Guardians: Away Mission Book 2 of the Guardians Saga COMPLETED except for edits

Rescuing Gabe? Ch. 5.3

A/N: This song is one of those instances that eerily fits a chapter I wrote long ago and I absolutely love it. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

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Alex speed burst by all the guards, too upset to worry that she was, in essence, escaping. She knew where the Anolis embassy was and pounded on the front door.

"Let me in! I challenge you, Cla! Come out, you fire truck female! Come and get me! The mammal is challenging you! Stop hiding behind that door! Are you afraid of an overgrown chitterer? Come out, Cla!" Alex shouted as she hammered the door with her fists. "Your mother was a mammal and your father smelt of elderberries!"

After a few minutes of pounding and insults, the door opened. Alex was led by a grave-looking Anolis male to a courtyard.

Cla, clothed in her usual Romanesque armor, leaned against a tall white column, waiting for her and sharpening her dagger with a whetstone.

There was an audience of all Anolis females and the brothers were nowhere in sight.

"I accept your challenge. Now, mammal, come forward and fight."

A group of females surrounded Alex and Cla in the courtyard, creating a living ring and blocking the combatants from outside interference. Alex couldn't see if Gabe joined or not.

Cla flashed her impeccably clean dagger at her. Both edges were finely honed, the cross guard well-proportioned, it tapered to a sharp point, and a groove ran down the center to allow blood to flow freely.

"Mina, give the mammal a weapon," Cla ordered.

Mina handed Alex a simple dagger. It was utilitarian steel, without decoration or cross guard, and its edges dull with a blunt tip.

Alex grasped the handle and it was too thick for her hand. Cla smirked at her unease.

Okay, it's time now for knife fighting techniques!

Alex tried her best to lower the mental barriers to access that training. It was hard enough to do that, so there was no hope of accessing the kill reflexes.

Cla circled Alex and Alex turned to keep her eyes on her opponent. Cla struck, fast as a snake, and Alex instinctively blocked with her forearm.

The hot pain of a knife slash seared through her. Alex jumped back and circled this time, faster than Cla had. In the duels that she had watched, the Anolis were slow until they struck.

Alex feinted with her knife but kicked Cla in the midsection. Cla grunted with the impact but smiled as Alex staggered back. Cla's armor absorbed the energy of Alex's kick while Alex's foot and leg ached from the metal.

Kickboxing was not meant to be used against Roman type armor.

Cla rushed Alex and again, the blowtorch pain of a knife strike flared, this time across Alex's chest. Alex threw Cla off and ducked away before the dagger could cut deeper.

Alex regretted not insisting on more hand-to-hand and knife training with Cale and Rile.  Alex circled again and she closed with Cla, trying a foot sweep.

The heavier reptile stayed standing and this time Cla's dagger slashed down Alex's shoulder. Alex cried out and dropped to the ground. She scrambled away and faced Cla, breathing heavily.

If only I dared blast the witch openly. But not yet. I'm not beaten yet and I don't see Gabe or the others. I must find them.

Alex assessed how best to deliver a surreptitious blast to Cla,who was armored and armed, unlike the Gila. Alex concentrated too much on Cla's knife hand and didn't see her other fist until it slammed into her mouth.