Rules of Redemption

by T. A. White

  Pain screeched up the limb. She hissed, but didn't move.

  "How bad is it?" Raider asked.

  "They weren't lying," Kira said, her voice tight with pain as she glanced at her arm. Vague surprise moved through her at the sight of unmarred flesh. "It feels like getting shot. I'd advise avoiding getting hit at all costs."

  "Understood," Raider said.

  "I'm going. Count to ten and then begin." Kira bent her leg, focusing on the other end of the water. This was going to be fun.

  Between one second and the next, she burst forward, going from a standstill to a full-out sprint in the blink of an eye, the unevenly spaced footing not giving her more than a second's pause.

  The drones reacted—her fast movements pulling them away from Raider—just like she wanted.

  She grinned. Time to see how they reacted to a little friendly tap.

  Up ahead, the broken path diverged, three paths emerging. Kira approached at a run, dragging her sword in the water as the drones sped toward her. She ran a thin line of her power—what she suspected Graydon called ki—to the very tip of the wood. Careful, careful, she cautioned herself. She didn't want to break the wood.

  Her soul's breath was incredibly destructive. The last thing she wanted, was to explode something right now.

  She judged the tactic a small risk, but one worth taking.

  She poured the smallest amount of herself into the blade, gathering small droplets of water behind it until a sword of water extended nearly five feet behind her.

  The pull of the blade began to grow heavier, resisting as more water gathered, increasing the friction of its passage. She tightened her grip and waited, her eyes on the drones as they lined up their shot. Almost there, almost there.

  Now.

  She swung the sword through the water, cutting it as she might a blade of glass. The water followed the path of her blade, creating a perfect arc around her. The screen of liquid restricted the drones’ sight for a split second.

  It was all she needed.

  She dashed forward, taking the middle path as Raider darted for the one on the far right. Her water diversion worked, distracting the drones from Raider and focusing all their attention on her.

  Droplets of water rained down on her, making the path slick as she sprinted forward. She'd chosen the shortest one, but she was betting it was also the most difficult. The Tuann seemed like the type to turn a simple exercise into one of deceit. No doubt she’d chosen the most treacherous.

  As if to confirm her assumption, she spotted Graydon ahead, Finn on the path to her left.

  Kira flipped in midair, barely managing to avoid twin bolts. She came out of her flip, landing on one foot and immediately leaping sideways to avoid another blue bolt.

  For several long minutes, she lost herself in the difficulty of avoiding being turned into swiss cheese, ducking and swerving as she pushed her body to the limits.

  Exhilaration fed into her movements as she listened to her instincts, leaping and twisting whenever danger threatened.

  For the most part, her wooden sword hung forgotten at her side. She preferred to evade and dodge instead of attack. She used the sword when absolutely necessary, which was to say never.

  She landed on a tree branch, taking a second to get the lay of the land.

  Graydon roared as he challenged twenty drones, his movements full of restrained fury as he snatched one out of the air and threw it at another. At that moment, he was the warrior, fierce and powerful, and full of a heated need to destroy.

  She'd never seen anything like it. The sight tempted her to challenge him, to test her skills against his to see who came out the victor.

  She shook off the thought. She couldn't afford such things right now. She had a match to win.

  She turned and looked for Finn.

  She muttered a faint curse when she finally spotted him, way too close to the finish line for comfort.

  He just needed to clear a twenty-foot wall, walk across a log on a see-saw, and then find a way across a ten-foot chasm.

  Raider, by contrast, had over half of the course to go.

  They were going to lose.

  Kira whirled, catching the drone behind her with the flat of her sword. It reeled away, crashing into the tree where she perched.

  Seconds later, its broken pieces began to reassemble. It rose, turning to Kira as a light pulsed deep inside.

  "Calling your friends, huh? Bring it on," she told it.

  She didn't wait, turning and leaping onto the obstacle course again. Something drastic needed to happen to turn the tide.

  The obstacle course had been built into a long lake and had seen much use over the years. The ruined remnants of previous paths lay barely visible beneath the water. Some pieces broke its surface, but not many.

  Taking it would be a risk but worth it if she could delay Finn.

  Kira arrowed over the water toward her guard.

  She leaped and whirled, evading the drones, her feet flying over the unsteady footing as if they'd been given wings.

  This was what freedom felt like. For one timeless second, she remembered what it felt like to fly, defying both the odds and gravity as she used every ounce of strength and willpower to reach for a bit more speed, to add a little more height to each jump.

  Her footholds changed from the smooth wood and polished surfaces of the obstacles, to barely submerged rock or broken tree branches.

  The drones raced after her, turning an already difficult route more perilous. One swooped close, and only her quick reflexes kept it from hitting her in the head.

  Halfway to Finn's side. Not far now.

  She leaped, catching the edge of one of the drones as it veered too close. She grabbed it and swung her body, using the momentum to vault into the air, completing the arc to land on another drone.

  The slightest tingle ran under her, like a storm gathering power. The warning came microseconds before lightning crackled beneath her feet. She catapulted off the drone, flipping in midair.

  She landed on a half-submerged tree trunk, checking Finn's progress. As far as she'd come, it wasn't going to be enough. He was too close to the finish line, and her path forward too broken.

  Damn. Not good.

  Raider had a third of the course left. She could abandon the plan, make for the finish line. Maybe she'd beat Finn. It was unlikely.

  Graydon wasn't far away, battling it out with the drones, his face almost feral as he took down one after another. His very success meaning more and more drones swarmed him, giving the rest of them a breather.

  She glanced at the water. There was one way to pull Finn's attention away from winning. It was a bit drastic.

  She thought the chances of success were good anyway.

  He was her protector. What would he do if she put her life in danger? Would he give up the fight to save her ass?

  There was really one way to find out.

  Two drones rose behind her, their camouflage nearly perfect. Just the slightest wavering in the air alerting her to their existence.

  Kira took a deep breath. This was going to hurt, but there was nothing for it.

  Graydon looked over from where he was fighting. His eyes widened, his mouth opening on a warning.

  Satisfaction filled Kira. He'd been so sure he'd win. Guess he'd thought wrong.

  Several things happened at once.

  A powerful mind brushed hers, tainting it with the feeling of metallic ice and acidic rain. She jerked, everything in her stilling,

  A large force hit her. A powerful jaw clamped around her accompanied by the familiar pain of being shot in the back.

  She had no time to process before lethal teeth bore down.

  Desperate, Kira reached for the broken bits of power nestled inside her.

  The jagged, damaged pieces of her soul fought to answer. They were a thorny, tangle of vines as they uncurled. She coughed blood as they ripped through her.

  A small, barely functional bubble sprang int
o existence around her, protecting her as the creature tried to crush her.

  She caught a terrifying glimpse down the creature's throat.

  In response, Kira rammed the wooden sword into its mouth, aiming for the back of its throat. It spit her out.

  She sailed through the air, strong arms catching her moments later.

  "You’re definitely a source of trouble. I regret our bet," Graydon said into her ear.

  "Not my fault," Kira managed to get out. Her ribs protested each movement, every word reminding her she'd almost been eaten. Her insides felt like a razor blade had been taken to them, a consequence of the small amount of power she’d used.

  Graydon lowered her to her feet until water licked at her boots.

  "What is that?" Kira asked, peering up at the creature.

  It looked like the ancient ancestor of a Chinese dragon crossed with its avian cousin. It had a serpentine body which lay half-submerged in the water. Horns curled from its head, and feathers rose in a crest behind its head and jaw. Long whiskers trailed from its snout, adding to the beard-like whiskers under its chin.

  Edged in blue with a red mane, it was a thing of beauty. Sleek and lethal, it rose above them, bugling a challenge at the sky. It had powerful forelegs tipped with deadly talons, and fins meant to cut through water along its side.

  "It's a lu-ong," Graydon said grimly, not taking his eyes off the creature. "Barely more than a baby."

  "You consider that a baby?" Kira asked in disbelief. No wonder they insisted on seeing her as a child if they counted that giant creature an infant. Their definition of what constituted a baby was seriously off.

  "A full-grown lu-ong can grow up to three times its size. This one is nowhere close to that."

  Kira's mouth clicked closed. That put things in perspective.

  The lu-ong lowered its head, snorting at them. Its lips curled, exposing the terrifyingly sharp teeth of a carnivore.

  Kira swallowed hard, the thought of where she'd been minutes before making her slightly queasy. She wasn't afraid of death, but the thought of being some creature's snack was terrifying.

  Graydon let out a low curse. "We're going to have to kill it."

  "Wait," Kira started.

  Graydon didn't listen, his powerful stride taking him close to the lu-ong before she could do more than form a token protest.

  Kira screamed in frustration.

  The insufferable man was going to get himself killed. What did he think he was going to do? Punch it to death?

  Kira darted after him.

  The lu-ong tossed its head, biting at the air as it reared, springing even further out of the water, its movements frantic and mindless.

  "Stop," Kira shouted, kicking the back of Graydon's knee and sending him stumbling forward. "You can't kill it."

  "What do you suggest I do? Let him eat you?" Graydon asked sarcastically.

  "Perhaps you can take a moment away from needless posturing and actually analyze the situation," Kira spat.

  Graydon showed her his teeth, displeasure pouring off him in waves. "What's there to analyze? Once it's dead, you can talk about your feelings about its tragic end all you want."

  He did not just say that.

  Kira glared at him and pointed. "Look at the side of its neck. That's a Tsavitee control collar. The moment it senses its host's heart stop beating, it will attach itself to the next closest source."

  Where Kira pointed, there was a large lump. On closer inspection, it resembled an alien tick, tentacles plunging deep into the lu-ong's skin.

  "But if you'd like to be used as a Tsavitee puppet, go ahead, kill the lu-ong," Kira said, her words dripping with acid.

  Graydon's eyes spat fire as Kira raised her eyebrows at him, unmoved by his temper tantrum. She was right and he knew it.

  "What do you suggest?" Graydon said, the words sounding like they were forced out of him.

  "Thank you for asking," Kira said, unable to resist prodding at him. His ire deepened until his eyes looked like storm clouds. "It'll be easier if we destroy the collar first. After that, the lu-ong will either run off or you can kill it."

  She'd prefer the lu-ong escape with its life intact. Something that beautiful didn't deserve to be destroyed because of a Tsavitee's poisonous interference.

  "Fine," Graydon said, his voice rigidly controlled. "How do you suggest I do that?"

  "Destroy the collar's brain first. One hard blow to the body should do it," she said. "Just be careful. If it senses its mission is compromised, it might try to attach itself to you."

  She spoke from experience. The alien tick was a pain in the ass to kill. You had to be quick and precise or risk falling under a Tsavitee's control.

  "Think you can handle that?" Kira challenged.

  Graydon curled his lip at her. "The day I can't handle something like this is the day I admit a human is better than me."

  Kira rolled her eyes at him, exasperation making it hard to keep her retort to herself. "I'll act as decoy. You take care of the collar."

  "No, just stand where it's safe."

  "That's not happening," Kira told him. "Accept it or get out of my way."

  He growled at her, but she didn't move, just folded her arms and stared him down.

  The lu-ong chose that second to strike, its head snaking forward with the speed of a cobra.

  Kira dove into the water. It closed around her, cold and wet, as panic beat at her. It had been instinct to seek the water’s protection, but now it worked against her.

  The lu-ong was aquatic, at home in its depths much like an alligator. She needed to escape before she ended up as lunch.

  She kicked her legs, propelling herself for the surface. Her first gasp of air tasted like razorblades.

  A dark shape loomed over her. The lu-ong's slightly mad eyes watched her, pain and fury deep in their depths.

  Kira froze. Its fear choked her as it mentally thrashed under the collar's control.

  I'm here, she thought at it.

  There was a brief hesitation as all that deadly focus zeroed in on her. The lu-ong was intelligent, she realized with a start. A fierce intellect burned inside, the likes of which threatened to break Kira's brain under the pressure.

  As it stared at her, she was conscious of Graydon, absurdly small next to the great beast as he worked his way up the lu-ong's neck.

  Kira shouted when she felt the dragon's attention slipping away. Here.

  The lu-ong's head snaked forward, hovering over Kira, its teeth on display.

  Graydon reached the collar as that head began to descend. Kira held still, knowing if she lost the lu-ong's focus, Graydon likely wouldn't survive.

  Hurry, she urged him silently as her death closed in.

  He drew his arm back and hammered at the tick, cracking its shell in a single strike.

  Kira dove to the right as the lu-ong plunged. Finn hit the lu-ong’s side, his face a mask of fury, his arms and hands glowing with a faint red light as he struck. The lu-ong's teeth scored a bright line of pain along Kira's arm and torso as it dove, barely missing her.

  It kept going, disappearing into the water.

  Blood stained the water around her red.

  She clapped a hand onto the wound on her arm as coldness invaded her limbs. "Shit. Where'd it go?"

  She tried to staunch the blood, even as she struggled to find the shape of its body under her, convinced it was about to swim up from beneath and gulp her down.

  The thrashing sent waves of pain coursing through her body. Graydon appeared next to her, reaching down and scooping her out.

  "I don't see it," she said, trying to fight through the pain. She needed to stay awake and aware for when it returned.

  "It's gone," Graydon said soothingly, clutching her to his wide chest. "You were right about the collar."

  "Of course, I was. I'm always right," she said through stiff lips as relief rushed through her. She'd survived. Yippee for her.

  His chuckle was rusty even as conc
ern pinched his face.

  "The lu-ong has its own power. As soon as I broke the control collar, it wasted no time in escaping," he said, trying to distract her.

  "That's nice," she said, barely able to keep her eyes open. She'd lost a lot of blood, she realized.

  "Is she all right?" Finn yelled as he raced toward them.

  Graydon didn't answer, worry in his face as he started to jog toward the end of the course. "Hang on, Kira. We're going to get you some help."

  "I didn't want to be eaten by a lu-ong," she told Graydon as she lost her battle with consciousness.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Kira blinked at the white ceiling. Her body ached in ways she didn't know it could. Everything hurt. Even her fingernails.

  Her left side felt like one giant bruise, while her shoulder felt like someone had ripped it open and then tried to staple it together with metal tacks.

  The worst thing by far, was the scratchy, dry feeling in her throat, like someone had stuck a sandblaster in there and turned it on high.

  If she hurt this much, it probably meant she wasn't dead. A good sign, given death had to be less painful than this.

  She chanced looking at her arm. The drape of the white sheath she wore was undisturbed by bandages or the remnants of blood.

  She touched the slightly raised scar where it ran nearly the length of her arm. That was new.

  "The healers did the best they could, but you'll likely have a scar as a reminder of your close call," Finn said from the corner of the room. "Few survive a lu-ong's bite. You're lucky."

  That was one word for it. She couldn’t help but feel it would have been better to never have ended up in the lu-ong's mouth at all.

  Kira glanced at Finn, noting his tense posture. His muscles were coiled so tightly it looked like his tendons might snap.

  His face was haggard, the skin wan and pale. He held himself in a way that indicated he was at the end of his rope.

  The look in his eyes—haunted and bruised like he'd seen and done too much—kept her mouth closed against any smart comments.

  Kira hated to admit it, but she tended to have that effect on people—usually it took several years to get to this point, but hang around her long enough and you were bound to get some bumps and bruises along the way.