LW Browning - Krystile Warriors 01 - Warlord's Honor (24 page)

The four STS guards in the arena were shirtless so they could better wield their whips. She was tied so tight she was unable to turn and see them. They cracked their whips a few times.

Claire regretted that she had not found an opportunity to kill herself rather than go through this. She only hoped she could avoid projecting her feelings. She began to shut down. She slowed her breathing and concentrated on her heart. It slowed...

She jerked and held back a scream when they cracked the whips expecting the lash to open her skin at any moment. This was part of the show. She was determined to deny them as much satisfaction as possible.

She was having difficulty breathing. Koda was in front of her, walking toward her. Koda. Had he come to punish her? She did not look at him, afraid he might be able to see into her soul where she was overcome with her love of him and her sorrow that he was participating in her death. She tried to block him as she blocked the bloodthirsty crowd.

Her disgust at the audience flashed out. She was so intent on holding in her feelings for Koda that she did not realize she had projected her revulsion to the audience. 

They cheered when they felt her disgust and craved the next blast of emotion from her. The noise of the crowd ramped up in eagerness. They wanted every emotion she experienced through this ordeal. They had paid for the privilege, but she determined to withhold her emotions from them.

***

K
oda felt Claire's disgust hit the pit of his stomach. Was she so upset to see him? He was saving her. A few steps from her he threw his whip and struck one of the STS guards behind her as the man was about to let his own whip fly toward Claire's bare back. Koda's whip snaked out and destroyed the man's face. The STS thug went to his knees screaming, blood poured out from between his fingers as he held his hands to his ruined face. 

The STS in the stands were unsure what was happening. Robare uttered the one word that froze their hearts. "Koda."

The second throw of Koda's whip broke bones in the hand of the other man who was now backing away and looking around in confusion. He did not want to fight. 

Claire jumped when the whips cracked behind her. Koda pulled the knife he carried at his side and sliced through the rope that tied her to the post. He grabbed her with one arm to prevent her from collapsing and lowered her gently to the sand at the base of the post.

“I will be back, pita,” he said. “I will not let them hurt you.”

The STS guard held his damaged hand and looked up at the announcer in confusion as an arrow pierced his throat, falling, his life blood pumping into the sand of the arena, he still looked confused.

The crowd roared and cheered. This was high drama and a good start to the bloody spectacle they expected.

Arrows flew from Koda's warlords who had claimed the most advantageous spots around the arena. In a matter of seconds, many of the black uniformed STS hooligans were under attack in the stands and around the top of the arena. Many fell dead where they were stationed.

Koda threw his whip and the other two STS in the arena when they approached him. Robare shouted into the microphone to release the animals. Gates opened and the bear-like animals ran into the arena. The four-legged beasts were covered with brown, shaggy fur and razor-sharp claws. Long, yellow teeth showed when they snarled. One of them roared and stood up on its back legs, it was easily 10 feet tall. 

Koda spared a glance at Claire. She sat where he had lowered her with a look of horror on her blood face.

He sized up the animals as they stalked forward. They had the scent of Claire's blood and now it was time to eat.

The STS goon who lay dying in the sand was an easy victim for the beasts. The second man turned and ran in an effort to escape. Running from a blood-crazed predator is a bad idea and the last one the man had. His screams filled the arena as one of the animals began to tear him apart with claws and teeth. His death shrieks drove the over excited crowd to a mad frenzy.

The spectators howled and cheered. Koda saw that their blood lust was strong. The crowd cried out for violence and death. They raised their voices to encourage the wild animals to attack the woman who sat at the foot of the whipping post. 

Koda drew his sword as he moved in front of Claire to keep himself between her and the beasts. Arrows flew through the air. The first animals to bleed were attacked by the others that were still hungry and able. The other STS in the arena had been shot with arrows and became food for the beasts.

One of the creatures turned its attention to Claire. Still on the ground, weak and bleeding, she was easy prey. The animal stalked toward her, head down, saliva dripping from its fangs. Its muscles bunched and it sprang toward her.

Koda's sword pierced through to the heart of the beast before it reached her, but momentum carried it forward so that it fell at her feet, almost touching her.

A second beast flung itself from the other side. Koda spun, his sword swinging around to sever the short thick neck of the beast. The animal fell, its huge head resting on Claire's legs. Koda shoved it off her with his booted foot. A quick look told him that the animal had not harmed her. 

Koda looked up to see someone screaming over the loudspeaker when his voice was cut off. Lars had sliced the man's head off. The STS and others hurried to get away from Lars. They ran only to discover they were surrounded by warlords. There was no escape for the STS that day.

The crowd in the stands began to riot. They had come for a show and although blood was flowing, they had not seen the MX bleed enough yet. The noise in the arena rose to a deafening level.

***

C
laire struggled to her feet, holding the post for support. She looked up to see Robare walking toward Koda with his sword drawn. Koda was distracted by the wild animals that were running loose in the arena. She was in front of Koda with Robare coming up behind him. Insanity shone from Robare's eyes like a fever. He raised his sword. 

The queen always protects the king. The first rule of chess, Anna had told her. "Koda, behind you!" She screamed. He would never hear her over all the crowd noise. Unsteady, she ran past Koda toward Robare.

***

K
oda turned to see where Claire was going. He put down the last animal with a sword thrust to its heart. Claire was running toward Robare. Running to her enemy. Koda had just saved her. Unless this was a trap, there was no reason for her to run to Robare. 

Koda caught her in two strides and shoved her to the ground as he ran by her. He leapt in the air, his sword cutting a swinging arc toward Robare. He pushed it into the man's neck and down through his body, using the force of his momentum. Jerking his weapon free, he turned completely around and swung, cutting Robare almost in half. Blood bubbled out of the man's mouth. 

The top half of his body rolled forward as the bottom half went to its knees. Koda swung again and took Robare's head off. Blood sprayed as the head rolled in the sand.

Claire's face showed her horror. Some of Robare's blood had hit her face.

Koda regarded Claire, "A humane death and much better than he deserved," he said.

Claire felt Destiny's mind and turned to look for her. Lodi was running toward them with Destiny at his side. Claire met Destiny’s violet stare. Power intensified when their minds bonded. Destiny knelt in the sand with Claire. When they joined hands, force charged the area like electricity. Destiny reached into every person in the audience to pull out their core. She sent the amplified essence to Claire.

Claire received and blasted her projection to everyone within range. Claire had power to project. Destiny had control of the desire of the souls of those who yearned to see and experience horrific death.

The darkest depths of their souls blasted back into them. They went from screaming for blood to attacking each other. People shredded their own clothes, clawed and bit at themselves and everyone within their reach. Clothes and skin ripped until they were all covered in blood. Many of them clawed their eyes out, but they could not stop the vision Destiny and Claire sent them. They were rendered insane with the thoughts and emotions from their own depraved minds.

***

T
he berserk crowd fell on each other in a killing frenzy like nothing the warlords had ever seen. They clawed and bit and killed with their bare hands.

Koda ripped Claire from Destiny’s grasp where they knelt on the arena floor. He tossed her over his shoulder and held his sword high in the air. "On me!" His voice was heard even over the screams of the dying.

Lodi stood beside him with Destiny over his shoulder. The warlords formed a circle around Koda in the center of the arena. The air shimmered and they were once again inside their craft. Dare ran to the controls with Var at his side. Within moments the craft was streaking away. 

On board and safe from the mayhem of the arena, Claire lay unconscious and Destiny wavered in and out. Koda and Lodi laid them side by side on one of the overlarge couches in the large common room of the ship. Destiny found Claire's hand and held it.

The warlords gathered around them. 

"I guess we know why they kept them away from each other," Revi said.

Koda examined Claire to find the extent of her injuries. When he washed the dirt from her face, the bruises, split lip, contusions and marks on her face and body were visible. The ligature marks on her wrists infuriated him. He found a needle mark in her arm and one in her neck. They had drugged her.

There was nothing else to do for Claire and Destiny except to let them sleep and heal.

"Get Calks on the vid," Koda said.

"On it," Dare shot back. "I was checking to see how that got reported."

Within moments, Dare had Calks on vid call. 

"Greetings, Warlord Leader Koda. I just got news of the incident at the arena," Calks said. "News travels fast, but bad news travels faster. I monitor every communication concerning the MX. The ones concerning the arena are of special interest to me. I trust you are all safe."

"We are," Koda said.

Calks flinched, his left shoulder jerked up. "You must have another MX with you," Calks said.

"We got her from the Trade Center. Destiny came to us. She said someone helped her escape."

Calks nodded. "Destiny is a powerful MX, not as powerful as Claire, but the two combined - well, you saw what they were able to do."

"Did you know they were capable of that?" Koda asked.

Calks sighed and checked over his shoulder. "We suspected that when two or more MX combined their powers they would be capable of such things as what happened at the arena. There was test data, but most of it was destroyed. All the MX are able to project to some extent. Claire is the strongest so far. Destiny can pull the essence from people, but her true gift is that she can amplify any other MX. Whatever their gift is, Destiny is able to make it stronger. It's still difficult to believe they killed so many innocents today."

"Innocents," Var snorted vehemently. "They killed people who gathered to eat and drink and copulate while they watched a little female die a painful and bloody death."

Calks nodded. "I agree, but that is not how this will be reported. Of course no one wants this story to get out at all. Be assured though, when it does, the MX will be blamed for every death at the arena today. The chatter is that the STS now have more information about you Koda, and they will go against you with it."

"And they got this information from Claire?" Koda asked.

"That is what I'm hearing," Calks said.

"Have you found more of the MX?" Koda asked, changing the subject.

"There are many rumors. I’m sending a list to your Dare.” Calks paused. “You should know that some have heard the experience of torturing the empaths to death can result in quite the head rush when the MX projects her feelings. Some people enjoy watching vids that frighten them, others want more realism," Calks explained.

"The event at the arena this afternoon will put the MX in even more danger," Koda said.

"That may not be the case," Calks said with a frown. "The first reports indicate that no one survived, therefore, no one can communicate what happened. I have taken the liberty of leaking some information that will imply torturing and killing MX is dangerous to those who harm them and to those who are in close proximity. Perhaps that will help to delay their extinction."

"I will have the MX," Koda said.

"A fact our friends at the Trade Center are in a position to vouch for," Calks said.

"Not the traders themselves. They will be working in the Scadalokann mines as slave laborers," Koda said.

Calks did not hide his smile, "You and your warlords are formidable opponents. Your reputation increases."

Koda rubbed his hand on his jaw. "The example we set should encourage others to give us any MX they have."

Calks pursed his lips and nodded. "I hope that message is the one people believe, for your sake, as well as the MX."

Dare shut down the vid after Koda and Calks signed off.

"Okay, I take it back about that essence thing not being very scary," Lodi said.

“They are scary females,” Revi agreed while pulling the leather binding from his hair and heading toward a room and a shower.

The warlords cleaned themselves and their weapons and waited. Lars sat by himself, cleaning his battle axe. Ache paced around the room. Foord cleaned and inspected his knives. Var watched over everyone.

Destiny woke. Lodi held a bottle of water to her lips.

"Is Claire alright?" Koda asked Destiny.

Destiny nodded. "Yes, we just need time to rest and heal. It is painful to us when people die so close to us. We have to shield. Claire had little energy left to shield herself. She will take longer to recover."

"Can you heal her?"
Koda asked Destiny.

"I cannot. Claire is the healer and she is unable to access her empath ability now."

"Why?" Koda looked at Destiny.

"I think she used it all up. She was very weak. Most of the energy was mine," Destiny replied.

"For how long?" Koda asked.

"I have no way of knowing," Destiny answered.

"I did not know that you were able to share energy like that," Koda said.

"We kept that ability to ourselves." Destiny's green eyes were defiant.

Koda stroked Claire's hair. She had given the STS information about him. Not surprising since they had drugged and tortured her. He needed to know what she had told them so he could prepare. For now he was grateful she was safe with him again, but why had she run to Robare? He had been fighting off wild beasts to protect her. He had just killed an STS guard for her and she ran to the enemy. As soon as she was able to tell him, he would hear the reason from her own lips.