Beauty and the Beaast

Etaan: Trouble Brewing

The moment he stepped out of the transport pod Laarz swooped in on Etaan. An ugly scowl marred the soldier's face and a vein bulged in his temple as if it were about to explode. "What were you thinking?" he roared.

Etaan winced. "I sent you a message as soon as I could." Or as soon as I thought about it....

"That's not good enough! I'm your bodyguard. How am I supposed to protect you if I'm not even there?"

His conscience twinged at the reprimand. The soldier's gaze was so hot he had to look away for a moment before he could answer.

Amber was standing there, her mouth open in surprise, looking back and forth between him and Laarz. Her mind looked like it was racing furiously to put something together. But what? And then it dawned on him: subordinates shouldn't be speaking to their king like this. He'd already let slip too much important information on the ride back down to earth. She was so easy to talk to that it had just come out somehow, but she didn't need to find out anything else.

Switching to the more guttural soldier's dialect, he asked, "Has something happened?"

Laarz appeared confused. "Yes. Why are you talking like that?"

As subtlely as he could, he glanced at Amber. Immediately Laarz changed to the less easily understood dialect. "Haarkin has disappeared, taking a quarter of the men with him."

He felt the color drain from his face. "When?"

"Koraat discovered it not even ten minutes ago while you were in transit."

"That's when it was discovered. When did he actually leave?"

"Sometime last night. The communications officers on the ship traced his last message but nothing further has been routed through there. He must have switched to short wave transmission."

"How do you know he's not just passed out after too many bottles of Moire?"

Laarz shook his heavy head, his fists clenched so that the muscles in his arms stood out like he'd been lifting for the last two hours. "No, he's not. His last message leaves no doubt."

"What was it?" He had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer.

"'It's time'."

Instantly he grabbed Amber by the arm and shoved her at Laarz. "Have someone take this prisoner and her creature to the holding area. And call everyone together- we've got some planning to do."