Runner's Moon: Yarrolam (21 page)

            “As will I.” Hannah stood. But rather than go to the front of the room, she turned to survey everyone from her seat. “Jeb and I arrived here because I was fleeing an abusive relationship. One that Jeb saved me from. He got a job at the mill, and you all know I work at the diner. You accepted us, and that’s why we’ve made this town our forever home. I don’t…” She paused and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “I don’t want to go. I want to stay here. But I truly love my husband. He makes me happy. He makes me laugh. Every day brings something new for me to learn about him, or him about our culture. Yes, the Arra followed us here because we didn’t know they’d implanted tracking chips inside every Ruinos. Chips that would signal to them when a Ruinos found a life mate. That’s why they came here. Because we weren’t aware of those chips until it was too late.”

            “We’ve removed the chips,” Simolif spoke up. “But the Arra know we’re here. When we’re in our human forms, they can’t tell us apart from any of you. Neither will they try to attack during the day because their bodies cannot take the sun’s rays.”

            Another man stood. “That may be all fine and good, but that just means they’ll come after us during the night! And if what I hear about those pus balls is halfway true, nobody is safe! I vote these aliens leave town, and the sooner the better!”

            There were a few cheers, but not as many as there had been the first time. The crowd got immediately quiet when the sheriff rose to address them. He looked at the man with the gavel, who waved for him to continue.

            “I want to say a few things. Maybe you agree with me but you’re too scared to speak up for yourselves. Or maybe you don’t agree with me, and I’m fine with that. You all know I’m also a native Tumbrilite. But what you don’t know is my family originally came from Poland. In nineteen forty-two, their village was overrun, and they were taken hostage by the Germans, who marched them to Sobibor. A few months later, they were shipped by train to Bergen-Belsen. Those were German death camps, in case you didn’t know. After they were freed by the Russians, the few who’d survived came to the United States. They ended up here. And, well, here I am. If you’re wondering where I’m going with this, here it is. During the Nazi extermination of Jews, there were people who gave us refuge. Who protected us from the Germans. Some of them were discovered, and they were punished. But if it weren’t for those brave people, I wouldn’t be here. Generations of people wouldn’t be alive today if not for those who were willing to risk their own lives to do what was right.”

            “Those ain’t Jews, Sheriff. And those ain’t Nazis out there!” one man protested.

            “He’s got a point, George,” the man with the gavel noted.

            Klotsky pointed at the small group standing at the front. “And those aren’t defenseless people, Milton. They may have started out as farmers, but the Arra turned them into fighters. Gladiators. They made the Ruinos stronger and more agile. Almost invincible. Have you seen Jeb and the others fight? I have. Plus they know the Arra. They know what makes them tick. We defeated those pus balls before, and we can do it again.” The sheriff turned, making a complete three-sixty as he caught the eye of every person in the room. “Jeb told me the Arra are not a well-loved species. There are many worlds out there who are afraid of them because they fear being taken prisoner. They would be more than relieved if the Arra never traded with them again. At some point, we hope the Arra are either going to realize trying to recapture the Ruinos is a futile effort and give up. Or we’re going to decimate their numbers to the point where they’ll retreat and never come back.”

            “Yeah, and maybe the Arra aren’t the kind to give up. How many of us Earth people will have to die before
we
realize that?” Cody sneered.

           
T’korra.

           
Cherron froze.

           
Liam?

            My heart…run!

            What?

           
Cherron reached up and grabbed Hannah’s hand, tugging on it. The woman glanced down. “It’s Liam,” she whispered. “Liam’s telling me to run!”

            “What?”

            “Liam’s trying to contact me!” She placed her fingertips to her temple. “He’s trying to warn me!”

            Hannah tried to signal to her husband, but his attention was on the sheriff.

            Something hit the side of the building with a loud thump. It was strong enough to make the town hall vibrate. The crowd shushed.

            “What the hell was that?” someone asked.

           
Cherron!

           
She jumped to her feet. Fear tried to keep her frozen in place, but Liam was giving her the ability to move. “Jebaral! Simolif! Liam says we have to run! We have to
run!
”

            People started rising from their chairs when there came a second hard hit, this time to the opposite side of the building. Cherron was aware of the Ruinos dashing for the crowd to be with their mates, when the front double doors of the town hall suddenly exploded inward, sending wood chips flying through the room.

Chapter 30

Arra

            A hand slammed down across her back, grabbing her blouse and jerking her toward the floor. People were screaming and trying to find a way out of the meeting hall, but the only way out were the double doors now lying askew on their hinges.

            “Stay out of sight,” Hannah hissed in her ear.

            Cherron glanced behind her to find Jebaral crouched over his wife. The next row over, Simolif hunched over Sarah.

            “Shit! What are those things?” a man yelled from the doorway. Outside was lit by a bluish-white glow that steadily grew brighter. A few brave souls tried to approach the entrance, but something made them hesitate. After another moment, they retreated and ran for safety behind a barricade of folding chairs some people had erected near the front of the room.

            Two flowing blobs of light oozed through the doorway. That was the only way Cherron could describe their movements. They were two slabs of white neon gelatin, without heads or legs or arms. They carried something between them. At the sight of the creatures, she froze in place, unable to tear her eyes away from the way they flowed across the floor. These things had to be Arra. What had someone called them? Pus balls? The description fit.

            Gradually, inevitably, they turned, as if they were looking for something. Or someone. The Arra closer to her moved aside, giving her a better view of what they were dragging between them.

            A hand closed around her mouth the same instant she recognized the unconscious form. The action prevented her from crying out at the sight of his bruised and blood-covered skin. His Ruinos head sagged, facing the floor. He was held up off the floor by his elbows. His hands and arms appeared encased in some sort of silvery wrapping or cast that acted as handcuffs. His legs and feet were also bound at the ankles by the same kind of covering that made a metallic sound when it scraped across the threshold. Before she could get to her feet, another hand clamped down on her shoulder, keeping her from rising.

            “They’re looking for you,” a voice whispered from behind. The hand dropped away, and Cherron turned her head to see Jebaral moving up beside her. He was human again, as was Simolif the next row over. He gave her a quick glance. “They’re going to use Yarrolam to find you. They know you’re here, and they believe we’re here as well. Keep silent. Don’t give yourself away. Do you feel him?”

            “No. I heard him tell me to run, but I’ve heard nothing since then.” She closed her eyes, willing her heart to slow down as she reached out to him through their connection. “He’s alive. He’s been hurt, but he’s alive.”

            “They won’t kill him,” Jebaral assured her. “We’re too valuable a commodity. They want to take us as pairs. As breeding pairs.”

            “But…” She checked with Hannah. “But we’re not able to conceive. We’re too different.”

            “The Arra don’t know that. To them, we’re life mates. If they manage to capture us, they’ll keep us until they realize we won’t be able to repopulate. At that point, we’ll either die of old age or from some disease. Or they’ll kill us or sell us off.”

            “Jeb, what is Challa doing?” Hannah asked in a soft voice.

            Cherron lifted her chin to find the redhead creeping toward the Arra, keeping the chairs between herself and the creatures. Compton was next to her. She stared raptly as he paused to hike up one leg of his jeans, revealing a prosthetic. It explained his limp. What she wasn’t expecting was for him to push the calf area, which opened up to reveal a little compartment. He reached inside and extracted a pistol, aiming the weapon at the Arra.

Glancing around the room, Cherron tried to spot the sheriff, but it was difficult to find him among the bobbing heads of the townspeople as they watched and waited to see what would happen next. Neither could she tell where Thom and Tiron had gone, but she knew the couple would be together, protecting each other as the other Ruinos mates were.

“I don’t know,” Jebaral answered. “They’re coming back this way now.”

            The Arra moved further into the room, lifting Liam’s slumped form for all to see. It was as though they were proudly parading their conquest, the way some hunters would pose for a picture with their latest kill. But Liam wasn’t dead. He was alive, and Cherron could tell he was aware of what was going on. He just couldn’t respond. Regardless, she sent him a silent message of hope. There was no answer. No mental image or voice sounded in her head. No feeling of warmth or brightness touched her soul. Yet, she knew he’d heard her.

            Challa and Compton scurried back to join them. With the other townspeople shuffling from one location to the next, the couple’s movements didn’t attract any undue attention. The redhead tugged on Cherron’s sleeve.

            “They have him in a stasis tube. Tell him to shift into human form. It’ll negate the tube’s hold, and he’ll be able to free himself of it.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “She’s done it herself,” Compton remarked with a grin. “It’s a major flaw in the tube’s design that the Arra never realized was there.”

            “Go on,” Challa urged her. “Tell him.”

            “When I do, if he shifts and gets free, then what’ll happen?”

            “That’s when we go after them with everything we’ve got,” Jebaral announced from behind her. “The moment he turns human, everybody grab a weapon and rush the Arra.”

            “Jeb! Wait!” Hannah pointed to the open doorway. “I think there’s more of them out there!”

            “They think they have us surrounded and outnumbered,” Simolif whispered from where he and Sarah had taken cover. “They’ve tried this tactic before, and it didn’t work.”

            “Unless they’ve brought another little weapon gizmo with them,” Compton added.

            Jebaral made a face. “Guess there’s only one way to find out.” He glanced at Cherron. “It’s your move,
felisu.
Hurry, before the Arra get tired of waiting and decide to torture him to draw you out of hiding.”

            Closing her eyes, Cherron centered herself, taking several slow, deep breaths to calm herself.
Liam.
T’kor
. If you can hear me, if you can, change into your human form. The stasis tubes binding you won’t work if you’re not Ruinos. Change, my love. Change so you can free yourself of those things.

           
 
She paused, waiting. Opening her eyes, she locked them on the limp form.

           
Yarrolam. My Yarrolam.

           
She blinked. Was it her imagination, or was he paler than usual?

            The Arra moved forward, aware that something was happening, but not what. She kept her gaze on him, silently, mentally, and emotionally urging him. Giving him hope and encouragement as best she could.

            Several people reacted as another Arra appeared in the doorway. There was no way they could tell how many of the creatures were outside, but for her it didn’t matter. Her heart was riveted on the man who would do anything to love her. It was time she gave as much in return.

            The Arra slithered across the wood floor with wet, sucking sounds. There was no mistaking Liam’s inevitable shift into human form, and they seemed to have realized it. Clenching her hands into fists, she prayed the Arra wouldn’t know what he was about to do until it was too late to stop him.

            Within seconds, Liam had completely changed, but he continued to slump forward. His face drooped, his arms suspended above his head.

            Then, he slip out of the tube and fell onto the floor with a soft thump. Before anyone could react, he crawled backwards until he reached the closest row of chairs. From there, he ducked between them and scuttled away.

            Cherron felt a surge of happiness filling her with sunshine as Liam came around from the back of the room, heading directly for her. Human arms enveloped her, and she whimpered as she hugged him, clutching him tightly. She could smell his blood and sweat. But underneath it, that pure cinnamon scent. He spoke no words to her, but the warmth and joy pouring into her were proof of his love and gratitude.

            “Awright, you pus buckets! You weren’t welcome the last time you came down here. If you didn’t learn your lesson then, then maybe you need another lesson!” Sheriff Klotsky stood up, his service pistol aimed at the creatures, which appeared to be hesitating. Liam pulled her further back, his arms tightening around her.

            “Liam, what’s happening?”

            “How many are there? Do you know?” Jebaral asked, coming up beside him.

            “Six. There are six of them.”