Minor
We all heard it. My aunt Shree shrieked, "INTRUDER!" Her voice rang in our minds. She was in pain, and she was very angry.
I reached out with the rest of my family to touch her mind and try to understand. Her thoughts were clouded by her rage, but there were clear images of her partner, one of the palace guards, covered in blood. They were fighting someone. Her rage only allowed distorted images of their opponent, mostly flashes of flesh as she tried to tear into them, and flashes of a blade and explosions and more blood.
In an instant, we all converged on Callie and her family. Dad was relaying what we knew to Her and Romnoe. Mom wasn't there so she must have taken the babies somewhere safe; they were only hatchlings so her protective instincts were still really strong.
"Get your family to safety, you kids go take care of the injured-"
I was no longer listening. An image of the enemy fighting in the palace came through Aunt Shree's mind. It was only a brief flash and distorted by her rage and covered in blood, but... it couldn't be.
I teleported, unable to think of anything else. Just a few feet away, my aunt was in her dragon form. I saw her snap, tearing a chunk from a man's shoulder. From Qualin's shoulder. He yelped in pain and hissed, clawing the air next to her face and causing an explosion.
She jumped away in pain as more blood spilled from Qualin's shoulder as well as a deep gash on his side.
It only took a glance to see the other bodies on the ground. If they weren't dead they nearly were. Qualin did this? Why? Why was he here, this had to be a mistake or a misunderstanding. It didn't make sense.
I looked back at him, covered in blood and snarling, clutching his side and barely able to stand. He looked scared. Ready to fight to the death, but I still didn't sense any evil intent. it made no sense.
It didn't matter. The fight was was already over. My aunt lunged again. He made another explosion but it threw him off balance and he fell, barely catching himself with his free hand.
Rayken, a man I call uncle, had been waiting for the opening. His sword was already in mid swing and Qualin was in no position to defend. His head was about to be cut clean from his body.
It was a reflex. I don't remember teleporting, I just reached out and grabbed my uncle's sword arm, using telekinesis to completely stop his momentum.
"STOP!" I barely recognized my own voice.
"Minor? What are you doing?!"
I didn't have time to answer Rayken. Shree was still after blood and lunging for Qualin again. In the state he was in, she'd rip him apart for sure.
Shoving Rayken back a few feet, I leapt between Qualin and Shree. She was too enraged to really see me. I caught her by her scaled wrists and barely managed to hold her at bay with my telekeniesis; her jaws snapped inches from my face.
"ENOUGH!" I shouted, using the full force of my mind to press upon her. That seemed to break threw for a moment and she eased up. I saw the recognition flash in her eyes.
I pushed her away and spun back to Qualin. one of the other guards was closing the distance along with Rayken. All I could think to do was cover him.
I threw my full weight onto Qualin's body, forcing him the rest of the way to floor. I held him there, shielded from any more potentially fatal blows. That's when our eyes met for the first time that night. He looked as shocked to see me as I was to see him.
"Minor! What are you doing?!"
"He's my friend!" I answered Rayken without breaking eye contact with Qualin. I could feel tears begining to well up in my eyes but I braced and choked them back. I needed to keep a clear head if I was going to keep him safe. And at that moment, as I felt his blood seeping through my clothes and saw the fear, shock, and shame on his face, all I could think about was protecting him.
***
Qualin.
"He's my friend!" It was Minor.
What was happening? What was he doing in the palace? He wasn't supposed to be here. As he looked down at me with an expression riddled with confusion and what I could only describe as heartbreak, I felt my stomach sink. He knew, or was about to find out, what I really was. The thought was nearly unbearable.
"Your 'friend', is a thief and a murderer!"
Minor looked at the man then back to me, shaking his head in disbelief.
All I could do was lower my head. I couldn't stand to see the look on his face anymore. I saw the stream of energy following near my hand. I knew I could do at least one more big explosion. With the current confusion in the room, it might be enough for me to break away, but what for? Suddenly the idea of escaping, of boss man's plan, of even saving my own skin, just seemed pointless.
Fuck it. It was over...Finally. The small wave of relief was a surprise. I closed my eyes and a sardonic chuckle pulled at my lips as the exhaustion washed over me and I sunk to the floor. I'd probably bleed to death while they sorted everything out.
"Qualin!" Minor's voice broke as he called my name. I cut my eyes up at him for just a second. There were tears starting to roll down his cheeks. Damn. He was actually crying for me. I think I was still smiling like a jackass, but I felt my ears drop against my head and I closed my eyes again as they blurred with tears.
What the hell was wrong with me? I didn't deserve any pity. Would someone just kill me already? Honestly, the idea of dying in his warm embrace sounded so much better than later on a cold executioner's block.
His hands went to the deep wound in my side and I felt the warmth of his touch. It was surprisingly warm, actually, and comforting. The pain seemed to be fading; the sensation began to spread through my body.
"You're healing him?! There are good men dead and dying because of him and your healing him!?"
"I know, ok, it's just... no one else will, and if he dies...I don't think we'd be able to bring him back..."
"That's still a twisted priority."
"I know, I get it."
I opened my eyes as they spoke and saw that the warm sensation was coming from a white light spreading from his hand into my body. It was nearly engulfing my core when it suddenly faded.
"There, at least he won't die, and look," his other hand gestured towards some of the other fallen men. Men that I had maimed and presumably killed. "My family's already healing the others. Everyone will be fine."
"Yeah, Moonbeam and a couple of our older siblings are sweeping the palace looking for other intruders." This new, strongly built young man spoke as the same white light seemed to pour into the man he was kneeling next to. When it faded, the man began to stir and sat up without a trace of blood on him.
"Our other litter mates are taking care of the others." His eyes caught mine. His expression seemed uncertain, "He left quite a trail of bodies, but I think we've got everyone. Only a few were actually critical."
"Thank you, Galaxy." Minor nodded and smiled weakly at the other young man, still huddled over me in a protective stance. Why was he still protecting me?
"And Dad says he caught three more that were apparently trying to take Jarai."
"What? Is the crown prince alright?!"
"What?" The question escaped me before I realized it.
"Is that what you were really after?! A child!" The swordsman raised his blade to me again, outrage clear on his face.
"Is that true?" Minor's face was a mix of disbelief and horror. "Are you trying to hurt Jarai?"
"No! Look, I don't know anything about a kid! My job was to create a distraction, take out some guards, so the others would have a clearer shot at the treasury. Then while everyone was chasing me, they'd escape with the real pay day, and I'd meet them at the shuttlebay." I felt a tightening in my chest as I spilled the whole plan and my part in it, "But I swear, no one ever said anything about going after a kid."
"So you admit to being a thief and murderer, but kidnapper is a step too far. I guess that's something." The swordsman's scoff was understandable. It wasn't an excuse. And the truth was, if I had known, it probably wouldn't have made a difference. I still would have had to do what boss man said, but it still made me angry...
"He's telling the truth." Minor believed me???
"Minor, that's enough." I turned at the sound of another voice. A man with black hair and canine ears and a tail was standing behind me. A beastling??? His scent wasn't right, but the features were undeniable...
"but, Dad-"
I looked back at Minor with surprise. Dad? what was going on? Who, and what, was he really?
The beastling-man raised a hand to silent Minor's protest. "He attacked their people, and whether he knew it or not, was helping people that tried to take, and were willing to kill, Romnoe and Callie's son. So they have the right to deal with him according to their laws."
"But-"
"He was probably just using you, kid. to get information, or-"
"No!" I cut off the swordsman and turned to Minor. "You weren't supposed to have anything to do with this." I wasn't sure why that mattered so much, but it did to me. I wanted him to know that.
"I believe you." He turned to the others in the room. "He had no idea I had any connection to the palace or royal family. This really is a...coincidence."
"It doesn't matter." His father reiterated. "He's theirs to deal with." His expression was stern and after a moment, Minor lowered his head and slowly pulled away from me.
It felt like it was all over as one of the guards lifted me from the ground, binding my hands behind my back. Several more surrounded me with swords drawn as they lead me away. It didn't matter. There was no fight left in me.