Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86074 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
36
DARK
Dark strode into the Tribunal Chamber with Light on his heels. The chemical emotion damper in his brain was still holding, but it seemed weaker than it had been. He might not feel much, but he was filled with a sense of urgency, imparted by the Goddess. Lili had once been important to him—to both of them—and she must be saved.
“What’s this? Who dares interrupt these proceedings?” The Tribunal Master demanded.
“We do—me and my brother,” Dark answered, glaring at the other male.
“We’ve come for our female,” Light added, nodding at Lili, who was shivering and crying in the middle of a circle of growling sniffers. “Let us take her and go and we’ll cause no trouble.”
“Impossible!” the Tribunal Master declared importantly. “She has been sentenced to death by this Tribunal for Feel Crime and for the crime of being female!”
“Well, you can just fucking un-sentence her, then!” Dark was beginning to feel stirrings inside him—the Berserker part of him was waking and the molten pool of hot lava that lived inside him was beginning to boil.
“We cannot revoke a death sentence, warrior—you must know that!” The Tribunal Head protested.
“I know that if you don’t, I’m going to pass my own death sentence,” Dark warned him. “And I’ll fucking carry it out too!”
“Will you let us have Lili and leave in peace or not?” Light demanded. “There doesn’t need to be violence or bloodshed here today. Just let us take her and go and we’ll never return to Z4 again.”
“That’s not good enough!” the Tribunal Master snapped. “And the fact that you wish to save this female from her justly appointed sentence proves that the two of you are also guilty of Feel Crime.” He slammed one fist down on the Tribunal Table. “I hereby sentence you all to death—starting with the female!”
“You fucking asked for it,” Dark growled. The Fury had broken free inside him and the hot lava was boiling over. Engaging his scope, he aimed at the Tribunal Master and took a shot, aiming directly at the other male’s head. His scope’s deadly red laser flashed with deadly intensity and made a coin-sized black circle, right between his eyes.
“You…I…” The Master’s single visible eye looked surprised. Then he fell face forward onto the Tribunal Table with a thump.
For a moment there was silence in the room. Then Light shouted,
“Dark! The sniffers!”
Dark rounded to see that one of the sniffers had launched itself at Lili. Without thinking, he sent another deadly blast, blowing the mechanical canine in two. Its separate halves fell on the floor on either side of her, the mouth with its metal teeth still snapping and the hind legs still moving weakly as the wires and coils stuck out of both ends.
“Anybody else?” Dark roared. The Fury was fully on him now—just as it came on in the heat of battle. He was fitted with deadlier weapons than any other male here and he had the will to use them. He fucking welcomed a fight!
Wading into the circle of sniffers, he kicked the mechanical mutts aside with Light right behind him until they got to Lili.
Dark felt something move inside him as he stared down at her. She looked so fragile standing there—so delicate and lovely…so easily broken. She must be protected at all costs! he thought and knew it was true.
“Dark? Light?” She looked up at them with wet eyes. “Oh, thank God!”
“Thank the Goddess, you mean,” Light told her. “She sent us to find you.”
“Gonna get you out of here,” Dark promised her. “You’re safe now, little Lili.”
Suddenly a new male stepped between them and Lili.
“You can’t do this!” he exclaimed, glaring at Dark. “I brought this Feel Criminal in myself and the Master of the Tribunal—”
“Is terminated. And now you are too.” Dark punched him, using all the strength of his enhanced arm.
The other male’s head caved in like a deflated beezle ball and he staggered backwards and fell in a heap.
A murmuring started among the assembled warriors.
“Look what he has done! He used his enhancements against another warrior!” Dark heard someone say.
“He’s guilty of Feel Crime!” another exclaimed.
Dark could see where this was headed. He shot a look at Light.
“Get her out of here, Brother. It’s going to be a fucking brawl in here.”
Without waiting or questioning, Light swung Lili up in his arms and ran for the open door. Some of the other warriors tried to block him, but he jumped over them, clearing the tops of their heads easily with his enhanced legs.
Then he was safely out the door with Lili held close to his chest.
Good, Dark thought—now he could concentrate on business.
He trained his scope on the assembled crowd as they closed in on him.
“All right!” he shouted. “Who’s fucking next?”
37
LILI
Lili clung to Light, even after they were safely inside the shuttle. She couldn’t seem to stop crying, even though she tried.