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powers, so their weapons must operate on their conscious thoughts. Her own intention to fire the weapon caused it to fire.
    An Avitras rushed up to Tinim and slashed him across the chest with his double-bladed staff. Orbnim exchanged fire with an Ursidrean, and Renier tackled Albinim. He pulled a short, thick blade from his belt and drove it toward the Romarie’s chest. Albinim got his weapon out in time, but it went off before he could aim it. The shot ricocheted off the ceiling and flattened a group of Angondrans rushing to join the fight.
    Carmen dashed forward and grabbed Penelope Ann by the hand. “Come on! This is our chance! Let’s get out of here.”
    Aria turned around and shouted, “What?”
    Penelope Ann didn’t wait to be told twice. She followed Carmen away from the vehicle and into the crowd. Marissa cast an uncertain glance over her shoulder. All the remaining Romarie were engaged in mortal combat with the Angrondrans. She set off after Carmen and Penelope Ann.
    Aria hesitated one second longer, and in that second, the Romarie must have detected their intention to escape. Orbnim fired one more time at his Ursidrean foe. The shot flew wide and sailed into the crowd. Caleb rushed out of nowhere, directly into the path of the shot, and it hit him squarely in the chest. He crumpled onto the ground, and Carmen saw Marissa standing still on the other side of him. She stared down at his prostrate form. He’d stepped in front of the shot to save her from being hit.
    Orbnim didn’t see any of that. He fired his weapon into the crowd and darted forward. His tentacles danced out from his face, and Aria froze in mid-stride. Carmen stopped, too.
    Penelope Ann touched her arm. “Come on, Carmen. Let’s get out of here. I don’t know where we’re going to go, but we can get lost in this crowd. At least we won’t be on our way to the markets on the planet Corax.”
    Carmen shook her head. “We can’t leave Aria.”
    Marissa pulled her away. “Leave her. We can’t sacrifice ourselves for one person. If we don’t go now, we’ll all be recaptured. You’ve got a weapon. We can fight our way out. Come on. Let’s go.”
    Carmen shook her hand away. “We can’t leave her here. We can’t let even one of us go to the markets. You two get into the crowd and find the exit. If you need help, find one of these factions that hates the Romarie. I’m going back to get Aria, and I’ll meet up with you later.”
    Penelope Ann rushed into the crowd. Marissa glanced back and forth between Carmen and the path to freedom. Carmen couldn’t wait any longer. She ran back toward the vehicle, but at that moment, Orbnim threw his arm around Aria’s neck and pulled her against his chest. He turned her to face the crowd and pointed his weapon at her head.
    “Get back!” he thundered. “Get back or I’ll kill this female where she stands.”
    Carmen stopped and lowered her weapon. The Avitras fighting Tinim moved back, but didn’t relax his fighting stance. Orbnim backed toward the open door of the vehicle with Aria clutched tight against his chest. The other Albinim followed his example and retreated toward their own escape.
    Carmen looked around. On all sides, the Angondrans held back to let the Romarie depart, but Carmen let out a cry of dismay. They couldn’t let these aliens take Aria off the planet. If Tinim dragged her into that vehicle, they would never see her again. They would sell her at the markets, and whatever else she did in her life, Carmen couldn’t let that happen. She would sacrifice her own chance at freedom to free her friend.
    She started forward, but Orbnim spotted her and jammed his weapon even harder against Aria’s temple. Aria let out a sob of pain and despair. Carmen raised her own weapon to aim at Orbnim, but his tentacles lashed out and caught her before she could get it into position.
    From the other side of the fight, Renier looked up and read the situation in an instant. He held Albinim down