Reassured that she believed he was still unconscious, Skars listened to her ramble about what to do.
She had others nearby? How many? Thorsen would want to know if there was a big encampment of survivors. If he pretended to wake, she would never lead him to where they were hiding.
Changing his plan, he continued to pretend to be unconscious. He would give her a few minutes head start then follow behind her and send a transmission to Thorsen to come.
“I hate to leave you, but I have no choice.”
Skars felt her gentle breath on his face as she leaned in closer.
“My friends will be worried sick I’m not back. I left food and water for when you wake. I’ll hurry back.”
Waiting until he heard sounds on the other side of the wall, Skars opened his eyes, seeing dawn about to break. He surveyed the area to make sure she was no longer around, then grabbed his cloak to swing it around his shoulders. He pressed a small button, and the cape melded to his body like a second skin.
Crouching by a gap in the wall, he saw the woman running around a building.
Turd of rat, he cursed. He hadn’t expected her to run so fast.
His lungs started burning again as his long legs ate the distance between them. He should have just taken her, but he hadn’t wanted to turn her against him if she refused to reveal the location of the encampment, and Thorsen wouldn’t be gentle in his methods to retrieve the information. Skars didn’t want the woman to look unfavorably on his brother until their ceremony was completed, nor did he want Thorsen to refuse to perform the ceremony. Until the ceremony was completed, his wife wouldn’t truly belong to their clan and wouldn’t be accorded the same courtesy and protection as other Viking wives. He already chanced that Thorsen would allow the ceremony, using an ancient law to steal the woman from Earth. That was if he could catch her. The woman ran with the speed of a gazelle.
Slowing, Skars hesitated before moving around another corner, not wanting to be spotted if he ventured closer. Tilting his head forward, he looked around the corner. What he saw had him charging forward, regardless if he was seen or not.
Two Olggans were perched on the side of the building she had just run past. His wife didn’t even notice the danger she was in.
Rushing forward, Skars managed to grab one from behind as it dropped to the ground. Claws extended to grab the sack she was carrying on her back, unaware Skars was behind him. The other Olggan stopped in his preparation of the net to spring on the woman, noticing his companion being attacked.
An overwhelming need to protect his wife had Skars pushing past the pain in his lungs at the exertion he had to use on the Olggan.
Taking on the two by himself would have been nothing if he had his ax. He would have cleaved them into small bits of slop for the animals on board his ship. Even during the heat of the battle, Skars could only marvel over how obtuse the woman was at the struggle taking place behind her.
Managing to snap the neck of the one he was holding, Skars expertly avoided a claw meant to rip his face off. Letting the Olggan he had just killed drop to the ground, he grabbed the remaining one by the wrist and, with a quick snap, broke it. A painful howl rented the air before the Olggan could slash him with his other claw. Skars grabbed it, breaking it also. The Olggan dropped to its knees, howling in pain. Picking up the net, he quickly wound it around the injured Olggan, leaving it to be collected by their kin.
That the two younglings were allowed out on their own without a more seasoned warrior showed that Jurzed believed the battle for Earth to be over. Once the king of the Olggan heard of his appearance on Earth, the younglings would be sent back to their ship and the more seasoned warriors would return.
Satan’s balls, he should have taken his wife back to the ship.
Belatedly, he searched for the woman who he had protected from being taken only to discover she was no longer within sight. Running without regard of whether she would see him, Skars went to where he had last seen her. Searching through a couple of the buildings nearby was met with no success.
His wife had disappeared.
Chapter 4
Skars
Frustrated at himself for letting the woman slip out of sight, Skars sent a transmission to Thorsen to send a nejim. The small carrier would allow him to search the small alleys she had escaped through. It would also have a thermal radar that would detect humans within buildings or underground.