THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

deserved to walk away free.
    When Mathias looked up at the sky, Callan did as well, noting the subtle shift of color overhead that had begun undulating from the deep blue-purple shade toward a vibrant red-purple. A hint of green stripes began appearing above the forest side of the village.
    Mathias sighed, a sound heavy with the weight of responsibility on his shoulders. “We’ll have to figure out what to do with those other two captives later, but the TeK does not spend the night in our village.”
    “Agreed, but wait to deal with him until I return from checking the original transender site for new arrivals.”  Callan didn’t want anyone at risk while he was gone.
    “We need our strongest four to make that run and Jaxxson can’t go. He has to watch the little girl we brought back for any signs of reaction to the Sphere.”
    True. They couldn’t wait until Jaxxson declared the child stable or they might risk losing another one dumped in the Sphere with no defenses. Callan said, “I’ll have to take just Etoi and Zilya.”
    “No.”  Mathias shook his head. “Not after losing Sebi. You can’t go with fewer than four capable fighters and we have no one old enough or experienced enough yet to take Jaxxson’s spot. I can’t risk losing any of you and definitely not all of you. I’ll go.”
    Callan understood the worry in Mathias’s voice, but he couldn’t include Mathias on this run even though he was capable in battle. Mathias had been too distracted lately with problems inside the village and now he had three captives to pass judgment on...
    The captives . That gave Callan an idea how to convince Mathias to stay behind. “You can’t leave the village with those three in the Isolation Unit. That’s a security risk.”
    Mathias lifted his large hand and rubbed his temple, thinking. “Are any of the younger hunters capable of joining you?”
    “None are ready to face TecKnati Scouts. The captive, Rayen, easilydisarmed two of my best-trained young hunters.” 
    “That still leaves us with only three runners. We have to stick with working four in teams of two. Otherwise it’s too dangerous.” 
    Callan suggested, “Maybe Zilya’s idea about the TeK deserves consideration. If he dies, it’s on the heads of the TeK Scouts.”
    “To use Tony as croggle bait?”
    “Why not?”
    Mathias laughed. “I’m not sure a croggle would have that one. Even if we did want to take the TeK with us, I sense that the dark-haired girl will not allow those other two to be harmed. That’s why we have to be careful how we deal with this Tony.”
    Callan held up his hand. “I’m not concerned with any leniency for the TeK. And as for this Rayen, she may be strong, but she has not proven herself to be a MystiK as yet. If she is aligned with that Tony, it means she has to know a TeK will turn on his own mother to save his life.”
    “True. What’re you suggesting?”
    “With the right motivation,” Callan said, weighing his words. “Rayen may not fight us to take Tony and, even if she does, she can’t stop both of us.”
    “You would stake him like a sacrificial–”
    Etoi came running up. “Mathias!”
    Callan growled under his breath, but Etoi never gave him a chance to say a word.
    “The girl captive with the strange eyes is very ill. The other two are yelling for help. They say she is dying.”
    Callan looked to Mathias, inspiration firing his smile. “Now we’ll find out which one Rayen is willing to save.”
     

CHAPTER 17
     
    I paced the isolation hut, cursing Mathias and Zilya. I couldn’t believe Mathias was going to let Gabby die.
    Zilya might. She’d made it clear that Tony’s life meant nothing to her. But I’d thought for sure that Mathias had shown an unusual interest in Gabby, and in a positive way earlier. So why hadn’t they come to check on her by now?
    “Come on, babe, keep your eyes open,” Tony told Gabby in a concerned voice that I wouldn’t have thought possible at one time. Tony sat next to her, using a strip of cloth I’d torn from the bottom of my shirt to brush sweat off of Gabby’s forehead.
    For someone who could be so abrasive at times, Tony had picked up quickly on Gabby’s aversion to being touched. He’d been careful not to stress her worse by making any contact with her skin.
    I could do no more than Tony right now since I had no idea how to help Gabby either. I’d taken turns calling for help again, but hadn’t heard a sound in a long while.
    Gabby