“What am I going to see?”
“Something that will start a war.”
Killi’s words shocked me, but before I asked what he meant, Kol tapped on the screen, and footage began to play. I realised quickly that I was watching security footage from one of the drones. Ealrian drones were so small that many of the human females mistook them for what they called “bugs” and destroyed lots of them. Their design had to be recently changed to white and blue so the females knew it was only a surveillance drone and not something they should kill.
I frowned when a craft landed in Sector Three.
That sector was to the far west of the city and was only used for hunting. The wildlife there was dangerous, and many of the apex predators refused to leave the territory, so it was flagged as a danger zone to all citizens of Royal City. I studied the craft and knew instantly it was not Maji.
“Off worlders.” I frowned. “Did they recently land?”
“This footage is from six days ago,” Killi grumbled.
Just as Killi spoke, there was almost a ripple in the air before the screen darkened.
“What was that?”
“An electromagnetic energy pulse,” Father answered. “A minor one, likely just to kill anything electrical around the craft by a two click radius. It killed nineteen of our drones, but as they were in Sector Three, it was not deemed unusual so the footage was not checked until today. We’ve lost more drones there than anywhere else during this time of the season. Other creatures think they’re food.”
I looked at him. “Why is this footage enough to start a war?”
“That footage wasn’t.” Kol sighed. “This footage may be. This is from almost two intervals ago. Not long after the feast ended.”
The craft that I saw before was back on screen, only this time it was covered with vegetation. The area was dark but the drone had night vision that sharpened the footage. There was a male there this time … and he wasn’t Maji. He was working hard at removing the vegetation from the craft.
“Is that a human male?”
“Yes,” Killi answered me. “We figure him to be the owner and pilot of the craft. He is the only male we have seen.”
The drone captured a still image of the male when he turned his head. He had golden-coloured hair, fair skin, and he was tall … for a human. He was taller than any of the human females I had seen since they arrived on Ealra. He looked like he might have been a unit taller than Surkah. He was strong, too. He had the craft clear of the heavy branches and leaves in minutes. When he opened the ramp on the underside of the craft, I realised he kept looking in the direction of the city. His mouth was moving.
“Who is he talking to? Is there no audio?”
“Brother,” Kol said. “Please. Remain as calm as you can, this is very important.”
I felt the weight of Ealra fall upon me when the angle of the drone’s footage shifted, and I saw her. Shaking, crying, and in her beautiful yellow ensemble that was torn and dirtied stood my female. My mate.
“Levi!”
My father and Killi were instantly by my side, and they each had an arm pinned behind my back before I could blink. Normally, I’d fight them until my bones broke, but I barely paid any attention to them. My focus was on my mate. The volume on the recording was turned up.
“Master,” Levi cried. “Please! Reconsider. This is our home now.”
“I’m yer home, bitch!” The human male lunged for her and slapped her across the face, making me roar with rage. “Ye taught ye could run from me? ME?”
He tackled her to the ground.
“Ezah!” Levi screamed. “Ezah! Help me—”
My roar and my scream were deafening to my own ears as the male began to beat on her face and body with his fists and booted feet with no mercy. Levi fought him wildly, but she was no match for him. She was tiny and powerless in comparison to the male who held her down. The entire time she fought him, she screamed for me. I felt each wail as if I was being stabbed by a blade over and over. When one more punch made her body go limp, the male jumped to his feet, grabbed her by the hair, and dragged her onto his craft. The cry of an infant sounded. The ramp slowly closed, sealing Levi inside. I was shaking as the craft took off from the surface minutes later.
“It’s happened again. My female is gone.” Pain surged through me. “My mate is dead.”
“No!” Kol got in my face, punching me hard in the chest to make me focus. “She is alive! He only knocked her out. He came all this way, risked his life, to steal her. He will not kill her. She has some purpose to him.”