Allies (Warriors of Karal Book 5) Read Online Free Page B

to go to. The Earth cannot support us any longer.”
    “I wish that it could be different for you, I still don’t understand why you are here. Why I was not given a woman who was willing.”
    “It’s because my mother’s the new President. I’m not supposed to say anything about what happened. But I think the information is safe with you. I don’t think you’ll be going back to Earth again, will you?” she asked.
    “No, Petra, I have no wish to return there.” He looked at her and smiled, and his colours changed to red and greens. “The President: that is like your Ruler?”
    “Yes, it is. From what my mother told me, the Karal helped her followers overthrow the old President. And somehow, for some reason, your Hier Ruler decided that it would be a good idea for me to be taken to Karal in exchange for that help.”
    “You mean like a hostage?” he asked, his face creased in a frown as he studied her again
    “I hadn’t thought of it like that. But I suppose that’s what I am isn’t it?”
    “Not to me,” he said so quickly that she had to believe him. If the Hier Ruler had a purpose for her, other than to just be another breeding female, then she was certain Niko wasn’t in on it.
    “Thank you,” she said, and watched the colours dance across his skin. “Are those like your emotions?”
    He put his hand to his cheek and touched his skin, which was exploding in red stars now. “A little. Usually we keep them under control.”
    “But you can’t with me around?” she asked, half teasing, half hopeful.
    “I think it was the pollutants in the air on Earth,” he said, his face serious.
    She laughed, unable to stop herself. “If that’s what you want to think.” He looked at her, his face worried, his skin lit up like a rainbow, which he obviously hated because he turned away from her.
    Petra smiled. She liked Niko, and after days of pent-up tension, whilst dealing with the news her mother was the President, she was glad to be relaxing with her new alien friend. If they were friends.
    “So tell me, what we are going to do in deep space.”
    He glanced at her sideways, not wanting her to see his lack of emotional control. “Have you been told anything?”
    “Only that we are looking for a new Earth, but I’m not exactly sure how we’re going to do that. Do we go to sleep, you know, cryogenics? How long do we travel for?”
    “Days, weeks, we use wormhole technology. We don’t sleep,” he said, and then pointed in front of them.
    She stared out of the window, and then saw what looked like three lumps of space debris with flashing lights. “What are those?”
    “They are the beacons that keep the wormhole open. That is how we are going to travel through space.” He eased the throttle back, slowing them down so she could have a good look at the beacons. Then he throttled forward and they entered the wormhole, and the whole of space lit up as they tumbled around in what seemed like a garbage chute.
    Round and round, the colours coalescing and then separating as they flew past stars and planets, but they weren’t really there, they looked as if they were in a different part of space, and even if the cruiser stopped right now, they would not be able to change direction and fly over to them and land.
    “This is amazing,” she said, as they slowed momentarily, giving her the briefest look at a red dwarf, before they shot forward again. Despite the feeling she had left her stomach a million light-years away, she was excited to see where they were going next.
    But then it was over, and the garbage chute analogy came back to her as they were spat out into space.
    “Is that Karal?” she asked, pointing at a violet-coloured planet to their right.
    “Yes.”
    “It’s very beautiful,” she admitted. Maybe even more beautiful than Earth . But she would never admit that to him.
    “Before we can land, you have to go through decon’,” he said, and nodded to a silver space station before