Dragon’s Secret: Red Planet Dragons of Tajss Book Fourteen Read online

  "Very good," he praises. "If you're not quite fast enough, as you move, also block with your shock stick like this."

  I watch him carefully, a little more aware of my weakness as I attempt to move in the same way that he does. Now that I've been embarrassed and moved on, I'm not in my head as much, which helps.

  "Yes, good!" he praises me once more. "Now, if you are quick enough to move away from the blow, and your attacker is extended in this manner, then you should take advantage and use the stick against their unprotected side. Using the end to stun is ideal, but even a blow will hurt." He lunges towards the invisible opponent. "Understand?"

  "I think so."

  "Good. Now I will attempt to attack you once more."

  I take a deep breath, adjusting my grip on my electro-stick. My heart is pounding now. He doesn't give me any warning, which I'm not expecting at all. Letting out an embarrassing squeak, I jump back, leaving myself wide open for a tap to the midsection. He doesn't get angry, but rather chuckles, shaking his head. It's almost worse.

  "Be alert!" he barks, almost goading, moving back once more. "Your opponents will not give you warning before they attack. Be ready!"

  Okay. Be ready. Fine. He attacks me again. I don't execute well again.

  "Come, Nora! It is time for you to seize your 'girl power' as the other females say!" he shouts as he continues to attack me, not stopping this time.

  I scowl at him, irritated. Where the hell did he hear that?

  "I'll show you girl power," I mutter.

  He smiles at my anger.

  "Use it," he orders.

  He's right. I try to channel that irritation, that frustration. He attacks again. And again. Drilling the movement into my brain. Until he lunges at me and I move smoothly, my body shifting and flowing. I don't know how it looks, but everything feels exactly right. I even manage to tap him with the tip of the electro-stick, mock shocking him.

  When he steps back this time, he has a wide grin on his face.

  "Very good!"

  I'm breathing hard while he isn't even out of breath yet. But I don't care. I did it! I feel myself glowing at the praise even though it's such a minor thing I've just learned. It took effort anyway.

  "Now, I will alternate sides. You need to be ready for this kind of attack from every angle."

  I nod and quickly learn that it's a whole other ballgame to go in another direction. It should be intuitive shouldn't it? But it really, really isn't. When I get whacked for the third time, I growl.

  "Use it!" he pushes me again. "A tantrum will not help—use every emotion you feel!"

  "It's easy to say when you're not the one being whacked!" I snarl back.

  He only laughs and attacks once more. I have to get my shit together fast, or risk being whacked again and again. He keeps going, his body apparently tireless, until I'm so irritated at being whacked I start to move better, start to actually block and avoid strikes.

  When I manage to avoid three in a row, he steps back again to give me a reprieve.

  "Very good!" he repeats again. "Now, we will try something more challenging. A bladed weapon has to be treated differently than a blunt end. I have been using the blunt end this entire time but I want you to imagine that it is a blade. Also, a weapon is not always used. Sometimes you will have to deal with a larger opponent attacking you with his body alone. That requires a different defensive technique."

  I listen intently, watching him as he takes my electro-stick and shows me how he wants me to move my hands and my feet.

  "And remember—your goal is to keep your body safe. If that means compromising your electro-stick, so be it. It is not ideal, because without your weapon you are much more vulnerable. However, do not hold on to it to the detriment of your own safety. Understand?"

  "Yes."

  I'm completely focused at this point, and I feel the moves coming a little easier—as if the base level is being built upon. Which I guess is exactly what's happening.

  "Good. Now, I am going to go slow at first, attacking you in a manner that will require you to defend and attack using every one of the techniques I just showed you. Once you demonstrate you can do them all slowly, I will increase the pace again."

  Wait.

  "Why didn't you do that before? You went at me at full speed from the beginning!"

  "I did not attack you at full speed. You would have no chance to block or attack. But I did attack you faster than I'm going to now. Why?" He grins. "Because it was fun," he says, shrugging his shoulders.

  I narrow my eyes at him.

  "Fun?" I snarl.

  "Yes." When he sees my brows lower and my grip tighten on my electro-stick, his grin only widens. "Use it."

  The sound I make is not at all pretty. Oh man, I think I want to punch him in the face the next time he says that. I try to shake off the thought, to focus.

  At least he does go slower, just like he said he would. Still, I'm scrambling to apply everything he taught me, even at half speed, and I'm being whacked again and again once more.

  Every time I make a mistake, he stops and shows me what I should have done, which I appreciate. We go through it again. And again. And again. Until I start to get the hang of it. It isn't pretty, but I am doing the moves. As soon as I have a fair grasp, he increases the speed, and I'm back to being whacked all over again.

  "Damn it!" I mutter as he taps my hip.

  "You are improving," he encourages me, stepping back. "These are intermediate techniques. You have graduated from the beginning ones very quickly. You should be proud."

  I rub my head.

  "It might be easier to be proud if I wasn't getting hit all the time," I point out.

  He smiles, the edges softer. "Perhaps. But then you would not be improving as quickly as you are."

  I guess he has me there. And I'm actually really grateful that he's teaching me all this. It's unlikely that I'll need to fight on my own, but I feel a hell of a lot less vulnerable now with a few moves under my belt.

  Maybe I can't fight Archion and win, but maybe that's not a fair standard, considering that most of the Zmaj I know couldn’t fight Archion and win.

  However, at the minimum, I can have the ability to stop attackers flat, assuming I remember all of this. And assuming the electro-stick has enough juice.

  As my confidence has grown over the last few hours, I've started to wonder what else I can do.... What else I'm capable of.

  "Come," Archion orders, turning me towards our pallets, the only place to sit here. "You have earned a break. We will eat, drink, and bathe."

  "Bathe?" I repeat, perking up. "There's water nearby?"

  He smiles at me, his eyes twinkling. "I woke up earlier than you, if you remember." I make a face. How could I forget? He chuckles before continuing. "While you were fast asleep, I found an opening in the back that leads to a small pool. One we can bathe in safely."

  "Oh man—that sounds so good right now." I'm soaked in sweat and was already dreading trying to clean up as best as I could. "It's so hard to sleep when I feel dirty."

  "You will not have to," he reassures me.

  This might be the best gift anybody has ever given me. We decide we may as well bathe first so that we can eat and drink in comfort. Like a gentleman, Archion stays out while I venture through the narrow opening in a shadowed corner of the cave. No wonder I didn't notice it.

  When I step through, there's light streaming in from a crack, illuminating the gently rippling water. To call it a pool would be generous, but it is deep enough that I can get in halfway up my body, up to my waist.

  I jump in with all of my clothes on, needing to rinse them out after everything they've been through. I don't linger though, cognizant of the fact that Archion is waiting for me. I wring out my clothes, lay them out to dry on a flat rock, and then wash myself briskly.

  Some soap would be nice, but I just use some of the sand at the bottom instead. Exfoliation, right? Gotta make the best things. That's one lesson I've learned
here on Tajss.

  Feeling much better, I climb out and put on the damp but now cleaner clothes. Finger-combing my hair, I walk back out into the main cave.

  Archion turns to me.

  "Done?" he asks.

  "Yes. Thank you."

  He inclines his head, his eyes lingering on me.

  "I will be out shortly," he murmurs, walking past me to enter the pool.

  I turn towards the rations and start to nibble to distract myself from the fact that Archion—a very naked Archion—is bathing just a few feet away from me. I feel a rush of warmth at the thought, at imagining his naked body, water droplets sliding down his impressive chest... The pool just barely covering his hip bones, if that...

  I shake my head at myself in frustration, but I obviously can't control my thoughts when it comes to Archion. A recurring nuisance.

  At least Archion is as good as his word, coming back out with damp hair in maybe a quarter of the time that it took me. Though that just means now I can stare at him and fantasize instead of just using my imagination. Sometimes, there's just no winning.

  He comes over, taking some of the food as well.

  "How do you feel?" he asks, taking a bite.

  "Kind of sore," I confess. "I haven't exercised like that in...honestly, maybe ever."

  He smiles at that, his eyes twinkling with humor.

  "I understand. From what I have gleaned, your time on the ship did not require it of you. It is reasonable that you would be soft if you did not need to defend yourselves from any predators."

  I guess that's true.

  "Yeah, there weren't any predators on the ship. At least of the beast variety, anyway. There were some not-great people on the ship, which is kind of inevitable with any sizable population. But we had security to deal with that, people we could go to for help." I shrug. "I guess I never thought about it." I scan his body, appreciating how it looks, but now also doubly appreciating the amount of effort it takes to look like that. "How about you? Have you always been like this?" I ask, curious.

  Did he come out of the womb a badass?

  "No," he murmurs, meeting my eyes. "In truth, you have endured nothing compared to my Zmaj brothers. In terms of the physical beating we all received. Our training is brutal. It forces one to dig into the depths and retrieve the power needed to surmount any obstacle that may present itself."

  I nod, bracing my elbow on my knee and propping my head on it. I don't take offense. To be as good as he is, I would guess the training would be no joke.

  "Sounds like they deliberately pushed you to the edge."

  "Yes," he agrees, his eyes turning distant. Remembering. "It was not only to harden us physically, but also to toughen us mentally." He focuses on me once more, his eyes clearing. "Because of it, I now know I can deal with any situation that I find myself in."

  "But you hated it at the time?" I prod.

  Was he ever like me, cursing his trainer? He frowns, his eyes distant.

  "I did not hate it. It was difficult, but it was also an honor to be trained by my teachers. I knew what I was learning was important. And I held on to that thought when things were difficult. It helped that I had my brothers with me, training alongside me. Commiseration with peers is very helpful when going through difficult times."

  I nod as I listen, completely understanding. If I didn't have the other women with me during that time down in the tunnels with Annabel... Yeah. Being part of a group is really important, especially when things are hard.

  "How many people were training with you?" I ask.

  "More than a few," he answers vaguely. "The teachers were the best—it was difficult to be included in such training. The selection process was rigorous."

  He switches gears after that, talking about the specific kind of exercises they were put through.

  "After the first segment of training, each one of us who still remained was left out in the desert for a week, alone. With no water, no food, and no weapons. In areas known to be breeding grounds for both guster and zemlja."

  I listen as he details the exercise, shocked at the lengths to which these supposedly wonderful trainers pushed their students.

  "Did anybody ever get really hurt?" I ask, shaking my head. "That's real danger they put you in!"

  "Yes," he says simply. "But the training is necessary. It culls out the weak."

  Wow.

  "If you say so," I murmur, not agreeing with that. What was the point of training if you were severely injured or worse? But I let it go because he clearly does not have the same perspective I do on the subject. "And you're still with the same people now?" I ask. "Is that who you live with?"

  He pauses for a moment. Considering what to tell me?

  "Yes. I still live with my brothers. The training was meant simply to weed out those who do not have the mental and physical fortitude needed, but it also forms a bond among those who remain..."

  I listen to him, at the same time pondering the answers to the questions I've been asking.

  It's clear he isn't giving me complete answers, or all the information. Not that that's a surprise, really. I know the Tribe Elders are suspicious specifically because he's such a closed book. I don't expect him to reveal everything to me so quickly.

  Still... I trust him. It's not completely logical, but something in me tells me that I can, despite everything I don't know. Even if I don't consider his deliberately vague and short answers, it's clear there must be more going on than he's saying—especially when taking into account the supernatural experiences I've had around his arrival. I know that.

  I'm also confident he'll tell me the rest in his own time. He has prior loyalties, something I have experience with myself, so I understand. I'm okay with waiting on the rest of the story.

  Even if the Elders aren't.

  12

  Archion

  I find myself telling Nora more than I plan to, though still not as much as she is asking for. As much as I know she likely wants. It is different from keeping that same information from the Tribe Elders. I do not like keeping anything from her, but I must.

  There is much more at stake than just my feelings on the matter. That’s why I decide to get out of sight of her trusting eyes. I tell her am going to go hunt for meat. Some time away will hopefully settle these feelings, help me regain perspective.

  I circle around the rock formation, searching out other caves, both smaller and larger. Fortunately it does not take me long to find one of the smaller creatures that dwells in caves.

  The gretba hisses at me from behind its hiding place, its pale gray fur standing on end, large eyes glinting at me. It tries to run, but my lochaber is swift and accurate. It is dead before it knows what happened. It is not the largest prey, but it is round, with more than enough meat for both Nora and me.

  I decide to skin and dress it before I bring it back. That will keep some of the blood away from where we are staying. Also, the creature could be seen as attractive to tender-hearted females such as Nora, round and furry as it is. I do not want her to feel badly about eating it.

  When I return with the prepared animal, Nora brightens.

  "Oh! You caught something!"

  "Yes,” I say with a smile. “I will start a fire and we will have a feast." I do not think I have ever felt more satisfied at having felled a creature for food. I stoke a small fire, carefully building it with some shelter from the wind outside. Once it is strong enough to sustain itself, I pull out my knife and cut pieces of meat to cook over the open flame.

  "Smells delicious," Nora murmurs as she watches from next to me. "What kind of animal is it?"

  "A gretba. One of the creatures that dwells in the caves," I explain. "Here—this piece is done."

  I give her one of the small pieces, the outside now an attractive golden brown. Gretba have a high fat content and are known for seeking out salt deposits to lick. It should be good even without the advantage of seasonings.

  "Careful—it is still hot."

&n
bsp; She nods, tearing off a piece and letting it cool before popping it into her mouth. Her eyes widen as the flavor permeates her mouth.

  "Oh my goodness, it's so good," she murmurs around her mouthful, closing her eyes.

  I smile, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction at watching her eat what I have provided. She finishes that piece and I hand her a larger one.

  "Thank you," she murmurs. "But you eat too. I think there's a bottomless pit inside me after all that working out," she mutters.

  I nod, taking some meat for myself.

  "You have worked hard today," I agree. "Eat until you are full."

  She smiles at that, taking a healthy bite.

  "I'm not going to argue against that."

  I return the smile, biting into the tender morsel. The meat is good. Tender and flavorful. The smoke from the fire also helps. We are quiet then as we finish the meat I have cooked, leaving a bit left over for later. Much of the animal still remains to the side, uncooked.

  "We should smoke the remainder of the meat before it attracts predators," I comment.

  Nora nods, wiping her hands clean.

  "All right. I can cut up the rest of it. How big do you want the pieces?" she asks.

  "About this big and this long," I say, holding my hands out to measure. "If they are too big, they will take longer to smoke."

  "Okay, got it."

  She turns away, taking out her knife to break down the rest of the meat. Because she is doing that, I can work on a makeshift pit just outside our cave mouth to do the actual smoking. I gather rocks from around the cave to build a small well-like structure, finding a large flat one that I can use to mostly cover the top. It will not be perfect, but it will get the job done. I feed more fuel to the fire and turn back towards Nora to survey the cuts of meat that she has made so far.

  "Can you cut them about half as thick?" I ask, noticing the sizes. "These will take too long to cook through."

  She straightens, huffing out an irritated breath as she blows her hair out of her face. She looks over at me.