Lunar Conspiracy

Lose the Battle, Win the War

Tava had taken up pacing. After the initial rush that morning to follow Jornea out into the arena, things had become boring. The first three females had managed to get their mounts saddled and running and the others had decided to stay and break down camp. Tava had already packed up Jornea's and her own supplies, but the riders weren't back yet.

"Come sit and calm."

Tava sighed and stalked over to plop down into the grass next to Yggdrasil. "What if she doesn't manage to catch him, even with the lead?"

Yggdrasil shook his head, a calm shade of green that wasn't quite into amusement. "Trust her."

Tava propped her chin in her hand and stared off over the sandy steppe terrain. She trusted Jornea, and she trusted Kartk. She just didn't trust them to work together.

~ ~ ~

Jornea whistled a cheerful tune as her mount ambled along, slowly following the ravines towards the edges of the arena. She hesitated in her song when she heard galloping behind her and glanced back. A grin stretched across her face as the Amzonite woman she had insulted the night before pulled along side with a sneer.

The alien woman put on a haughty smile as she spoke. "It might have been a clever maneuver if the arena was a mile bigger. You had to have known we would catch you before you could make it out here to catch the last male."

Jornea just smiled. "Of course I knew. But I'm still going to win, even if I gave you a head start right now." Her grin turned malicious when the other woman gave her a skeptical look. "My maneuver accomplished exactly what I meant it to. My mount is warmed up and fresh. Yours is not."

The alien woman's eyes widened in realization just as motion caught both their attention. They both spurred their mounts into a run, eagerly pushing and shoving for the lead. But as Jornea had said, her mount was eager to run while the other woman's mount quickly lagged after the hurried trip out to the edge of the arena.

Jornea took the lead, tugging her bola out and getting it spinning. She spotted an opening as Kartk darted for a narrow opening where the lizards would be unable to follow. The bola went flying, wrapping around Kartk's legs and sending him tumbling to the ground. Jornea leapt off her lizard, already uncoiling a length of rope.

Kartk rolled to work at freeing his legs and abruptly had Jornea sitting on his stomach. He gasped under her weight, and by the time he had recovered, Jornea already had his wrists tied together. She scrambled up and off of him, leaping back up onto her mount as she wrapped the rope about the saddle horn.

Kartk snarled as he kicked free of the bola and found he was unable to wiggle out of the ropes on his wrists. Jumping to his feet, he tugged and fought. Jornea merely reeled him in every time there was a little slack in the rope, content to play the long game and let him tire himself out.

Behind her, the other three alien women were watching, waiting for Kartk to pull free and resume their chase. Jornea wasn't about to surrender her hard earned opportunity.

Finally, Jornea had Kartk tight up against her lizard's side. She glared down at him when he continued to struggle against the bindings attaching his wrists to the saddle horn, hissing. "Would you quit?"

Kartk snarled and tugged even harder. "No! I refuse to be caught and subdued by a brat. I had my freedom! It was mine and you stole it from me!"

Jornea sighed, glancing over her shoulder at the women watching with morbid amusement. "You can ease back on the acting you know."

"Who's acting?!"

The vehemence and frustration certainly sounded genuine. Jornea grumbled as she twisted a little, reaching back to dig into a saddlebag. "You knew you were going to be caught eventually. This blasted game doesn't end until every male is subdued by a female. Be thankful it was me instead of that alien woman back there. She was going into some pretty gruesome details about how she wanted to break you."