‘revelations’
Julian bit ravenously into a juicy prickle fruit as he pressed the button, roving through their records. Projected holo images above the table displayed one after another face, some human, some of various other species. No matter what their appearance, they all had the same look: hard, bitter, closed to the suffering of others. Julian had often wondered what led these men to fight in the name of Lothar. They must be absolutely without conscience, he’d decided, or so desperate that they had no other choice. He wondered which was worse.
"Julian?" Tomoyo had appeared in his cave again, Kero floating over her shoulder. "It’s midafternoon, and they’re still not back."
Julian sat back from the records and sighed. He was really starting to get worried, and so, he was sure, was the rest of the base. Maybe she’d never contributed that much, but everybody liked Sakura. And Li was too valuable a fighter to lose.
"I just don’t know, Tomoyo. I want to go out and look for them as much as you do. But I wouldn’t have any idea where to start. Going to check out the settlements is all I can think of, but that will have to wait until dark."
"I’m small enough to not be noticed," Kero volunteered. "I could zip out there and - "
"Zip out where?" Julian asked kindly.
"Well, uh…"
"Exactly. You don’t know this land like Sakura does, Kero, she was the navigator. And you can’t even carry a map with your little arms. You’re welcome to come with me when I leave at twilight, but don’t forget how much Lothar wants you. It’s a risk."
"I’ll take it," Kero said immediately. "Can’t hide down here forever, you know, shoulda left by now anyway. But I’m stayin’ on until she’s back here safe and sound. I owe her, you know."
"I know."
Julian waited until they had left before resuming his search. There were so many to go through –
Wait.
He went back a couple of frames, and narrowed his eyes. It wasn’t a very good image, but it was him all right. A little younger, perhaps, and not wearing a captain’s uniform. It was an action shot, taken by a photodroid during a battle. He was raising his blaster, preparing to shoot someone that Julian couldn’t see in the frame.
"Information," he ordered, and all the grains of fact that had been collected appeared over the image.
Lieutenant Tory Avalon. This must have been taken a few cycles ago at least, maybe right around the time I became commander here. Age unknown. Background unknown.
Julian blew his hair out of his face in frustration. The rebels had no information on this one at all, except –
Hmm… That’s interesting. The only High Commander he’s ever served under is Blade. And he was promoted all the way to captain under him. Why would the second-in-command to the most ruthless of Lothar’s men hesitate to kill me? He looked so…confused. Strange. He certainly doesn’t look confused in this shot.
Julian leaned forward and stared at the frozen image. His eyes were the same as all the rest. Dark and fierce, but there was another quality to them as well. He looked to Julian as if he were a little lost.
He sat back in his chair with a groan.
I’ve been staring at these photos for too long; I’m letting my imagination run away with me. But he did let me go last night. I just wish I knew why.
*****
They ran, then walked, then ran some more, looking over their shoulders the whole time, before finally settling into a steady pace. Li scowled at the ground as he walked, never looking up. Determinedly he avoided Sakura’s questioning gaze.
"Are you going to tell me? Or am I going to have to guess?"
"You’ll never guess. Don’t worry about it."
"Don’t worry about it?" she repeated in disbelief. "After what happened back there? Gods, Li, you were amazing. Untouchable. I swear Blade actually looked scared of you. You’re probably the first human to ever do that."
He didn’t reply, but she thought she saw him clench his fists a little. The sword had been returned to its pendant form, but now that she was looking she could see a hint of red under his collar.
He must wear it everyday. Where does he come from? Who raised him? What did Lothar do that makes Li want to go after him so badly?
She was about to try again when Li jerked to a halt and knelt, placing his hand on the ground.
"Uh-oh, here they come."
"What! Already?" Li swore in his native dialect before jumping up and starting to run again.
"Damn. I thought it would take them longer. Blade must have gathered up his men again and sent them out in all likely directions. They’re close enough together to communicate by com-link, and that means confronting any of them is confronting all of them."
"Which means…"
"Which means we hide. Come on!" Together they raced across the ground. Both were already tired from the constant hiking and climbing, but the far-off sound of engines pushed them onward. It was Sakura who spotted the deep cleft in the cliffside and jerked on Li’s hand.
"Quick, in here."
"It’s not big enough."
"Sure it is. Come on." Sakura was familiar with the quality of the landscape, and she knew the water from the river had eroded deep into the cliffs at some points, leaving pockets that enlarged further back from the rocky face. The only danger was habitation.
Li held back before sliding in.
"There might be something in there."
"There’s not."
"How do you know?"
"Because I just know," she said impatiently. Li gave her an unreadable look before deciding to trust her. The shallow pocket was flat and wide, leaving ample room to roll into the darkness, although it wasn’t high enough to even sit. Sakura rolled in after him, blocking out most of the light, and pushed herself back until she was backed right up to him. Unthinkingly, Li held her in his arms and they waited tensely. It wasn’t long before the large transport, its repulsorlifts sending vibrations through the ground that jarred their shelter, rolled past. A few scouts on gliders zipped through air over and around it, but they didn’t notice the shadowy alcove. Both breathed a sigh of relief as the vibrations faded.
"When should we move?" Li’s arms tightened imperceptibly around her.
"Not soon. He knows we can’t have gone far on foot. If he doesn’t find us quickly, he’ll just turn back and cover the same area again. We’re probably better off hiding here than revealing ourselves."
Sakura sighed and tried not to think about food. They’d both been able to refill their canteens frequently at the river, but neither had eaten anything for almost a day now, and she was starting to feel a little weak. But she had gone longer without food, and she was determined not to look soft.
That was when she noticed how he was holding her, and the way she could feel his breath on her neck. He was becoming conscious of her closeness as well, she could feel it.
"I feel hot," she murmured, and he quickly loosened his hold, tracing his right hand over her waist and laying his left hand flat against the rock. The feel of his hand brushing over her bare waist did not help, but then she realized what she was lying on and propped herself up slightly. His left arm was just below her, and she was staring at the rough cotton weave of his long-sleeved brown shirt. He’s always worn long sleeves, she realized, every day since he came. She’d never bothered to notice before.
Li felt her fingers slide under his shirt and start to push the sleeve up, but he did not resist. He knew it was only simple curiosity, but he wanted to imagine that she was undressing him. The thought of it left an ache in his chest, and he wondered how these feelings inside of him could have developed so quickly. Was it because of her newfound power? Was he attracted to her because he had power as well?
She pushed the cloth right back until she could see what Blade had seen. It was a simple design, though not one she had seen before. A black circle was inked just below his elbow on the inner side. Part of it was left empty, but part of it had been filled in with black. The effect was like two fish touching tail to nose.
"What is it?"
"It’s called a yin-yang."
Three small black marks crowned the circle, almost touching the crease of the arm.
"What are they?"
Li watched her face as she studied his arm, how the wisps of brown hair fell forward over her eyes. He resisted the urge to touch them.
"They are the marks of my training. One symbolizes mastery over sorcery, the other martial arts, and the third is swordsmanship."
"And…it’s the symbol of your family?"
He made a slight sound in the back of his throat.
"Yes. The Li clan."
So Li was his name after all. Just not his given name. She was afraid to ask, but she knew she had to.
"What happened?"
He was silent for a moment, and she twisted slightly until she could look into his eyes. It was dark, but she could see such tragedy buried in them that she flinched.
"You don’t have to tell me - "
"No, it’s okay."
Gently he pulled her back down to the ground until she was nestled comfortably in his arms. He must have wanted her to know, or he wouldn’t have said those things that he had to Blade. He couldn’t keep it silent forever; someone had to know.
"My family is – was – an exceptionally powerful family in the eastern lands. Everything there is greener than here. It rains more, there are forests and flowers and a huge variety of animals."
Sakura detected a note of wistfulness in his tone, and couldn’t blame him. She would miss her home too if she was ever separated from the badlands.
"I grew up in a compound even bigger than the Honeycomb. The Lis have been wealthy since the early mists of time, as my elders used to tell me. We’ve been powerful allies, and enemies. It was our magic, and excellent training, that did it. My personal instructor was Wei. He started training me when I was only three, using the same techniques I’ve shown you. He was a perfectionist, but so was I. I wanted to grow up and be strong like my father. Nobody could best him in combat."
The admiration and longing was plain, and Sakura was surprised by a tiny twinge of jealousy. She would never know if she could be proud of her father.
"But - " A slight hint of bitterness crept into his voice. "But we weren’t the most powerful. We weren’t the best. As much as my father had studied, his sorcery was no match for Lothar’s. And my father knew it."
I’m sure I know where this is going, Sakura thought unhappily. Li’s arms had stiffened slightly.
"And so we became his ally."
"What?" Sakura was sure she hadn’t heard him correctly. "Ally?"
"My father made a pact with him, to rule the eastern lands in his name. He knew if he opposed Lothar, he would never have a chance." Li’s voice had taken on a pleading tone. "He was thinking of his wife, his children, all the people in his home that depended on him."
Sakura was so shocked, she didn’t know what to say. The thought of someone ever willingly subjugating themselves to Lothar was beyond her. Then she remembered how strongly he’d reacted the day before when she referred to the ‘cowardly’ villagers.
"To this day," Li continued, "I’ll never know if he truly believed Lothar’s rule was for the good of the land, or if he knew how evil he was and made his decision purely to protect his family. I’m not sure which is worse."
He waited at that point for Sakura to say something, but she was quiet. He wished he could see her face, but she hadn’t pulled away from him, at least.
"I grew up to view Lothar and his men as friends. I never saw him, personally, but his officers came occasionally, and we received them. I don’t know what was happening outside the walls of our home. I never left them. I only lived to train, and be strong. I wanted to be a fighter. It was my determination that saved me.
Politics is a funny game," he mused. "I still don’t understand it. But I suppose there came a point when Lothar decided that he had amassed enough power that he didn’t need the Lis maintaining his rule in the eastern lands. He decided he could do it himself. And of course, if he had no need for us, we were a threat. We had too much power to simply cast aside. Destruction was the only course. And just like that, that is what he did. One night, in midsummer, a troop of soldiers invaded our home and put a blaster shot into every person they found."
The stony, expressionless way he said it made the horror somehow even worse. Sakura felt a few tears slide down her cheeks and land on Li’s arm. He felt their warm wetness, and squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, determined not to cry.
"My father – I don’t think he ever even woke up. My mother. My sisters, all four of them. The elders, and siblings of my parents. My instructor. All of the servants. Mei- the girl that I was supposed to marry." He felt her quick intake of breath, and wondered if he should have said that last one aloud. But how could he not? "Meilin. We were intended to marry for as long as I can remember. She was a distant cousin, my chosen fiancé. We trained together. She could have fought them, if she’d been awake. But everyone was sleeping. No one saw it coming. I was the only one awake, running through my sword drills in the training room. When I heard all the blasters start to go at once, I thought some very stupid bandits had somehow made it over the walls. I remember running out into the halls and coming face to face with one of those soldiers. We stared at each other for a moment in shock, I think, and then I realized what was happening and he raised his blaster to shoot me. He didn’t have a chance. His arm was on the floor before he had a chance to blink, and then I ran him straight through. I’d never killed anyone before that. But I was scared, and desperate. I started running for my parents’ room, but I knew it was hopeless long before I got there. There were soldiers everywhere, they were all trying to shoot me, but they couldn’t. I was too fast. I think the anger and the panic made me stronger than I ever had been before. When I saw my father’s body in his bed, I think my conscious just shut down. I went on automatic, killing every soldier that I found. I knew the house, and they didn’t. I think I could have gotten to them all, one by one, if they hadn’t started evacuating. Something about their attitude alerted me, made me nervous. I was thinking that I should conduct a search of the house. There might have been survivors. I wanted to check my sisters’ rooms, see if I could find Meilin. I knew they were all dead, but I wanted to at least try.
But I panicked, and I fled the house. I was right to have done so. A few clicks later, the transports opened up their artillery and completely demolished the entire house. It collapsed in flames while I watched."
Sakura’s tears were starting to flow faster now. This explained so many things, how he had insisted they go check on those villages in case Blade returned. He understood the way the enemy worked.
"Simply killing isn’t the way Lothar works, you see. It has to be complete; it has to be total destruction. It’s the only way to set an example. Maybe he doesn’t have my father to enforce his rule in my homeland now, but you can bet after everybody witnessing such a show, they won’t be putting up any resistance. And no one was ready to help the lost son of the Li clan. I was all alone, with nothing but the clothes on my back and my sword. The only ones I’d ever thought of as friends were the ones that had just killed my family. I think I was in shock for the first few days, I lived as a scavenger by the local settlements. Gradually I heard about the Resistance movement out in the badlands, out near the castle where he lived. I’d never known that he had enemies. And once I heard about that, I knew what I would do. I would come to the Resistance, join, and fight his men. And when I got my chance, I would find him and I would kill him. I would show him that he could not discard my family so easily as he thought. His betrayal would be his undoing."
Li realized more tears were falling onto his arm, and he wiped her face with the end of his sleeve.
"Why didn’t you say anything?" she cried softly. "How could you carry this inside of you for a cycle?"
Li lay his head against the cool surface of the rock. It had been hard; he wouldn’t deny that.
"How could I tell the truth? After what everybody in the base has suffered because of Lothar’s cruelty, how could I say my father had once been one of his men? Nobody would understand."
Sakura opened her mouth to refute his claim, then remembered again how quickly she had disdained the villagers who refused to fight. Maybe he had a point. There might be some in the Honeycomb who would not understand.
"I won’t tell anyone," she murmured.
"Thank you. I thought about making something up, saying how my father had perhaps been his enemy and been destroyed in battle, but I couldn’t do that either. I can not shame the memory of my father that way. I know he was only trying to ensure the survival of his children. He couldn’t know what was going to happen. And yet, I am ashamed of what he did. My mission to kill Lothar isn’t just revenge. I realized that after I had been with the Resistance for some while. It’s restitution, too. The Li clan aided Lothar. If I kill him, I’ll compensate for that. Balance. That’s what the yin-yang means."
"It’s not your fault what choices your father made."
"Doesn’t matter. I’m the head of the Li clan now. It’s my responsibility to correct the errors of my family."
Sakura thought it was quite a burden for someone his age to be carrying, but it suited him well. The way he spoke, he sounded so strong, so determined. If anyone could do it, it just might be him.
"Li is your family name, then."
"That’s right. I didn’t want the memory of it to die; that’s why I gave it to everyone as my name. I’m proud of my family, no matter what."
"What’s your real name? What did your mother call you?"
There was only silence behind her, and she wondered if it was too painful for him to say. Then he spoke.
"Syaoran."
"Syao – ron," she repeated, the foreign name tripping on her tongue. It wasn’t a name she had ever heard, but it had a beautiful sound. Somehow, its exotic quality fit him perfectly. He was Li, tough and strong, but he was also Syaoron, gentle and soft.
She closed her eyes and tried to picture him when he was younger. She could see him training in his home, that she could picture quite easily, but the other things were much more difficult. Mother? Sisters? What had they been like? And – that other girl. Meilin. She didn’t quite know why, but it disturbed her a little to envision a girl that had been his intended wife. Had she been beautiful? Did he love her?
Sakura was exhausted from the long day of fighting and hiking and climbing, though it was only mid-afternoon. Her thoughts began to blur with fatigue, and she imagined Li at his marriage, only the face of the strange girl was her own face.
Li felt her breathing grow deep and even, and knew she had fallen asleep in his arms. It wasn’t safe, someone should stay awake, but he felt so emotionally drained by the release of his story that he couldn’t help it. He closed his eyes and pulled her close, matching his breathing to hers until they shared the same slow rhythm. He was so tired of all the fighting. He only wanted peace, and quiet, and Sakura.
*****
"Are you sure?"
Even through the fuzzy image of the holo projector, Lothar’s eyes glittered. Blade gave a slow nod.
"It isss without doubt. He bore the sssymbol on hisss arm. And he fought me and ssstill livesss."
"The son of Li," his lord murmured thoughtfully. "How amusing. He found a home with the rebels, and has sworn revenge, most likely."
"Sscertainly."
Lothar smiled a humorless smile. As if this was a cause for concern.
"The boy is irrelevant," he announced briskly. "Your mission is still to locate the rebel base and find the creature, Keroberos, and bring him to me alive. If Li tries to stop you," he paused, wondering whether he would prefer torture, then decided he had enough to occupy himself with, "then kill him. Do you understand?"
"Perfectly, my lord."
The image flickered, then disappeared. Blade ran a claw lightly along his healing wound on his shoulder, and made an unhappy growling noise in his throat. This boy would die, Blade would make sure of that. He had never wanted to kill a rebel more.
*****
The Reptil wasn’t the only one who wanted Li dead. Tory scowled as he scanned the landscape with his macros, desperately hoping to see some kind of movement somewhere. But there was nothing.
How far could they have gotten? They’re still on foot, we know that much. They’re stranded, the two of them…alone…together…
He ground his teeth, then forced himself to take a deep breath. It was no good agonizing about it, searching was the only productive thing to do. He rapped twice on the metal hull of the transport and the pilot accelerated again, roving through the canyons at a steady pace that allowed Tory to inspect the cliffs. Tory’s imagination was killing him; he kept picturing that boy kissing Sakura, and then far more horrible scenes. It didn’t matter that he had saved Sakura’s life the evening before, it didn’t matter that Sakura probably cared for him. Especially that she might care for him. Tory was furiously jealous, and he knew that before this was over, he was going to kill that damned boy.
*****
Li had been awake for a little while, listening to her breathe, for once unconcerned about the enemy’s actions. All the same, an uncomfortable shiver ran down his back, and he wondered if someone was thinking about him. His shudder disturbed Sakura, and she stirred and woke.
"Oh…I didn’t mean to fall asleep. Was I out long?"
"I don’t think so. It looks as though we might be getting close to sunset though. Perhaps it’s safe to move again."
"Maybe." She tried to remember what the hurry was. It felt so nice, lying in his arms like this. Then her stomach gurgled, and she returned to reality. "Oh. Oh! We’ve been gone for a day and a half now. Julian must be so worried."
She wriggled out of their shelter and stretched, followed by Li.
"He’ll be coming out to look for us," he predicted, "and with all the soldier activity we seem to be attracting, that’s not a good idea. We’ve got to move, get home. Are we even close yet?"
"I’m, um, not exactly sure." Li gave her a wary look.
"Not exactly sure?"
"It’s not like I can know every single canyon in the badlands," she said defensively. "I know we’re headed in the right direction, and I have a pretty good idea which way we’re coming into the Honeycomb. But I only know the distances measured by glider speed, and now we’re on foot. So back off, okay?" She glared, and much to her surprise, he actually backed down.
"You’re right," he muttered. "I’m sorry. Shall we?"
"First, we’re eating." She turned back to the river, and a stand of prickle plants she’d noticed. "Do you have your knife on you?"
There was a flash of silver, and it appeared in his hand. How did he do that?
Shaking her head, she took it and sliced expertly through the green flesh, exposing tender white fibers.
"What is that?"
"It’s the meat of the prickle plant." Enthusiastically she tore out several strips with his knife and handed them over. He regarded them suspiciously.
"You eat this?"
"Li, you’ve eaten this a hundred times. Didn’t you ever wonder where it came from?"
He looked a little blank, and she rolled her eyes before popping some in her mouth. Not only was the plant sweet and tender, but it was loaded with moisture and good for eating in a hot and dry climate. Their delectable nature was no doubt why they protected themselves with a forest of nasty barbs, but Julian had shown her long ago how to cut around them. Hesitantly Li copied her, and found that it really was quite tasty, not to mention familiar. He would have never guessed that food came from such scraggly looking plants.
It occurred to him that he had been living in the badlands for over a cycle, and he still wasn’t aware of such basic survival knowledge. That was sloppy, and he shook his head in disgust. Hadn’t Wei lectured to him over and over the importance of knowing your battleground?
"Come on." She interrupted his thoughts as she stood and held out his knife. "If we want to get home tonight, then we’re really going to have to get moving."
They set off again in silence, but this time it was a more comfortable one. Nothing had been said, explicitly, but he sensed that she was more open to him now, and not so afraid of his touch. Perhaps later, then. After they’d returned and had a chance to rest. Tonight he might sit her down and explain what was happening to her.
*****
"Picking up motion on the detector," the tech announced, and Tory hurried to raise his macros again. Where…where…there! For just a brief moment he saw her as she scrambled over a ridge and disappeared behind the rocks; the male was following her.
At last! Blade wasn’t with him, and everything was perfect for Tory to see her again. He raised his blaster.
"The girl must be taken alive," he warned, and motioned for the pilot to slow down. "They’ll hear the engines and hide. I want everyone to fan out and surround them, don’t allow them to slip through. Am I understood?"
"Yes sir!" they all shouted, and scrambled out of the transport to slip quietly through the dusk. Tory realized his hands were shaking with anticipation, and he forced himself to not run ahead like an overexcited child. She was almost in his grasp. He could wait a little more.
The landscape was becoming a little more gentle. The abrupt sheer cliffs and mesas were giving way to smaller stone formations and merely hilly ground. Li paused to gaze at the vibrantly colored rocks. He’d never seen such twisted and bizarre shapes.
"Nature did all this?"
"Yep. Eons of wind, water, and time." She paused for a moment and frowned at a scuff mark in the dust.
"What?"
"Nothing. But let’s get through this territory quickly." She cast a glance at the river flowing beside them, allowing tough desert grass and scarlet rosendrons to grow, and started moving a little faster. She was concentrating on studying the ground as they walked, and it was Li that noticed a little movement ahead of them.
"Wait." He pulled on her elbow and reached for his sword reflexively.
"What is it?"
"I’m not sure - " His words were cut off by a blaster shot that narrowly missed his shoulder, scorching the stone arch behind him. "Move! Run!" Frantically he pushed her out of the way as he reached beneath his shirt and activated his sword again. But he couldn’t even see their attackers this time, they were taking advantage of the geology to surround them and keep themselves hidden behind boulders. Another shot almost took his heel as he turned and ran after Sakura.
"Go! Run!"
"Where?" she shouted in a panic. It was impossible to take cover, she realized, she had no way of knowing where the shots were coming from. A boulder that she almost ducked behind was scorched by two blaster marks before she could even crouch.
They’re all around us, she realized. It’s a net, and they’re closing in.
"There’s too many of them," Li shouted. "I can’t block them all, and they’re moving in closer. We’ve got maybe one click to figure out to slip out of this net before they tie it up tight."
Sakura was already pulling on his arm before he even finished speaking, guiding him toward a narrow opening between two huge boulders. Together they slithered through, and the lead point-man raised his arm to motion the soldiers forward.
Idiots, thought Tory, some distance away, and he kicked a rock in annoyance. They better not catch her in all that crossfire that I can hear. I told them to close in without firing!
He reached the clearing in time to see the last of his men disappear through the crevasse into the lower valley below, and hurried to catch up.
The grade was steeper than they’d realized, and Sakura and Li both slipped and slid down the pebbled slope, landing in a dusty heap. The elevation here was even closer to the river, and tufts of grass broke their fall. Li sprang to his feet and tugged on her hand.
"Come on, come on, they’ll be coming through soon!" A trifle dizzy, Sakura allowed herself to be pulled upright and yanked forward. He pushed her to her knees behind a tiny boulder and resumed deflecting the blaster shots beginning to come from up above. The soldiers were spilling through, and there was no way that he was going to be able to fight them all. He darted to another arch nearby and froze behind its pillar leg.
Sakura panted as she tried to clear her head, wondering what was wrong with her. She’d taken a little tumble, sure, but that was no –
Kill. Eat. Survive.
Her head jerked up at the sensation. What was that? She hadn’t heard anything, but there a flash of single-minded purpose, and a ravenous hunger that she could feel. It was nearby.
Trembling, she raised her head to see the large overhang in the rocky hillside, creating a deep and dark shadow. Feelings or no feelings, Sakura had grown up in the badlands and she knew what that meant.
"Run!" she shrieked. "Get out!"
Li looked up and saw her terrified expression, but he couldn’t move from his cover, nor she from hers.
"What?"
"Run!" she shouted hysterically. "Run for your life!" She bolted and began streaking for the gentle slope opposite the soldiers.
"Sakura, no!" Miraculously, the soldiers did not pepper her with blaster fire, but concentrated their fire on his cover. He was wondering why when the shots began to trail off.
What the –
Then he heard it too. The rumbling was so low that he could really feel it more than hear it, but it grew and swelled into a deafening roar that made his ears ring. Everyone forgot about the enemy as they looked over to the dark cave. An irritated and very territorial family was emerging from the depths. Three times the length of a man each, they sported dusty, sand-colored fur to camouflage themselves, with long lizard-like bodies that hugged the ground for its cool temperature. Wicked and sharp talons tore at the earth, and as Li watched, one of them threw back his head and roared again, displaying rows of small but sharp teeth. They were qunthars, the super-predators of the desert. And they did not like the noise of the battle.
There was nothing between the pack and the descending soldiers, and the larger one, the female, sprung for her nearest victim. Qunthars could move amazingly fast for their size, and the frantic soldier fired only twice before she pounced on him. Li felt a little weak as he watched her tear the body in half as she shook the soldier in her mouth.
This just keeps getting better and better, he thought unhappily.
Pandemonium broke loose in the little valley. The qunthars had a typically nasty disposition, and they were enraged at this pack of creatures that had invaded their territory. They tore through the crowd of soldiers, refusing to be slowed down by stray blaster shots. Their thick, tough hides afforded them protection as they ripped and shredded every body they found. Some men fled across the valley floor and collided with Li, and even in their terror they tried to confront him. The whole place was a mess, and Li couldn’t be sure which way Sakura had gone. He kicked the blaster out of one’s hand and slashed with his sword, scanning the area fruitlessly. Where was she?
Tory took in the bloodbath from his elevated position on the hillside and looked around anxiously for Sakura. He couldn’t see her anywhere, but he could see her friend, battling his men savagely with a sword.
A sword?
Tory raised his blaster and tried to get a clear shot. He’d never seen anyone besides Blade fighting with such an archaic weapon. Was this how Blade had acquired that mysterious injury across his left shoulder?
One of his men came in between him and the rebel, and Tory had to hold back from firing. He didn’t last long, however, and slumped to the ground as the rebel continued to slash and strike. Tory raised his blaster again and hesitated.
If the rebel did injure him in a swordfight, that certainly explains Blade’s grouchy attitude when we reconvened. That means that Blade was prevented from hurting Sakura, which means that’s twice in two days that this guy has saved her. And he fought off Blade. No one’s ever done that before.
Conflict churned within the young officer. This rebel had very nearly answered his prayers by wounding Blade, and he might have been tempted to spare him in some other circumstance. But then the memory of how he had held Sakura in his arms and kissed her returned, and Tory prepared to shoot.
A female scream distracted him, and both he and Li looked up to see Sakura trapped by a circling qunthar, the juvenile of the family. Excited to play with his prey, he feinted and lunged forward, then backed away again nervously. He was smaller than his parents, but he was still larger than her by far, and his teeth were bared menacingly.
"Sakura!" they both shouted, and Tory leapt over the boulders to circle around and get closer. Li struck down his last opponent, but jerked to a halt when the female predator lunged to intercept him. Her mate was dead, felled at last by multiple blaster shots, and she paced uncertainly before the last of the invaders, muscles rippling. Li eyed her nervously and followed her every movement with his sword.
Sakura plucked up her courage and tried to race toward the opening between the rocks, but in her desperation she slipped and fell on the gravel. Roaring his adolescent roar, the qunthar bunched his muscles and sprang for her. Sakura screamed again and curled up into a fetal position, covering her head with her arms in a last-ditch defensive posture. There was a solitary blaster shot and an agonized death gurgle, then a crash. Breathing hard, she uncovered her face to see the body of the predator. A single shot through its eye to the brain had killed it mid-leap, when it crashed to the ground and skidded to a stop just a pace away from her legs.
Who…?
She looked up still more and saw him, panting hard and obviously scared for her, standing up on the boulders above. He was dusty and sweating, but he looked the same as he had the night in his tent, and her heart started beating faster.
Tory.
As the fear in his dark eyes subsided, a fierce look of desire took its place, and he took a step forward. Something in Sakura panicked, and she scrambled to her feet to run through the pass. She couldn’t let him take her as prisoner again.
Damn it!
Tory groaned and leapt down to the ground before taking off after her. He shouldn’t have moved; he’d broken the spell. Like a frightened animal, she’d bolted, and now he had to catch up to her.
Li was dying to raise his eyes and check on Sakura, but he couldn’t take his attention away from the qunthar for even a heartbeat. She was nervous, now that her pack was gone, but staring at Li with a fixation that signaled attack. Finally she gathered her legs underneath her and leapt. Qunthars were even faster than Reptils, and Li barely managed to drop to the ground under her as she flew over. He did managed to slash at her underside with his sword, but it was a glancing wound. She roared in pain and wheeled, preparing to attack again.
*****
Sakura rounded a rock formation and ran blindly, not at all sure where she was going. With his longer legs, Tory pushed himself to catch up and vaulted over a low boulder. He barely had time to slow his momentum before he crashed into her and wrestled her to the ground.
"No, no, no!" she was screaming, and she tried to pummel him with her fists. Just as before, her fear was intoxicating to him, drove him to a new height of stimulation. It was hopeless for her, he was stronger and weighed far more than she did. Quickly he pinned her to the ground with his weight and held her wrists down on either side of her head.
"Don’t!" he barked, as she continued to struggle. "Stop it, Sakura, stop it! Don’t fight me! You know you don’t want to!"
"Let me go, please, leave me alone - "
"I can’t do that, Sakura, I need you - "
"Please let me go - "
"No! I won’t, Sakura, I’ve finally found you again. Doesn’t it feel so good? Tell me you can feel it!"
Sakura had been tossing her hair back and forth as she tried to wriggle free, vainly trying to move her hands as he pressed down on top of her. But it was becoming more and more difficult to concentrate on fighting, when everything in her body was telling her to stop. That feeling that he’d awakened inside of her last time was reasserting itself, swelling and burgeoning at his touch.
"No…" she tried to whimper, but the sensation swamped all of her other emotions and made thinking impossible. It was too much…too strong…
Tory could feel something developing inside of him, that half-awakened memory growing stronger. The feeling was delicious, and it was obvious that she was experiencing it even more. Her eyes were closed and she was panting, starting to quiver. Finally she arched her back and moaned in delight.
Li slashed in small, sharp movements, desperately trying to drive the predator back. He cut her a small scratch across the nose, and she roared again. Something in Li prickled, and he felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise. It wasn’t anything to do with the qunthar. He just had a feeling of expanding power. It was growing fast, devouring up space as it ballooned outward. What was happening to Sakura?
*****
She subsided at last and lay quietly, staring up at him and breathing heavily.
"Tell me it was good for you," Tory pleaded. "I felt it, and I know you did too. It means something, I’m sure of it. We were together in our past; we just can’t remember it. I’ve been trying. I’m trying so hard to remember how I know you. Have you been thinking about it too?"
She swallowed, and managed a hoarse whisper.
"Yes."
Tory’s insides were fluttering and he leaned a little closer, staring at her mouth.
"I’ve been dreaming about you. Have you been dreaming about me too?"
Slowly she gave a tiny nod, and his heart leapt. She was ready, he could see, she was ready to submit and be with him. And now he could finally kiss her.
He was leaning down when a sense of danger interrupted him, and he gave an impatient snarl. Releasing one of her hands, he whipped his blaster out of his holster and pointed it up the path just as her rebel friend came tearing around the corner.
"Sakura!" Li just had time to take in the horrifying sight of the officer sitting astride her before the enemy fired two blasts. Instinctively he threw himself behind the boulder, gripping his sword, now stained with the blood of the last qunthar.
"No!" Sakura screamed and tried to knock the blaster from Tory’s hand. "Please don’t -"
"Stop it," Tory pleaded, and dropped the weapon to where he could grab it easily, gripping her hand in his. "Don’t fight me, Sakura, don’t fight this!"
Li stiffened behind his cover. How did the officer know her name?
"Sakura, are you all right?"
"It’s okay, Li," she panted. "I’m fine." Her head was turned in the rebel’s direction, her eyes anxious. Tory felt the bitterness rise in his throat. How could she? How could she look away from him after what they had just experienced? Why did that boy have to interrupt them before Tory even had a chance to kiss her? With a new onset of loathing, Tory glared at the boulder and realized that he knew, he just knew, that this rebel was the same one that had rescued Sakura that first night. He was the one that had taken her from his arms.
"Stop looking over there, Sakura, look at me," he begged. "Look at me!" Timidly she returned her gaze upward, and quailed at the hunger in the captain’s eyes. He wanted her so much that it hurt for her to see.
"How can you be thinking about him, after what we shared? After what happened in my tent that night?"
What? Li froze, his blood pounding in his ears.
"Nothing happened," she whimpered.
"Don’t lie to me, Sakura. I know you felt it too. I could see it in your eyes."
Li was wheezing a little now, his chest constricting so badly that it actually hurt. What happened between her and the enemy? What did they share?
"I haven’t been able to think about anything else since you left me." Trembling slightly, Tory took her hand that he held and kissed it lightly on her palm. She closed her eyes and sucked in her breath a little. "Don’t you get it? There isn’t anybody else; it’s just the two of us. We were meant to be together, I can feel it. Sakura, I love you!"
Her eyes flew open and she squeaked in surprise. Li gave a choking gasp and slid down to the ground, resting his forehead against his knee. Of all the possibilities, wondering who she might care for, he’d never imagined this.
Tory moved her hand to place it over his chest. His heart was thumping fast and hard underneath his hot skin, matching her own rapid heartbeat, and he leaned closer again until he was staring directly into her eyes.
"You belong to me," he whispered, and in that moment, she truly believed him. The possessive way he was looking at her made her tremble with fear and longing.
"What are you going to do?"
"I’ll take you away. I’ll get you away from all this fighting and take you to some place quiet, where it will be just the two of us, and I’ll be able to keep you safe." The yearning in his voice made her ache inside. "We’ll be together forever, Sakura, think of it! Won’t it be wonderful?"
"No!" Li yelped, panicked. After all this time, Li was only just now realizing his feelings for her. This man couldn’t take her away now, not when something had just begun between them. "You can’t, Sakura, don’t - "
"Stay back!" Tory warned, and snatched his blaster to fire a couple warning shots in the rebel’s direction. Li jerked back to stay out of range, but he crouched in readiness. Attacking right now might endanger Sakura, but he would be damned if he let this man take her again.
A couple tears had slid down the sides of her face as Sakura watched him. The desperation in his face was evident. Part of her longed to go with him, forget about the Resistance. It wasn’t as if they really needed her. And she was so tired of all the fighting. It would make Tory so happy. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t leave Li.
"Tory." He didn’t drop his weapon, but quickly turned to face her at the sound of his name. Her hand was free now, but all she did was reach up to cup the side of his face. Her touch was a delight and he had to stop himself from crooning out loud as she brushed his cheek.
"You can’t take me away."
"Sure I can." Her eyes filled with more tears.
"I know you can, I know I can’t stop you. But you would have to tie me up every day. You could never let me run free. Because I would always try to escape, always try to return. You can’t take me away from my home and the people that I love. I would be miserable."
Tory didn’t like the way she was talking and shook his head quickly.
"You love me. You wouldn’t be miserable. I’ll do anything for you, you know it. We’ll be happy together."
"If you love me," she said gently, "you wouldn’t be happy if you knew I was miserable. How long could you be with me, knowing how sad I was?"
Forever! his mind screamed, but the word caught in his throat. Those green eyes were shimmering with tears, glittering like two beautiful jewels. Tory was lost in them. He could not bring sadness to those eyes. What’s more, he knew who she really didn’t want to be separated from. Impossible as it seemed, after everything they had experienced, she was actually choosing to love someone else more than him. Tory drank in her fragile and delicate appearance and suddenly realized that he could not, curse it, kill that damnable boy.
Li waited with bated breath for the officer to reply, but heard only silence. The quiet seemed to stretch on forever, until he finally couldn’t take it any longer.
"Sakura?"
There was no reply, and he almost panicked. Had he stolen her away, taken her? Li edged one eye around his cover, and almost collapsed with relief.
She was there, alone, sitting on the ground with her knees pulled up to her chest and tears spilling silently down her cheeks.
"Sakura!" He rushed to her side, dropping his sword on the ground and wrapping his arms around her. She did not respond, either to lean in or pull away, but allowed him to clutch her tightly to his chest and kiss her gratefully on the top of her head. "Sakura, are you all right, did he hurt you?"
He felt a minute shake of her head and pulled away.
"Why didn’t you say anything, how could you let him get away without telling me? How long has he been gone?"
"Didn’t," she sniffled, "didn’t want you to hurt him…" She began to cry harder. She could hardly see Li through her tears, she could only see Tory, giving her that one last agonized look before he pushed himself off of her and scrambled up the hill. He really did love her.
*****
Julian paused and scanned the landscape again with his macros.
"Are you sure you saw blaster fire?"
"Positive." Kero waved his little arm out toward the landscape. "Had a funny feeling, too, but that’s gone now. I’m sure I saw blaster fire, though."
The sun was almost completely below the horizon, the shadowy dusk concealing deep canyons and shallow runs. Julian and Benedin shrugged and pressed forward again. They didn’t really have any other choice.
*****
Li set her down near the river bank and stripped off his shirt, wetting the sleeve so he could pat at her tear-streaked face.
"Feel better now?" She hiccuped and nodded. The look in his eyes was painful to see, and she kept her eyes on the water. "What happened?" This time it was her turn to tell the story, and she did so, haltingly. It sounded so strange when she tried to find the words to describe the events in Tory’s tent that night. The sun disappeared and the moon, now at three quarters, grew brighter, revealing Li’s expression with sharp clarity.
"He thinks he knows you?" She nodded again, almost imperceptibly. "But he can’t, right? You were just a child when you came to the Resistance."
"I know."
"So, you don’t have any feelings for him, right?" She didn’t reply, but stared at the moon’s reflection in the river. Li leaned forward anxiously to see her face better. "Do you love him?"
Again she said nothing. It was because she didn’t want to admit the truth, he was sure, and he jumped to his feet with a growl of frustration. What was wrong with her? How could she choose somebody else over him, after everything he’d done for her, how he’d watched over her so carefully? And one of Lothar’s men! How could she possibly love him?
"Are you insane?" he finally asked, pacing back and forth in front of her. "Have you forgotten who he is? He’s an officer in the army of Lothar, Sakura! Captain! He’s second-in-command to Blade himself. You remember Blade, right? The Reptil that almost sliced you in half this morning? He’s one of the enemy. You never, ever trust them!"
Sakura heard the acute pain in his voice and winced. She understood his reasons for distrust, but it was impossible to explain.
"I know. I haven’t forgotten what they did to your family, Li, but I’m sorry. He’s different. He’s sincere. The way he made me feel when he touched me…" She trailed off as she saw Li blanch and look away. "There’s something between us. I can’t explain it. I knew you wouldn’t understand."
"Damn right," he spat, determined not to show how hurt he was. "I don’t understand. I don’t care how ‘confused’ he is, or what kind of story he’s feeding you. He’s a killer, Sakura." He thought about something that might reach her. "He would kill Julian in a heartbeat if he had the chance. Don’t you care about that?"
He had the satisfaction of seeing her shudder and clutch his shirt tightly to her breast.
"I know. I know he’s the enemy and that I should hate him and try to fight him, but Li, I just can’t. I know he really does love me."
The thin whine of gliders cut through their argument and Li reflexively reached for his sword. Sakura held up a hand to stop him.
"No, don’t. It’s okay. It’s Julian. They’ve found us."
Didn’t she even think it was strange that she could know that? Li cast an anguished glance over her as she sat huddled on the ground. She was so little and helpless looking, but there was so much power and strength coursing through her that she didn’t even know about. The contrast was tantalizing for Li, and he hungered for her, feeling another spurt of jealousy. How could she?
"You’re making a mistake," he informed her coldly, and she looked up into his eyes at last.
"I don’t care. He loves me, and no matter what, I will not fight him. I refuse to hurt him."
They were both silent for a moment as the sound of the gliders grew louder.
"You’re not going to say anything to them – are you?" She bit her lip anxiously, and Li hesitated. She jumped to her feet. "You can’t! This is personal, Li, I can’t tell anyone else about this. They would never understand."
I don’t understand, he thought pointedly, but did not open his mouth. Her eyes were full of pleading as she took a step forward.
"I’m begging you, Li, please don’t tell them. This is something I have to work through on my own."
There was a shout of greeting as Julian and Benedin shot past them, then circled slowly to come in for a landing. Li snatched his shirt out of her hands and pulled it on over his head, concealing the symbol of his family once more.
"I promised to keep your secret, Li, you owe me! You have to keep quiet about this!"
"It’s been a delightful couple of days, Sakura, spending this time with you." There was a sarcastic edge to his tone. "We’ve learned all sorts of things about each other, haven’t we?"
She couldn’t be sure what he meant, but then Kero was there, chattering in excitement and relief. And then Julian was on her, wrapping her in his powerful embrace.
"Sakura, oh thank goodness, gods, I’ve been so worried…" He clutched at her gratefully. "You’ve been gone for so long! Are you all right, hurt anywhere?"
She never took her eyes off Li as Julian hugged her, and he didn’t stop staring at her as Benedin clapped him on the back and inquired if he was all right.
"Fine," he said tonelessly. "We just had a little transportation trouble. It’s good to see you."
He’s not going to say anything, she realized, as Julian swept her off her feet and prepared to carry her home on his glider. The secret is safe for now.
Chapter7