Twilight's End

by Kaitlyn O'Connor

  He switched hands, swinging again. Sachi leapt away and Nomi surged forward. Horrified, Dionne lifted her pistol, but she couldn’t find a clear shot between Notaku and the cats, who swirled and surged around him, looking for an opening to relieve him of his weapon. “Don’t touch them, you bastard! I’ll blow your head clean off your shoulders!”

  She had no idea whether he heard her or not. Before she could make good on her promise, or disarm him, which she would’ve preferred, a high pitched whine zipped past her and a wooden shaft buried itself into the center of Notaku’s chest with a sickening sucking sound. His eyes widened. A look of panic crossed his features. Slowly his fingers uncurled and the ax fell from his hand. Just as slowly, his legs quivered and buckled. He went to his knees and fell face forward on the hard ground.

  Still too shocked to fully comprehend what had happened, Dionne merely stared at him open mouthed for a full minute. Finally, she turned to follow the path of the arrow.

  Some thirty feet away, near the trees that edged the wide stone outcropping that formed the sides of the gorge, sat three men on horseback. As she turned to look at them, they began moving slowly toward her--whether from wariness of the cougars, who immediately loped forward to stand between her and the oncoming riders, or to reassure her that they intended no threat, she wasn’t certain. They halted while they were still some distance away.

  The man in the forefront scanned her encampment and the area around it before addressing her. “Are you injured, my lady?”

  Dionne blinked at the sound of his voice, several times, slowly. Of its own accord, her gaze traveled over the chain mail and steel helmets the men were wearing and fastened finally on the crossbow the rider in the forefront still held across his saddle horn.

  Metallurgy, advanced weaponry, her mind computed, wrestling with the puzzle of finding herself face to face with a group of men far in advance of the villagers of Khan’s tribe. An evolutionary fluke, she wondered? Or the natural chain of events of advancement? It was a historical fact that the need to find bigger, better, and more efficient weapons for killing was as responsible for the advancement of civilization as the desire for creature comfort--maybe more so.

  “Are you badly hurt, my lady?” the man repeated, more slowly this time, enunciating each word carefully.

  Dionne lifted a hand to her cheek and then looked down at herself, searching for any sign of injury. There were scrapes and bruises all over her arms and legs, but nothing was broken. She shook her head. “I don’t think so.”

  Turning, she went to check Notaku for signs of life. Sachi and Nomi followed her step for step, sitting back on their haunches when she knelt to examine the man. She gave them both reproving glares. Neither had been where they should have been or Notaku wouldn’t have had the chance to attack her.

  Placing her fingers along his throat, she checked him for a pulse and discovered with little surprise that there was none. The bolt had caught him in the heart, killing him almost instantly.

  Anger surfaced. He shouldn’t be dead. Not that she wasn’t grateful that the men had rescued her and saved the cougars from harm, but she would’ve preferred that he be subdued and taken alive. Whatever his intentions had been--and she knew they hadn’t been good--death was still a high price to pay for stupidity and meanness, and there would’ve been at least some hope of rehabilitating him if he’d lived.

  Tamping her anger, Dionne returned her attention to the men who’d come to her rescue. She noticed that all three were studying Sachi and Nomi warily. “They’re trained to guard me. They won’t attack unless I’m threatened--or I order them to.”

  The man holding the crossbow, who had risen in his saddle as if he was considering dismounting, appeared to lose interest in doing so. “I am Sir William of Lockley. This is Lord Harry and Sir David,” he added, gesturing to the two men slightly behind and on either side of him. The two men nodded curtly at the introduction, but they seemed far more interested in scanning the wooded area nearby.

  Either they suspected a trap--which seemed likely--or they were making certain they wouldn’t be interrupted. It was possible that their motives for helping her weren’t purely altruistic, but Dionne found it hard to believe that she was of that much interest.

  She felt her pounding head, wondering if the blow had been worse than she’d thought. Advanced well beyond the others she’d met, but, medieval? “Where did you come from?”

  Sir William smiled faintly, but lifted an arm and pointed to the north east. “The Monarchy of Albany.”

  Dionne was stunned speechless for several moments, but then a thrill went through her that made her feel almost lightheaded. “Albany?” she echoed. “You said monarchy?”

  “Aye, under the rule of our blessed queen, the mighty sorceress Eugenia.”

  Dionne didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Genie?” she gasped, breathless with rising excitement. “She’s your queen?”

  The men exchanged curious and highly suspicious glances. “You know the queen?” Sir William asked, disbelief evident in his voice.

  “Yes! I think I do! She was--she was the sorceress--uh.” Dionne paused, frowning as she tried to think what sort of tale might have been invented to explain the sorceress’ awakening. “--who slept for many years?” she finished.

  Sir William’s dark blond brows rose in obvious surprise. “You have heard of her. Your pardon, but I’d thought you were one of the savages from the forbidden lands. The--uh--garb.”

  “The forbidden lands?” Dionne bit her lip, trying to fight a totally inappropriate urge to smile. She couldn’t help but see the irony of it, however, that virtually the same superstition had arisen on both sides, virtually ensuring that neither side knew about the other and developed completely independently of each other.

  Sir William studied her a little uneasily, as if he was wondering if she was entirely sane since she kept repeating everything he said. She didn’t blame him. She felt more than a little off balance.

  Before either she or Sir William, who’d done all of the talking--and apparently the rescuing--could say anything else a band of screaming demons erupted from the trees just south of where they stood.

  Dionne’s heart seemed to stand still in her chest as she whirled to look.

  Khan was leading the war party.

  Chapter Sixteen

  When Dionne glanced back at the knights, she saw that they’d drawn weapons. Their expressions were grim, but determined. She threw up a hand. “No! They’re friends!”

  Sir William’s eyes narrowed, his suspicions evident in his expression now. “They’re savages!”

  “I knew it was a bloody trap,” Lord Harry growled.

  Terror filled Dionne. There was going to be a battle, a bloody one. The knights were outnumbered by about two to one from what she could see, but they also had weapons capable of killing at a longer range with far more accuracy than the long bows Khan and his men had.

  Gripping her pistol, Dionne whirled away from the knights and began jogging toward the band of men racing toward her. “Stop! Please don’t do this! They’re friends!”

  Either they were still too far away to hear her or, more likely, they were making so much noise themselves with their war whoops that it drowned her out. She couldn’t see that anything she’d shouted, or her frantic waving, had any effect on them beyond, maybe, making them ride faster.

  Fear and frustration filled Dionne, but it also inspired her. She had to prevent a confrontation. If anyone was hurt, the violence would escalate out of control.

  And Khan was in front, the most likely to be killed.

  “Disarm! Subdue!” Dionne yelled as she raced toward the bot and jumped into the bucket. “Lift! Now!”

  Behind her, she heard the snarls and screams of the attacking cats, and the responding shouts of the men, but she didn’t have time to check to see if the cats had been successful or not.

  When the bucket stopped rising, she stood up, trained her pistol on the ground betw
een the oncoming riders and herself and switched the pistol to high power, cutting a gash in the ground with the laser. It wasn’t much of a gash, but the laser blast itself was enough to bring all of the warriors, with the exception of Khan, to a screeching halt. Khan kneed his horse and leapt the shallow gash in the ground.

  The whine of a bolt sizzled past her. “No! Oh God! Khan!”

  Without waiting for the bot to lower the bucket, she half jumped, half fell out, racing toward him. He dragged back on the reins, fighting the horse to a standstill as she neared him. Dionne looked up at him fearfully, expecting to see blood, the hilt of the bolt protruding from his chest--imminent death. Instead, she saw that Khan had caught the bolt with his shield. The tip had nicked him as the impact drove the shield backwards, toward his body, but she saw little more than a trickle of blood.

  She released a sob of relief as Khan leaned from the horse, wrapped an arm around her and dragged her across his lap. Wrapping her arms around him tightly, she burrowed against him and promptly burst into tears. “You scared me! I thought you’d be killed! Don’t ever scare me like that again!” she wailed.

  It wasn’t until Khan nudged his horse forward that Dionne realized he’d barely acknowledged her, that his body was still tensed for action. The realization instantly sobered her. “They saved me from Notaku!”

  Khan paused, glancing down at her and lifted one hand to touch her cheek lightly. “He did this to you?” he growled furiously.

  “He caught me off guard. They must have heard the fight and came--Notaku’s dead.”

  Khan relaxed fractionally, but walked his horse closer to the armor clad men, now lying on the ground. Both of the cats and all of the men were bleeding from battle wounds, but she saw that Sachi and Nomi had obeyed. All three men were disarmed, and they looked very subdued. Sachi and Nomi had their forepaws planted on two of the men’s chests. The third looked unconscious--or dead.

  She stared at the man hard until she saw that he was still breathing.

  “I am Chief Khan of the Kota people. I thank you for protecting my woman,” Khan said gruffly, his arm tightening around Dionne in silent communication.

  Dionne twisted her head to gape up at him in stunned surprise anyway. It didn’t occur to her to dispute his claim. He wouldn’t have done it, she knew, if he hadn’t felt that it was necessary. Ignoring the feeling of warmth that washed over her at his claim, she looked away. Glancing down at the men from Albany, she saw that Sir William was eyeing the two of them speculatively. His expression was still hostile, however.

  “We were happy to come to the lady’s aid--I would be happier still if you would call these beasts off.”

  Before Dionne could do so, Khan stunned her again. “Sachi! Nomi! Release!”

  His command wasn’t nearly as surprising as the fact that the cats obeyed him instantly.

  Recovering from her surprise, Dionne glared at the cougars disapprovingly.

  She decided to deal with them later, however. She had more pressing matters that needed her undivided attention. “These men are from the Monarchy of Albany. My--uh ---sister, Eugenia is their queen. I was about to ask them to take me to her.”

  All four men looked at her with varying degrees of disbelief.

  Sir William had struggled to a sitting position, but made no attempt to get to his feet as the warriors who’d come with Khan rode up, surrounding the men on the ground. “The queen is--your sister?” Sir William demanded incredulously. “She has never spoken of you,” he added suspiciously.

  Dionne gave him a look. “You didn’t mention that you were so close to Eugenia,” she said coolly.

  He reddened. “I have no claim of close ties to the throne beyond my loyalty to my queen, but I can not imagine why she would never have mentioned a sister.”

  “She thought I was dead,” Dionne said promptly.

  Sir William and Lord Harry exchanged an uncomfortable glance. Sir David, only just coming around, merely groaned.

  “What are you up to now?” Khan whispered harshly near her ear. “I’ve no intention of allowing you to walk into the clutches of our enemies.”

  Dionne gave him a look of exasperation. “Which is exactly why I didn’t tell you I was coming to start with. I have to go--there. I think I know the woman they’re talking about and if I’m right, she’s one of the ‘mothers’.”

  “Mothers?”

  “The project?” Dionne prompted.

  Something flickered in Khan’s. “They are like you? To serve the same purpose?”

  “Of course! I told you!”

  “You did not tell me! If you had, I would have come to find them long since,” Khan retorted in exasperation. “How many others?”

  Dionne shrugged. She was still trying to remember if she actually had forgotten to give Khan that little detail. “Maybe I should explain later--in private.”

  “Explain now,” Khan said implacably.

  “There were twelve--besides me. They each carry clones. Once they were revived, they were to produce the people that would be the keys to rebuilding. I am the thirteenth, the failsafe. If the others did not survive, then that would be my role. Though I carry no clones, my own eggs are genetically enhanced to breed superior off-spring.”

  She could hear Khan grinding his teeth. “I would not have forgotten that. You told me you could choose no one because you were the arc of humanity. You implied in that that you were the only one capable of serving that purpose.”

  “Oh,” Dionne said. “I think, maybe, I didn’t tell you about the others because I wasn’t certain they’d survived and I wouldn’t have a choice if they hadn’t.”

  He glared at her.

  “I didn’t see any sense in considering it a possibility until I knew. I still don’t know. Nothing has changed. Nothing will change until and unless I find them and they still live. I have to go to the forbidden lands to find out.”

  Nearby, someone cleared their throat. The noise distracted Khan and Dionne from their argument.

  “We can take you to the castle, but I can not guarantee that the queen will see you. If it is as you say, she will welcome you. If not....” He shrugged.

  “You will guarantee her safety or she will not go,” Khan said implacably.

  “But I have....” Khan cut her off by covering her mouth with his hand. She glared at him, but subsided.

  Sir William studied him speculatively for several moments. “We can not guarantee anything,” he said finally. “I can not predict how the queen will react, nor protect your lady if the queen is displeased by her claim.”

  “Then you will go to your queen and you will tell this: The goddess Dionne has risen from the sleep placed upon her in the temple that bears this sign,” he said, pointing to the dragon tattoo on his cheek. “And you will describe Dionne to her. If she wishes to speak with Dionne, she will come to meet her where our lands adjoin. This will be neutral ground under the treaty of peace. I will give my word as Chief of my people that they will not attack--unless we are attacked.”

  Sir William frowned, obviously insulted that Khan would even consider offering his queen an ultimatum, but finally shrugged. “I will relay the message.” With an effort, he and the other two men mounted their horses. His gaze flickered curiously over the shield and sword Khan carried once he’d settled in his saddle. Recognition dawned as he studied the weapons and his expression changed radically. “How did you come by those?” he asked sharply.

  Khan’s eyes narrowed, his face hardening. “I took them from the man I killed.”

  Dionne gaped at him. “You said you found them!” she gasped accusingly.

  “I found them on the body of the man I slew,” Khan responded, shrugging.

  “You ambushed him, you savage!” Lord Harry roared furiously.

  Khan turned to look at the man who’d spoken. “He attacked me. We fought. I won.”

  “You bested Gallahad!” Sir William demanded, disbelief evident in his voice.

  “He did not gi
ve me his name,” Khan said dryly. “But if you are so curious to know how I bested him, I will gladly show you.”

  “You could not have bested him in a fair fight,” Lord Harry growled, turning red with fury.

  Khan’s eyes narrowed at the insult, but he kept his temper with an effort. “I do not cheat, and I do not lie. But you are right. The fight was uneven. I had no long knife, no shield, and none of the shiny metal to protect my flesh that you wear.”

  Sir William held out an arm, stopping the other knight before he could surge forward and take up the challenge. “Wait. You will get your chance another time to avenge Gallahad’s death--if the queen does not lock you in the tower prison. First, we will go to her and see if she knows this woman.”

  With obvious reluctance, the three knights turned and rode away. Khan watched them until they disappeared and finally looked down at Dionne. “You and I have much to discuss.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Communicating with hand signals, Khan ordered the warriors who had accompanied him to follow the knights to make certain they didn’t double back. When they’d ridden off, he sheathed his sword in the holder slung across his back. After breaking the tip off of the bolt stuck in his shield, he slung the shield onto his back, as well, and dismounted, reaching up for Dionne to help her down.

  Despite her uneasiness about his remark, Dionne placed her hands on his shoulders readily enough. “I’m so relieved you weren’t hurt,” she said as she slipped from the horse’s back, feeling a renewed rush of thankfulness and horror at the bolt that had been protruding through the center of his shield. If he had not had it, or been swift in bringing it up to shield him, he would be dead now, just as Notaku was.

  Disconcertingly, instead of simply setting her on her feet, Khan pulled her close so that she slipped along his body slowly until her toes were barely touching the ground. “I am relieved that you were hurt no worse than you were,” Khan responded, his voice tight with a mixture of emotions. He dipped his head toward hers, hesitating when his lips were mere inches from hers.