Kara’s blades sliced through the air with the ease of a ballerina. If she thought about it, fighting was like a dance. Two people moving around each other in coordinated moves, their feet moving them across the floor with practice ease while they bent and dodged the others touch. Only this kind of dance you could lose a finger, or arm, or your head.

Bending herself backwards until her head almost touched the ground, Kara barely missed losing hers. Twisting to the left until she was down on one knee, her back to her opponent, she raised her two long blades, crossing them over her head, bracing herself for impact. She was not disappointed. The clang of metal slamming against metal reverberated down her swords, through her hand and continued until it reached her toes.

Ooouuuch!

Why did she always get the big ones? In all her centuries of doing this, it always seemed her enemy sent the big brutes after her. Kara supposed she should be flattered that he thought her that skilled. Still, someone more her size would have been a nice change.

Pushing the sword that was slowly descending over her head up, she quickly pivoted, bringing one of her blades around with the intent of slicing the brute’s legs off at the knees. Unfortunately, not only was he massive and strong, he was agile.

Swearing as he managed to jump high enough that she missed, Kara sprang to her feet and followed him, her two swords slicing the air before her like two bees flying around each other, buzzing angrily. The male countered and moved back from her with the grace of a panther. Twisting and turning and dancing to her moves with a synchronicity that should have impressed Kara. After millions of centuries and countless lives, very little impressed Kara. She had seen too much, experienced too much, lost too much to be impressed by anything these yahoo’s could show her.

Growing tired of this dance, she flipped over her opponents head landing behind him. When he turned to counter, Kara thrust her blades into his body just below his ribcage and up into his heart. With a sharp intake of air the man suddenly stopped. His eyes wide with shock, he looked from her to the metal sticking out of his body.

“But?” he gasped. “You’re such a small female?”

Kara snorted in distain. Did he really think he would win just because he was male and she was female? That he was twice her size so assumed he was stronger more skilled? That her vibrant green eyes, long blonde hair held back with intricate braids, her lithe body tight with honed muscles that only reached five foot four inches meant she was weak and needed protecting? What a pig! When will men learn that small did not mean unable to defend one’s self?

Yanking the blades from him, Kara kicked him backwards and turned to her next battle, dismissing him from her mind. As she watched her other half finish off the two who had attacked him, she figured probably never. Tanis was only a head taller than she was and they sent three after him. The third was lying on the ground minus his head that he lost when he began describing what they would do to her before they killed her. The rest did not take well to their friend’s head bouncing on the ground like an over rip melon and the sword clanging and swearing ensued.

Deciding Tanis was fine on his own, Kara slowly wiped the blood from her blades, making sure they were completely clean before she slide them back into their scabbards that were crisscrossed across her back. Scanning the forest for any other idiots that might try and ambush them for the bounty on their heads, she turned her eyes back to the love of her existence when she heard a grunt of pain followed by a yell of denial and rage. A second body lay next to the first, the eyes wide and vacant. The third man was hacking away at Tanis as if he were some tree that refused to fall and the axe man had had enough. With grace that did actually impress Kara, Tanis twisted around the man and quickly and cleanly sliced through the back of his neck. The man hesitated, his eyes not quite sure of what had just happened right before his head slide from his shoulders. The body crumpled to the ground revealing Tanis who was gasping for air, his swords down by his side as if they were too heavy to lift.

“You could have help me a little,” he snapped glaring at Kara.

“You seemed to have had things well in hand. I didn’t want to spoil all your fun,” Kara grinned impishly.

“Please, by all means, next time spoil it,” Tanis said drily. Wiping his blades on the body before him, he started for Kara, sheathing them in the same manner as Kara had. “We better go before more show up.”

“Do you think he’s close?” Kara asked falling in beside Tanis as they headed for their horses.

Even though he knew how strong Kara was, how brave, Tanis could hear the fear in her voice. There was only one being in the entire universe that could cause that fear, in either of them. Stopping, Tanis pulled Kara in to his arms. Cupping her face, he looked into those amazing green eyes he loved so much that followed her through each reincarnation. That usually glowed with the depth of her love for him now pinched with anxiety. Rage bubbled up inside him. They had never wanted the fate that had been thrust upon them. None of them did. Not even the one who hunted them. If they had had a choice, they would have all lived in peace. Unfortunately, the universe had had different plans for them.

“I won’t allow him to harm you, Kara,” Tanis promised. “We have lived long lives before. We will do so this time. I am not ready to spend the next two thousand years without you.”

Kara rested her forehead against his chest. “I am so tired,” she whispered, the exhausting spanning not just this lifetime, but thousands of others.

Tanis wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her head he stared out at the wilderness around them, his own soul weary exhaustion trying to take hold of him. “So am I, my love. So am I.”

© 2015 Heidi Barnes

This is based on a story I am not sure will ever be published. When I began writing I did fan-fiction. I took some of my favorite shows and characters and weaved them together into a sci-fiction story that ended up being over 700 handwritten pages long. In this story anything and everything could happen. Unfortunately I don’t have most of it because it was written in pencil and the pencil over time faded so I could not read it. So into the recycling can it went. 😦 On the upside, I did have some of the first chapters/books typed out. I have since changed it up a bit, rewritten some of what I remember, changed the names and description of characters, and still write on it occasionally. Trying to find that right combination that will not infringe on any copy write and make it my own. So far it hasn’t given me that feeling of being ready to publish. Like I said it may never be published.

So why this excerpt? It came to me this morning. This fight scene, and it seemed to take place long before my story “Broken Promises” takes place. So I thought I’d write it down and see what you think. It also gives me a little insight to what one of Kara and Tanis’s past lives might have been like.

I hope you enjoy. 🙂