by S. E. Smith
Star let her eyes focus in on the opening where the warriors were again. She would have to take them out. She couldn’t trust to use the small, knock-out powder bombs that Madas made her. The area was too open and the breeze would be blowing it away from them. She would need to kill them; quickly and silently. The door she needed to access was inside where they were standing. Her heart twisted at the idea of taking another life but she would do whatever she had to do to rescue Jazin. It wasn’t like she hadn’t killed before, she reminded herself silently as she pulled the goggles from her head and stuffed them into the backpack. She looked down from where she was sitting. She would have to climb down less than a meter to a narrow metal platform surrounding the cable she would be crossing. The diameter of the cable was actually a little thicker than what she was used to balancing on so she felt confident the crossing wouldn’t be too difficult. Her eyes rose to the sky. She would start out in another ten minutes. In the meantime, she would organize her pack so she would have everything she needed handy.
“I’m coming for you Jazin,” Star murmured softly into the twilight. “If you can feel me, I’m coming for you.”
*.*.*
Jazin’s head jerked up. He had fallen into a light sleep thanks in part to the utter exhaustion in his body and to the pain patches that still helped to relieve some of his discomfort. His eyes searched the darkness of his cell. He had heard Star’s voice. He could swear he could almost feel her warm breath against his skin. She was close. His eyes closed tightly as he fought against the fear that rose inside him like lava inside a volcano that could no longer contain it.
He had been left blissfully alone for the past few hours since Jarmen had left to see if he could pick up any signs of communication or get a feel for when Tai Tek was expected to return. A shudder rocked Jazin’s body. He hoped the councilman hadn’t returned. He was hanging onto life by a thread. He had only had the small amount of water and nutrients that Jarmen had brought him. Between the lack of food and water and blood loss from the torture his body had endured, he was extremely weak. Fear engulfed him at the thought of what would happen to Star if Tai Tek got his hands on her.
“Please, if you are listening,” Jazin whispered quietly into the cold darkness surrounding him. “Please, keep her safe.”
Before he had met Star, it had been years since he thought of the Gods that had liberated their world. Zephren, the God of War, his two sons and three daughters had come to their world thousands of years ago. The ancient scripts tell of a time when the people of Kassis had been almost extinct. Their world taken over by a cruel race of aliens who wanted to strip their world of everything that lived. Zephren, his two sons and three daughters arrived on the night the twin moons of Kassis aligned with one another to form one moon. It was said to only happen once every two thousand years. The skies turned a dark purple from the fierce storm that raged in the heavens. Out of the storm, six great ships appeared in the skies over the last remaining cities of Kassis, each commanded by one of the Great Gods and the Goddesses. The battle that followed was fierce but by the end, the people of Kassis were free. His family was supposed to be descended from one of the Goddesses. The goddess was said to have fallen in love with the commander of the forces protecting the city where his home was located while her sisters were said to have fallen in love with his cousins. It is said that is how the different clans had formed in an effort to make their world stronger. In fact if he remembered the lessons he received when he was a boy, the garden located in the center of the Four Houses of Kassis is where his forefather and the Goddess were said to have sworn their love and the Royal Houses of Kassis were built for their children. He was named after that great warrior from long ago.
Now, he thought as he leaned his head back against the jagged wall, I have my own alien warrior.
How his ancestor dealt with having a mate who was in constant danger was beyond him. He could feel his gut twist at the thought of anything happening to Star. A small smile tugged at his lips as he thought of her mutinous glare after he had returned to his House with her. She was constantly trying to sneak out or do things he felt were too much for her. Her blistering curses still stung his ears whenever he would catch her just as her heated kisses warmed his soul. A chuckle escaped as he remembered.
No, he thought, I wouldn’t want her any other way. I love her so much. I don’t remember if I ever told her that. I have to live so I can tell her just how much she means to me.
He pulled a pain patch he had hidden from under a loose rock and slid it into place on his neck. If what Jarmen said was true, others knew where he was and would be coming for him. He would need to do what he could to help. He focused inward, trying to focus his mind and body on gathering the strength it would need when the time came. Hope blossomed inside him as he realized he would not die alone in this unknown prison. A fierce burning rage began building with that hope. He would return home. He would not let his people down. He would not leave them vulnerable to attack. He was Jazin Ja Kel Coradon, the third son of the ruling House of Kassis, descendant of the Goddess and the great warrior Jazin. He would rise to protect his people as was his right as a Lord of Kassis.
He rose slowly, steadily as he felt the spirit of the warriors of old return to his mind and body. With concentrated effort, he began moving in a focused pattern. Slowly at first, before he increased the speed as his body responded to his commands. He ignored the torn flesh on his chest and back, he ignored the pull on the cuts or the ache from the bruises. The pain patch was doing its job of blocking most of his discomfort. He turned, striking out in the age old dance of the warrior. He would be ready when his mate came. He would fight beside her as long as he could.
*.*.*
Star paused as she waited for the gust of wind to finish its twirling, shifting flow around her. It wasn’t bad but there were occasional gusts that threaten to unbalance her. She stood straight until it passed, the long staff in her hands tilting ever so slightly when she needed the additional balance on one side or the other. The shoes she had on were softer than the boots in the bag on her back. She kept the small crossbow and arrow tucked securely under the bag. She stared straight ahead, feeling carefully with her toes as her eyes focused on the image of the end of the wire that she had in her head. She had descended from her hiding place just after dark and stepped onto the wire. She estimated she had just under a hundred meters to the tower. She had paused four times as gusts gathered and danced around her, trying to unbalance her slight form. She refused to bend to it. Now as the end approached, she focused on it. She was close enough to see where the wire was bolted into the heavy stone fortress. A search light danced under her briefly but it was scanning far lower than where she stood.
She breathed out a silent sigh of relief as she stepped on the slanted roof of the tower. Leaning forward, she gripped one of the iron rings used as a foot and hand hold. She twisted and sat down, pulling the backpack and crossbow off her back. She tucked the backpack around one of the iron rings higher up before loading two arrows into the crossbow. She clenched another arrow between her teeth before she climbed down to the last ring. Turning, she slid her feet under the ring and did a slow back bend. She would be hanging by her feet from the ring and firing the crossbow upside down. It would be similar to when she was doing some of her acts. She just needed to focus on the fact that the targets were a living, moving entity. Arching her back, she slowly lowered her body using the muscles she had perfected over a lifetime of training. She barely reached pass the edge of the roof. She remained still, her muscles straining as she carefully took aim. One warrior came around the corner to talk to the other man. She would have to be quick to kill them both.
“I need refreshments,” the one warrior was saying to the other. “Do you want anything?”
“Bring me some food,” the other grumbled as he moved the light in a slow arc. “I didn’t get any dinner. Tai Tek’s new Captain of the Guard ordered me up here instead. This is the third shift I h
ave had without a break,” he complained. “I am going to catch a few hours of sleep later.”
“Might as well,” the first warrior replied stepping forward until he was in the way of the other man. “Nothing happens here. I don’t mind, just don’t let the Captain catch you,” he muttered darkly. “He slit two of the warriors throats for complaining earlier.”
“The first chance I get, I am off this rock,” the man replied. “I can find better pay selling fighters to the fight rings on Elpidios than I do here.”
“Maybe we can go in together,” the man said before he turned to head towards the door. His eyes widened when he saw Star’s long, blond braid hanging down below her.
Star fired the crossbow just as the man opened his mouth. He jerked back a step in surprise and looked down at the arrow protruding from his chest before collapsing to the floor. The first man turned in surprise and took a step forward but that was as far as he got before Star released the second arrow, hitting him in the throat. The man’s strangled gasp was soft but seemed to echo loudly in Star’s sensitive ears. She quickly pulled herself back up. Twisting, she grabbed the backpack and slid it over her shoulders. She left the staff balanced on the rings and clipped the crossbow securely to her side before climbing back down to the last ring. She turned facing the top of the roof and did a handstand, holding onto the ring before letting her body fall over the side of the roof and swinging into the open area. She tucked and rolled, coming up on one knee and quickly threaded another arrow into the crossbow. After making sure she was alone except for the two dead bodies, she tapped the small device hooked to her ear to turn it on.
“I’m in,” she whispered before she turned the device back off.
Star removed the backpack and pulled out the three items she would need to take down the defense system. She pulled the woven mask over her face making sure it was secure before she pulled out two of the small round, clay powder balls that Madas had made for her. The last thing she pulled out was the device to unlock the door without alerting those inside. She stood up and walked over to the narrow doorway. A panel was lit next to it. Star attached the device and pressed the button Dakar showed her. She waited impatiently, looking around her as a series of lights on the panel changed from red to green. Her eyes skirted the two men she had killed. She refused to feel remorse. Those men had made their choice when they decided to work for Tai Tek. From what she heard before she shot them, they planned on doing other things that would have hurt others as well. The last light turned and the door in front of her opened silently. Star stepped in and turned, facing the door as it closed behind her. There would be no turning back now.
*.*.*
“She’s in,” Dakar called out quietly to Madas who was working her way down the side of the mountain.
“We are almost to the cable,” Madas responded in a soft hiss.
Dakar glanced down. He could see the cable as clear as day with the night goggles on. Madas had not needed any. He was learning some very interesting things about his Tearnat companion. She had a spunk about her that the women of Kassis lacked. She also had a strange sense of humor that he liked. She had offered to carry him on her back down the side of the mountain if he wanted. When he had bit back an angry retort she had dissolved in giggles that told him she knew he would have never accepted such help. When he threatened to tell Gril about her offer she had blushed furiously.
“I wouldn’t if I were you,” she hissed out as she ducked her head.
“Why? Do you think he would be upset to know that you had another male wrapped around you?” Dakar had asked with a raised brow enjoying watching the female Tearnat shift uncomfortably.
Madas long lashes rose and she looked at Dakar with a small smile. “He can be very jealous. If you were on my back, he might think you were trying to mount me,” she hissed out with a chuckle. “Not that you would, but he would not see it as that.”
Dakar’s eyes widened as he studied Madas. She was very beautiful in her own way. Her long lashes framed midnight colored eyes that glittered often with humor, compassion, and intelligence. He let his eyes run down over the slender curve of her head and neck before traveling down her body. She was different but she beautiful.
“I wouldn’t be so sure, Lady Madas,” Dakar said with a slight curve to his lips in return. “You are a very beautiful lady. It is hard to ignore that and I am sure your mate is more aware of your beauty than you appear to be,” he responded before disappearing over the edge of the mountain.
Madas’ eyes widened as Dakar’s words sank in and she blushed an even darker green as his eyes roamed over her. Never before had she thought that another male would look at her with desire the way Gril did. The fact that the Kassisan warrior saw her as a desirable female stunned her. She would have to ask her mate about it. Madas pictured Gril’s face when she related what the warrior had just said and decided maybe, just maybe, it would be better not to say anything after all.
Madas jumped down, landing lightly on the metal access ledge surrounding the cable. A moment later, Dakar landed beside her. He quickly scanned the open area where Star had said she was at. He did not see anything which meant she had already accessed the lift that would take her down to the control room. He drew in a deep, calming breath trying to calm the nerves that twisted in him at the thought of what would happen to Star if she was caught.
He turned when he felt a slender hand brush his arm. “She will be fine,” Madas said looking, not at Dakar but at the tower across from them.
“Defenses down,” a soft voice suddenly caressed his ear.
“She has taken the control room,” Dakar said harshly as the breath he drew in earlier was released in relief. “Let’s go.”
Madas attached the hand bar to the wire and launched herself over the edge. The slight downward angle allowed her to slide at a steady rate of decline. She swung into the opened area the moment she was close enough and turned. Her arm reached out and grabbed Dakar around the waist as he came in after her a little faster than he thought. She steadied him before quickly releasing him and stepping back.
“Thanks,” Dakar said gruffly.
“Let us get Lord Jazin and get out of here,” Madas said nodding toward the two dead men. “I expect there will be many more before we are though. I would just as soon not be one of them.”
Dakar nodded and stepped toward the lift. The device was still attached to it so they could enter. He pressed the device and the lift opened. Pulling the device off the key panel, he stepped inside the lift and waited for Madas before pressing the inside panel. Within moments they were descending rapidly down the tower to the ground floor control room. Both he and Madas pulled their laser pistols out in preparation. They wanted no surprises.
*.*.*
Star turned as the door opened to the control room, drawing the crossbow around in front of her. She was about to release the arrow she had ready when the glowing eyes froze her finger on the trigger. She stared at the face intently before a frown twisted her face into a scowl.
“Well, are you going to come in or are you going to let everyone and their brother know that something is going on?” She asked impatiently.
She turned back to the control panel and focused on what she had been doing. Armet told her to disable the communications system so that the warriors could not send and receive instructions. She was trying to find the panel he showed her in the diagram.
“What are you trying to do?” The raspy, deep voice asked hesitantly.
Star glanced over her shoulder at the hooded figure. “Armet and Dakar said I needed to disable their communications systems but I can’t find the panel that looks like the one they showed me,” she complained.
“I will disable it,” the man replied quietly.
Star watched as his amber eyes appeared to swirl with color as he focused for a moment. “It is disabled,” he replied before turning his head.
Jarmen went to take a step back but stopped in surprise as a tiny, slender han
d touched his arm. He jerked in surprise at the feel of another being touching him, even if it was through the material of his shirt. His eyes fastened on the light blues ones staring at him intently.
“Is he still alive?” The husky voice of the female asked with a tremble in it. “Jazin. Is my mate alive?”
“Yes,” Jarmen responded. “His lives.”
Star’s eyes filled with tears and she sniffed before she moved close enough so she could wrap her arms tightly around Jarmen’s waist. “Thank you. Thank you so much for everything. I’ll never be able to repay you for what you have done,” she choked out.
Jarmen stared over the head of the female who had her arms wrapped tightly around him. Warmth flooded his system as feelings he had never encountered before tore through him. This is what it meant to receive a hug. His brain processed the information it was receiving and analyzed the effects on his body. He breathed in deeply. Shock flowed through him at the resulting reaction. He was able to detect every scent and break it down to its most elemental form. The classification of flowers that mixed with her hair follicle, the lotion she had with another delicate scent, the salt, sweat, and natural aroma of her skin. All of it came to him and was processed, analyzed and stored. His arms closed lightly around her wanting to see if the feel of her skin matched what he had read about. The sensors on the tips of his fingers picked up the texture and he almost groaned at the softness. His own skin covering was not as soft as this and the times he had touched Jazin to help him stand or to grasp his hand had never felt this soft, delicate, and smooth.
