Selati, a big construct forced to work in the cobalt mines of Ilmare, is terrified of the overseers. Danger dogs his every breath, somehow the leader of his ragged work crew, and he finally has enough when the mine itself almost kills him. Humans or no humans, he refuses to let his crew die down in the dark. As his crew takes their stand in their bid for freedom, rescue comes. Freedom in the light and a whole new life awaits.<br><br>It’s a duty Aleledai takes great pride in, saving his fellow Caniean. Humans might have created them to mine and nothing more, but like all things, the Caniean are not the mindless beasts humans intended to work to death for resources. Selati’s rescue is probably his greatest accomplishment, because something about this one becomes everything Aleledai was missing, that made freedom perfect.<br><br>Humans don’t let go of their things easily, though and war is coming, no matter what the Caniean want. The price of freedom is always high. Aleledai only hopes the price isn’t everything he’s found worth living for.

A Soldier's Horizon

The human’s stumbling run brought him too close. Aleledai pulled his arm back and let fly, his closed fist scoring a hard hit to the nose of the human. Cartilage crunched against his knuckles. The human fell down in the dirt, spread out and unconscious. Zerai hissed as Aleledai registered the pain in his hand. Red-black blood gleamed in the lamp light, skin split over the sharp bones.


Aleledai shook his head when Zerai reached for him, in time with the faint pulse of his injury, easy to ignore. He laid a careful hand on the injured Caniean’s shoulder, the one propped up by the Foreseen. “Tend to this one first.”


“There’s nothing I can do for him, Aleledai. He’s used that nasty glue on it.” Zerai directed his attention to the wide gash in the stranger’s hip, just below where porcelain skin melded into scales.


Chapter 7