Book 5

Siha: Rise of Rakhana

Part III

"Silver and Fire"

The stairs were hazardous to their footing—mostly legs and ankles, shoes for various species, dropped purses and occasionally the handgun that should not have been there yet well, there it was. The abductor was taking off with Braith, Tetonbaum having seen that last pitiful stare from her that he couldn't burn from his memories even if he tried—The fear…It was fear he saw in that last sight.

Tripping and clobbering a few clubbers as they made for where Braith was seen leaving—by no desire of her own—the two half-brothers race against the clock to make for the exit.

Outside the decadent night club, Tisus snarls his fingers in her hair as he tightens his grasp of the collar, wrenching Braith left and right, fleeing on foot.

Screaming at him, in fact anyone and everyone she sees, Braith kicks her legs and tries to reach for flesh or limb in an effort to injure and slow him down.

Time…Time she needs for Casnar, Tetonbaum, anyone to show and stop Tisus.

Who was he? Drell was built like Tetonbaum and Casnar, this one the same size and shape but with a darker complexion and biotically-gifted, no doubting that fact. Fast, violent, abrupt—he must be none other than a th'ane, but why be there, on Omega?

Taking another shoulder to the mouth Casnar swivels and grabs onto the krogan Tisus had thrown earlier—not intentionally aiming for the bouncer in particular, "…Drell—Woman with black hair? Black coat—"

Answering with a still-wounded pride, "…Took her outside, he did, and down the ramp," the krogan replies, opening the door for Casnar and Tetonbaum has already run through ahead of him, "…Another one went after them—"

"Need to catch up," Casnar gushes out and breaks free from the chaos behind in the night venue.

Jarred to a stop, Braith maintains her slipping grip on a handle for a door to a shop, just after the last street they had intersected with Tisus's course of escape.

"Release!" His spit speckles her sleeve as she curses him to try something unpleasant with his posterior. Braith grunts with the savage punch he uses to break her resolve, "…Don't delay me again!" he snarls through his teeth, as a darkness falls over both of them from above.

"You've chosen a bad place to windowshop," landing on the hunur's back, Tetonbaum breaks his grip on Braith and throws Tisus across the street with his own biotic power, sending garbage cans and rotten crates up in a shower of destruction and blue-silver light…Turning to Braith, he checks on her, sees the collar and makes to remove it, his power urging him to hurry.

Braith lays crumpled on the floor of the alley, her hands on her stomach as she looks up, "…Tetonbaum!"

Tisus rips him away from her, flinging him through glass, into a storefront as Casnar arrives with Feron, Zaeed and an asari, "…Shepard!" They see Tisus pick up Braith, and the asari steps forward, wind suddenly whipping up the debris at their feet and spinning up towards the tops of the prefabricated buildings around them, "…Touch her and you forfeit your life, Drell," the woman exclaims, her eyes gone white as the leather coat's hem about her knees whips and ripples, more wind cycloning around everyone and causing Tisus to hesitate—

In that moment, Liara wrenches Braith from his arm with her power colliding simultaneously into the big hunur, sending him tumbling down the next street as Braith's body floats effortlessly over to Casnar and Zaeed.

Feron runs across the lane to see through the broken window for any sign of Tetonbaum, "…He's in here!"

Casnar cradles Braith to himself, "…Tell me what's wrong, I can only see the collar but that shouldn't give you the pain I'm seeing," he mutters to her fast.

Liara strides over from checking down the opposite intersection of streets and alleys for the hunur, but finds nothing, "…She is not well. Get your half-brother and Zaeed will help me bring her to a safer place for care, hurry!"

Casnar reluctantly passes Braith into Zaeed and Liara's hands, turning to go into the shop and help Feron with Tetonbaum.

The th'ane limps out, a cut on his brow scales, "…That is a hunter," Casnar looks at the streets to which Liara had sent Tisus, "…We need to get out of here before he decides to attack again," Tetonbaum winces and steps over the wall of the broken window with Feron. "Is Braith—"

"We're going to get her some help," Casnar informs him, "…Can you run?"

Tetonbaum nods and they jog after the three profiles moving through the tunnel-bridge not that far from where they are.

Casnar chuckles, "…Hunurs on Omega, what else…Not like the galaxy is about to be invaded by a Mechinist."

Tetonbaum grimly smiles.