Chapter 13

As the boy headed towards the four men he felt a small tingle in his brain. Before he could wonder what it meant, he realized he had disappeared from sight. Well, not exactly disappeared, but so transparent he was almost invisible. He understood, without knowing how, that no one could see him even though he could see himself.

As he ran towards the men, he remembered stories his mother used to tell of a race of people with tremendous strength and agility that could do amazing things. He remembered her saying that they could almost become invisible when needed. He couldn't remember what she called them... he had thought of them as just stories. Now he briefly wondered about that before the thought of his Mother, then his Sister, caused tears to come to his eyes. He shoved the memories aside as he always did when they caused him pain.

In a heartbeat, he leapt into the air, kicking both of the nearest men in the head simultaneously. They hadn't hit the ground when he reached around and broke the neck of the third man, then repeated the maneuver with the fourth. Before the two he kicked could recover, he drew a silenced automatic and shot them in the head.

It was over in five seconds, tops. As he wound down, he felt the tingle and realized he was visible again. The woman looked at him in shock, not comprehending what she wasn't even sure she saw. He reached down and pulled the panties out of her mouth.

"Where... where did you c... come from?" she asked, still not accepting the fact that she wasn't going to be brutally raped and killed. She trembled violently as she knelt before him, still helpless. She cringed as he reached towards her.

He smiled sadly and reached around to untie her hands. She looked at him in disbelief.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispered. The speed and brutality with which she had been taken had broken her. She cringed as he stroked her cheek softly.

"What's your name?" he asked gently, knowing she was still in shock.

"Rhonda," she whispered. "What are you going to do to me?" she asked.

"Untie you. Let you go free. Let you tend to your friend here. I have to help the people inside," he told her.

She laughed hysterically.

"Too late! Those men are probably already dead!"

"I have to be sure. My friend is in there. Help your friend, and stay out here. If anyone approaches that you don't know, particularly any more men in black, kill them. Don't give them a chance. They don't need much time." He handed her one of the pistols.

He was totally unprepared for what happened next.

Rhonda wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him tight. She kissed him, slipping her tongue inside his mouth.

"Please, you saved my life! Let me thank you," she whispered as she kissed him again.

'Damn it! I'm doing it again!' He kept forgetting to control his power after combat. He reversed it, expecting Rhonda to let him go. She kissed him again, then released him. Her eyes sparkled with gratitude.

"I don't know what you just did, but my offer still stands, anytime!" she giggled, then turned to take care of her friend. He saw her motion for help as another man came around the side of the house.

The boy turned and sprinted towards the house.

We were having so much fun. Well, Cindi and Arrian were probably having more fun than Sammi and I, as Cindi was sitting on his lap, making out with him. I knew how much fun Cindi was to make out with. I felt another twang of jealousy and sadness that my little girl was in love with someone else, but I ruthlessly forced it back. Cindi deserved someone for her own, and we both knew it wouldn't be me. Arrian was a nice boy, but I could see nothing but hurt for my Cindi. I hoped I was wrong...

Sammi and I were trying to be good. I knew little Sarah was around somewhere, and I wanted to set a good example. Besides, I didn't know how much Arrian knew about us, and I wasn't sure what he would think about me fooling around with my daughter in front of my other daughter! Sammi's eyes laughed at me as she tried to be good too. She didn't try very hard.

I jumped in surprise as Sammi suddenly sat bolt upright next to me. Her face was a mask of concern.

"Dad! Trouble outside! Someone's here to kill us!" she barked, jumping off the couch and heading for the front door. Arrian pushed Cindi off his lap.

"Zareas!" he whispered. "I'll kill you for this! Cindi, go into the back of the house and take your friends with you. Find Sarah and take care of her. I'll take care of this!"

Cindi jumped off his lap and ran to the back of the house. I watched her, surprised and disappointed. My Cindi, running from a fight? Now I had seen everything. I followed Sammi, with Arrian close behind. I heard a noise, like the rustling of the wind; when I looked back, he was covered in something that looked like black scales that shimmered in different colors and he had a sword in his hand. His eyes were red, with a black cross in each eye.

Ever since Sammi had made her announcement, the light in the house was dim, as if in shadow. I called in my mind for the other girls to return. Nothing. That's when I knew we were in big trouble.

The door disintegrated and eight men wearing black carrying black swords entered the room. The man in front, obviously the leader, carried a sword that I recognized immediately. It was the black onyx sword that Bandor had wielded against Elizabeth.

I saw Cindi run back into the room. She was carrying the sword her mother had used against Bandor. She ran up and stood next to Arrian. I should have known better than to think a Tarqa would run from danger.

"Zareas. This is between you and me. Leave these people out of it," Arrian commanded.

Zareas laughed.

"Sorry, no. You brought them into it. How do you always find such good looking... specimens?" he asked, looking Cindi up and down as if she was a piece of meat. "My men will enjoy her after they finish with the little woman outside."

"Rhonda!" Cindi whispered frantically.

"Oh, don't worry, pretty one, she won't wear them out. There will be plenty left for you and your pretty little friend here after we kill the men."

The captain in the park had proved to be an impatient man. Zareas showed it was a dominate trait of the species.

"Kill them!" he ordered.

Sammi and I were unarmed, with no apparent working powers. This was not going to be pretty. I pulled out my gun and shot the nearest man in the chest. At least, I tried to. The bullet hit him in the chest, and just went right on through, causing no damage.

Sammi closed her eyes briefly.

"Sword!" she whispered softly, almost to herself. A sword popped into my hand. 'Bless you, Sarah!' I thought, for teaching her that!

Sammi ran towards the nearest man, feinted past his sword, reached inside his swing, and hit him hard, stunning him. She pulled the sword out of his nerveless hands. Now we were all armed. Another sword appeared in his hands.

There were two men on each of us. It was quickly apparent that they were excellent swordsmen, better than any of us, except Arrian. Zareas was one of the men fighting Arrian. As much as I could watch it without losing my head, I observed an impressive battle between the two of them.

Every thrust was met with a counter thrust, every feint a counter feint. They were evenly matched. The difference was that Arrian had two men fighting him. It was inevitable that there would be an opening eventually, and Zareas was ready for it when it came.

Arrian parried the thrust of the other man against him, and Zareas started to thrust his sword into the opening. It was a move he obviously practiced often, and it likely seldom failed. He had never tried it in the presence of the lightning quick reflexes of a Tarqa, however. The even bigger surprise for him was that Cindi knew how to use some of the abilities of Firestorm.

Cindi saw the opening for the thrust, and without thinking, pointed Firestorm at Zareas. The whole end of the sword erupted in flame, drenching Zareas and his partner in flame from head to toe. They both stepped back in surprise, singed. Zareas' face turned dark with anger as he realized what had happened.

"She can use Firestorm? Kill her!" he yelled in rage.

Immediately the extra men fighting Sammi and me moved over to fight Cindi. So did the extra man on Arrian. Poor Cindi now had five men surrounding her, trying to kill her. I tried to move over to help, but I had all I could handle.

A Tarqa is perfectly capable of fighting five men at once, but not indefinitely. Once again, Zareas waited for an opening as he sparred with Arrian. When it came, he swung his sword with all his might at Cindi's head, intending to detach it from her body.

Arrian had been expecting something like that, but he had no defense for it. His only plan was to save the woman he loved, any way he could.

"No!" he whispered as he stepped in front of the blow, swinging his own sword at the same time. I could see by the look in his eyes that he knew he would not make it in time.

He actually achieved his primary objective; he saved Cindi's life. His sword deflected Zareas' blow away from Cindi's head. Unfortunately, the only place it could go was into Arrian's own stomach. It tore and sliced through, sparks flying as the sword sliced through the black scales, opening a huge wound in his gut.

Time seemed to stop as I heard the gasp of pain from Arrian clearly above the noise of the battle. Then everything seemed to explode at once.

There was a flash of blue light and Larelle was standing in the room. She seemed momentarily confused. I could only surmise that Arrian's severe injury had summoned her automatically. She started moving towards Arrian.

"NO!" Cindi screamed. She grabbed Arrian and tried to push him towards the back of the room. Zareas and the other five men moved in for the kill, changing their tactics as they realized Arrian's vulnerability.

It was at that moment that little Sarah stormed in from the back room. 'Stormed' was a good word for it, as she was flying through the air looking like a squall line as she headed for her Daddy. At least, I knew it had to be little Sarah, but the resemblance to her from a few minutes ago was fleeting. Gone were the calm, pretty gray eyes. They were now blue, and were split by a black horizontal line. Her face was a mask of little girl fury.

"YOU LEAVE MY DADDY ALONE!" she screamed in an ear-splitting voice. A cloud of what appeared to be a mixture of water and air slammed into two of the men, hurling them backwards and pinning them against the wall. Her eyes flashed blue lightning as she exploded in fury.

At the same time, Larelle raised her hand and the other two men were encased in a fog of Cindi-blue energy, slamming them against the back wall and holding them there. Larelle divided her time between holding the men against the wall and ministering to Arrian, trying desperately to stop his slide towards death.

I watched all of this as it happened, feeling helpless. Both Sammi and I were fighting for our lives against our own opponents, and were unable to help. I noticed Sammi's friend slip through the side door and help her with her assailant. He didn't have a sword, but he was more than adequate with his hands and feet.

The most dramatic response, of course, belonged to the queen of drama queens, Cindi. Enraged and terrified by what had happened to her new love, she launched herself furiously into a sword battle with Zareas. I watched in awe, and noticed the surprise on his face, as she drove him back, step by step, to the far side of the room, away from her injured boyfriend.

Perhaps in Arrian's world, where sword fighting was common, there had been a more impressive display, but Cindi exhibited by far and away the most impressive swordsmanship I had ever seen on our world. She even bested her Mother with her performance. She met every thrust from Zareas with a corresponding parry, and still managed to get in swings of her own. He was continuously forced to give ground as the blonde fury rained blows upon his sword, threatening to end the battle spectacularly.

Although my heart thrilled at the uncertainty I saw in his eyes, I also saw the knowledge there that Cindi couldn't keep this up. Everyone in the room, including Cindi, knew she would soon tire and the battle would be won by Zareas. I saw the desperation, yet determination in her eyes as she fought to save her friend and her family.

Finally, as she tired, Cindi did the only thing she could do. We all knew it was the beginning of the end, but it was all she could do.

Cindi finished up with a furious onslot of blows, kicked Zareas in the chest to knock him off balance, then took about eight quick steps backward to put some distance between the two of them. She had pushed him back far enough to allow Larelle to move Arrian and little Sarah out of danger, but that was all she could do. There was no fear in her eyes as I saw that she recognized she was about to die. She had done all she could do, much more than any of us ever expected. I saw regret in her eyes that she would be unable to save her family and friends.

There was a malicious smile on Zareas' face as he prepared to move in for the kill. I could also see a grudging respect for the pretty blonde girl in his eyes. She had fought him better than most, but it was now over. He took two steps towards her, in preparation for moving in and finishing her off. It was the last two steps he would take in this world, on this occasion.

There was a brilliant flash of bright gray light that blinded everyone. When our vision returned, there was a tall figure standing next to, and a little in front of, Cindi. The figure was dressed in a black hooded cape, the face hidden from view inside the hood. All I could see were bright, piercing gray eyes, staring at Zareas. The figure didn't move; it just stared at the evil leader.

"Get the fuck out of my way, you stupid fucking bitch, or I'll kill you too!" Zareas screamed in fury. He had already established that he was not a patient man, and he showed further evidence of it.

I felt a cold chill run down my spine. I didn't know who this was, but I had the distinct feeling that there were wiser things Zareas could have said at that moment.

The mysterious person didn't respond, other than to place her hands in front of her. Nestled between her hands was a small, clear globe. The globe, without seeming to hurry, ascended quickly into the air, revealing a flat gray, shimmering sword held in both hands. After the sword was completely visible, I heard a dry chuckle come from our visitor. The hood was flipped back and I heard several gasps of surprise, including my own.

"I am quite certain you were not taught to speak to me in that manner, Zareas," Elizabeth said softly, a cold little smile on her face. Zareas took a step backward, a concerned look on his face.

"Mommy!" Cindi gasped, her voice breaking with relief and surprise, her eyes brimming with love and tears. "You came to help us!"

Elizabeth smiled sweetly at her daughter.

"I told you, Cindi, in those times when you are all alone, just you against the enemy, when the odds are impossible and you are about to lose, I will be there next to you! I will never, ever let you down again, Cindi!"

"How touching!" Zareas sneered. "You are right, Queen Elizabeth; I was taught better. I shouldn't have called you stupid. But the rest applies. Get your fucking ass out of my way so I can finish what I came for!"

"And what did you come for?" Elizabeth asked.

"I came for Arihah, the little girl, and Firestorm. Give them to me or I will kill all of you and take them. They are mine."

"He will kill all of us anyway, My Lady," Larelle murmured.

"Wrong," Elizabeth answered quietly. "You came for Farael. You have it. Now leave!" Elizabeth's voice was filled with majestic command.

"I will have the other things I came for also! Get out of my way or suffer the consequences!" Zareas demanded.

I saw Elizabeth's eyes sparkle with undisguised joy, with happiness unmeasured.

"Will you fight me on this, Zareas? Will you really? Are you really that stupid? Oh please, say that you will fight me on this!" Elizabeth whispered. It was a whisper that carried throughout the room, a whisper that we could hear plainly.

Zareas looked taken aback.

"Zareas, I have long resisted the temptation to become involved in the battle between you and Arihah. It is none of my business, even though it has always been clear to me what side I should be on. Is this really important enough to you to remove my neutrality in this issue, for you to risk losing everything to capture them now? Is it? Please say yes! I would truly enjoy that!"

"You would fight me because I called you a bitch?" he asked incredulously. She shook her head sadly.

"No, I have forgiven you for that already. Your pea brain knows no better. The fact that your Neanderthal-like intelligence even allows speech is an amazing enough miracle for me to forgive you for your unfortunate use of words; I doubt you even understand the meaning of them." Elizabeth smiled sweetly at him as his face turned red with anger.

"No, what I will destroy you for is your attempt to kill my daughter, my niece, my husband, and three guests enjoying their hospitality and protection. There is no forgiveness for that."

Elizabeth smiled again, her eyes sparkling even more.

"Will you fight me, Zareas? Will you really?" she taunted him again.

I think she really wanted to fight him! I wondered briefly how they knew each other.

"Fuck!" Zareas cursed in frustration. "You're such a stupid bitch! You will live to regret this! I swear, I will..."

"Begone, asshole. You bore me," Elizabeth interrupted. She reached up, took the sphere off the top of the sword, and nonchalantly hurled it at him. When it touched him, a hole opened up in the air and he and all his men were sucked into it, vanishing in an instant. The sphere sped back to Elizabeth's hand and disappeared. I swear I heard it giggle.

"Well, that was fun," Elizabeth said absentmindedly, as if talking to herself. "Someone really must do something about him soon." I shivered at the coldness in her voice.

Elizabeth turned to check on the well-being of Cindi, only to watch her daughter run over to kneel by Arrian, her face stained with tears. Elizabeth looked at me, her eyebrows raised in question. I shrugged my shoulders. She moved over to me and slipped an arm around me.

"So, little Cindi is in love, huh?" she asked, giggling happily. Then she looked at me and sobered quickly.

"I'm sorry, honey," she whispered, kissing my cheek and laying her head on my shoulder. I shrugged again.

"I knew it would happen someday. It's no big deal."

"Liar," Elizabeth whispered. Then she snuggled closer to me, making me forget what I was lying about.

I noticed Sammi was involved in a rather animated discussion with her friend. He seemed excited and upset about something. I saw him run out of the house, then Sammi ran after him, calling out to him to wait. I quickly forgot about them as things suddenly became more complicated.

I didn't have time to answer Elizabeth before the room exploded into motion. Everyone who had gone shopping suddenly teleported into the room at the same time. I watched with interest as my girls went into action. There were drawn weapons everywhere.

Amy headed towards me, her eyes flickering everywhere, taking in the situation quickly. Katie and Becky slipped into the back room, guns drawn, staying close to the back wall as they covered each other. Julie and Megan, walking silently together, approached the den. Megan kicked the door open and Julie slipped inside quietly, her gun rock steady in her hand as she disappeared from sight. I didn't even know she carried a gun! A killer Scribe? Like mother, like daughter! I couldn't believe how dangerous she looked. I must be weird; the sight of Julie with a gun had me rock hard instantly. Megan glanced back at me, rolled her eyes, then grinned at me as she followed her daughter into the room.

Sarah and Jessica looked like the sweet little angels they were; sweet little angels with automatic pistols in their hands, ready to kill anything that moved. The way they were holding them left no doubt they knew exactly what to do with them. They both looked at me together and smiled one of their sugar sweet smiles, but they couldn't hide the concern in their eyes. I smiled back and they relaxed slightly.

Victoria, Lisa, and Lori remained near the center of the room, watching everything. I recognized what Victoria was doing from previous training. They were the spotters. If they saw anything even remotely out of place, they would alert everyone and there would immediately be more girls in the room than we would know what to do with. I assumed that Victoria was providing protection and guidance for Lisa and Lori. One look at the way they held their little .25 caliber Berettas and I doubted they needed protection. It looked strange; I had never seen six-year-olds holding a gun, prepared to use it. I wondered where they had gotten them; I sure hadn't bought those pistols for them.

Poor Heather and Kim just stood against the wall, looking confused. I think it was a little much for them. We needed to get them trained. Eric was holding their hands, trying to keep them calm. They pressed up against him, looking for reassurance. Man, he got all the tough jobs!

As I watched Amy approach me, I noticed something odd. The door that had disintegrated when Zareas and company had entered was in its place, intact and undamaged. I filed that information away along with some of the weird stuff that happened in the park. I had some interesting questions to ask my Dad when I saw him next.

"What happened, Dad? We realized that we had lost contact with you, then Larelle disappeared, so we had Sarah and Jessica teleport us back. Is everything ok?" Amy seemed a little out of breath, her face masked in concern.