Back Home (Edited) Book 4 of the Guardians Saga

CH 6.1 Smart Aleck

Alex wrinkled her nose at him. "Nag."

They kept their space from one another as they moved forward, slicing through monsters with each swing of their swords.

They reached Gabe and Cale when Rile shouted, "Up!"

Alex quickly sheathed her sword and fell back behind them. She extended both hands while Gabe and Rile grabbed hold of one each and Cale firmly gripped onto her shoulder. Alex speed-burst up.

Gabe shouted, "Next division!" and Alex obliged as they glided above the chaotic battlefield. Gabe craned his neck and his expression softened at the sight of her bloodstained back. Rile cursed soundly at the sight.

Gabe opened his mouth to speak, but Cale beat him to it. "I'm on it," Cale said. "Give your orders to the warriors."

They landed, and with a curt nod, Gabe jogged to the nearest general.

As soon as Gabe was out of earshot, Cale placed a gentle hand on Alex's shoulder. His eye-ridge was arched in concern and confusion. "What happened?"

"Don't know." Alex couldn't bring herself to tell him that the monster had cut through her slipstream—a feat she never thought possible. She avoided his gaze, but Rile lifted her chin and looked her in the eyes.

"How did a monster even cut through your slipstream?" Cale asked incredulously, his head tilting to one side as if he was solving a puzzle.

Alex wanted to call him a smart aleck, but mustered an answer: "Don't know. Must have kicked off when the monster surprised me."

Cale shook his head. "That's never happened before."

Rile said in a warning tone, "Alex, now is not the time to be stubborn. Tell us."

The urge to call them smart alecks resurfaced, yet Alex contained it. Instead, she looked up, showcasing what she hoped would be a disarming smile, and asked, "Can you patch it up? Please?" Then her eyes turned towards Gabe, deep in discussion with a general.

Cale nodded at her hint: do it before Gabe gets a good look at it. Cale always packed a first aid kit from Earth on hunts and battles, so began cleaning the area with a wet cloth. Rile hugged Alex close for comfort and to keep her from moving. After Cale rubbed some antiseptic ointment onto the wound, he carefully applied gauze to the area and secured it with medical tape.

"This is only a field dressing," Cale said firmly, as he pinned her with his intense gaze. "I will clean it and re-dress it later. No wriggling out of it."

Alex smiled fondly at him in response.

Rile rolled his eyes. "I'll tie her up if I have to."

They looked over at Gabe again and he looked like he was in heaven. Having air transport, reconnaissance, and fast communications was any military leader's goal and Gabe had expressed his appreciation to Alex. He saw them looking at him, so he nodded to the general and walked over. He had Alex fly them high for an overall view. Unsure of what had happened to her slipstream, Alex complied, happy to retreat from the monsters for a while. They dropped off Cale and Rile at one division, where they had friends.

Alex looked down at the battle below - a jumbled mess of spears, swords, and arrows clashing in a cacophony of screams and cries. Despite the chaos, Gabe's gaze darted around. Alex knew he was seeing patterns that Alex could not. He asked her to head back to Clan Head Gaza. The old Agama, too, looked like he was in heaven. His eyes shone with delight and he was positively humming with energy. She bet he found sense of purpose again as he commanded troops and led another generation of warriors into battle, a young buck he liked at his side.