Taste of Cyn

Warlord’s Mercy – Fourth Scene Of The First Chapter

By Cynthia Sax on June 8, 2020

Warlord’s Mercy, the fifth standalone story in the Chamele Barbarian Warlords series, is releasing on June 16th.

You can read the first scene from the first chapter here:

http://tasteofcyn.com/?p=7115

This week I’m sharing the final scene of that first chapter.

***

The tiny vessel was jammed between a boulder and the side of the mountain.

“Ohhh…the damage is bad, really bad.” The entire roof had been torn open. Its side panels were gouged and dented.

There were markings on it. She gazed closer at it.

“That’s the universal language.” Almost every being knew it. “And Dorian.” That was written and spoken by a species bearing the same name. She smiled. “Thank you, Father. I never believed I’d use Dorian, but you insisted I learn it, and now it might save me.”

That knowledge would be useful to locate the power converter.

“Get moving, Lea.” She extracted daggers from the sheaths on her thighs. “You have no time to dawdle. Others will arrive at the site soon.”

Parts were hard to find. Every being on the planet would be seeking to strip the escape pod of anything at all usable.

And newcomers weren’t the only possible source of danger. She approached the small vessel slowly, carefully. “Assume it is occupied and the being is hostile.”

Severed cables snapped and writhed on the sands around her. Blue sparks lit the area. Fuel wet the sand. It was a hazardous combination.

“You have to do this.” She might not get another chance to retrieve a power converter. They were coveted and in high demand.

A set of bloody handprints decorated a side panel. Lea paused.

“That’s one large palm.” The being’s fingers were thick, appeared human or humanoid. “I’m guessing you’re a male.”

The handprints relayed more than that.

“You’re injured.” She glanced at the ground.

There was no trail of blood, not that she could detect. She didn’t see any footprints.

“And you’re missing.” He had vanished into the air.

She paused for a moment, uncertain of her next actions.

“You can’t be that injured, not if you moved that quickly.” He should survive for a couple more moments. “I’ll extract the power converter before I search for you.”

He must be hidden. It would be safer for him if he remained that way while she found the part she needed.

Her gaze returned to the escape pod. “Stars. I hope there are no dead bodies inside there.”

She’d seen too much death in her lifespan, didn’t want to see more.

“You can do this.” Taking a fortifying breath, she sheathed her daggers, grabbed the edge of the escape pod, and pulled herself upward, grunting with the effort.

She peered into the small vessel.

“It’s empty.” She exhaled, almost giddy with relief. “Thank the stars.”

Puddles of rich red blood pooled on one of the white seats. More blood slicked the floor. A jagged piece of metal had pierced the back of the seat. The end of that narrow strip of debris was painted crimson.

“Ouch.” She winced. The being sitting there had been impaled. “You can’t be human. A human couldn’t survive a wound like that.”

Yet there was no being inside the escape pod.

She looked over her shoulder, saw no one behind her. “Unless there are two of you and the second being carried you out.”

The blood on the palm print could have belonged to the wounded being.

“I may have two beings needing help.” The situation was growing more complicated by the moment. “Hold on while I get what I came for.” She hefted herself over the edge of the side panel.

And tumbled headfirst into the escape pod.

Her hands slid on the bloody seat. The left side of her chest coverings became damp.

“Ugh.” She righted herself. “This garment will have to be discarded.”

She gazed around her. The control pad had been torn off the wall. She followed the cables attached to it. The homing device had been disconnected.

“That looks like it was done deliberately.” It wasn’t a product of the crash.

Trepidation skittered over her skin.

“You don’t want to be tracked.” That was the only reason she could think for a being to remove a homing device from an escape pod.

What did that mean?

“Nothing. That means nothing.” She reassured herself. “I don’t want to be tracked, and I’m not a violent being.”

The beings from the escape pod might not be violent either.

She studied her surroundings. “I’m guessing the control pad is situated close to the power converter.” She pried off a wall panel. “Shit. It isn’t there.”

She removed another one.

“Success.” Lea grinned “And the power converter looks to be intact.”

She extracted a dagger from a sheath and carefully disconnected the delicate piece of technology. Sweat beaded on her forehead as she worked.

“Work quickly, Lea.” The escape pod’s one or two former occupants were missing and could be hurt or hostile.

Daisun and his band of thugs would also have noticed the crash, would be headed toward the site. A tremor of fear ran down her spine.

“If he captures you, you’ll wish you were dead.” Her tone was bleak.

He’d torture her in all the ways a being could be tortured. Her lifespan would consist of pain and humiliation and hunger.

Lea’s jaw jutted. “You’ve survived this long. You’ll avoid that fate.”

The power converter was heavy and unwieldly.

“I need something to convey it in.” She felt under the seats, located an ugly medic pack. “This could be useful.”

She might have one or two beings who required care. Lea slung it over one of her shoulders and continued her search.

There was an equally hideous-looking pack filled with nourishment bars stored under the seats also. “I don’t need these.” Chamele 4 provided all the nourishment she required.

She dumped the tasteless rations on the floor, placed the power converter in the pack.

“More water could be needed.” She had some drinkable liquid. Only a fool would venture outside in Chamele 4’s heat without that.

But she doubted she had enough to clean wounds and hydrate three beings.

She located a container of beverage. It had been damaged in the crash. Water seeped through the cracks.

“That’s useless.” She tossed it aside, reached under the seats again.

A rock vulture screeched, the sound barely audible.

“Oh fuck.” Lea stiffened. “It must be hunting something or someone.”

That someone was approaching the site. She glanced upward. The creature wasn’t yet visible. She had time to flee.

Hefting the power converter pack over her other shoulder, she turned toward the exterior wall. “It’s time to go.” She grabbed onto the top of it and flung herself out of the escape pod.

As soon as she did that, she realized she’d made a mistake, misjudging the severity of the drop and the impact of the packs’ additional weight on her fall.

“Fuck.”

She plummeted toward the ground, mentally bracing for the pain she’d soon experience.

“This landing is going to hurt.”

***

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Other Chameles view him as the enemy.

She sees the warrior hero he never believed he could be.

* * *

Tolui is a Warlord in search of a planet to rule. He has been leading his fellow clones in a stealth battle, fighting for both control of the Chamele sector and the right to exist. The brave warriors he commands warrant respect, and they deserve the best.

That best isn’t the barren, dangerous terrain on Chamele 4. When Tolui crashes on that planet’s surface, he’s determined to leave it as soon as possible. The tiny human female rescuing him might be as beautiful and as wild as the land she inhabits, but her flowing words, trusting gaze, and enthralling submission won’t stop him from rejoining the war.

After many solar cycles of living alone, Lea is overjoyed when a tall, scarred, muscular warrior falls from the sky. Her savage stranger is strong and severe, and he makes her feel safe, an emotion she hasn’t experienced in a long, long time.

He also insists they must part. Before they do, she’ll show him the splendor of her home, and she’ll enjoy his big form, collecting passionate moments she can revisit when she’s solitary once more.

Every additional moment Lea and Tolui spend together increases the chance they’ll both die. Lea is being chased by female-hating fiends. Tolui is being hunted by the best bounty hunters in the universe. War will soon arrive on their threshold, and the blood spilled might be their own.

* * *

Warlord’s Mercy is based on a much shorter story sharing the same title.

It is a STANDALONE Alien Barbarian SciFi Romance featuring a villain turned hero and a brave, chatty heroine set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.

Warlord’s Mercy is the fifth of six core stories in the Chamele Barbarian Warlord series.

Book 1: Warlord Sky

Book 2: Warlord’s Bounty

Book 3: Warlord Unarmed

Book 4: Warlord Reunited

Book 5: Warlord’s Mercy

Book 6: Warlord’s Return

Pre-order Now:

Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon UK:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0886K65F9

Amazon AUS:
https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0886K65F9

Apple Books:
https://books.apple.com/us/book/warlords-mercy/id1511995733