Blood's Nexus

by K MacBurn

  “There we go, the worst of it is gone. Are you injured anywhere else?”

  “No, nothing bad anyway.” Taylor said. She took a moment to take stock of what injures she had. Most were bruises; bruises that Ransidius had left when he had his way with her.

  The teen looked up to see Tarak staring at the marks on her shoulders and neck. Taylor flushed red and looked away, embarrassed about what she had done with the Sabre to save the Deer.

  “Tarak, I am so sorry …” she started.

  Tarak wasn’t having any of it though. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her forehead before he spoke.

  “Never feel you have to apologize to anyone for what choices you make with your own body.” He said. He then kissed her again, this time on the lips, and with a heat that made her body burn. “As long as you want me, I don’t care who or what is in your past.”

  When he pulled back, she could see the passion in his eyes.

  Jarden coughed awkwardly.

  Suddenly, Taylor jumped to her feet and rushed over to her discarded coat. It took a minute of rummaging to find what she was looking for but as soon as it was in hand, she rushed back over to Tarak and the monk.

  The Tiger looked confused as he was handed the little bundle. Slowly, he unwrapped it then his face went blank.

  “Well come on Fur-face what is it?” Jarden demanded pulling the Tiger’s hand down with his walking stick. “The key!”

  With both being in shocked silence, Taylor spoke excitedly.

  “The Deer that helped me escape, she knew where everything was, and when she came to get me from Ransidius’ chamber she grabbed it as well. I guess she had been a servant at the stronghold for over two years now, and her father made her go ….”

  Suddenly she found herself wrapped in the long skinny arms of Jarden. His skin was scaly, and his flesh was cold and the whole experience would have been creepy had he not been sobbing his thanks into her shoulder.

  “I can’t belie …. be …. believe you found it. Of all my re-re-re-regrets it was the Sabre attack on the v-v-village. I lost Tarak’s p-parents and the key!”

  Taylor awkwardly patted his back as his sobs slowly subsided and turned into little hiccups. Finally, he pulled himself away and started for the door.

  “Well I think it's about time I go talk to Larris about the preparations.” He said before shuffling away.

  Tarak wrapped the key back up carefully and passed it back to her. He caught her eye again and just stared, waiting for her to make the first move.

  Taylor couldn’t stop grinning at him. With everything that had happened, it had become obvious that time shouldn’t be taken for granted because tomorrow was never a guarantee.

  She tossed the key back onto the coat before clasping her hands behind her.

  “So what now Tiger?” she purred.

  “Whatever you want.” He said with a grin. “Ladies choice.”

  It was a good choice.

  Taylor woke up safe and warm tucked in the crook of Tarak’s arm. It was a good start to the early morning; no pain from her wounds, slept like a narcoleptic, and enveloped in the Tiger's smell.

  The pleasure did not last. Taylor had no sooner looked into the Tiger’s golden eyes before screams erupted from the Rebellion encampment.

  Tarak leap to his feet, ready for a fight. Taylor panicked and snared his wrist.

  “Did you take the potion?” She demanded.

  The Tiger flashed her a toothy grin.

  “I did last night before you arrived. We were planning a rescue, but I guess you didn’t end up needing it. You stay here. Jarden and I will go out there and help where we can.”

  Taylor let go of his wrist, but did not look too pleased with being told to stay put. Tarak placed a hand on her cheek.

  “I am sorry, but I can’t let you go out there. Ransidius does not know you are here; if things go bad you can still get away. Stay hidden and find a safe spot for the key.”

  Taylor didn’t have an argument for that, so she kissed the Tiger with every ounce of feeling she had before letting him go.

  Alone in the temple, Taylor had to take a few deep breaths to calm her nerves enough that her brain would let her focus on the tasks that needed to be done.

  First thing she did was grab the key, then made her way down the long hall to a second chamber she had seen on her way in. A tour would have been nice to have beforehand, but it just didn’t happen, so the Rugby captain had to suck it up and delve further into the ruins to find a suitable place to hide the key.

  The second corridor she found felt as though it sloped down, past the main floor of the building. The blue ruins were farther apart, and the light barely gave her enough to see her own hand, but at the end she could see why it was like that. This way went down into the catacombs. Walls of tombs ran as far as the eye could see. Taylor remembered the site at the Yardick ruins, and how Tarak and put the bodies to rest.

  “I apologize for disturbing your sleep,” Taylor rolled the key through her slightly shaking hands as her eyes flickered to the dancing shadows made by the runes. “If you don’t mind, I am just going to leave this with you guys for now. Who better to protect a gate key then a room full of guardians, right?”

  In a tomb, second from the floor, on the east side of the chamber, there was a Tiger skeleton. He or she was not full grown, maybe a teenager, there was nothing fancy in their resting place, no elaborate weapon or gold pieces. The plaque was a simple name and one line. Because of all that, Taylor decided they were the one going to hold onto the key for her.

  “I will be back for that.” She promised, then bolted back up the corridor to find somewhere else for her to hunker down and wait.

  Through the thick walls, the vibrations of stampeding beasts, and the screams of injured, made it through as a hum. What was a bit more pronounced, was the sound of wings inside the temple; Their echoes sounded off the walls.

  For the most part, the temple was intact, and Taylor was confident the front door would hold, but the state of the roof or the back, she didn’t know.

  It was hard to pinpoint where the noise was coming from or how close the Crows were so Taylor had to find a hiding place quick, or risk a fight in the halls.

  Tarak emerged into chaos. The Sabres had the element of surprise in their initial attack, but the Rebellion was quick to recover and were now forming ranks against the pride.

  Ransidius had not yet taken the field, but in his absence the higher-ranking officers hyped up on human blood were doing a considerable amount of damage.

  Tarak decided, though this was not his fight, he needed a warm-up before finding the Sabre Lord. The lieutenants would serve as a good stand in.

  The blood potion that he had taken from Jarden was intense. What once would have been a challenge became child’s play. His natural abilities were so far above the Sabres that, even with them on a similar potion, they fell with ease.

  The Tiger left a trail of destruction that made even the most hardened warriors back away. No one wanted anything to do with the rampaging feline.

  Frustrated, he let out a roar that could be heard over everything, including the fighting. It was not Ransidius that answered. The bellow of the silverback Godwin echoed off the stone temple behind him.

  Tarak turned just as the General broke through the ranks. Their growls and posturing were enough to earn them a vacant thirty-foot battle arena. No one wanted to be near those two once the fur started to fly.

  The Gorilla charged with surprising velocity, his massive fist’s taking out head sized chunks of rock where they collided with the ground. The Tiger dove out of the way just in time, but sprung back behind the strikes to lash out with his claws.

  The scratches did little to slow the great ape as his hammer fists struck the Tiger in the chest sending him forty feet back into a row of advancing Sabres.

  Broken ribs realigned as Tarak pulled himself from the pile of bodies. The Gorilla hit hard. He was about to launch himsel
f back into the General when a blue lightning bolt split the sky and tore through the Gorilla’s right arm.

  He howled in pain and grabbed at the ruined flesh just as a rock smashed into his face.

  Tarak glanced over to see the wily old Monk standing with his walking stick extended, tossing magic spells around as if they were nothing. He hadn’t even broken a sweat yet.

  “I will handle him, Fur-face. You have bigger things to worry about!” The Croc pointed to the top of the Temple where Ransidius’ massive form disappeared into a hole in the roof followed by several Crows.

  How the Sabre knew Taylor was inside was a mystery, but Tarak wasn’t about to let her stay put and play that deadly game of hide and seek.

  There were some reservations about leaving the scrawny old monk to face off with the enraged behemoth of a General, but the Croc put his mind at ease when he made the ground open up and swallow half the beasts legs. Godwin roared as he tried to break free, but he was stuck fast.

  Tarak went in through the front door to try to cut the Sabre off.

  Taylor held her breath as a Crow ran past the alcove she was currently pressed into. The birds couldn’t fly in the cramped corridors, but there were enough of them that getting around was starting to become impossible.

  Staying put was not an option, so the teen snuck out and headed back down the hall the Crow had just come from. It went down to a big chamber where she could take one of several paths.

  There was no way of knowing which one would get her out of there, but any were worth a try at this point.

  She paused at the chamber entrance to give a look and listen. The downfall of being human; she really did suck at seeing in the dark. She completely missed the dark figure standing to her left.

  Her heart leapt to her throat when a clawed hand grabbed her shoulder. Spinning around, she swung a right hook that was easily caught. Tarak’s golden eyes stared back at her.

  The Tiger held a finger to his lips and motioned her to follow.

  Having a guide through the maze made it much easier to navigate. The Tiger dispatched a few of the Crow’s as he led her to the front door. Outside was a better option than staying trapped with the Sabre Lord.

  Just as the door slid open, a deafening roar made the two of them turn.

  Ransidius tackled the Tiger around the waist, sending them both tumbling out into the battlefield. The surprise attack gave a moment advantage to strike hard and fast.

  Claws slashed across Tarak’s leather clad chest, taking chunks from his vest and leaving scratches through his skin. The Tiger ignored the injury to throw an elbow into the Sabre’s face with a crunch.

  Rolling around in the dirt gave neither of them an advantage, so they broke apart in order to take stock of their opponent. Blood oozed from some minor injuries, but neither were too concerned at who drew first blood; it was only the last blow that counted.

  Tarak held an edge over Ransidius in speed, but the Sabre Lord had him in strength. Knowing this, the Tiger moved in to strike then back out so as not to get caught in an all-out brawl, while Ransidius waited for his opportunities to throw his power strikes that broke bones and tore flesh all in one.

  Meanwhile, Taylor could only stand in the temple door with breath held as the two titans clashed. The roars and sounds of fists and claws filled the air with a horrible soundtrack of violence.

  Blood sprayed into the air and a dust cloud formed around their feet. Combatants around them drew back, and even stopped to stare.

  None of the Sabres had ever seen someone stand toe to toe with their Lord, and the Resistance was shocked into silence by the speed and brutality of the battle.

  Ransidius checked a hard roundhouse kick aimed for his ribs, then came over top with a punch. The smaller Cat shifted angles to avoid the fist before using a forearm to block another swing, which allowed him to tear a chunk of skin from the Sabre’s shoulder. With a growl, the Sabre rolled off to get in behind the Tiger where claws latched onto flesh and a knee was slammed home into a kidney.

  Tarak grabbed one of Ransidius’ hands and dropped down, throwing the big Cat over his shoulder, and hard onto the ground.

  Distracted by their fight, the two were oblivious to a certain Crow Witch perched on the temple behind them. Taylor saw her through the corner of her eye, but the Crow failed to notice the human.

  Taylor wasn’t sure what the Witch was up to, but with a puff of smoke a red, crystalline spear formed in her hand. That was not a good sign. The teen found a way to climb up and scaled it in haste.

  As the two Cats broke apart again, Taylor saw her lift the weapon and aim it for Tarak. The rugby captain couldn’t help the Tiger in his fight with Ransidius, but she could at least keep the garbage eater from interfering.

  With a side-on tackle, Taylor drove her left shoulder through the Crow’s hip, sending them both over the side of the temple wall, onto the ground. Taylor rolled with it to absorb the impact, but the Witch was not so lucky. She screeched in pain as a wing twisted underneath her weight, the spear long forgotten several feet away.

  Both Cats glanced in that direction for a split second before coming together again in a flurry of claws.

  Taylor got to her feet and stared down at the Crow with contempt. Walking over, she picked up the spear and tested the balance in her hand. It was light and hummed with some type of magic.

  The Crow Witch struggled to her feet.

  “Well go ahead you little savage! Use it, you know you want to.” She sneered.

  Taylor glared at the dreadful female; she hated that term. It didn’t matter if it was used to describe her Native heritage or her human pedigree.

  Whatever the Crow expected, Taylor didn’t care. She took the spear and snapped in into shards over her knee. Taking a life over mere words was pointless.

  “Pathetic,” The Crow screamed. “You really are a worthless…”

  Throwing a punch over words, now that was satisfying. A well placed right straight sent Avis back to the ground in a limp pile.

  At the same time this was happening, Tarak was taking a few hard punches into his ribs. The two Cats were locked in close combat that was favoring the larger Sabre.

  The bigger battle was still going strong, but was starting to shift in favor of the Rebellion. With their numbers, and the aid of Jarden, the Sabre pack was being pushed out of the camp.

  “Come on, Tarak!” Taylor yelled. A life or death fight didn’t seem like an appropriate spot for cheerleaders, but Taylor needed the Tiger to pick it up; she wouldn’t survive him dying a second time. Even if she only thought he might be dead the first time.

  Taylor heard a growl, and then had to drop to the ground in a hurry. The Tiger was thrown through the air, just missing her before smashing into the stone blocks of the temple with a sickening crash.

  There was no time to check on him, because a slightly battered, but still grinning Ransidius was stalking towards her.

  A hand grabbed her by the throat before she had even made it to her feet. The big Cat lifted her up and turned so she could watch Tarak stumble from the rubble.

  “Your skill is great, surpasses even that of your father’s. Because you have fought so hard for her, I will be merciful and allow her to mourn you before I punish her for her disobedience.” He leaned on her shoulder and took a deep inhale. “She smells like you already, Tiger. I will enjoy licking your scent off every inch of her body.”

  The thought of going back with the Sabre and having to endure his abuse day after day made the teen shudder and stifle a sob. Tarak’s golden eyes locked on Ransidius, but he didn’t dare attack in case he hurt Taylor by mistake.

  Tarak circled to the right, but Ransidius moved with him, keeping her held out like a human shield. From where she was, Taylor could see the skin ripple above his ribs where the bones were going back in place, and the lacerations started to scab over before her eyes. The blood potion was all they said it was.

  It was just unfortunate that, as Tarak healed,
all the damage he did to Ransidius was healing too. The Tiger had to get back in the fight so he could capitalize on the damage already done.

  Taylor yelped as she was thrown forward violently, Tarak caught her before she face-planted into rocks, but Ransidius used the Tigers distraction to his advantage as he came in from the side, claws narrowly missed taking out an eye.

  Falling back from the sudden explosion of violence, Taylor lifted a hand to wipe at the spray of blood that hit her in the face. She had to scramble to put more distance between herself and the fight as angry growls resounded and the two Cats tumbled to the ground, locked tooth and claw.

  Ransidius had his fangs clamped down on the side of Tarak’s neck just shy of the artery, his claws buried in flesh to keep the Tiger from escaping.

  Tarak pulled at the Sabre’s arms, his breaths gargled in his throat as he choked on his own blood.

  “NO! TARAK!” Taylor screamed, a hand reached out helplessly. There was nothing she could do, tears started to stream down her cheeks.

  Her panicked words ignited something in the struggling Tiger. Tarak gave a mighty roar as he bucked back, flexing all of his muscles to break the Sabre’s grip and free himself. Claws dislodged leaving ten perfect holes and the massive canines took a sizable chunk out of the base of his neck.

  The more flexible Tiger twisted completely around, slicing upward with his claws, catching the Sabre from hip to throat. Ransidius tried to come back in but Tarak leapt, somersaulting over the other Cat, landing a hard jumping back-kick into the base of the skull before rolling out to his feet.

  Ransidius lost his footing for a split second. The Tiger was on him before he could recover. Both sets of claws shot out like daggers embedding themselves under the ribcage from the back. Tarak flexed his fingers to hook claws on ribs before whipping his body, firing the Sabre across the clearing.

  Tarak leapt up and out with his right talons poised for the kill.

  A screech and a sudden flash of blinding light forced Taylor to turn her head. A moment later, when she looked, she saw Tarak kneeling with his hand resting on the ground where the Sabre used to be.