Star's Storm(27)
Star rose up out of her seat and flung her arms around Madas’ neck, holding on tightly as she hugged her friend. Madas was truly the first person, or species, besides Walter that made Star feel like she was just as big and strong as everyone else. She buried her face in Madas’ soft neck before leaning back and giving her unusual friend a kiss on her silky cheek.
“Thank you again,” Star whispered looking up into Madas’ dark eyes. “I’m glad you are my friend.”
“It is my pleasure, little warrior, it is my pleasure,” Madas replied, smoothing a strand of soft blond hair back behind Star’s ear.
*.*.*
“Focus, Star,” Armet growled out as he and Dakar circled her with a set of training laser swords. “If you are found, you will more than likely have more than one warrior coming at you. You need to know how to defend yourself.”
“Yes, but why do I have to only defend myself this way?” Star asked in frustration as she shook off another sting from where Armet’s sword had struck her shoulder.
“We are trying to teach you how to defend yourself against one or more aggressors at the same time,” Dakar bit out. “You would be dead half a dozen times by now,” he snarled. He glanced at Armet in frustration. “There is no way we can let her do this, Armet! She is going to get herself caught or killed. Either way, she poses more of a danger to Jazin. If she is captured they will use her to get whatever information they want out of him. If she is dead, Jazin will soon follow.”
Star turned and attacked Dakar. To hell with them, she thought savagely. She didn’t have time to learn how to fight the way the warriors were trained to fight. They spent years learning. She had a few days! Well, she would should them some of the ways a circus performer learned. More than once, the performers had been on the receiving end to a few rowdy townspeople who thought it would be fun to pick on the ‘freaks’. Even Walter knew a thing or two about how to fight. It wasn’t always fair and it wasn’t always fancy but it worked.
Star used her strength, her agility, and her natural athletic ability to guide her through strike after strike. When the men started fighting back in self-defense, she used the layout of the room to help her. Running at Dakar, she tucked down bringing the laser sword across the front of his legs. As he fell, she did a one handed flip over him slicing the sword across his neck before flipping gracefully in an arch and rolling behind Armet and slicing him twice, once across the back of his knees and the other across the back of his neck.
Star rose as both men gasped at the stinging shock from the laser sword. “I will be going and I will get Jazin. No one, and I mean no one, is going to stop me,” she hissed out coldly.
Armet rolled onto his back and grasped the back of his neck which was burning. “You have your sword turned up to full power, don’t you?” He croaked out. “Because I have to tell you, this hurts like a….” He stopped and looked at Madas who was laughing at him and Dakar.
“I told you. She is the warrior from the Prophesy and not to underestimate her,” Madas said smugly. “I was the one who turned the power up. You both needed to know what she was capable of.”
Star looked down in dismay. The two warriors’ faces were twisted in pain. “Did I really hurt them?” She asked looking at Madas in question.
“No, they will be fine in a few minutes. You just showed them that there are many ways a warrior can fight. Come, let us go through the items you will need. I have made some explosives for you. One of them is unique to the Tearnat. The powder in them will knock everyone out for several hours. It is important that you do not breathe it in. I want to go over with you how it works,” Madas said as she drew Star away by the arm. She turned as she reached the door to cast one last look at the men who were now sitting up. “Now, I will show her how to fight like a Tearnat.”
“Great,” Armet muttered as he rubbed the back of his neck again. “Just great.”
*.*.*
“These are small but they are very potent,” Madas said as she showed Star several small, round balls that looked like they were made out of clay. “If you throw them, they will break and a dust cloud will be released. The dust is pollen from a plant found near my village. It is used mostly when someone is injured and needs to be put to sleep so they can be healed. It can also be used to help incapacitate our enemy without killing them. The only thing that can protect you is this,” Madas said pulling a small woven mask of plant fibers. “This is a natural absorbent for the pollen. If a warrior tries to use a filtering mask it will not work, the pollen is so fine it still finds its way through the masks. It might not stop them totally but it will slow them down.”