Stars of Charon (Legacy of the Thar'esh Book 1) by Sam Coulson Page B

regain my footing.
    “ Quiet! ”
Ju-lin whispered as she moved to help me, and then she froze, her face white.
“Shit.”
    I turned
my head to see a pair of white eyes glowing in the darkness of the aft
compartment just past the sleeping pods.
    The
Draugari made a low growl as he moved slowly toward us. He was tall enough that
his figure took up the entire passage. As he drew nearer, I could see his
armored suit and hear his rebreather slowly and evenly drawing the air in and
out. I recalled that the Draugari do not breathe Earth standard atmosphere and
wore rebreathers with nitrogen infusers.
    He took
another step and his hand went to his belt, drawing out a long, black blade.
    The sight
of the weapon jolted my survival instincts. I once again pushed off, trying to
climb out of the access hatch. With a final heave I pulled myself up onto the
deck with a flop. I turned around. I was between Ju-lin and the Draugari, my
hands bound, completely helpless.
    I heard
Ju-lin shuffling around behind me as he approached.
    He looked
at her and made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a laugh,
and then turned toward me, flipping the knife around in his hand, preparing to
deliver a downward killing blow. I tried to move away, but with my hands bound,
I slipped to the floor again. I rolled onto my back as he took another step. He
lowered himself to one knee and brought the blade up for a downward slash.
    There was
a blinding flash and I felt a fire burn on my chest, I screamed in pain and
rolled over. Then I realized the burning was just that, burning. I looked down
to see a tiny glowing metal cinder on my chest. I shook it off. There was no
knife wound. There was no Draugari.
    “Close
one,” Ju-lin stepped over and offered me her hand.
    I took it and stood up. I
began to ask what had happened when she held up her other hand: her plasma
torch. “Sorry there, I think a bit of the splashback hit you.”
    “You got
him?”
    “You
could say that,” she said nodding back toward the sleeping pods.
    I took a step to look
around the kitchen countertop to see the Draugari lying several feet back from
where he had been. His chest was now concave, blackened and smoldering; the air
was thick of the stench of cooked flesh.
    Doors
were opening somewhere behind us toward the cockpit.
    “They
heard,” I said.
    “Get some
cover, back there behind the sleeping pods.”
    “Can’t
you just shoot them?” I asked.
    She shook
her head. “One shot is all I had.”
    “Damn,”
another door opened behind us as we scrambled deeper into the ship. Ju-lin and
I slid into the darkness, each crouching behind sleeping pods on opposite sides
of the deck.
    The door
opened and the first Draugari slowly walked in, he had his blade in his right
hand and a gun in his left. I took a long look, he was built like a human,
though taller, with broader shoulders and a barrel chest. His arms and legs
were a patchwork of black armor. Though his shape and movements looked human,
his rough skin and luminescent white eyes were undeniably alien. He saw the
opened hatch and paused, then called out. He took another step and saw his
fallen comrade.
    “ Un’chan! ”
he called behind him as he slowly walked toward us, peering into the darkness.
    Two more
Draugari appeared behind him to answer his call, all three with weapons drawn.
They were huge, menacing, and fearsome.
    Ju-lin was breathing heavily beside me, but I could see her
hands were still steady.
    The lead Draugari stopped on the far side of the sleeping
pods, looking side to side. He ma de
another sound, and there was a grunting response. With a sudden thrust he
punched forward with his knife hand, slamming his fist against the far end of
the sleeping pod that Ju-lin was hiding behind. Neither of us was prepared for
the strength of the blow. It broke the sleeping pod from its mounting, sending
it flying forward into Ju-lin. She screamed in pain as it struck, pinning her
against the rear