Allies (Warriors of Karal Book 5) Read Free Page A

man who died, the man who was truly responsible for changing the world.
    Getting up, she chewed the inside of her mouth, willing herself not to cry in front of strangers. She tilted her head up and looked up at the dark, starless sky. It was time to go.
    Wordlessly, she turned around and walked back to the car. The guard, following close behind her, seemed relieved. Petra wondered if there really could be anyone out there, lurking in the dark shadows, hiding behind the gravestones waiting for their chance to hurt the new President’s daughter. A shudder passed through her, and the breeze ruffled her hair as she turned one last time to look behind her, one last glance at her father’s grave. But it was lost in the darkness.
    The guard opened the car door for her and she slid in, and as he shut it, it was as if this part of her life was been closed off, ending, and ahead of her, new life was ready to begin. The only question remained, was she willing to embrace that new life? Or would she kick and pull against it and be unsatisfied until she died on some far-off planet she could never call home?
    The streets were empty as they drove to the airport. Not surprising really, there was little fuel for cars. In the daytime, the streets were usually filled with people walking, or riding bikes, that were rust-filled and held together by tape and fresh air. But at night, they were deserted.
    She was glad; it meant the journey was quick. Inside the car the air felt oppressive as if the weight of the Earth was closing in around her, as if the people were crowding around her, grabbing at her, just as they had at the President on the day he was ousted from power.
    Ahead of them she could see the tower of the airport; they were close now. The car pulled off the road and headed along a disused runway. There, in front of her, she could see the outline of the space cruiser that would take her to her new home. It was the size of a small aeroplane but a completely different shape. Wider, with nothing that looked like wings, and she wondered how it flew.
    She tilted her head to the side, studying it, as it loomed larger in front of her, and now she caught the glimpse of an alien. He was walking round his cruiser, looking all around him, until he heard the car. He turned to watch their approach, and another shudder passed through her.
    Petra had thought her bodyguard was big, but this alien was huge, big, broad shoulders muscled and toned. He made the guards who were escorting her look small, like wimps. They would never stand a chance against a man like this, and it brought home to her the frailty of the human race.
    The car pulled up, and this time she didn’t wait for the guard to come and help her out. Instead, she pulled the handle, opened the door, and got out. She was no longer the President’s daughter: she was a lottery winner, just like all the other females who went to Karal.
    That was what she wanted to be, a normal lottery winner. She might not have entered the lottery, but she knew this was how it had to be, and she was sensible enough to understand that she either embraced it, or it would ruin her. Because to go unwillingly, would mean this alien forcing himself on her. After all, she knew full well she had one job, one duty, and that was to breed the next race of this alien species.
    The guard opened the trunk of the car and took out her suitcase, then he came around to where she stood. He hesitated for a moment, looking towards the Karalian hidden in the shadows. As if it was still his job to protect her, he walked past her, heading towards the alien, but she stopped him. “I can take it from here, thank you.”
    “I can carry it to the ship for you. And check out everything before you board the alien vessel.”
    “No, thank you. This is where you leave me.”
    “I swore to your mother that I would see you safely on board.” The guard seemed reluctant to give up her suitcase, but she reached out for it and closed her hand