13. A Thalian Warrior
1369 Words
Llewellyn began to drift upward from his deep sleep. Something was wrong he could nay move his hands or feet. He tried to open his eyes, but they remained closed. With great effort he concentrated on his right eye and gradually the lid rose before involuntarily falling. His mind digested the fact that he had seen a purple uniform in the purple chair in his line of vision. Somehow he was at Medicine.
His mind continued to work in slow loops. Medicine must have used some sort of sleep on him. Who was the betrayer? Was it Magda or one of her House? Either way, they kenned how to correctly fashion a dosage for body weight. It must be the Justine cells within him working to overcome the incapacitating drug. For once Llewellyn gave thanks for his biological fither. He heard people talking on the com, but it wasn"t enough to rouse him from this lassitude and his mind began to drift downward again.
A male voice penetrated the blackness; a male voice filled with rage and threatening to destroy Medicine and possibly all of Don while he was at it. It was his laddie; his last link to his magnificent Anna. Llewellyn kenned that Lorenz could and would kill anything standing within his range when that wild rage hit him. Lorenz might spend hours repenting to his Gar, but kill he would.
Anna"s beautiful grey eyes were looking straight into his heart. “Mr. MacDonald, thank du.”
Those were her words when he had brought Lorenz home. He had promised Anna to raise him as his own, and his own Lorenz had become.
He heard his Mither saying she would wipe out Thalia. Dear Gar, this was nay why he had returned to Don and to Thalia. With a great effort his mind fought to loosen the drug"s hold. Perhaps it was his own anger; perhaps it was his two hearts flushing the drug away.
Did the woman still have her back to him? He heard Mala"s voice telling of the truce, and a voice came over the com. He opened his eyes to slits.
“Give the mutant a quarter of the dose, and join us here in the Ops room. I need assistance in coordinating our targets.”
“Aye, Keeper, I will be right there.”
Marzina pushed her chair back and stood. A huge hand wrapped around her mouth and another arm went across her arms pulling her up against a hard, male body. She tried twisting and kicking and felt her neck twisting. The bones felt like they were about to part and she quieted. He half-carried, half-dragged her over to the door panel and held her right palm upward. She closed her eyes and the panel did not slide.
“If I snap your neck, your eyes will open.” The whispered words echoed in her ear. Her eyes flicked open and the door panel slid into the wall.
Llewellyn considered his options. If the woman did nay appear as instructed, the others would wonder where she was. Killing her would brand him as a rogue Thalian. He could open her medical bag, but he was nay sure which vial or spray was the sedative. The whole building began to shake and a large crashing, cracking noise filled the space. Both dropped to their knees.
“Mala, they"ve blasted the front entrance doors!” Moria"s voice wailed over the com.
Another blast was followed by more shaking and crashing noises. Dust began to filter down the hallway.
“Now the doors leading to and from the workers" compound tis rubble! Do ye wish me to stay here?”
“We can scan the outside just as well from here. Join us in Ops, Moria, and check on Marzina. See why she tis delayed.”
Llewellyn rose to his feet, still holding the struggling Marzina. He began forcing her towards the front. She tried to twist away from his grasp, but found herself being lifted bodily into the air and thrown at Moria who was running down the hall towards them.
Moria and Marzina wound up in a tangle on the floor. A few quick steps and Llewellyn reached down, grabbed their necks, bashed their heads together, and dropped them. Before Marzina could regain her feet, Llewellyn slammed his fist down upon her head and turned. Moria had scrabbled away on the floor and rolled over, brought her knees up, and turned to run to the safety of Ops. Llewellyn grabbed her by the ankles and slammed her head into the tile. He lifted Moria over his shoulder, and grabbed Marzina by a leg to drag her towards the Maca"s office.
From the outside came sound off explosions. Where he could nay tell as the building had stopped vibrating. The door to the Maca"s office opened and he was greeted by a very angry Magda working at the console.
“The fools thought they could override my commands.” She glared at Llewellyn and tossed him a long range stunner.
“Can ye convince yere mither and laddie to nay fire again? If so, use my console to contact the Kreppie ship. Right now, the traitors are firing at him and he is meeting their fire at the midway point and then hitting my compound. The yellow crystal tis nay enough to stay the power of any outfitted Kreppie ship.”
Another explosion crackled overhead and the building began to vibrate. It was possible to look down the hall where rubble filled the doorway and hear people shouting and the clatter of cement blocks being thrown or scraped.
He nodded at her. “I can try, but those two will need to be convinced I will live through this.”
“If ye dinna, we may all pass to the Darkness.” Magda banged her fist on the console.
“Aye, and then I reveal our position. Those Sisters are apt to turn the crystals on us.”
“Ye can flee out of here I will stay with people and my Tower.”
“Why dinna I open the com to the ship and head for the Ops room? They are sure to open the door and send someone this way if they hear ye.”
Wild elation surged through Magda"s face as her eyes lighted.
“I will be outside the Ops room and wait for them to emerge. They locked me in my own Tower.” Rage was shaking her body.
“I will call them and join ye,” he said as he touched the circles as the walls were beginning to emit dust.
“Lorenz, Mither, if ye continue this we will all pass into the Darkness. Back off! Tis an order.”
He ran down the Hall towards the Ops Room. Magda was at the door blasting away.
“Stand to the side and we will join our fire.”
Magda nodded and stepped to the right. The double flame ate into the door melting it and the wall around it.
“Stay, Llewellyn, if ye burn out my Ops controls there tis nay tech to replace them or manufacturer to rebuild it.”
Mala"s voice was heard on the com. “Marzina, where are ye?”
Llewellyn stayed the flame and spoke through the opening in the melted door. “She tis the one now sleeping. I suggest ye surrender. That way ye will just be condemned with the others and nay die here.”
“Magda, my Maca, are ye going to permit this affront in your Tower?”
“Ye are the affront! Ye had nay right to try and capture a guest and take my place. Surrender!”
“Where are the people?” Mala was yelling.
“Why do ye persist in the belief they are with ye? They are nay. They are Thalians. This fighting must end.”
As if they had heard her, the people of Medicine poured into the hallway screaming for their Maca and yelling threats against the rebels.
Mala lifted the stunner, placed it against her head, and pressed the button. Her head dissolved into flames.
- Writer
