Liesa chpt 5

K.C., his eyes squinting as they adjusted to the morning sunlight, stepped from his hut. He immediately took a deep breath letting the fresh jungle air fill his lungs. It was only 8 am but already the temperature had reached over 90 degrees. K.C. didn't mind though he loved the warmth of the sun, especially in the mornings. Mornings were always a magical time for K.C. the air seemed fresher, the sunlight seemed brighter, it was as if everything was reborn, each new sunrise a celebration of life. K.C. exited his hut and with a shrug of embarrassment, looked over at his good friend Jamar who was the compound cook. K.C. knew he had overslept and missed breakfast but he also knew Jamar had probably set something back for him. He began crossing the compound toward his good friend to see if indeed there was any hope of getting breakfast. He was only a foot away when he saw an arrow completely pierce the chest of his smiling friend and sink eight inches into the hardwood wall right behind him. Jamar looked up at K.C. a stunned look of disbelief frozen on his face as he sagged to his knees gurgling for air. Young K.C. horrified, saw his friends eyes glaze over in death as he collapsed face first into the dirt. Instead of life, this morning would be a celebration of death.

The attack came without warning. In a matter of seconds the entire compound was swarming with Shasu warriors. For K.C. it seemed as if time had suddenly stopped. He looked over at Tracy, four dead Shasu already lay at her feet and she was fighting without a weapon. She was a blur of lethal motion. She attacked seemingly with out thought or mercy. Her khaki top had all but been torn off, sweat glistened off her bare breasts as she dealt death blow after death blow to the hordes of Shasu that were unlucky enough to engage her. He glanced over and saw Liesa literally rip the door to the lion's cage off as she charged out to join the battle. If Tracy was a blur then Liesa was like lightening. Her hands and feet moved too fast to see as the pile of Shasu bodies grew at her feet. K.C. felt the rage swell up within him as well. These were the people that had tortured and killed his parents, stripping and eating the flesh from their bodies as they screamed for mercy. He pulled his knife from its sheath and jammed it into the throat of a charging warrior. Screaming with rage his spun around, dropping to his knees to avoid the thrust of a Shasu blade he thrust his own blade up sinking it deep into the groin of the attacking warrior. The Shasu screamed in agony as K.C. stood ripping the blade up through his abdomen. He glared into the eyes of the dying Shasu "That's for my parents," K.C. said, a grim smile crossing his lips as the pushed the lifeless warrior off his blade. K.C. turned to face another attacker just in time to see the Shasu war club smash into his face.

Liesa and Tracy fought back to back, more than twenty dead Shasu lay at their feet. The lion fought right next to Liesa. His teeth and claws were dripping with Shasu blood. It was like he knew of the Shasu blood ritual; that the Shasu cut the hearts from lion cubs and devour them raw in a hope of gaining the lions strength in battle. It seemed however, at least for these, Shasu to not have worked as evidenced by the number of Shasu who fell beneath the big cat's claws.

Without warning and as suddenly as the attack had began it ended. The Shasu retreated quickly into the trees leaving Liesa and Tracy, their bodies glimmering with sweat, standing among a pile of dead warriors.

K.C.! Tracy suddenly yelled sprinting for his hut. " K.C. are you ok?" The concern was very evident in her voice and it grew worse as she got no answer. " OH my God he's dead! He's dead!"

" No he's not," Liesa said, calmly. " Look." She was pointing to a lone Shasu warrior standing at the edge of the jungle." In the warriors hands he had K.C.'s bloodied shirt.

Liesa and Tracy approached the warrior. He grinned, showing his sharpened teeth. As they grew closer Tracy noticed that the warrior wore around his neck a necklace of human ears all were old and dried except for one which was fresh, dripping with blood and unlike all the others very white.

"YOU BASTARDS WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH K.C.!" Tracy yelled, as she rushed toward the warrior.

" He is alive, for now, how much longer he stays that way is up too you."

Tracy was shocked, she had never heard of a Shasu who spoke English. "What could you possibly want from us," she spat.

" Not you, her." He pointed at Liesa. Tracy looked confused. " With her strength she can recover for us the magical stone of Shaja and once reunited with its power those who are Shasu will be gods those who are not, slaves.

The lion, suddenly and out of nowhere, leapt for the Shasu's throat and if not for the lightening quickness of Liesa to restrain him would have torn him too pieces.

"Ahh, the scarred one," the Shasu said, referring to the enraged animal. " He remembers me, I ate the heart from one of his young."

"And tell me, Asshole, why I don't let him rip you to shreds" Liesa asked. Or better yet why don't I just rip you to shreds." Liesa stepped toward the Shasu.

Because stupid bitch I know where the stone is and if its not in the hands of the Shasu in two moons K.C. will suffer the same fate as his parents, who I might add were very tasty." The Shasu grinned a toothy smile

Tracy suddenly smiled. " The stone of Shaja rests in the sacred caves of La'mai on the northern edge of the valley of the beast.

The smile suddenly disappeared from the Shasu's face replaced by a sudden look of utter fear.

" Well, " Liesa said, smiling sweetly. " It seems we don't need you after all."

Before the warrior had a chance to turn and run Liesa rammed her fist into his chest with the full force of her alien strength. Flesh and bone yielded to her might as her fist sunk deep into the Shasu's body. The Shasu too stunned to even scream looked down at Liesa's arm buried past the wrist in his chest. He gasped as he felt her fingers close around his heart. Horrified he watched as Liesa with a single jerk tore the organ from his body, veins and arteries snapped as they were stretched past their breaking point. The warrior, a gaping hole in his chest looked up in disbelief at a smiling Liesa, who now held his quivering heart in her hand. Liesa nonchalantly tossed the heart to the lion who caught it in mid air and then swallowed it whole. Her icy stare sent a final shudder through the warrior's body. As his eyes glazed over in death and his bladder emptied, the last words he heard was Liesa speaking in voice devoid of emotion "Now your even."

To be continued