust the hood and puts a finger to her lips to shush her.

“As soon as we try for the exit they’re going to spot us, whether she’s noticed or not, ” Garn says grimly.

“They’re all the way on the other side of the room,” Reid replies. “We should have a good head start if we use the debris for cover.”

“We only have that advantage until we reach the steps,” Garn replies, waving at the broken staircase behind us. “There’s no cover there and they’ll be difficult to navigate because of all the damage. We’ll be reduced to a group of slow-moving targets begging to be hit.”

“I can use a spell to deal with that, but the rest of you have to go right now.” I look at Garn. “I want you and Kyle to get everyone started toward the stairs.”

Garn is stunned by my command. “Princess...?”

“Do as I say, Lieutenant, and do it now! I can’t protect you all from the effects of the spell I’m going to use. You have to be well out of the way before I can cast it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.” Garn scowls and turns to the humans. “Follow me. Kyle, take end point.” He ducks around the rubble at a low crouch. Dana grabs Aria’s hand and starts off with Reid right behind them. Kyle goes last, his gaze darting once to the opposite side of the room before he heads off. I turn to peek at the other soldiers working their way across the room. Zelaniel’s voice comes suddenly from my left.

“You aren’t thinking of making a last stand, are you?”

“Not at these odds.” I look around to glare at him. “Why are you still here? I think one thick-skulled man in this group is more than enough.”

“Who’s going to protect your royal person?” He says with a smile.

“Who’s going to protect yours?” I steal another hasty look. Three soldiers are headed our way, poking at random piles of rock as they go. Zelaniel arches an eyebrow at me.

“I’m not royalty.”

“That’s odd, seeing as how your sister is a princess.”

He startles slightly. “What makes you say that?”

“Quiet, I need to concentrate.” I look behind me and wait until I see the others reach the bottom of the staircase, then I raise my gaze to the lights in the ceiling and make a half-circle in the air with my arm.

“Taleira tt’o, leilsa otolo methalusae.”

The lights all go out at once, plunging the entire area from where I stand to the far side of the room into absolute darkness. Only a small radius centered around Zelaniel and me remains clear. Cossack yelps amid the sounds of bodies hitting the floor from soldiers tripping up in the darkness. Someone - Cossack’s Captain, maybe - yells for lights to be brought. But lights will be of no help to them until the magic wears off. I turn and hold out my hand to Zelaniel.

“Stick close. If you fall out of the circle, you’ll be subject to the spell like the rest of them are.”

“Amazing,” Zelaniel says with sincerity.

“Tedious, since I had to widen the effect of the safe area because of you. Now come on, it won’t last forever.” I start along carefully, checking the floor ahead just at the edge of my sphere of protection. Zelaniel takes the lead to help me across a broken stair step.

“What makes you think I’m a prince?”

“Aria gave you away. There’s only one reason a soft, sweet girl like that with no sense of weapons or tactics whatsoever would be traveling with you, and that would be because no one had the authority to make her stay put. I take it she got tired of sitting around while you were out in the field.”

He smiles and shakes his head in awe as we clamber up the broken stairs leading to the exit. “My, but you’re an observant one, aren’t you?”

“It’s a good thing for you that Cossack is nowhere near as observant, or your situation would be much different right now.”

His expression sobers immediately. “I know. I’m through with intrigues after this. If we survive, I swear I’ll never, ever expose her to this sort of danger again.”

We reach the large, arched hallway at the top of the stairs. Unfortunately, so do a dozen of Cossack’s men at a side entrance leading into the hall. Zelaniel bumps me back through the doorway with his hip and aims a couple of shots their way. The soldiers duck for cover and return fire. Zelaniel jumps back to join me in the doorway. I notice that the shots the soldiers use are all stun beams. Cossack is making certain his prize doesn’t get hurt. How sweet of him.

A volley of laser fire comes from a point at the opposite end of the hall, forcing the soldiers to duck for cover once more. Dana yells for us from that direction. Zelaniel sprints out into the middle of the hall, firing as he runs. “Go, go!” He yells at me.

I bite my lip, take a deep breath, step through the doorway and run for dear life. Zelaniel fires a few more shots as he brings up the rear, then he catches up to me and hooks his arm in mine, dragging me along at a wild sprint. We round the corner and Dana, Kyle and Reid let loose with another round of lasers once we’re past them. I unhook my arm from Zelaniel’s and stumble forward a couple of steps, gasping for air. I find myself supported by a pair of strong arms almost immediately. I rest my forehead against Garn’s chest briefly while I pause to catch my breath.

“This is not good,” Kyle says over his shoulder. “The escape point isn’t that far away, but these guys will be right on top us the moment we cease fire.”

“We don’t have much choice,” Garn replies. “Talik knows this area well. The longer we delay, the better chance he has of doubling behind us and blocking our escape. We have to move now.”

“Let me see what I can do.” I step away from Garn and walk back to the corner, grasping my amulet as I go. The gentle breeze I summon forth originates from a point in the center of the hallway on our end and picks up momentum as it roars along the corridor. By the time it reaches the soldiers it has risen to near-hurricane intensity. The ones who try to run at us get tumbled backward like leaves, cussing over the howl of the wind as they get tossed end over end. Weapons get scattered everywhere. It’s all rather amusing to watch. No wonder Hagar likes this spell so much.

“That’s it,” I say to everyone. “Let’s get going.”

Garn nods curtly and jogs ahead to take point. Zelaniel falls into step beside him. Kyle, Reid and Dana follow after Aria and me, bringing up the rear. Coba darts along ahead of all of us, using his lead to search for mice. We make a left turn at the first intersection we come to and hurry along a massive hallway with an ornate vaulted ceiling overhead.

What a group we make, humans and Drules side by side (plus one bored cat), fleeing through the depths of Castle Doom. I never dreamed my visit here would turn out like this. Hagar told me my eyes would open soon enough. Now that they have, I almost wish they were shut again and I was back on Kian. But it’s far too late for that.

Lotor started this game. Let’s see if I can finish it.

“What th’ hell’s going on here, Talik?” Cossack frowns and gestures toward the soldiers sprawled the whole length of the hallway. I help one stunned fellow to his feet and lean him against the wall before I answer.

“She must have used some type of magic, Sir.” I pick up the man’s rifle and hand it to him. “That’s probably what happened back in the other room when the lights went out as well.”

“Magic, huh?” He grips his whip tightly and scowls. “I’ll show th’ bitch some magic when I get my hands on her. There any other routes we can take to head them off at the pass?”

“We can take the left turn at this intersection, then a right at the next one and two more lefts after that. It will bring us to the area they ran to in a roundabout manner, and we’ll be right behind them.”

“What about th’ other way? Can we split up th’ troops an’ take both sides?”

I shake my head. “The hallway in that direction is collapsed, Sir.”

“So th’ only way out is straight back th’ way the li’l bastards came, or try and return the other way, which ain’t gonna happen since it’s blocked.”

“Yessir.”

He gets a slow, evil smile. “We got ‘em cornered, then. Good.”

“I imagine she’ll have a spell or two ready to attack us with once she realizes she’s trapped.”

“Let her try. We’ll see how her magic stands up against a hundred lasers. Put the word out. If it ain’t got boobs and big, pretty green eyes, shoot it on sight.”

“Yessir.”

Our journey ends in a room that looks like it was once a meeting hall. The area is clogged with broken supports still lying at odd angles where they fell from the ceiling and the floor is nearly covered with loose stones and other debris, much like everywhere else we‘ve been. Garn points to a stone ledge jutting out over a pile of rubble fifty feet above our heads.

“We have to get up there,” he says. Once we do, we’ll reach a hallway running behind it and access the maintenance tunnels beyond. Then we can bypass the entire dungeon section to reach the floors above.” He points out a rope attached to what remains of a stone railing. “We used that to climb down. It’ll help with the climb back up.”

Coba has already reached the ledge and is looking down at us from it as if he thinks we should be able to leap over the loose rocks and dirt with the same ease. If only it were that easy. I’m trying to think of any magic I could use to help but there’s nothing I can cast quickly. Levitation requires me to gauge the weight of the subject before any lifting can be done, and I have to start from scratch for each person I cast it on. The only quick spell I have is meant to cushion a fall on the way down, not lift anything up. We’ll just have to do this the hard way, I suppose.

“Let’s get going, then,” I say to Garn. “We don’t have much of a head start.”

Zelaniel nods at Reid. “You first, so there’s someone to help the girls up over the ledge.” He looks at Garn. “You’ll be helping Tira up as she climbs, I’m sure, unless you want me to lend a hand.”

Garn gives Zelaniel a steady look. “I won’t be needing your help, thank you.”

Zelaniel shrugs. “Just offering.”

Garn turns and motions at Reid to get going. Reid nods and starts up the pile of stones so quickly I find myself looking for the hidden staircase he must have found. I turn to gawk at Zelaniel.

“He’s quite good at that, isn’t he?”

“I taught him everything he knows,” Zelaniel replies with a grin.

I shake my head at him and pick up the rope. “Aria, you go next.”

Zelaniel arches an eyebrow at me. “Why her?”

“Because as long as Cossack doesn’t get her, we win.” I hold out the rope to her. She looks around at Zelaniel and bites her lip.

“I can’t. I’m scared.”

“Come on, little sis. It’s just a short climb. You’ll be up there before you know it.”

Aria looks up at the ledge and wrinkles her nose. “It doesn’t look very safe.”

“That’s what the rope is for, to hang onto while you climb”

She chews on a finger. “I...can’t.” Her voice falls to a whisper. “I can’t.”

“Will you get going?” Dana hisses at her. “We don’t have time for this!”

Zelaniel gives Dana a stern look. “Leave her alone. I can handle this.”

Dana mutters something under her breath and goes to keep watch at the doorway. Zelaniel returns his attention to his sister.

“You have to try, Aria. There’s a first time for everything, and this has to be your first time for climbing. It won’t be that bad, I promise.”

“I’ll help her,” Kyle says out of the blue. He walks up behind her and slips his arms around her waist to seize the rope in both hands.

“Here, we’ll go up like this. All you have to do is hang onto the rope and pull along with me, okay? I’ll do all the work. You won’t even have to keep your eyes open if you don’t want to.”

She looks around at Zelaniel. Zelaniel gives her a reassuring smile and nod. She chews her lip as she nods back at him.

“Okay, I‘ll try.” She grabs the rope and she and Kyle begin their climb. He urges her on every step of the way with lively banter. Once they get near the ledge, he pauses to wrap the rope around his waist and brace himself to help lift her up to the ledge. Reid leans out to grab her hands as she nears the top, but he doesn’t get a good grip because of her cloak. Aria gives a little shriek as she slips from his grasp. Kyle adjusts to keep her from falling, and he winds up cupping her right breast briefly. He apologizes to her profusely, then I hear him swear in Drulish. Garn chuckles to himself.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen him get embarrassed over groping a woman, accidentally or not.” He goes over to retrieve the rope once it’s tossed back down the slope. “Are you ready?”

“Yes. Do we get to climb up like they did?”

He shrugs. “Most likely.”

I smile at him. “Good. I‘m looking forward to it.”

He arches an eyebrow at me and holds his arm out. I step in front of him and take hold of the rope. I catch Zelaniel’s expression of envy as we start to climb and sigh inwardly.

“I hear people coming!” Dana yells from where she’s standing. The declaration makes Garn work his way along the rope faster. As he does, his hips bump up against my bottom and he gives a quiet cuss of his own. I guess now is not the time to tell him that’s just what I wanted.

“Get up the rope, Dana! I’ll cover you.” Zelaniel starts toward the door but she stops him by planting a palm in the middle of his chest.

“No, you go.”

“Stop arguing, you two!” I hiss down at them. “This isn’t the place for it. Let’s get moving, now!”

A single soldier suddenly appears in the doorway. He levels his rifle at them, yelling ‘Halt!’ as he does. Dana fires a bolt into the soldier’s chest. Zelaniel gives Dana a hearty shove toward the rope and once again orders her to go. She responds by taking up a different position behind a nearby chunk of wall to cover the door.

“Damn it!” I hiss under my breath. This would be a good time to aim another wind spell at the doorway, but I have to reach the ledge first. I twist my head around to look up at it. It’s still eight feet overhead. Under the circumstances it might as well be eight miles. Garn brings me back to reality by nudging me firmly with his body and I resume my climb, casting quick looks over my shoulder as I go.

Several rifle barrels poke through the doorway and open up in Zelaniel and Dana’s general direction. They duck for cover and wait for the volley of lasers to stop before they pop back out to open fire again. A single soldier tumbles in amid a second answering volley and draws a bead on Dana at point blank range.

“Sorry, friend,” I hear Kyle whisper overhead, and he takes the man down with a hit to the leg. The soldier drags himself quickly out of harm’s way, towing his rifle as he crawls. Zelaniel takes the opportunity to run over to Dana, seize her by the arm and drag her toward the rope. Just then I feel a touch on my wrist. Reid is attempting to pull me up onto the ledge while Kyle covers for him. Garn lifts me with ease and Reid gives me a final tug to safety. Then he’s back with Kyle to try and cover Dana and Zelaniel’s retreat. Garn swings up over the ledge and sets up to add another weapon to the defensive.

Dana and Zelaniel have abandoned the rope altogether and they’re scrambling up the slope as fast as they can go. Aria calls for her brother and tries to run to the railing but I grab her arm and yank her back.

“Stay here! It won’t help for you to get caught after we’ve gotten this far.”

She presses a fist to her mouth and tears start to flow. I pat her arm to try and reassure her, then I edge my way to the end of the wall and attempt a peek around it. Dana is very close to safety; I see her head and shoulders poke up over the ledge. Garn sets his rifle aside and extends both hands to help her.

Just then three soldiers force their way in under covering fire and take shots at the ledge. Zelaniel ducks out of harm’s way behind one of the larger stones. A single bolt comes so close to Dana that she startles and releases Garn’s one hand. Reid immediately drops his rifle and crawls over to help Garn get hold of her again. Together they drag her to safety.

Zelaniel takes notice of the struggle and pops up from hiding to try and cover them. He gets one of the soldiers but takes a hit of his own to his right shoulder. His rifle clatters out of his hands and bounces down the slope as he falls behind a rock.

Dana shrieks a curse and stands upright to open fire at the snipers. Reid snags her by the leg of her coveralls and yells for her to get down, but it’s too late. A half-dozen laser bolts rip through her and her body pitches forward, falling back over the ledge. I clap my hand to my mouth to stifle a scream. Kyle grimaces as he rolls back from the ledge. A barrage of laser fire nicks bits of stone loose from where he once was.

“We can’t do any more to help them,” he says. “We have to retreat.”

Reid grits his teeth and reluctantly withdraws. Garn springs to his feet and nudges me back behind the wall. I swallow tightly and fall against him, gripping the fabric of his uniform. He wraps an arm around my waist and walks me along while Reid and Kyle deal with Aria. She struggles against their hold and screams her brother’s name again and again. They exchange grim looks as they force her to walk backwards down the corridor. Her screams and wails turn into heartfelt sobs by the time we reach a turn in the hallway.

To Hagar's Little Helper: Part 7

To Hagar's Little Helper: Part 9