The Warrior Woman

by Evelyn Lederman

  The room had been silent as they entered, a result of the men communicating through different communal channels. The quiet was replaced with the hum of private conversations as she and Shirl started to be noticed. Candy did not doubt she was the topic being discussed. The inner sanctum of this totally male-dominated group had been violated. Candy was the one responsible.

  “Chin up, beautiful,” Starc said as he placed his hand on her shoulder. “You will win them over. They just need to get to know you.” Starc gently propelled Candy forward as he took Shirl’s hand. Had it not been for Starc, Candy did not believe she would have been able to move. Her feet felt like they were cast into cement. Self-confidence was not normally an issue with her. For the first time in her life she felt like an outcast. Hopefully the men would warm up to her as Starc had said. From his lips to God’s ear, Candy thought, as she walked farther into the hall.

  Shirl was not a threat to these men. She was the lone female crystal tele-path, something they almost worshiped. When it was decreed that Shirl needed a larger force to travel through the portal, it was not surprising almost every CT Guard volunteered for the duty. Shirl was also painfully beautiful. It was obvious that Starc already staked his claim in their eyes. They approached her with reverence, not lust.

  The men before Candy did not know that Shirl and Starc were soul mates. It was important to keep that relationship a secret. Unfortunately both Shirl’s brother and the Prime Ruler knew. Jeryl Jarlyn wanted to take advantage of any power Shirl would eventually wield.

  The Prime Ruler would keep quiet for his own power-hungry reasons. It was unclear if Cianan had ulterior motives or if he would stay silent to protect his sister. People tended to fear what they did not know and there was little known about soul mate powers outside of legends.

  Candy had learned the previous evening that Zane and Leenea Childers were soul mates who had hid their special relationship, even from their children. There were so many secrets to keep in this world.

  Alex had shared with Candy last night that soul mates were immune to mind control. Alex also had the power to read other people’s thoughts. Those abilities for the time being were temporarily suspended while Alex’s body was preparing for carrying the baby. They all knew that if the truth about soul mates and their gift to combat mind control ever got out, their lives would be in mortal danger.

  Candy had to concentrate on the here and now. She could not afford to let her mind wander. Various men approached them. They slapped Starc on the back, greeted Shirl, and were introduced to Candy. They all seemed relatively friendly. Starc must have rallied his friends to orchestrate this welcome. He had made possible the beginning of solid relationships and she had to make sure she took proper advantage of keeping them. Candy always had an excellent memory for names. She registered each man in her mind as she met them. She noted physical characteristics, aspects of their personalities evident with their first meeting, and other observations. With this technique Candy would recall each man’s name as she encountered them in the future.

  A tall man who could be Shirl’s twin approached. “You must be Candace,” he said.

  Shirl frowned as she addressed the man who Candy assumed was her brother. “Hello to you, Cianan. Candy, this gentleman devoid of social graces is my brother. She prefers to be called Candy.”

  “She is a CT Guard now,” Cianan responded. “A position that requires dedication and warrants respect. Candy is a girl you party with, while Candace is someone in whose hands you place your life.”

  Candy could not argue with his sentiment. As the men became comfortable with her, maybe they would lapse into a more relaxed relationship and call her Candy. “Candace it is then.”

  Cianan seemed surprised that she did not offer an argument. Candy figured she had won the first battle with Cianan. The question was how long the battle was going to rage. It was clear brother and sister were still working out the dynamics of their own relationship. In that light, Candy was already in the enemy camp.

  “Let us head to sparring room number three. I want to see what Candace is capable of,” Cianan said. He turned and started on his way. The man had the power now and was displaying his dominance over her. Candy knew she had to pick her battles against Shirl’s brother carefully.

  “Unbelievable,” Shirl muttered under her breath. “I guess we should follow the bastard. He goes hot and cold. I never know what kind of mood we are going to find my brother in. He is in rare form today.” Shirl rubbed the clan bracelet her brother had recently given her. She had told Candy her brother had held onto their mother’s bracelet all these years.

  Candy did not respond to Shirl’s comment. She followed Cianan as he made his way through the hall packed with men. As she passed, she made eye contact with as many as she could. There was no immediate connection with them as she had felt with Tolfer. She tried to ignore the angry and nasty looks she received from a number of them.

  Her mind kept going back to the gorgeous man at the Childers’s. Alex had dominated her evening, so Candy had little time to spend with him. He helped her manage the communal pathways after dinner. Candy had not had the brain trauma Alex and Shirl had experienced when they first entered the Troyk Universe. Candy was a quick study and Tolfer declared her a natural after spending less than an hour with her. If she had pretended not to understand what he was saying, maybe they would have spent more time together. She was disappointed when he left. Soon she was occupied with Alex and her adventures since entering the Troyk universe.

  Cianan stopped in front of the entrance to their sparing room. He opened the door and they entered a small gymnasium. Candy immediately felt at home in the gym. This was her turf.

  “You do not have to stay,” Cianan addressed his sister. Based on his tone, he was really telling Shirl to get lost.

  “Not in this or any other reality am I leaving you alone with Candy,” Shirl replied. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned against the wall. An equally stoic Starc stood next to his soul mate. If Cianan was impacted by Shirl’s refusal to leave, he certainly did not show it.

  “Fine,” Cianan replied. He walked to the center of the room. Rather than wood, the floor was covered with mats. Cianan picked up the staff that had been at his feet. “Disarm me.”

  Candy examined his stance and started to circle him. “Can’t she just shoot you?” Shirl yelled over her shoulder. Candy heard Starc chuckle at Shirl’s recommendation. Ignoring the distraction, Candy continued to study her adversary.

  “Good,” Cianan addressed Candy. He moved as Candy continued to rotate around him. “Attacking without thought is the quickest way to get hurt. Look for an opening and then act. Do not hesitate. A moment’s distraction on the part of your adversary can give you an advantage.” Although Cianan was a crystal telepath, Shirl told her he frequently traveled alone. He had to know how to protect himself. Cianan was also in charge of all the missions his sister was sent on. When she was assigned to Shirl, her brother was Candy’s superior.

  The staff moved so quickly, Candy did not move fast enough to dodge the piece of wood before it made contact with her shoulder. That was definitely going to leave a bruise, she thought, as the impact wound continued to burn. Her shoulder was fine; the only thing really hurt was her pride. Above all, she wanted to make a good impression.

  Candy continued to concentrate on Cianan. She was not under any time constraint. As far as she was concerned, she had all day. Candy made several more passes around her subject. There was no way she was going to let him tag her again with the staff. When she had her back to Starc and Shirl she heard a thump and Cianan’s eyes were diverted. It was then that Candy made her move.

  Candy proceeded to kick Cianan in the stomach. Aiming for his groin seemed too severe, although she had a feeling that was where Shirl would have wanted her to attack. Candy had momentarily surprised Cianan, who was leaning down. She grabbed his arm and pulled it against his back, while she reached her other arm and wrapped it around his
neck. Candy stepped back before Cianan was able to flip her over his head. She finally kicked behind his knees, bringing him down. Candy released her hold on Cianan, stepped away and raised her hands in the air. The skirmish was over as far as she was concerned. She wanted it ended before Cianan could counter. All he had instructed her to do was disarm him.

  It was only then that she looked over to see what had distracted Cianan. Shirl was on top of Starc, kissing him passionately. No wonder her opponent had momentarily drifted his attention away from Candy. Those two were putting on quite a show. She had noticed at the restaurant how these two fit. Seeing them this way, Candy knew that Shirl and Starc were meant for each other. Soul mates.

  She was the one now not paying attention, as Cianan tackled her around her knees. She came down hard on the mat. Candy had the wind knocked out of her, as Cianan placed the staff against her neck. He did not put any pressure against her throat. She could tell by the look in his eye that he had no intention of hurting her. He had made his point.

  “Not bad, Candace,” Cianan whispered in her ear. “Do not lower your guard until your opponent has been neutralized.” He stood up and offered her his hand. A round of applause occurred as she was once again on her feet. Candy turned around to see half a dozen men coming toward her and Cianan. She was surprised when two of them came up to her instead.

  “Well done,” Kelog Potts offered his congratulatory praise. “We got here about the time Shirl took down Starc and you disarmed Cianan. You brought that son of a bitch to his knees.” He patted her on the back, as numerous men had done over the years. She had always been a buddy, never a girl they would ask out on a date.

  The other men were loudly sharing with Cianan how they enjoyed watching him take down the upstart female. If she could have snapped her fingers and disappeared, Candy would have done so.

  “Idiots,” Kelog muttered. “You fought well, do not let anyone tell you otherwise. They will accept you in time. Take my word for it.”

  “Enough,” Cianan yelled. “Starc, take her to the range and teach Candace how to fire a crystal weapon. It would not be a bad idea to give my sister some instruction, too. Shirlyn needs to be able to destroy more than a chair the next time she is threatened.”

  Candy laughed as she saw the frown cross her friend’s face when her brother called her by her Troyk birth name. She suddenly sobered as Cianan’s other words soaked in. Shirl had been in a life and death situation and had not been able to properly defend herself. Once again, Candy wondered what had happened on Terra Nova.

  The firing center was in the basement. Kelog walked beside her as they made their way down the stairs. Having another CT Guard next to her was reassuring. Rome was not built in a day, Candy kept reminding herself. She was going to build relationships one man at a time. Throughout school she had studied many pioneers and the defeats they had to suffer before they brought about social change. Now Candy was the crusader. Those who came before her would serve as her role models. The thought caused her chin to rise a little higher.

  A group of men stood before the entry. They did not seem too eager to move aside. Starc was about to say something, when Candy placed her hand on his arm. “I’ll handle this,” she said. She moved forward, purposely entering their space. “It is possible that one day I will be fighting beside one or more of you. I would imagine you would appreciate if I hit what I am firing at. Would one of you big, brawny men like to show me how it is done?”

  Her question was met with silence. Suddenly laughter could be heard from the back of the group. A muscular man of average height moved through the small crowd until he stood before Candy. “I will be happy to teach you, little girl. You showed some promise when you took Cianan down.” Candy had not seen him after the fight. It also did not escape her notice that she was probably three inches taller than he was.

  “Are you any good?” she asked. Candy needed to show no weakness. She had to prove she was a CT Guard, just like they were. Playing as one of the guys was always the role she felt most comfortable with.

  “I can show you a thing or two,” the man smiled at her. “My name is Nance. We can start with shooting and see where that leads.” Candy did not miss his eyes traveling up and down her body. It normally happened to Shirl, not to her. Candy was not going to let him rattle her.

  “You still didn’t answer my question whether you could hit the side of a barn,” Candy was having so much fun she was almost purring. There were a couple of confused looks until it dawned on them what she was saying.

  “He is one of the best shots around,” Starc answered. It spoke volumes that Starc had held back and let her handle things on her own, and it was doubly reassuring he was there in case things went south.

  “Well, then,” Candy said, “I guess I will let you show me how it’s done, Nance.”

  Half the group left, muttering to themselves how Nance had sold out to a woman. The others stayed to see what she was made of. She was holding her own as far as she could see.

  They entered the armory and Nance drew one of the smaller weapons. “It is small and compact, but it will shoot quite a blast. It is powered by a rare red agate from Terra Flora. There are only two crystals in the chamber, so it is only good for two shots.”

  “Your weapons are powered by crystals?” Candy asked. Between Shirl navigating portals and now weaponry, Candy had a whole new appreciation for the stones.

  Nance chuckled again. “You have a lot to learn, but I am willing to teach you.” Candy hoped he was referring to fighting, shooting, and whatever else CT Guards were required to do.

  “Let’s do it,” she said as she patted Nance on the back. “By this time next week I plan to be out-shooting you.”

  “You have yourself a wager, little girl,” Nance replied. “We can talk about terms after I see you shoot.”

  One man at a time, she thought to herself as she followed Nance into the firing range. Her next thought was to hope she did not take off her foot trying to fire the crystal weapon.

  Chapter 5

  Tolfer stood back and glared at the men who surrounded Candy. She had been home for less than an hour when Kelog Potts and three other CT Guards came to his parents’ house for a social visit.

  Kelog had gone to school with Tolfer. At one point he supposed you could have called them friends, although Tolfer never created deep friendships like Tarsea had developed with Darden and members of his family. Tolfer figured he was too much of a homebody. Rather than spending time with his friends outside of school, Tolfer came home and started cooking.

  When they graduated, Kelog trained to be a CT Guard. Tolfer felt his calling was to teach children how to control their telepathic gifts. Nothing was more rewarding than seeing suffering children master the pathways and end up smiling because their heads no longer hurt.

  Now his former friend was here trying to charm Tolfer’s soul mate. He battled with himself regarding whether to join the fun or continue to hang out in the shadows. Alex gave him a reprieve from making a decision when she asked him to join her in the kitchen.

  “Boy, it’s like old times out there,” Alex communicated through the Childers’s familial link. She obviously did not want to be overheard since Alexia Montiff would not have known Candy prior to yesterday. “The guys were always coming by the orphanage and then later Candy’s apartment.”

  “She must have had a lot of boyfriends.” Tolfer figured he must have really wanted to suffer after making that comment. Now Alex was going to give him a blow by blow description of Candy’s love life. He felt like he was going to be sick.

  “Not really,” Alex replied. “She was always one of the guys. They liked to pal around with her. A couple of them asked Shirl out, but never Candy. I doubt any of the men in the common room are going to ask her out.” Alex got close to him and whispered, “You shouldn’t have any competition.”

  Tolfer paled at her last words. Thank goodness she had not communicated them through the familiar channel. He would never hear
the end of it from both his mother and Tarsea. “I do not know what you are talking about!”

  “Please,” Alex replied. “I have eyes. You look at her the same way Tarsea looks at me. There is soul mate possession written all over your face. What I don’t understand is why you haven’t done anything about it.”

  “Maybe I am giving her time. The time Shirl and you did not have.” Tolfer did not communicate that he was not ready for the responsibility of having a soul mate yet. He was twenty-two years old. His motives were not as selfless as he wanted Alex to believe.

  Alex smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “I am proud to call you brother soon.” Alex grabbed an apple and bit into it. After a couple more bites, she continued. “Don’t wait too long to share the wonders of having a soul mate. Why don’t I start dinner and you join the group in the other room. Aunt Norri will be here shortly and will help me. I imagine the gang will clear out when Pattrice arrives and starts crying.”

  Solfa’s mother Pattrice was an endless fountain of tears since reuniting with her favorite cousin’s daughter. Alex looked so much like her mother, Pattrice was continually reminded of how devastated she was when Alex’s mom left the Troyk universe with Benko Jarlyn.

  Growing up with Pattrice’s bitterness had had a serious impact on her daughter Solfa. Although Solfa was in charge of Jeryl Jarlyn’s intelligence, she secretly worked to help dissidents escape. She had turned a blind eye on a number of Tarsea’s group operations as they ferried people to the portal. Solfa hated mind-control and felt it was better to fight from inside the government to make lasting change. She helped to keep Alex’s true identity secret.

  As Tolfer left the kitchen, there was a knock on the door. Figuring it was Norri and Pattrice, he opened the door. To his surprise, he saw three more CT Guards, including Raine Narmouth. Tolfer had been present both times Alex had been rescued after Narmouth had assaulted her. He had quite a lot of nerve showing up with the others.