Chapter 11: Chase

specton - 2 1/2 minutes
Toton - 2 1/2 hours
minton - 2 1/2 days
daycon - 2 1/2 weeks
quant - 2 1/2 years
galant - 2 1/2 centuries
Metson - 2 1/2 inches
heckson - 2 1/2 miles
tetson - 2 1/2 acres

Bill Axor (AKA Ambrose) - Lion clan
King Tomco Traxor - Bill’s dead father
King Tobias Traxor - Bill’s dead brother
Queen Niaco Traxor - Tiger clan, Tobias mate, now Bill’s
Twitty Glax - Grey Tabby clan, bill’s body guard and mate
Glenna Nox - Bengal clan, Bill’s body guard and mate
Mikos Glac - Chartreux clan
Commander of star crusier - Wire hair clan
General Roth - Leopard clan
Henna Glac - Chartreux clan, Mikos mate, Xendran Doctor
Theta Panadon - Cheetah clan
Cornelius Glax - one of Bill’s Uncles, Grey Tabby clan
Conrad Nox - Bill’s other Uncle Bengal clan
Assassin group - Jaguar clan
second assassin group - Ocicat clan
Gregor - Cougar clan
Gwayne - Panther clan
Thomas - Lynx clan
Mileen - Lynx clan Thomas’s mate

Bill, the Knights, and his mates made their way toward the transport at the end of the street. The closer they got, the more tense Bill saw his mates and the Knights getting. Casually, Twitty leaned against Bill, purring, “We are being followed. I can smell it is the same one that attacked you in the palace.” Bill put his paw on her back, pulling her close.

“I was afraid that they might try again as soon as possible. From all I have seen, it is the Ocicat clan’s way. It is a good strategy if you are the one attacking; none are usually expecting it, as most aren’t. Then again, they don’t have the supreme protection that I do,” Bill told her.

Glenna also leaned against Bill, purring. “They are following far closer than I am comfortable with. I say that we end this now,” Glenna hissed.

“No, if we miss, then we’ll have to put up with them stalking for weeks on end. Let her make a move, then we will have her,” Bill said as he nuzzled against both Glenna and Twitty.

The Ocicat clan assassin felt sick seeing the king-elect and the females being so friendly in public. Her ire rising, she quickly calmed herself. No sense alerting them to her presence early. Better to follow them than spring on the bastard at the least expected moment.

All eight of them made it to the transport without incident, though Bill had expected an attack at any moment. Stroking his whiskers, he thought this one is far more calculating than any he’d been against before. Looking at his mates, he knew better than to say anything. His mates were also far more calculating than most; this information though might upset them at him to no end.

Leaning over, Bill whispered to Roth, “I need to start training today. I am far too vulnerable as I am. It has been far too long since I was in battle. I need to refresh and train higher.”

Roth’s eyes went wide, but no other outward sign showed as he whispered back. “Yes, Sire, I agree. At least you’d last longer if you were better trained.”

“Here, I thought I was at a high level already.” Smiling at Roth, he continued, “I stand corrected, my friend. Who do you suggest?”

“Sire, you need all of us to train you. We all use different techniques. I feel you would benefit from all four of us,” a startled Roth said. “I thought you knew that we all used different forms.”

“No,” Bill said sadly, “I have been gone far too long to remember everything. As it is, I think a bit of the mind shield is still there though not for long.”

“We need to start as soon as possible; with the assassin still out there, it would be prudent,” Roth told Bill with all seriousness.

Bill nodded as they all boarded the transport. Back at the palace, Bill decided he’d start with Roth, something like know your enemy. Roth shook his head as Bill drew his sword. “Now I want you to kill me, if you can!” Roth growled out as Bill advanced then twisted, going in low. At the last second, he came up to find ... Roth was nowhere to be seen! A sudden slap on his rear end let him know Roth was behind him. “Not bad, you might have even had a chance had you been more focused. Now again!”

Almost a toton later, Bill was frustrated; nothing he’d done had even got close! Damn it, was he that slow? When Roth held up his paw, then held both paws out in question, Bill sat deep in thought. “It appears that I am a lot slower than I thought,” Bill told him.

Roth smacked him with the flat of the sword, causing Bill to growl. “You are making the same mistakes all first years make. You aren’t slow, your eyes are. You need to start depending on ALL your senses; remember what the eyes see can almost always be a lie. Listen for the slightest movement of muscle and bone, the heartbeat, the breathing. Smell the confidence or sweat of your opponent. Taste the changes in the air when they move. Do this and you will see you aren’t slow as I said; your eyes are.”

Bill could only stare at Roth; what he said made sense in a way, though to isolate the senses was beyond him right now. Roth nodded, seeing the confusion on Bill’s face as he took a scarf and tied it around Bill’s eyes. “So what? I’m supposed to wave a sword at you ‘til you drop?” Bill said sarcastically.

“No!” Roth said as he pushed a finger into Bill’s forehead. “Think about what I said: smell, touch, taste, and hear. Use your other senses. I want you to find me.”

Bill thought for a moment, then tried to stretch out his other senses. Suddenly, an odd odor assailed his nostrils as he slowly advanced upon it. A sudden change in the air around him caused Bill to bring his sword up, catching Roth’s as it was heading for his throat. “Ah! Better! Now when you can do that without the scarf, you might have a chance to learn further.”

Bill nodded when he felt another change in the air, his whiskers twitching. Bill whirled. The sudden clanging of his sword on another vibrated through his arm. “Excellent, Sire!” came the voice of Thomas. Whirling back from movement behind him, Bill’s sword met Roth’s, clanging loudly.

“We should have blinded you sooner, Sire!” Roth said. “You might actually be a decent swordsman by now!” With a lunge, Bill almost caught Roth unaware. “Very good, Sire!”

Both of his swordsman knights kept it up for another quarter toton until all three were covered in a fine sheen of sweat.

Roth looked over to Thomas as he said, “I am beginning to agree, Roth. His skill has more than tripled. Keep this up, Sire, and you might actually be able to spar with us!” Thomas’s comment seriously pissed Bill off.

Bill had started to advance upon Thomas when something nudged the back of his mind. A saying he remembered his father talking about: Never go in angry unless you can use the anger to your advantage. An angry fighter is usually a dead fighter. Nodding, Bill did his best to turn his anger inward as he started to advance again.

Striking with an almost lightning-fast attack, Bill actually caught Thomas unaware. Thomas’s face held shock for a moment as his sword was damn near torn from his grip! With a growl, he pressed back, astonished when Bill held his ground. Somewhere at the edge of his senses, he felt another presence as Roth was there, blocking several killing blows.

Stopping short, Thomas realized that he’d been lost in battle lust for a moment. “I think that we all have had enough for now,” Roth advised them. “Thomas, have you recovered?”

“Yes,” Thomas said as Bill took off the scarf. “I apologize, Sire. It appears that I was lost in battle lust. It has been a long time since I felt the strength you just showed. It took me back for a moment. I know something was different; I haven’t seen that kind of control in some time. What helped you not be lost to the anger?”

“Something father told me many quants ago: Never go in angry unless you can use the anger to your advantage. An angry fighter is usually a dead fighter,” Bill told both his Knights.

Roth’s eyes went wide, then he nodded. “It was a saying that Sir Tonaco used to say all the time. Here I thought you had no formal training! I will try to re-educate you, Sire. His training, I am afraid, I cannot equal, though.”

“The fact that these are starting to return to me is very encouraging.” Walking to Twitty, Bill had a suspicion he needed to confirm. “Twitty, the mind shield that was administered on me. Who was in charge of it?”

Twitty was deep in thought for a moment, then her eyes went wide. “Mate, it was Glenna’s father! He was in charge of it at that time. I remember my father being upset because the duty had been taken from him!” Bowing, Twitty had tears in her eyes. “I apologize, mate. We need to have you examined to ensure that the shield is in fact gone. Knowing mine and her father’s, though, it is a fair bet that a part of it is still intact.”

Bill nodded his assent as Twitty pulled her com calling for Henna. Glenna bowed before Bill. “I apologize that our family has so many traitors in it, mate.”

“You don’t have to apologize for him, mate. You did not make him as he is. I am grateful that you are nothing like him, with as strong a sense of duty,” Bill told her as he took her face, rubbing behind her ears. Purring, she nodded as Bill traced the Bengal stripes on her head, enjoying the contact.

Henna answered a moment later, saying that she was on her way. Bill went with the others into the palace. Sitting, Bill was impatient to find out whether or not he was clear. It was perhaps an hour later that Henna shook her head.