Dance of Ciprahn

Chapter Eighteen

She awakes upon a bed of flowers. Roses. Not the full ones. Those have thorns. Just the petals. Actually she isn't sure if they are roses at all. They are whatever native flora that has overwhelmed the Hill of Whispers. They are everywhere. She rolls over and looks into T's loving eyes. They took their delight of Night, the intimate ecstasies of flesh and youth. Knowing pleasures unknown and drinking of the fragrant wine of love and eternal yearning. The juicy purple grapes bursting with ripeness and sweet nectar. The fruits of the plain, fresh and healthsome. Ripe and ready for picking. Marble mountains and smooth valleys. Smooth ice and ivory tower. They take their fill of love 'til morning. She looks at him with eyes moist with love and desire. She slowly caresses his chiseled arm and holds his skillful fingers. 

Would that this moment last forever. They spend the morning looking into each others' eyes and holding one another — the way a farmer holds the basket of fresh produce he has gleaned from his fields after a solid summer's work. "I'm thirsty. Want something to drink?" She shakes her head and smiles. She has everything she needs. He walks out of the palace guestroom to the silver pitcher of water overlooking the balcony. The sunrise burns purple in the orange fiery clouds. Majestic. T pauses to take in their beauty. Cass looks at him lovingly admiring his muscled back and shoulders. Suddenly a shout of alarm! T yells out and faces some unknown danger. Cass shoots up to her feet urgently. Suddenly two guards are upon him! He grunts as he fights against them. Cass flies at them in a fury. She elbows the first to the side of the temple, using the torque of her turning hips to add extra force to the blow. 

She uses her left arm to hold her clenched right fist to strengthen the right elbow strike she throws. The guard crumples to the ground possibly seriously injured. The other guard looks up in surprise. Cass crouches low gathering kinetic energy from the ground into her feet then finally into the rising uppercut palm strike that catches the guard right under the chin. Palm strikes since they prevent damage to your wrist or fingers. The force of the blow causes the guard's brain to ricochet about his skull like a pickle in a pickle jar and he stumbles over in a daze. T looks at her in amazement. Cass only sees red. In a non-berserker state she might have ironically surmised that her many martial arts lessons were indeed worth something after all. Three more guards come launching themselves at them. T lunges at one but is quickly subdued and wrestled to the floor. The left guard slashes out with his right hand with a hammer strike but Cass steps back.

 She catches his right hand in both of hers using her left hand to curl his hand out and inwards while her right-hand guides him down and outside his line of balance. He tumbles to the ground in a brutal wrist lock. Cass promptly knees him the face knocking him out and turns to face the right guard. His arms are outstretched. T is being manhandled by the other guard. Cass twitches her left fist as if she were going for a left jab but it's actually a feint and the guard falls for it. He raises his hands to guard his face and Cass twists her hips delivering a right roundhouse kick to the side of his left knee. He falls and his hands shoot out to comfort his leg leaving his face open. Cass delivers a right cross followed by a left straight and final right jab. The dazed guard sways and doubles forward. Cass delivers a final left front kick to the face that puts him out of commission. 

T feebly fights the last guard. She walks over and kicks the guard in the gut knocking the air out of him. He rolls away and recovers. He turns to face her. Six more guards run in. Dammit. She looks at T who is scared and angry. Fury fills her again as she wants to protect him. She ducks under the guard's right haymaker and delivers a flurry of punches to his stomach and a final palm strike to his solar plexus. Something softly snaps and he wheezes. She was about to deliver the final blow a la Mortal Kombat when two guards seize her from behind. Nooo! She moves her head backward and reverse headbutts one in the chin and his grip loosens. Simultaneously she back kicks the other guard in the groin and presses downwards as she feels his pelvic bone give out. Sudden two more guards join in and overwhelm her. 

 They pin her to the floor and she can't move. There's just too many. One on one I would destroy them! Cowards!  She looks helplessly as a fifth new guard overwhelms T and punches him in the face drawing blood. Nooo! In a moment of rage she almost breaks free from but the guards pin her down again. More guards swarm in and they begin to take T away. T manages a solid punch to the face of one of them but it doesn't matter. He shoots a quick glance at her, blood covering one eye, "I love you!" Rage gives way to deep sorrow and panic as tears fill her eyes. No! Please God no! Don't take him! She watches helplessly as they take him away. T keeps shouting and fights valiantly but to no avail. Soon the dark shadows of the archway are all that remain as she hears the last echoing vestiges of his voice call for her. They echo out and fade...