The Sacrifice Tree book 2
The stocky Neanderthal stabbed past the shield and drove the stone point of his spear into the armored left shoulder of his diminutive opponent. She grunted in pain and held the metal shield higher to protect her upper body and neck from his next attack. The girl slashed at his extended arm with her sword, but missed by inches when he withdrew and circled to put her off balance. Using her enhanced strength and reflexes had given her an opportunity to avoid taking that spear to the throat, but the shock of the blow numbed her arm and left her unable to counter until her nerves started working again.
“Close with him and use your shield, Juliet!” Master Sergeant Robert “Bobby” Mathieu barked at the armored kid facing off with a spear wielding cave man. Juliet used her power to track her opponent’s options before moving in. She “saw” the bigger man jab at her feet below the shield, but a quick hop to the side and a shuffled rush forward slammed the metal face of the plain oblong shield into his left arm. Kicking around the side of the shield, she connected with his kneecap with a meaty thump.
He punched her exposed forehead and snapped her head back followed by a shove that tossed her lighter frame across the enormous meeting hall.
“Take a break you two. Do you need time to heal?” Bobby called to the sparring partners.
“I’m still seeing spots and my arm won’t work yet, but other than that I’m good.” The young Queen groaned as she tried to stand up. “Lonru, have you gotten even stronger? I swear, you almost punched through the metal.” She rubbed at the dented scale plate armor at the joint.
“The metal is strong, but it slows you down too much. You must get faster if you face someone as fast as Leende.”
Juliet shook her head and removed the metal helmet with flapping cheek protectors and a simple nasal bar to protect her nose. “Why do you think I’ve been trying to do? The only way I took him out here, was I could take some fatal hits and jump through the gate to heal. I won’t have that option the next time we face off. There is no other way around it.” She ladled water into a hand-carved wooden cup and drained it in three gulps.
Juliet repeated the process until she couldn’t drink anymore before she moved to sit on the edge of the raised dais before the three “thrones” of her island kingdom. Technically, she was one of the three rulers of the Kula people, but she asked for a surrogate to take her spot while she attended school and kidnapped people from another dimension. Sana, the young girl from a fishing village across the island, was also Lonru’s daughter, and like him, she had a special gift. Sana could calm the minds of troubled and upset people as well as communicate telepathically with a giant octopus named Xili. Bobby interrupted her short mental break.
“Come on princess, how else can you take him on unless you have armor? Would you like to practice with the spear more?” He twirled her short iron-tipped spear like a pencil before tossing it her way. Point first. She leapt to the side and caught it in flight and flipped it around to send it back his way before smiling at her former Special Forces soldier employee.
“Am I paying you to abuse me, Bobby?” She sniped at the man. Before he could reply, Lonru interjected.
“No, he is your trainer, as am I. Do not let your emotions rule your actions, Juliet. He wants you to be distracted for when I beat you again.” Lonru faced Juliet with only a spear and a lightweight animal hide from this planets’ sharks attached to his chest for protection. He attacked with only a small movement in his hips to give Juliet warning. She used her ability to predict his movements as she dodged the spear point and jammed her shorter staff into his thigh muscle before slamming her shield into his face breaking his nose and driving him back. Using a leg sweep, she sent the big man to the stone surface before closing in to drive the shaft into his throat. She stopped with the point pushing against the skin over his carotid artery without drawing blood.
“Much better, Juliet! Did you use your ability to slow him down in any way?” Bobby clapped his hands once to signal for her to break contact.
“No, I watched his hips like Mr. Oshiro taught me. He can’t attack without moving his base forward in some way to generate force. At least that’s what he always says when he beats the snot out of me.” Mr. Oshiro stayed back and taught his karate classes while Juliet and her “family” worked with the Kula to modernize and prepare. They all knew that the war come would test everyone.
“Lonru, how would you score her results for this bout?” Bobby asked the bleeding man sitting up and pushing against the nasty wound gushing rivulets of crimson life onto the floor.
“She hesitated to strike first, which left me open for a counter. Juliet also went for a killing thrust instead of a wound. She is most effective with her spear with the new point. I will have mine changed when we have more metal.” Lonru stood on his injured leg and waited for Bobby to comment on his analysis. He didn’t wince or show any pain. His people never did crack jokes or complain about their hardships. Missing fingers or entire limbs from the hazardous fishing conditions left the men and women who ventured out to catch enough food for their families unfazed by injuries. Juliet used her power to heal anyone who wished it when she took over. The eleven year old girl had to kill Leende to do it, and she almost died in the process.
“Well, don’t stand there waiting for an invitation, Juliet. Can you take care of Leende? What did he say about your fighting skill?” Bobby asked.
“He says I’m much better with the spear, and I don’t pause when I have to kill someone. In case you wonder, no, I’m not a total psychopath.” Juliet wiped Lonru’s blood from the blade of her spear, and helped him limp to the floating gateway in the center of the room. Only someone with her special genetic abilities could see the interdimensional portal much less access the pathway to another world. In this case, the gate opened to her own home, Earth. Specifically, the gate instantly moved them to an ancient mound city in Louisiana called Poverty Point. The energy required to open the gate for a few seconds came in the form of life energy. Juliet’s special ability included this trick, but at a much reduced penalty. She opened a gate once by taking the life force from a small termite infestation. Back home in Louisiana, she had a fluffy white bunny named Lucky that she harvested for spare energy.
Olvares, one of the capital city watchmen, entered the room with Sana and Grandmother Larue. Juliet scanned her Grandmother’s personal energy field and took a thread of life from her to open the portal and pull Lonru through. For a split second, the taller warrior leaned on the tiny girl before they stepped back to the alternate dimension with Lonru’s injury healed. The transition back caused Lonru’s cells to reassemble without the mistakes from cuts, stabs, or missing limbs. For Juliet, the trip home healed her bruised shoulder and all of the other training wounds she picked up from working out at full combat speeds.
“Did you just mug me, young lady? I can’t open the gates anymore, but I felt that.” Grandmother growled at Juliet.
“Yes, I did. I hope the next time you think about crossing me you will reconsider, Grandmother.” Juliet not-so-subtly reminded Jocelyn Larue of the time when she first arrived on this island only to end up knocked unconscious and held by Lonru and his family as a captive.
“It all worked out for the best, Juliet. Your abilities are growing stronger each day as you use them, and you freed the Yula people from their oppressor.” Grandmother patted Juliet on the head like a good little dog. Juliet refrained from biting the hand or jamming her spear into her own kin’s gut.
“Yes, it worked out, but at what cost? I had to kill warriors being controlled by Leende who could not resist his powers. You tossed me over here with no warning or training.” Juliet fumed and her face turned red with anger.
“That was a miscalculation on my part, but the outcome couldn’t have been better. Your actions solidified you place in this world as a strong leader, and you have gained their loyalty.” Jocelyn Larue, grandmother, sat on the edge of the raised stage and beamed in happiness.
Bobby broke into her happy moment. “You forget what battle does to people. Juliet is biologically and mentally just a child still, and she is going to need time to process everything. I’m a grown man, and I still have nightmares about some of the stuff my country asked me to do.”
“That’s why she has you, Mr. Mathieu. Your job is to help her with the day-to-day unpleasant tasks a Queen faces in her lifetime. You will enjoy full health and an extended life expectancy if you protect and serve her.” Grandmother Larue looked up at the central “throne” and smiled as she remembered the glory of her rule.
Sana, Lonru’s daughter, took Juliet’s hand and smiled at the taller girl. “I can help if you want, Juliet. I will not do it without your permission. I can also help you friend Bobby, if he needs me.”
“Thank you Sana, and thank you for asking before doing it. Have you been talking to Xili about your abilities?” Juliet hugged her younger friend.
“I have. He says that even though people are in pain, they need to be able to feel it. If I always make it go away, then they will become damaged. I’m not sure exactly what he means, but I will listen to his advice.”
“What’s she going on about, Juliet? I can’t make heads or tails from their language, but give me time.” Bobby said.
“Would you like it if you slept in the room next to Sana tonight? She has a unique ability to calm people when they are upset. It works wonders on nightmares.” Juliet suggested to the giant man.
“Nah, I’m used to the bad dreams now, but I sure could have used her help about ten years ago, I might still be married.” Bobby grimaced at the memory of his last divorce.
“That’s fine, because I’m definitely going to take her up on her offer tonight. I need to get some rest without waking up screaming.” Juliet smiled and connected mentally with Sana.
“Can you reach him if his nightmares get too bad?” Juliet asked Sana through their link.
“I can, but I’ll only do it if it gets too bad.” Sana replied wordlessly.
“You two conspiring again?” Xili called out from miles away and hundreds of feet deep in the ocean. Xilixosis Irbinaxis came from another dimension and was a giant octopus with telepathic abilities. He also served as a counselor for Sana when Juliet needed to be away. Juliet promised to bring him back to his home one day, but to do that they needed to cross a narrow channel infested with giant prehistoric armored sharks.
“Yes, if Bobby doesn’t want her help, then Sana might have to step in and assist him at times. I hate to even think it, but a lot of us are going to need Sana’s ability before this is all done.” Juliet shared her thoughts with Xili.
“When will you tell them your plan to take back your grandmother’s kingdom?” Xili prodded Juliet.
“I’ll call for a meeting with as many people as I can. The warriors are itching for a fight since they really have nobody to fight in the island anymore, but I need some of them to get the farming projects and the shipbuilding started.” Juliet mentally shrugged at the “to do” list.
“The ship can wait, Juliet. I’m not going anywhere. Focus on getting your friend back and stopping the genocide in your other dimension.”
The conversation between Juliet and Xili took fractions of a second, and Sana listened in and nodded along with the conclusion of Xili.
“I know our people will not sit by and let another like Leende control another realm, Juliet. Call the meeting, we will support you.” Sana spoke for the benefit of the rest of the room.
“Okay, Olvares, can you ask the city watch and as many of the citizens that can come to assemble here. I have to ask for their help.” Juliet wrung her hands and sighed. “I hate to ask this of the Kula after all they have been through.”
The stocky Neanderthal stabbed past the shield and drove the stone point of his spear into the armored left shoulder of his diminutive opponent. She grunted in pain and held the metal shield higher to protect her upper body and neck from his next attack. The girl slashed at his extended arm with her sword, but missed by inches when he withdrew and circled to put her off balance. Using her enhanced strength and reflexes had given her an opportunity to avoid taking that spear to the throat, but the shock of the blow numbed her arm and left her unable to counter until her nerves started working again.
“Close with him and use your shield, Juliet!” Master Sergeant Robert “Bobby” Mathieu barked at the armored kid facing off with a spear wielding cave man. Juliet used her power to track her opponent’s options before moving in. She “saw” the bigger man jab at her feet below the shield, but a quick hop to the side and a shuffled rush forward slammed the metal face of the plain oblong shield into his left arm. Kicking around the side of the shield, she connected with his kneecap with a meaty thump.
He punched her exposed forehead and snapped her head back followed by a shove that tossed her lighter frame across the enormous meeting hall.
“Take a break you two. Do you need time to heal?” Bobby called to the sparring partners.
“I’m still seeing spots and my arm won’t work yet, but other than that I’m good.” The young Queen groaned as she tried to stand up. “Lonru, have you gotten even stronger? I swear, you almost punched through the metal.” She rubbed at the dented scale plate armor at the joint.
“The metal is strong, but it slows you down too much. You must get faster if you face someone as fast as Leende.”
Juliet shook her head and removed the metal helmet with flapping cheek protectors and a simple nasal bar to protect her nose. “Why do you think I’ve been trying to do? The only way I took him out here, was I could take some fatal hits and jump through the gate to heal. I won’t have that option the next time we face off. There is no other way around it.” She ladled water into a hand-carved wooden cup and drained it in three gulps.
Juliet repeated the process until she couldn’t drink anymore before she moved to sit on the edge of the raised dais before the three “thrones” of her island kingdom. Technically, she was one of the three rulers of the Kula people, but she asked for a surrogate to take her spot while she attended school and kidnapped people from another dimension. Sana, the young girl from a fishing village across the island, was also Lonru’s daughter, and like him, she had a special gift. Sana could calm the minds of troubled and upset people as well as communicate telepathically with a giant octopus named Xili. Bobby interrupted her short mental break.
“Come on princess, how else can you take him on unless you have armor? Would you like to practice with the spear more?” He twirled her short iron-tipped spear like a pencil before tossing it her way. Point first. She leapt to the side and caught it in flight and flipped it around to send it back his way before smiling at her former Special Forces soldier employee.
“Am I paying you to abuse me, Bobby?” She sniped at the man. Before he could reply, Lonru interjected.
“No, he is your trainer, as am I. Do not let your emotions rule your actions, Juliet. He wants you to be distracted for when I beat you again.” Lonru faced Juliet with only a spear and a lightweight animal hide from this planets’ sharks attached to his chest for protection. He attacked with only a small movement in his hips to give Juliet warning. She used her ability to predict his movements as she dodged the spear point and jammed her shorter staff into his thigh muscle before slamming her shield into his face breaking his nose and driving him back. Using a leg sweep, she sent the big man to the stone surface before closing in to drive the shaft into his throat. She stopped with the point pushing against the skin over his carotid artery without drawing blood.
“Much better, Juliet! Did you use your ability to slow him down in any way?” Bobby clapped his hands once to signal for her to break contact.
“No, I watched his hips like Mr. Oshiro taught me. He can’t attack without moving his base forward in some way to generate force. At least that’s what he always says when he beats the snot out of me.” Mr. Oshiro stayed back and taught his karate classes while Juliet and her “family” worked with the Kula to modernize and prepare. They all knew that the war come would test everyone.
“Lonru, how would you score her results for this bout?” Bobby asked the bleeding man sitting up and pushing against the nasty wound gushing rivulets of crimson life onto the floor.
“She hesitated to strike first, which left me open for a counter. Juliet also went for a killing thrust instead of a wound. She is most effective with her spear with the new point. I will have mine changed when we have more metal.” Lonru stood on his injured leg and waited for Bobby to comment on his analysis. He didn’t wince or show any pain. His people never did crack jokes or complain about their hardships. Missing fingers or entire limbs from the hazardous fishing conditions left the men and women who ventured out to catch enough food for their families unfazed by injuries. Juliet used her power to heal anyone who wished it when she took over. The eleven year old girl had to kill Leende to do it, and she almost died in the process.
“Well, don’t stand there waiting for an invitation, Juliet. Can you take care of Leende? What did he say about your fighting skill?” Bobby asked.
“He says I’m much better with the spear, and I don’t pause when I have to kill someone. In case you wonder, no, I’m not a total psychopath.” Juliet wiped Lonru’s blood from the blade of her spear, and helped him limp to the floating gateway in the center of the room. Only someone with her special genetic abilities could see the interdimensional portal much less access the pathway to another world. In this case, the gate opened to her own home, Earth. Specifically, the gate instantly moved them to an ancient mound city in Louisiana called Poverty Point. The energy required to open the gate for a few seconds came in the form of life energy. Juliet’s special ability included this trick, but at a much reduced penalty. She opened a gate once by taking the life force from a small termite infestation. Back home in Louisiana, she had a fluffy white bunny named Lucky that she harvested for spare energy.
Olvares, one of the capital city watchmen, entered the room with Sana and Grandmother Larue. Juliet scanned her Grandmother’s personal energy field and took a thread of life from her to open the portal and pull Lonru through. For a split second, the taller warrior leaned on the tiny girl before they stepped back to the alternate dimension with Lonru’s injury healed. The transition back caused Lonru’s cells to reassemble without the mistakes from cuts, stabs, or missing limbs. For Juliet, the trip home healed her bruised shoulder and all of the other training wounds she picked up from working out at full combat speeds.
“Did you just mug me, young lady? I can’t open the gates anymore, but I felt that.” Grandmother growled at Juliet.
“Yes, I did. I hope the next time you think about crossing me you will reconsider, Grandmother.” Juliet not-so-subtly reminded Jocelyn Larue of the time when she first arrived on this island only to end up knocked unconscious and held by Lonru and his family as a captive.
“It all worked out for the best, Juliet. Your abilities are growing stronger each day as you use them, and you freed the Yula people from their oppressor.” Grandmother patted Juliet on the head like a good little dog. Juliet refrained from biting the hand or jamming her spear into her own kin’s gut.
“Yes, it worked out, but at what cost? I had to kill warriors being controlled by Leende who could not resist his powers. You tossed me over here with no warning or training.” Juliet fumed and her face turned red with anger.
“That was a miscalculation on my part, but the outcome couldn’t have been better. Your actions solidified you place in this world as a strong leader, and you have gained their loyalty.” Jocelyn Larue, grandmother, sat on the edge of the raised stage and beamed in happiness.
Bobby broke into her happy moment. “You forget what battle does to people. Juliet is biologically and mentally just a child still, and she is going to need time to process everything. I’m a grown man, and I still have nightmares about some of the stuff my country asked me to do.”
“That’s why she has you, Mr. Mathieu. Your job is to help her with the day-to-day unpleasant tasks a Queen faces in her lifetime. You will enjoy full health and an extended life expectancy if you protect and serve her.” Grandmother Larue looked up at the central “throne” and smiled as she remembered the glory of her rule.
Sana, Lonru’s daughter, took Juliet’s hand and smiled at the taller girl. “I can help if you want, Juliet. I will not do it without your permission. I can also help you friend Bobby, if he needs me.”
“Thank you Sana, and thank you for asking before doing it. Have you been talking to Xili about your abilities?” Juliet hugged her younger friend.
“I have. He says that even though people are in pain, they need to be able to feel it. If I always make it go away, then they will become damaged. I’m not sure exactly what he means, but I will listen to his advice.”
“What’s she going on about, Juliet? I can’t make heads or tails from their language, but give me time.” Bobby said.
“Would you like it if you slept in the room next to Sana tonight? She has a unique ability to calm people when they are upset. It works wonders on nightmares.” Juliet suggested to the giant man.
“Nah, I’m used to the bad dreams now, but I sure could have used her help about ten years ago, I might still be married.” Bobby grimaced at the memory of his last divorce.
“That’s fine, because I’m definitely going to take her up on her offer tonight. I need to get some rest without waking up screaming.” Juliet smiled and connected mentally with Sana.
“Can you reach him if his nightmares get too bad?” Juliet asked Sana through their link.
“I can, but I’ll only do it if it gets too bad.” Sana replied wordlessly.
“You two conspiring again?” Xili called out from miles away and hundreds of feet deep in the ocean. Xilixosis Irbinaxis came from another dimension and was a giant octopus with telepathic abilities. He also served as a counselor for Sana when Juliet needed to be away. Juliet promised to bring him back to his home one day, but to do that they needed to cross a narrow channel infested with giant prehistoric armored sharks.
“Yes, if Bobby doesn’t want her help, then Sana might have to step in and assist him at times. I hate to even think it, but a lot of us are going to need Sana’s ability before this is all done.” Juliet shared her thoughts with Xili.
“When will you tell them your plan to take back your grandmother’s kingdom?” Xili prodded Juliet.
“I’ll call for a meeting with as many people as I can. The warriors are itching for a fight since they really have nobody to fight in the island anymore, but I need some of them to get the farming projects and the shipbuilding started.” Juliet mentally shrugged at the “to do” list.
“The ship can wait, Juliet. I’m not going anywhere. Focus on getting your friend back and stopping the genocide in your other dimension.”
The conversation between Juliet and Xili took fractions of a second, and Sana listened in and nodded along with the conclusion of Xili.
“I know our people will not sit by and let another like Leende control another realm, Juliet. Call the meeting, we will support you.” Sana spoke for the benefit of the rest of the room.
“Okay, Olvares, can you ask the city watch and as many of the citizens that can come to assemble here. I have to ask for their help.” Juliet wrung her hands and sighed. “I hate to ask this of the Kula after all they have been through.”