“What if I need you… to stay with me tonight?” she quietly asked.
3
Minor Moon of Leviathan:
Present Day
“Tamblin, call them back,” Jett shouted.
Tamblin lifted the curved horn to his lips and blew. The Guardians skidded to a stop. They were boar-like creatures with long tusks, sharp quills, and red eyes that could see in pitch darkness. One beast snarled when a blast from a poacher’s laser pistol grazed it.
They couldn’t afford to lose any more of the creatures that protected them. The poachers had already killed five of the beasts. Tamblin pulled back on his reins, directing Batty to follow the retreating warriors.
They were losing the war. Hundreds of Tasiers were being loaded onto the ships by the hour. Tamblin and his allies could no longer keep up with the traps. The poachers had modified the locking mechanisms, making the cages virtually impossible for his and Jett’s forces to open them and free the trapped Tasiers.
They also had a bigger issue. One alien now knew about their existence and the man was hunting them. It was only a matter of time before the other poachers believed him.
Batty flew to a tall outcropping of rocks a short distance away. Nature and the weather had sculpted the various layers of rocks until it looked like slabs had been stacked on top of each other. Batty turned and gripped a large slab by his feet under a low overhang of rock.
Tamblin released his grip on the saddle, and slid off, landing on the ledge below. He lifted the horn to his lips again. He gave two long and one short blast. The Guardians responded by melting away into the night, disappearing down camouflaged holes that would lead them back to their caves.
He lowered the horn to his side when Jett’s skimmer swung around an outcropping of rocks and came to a stop nearby. Jett dismounted and climbed toward his position. Tamblin reached down, gripped Jett’s hand, and pulled him onto the ledge. Jett shook his head and gazed out at the trampled fields of mushrooms.
“They outnumber us, Tamblin. Even with our combined forces, we are no match for the aliens,” Jett said.
“You’re bleeding,” he replied.
Jett grimaced and touched the wound on his temple. Tamblin walked over to Batty and pulled out a small first aid kit from his saddlebag. He motioned for Jett to sit on a rock.
“What are we going to do? We need help, Tamblin. At the rate they are harvesting the Tasiers, there will be none left by the end of the month,” Jett commented.
Tamblin looked up when he saw a fire flare up. The poachers were using long wands attached to tanks to burn the mushrooms. Their newest tactic helped to herd the Tasiers in the direction they wanted and forced his people into retreat since they had no place to hide.
“How far are they from Sandora?” Tamblin asked.
Jett winced when Tamblin pressed a cloth coated with a disinfectant against the cut on his forehead. “A week if they stay on their current course. If any more come or they spread out, it would take less time. Father and Mother have instructed the citizens of Sandora to move to the underground chambers,” he confessed.
Tamblin frowned and shook his head. “Even that isn’t safe, Jett. You heard them. Now that an alien is aware of our existence, he has set traps to capture us. Once he or one of the others finds the city, it will confirm what he has been telling them. Sandora will be destroyed,” he said.
Jett nodded. “They will think of us as freaks and oddities to be sold and put on display for credits. I remember their joking comments,” he bitterly stated.
He finished bandaging Jett’s wound and packed the remains back into the kit. Jett murmured his thanks and stood. Tamblin could see the weariness in Jett’s eyes. A sense of hopelessness threatened to overwhelm him when he saw the flames rising into the night sky and the thick plumes of smoke.
“We need help,” he said.
“All we can do is hope that the sensors the Valdier placed have triggered an alert and they will come in time,” Jett tiredly replied.
Tamblin pursed his lips. Even if the sensors were triggered, by the time the Valdier arrived, nothing would remain—including themselves.
“Jett, you need to convince your parents to evacuate Sandora to Glitter. We have the shields, the Guardians, and the protection of being buried deep within the mountain. Sandora is too vulnerable,” he said in a hard voice.
There was no more time to debate the decision. Tamblin’s brother-in-law stared out into the burning night with haunted eyes. There was no trace of the fun-loving man he used to know.
“I will tell them,” Jett promised.
Three days later, Tamblin stood on the balcony watching as the last caravan of refugees from Sandora entered the cavern. The mood had been somber but filled with determination.
Construction crews from Glitter and Sandora continued to work around the clock, widening new sections of the cavern for the new arrivals. Merchants and farmers focused on giving each family supplies.
Roan, Jett’s father and the King of Sandora, and Ladora, Jett’s mother, guided their people to the finished levels. A movement from above caught Tamblin’s attention, and he watched Batty release his grip from where he was hanging and fly down to the balcony, landing on the narrow railing. He chuckled when Batty lifted his chin and wiggled his nose.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bat this affectionate, especially after being around you for so long,” Tia teased, walking up and standing beside him.
He started with surprise and lifted an eyebrow. “I didn’t hear you come in,” he said, frowning when he saw that she was alone. “Where are Jett and Arielle?”
Tia scratched Batty behind the ear. “Jett is helping his parents and Arielle is playing with some new friends. I needed to speak with you alone,” she said.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I’ve had another vision,” she confessed.
Tamblin’s stomach clenched with worry. Batty nudged his hand, and he realized that he had threaded his fingers through the fine hair along Batty’s neck. He forced his fingers to relax.
“What did you see?” he warily inquired.
She looked away from him to Batty. “You must go on a journey,” she replied.
He stared at her with a confused expression. “A journey? Now? When our kingdoms… our very existence is in jeopardy?” he asked in a voice laced with skepticism.
Tia nodded and looked at him again. “Yes. It is the only way to save our world and our people,” she answered.
“Tia.” He shook his head. “Where am I supposed to go?” he asked.
She paused her stroking of Batty, and was silent for a moment.
“You have to find the Queen of the Wood Fairies,” she finally said.
“Arosa? You are saying I have to find Arosa?” he repeated incredulously.
Tia turned emotion-filled eyes to him. He could see the truth of her conviction in them, but there was also something else. She looked—pensive.
“What aren’t you telling me?” he quietly asked.
She reached for him. He gripped her hand, gently squeezing it in reassurance and studied her face. Tears glistened in her eyes. He pulled her into his arms and hugged her.
“I don’t want you to get hurt, Tamblin,” she whispered.