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Chapter 33 Battle on the Kesler Plains The pitched battle on the Kesler Plains raged out of control. The red clad enemy separated from the surrounding fields and swept into the depression like a flash flood. Kayleen Wellum twisted away from a young soldier’s lunge. His energy blade sailed passed her so close she could feel the heat from the weapon. She dropped her energy blade and pistol, grabbed his right wrist, and squeezed until he dropped his blade. Then, she wrenched his right arm up behind his back and buckled his left knee by stomping on it. They hit the ground just in time for three energy beams to fly over their heads. He threw her off and tried to roll away, but her right foot lashed out and caught his chin, ending his flight. Kayleen scooped up her weapons, scrambled to her feet, and frantically cast her gaze about, searching for Teven. Another soldier slashed at her with a banistick. She caught the strike with her energy blade and disarmed him with a deft flick of her left wrist. He stumbled to one knee. Her blade hovered near his neck, but she hesitated to land a killing blow, wanting him to yield and live. A child ran past, and before she could react, the man whipped a dagger from his boot and grabbed the boy. “No!” Kayleen cried. But it was too late. The man’s dagger struck the child above his right hip. She didn’t hesitate this time. Her blade bit deep into the soldier’s neck. She didn’t enjoy killing, but there was no way to prevent that now. She tried to block out the screams, curses, cries of pain, and sickening thuds of projectile bullets slamming into flesh. Kayleen holstered her pistol and rushed over to the boy who was screaming hysterically from fright and pain. “Mommy! I want my mommy!” he wailed, clutching his bleeding side. “It’s okay; hold still!” Kayleen instructed. An energy beam zipped towards them, and she knocked it out of the air with her energy blade. She debated herself for a quarter of a second before shutting the blade off and tucking it back onto her belt. More beams came at them. Kayleen yanked the child aside, and the beams passed harmlessly, finding victims in the struggling crowd around them. She wrapped both arms around the boy’s split side and willed the anotechs to stitch the gaping wound closed. The boy fainted. A nearby rebel screamed his last as one of Perit’s men thrust his deadly blade into the man’s chest. The stench of charred flesh struck her for a second before the anotechs took over. Horrified, Kayleen grabbed her pistol from its holster and shot the soldier in the back. She hated to leave the boy, but she was attracting too much attention to adequately protect him. She shot two men who advanced on her from the left, ran five steps, and shot another three. Several beams and projectiles came her way. She back flipped to avoid some of them and retrieved her energy blade from her belt to deal with the others. Suddenly, something slammed hard across her shoulder blades, throwing her forward. Kayleen tossed her weapons away so she could land without killing herself. As she hit the ground, she rolled over to face her attacker. A banistick beat the dirt next to her head. She lashed out with her feet, catching the assailant across the knees. He dropped. Propelling herself to her feet, she planted a fist in the man’s face. Flexing her painful right hand and squinting against the clouds of dust being raised by the battle, she rolled twice and reached for her energy blade. Her shoulders throbbed, but adrenaline pumped through her, giving her the strength to regain her feet and swing the violet blade up in time to block a blade descending towards a little girl. The man behind the blade rocked back on his heels and eyed her with amusement. He had good reason to. His biceps nearly burst from the strained reddish-brown shirt, and he towered over her by a good half meter. They locked gazes. A few other soldiers looked like they wanted to enter the duel, but her opponent’s cold stare caused them to choose different victims. She gently pushed the girl aside and behind her. “Put your blade down now, and I’ll kill you quickly,” he promised. “Sorry, I like my chances better with the blade,” she retorted, using the few moments of reprieve to suck in some deep breaths. A bullet whistled past her right ear. She half turned to check on the child. The man struck at her head quicker than she thought possible. She ducked and took two stumbling steps backwards to keep her head. “Come, let me kill you,” the man taunted. He took a few casual swipes at her. His swings rapidly got harder and faster. Then, he took a small step towards her and smiled triumphantly. “If we capture you, Lord Kezem will crush every bone in your rebel body,” he threatened. “That’s reassuring,” Kayleen replied, backing up a little, reluctant to have her arms snapped in two by the force of his blows. A massive blow struck the ground where she had been standing. “Stand still!” “Not likely!” Kayleen danced out of the way of three more thrusts, suddenly glad for Teven’s example on the importance of dodging. She pivoted backwards on her left foot and nearly tripped over the child she was trying to save. “Get out of here!” The girl turned to run, but a wall of fighting soldiers blocked her way. Kayleen jumped back to avoid a slash. She backpedaled, whirled, and cut a hole in the line so the girl could scramble away. A young soldier yelped with pain as Kayleen’s blade batted him aside to make way for the child. She paused a split second to watch the girl slip through. “How noble!” mocked the massive soldier directly into her left ear. Shock coursed through her. Any second now, she expected to feel a blade burning through her chest. Instead, a hand slammed into her back, flinging her into the wall of soldiers. She bounced off someone and sprawled on her back in the dirt. Somehow, she managed to keep a grip on her energy blade without taking her own leg off. “Get up! Get up so I can skewer you properly!” the large soldier roared, standing to her right now. His dusty boots were even with her waist, and his white blade blazed inches from her neck. His dark eyes were wide with the unholy gleam of battle lust, complimented nicely by his wildly flying black hair. Someone called her name. “Kayleen!” She looked out of the corner of her right eye and caught a glimpse of Teven rushing towards her, fighting his way through a crowd of soldiers. It was then that she realized a line of mahogany uniforms encompassed her. “No, Targon! Lord Kezem wants them alive!” someone shouted from the crowd. The man blinked, clearly confused by the interruption. He frowned with disappointment but pulled his weapon back slightly. “Get up!” he snarled. “You are now a prisoner of the Grand Army. Your unconditional surrender begins now or pain will pave your way back to the palace. Do you understand?” There’s no way I’m surrendering! Kayleen’s mind screamed. But she nodded slowly and pulled herself to her feet, glad that the child had made it. She bravely stared into the soldier’s face. Dirt and blood showed up as dark splotches on his pale face, lending to his ruthless appearance. “Let’s get this over with,” Kayleen muttered, whipping her blue blade up and tipping it in a salute. She flicked the switch to keep the blade color constant. A dull thud reached her ears. The man grinned but didn’t advance. A line of blood trickled out of his nose and he fell to the right. Kayleen stared at him in shock but had little time to ponder her extended leases on life and freedom. A soldier tackled her from the side. The energy blade flew from her hand. She threw an elbow back into man’s head, but he held on tightly. She wrenched her body back and forth, loosening his grip. Once she was free, Kayleen took two running steps. Seeing a dagger descend towards a familiar fallen form, she stopped short and threw herself at the man about to stab Lorian. He went flying to the left, and she bounced off his bony shoulder gasping for breath. Groaning, Kayleen rolled over and half rose. A kick caught her in the ribs nullifying any progress in the effort to rise. She rolled onto her back too tired to continue to fight. Her vision clouded. Her thoughts turned to Teven. Another kick to the ribs brought an explosion of pain. Her body curled reflexively. Then, she passed out.
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