Challenging Saber by S. E. Smith Page A

him! He knows where Lonnie is,” Taylor called out, turning toward the area where she saw a wounded soldier fall.
    Taylor’s heart pounded as she ran to the man. He was holding his side, but she could see blood coming from his leg as well. Falling to her knees, she pulled the scarf holding her hair back from her head and untied it.
    “How bad is your side?” She asked breathlessly, tying the scarf around his thigh to stem the blood long enough for her to check his side.
    “Run, female!” The warrior growled with a furious look. “You should not be here.”
    Taylor sent him a shaky grin. “I don’t think any of us should be here,” she replied, throwing herself over him when a series of rapid fire struck the building to the left of them. “Can you get up?”
    “Yes,” the warrior hissed, struggling up with Taylor’s help. “Who are you?”
    “Taylor Sampson,” she replied, wrapping her arm around his waist. “Come on.”
    The warrior grimly nodded. Taylor saw him turn pale, but he didn’t complain. She could tell he had more wounds than she had seen at first. He had blood coming from his shoulder and a gash along his forehead.
    “What’s happening?” Taylor asked as they struggled across the compound, pausing briefly to wait for the gunfire to clear before moving to the next area of cover.
    “Talks have broken down,” the man grunted. “The West has declared a separation from the Alliance and has identified the Eastern region as part of their territory. The planet is on the verge of a Civil War. The Eastern side is rebelling. They hope the Alliance will send in troops to support them. The Western council that was working with Razor has been assassinated and a new governing board of extremists has taken over.”
    Taylor paled. The little that she knew of the situation, the Western had been on the verge of accepting an agreement. She knew that Razor was there working on the negotiations.
    She stumbled when his leg gave out under him. He was losing a lot more blood than she’d realized. Relief washed through her when two of the military medics rushed forward and grabbed him. She stepped back and realized that she was near the tent where she and Buzz had been working.
    “Prepare for evacuation one!” One of the medics called out. “We have been told to pull back to the military base.”
    Taylor nodded. Her eyes swept over the compound. It was just a temporary medical station, not a military one. She swallowed as she saw more injured soldiers being transported in and additional support coverage converging in the center.
    She started forward before she remembered her backpack. Turning, she hurried back to the living quarters. She saw several people running out. Pushing past them, she ran up the stairs. She was almost to the third floor when she heard her name.
    “Taylor,” Buzz called out from the second floor landing. “We have been ordered to evacuate.”
    Taylor looked down over the railing. “I know. I’m just grabbing my backpack,” she replied.
    Buzz nodded. “Hurry. I’ll wait for you,” he said with a worried glance down the stairwell.
    Taylor nodded and hurried up the last few steps. Holding onto the wall when the building shook, she jogged down the corridor to her room. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. It didn’t take her long to pack the few things she had brought.
    Her eyes froze on the two pictures next to the bed. One was of her, Jesse, Jordan, and their dad. The other was a picture of her and Saber that Jordan had taken a few months ago on her birthday. They had been sitting outside watching Lyon and Leila. She was holding Leila while Lyon was climbing on Saber’s back. She had leaned in to nibble on Lyon’s fingers. Saber had turned his head to watch and she had surprised him with a kiss.
    Her fingers trembled as she grabbed the pictures off the side table. Stuffing them in her backpack, she quickly zipped it closed and slid the straps over her shoulders. She had