Hero's Return (Homeworld Lost Book 9) by J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon

Author:J.N. Chaney & Scott Moon [Chaney, J.N. & Moon, Scott]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2024-04-14T00:00:00+00:00

19

We sat in a huge circle around the gate. It didn’t look like much, just a stone arch on a small island in the middle of a shallow pool. Sunlight streamed through several openings in the room hundreds of meters above us. The Taliz hideout was spectacular, to say the least.

Hol’fa turned out to be an excellent host. He didn’t know the meaning of anytime breakfast, but he did understand how to spread out a bunch of tasty snacks. Unsurprisingly, most of the protein sources tasted like chicken. We ate, talked, planned, and stared at the device that would take us far, far away.

Assuming we decided it was worth the risk.

Wozim licked his fingers and growled often. His attention rarely left the planet-stepping gate. “Shabby. That is your word for such a thing, is it not.”

I shrugged and tried not to offend Hol’fa or the Taliz admiral’s soldiers. Most of them had that guerilla warfare look that an Earth human like me recognized but was less common in this part of the universe. They seemed fanatically loyal to their leader and quietly confident in their abilities.

“You know these monsters better than anyone,” Wozim said. “What do you make of this group?”

“Hol’fa is a different type of Taliz leader.” My thoughts went back to Voc’ti and Tom’tim. Both were unique and good at what they did. My first impression of Hol’fa had been a lot different from the man before me now. He was more relaxed. This seemed to be his destiny somehow, and his followers knew it.

Wozim then leaned back, finally done with his meal. He seemed to eat more when he was stressed out. I'd never noticed that about the Tyton before. A lot was changing. He'd lost his campaign to become the monarch of Tytondom, yet the current situation had put him in charge more than ever.

Larzul and Cytos Den had made mistakes and lost the support of their followers. It wasn't like a revolution, but I could tell the tide was changing for their people.

I didn't like what I needed to do. The situation here on Zal-Tytos was far from over. In fact, the danger was closer than ever. Screamers roamed not only the city but also the landscape. Our best report said they were scouring the beaches and developing disturbing new hunting practices that went beyond devouring symbiont tails and city dwellers.

Apparently, the Screamers could swim disturbingly well. This entire planet was going to get overrun someday. I thought that was why the Tytons had left in the first place.

“If this portal was used to go to your homeworld, I can't stop you from investigating,” Wozim finally said.

His words cut me by surprise. I've been afraid to ask for his permission to go, not with so much left undone here. Yet, the idea of Taliz and Tytons and Screamers rampaging through unsuspecting cities back home gave me chills.

“If we can take control of the planet-stepping portal on the other hand, that should solve the problem, right?” I continued before he had enough time to actually answer.

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