Defender of the Gods (Warrior Unbound Trilogy Book 3)

by C. M. Kane

  ‘Stay here and don’t move,’ he said urgently, before he too took off.

  For once Tae obeyed his directive, she stood still, holding onto the tree while she balanced on her branch. She could hear the sounds of fighting all around her, shouts and strange hissing shrieks seemed to erupt from the think brush at intermittent intervals. There was a loud yell and Borig burst through the trees nearest her, followed by three of the strangest creatures Tae had ever seen in her life. They each stood around a meter and a half tall. Their skin was a mixture of golds, greens and browns, the same color as the surrounding forest, it became progressively darker as it travelled down their torso’s and onto their lower body, where it transformed from humanoid into that of a snake. She saw that they also moved with incredible speed, Tae knew immediately that Borig was in real trouble. Two of the creatures seemed intent on keeping him occupied by darting in and out as they tried to hit him with their short swords, while the third stayed further away, directly under Tae’s hiding place, where it drew a bow it was carrying.

  Tae knew Borig was about to be shot, there was simply no way he could reach the bowman without opening himself up to being stabbed by one of the other two. She hesitated for a moment not knowing what to do, then she did the only thing she could think of; she drew her knives, took a deep breath, and jumped.

  She hadn’t actually thought of a plan, she just reacted on instinct and hoped for the best. She landed with surprising force on the back and shoulders of the creature with the bow; as she hit it they both collapsed onto the ground in a heap. As they were falling Tae swept her knife around and down, slicing it deeply across the things shoulder. When they hit the ground the creature immediately lashed its tail around, the tip hit Tae’s hand hard, numbing it for a moment, and sending her knife flying. Unfortunately, when she and the thing had hit the ground her other knife had been jarred from her hand; she had no idea where it was, but hoped it might be close. She lay there for a moment winded, trying to catch her breath as she felt desperately for her other knife. A dull pain radiated up her arm as she felt something grab it forcefully. She looked down to see the snake creature had latched onto it and was digging its nail-less fingers into her as hard as it could. It had recovered with surprising quickness and was now starting to slither up towards her face.

  For the first time Tae saw its face, cold black eyes glared at her with unsuppressed hatred. A flat nose with vertical nostrils sat just above a lipless mouth; a mouth that was now open and showing three rows of small, bony, incredibly sharp backward slanting teeth. Long meaty dreadlocks that looked a little like small snakes covered every inch of its advancing head. The creature lunged at her, snapping its mouth at her exposed face. Tae grabbed its shoulders with both arms trying to hold it off, but the creature was surprisingly strong, it felt like it was made of solid muscle. To her horror she realized that it was only a matter of time before her arms gave out. The creature seemed to come to the same realization as Tae; it snapped its teeth at her face again, this time almost playfully. As Tae’s arms continued to weaken it started grinning at her, it, too, knew it was only a matter of time. Tae’s eyes widened at the smirking creature atop of her, after all she had been through, the site of yet another tormenter grinning at her sent all rational thoughts fleeing, and for the first time in her life, she lost her temper totally.

  ‘You stinking bitch!’ She screamed, ‘I’ve had it with you lot, every time I get involved with these stupid gods I end up getting either beaten up, or attacked by something intent on killing me. Well I’ve had enough do you hear me! ENOUGH!’

  Her fangs ran out and her claws lengthened in rage. The snake creature took another lunge at her, but this time Tae relaxed her grip and let it, before it could take a bite out of her she quickly shifted onto her side, dragging the snake thing with her. With a snarl of pure rage she grabbed the things meaty dreadlocks in a vice like grip and angled its head slightly to give her better access to its throat. When it started to try to pull away she quickly wrapped her legs around it as she would a lover. Holding it firmly in place she bit down. She felt the creature’s body stiffen in panic, it began making small hissing screams as it struggled frantically against her.

  Not so hot being bitten is it! Ain’t turnabout a bitch! She raged silently to herself as the things rich blood started to pour into her mouth.

  As soon as she took her first swallow she was lost, it felt like her entire being rejoiced. Its warmth and power moved through her body becoming one with her, lending her its own innate strength. Her mind blanked as she continued to drink; it felt as if the creature’s power, its very life force, was transferring into her veins in one huge rush. When the things struggles grew feebler she began to notice its heartbeat, instinctively she knew it was nearing the point of no return; it was this realization that bought her back to her senses again. She withdrew her fangs and rolled it onto its back, then sat up, finally releasing the grip from her legs as she looked down at it. It was looking up at her, its black eyes now filled with shock and fear, it lay there, barely able to move it was so weak.

  ‘That’s for trying to bite me, bitch! You’re alive for one reason and one reason only. I have a message for you to give to the rest of your slither sisters, or what-ever the hell you call them. Tell them to never try to attack us again, your gods have returned, and if you ever try anything like this again they’ll make sure that it’s the last thing you ever do. Is that clear?’ The snake creature’s eyes had widened as she spoke, it nodded feebly before collapsing back onto the ground unconscious.

  Tae stood and looked around quickly, mentally readying herself for more attackers. Borig was just swinging his massive war club at the last of the two creatures that had been attacking him; it hit the thing in the side of the head crushing its skull instantly. It fell to the ground with a dull thud to lie beside its dead companion. Borig then looked over at her, taking in the unconscious creature at her feet, and her blood covered be-fanged face. He then nodded and started looking around the clearing for more attackers. There were none, slowly his men started to come back into the clearing carrying some of the dead and wounded. Tae quickly picked up her dropped knives and wiped them on her top before re-sheathing them. She then picked up one of the snake creatures swords and looked at it curiously.

  ‘What’s this made of?’ she asked to no-one in particular as she examined the light brown razor sharp weapon.

  Borig glanced over at her as he waited for his men to re-assemble in the clearing. ‘Farfa Wood, they fashion a weapon out of the tree’s wood, then they coat it in the remains of what is left in a shell after one of their offspring is born, once it hardens it makes the wood almost as hard as metal, then they merely sharpen it.’

  Tae felt the weapon; it was light and sharp, a perfect weapon for the creatures. As for using embryonic fluid from a newborns shell on them; well it was gross, but on a planet like this you did what you had to for survival. A part of her couldn’t help but admire the ingenuity these snake creatures had shown.

  Once the Tore assembled they found they had lost two Warriors, and three more had serious arrow and sword injuries. Loki had returned with them covered in blood but obviously uninjured, he took one look at Tae and shook his head angrily. ‘I thought I told you to stay put,’ he said.

  Tae, whose rage had almost subsided now she had fought the snake thing, frowned in renewed annoyance. ‘Well I couldn’t very well now could I,’ she snapped at him. ‘They had Borig surrounded, I had to do something. I couldn’t just let them shoot him.’

  Borig nodded, staring at her as if in surprise. ‘It is true, My Lord, I probably would have been either killed or badly injured if not for the god killers assistance.’

  Tae shook herself mentally, she was tired and scared, and her mind simply had way to much to work through, she just wanted to get to safety and have some alone time, not to mention a shower. Borig was obviously thinking along similar lines, because after quickly checking his men, he started to issue orders
for those that could, to carry the injured and dead.

  ‘We must leave here in case there are others nearby,’ he said. They set off at a run, not stopping until they reached the lands surrounding their city. Finally they reached the end of the tree line and stopped to catch their breaths. Tae was utterly exhausted, she was covered in sweat and dried blood, the energy she had absorbed from her feeding had evaporated quickly in the harsh conditions of Tartarise. She looked across at what she estimated as around a kilometer and a half of cropped land. At its centre stood a large fort, towering wooden walls at least twenty meters high with small square guard towers spaced every thirty or so meters met her gaze, it was quite an achievement considering where they were.

  ‘Impressive,’ said Loki gazing at the massive structure.

  The Minotaur, Borig, who was standing at his side, unconsciously bowed his chest in pride. ‘We have expanded the city several times as our population has grown, as you know, there are many predators on Tartarise. In the early years of our banishment we lost many to the other creatures living here, now we are rarely attacked and have three more such colonies though-out our lands. We have even made treaties with some other species here, like the Harpies.’

  Loki nodded, impressed despite himself. Tartarise had very few minerals to make metals that they knew of, well except for a little copper, so what the Minotaur had accomplished, given their restraints, was quite remarkable.

  Tae, who had been standing behind them listening, asked curiously, ‘what in Hades name were those things that attacked us back there?’

  Loki turned to her, he had still been angry and embarrassed at her earlier words, that was why he had been walking beside Borig at the head of the Warriors when the attack had occurred. Since then he had remained far closer to Tae as they has started their last run towards the city. ‘They were Medusa; they have a lot of both snake and lizard DNA mixed with a humanoid. They were originally developed for stealth in battles; as you could see they are very different from most other species, but quite deadly in their own right.’

  Tae blanched. ‘Who the hell thought that mixture was a good idea?’ she asked horrified. The thought that some god had deliberately made something like that was beyond her comprehension.

  Loki frowned as he thought back. ‘Manasa Devi, I think. She wasn’t totally pleased with the outcome, but they were used a little on several planets for a while before they were shipped to Tartarise.’

  Tae shook her head in horror at the thought of someone thinking snake people might be interesting. She then started hoping they didn’t lash out and experiment with spiders and people. She thought she might just run screaming into the forest if she saw anything remotely resembling a human/spider hybrid coming towards her. Suddenly a much more interesting thought popped into her head. ‘Who thought up Humans?’ she asked, suddenly alive with curiosity.

  Loki looked at her animated face and couldn’t help himself, he smiled wickedly at her. ‘That’s a story for another, more private, time and place.’

  Tae’s heart- and several other unrelated parts- stuttered stepped at his look, she mentally shook herself and looked firmly ahead at the fort. The bloom was definitely off that particular rose, and no wicked black eyed looks or flirty talk were going to change that!

  ‘Shall we go then, I really need a wash if you’ve got some facilities,’ she said looking down at her blood stained top. She knew she must also have dried blood over her face considering what she had done, and the frenzy in which she had done it.

  Borig nodded and they started forward again, this time Loki dropped back to her side, continuing to watch her intermittently as she walked. Tae kept her head down and ignored him, after how he’d reacted to her in the cave she found this flirty Loki only made her angry again. One of the Warriors sprinted ahead of them so that by the time they reached the fort the massive gates were not only opened for them, but a large contingent of Minotaur was waiting to greet them.

  Chapter 19

  Several Minotaur ran forward and ushered those carrying the wounded and dead off to some other place away from the main gathering. After Borig introduced them to the leaders of each caste and the local dignitaries that had hastily gathered they were lead inside to where a feast was busily being assembled in the town square. The encounter with the Medusa seemed to be forgotten with Loki’s arrival. Minotaur were now carrying long tables and benches from out of a large central building, while yet others brought out what Tae assumed were their finest table clothes, plates, and utensils, apparently the whole city was going to be invited.

  Tae looked around at the bustle with interest, but she hadn’t met the main person she had been hoping to be introduced to, she turned to Borig. ‘You said you had a seer, I don’t suppose there is a chance for me to meet her?’

  Borig looked over at Loki who simply nodded, which was just another thing to add to the seemingly endless list of things that now annoyed her no end.

  For goodness sakes, the Minotaur will be asking his permission to fart next. She burst into laughter at her thoughts as she started to imagine some of the pompous officials surrounding them doing just that, and of the noise that the old cow Shazza had made, all of which made her laugh harder. A part of her knew this was simply her way to release all of the tension she had felt from that day, but still, it took until Loki stepped up to her and asked her what was wrong that she finally stopped. The Minotaur were now staring at her in bewilderment; she held up her hand and bought herself back under control fully.

  ‘Sorry but it’s been a very long day, I guess I’m just over tired. I think I just need a wash and a drink to settle a bit, that’s all,’ she said, refusing to tell him what she was really laughing about.

  Loki was still looking at her, he was totally perplexed by her odd behavior, worse still, he didn’t believe a word she had just said. He was about to insist she tell him what she found so amusing- mainly because he was paranoid that her amusement might be about what had happened in the cave- just when a middle aged female in an orange and white robe stepped forward.

  ‘I have a small bath and some clean linen if you would do me the honor of allowing me to tend you, god slayer,’ she said in a strong clear voice.

  Borig spoke up quickly. ‘God slayer, may I introduce you to our seer, Latrissa,’ he said pointing to the woman, ‘but any of our homes would be more than honored to serve you.’

  Tae smiled at the kindly looking woman with her soft brown eyes, before she looked back at Borig. Noting his look of concern with interest, she glanced around quickly and noticed people seemed… not exactly afraid, but wary of the woman. She had the feeling the seer was a bit of an outcast for some reason, she shrugged inwardly, deciding to go with her gut feeling. ‘I’ll go with Latrissa if that’s okay,’ she said smiling. ‘I had a wonderful friend who was a seer, and if it wasn’t for her wisdom and knowledge neither I, nor Lord Loki would be standing here today.’

  She looked at Loki who nodded to her as if giving her his permission. Stupid butt munch, she thought huffily, before she turned and smiled at the woman and proceeded to follow her through the now murmuring crowd. They walked quietly through hard packed earthen streets filled with neat rammed earth homes. Tae saw that each home had a well cultivated vegetable and herb garden at its front and was painted in rich ochre colors from pigments the Minotaur had obviously found naturally. They continued on until they came to a dull yellowish house that seemed to be slightly apart from the others and closer to the outer walls. Latrissa walked through a small garden at the front that seemed to be jam packed with flowers and herbs, all arranged in neat and orderly rows. Tae stopped when she recognized one.

  ‘Oh you have Aloe Vera,’ she said.

  Latrissa turned around in surprise and looked at the large succulent Tae was looking at. ‘We call it Alvora, it is said that this plant, along with some of our other medicines, came with our ancestors when they were banished to this world, it works well on burns and contusions.’

 
‘So you’re a Doctor as well as a seer,’ said Tae.

  At Latrissa’s puzzled look Tae continued. ‘A Doctor is what we call our healers back on my home planet of earth, or Terra as you may know it.’

  Latrissa smiled. ‘Yes, I am a healer, although not many use my services, and apparently our peoples have met before, long ago, so already I see we are not strangers to each other. Please come in and I shall prepare your bath,’ she said opening a large wide door to her home.

  Tae entered the lovely cool interior and began looking around curiously. She was in a largish room that seemed to serve as both a sitting room for guests, and a small kitchen. A bright red rug covered the floor, and four wide wooden chairs with mustard yellow cushions sat neatly by some shuttered windows. Another two doors stood closed to her left, and yet another door across the room on her right stood open. From her vantage point Tae could see that it seemed to be stacked with jars, it also had assorted items hanging from the walls. She guessed it was Latrissa’s ‘work’ area judging by the pristine condition it seemed to be in, whereas the sitting room had a more friendly lived in look that Tae instantly liked. Latrissa lead her through her kitchen and into a room that Tae hadn’t seen, it turned out that this was the bathroom. It held a large raised stone trough that sloped down towards the floor slightly; she noticed a wooden pipe ran from the bottom of the trough and out of the wall. At the higher end a large wooden handle and faucet stood over hanging what Tae realized was going to be a real, water bath, she almost groaned in anticipation. Latrissa put a large cloth in the hole where the water would drain away followed by a wooden plug, she then turned the handle at the top and cool water immediately began pouring into the tub. As the tub started to fill she reached above it and bought down a large bowl containing a gelatinous paste, even from where she stood Tae could tell that it smelt like freshly picked wildflowers.