Alien Shores (A Fenris Novel, Book 2) by Vaughn Heppner Page A

the front hump of the sky vehicle. The weapon swiveled around to point at Cyrus. Time seemed to slow down for him even as Cyrus reacted as fast as he could. He used his mind powers and attempted to short something within the sky vehicle.
    Instead of causing the sky vehicle to crash, the bubble canopy slid open. The Kresh looked up in surprise. A second later, the alien concentered on its task of shooting the human.
    Cyrus tried to focus his thoughts for another stab of telekinetic power. He lacked time for the opportunity. The orifice of the gun on the front mount lit up. A microsecond later, Cyrus froze, and then he toppled. He couldn’t make his mouth move in order to shout or to make his vocal cords vibrate enough to mutter his rage. Like a falling log, he crushed stalks and slammed against the ground. His nerve endings silently screamed their complaint at the pain. He wanted to rave and roar. Instead, he lay on his back, unable to move, but watching the sky vehicle.
    He heard Skar’s gun then, the phutt sounds it made. One pellet exploded harmlessly against the half-open canopy. Then blood sprayed and bone chips blew into the air. The angle was bad, but the topmost part of the Kresh’s head disappeared as blood spurted upward.
    The Kresh slumped forward. Cyrus dearly wanted to squirm out of the way or even open his eyes wider in wonder. The sky vehicle slid toward him. Then it passed overhead like Death’s shadow, and several seconds later he heard it plow into the ground. Things crumpled and shattered, and a burnt electrical smell billowed into existence.
    From his location on the ground, Cyrus heard sizzling, zapping sounds. They intensified until the crackle of grass fire drowned them out.
    How long would the paralysis hold? Cyrus was defenseless. What if Skar couldn’t find him in the vast maze of grass?
    He heard the soldier running, with stalks cracking in half.
    Skar, Skar, I’m over here . Panic threatened again. What would it feel like, burning to death while he couldn’t move?
    The intense crackling sounds of fire grew louder, and out of the corner of his eyes, Cyrus saw leaping flames. Would the entire sea of grass become a wild fire?
    There was shouting, banging, and more shouting. What was going on?
    I don’t want to die like this. I can’t believe it. After crossing two hundred and thirty light years, I’m going to roast to death on the first alien world I reach .
    Cyrus strove to move. He strained, but nothing worked. After that, as the flames leaped higher, he struggled to maintain his calm. Maybe he could use his psionics to break the paralysis. For the next few minutes, he did what he could. Unfortunately, his mind felt sluggish. Did the paralysis ray affect it in some way?
    “Cyrus!” Skar shouted. “Cyrus, where are you?”
    Here, here, I’m over here. Don’t leave me, Skar. Search for me .
    “He could be dead,” a woman said.
    “He’s not dead,” Skar said, harshly. “The Kresh hit him with a paralysis ray.”
    “What is that?” the woman asked.
    “The demon cast a spell over him, freezing his muscles,” Skar said.
    “The demons are evil,” the woman said in an agreeing tone.
    That must be the barbarian princess speaking. Yes, of course. The Kresh must have tracked down the last two Berserkers and captured them. Skar had no doubt freed them from captivity.
    “You are a demonslayer,” the woman said in admiration.
    “Help me find my friend,” Skar said.
    Cyrus could hear them beating the grasses, shouting his name. All the while the fire grew. He could feel the heat against his face.
    “Here! I’ve found your friend.”
    Cyrus saw the woman bend over him. She looked young, even though she had sunburnt skin. She had brown eyes and a raw gash over the bridge of her nose. Despite that, she was beautiful, with a full figure and long brown hair. She wore fur garments and had smooth limbs like a triathlete.
    Cyrus wondered if she would take the opportunity to kill him