KARRIN: Warrior Woman (Excalibur Saga Book 4)

by Sahara Foley

  Excalibur stepped behind Pam and rubbed her shoulders. She let out a contented sigh as she leaned back in the chair, then glanced over at Karrin and winked. “This is what husbands are good for.”

  Karrin ginned back at her. The younger woman peered up at Lurga. He was studying his own clawed fingers like he was trying to figure out how to give a massage without flaying the skin. “What else did you find out about the Srells?”

  “We really wanted to study one up close,” Excalibur answered while rubbing the kinks out of his wife’s shoulders. “We saw a few Srells who never seemed to move, so we surrounded one and tried to contain it with our limited powers. As soon as we got close enough, the other Srells teleported it away. Pam, also, noticed these non-moving Srells looked all the same.

  The older woman nodded her head in agreement.

  Excalibur continued, “They resembled a small Eilsel ship when sat on its tail, and we had the impression they were sick, or fragile. The other Srells seemed to be protecting them. Which makes no sense considering they have as much concern toward each other as an Ispepyein Warrior would to their own kind.”

  “The only emotion an Ispepyein Warrior has is for propagation purposes,” Lurga admitted. “Could these have been the female version of the Srells, and might they have been preparing to breed?”

  “That is one of a hundred questions we need answered,” Daisy interjected. “We are dealing with an anti-matter lifeform that shouldn’t be able to exist in our Universe, and, yet, it does. The only facts we’re certain of is the Srells are coming, and they fear Karrin.”

  “My headache feels much better, now. Thanks, dear.” Pam patted Excalibur’s hand and smiled at him with such love and adoration Karrin would’ve thought they were newlyweds instead of being married for decades. “We did discover a few other bizarre things. For instance, they don’t eat.”

  “Wait,” Karrin interrupted. “Didn’t you say they snacked on Omars?”

  “Well, yes,” Pam replied. “They did attack the Omars, but only to destroy them, not to feed on them. We couldn’t find anything that resembled a food source. Nor could we see any discernable intake or waste systems.”

  “Don’t forget the water,” Excalibur reminded his wife. “There is almost no water in their Universe, though it rained all the time. The rainwater was like a strong acid to us and ate through our skin and into our force fields. Between the two of us, we threw up a shield, which lasted long enough for each rain cycle. If not for the added protection, I have no idea how long we would’ve lasted before the acid rain killed us. It was quite unpleasant and painful.”

  Pam nodded emphatically in agreement. “And, it smelled like sulfur. I shut off my nose to stop from gagging, it smelt so strong. We tried bringing some back to analyze, but it ate through every container we used. Yet, it never affected the Srells. We think the rain is their food source, and why we couldn’t find lots of bodies of water anywhere.”

  Karrin stared off into the distance, trying to envision a world so vastly different than what she knew. She’d been on two different planets, both with some common denominators. “What about children? Did you see any that looked like kids? What about houses? Where do they live?”

  “No,” Pam answered. “They don’t have cities or towns. There are no dwellings for them to live in. As for children...” She shrugged. “They come in so many shapes and sizes, it would’ve been impossible to tell if they were adults or youngsters.”

  “What is it you expect Karrin to do?” Lurga growled. “Fight against beings you could not protect yourselves from? You would be sending her to her death. If you are so great and mighty, why do you not shut off the entryway to our worlds, Shalit?”

  Karrin felt the anger and animosity growing between Lurga and Excalibur. It was nice having someone look out for her, but her mentor taught her to fight her own battles. She turned to tell him that but stopped when she saw what was reflected in his big, Ispepyein eyes – rage and the fear of losing her again.

  “Enough, Lurga,” Arthur said sternly, his lips pressed in anger. “Don’t you think we thought about that? There would be consequences we cannot predict. If we shut down the time-slip, countless overlapping Universes would be destroyed. Including the one you, now, stand in, trying to anger Cal. It is a safety valve which cannot be removed. Now, go outside with Pam and Cal while we speak with Karrin alone. And, do not taunt Cal.”

  Lurga growled under his breath as his eyes met Karrin’s.

  Addressing Excalibur, Arthur added, “Cal, keep your temper with Lurga.”

  Pam stood, hands on hips as she glared at her husband. “Oh, they both will. I promise. I’m getting tired of these macho games.”

  Excalibur wilted under her unwavering gaze and headed for the door, his head bowed.

  Lurga was impressed. A Shalit reprimanded by a Human female? Pam must be as strong as his Karrin. He leaned down next to the young woman’s ear. “Do not agree to anything until we have a chance to talk. They are not telling us everything, and I fear for your safety.”

  Karrin smiled up at Lurga and patted his hand. “Your Ispepyein’s coming out of you,” she whispered back. Trust no one, and don’t believe anything you can’t see. Don’t worry, dear. They are my family, and they won’t harm me. Don’t you see, I’m no longer alone or an orphan. Now, go outside, and please, behave, for me.” She batted her eyes at him.

  Lurga’s triple hearts stuttered at the mention of her not being an orphan or alone anymore. But he said nothing, and dutifully followed Pam and Excalibur out the door.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  After the sliver door closed behind the trio, Arthur turned to Karrin with an amused grin. “Unbelievable. You took a fearless, cold-blooded Ispepyein Warrior and turned him into a fawning puppy dog.”

  Daisy chuckled. “A puppy dog with very sharp teeth. No, he reminds me more of a tame lion.”

  “Lurga is… just Lurga.” Karrin shrugged and picked nervously at her pants. She didn’t understand what they meant. “We’re friends and care for each other.”

  “Obviously,” Arthur said with a smirk. “Soon, we will find out how much. Now, listen up. Daisy and I cannot stay as separate entities from Weesa’s brains for long. The systems are already under a lot of stress, trying to dampen your powers.”

  “I still don’t understand how you ended up as a ship. Did you die and get reincarnated?”

  “Hmmm. I never thought of it that way.” Arthur looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “Interesting theory. We did die, and our energy was infused into the twin brains which run the Wessa. Still, I want you to remember, Daisy and I will always be here for you.”

  Daisy nodded in agreement and added, “We may not be able to talk to you like this, on an individual basis, but we will speak to you as Weesa. We’re basically immortal, unless something happens to the ship. Then, I guess, we’ll be permanently dead.”

  “However, my death and rebirth are not what we need to discuss.” Arthur refocused the conversation back to his original topic. “We need to talk about the Srellooks. Ever since the Omars contacted us, we’ve been watching, trying to figure out what they want. At the time-slip, it only seemed like a few months, but it ended up being one hundred Earth years.”

  Arthur sighed. “As they say, ‘time flies when you’re having fun’. Anyway, we really wanted to cross into the time-slip, to take a closer look. Because we’re a mixture of organic and non-organic material, we couldn’t. We had no choice but to get Pam and Excalibur involved. We believe putting them in harm’s way was worth the trip, as the information they’ve brought back is troublesome.

  “Which brings us to you, and Lurga Pukani. It’s imperative we discover what’s going on. We’re not sure what will happen if the Srells confront you in our Universe, so to prevent a possible cataclysmic event, we want you to go to the time-slip. There, you will watch with the Omars and see if you can locate that third ancient race. They might tell us why the Srells are hell-bent on killing us off, and perhaps
they’ll have a plan on how to stop them, as well.”

  “What about Lurga? What will he be doing?”

  “His task will be a little trickier,” Daisy replied. “Since he has no PSI powers, other than telepathy and shapeshifting, we need him to go into the Srell’s world and look around for us. We’re hoping he’ll notice things Pam and Excalibur didn’t since he will be observing their world from a different perspective.”

  “I don’t know,” Karrin interjected. “That sounds too dangerous. He’d be totally defenseless against them.”

  “He would probably be the safest person there. From what the Omars said, the Srells only go after other beings with powers. Since he doesn’t have any, they will most likely ignore him.”

  The young woman stopped picking at a loose thread and glanced up at Daisy. “The Srells didn’t bother Pam and Cal before. Maybe you have it wrong, and they’ll attack Lurga?”

  “Perhaps,” Daisy acknowledged. “However, we still think the possible anti-matter/matter explosion an attack on Pam and Cal would cause is why the Srells left them alone.”

  The young woman pursed her lips. She still wasn’t convinced.

  “If you place your strongest force field around Lurga, it will keep him safe from the Srells as well as the acid rain. He is a bred, born, and trained warrior. Who better to put in the enemy camp to look for their weakness? This is your destiny, child, to save our Universe. Can you simply walk away from it, or will you help us?”

  Karrin squinted at the faces of her distant grandparents. Are they holding back information, like Lurga suspects? Though they were her family, she barely remembered them. Should I trust them? Lurga doesn’t, but is his judgment being clouded by fear of losing me again?

  There was a lot for the young woman to consider. What if I don’t help them? Is our Universe really in jeopardy? So much of want they told her sounded farfetched. Wouldn’t there be a historical record somewhere warning of the Srellooks?

  Karrin rubbed her eyes with one hand, trying to make sense of everything that happened to her within the past few days. Having the fate of the Universe flung into her lap wasn’t fair. She was still reeling from the discovery Lurga lived, and she could no longer call herself an orphan.

  “You don’t have to make a decision, now,” Daisy said. “Go speak with Lurga and talk it over. Just remember that your world of Earth, his Ispepyein, and countless other systems share this one, vast Universe. Everyone you’ve met and loved will die, except, possibly, you. Maybe this is the reason why the Srells fear you. Do you want to spend the remainder of your life alone?”

  “I still don’t understand what they gain by killing everyone off. What purpose does it serve?”

  “Neither do we. This is one of many questions we need to have answered to stop them from destroying us. This is why we need your help.” Daisy’s gaze wandered toward the door. “They come. Go outside and speak with Lurga.”

  The silver door slid up. Cal and Pam stepped inside. They gave Karrin slight nods and solemn looks as she passed them.

  The young woman dipped her chin in acknowledgment of her grandparents before going out into the bluish light of Switch. Walking stiffly, as she was still sore from her fight with the Calens, she approached Lurga. He sat on one of the smaller black rocks which littered the planet.

  Realizing Lurga was staring off behind her, she turned and noticed dozens of animals who looked like her Brownie. She smiled sadly at their antics before she saw four Calens, tied together. Her eyes narrowed, lips pressed in anger.

  The Omars were chattering and scampering around them, throwing sand and rocks at the prisoners.

  Thinking about Brownie, Karrin glanced over at the edge of the water, the last place she’d seen him. The sand was melted into a deep, bowl-shaped sheet of thick, sparkling glass.

  With a sad sigh, she strode over to where Lurga stared at his gray-clawed feet. The young woman slumped on the rock next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. He looked so dejected, it made her heart hurt for him.

  “Little one,” Lurga started, but then stopped as he cleared his throat and fiddled with a pocket on his flight suit. “Could you love me as a Human male from your world?”

  “Oh, Lurga,” Karrin cried and placed her small hand in his scarred one. “Don’t you understand? I love you just as you are. It doesn’t matter to me one bit what shape or form you take.” She giggled. “We’re both shapeshifters, silly. We can be whatever we want.”

  “Then, I must,” Lurga said quietly, not looking at her.

  “You must what?” His scarred, gray head came up, and her heart sped up as she gazed into his eyes. She loved his beautiful, almond-shaped eyes with the vertical retinas.

  “Go into the time-slip with Pam and the Shalit.”

  “No, Lurga, you said we would discuss this.” She jumped off the rock and glared up at him. “Going there is dangerous, and you could die. I thought I lost you before and the grief was almost unbearable. I can’t go through that again. I won’t let you go.” Her voice broke and tears stung the back of her eyes.

  Lurga took her small, soft hand in his, and kissed the back of it with his hard, thin lips. When he glanced up, she saw the tears she was fighting already streaking down his face. “What does an Ispepyein Warrior fear?”

  “Nothing,” Karrin answered with a determined set to her jaw.

  A fleeting grin appeared on his face before Lurga ducked his head to peer at her hand again. “Oh, but that is not true. Ispepyein Warriors fear Shalits. Always have. We are unable to defend ourselves against them. Our history supports that fear. When the first Shalits appeared, thousands of years ago, some of our Warriors went to confront them, never to return, except one. An ancestor of mine. He explained in great detail what the Shalits did to his fellow comrades. The thought of having your life essence absorbed by another being sent ripples of fear through our people. How would we pass on to meet our ancestors if we were no longer us? Hundreds of our warriors met that unimaginable fate.”

  The warrior shuddered. “Then, as suddenly as they appeared, the Shalits left. The Leader of Ispepyein, at that time, claimed our Warriors defeated them. The truth was, he only tried to save face by claiming a victory where there was none. But, the rumors spread, and we became known as great warriors, never to be defeated in battle. Our reputation grew, and we became the race everyone else contracted with to solve their own inner diplomatic problems.

  “Back on Ispepyein, we were taught the Shalits were indestructible and to flee if we ran across any in our deep-space travels. We were to run in the opposite direction of Ispepyein, so they would not follow us and destroy our home world.” His shoulders slumped farther, head hanging low.

  “We were lied to,” he admitted. “Even though my hearts pounded, and my bones quaked, I shook hands with a Shalit and wished him Good Battle.” He peered up at Karrin, his eyes glittering. “Do you realize how unbelievable that was? And, he offered me a life no other Ispepyein Warrior would fathom. A chance of a home, with a mate and the ability to raise my children myself. To hold them and love them, instead of sending them off to some lonely training school. I want that, little one, more than life itself.”

  “Oh, Lurga, that’s what I want, too.” Karrin tenderly wiped the tears from his cheek.

  Lurga took her hand and stared intently into her eyes. “Arthur is correct. I am no longer a true Ispepyein Warrior. Because of you, I have emotions and yearn for a life never imagined. That is why I will let the Shalit change me into a Human male – so we can live on Earth, and you can enjoy the family you thought lost. However, I cannot live the way I want as long as our worlds are threatened by the Srells. That is why I have agreed to go with Pam and Excalibur. This may be my final battle, little one. Out of the hundreds of battles Lurga Pukani fought and won, this is the one I want to win the most.”

  “My Lurga, don’t you understand? I fell in love with you just as you are. As an Ispepyein Warrior. Please, don’t go. It’s not worth the ri
sk.”