The group of Chameleons, lead by Lok, and Alex and Drake rode their sturdy desert mustangs, their coats gleaming with health, along the southern border. Both the Chameleons and Alex wore cloaks and hoods embroidered with the Chameleon Nation logo. Technically the Chameleons didn't need the protection from the sun, but it made Alex easier to conceal.
The blue sky shone with the brightness of a clear day. Steep cliffs gave way to peaceful valleys. Here and there, patches of wildflowers dotted the valley floor. The horses smelled of earth, sweat and the grass that had been on the border. Secretly, Alex was glad for the scent of a mammal other than herself.
The carriage with the bait money and fake ambassadors was in the middle of the group. The carriage was ornately decorated wood, painted in rich purples and golds. It was drawn by two mustangs and driven by two Chameleons in purple and gold livery. The clacking of the horses hooves were rhythmic and deliberate, keeping the pace in the ranks.
Alex had to cover her mouth often, to keep from laughing at the Chameleons' jokes, which Drake often rebutted with a funnier joke. As far as she could tell, they had no anxiety about their positions as bait. In fact, they seemed eager for the fight.
The Anolis warriors riding their desert ponies swept down from the southern wall of the valley. Chameleons hid behind their bucklers and returned fire. Arrows peppered the air, like a flock of black birds in the sky. Alex whooped with fierce glee and shot off her startled mustang. She slammed into a line of Anolis and flattened them. She blasted the rest and set down in the middle of groaning warriors.
"Which one of you witches is the commander? I challenge you to a duel, if you're not too much of a quivering coward." Alex drew her Guardian sword and flared red power down it.
Drake was first off his horse and grabbed the sword and dagger from nearest warrior. Led by Lok, the Chameleons galloped up and jumped off their mustangs, quickly disarming the rest of the Anolis. One particularly scarred Anolis warrior sat up, glaring at all of them. The scarred Anolis female's body was scaly, hard and tough. Her eyes glowed with a feral bloodlust. Her claws gripped the sand, digging trenches in the ground with the force of her weight.
"I accept your challenge, mammal. To the death." The Anolis warrior tackled Alex's ankles with the force of a linebacker. Alex's cheek stung for half a second when she hit the dirt before she grabbed the Anolis by the throat and tossed her to the side.
Alex's blade glowed with her power and that light that made it easy to distinguish in the afternoon light. The Anolis warrior faced her without fear, her dark green hide glistening in the sun, her black eyes even more savage. She brought her blade up at the last moment to deflect Alex's in an obvious taunt. Alex immediately reversed her attack and slammed her pommel into the Anolis' stomach.
The Anolis' grunt was guttural and barbaric, like a cornered animal, but with a hint of a muffled laugh. Enraged, Alex swung her blade around but the Anolis parried it and twisted, almost wrenching the sword from Alex's hand. Alex flared her power and it raced along her blade to the Anolis' and then to her hilt. Alex saw the Anolis warrior's face contort in sudden pain, as though Alex had lashed out with a whip made of white hot steel. The Anolis' claws convulsed around the hilt and Alex stabbed into her chest.
The Anolis' expression went from smoldering anger to immediate fear within a blink. She stared over Alex's shoulder at her comrades as if to ask for mercy, but Alex didn't reveal any weakness. She flared power and twisted the blade and the Anolis went limp. A stream of blood oozed from the wound and pooled on the ground beneath the Anolis.
The Chameleons' mouths hung open and their eyes were wide as dinner plates but Drake had a satisfied look on his face.
Alex kicked the corpse off her blade and snarled at the horrified Anolis, "Surrender, morons. Lay down your weapons and kneel. Guards, immobilize them."
Drake obeyed immediately. Lok snapped out of his trance and tackled the closest Anolis, forcing her to her knees. His fellow Chameleons followed suit and then they tied their hands with rope and gagged them with cloth.
Alex paced back and forth in front of the line of kneeling Anolis warriors. "You have not brought your males. You cowards gift away your harems before you face me so that I cannot free them. Welcome to a lesson in empathy, witches."
Alex flared her red power higher and higher down her sword until no one could look directly at it. With a powerful swipe she cut off the first Anolis' hands at the wrists. The rope fell to the ground and the scent of burning flesh filled the air.
Alex watched dispassionately. "Good, I did cauterize the wounds. Now, scumbags, you will learn what it's like to be helpless and feel fear, just like your males. Enjoy living as cripples, witches."
With ruthless efficiency, Alex tilted each wrist, sliced the tendons, and severed the hand, all in one fluid motion. The Chameleons watched in silence, a somber dark blue yet still holding the Anolis still. Drake's expression was fierce. When Alex finished, she wiped the sweat from her brow.
"I think we're done here," Alex said. "Any questions? Or is there anything else you want to do?" she asked the Chameleons.
"Indeed, your vengeance was quite just. As a race, we approve of teaching empathy," Lok said.
The Chameleons grabbed the reins of the Anolis warriors' ponies but they mounted their own mustangs. Alex and Drake also mounted.
"Very impressive, Guardian," Drake told Alex and they shared a smile.
***
A/N
Dedicated to faithful reader
And new reader
YOU ARE READING
Shared Mercy Book 5 of the Guardians Saga
Fantasy#1 love power highest ranking. Alex and the dragon brothers have fought evil on multiple worlds. But some evil cannot be fought with a sword or staff. Will Alex and the brothers overcome a new kind of evil?
