“For being brave enough for both of us.”
Then he was standing, slipping from her grip and, with one last glance, walking out to meet their visitor. Leaving her yearning. Afraid and filled with desire all at once. Brave enough for what? Did he mean the kiss? Was he thanking her for the kiss?
Do you mean the kiss?!
But he was walking away.
She stuck her head around the trunk to watch him go, keeping the tree between her and the action; hoping Zac would make short work of things. Six other guys were now leaving the craft, coming down the ramp behind the first. Unlike the leader, the new arrivals were heavily armed. Clad in gold and black armor, helmets styled after Japanese fighting masks, more insect insignia on their breastplates, long-rifles ready in their grips.
The leader’s sneer broadened as he fixed his gaze on Zac. The six warriors held short at the base of the ramp, but Zac and the guy kept walking toward each other, stopping just a few paces apart. Two bare-chested fighters, standing alone on the charred and smoking ground, arms at their sides, fists bunched and chins up. Looking, Jess thought, like a couple of ripped Tekken characters, ready to throw down. Even the backdrop was wild. It was a Mortal Kombat arena come to life.
Would they fight?
She felt sorry for the little guy if they did.
“Nice,” he said, mocking Zac’s boxers. Suddenly Jess looked forward to the moment Zac wiped that sneer from his face. They would fight, she decided, it was obvious they were going to fight, and if it were her, she thought, she wouldn’t just wipe the sneer from his face. She’d wipe his entire face right from his skull. Fury surged within her.
“So,” the guy went on when Zac said nothing. “Thought you could get to heaven on your own. Not content to serve your time?” He chuckled. “Looks like you’ve paid for your greed.”
Zac waited. In the woods behind him Jess could see only Zac’s back; she couldn’t tell whether he was frowning or neutral or what. The other’s expression, however, remained mocking.
“You don’t remember me, do you?”
It was clear Zac didn’t.
“I’m Kang,” the little butthead stated. “You ascended after Loth. After he was … retired.” At this he grinned, as if making an inside joke. “I wonder if that will be your fate.” Then, smug, he looked past Zac, turning his attention from him for the first time, directly …
To her.
He sees me!
Crouching behind the tree. She shrank beneath his faraway gaze.
But it was too late. It was too late before he even walked out of the ship. He knew she was there all along.
“And who’s this?” he asked. “Found yourself a little distraction?” He eyed her behind the trunk. “I’m sure you won’t mind if I take her when this is over.”
“Leave her out of it,” came Zac’s measured response, his first words of the confrontation. Kang looked back to him, grin fading. He became serious.
“I’m glad you’ve done yourself in, frankly. It will be sweet indeed to assume your role as Kazerai of Osaka. That honor should’ve been mine.”
“You’re right, I don’t remember you,” Zac shifted, preparing. “But I’ve already decided I don’t like you. So if you’re here to fight let’s get it over with.” He turned his gaze slightly to the looming ship parked behind Kang. “I think I can make good use of this.” And he looked up and down the length of the craft. Confident in his ability to control the situation.
Only, as he looked away, Jess noticed a change in Kang’s demeanor. A certain rage that rose behind his eyes; a powerful fury in the flexing of his gloved hands. And, before she could scream a warning—before her mind could even process the fact that Zac needed a warning—Zac, who so far had proven indestructible—before any of that could happen, Kang leapt. A blur, impossibly fast, striking Zac unaware and knocking him flying back toward the woods.
And Jess knew at once Kang was like Zac.
The two interlocked bodies flashed fifty feet across the clearing in that first strike, a thick trunk catching them with a crack and a great, splintering pop, followed by the creak of tons of wood as the tree tipped slowly and held.
But Kang and Zac were in action. Kang came plowing back into the clearing, thrown by Zac, and Jess watched in stunned terror as Zac flew into the rut after him, throwing up a plume of dirt that obscured their bodies. That was followed by a flurry of strikes that boomed across the small mesa—tremendous punches and kicks, skin on skin that actually boomed!—then, as the dirt settled and she saw them both in a buzz-saw of fighting action, Zac grabbed Kang and … hurled him into the air. Really hurled, as in a hundred feet. Higher. Holy …! She followed the arc of the smaller man’s body, watching as the flailing, screaming Kang went hurtling away into the sky—almost out of sight.
Impossible. Could he …
But Zac was out of the rut and halfway to her. She bit back a scream as he was suddenly right there, skidding up behind a plume of dirt to face her, a deadly focus to his expression as he slid to an abrupt stop, pierced her gaze with desperate intention and aimed one command directly between her eyes:
“Run.”
And with that he surged back to the fight. Kang was falling to earth, screams growing louder, impatient to land and resume, nearly there as Zac streaked away into the six soldiers and punched them all to the ground—to death, surely—in one fell swoop, guns clattering or flying away before they could raise them in defense.
Kang’s yells grew close. Jessica, torn but compelled by the urgency in Zac’s command, turned and, slowly at first, faster as Kang hit and the thundering punches began once more, ran. Into the woods. Across the creek, looking back. Splashing across to the other side.
But she couldn’t just leave. Beyond the creek she stopped, craning to catch sight of them. Though small at that distance the battle between the two men was like a comic book fight come to life. Bodies flew back and forth, punches and kicks impacted the air, trees cracked with titanic snaps as they were struck at great velocity and held. The two combatants threw each other with strength beyond reason.
Jess realized she was sobbing. Zac! She wanted so desperately for him to find Kang’s weakness. To destroy him. Pulverize the little prick who was threatening to ruin everything.
Then the sound of another craft. Closing, nearly upon them. Either she hadn’t noticed or it was coming too fast, somewhere out over the trees. She looked to the sky, frantic, startled to see another machine far up in the air, possibly even larger than the first. It slowed and began circling, keeping safe distance on the action below. Like a vast, metallic vulture.
Desperately she tried to tell if Zac was winning. She couldn’t. The fight was too chaotic. The six soldiers remained down, that much she could confirm. Dead. No new ones took their place. This was between Zac and Kang and so far it appeared to be an even match. Looking up she wondered what reinforcements waited in the giant craft overhead. Could they see her? The thought of that terrified her, but there was already so much fear running through her body it almost didn’t matter. She could get no more afraid. Whether they saw her or not, this was over—for both of them, if Zac didn’t win.
Now the vulture came lower. She looked ahead. In the clearing, through the blur of action, it seemed maybe Zac was winning. Kang appeared to be taking more hits; she saw his body flying back and forth more often than Zac’s. Only now the next intruder was coming. Coming to weigh in with whatever arsenal it brought.
It was Zac against them all.
With some surprise she noticed the craft was coming down right above her; realized suddenly that, on its current trajectory, it would box Zac in against the other craft, crushing her in the process. She didn’t dare run back. That would put her right in the middle and, even if Zac prevailed—when he prevailed, she made herself believe—there was no guarantee she herself would survive. The combat was far too violent, the power of the landing ship far too great for her to survive in such proximity. For now she had to get out of
there. She had to run, like Zac said. Let him do his thing, then be waiting when it was over.
And so she turned and bolted. Back down the hill, away from the creek as the giant ship settled to ground behind her. Faster she ran, stumbling, spine crawling with this new fear of being crushed. The entire forest swayed with the energy of the arriving ship’s landing, a wall of force that knocked her down even at that distance. Tumbling, she managed to orient herself, find a tree and guide her roll toward it, arresting her fall.
The forest rapidly became a tornado of leaves and flying branches. She took cover and held on as a hundred yards away the ship settled directly into the woods, bending back mighty trunks as if they were saplings. But they weren’t saplings, and many of them simply cracked and blew away, the rest rupturing beneath the bulk of the massive craft as it made its own landing field. Dirt and debris choked the air, all the way into the sky, blotting out the sun; a cloud of destruction that drifted long after the engines shut off and the woods reverberated with their mighty echo.
And as the thunder subsided, as deathly quiet gripped the forest once more, the sounds of super-powered unarmed combat returned. Zac and Kang were still fighting up there. Out of sight now, on the other side of the tremendous bulk of the new arrival.
Jess rose and backed away, putting distance on the scene one step at a time, eyes fixed on the matte black armor of the closest giant. The newest arrival. Worried an army would come pouring from the exits any second.
It was big enough to hold one.
She tried to reason with herself. Zac was in the midst of a real challenge. There was nothing she could do to help. She turned and picked up the pace. Crashing through the forest. Running as fast as she could. Faster.
Terrified.
CHAPTER 15: LOST
Shogun Ashikagi motioned a pair of masked and golden-robed priest warriors to join him at the debarkation lock aboard his flagship. Each carried one of the specialized Raza staffs, a shiny chrome rod with the power to control the Kazerai. Possibly the only thing that could control them; that technology, along with other holy artifacts, designed at the same time as the Crucible which created the mighty Kazerai themselves.
A host of attendants stood by in case they were needed, but Ashikagi would go meet the situation with the priests alone.
For this occasion he wore his finest robes of State; golden cloth with intricate designs, further done in shades of gold. He was here to collect one of their holiest warriors, Horus, who had gone far astray. This event dictated the highest decorum. Methodically he sheathed his ceremonial sword; adjusted it in the sash at his side.
Ashikagi lifted a robed arm. The wide debarkation door opened before him, an ornate ramp extending to the ground below. As it opened on the scene of destruction he found his two warriors, Kang and the great Horus, engaged in unbelievable combat. He smiled thinly.
It was always a joy to see the extraordinary Kazerai in action.
He proceeded down the ramp, taking measured steps. Growing nervous as he went. Kang was losing. If Horus saw an opening and made a move … He bid his priests stand ready. Their chrome staffs came up, pointed at the rapidly moving bodies. If need be, Ashikagi thought, he would contain them both, release Kang later. He was reminded in that moment that Horus had always been their most powerful Kazerai.
He watched in tense fascination. Across the breadth of the field the two fighters went back and forth, each trying terrifically to apply locks to the other, banging each other against the ground, against Kang’s landed craft, leaping or being thrown into the air, into the trees, rutting the earth all around.
Ashikagi tried not to flinch, waiting patiently, nervously, for Kang to look to his command. When at last his smaller Kazerai was able to spare a glance, Ashikagi pointed swiftly to one side—indicating that was where the priests would aim. In turn the priest warriors readied their staffs. Kang was panting but nodded—even as Horus dove into him, driving him back.
He was definitely outmatched.
But between two such powerful combatants any such advantage was relative. This battle could stretch for hours before a winner was declared. Days, even. Kang twisted, gripped Horus with a mighty yell and managed to fling him into the target zone. Of course Horus was undeterred, annoyed at best, rising at once for a return pounce.
Too late.
With a bone-throbbing hum the Raza staffs came alive, sharp violet light striking out like a focused bolt of lightning—wrapping Horus in a shimmering field. He snapped instantly straight as if in a seizure and …
Fell.
Ashikagi motioned to Kang, then continued down the ramp, followed closely by the golden priest warriors who carefully kept the chrome staffs and their prison beams held fast to the fallen Horus.
Slowly Kang came over, beaten, but with each step some of his haughty demeanor returned. By the time he stood safely beside his Shogun, both of them standing before the grimacing Horus, all of his sneer had returned.
Horus lay rigid in the shimmering cocoon of violet light, still breathing, still very much alive, totally unable to move. He eyed Kang with great malice, turning his frozen hatred on the Shogun as well. Ashikagi frowned. This one was far gone.
He only hoped he could be fixed.
* *
Jessica stumbled, caught herself and slowed. Far enough away now to feel a measure of safety. Taking cover behind a trunk she looked back up the hill, unable to see the ships any longer. The curve in the land combined with the density of the trees obscured all trace, yet she knew they were there. Giant metal behemoths, squatting atop the ruined remains of the forest they’d so brutally raped with their shocking arrival.
She caught her breath and reflected on the last minutes. The men that came out of the larger craft had almost seen her as she stood transfixed moments before. Unable to make herself keep fleeing, she’d stopped her mad rush after the big ship was on the ground then, scared out of her mind but having to see, having to know, turned and ran back up the hill, until she could once again witness the drama unfolding. It was then that she saw the three men in fancy gold robes, the obvious orchestrators of this attack—two with shiny staffs—exit the largest craft. The one in the center, his dress more flamboyant even than the other two—looking like a Japanese emperor or something, ornate sword at his side—a weapon she was confident he was too weak to use … that one was the leader. She could tell at once. His profile she could see, barely, where the other two wore fighting masks. An older man, drooping mustache and a gleam of bad intentions in his eye.
Like Kang she hated him at once. Even more so as he commanded the other two to use their shiny staffs against Zac. The staffs emitted a shimmering purple field which dropped him like a bolt of lightning, then held him on the ground with a force she could only imagine. She heard them talking after that, voices drifting on the air, audible above the hum of the visible energy. Heard the laughing of the old man, like a cackle, making her want to run back up there and knock him down. Knock them all down, knock the staffs out of their hands and let Zac go.
But then she’d almost been seen. One of them looked in her direction and it was then that she ducked again to cover, waiting for what seemed like forever—skin tingling at the thought of how quickly, how instantly the Kang guy could be down the hill and destroy her with a single slap—then she took off running again, spine tingling, desperate not to be caught. Hoping against hope Zac would fight his way free.
Feeling terrible abandoning him.
But there’s nothing I can do!
Now she stood, waiting, deep in the woods. Apparently safe.
The forest was quiet. No sounds of pursuit.
Then …
Thunder rolled down from the clearing above, gaining force and rumbling hard even at that distance, growing to a crescendo. As it peaked she saw the shape of the larger craft rise into the air, high above the trees, debris swirling madly into another whirlwind that blocked out the sun. Concussions of sound rocked the valley, even as the o
riginal craft lit off behind it. Following the larger ship the other one took to the air and, within moments, both turned lazily and began moving away, toward the city, maintaining a loose formation as they split the air, power echoing across the hills in waves—long after she lost sight of them through the trees.
Then all was quiet. The absence of sounds crept back into her awareness. The deathly quiet of the trees, ravaged in the wake of the two craft. No more birds sang. Nothing.
Just the huge, dark, empty forest.
Did Zac get away?
Could he have? Somehow?
Slowly she started back up the hill. Desperate. Knowing it wasn’t possible but praying nonetheless. Faster, beginning to panic. Suddenly the woods felt more dangerous than ever.
Faster she ran, foolishly fast, tripping as she went, falling once, desperate to reach the clearing. Desperate to confirm what she already knew to be the horrible truth.
“Zac!” she called as she neared the scene of destruction. Felled trunks blocked her way, the aftermath of the landing.
“Zac!” she called louder, going around and over, splashing into the cold creek, jerking her legs back and forth against the drag, angry it held her back. What if they left soldiers behind? But she could think of none of that right then. Only …
“Zac!” she splashed free of the grip of the icy water and rushed up the bank, the whole area coming into view.
Empty.
All of them, everyone … gone.
Zac, gone.
She sprinted into the open; stopped to stand at the center of the wide clearing, feet sinking into the still-hot, scorched earth. She turned in place, searching every inch of the shadowy woods on all sides.
“Zac!” her voice sounded hysterical.
“ZAC!” That one echoed off a distant hill.
“ZAC!” she leaned into it, throwing every fiber of being into her yell and that one, too, echoed into the distance.
Nothing.
Star Angel: Awakening (Star Angel Book 1) Page 13
