“You worm. You are no Lord. Karadag would never have set his dogs on me because he was man enough to fight fair. You are a loser, and you always will be.”
“There is only one loser here today!”
He strode forward as if to deliver the mortal blow, but as he did, an explosion rang out in the wall of the arena. Cakir was knocked aside by the impact and one of his guards was killed outright. Taylor didn’t even respond. He didn’t have enough energy to. He just looked to the breach as the dust began to settle. A lone figure appeared, silhouetted in the smoke. As it stepped through, and the dust began to settle, it was clear.
“Bolormaa!” said Taylor in amazement.
The Krys didn’t know what to do. She slashed from one side to another with lightning speed and efficiency, ending all but Cakir in four swift strikes. She flicked the blood from her blade as if in disgust before looking to Taylor as if to check he were okay.
“What are you doing? We had a deal!” Cakir demanded.
“I just changed that deal. Colonel Taylor is mine to do with as I please.”
She rushed forward with a fast blow towards Cakir. He quickly got up and managed to parry the blow to his head, but she nimbly rotated her blade around and severed the hand holding his sword. He let out a cry in pain before she thrust her blade into his chest, pinning him to the wall. He wailed for a few seconds before going limp. She didn’t remove the blade and let him rest there, turning her attention to Taylor who was smiling. He could already tell what had happened, and why, and he found it funny.
“One day soon you will die, Colonel, but it will not be at the treacherous and deceitful hands of a worm such as that.”
“How the world turns. You can’t help but laugh sometimes.”
“That is what I like about you, Colonel. You are never a disappointment.”
Jones reached the edge of the arena just in time to see Bolormaa squaring off against Taylor, but he couldn’t understand what he was seeing. He was powerless to act. All he could do was watch and hope.
She turned and calmly walked towards the breach, as if content to leave without so much as an attempt to strike at him.
“So I guess we’ll be seeing each other again soon?”
“Without a doubt.”
And with that, she was gone as quickly as she had come. In his wounded and delirious state, he would have believed she was a mirage or a dream, were it not for the path of destruction she had left in her wake. He heard the shield above power down, and the sound of his people descending. Jones was first to land in front of him, and he gasped in shock.
“You’re back!”
“Yes, and I am sorry it took so long.”
He helped Taylor to his feet.
“Can you walk?”
“If it means getting out of here, I could do a marathon, Jones.”
* * *
Three days had passed, and Taylor sat in the same observation centre where Jones had first seen Earth when he escaped his prison like ward. He was still bandaged over much of his body and his left arm in a sling. He looked in a sorry state. He heard footsteps and Jones approached. He took a seat down beside him. For a moment they both stared out at the beautiful view.
“It looks so peaceful from up here, doesn’t it?” Jones asked.
“Always.”
There was silence for a full minute, and Taylor finally sighed.
“Spit it out, William.”
“It’s just, we still haven’t talked about it.”
“About what?”
“That was Bolormaa, wasn’t it?”
Taylor nodded in agreement.
“And she was there to save you, not harm you?”
“Yup.”
“And that doesn’t strike you as a little strange?”
Taylor shook his head as though he had given it plenty of thought.
“She is arrogant, selfish, and desperate to prove to the universe that she is all powerful. I thought she was smarter, but when it comes down to it, she is the same as the others, and that will be the end of her.”
“You really believe that?”
“I do.”
Jones laughed.
“Then you are as crazy as I always thought you were.”
He laughed in response, and it felt great to be laughing among friends, and not in the face of death.
“Better crazy than dead.”
He looked back to Earth and marvelled at her beauty. That made it all worth it. He thought about all he had sacrifice for that world.
Was it worth it? Should I have done it any different?
“Well, would you have?”
“What, Jones?”
He realised he had spoken his thoughts aloud.
“Would you have done it any differently?”
“No chance.”
Battle Beyond Earth: Survival Page 22
