Chapter 16
"It was tampered with," Cyborg told them as he entered the waiting room, his arm console still active. "They've all been tampered with. I detected some sort of acidic compound in the ceremonial box, I'm running a full spectrum analysis at the moment. But it caused minute fractures and flaws in the metal in all of the weapons; any hit with enough force was likely to break it. You're just lucky it didn't happen during Galfore's fight."
Starfire frowned, before she pointed to a soral resting in the corner of the room. "Cyborg, that was my soral in the last battle, will you please check it for the acidic compound?"
Cyborg nodded and turned his attention to the weapons.
Beast Boy and Raven timidly entered the room behind Cyborg and closed the door. They sat down on the bench opposite Robin and Starfire. "Are you okay, Robin?" Beast Boy quietly asked.
Robin nodded and lifted his head from Starfire's neck. "It's just a bit of a shock, you know? It could've been so much worse."
Cyborg looked up. "Star, you sure this was your weapon?"
She nodded. "No one else is allowed inside this room. The guards outside are loyal to Galfore."
Robin swung around to look at Cyborg. "What did you find?" he asked sharply.
"The weapon is in perfect condition," Cyborg said, frowning.
"That would mean someone tampered with the sorals sometime between Robin and Starfire's fights," Raven said gloomily.
"Why would they do that?" Beast Boy asked.
"In the hope that the weapon that would break would have been mine," Robin said. "And since I get to choose the weapon, the only way to ensure I would get a damaged weapon would be to break them all. I guess they took a risk, hoping Brydor would be able to get through a strike or two." He looked bleakly at Starfire. "Someone really doesn't want us together."
"Is it possible that it was done by whoever is working for the Citadel?" Raven said quietly.
Robin shrugged. "I guess so. One way to hurt Star would be to hurt me."
"Well," Cyborg announced, heading for the door. "We need to work out a way to prevent the weapons from being tampered with again. I'll go speak to Galfore, see want he wants us to do."
"Raven?" Beast Boy said quietly after Cyborg had left the room. She turned to him, her eyebrows raised questionably. "Are you okay?" he continued softly.
She frowned, glancing at Starfire and Robin, who were suddenly pretending their shoes were very interesting. "I'm fine," she snapped weakly. "Why?"
Beast Boy blushed. "It's just that… well… um…"
"Spit it out," she replied tartly.
"You're holding my hand an awful lot today and sitting quite close and stuff. It's not that I don't like it or anything, you've just never done it so openly before. So I was just wondering if there was anything wrong?"
Raven paled and glanced toward Robin and Starfire, her eyes appealing for assistance.
"Raven's fine," Robin said quietly, coming to her rescue. "It's gotta be difficult for you guys to sit there and have to watch us fight and not help. You just want a little bit of emotional support, don't you, Raven?"
Raven glared at Robin murderously, but Beast Boy brightened in surprise. "Really?" he asked his eyes hopeful. "Cause, that's, like, okay if you do. I don't mind."
Raven let out a long-suffering sigh and nodded, trying to ignore the happy smile on Beast Boy's face.
TTTTT
Starfire fiddled with her glove and fought the urge to scuffle her boot on the ground as she waited. Cyborg stood in the tunnel hidden from the view of the crowd and checked the replacement sorals for any sign of the acidic compound he'd discovered earlier, before the box would be brought out into the arena. Galfore stood beside him, supervising.
She glanced over at her contender, a tall voluptuous woman by the name of Jysa. Her brown hair was held up in a ponytail and she was constantly casting glares at Starfire. Starfire sighed, so here was a real contender for Robin's hand. She'd just have to make sure this was over quickly.
She fiddled with her glove on her other hand, caressing Robin's ring between with her thumb and smiled secretly to herself. She'd been so surprised when he'd given it to her last night. She knew he loved her and did want to marry her, but in the giving of the ring he had confirmed it even more than when he said that he would compete in the xhandal. He'd put so much thought into it too; having it designed especially for her. It made her feel all warm and tingly inside and the ring itself was absolutely gorgeous. She was never going to take it off.
Quit fidgeting.
She cringed slightly and glanced up at the pillar-box where he sat. He was speaking quietly with Beast Boy and Raven, but he spared her a slight wave, no more than a flick of his wrist. I apologize. I will attempt to keep the game in my head.
That's keep your head in the game, Star, came the quick reply, a slight mind chuckle following it.
She huffed, knowing she was never going to get the hang of Earth sayings and looked at the tunnel where Galfore and Cyborg stood. Cyborg turned and gave her thumbs up before disappearing back down the tunnel. Starfire straightened her back and squared her shoulders, dropping her arms by her side.
I take it this is a real one?
It is. Jysa does not seem to like me. I am getting many of the scowls from her. Starfire kept her eyes on Galfore as he crossed the arena floor, the ceremonial box several paces behind.
Don't worry about it, you'll be fine. Good luck, d'anthe l'ani.
Starfire lifted her chin and stepped up to the box to chose her soral, when Jysa shouldered her out of the way and snatched up a weapon before her. Starfire narrowed her eyes before turning back to the box and selecting her weapon. She heaved it in her hands and stepped away, retreating several paces from her contender to await the start of the xhandal.
It did not take long for Galfore to return to his seat and the ceremonial box removed from the arena.
"Are you prepared?" Galfore called from the pillar-box opposite Robin's.
"I am ready," Starfire called while Jysa screamed it.
Starfire turned and cocked her head to study Jysa, her soral held loosely in her hands, confused as to why the woman would be so angry.
Jysa pushed off the ground and charged through the air at Starfire, swinging her soral before her in a chopping motion. Starfire nodded before shooting into the air herself. She dipped and swirled in the air, dragging her soral behind her before bringing it down hard on Jysa soral. The force of the hit caused Jysa to bounce away and Starfire gave chase.
Jysa dropped a few feet and spun onto her back as she flew, slicing her soral toward Starfire's belly. Starfire suppressed a sigh, ducked upward until the weapon went whooshing by and slammed Jysa in the stomach with a foot forcing her down and onto the ground. Jysa growled as she picked herself up and launched into the air once more.
Starfire hung upside down in the air as she waited for Jysa's next move. Jysa charged her so Starfire nimbly dipped to the side and clubbed her in the back as she went past with the handle of her soral before pursuing her again.
Starfire was by far the stronger flyer. Jysa's flying seemed forced, her dips were not as smooth, her turns were cumbersome and she couldn't maintain a constant speed. Starfire was constantly able to nip ahead of Jysa and bring her soral clanging down.
Air battle using a soral was a lot different that a land battle. The soral was an awkward weapon to cart around in the air; many people simply dragged it behind them as Jysa was doing, pulling up to hover when they used it. But as Starfire was much more comfortable in the air, she was able to maneuver it with better ease.
Starfire caught Jysa yet again and stabbed her soral at Jysa's handle, catching it between her blades. She spun the hapless woman through the air as she twisted in circles but Jysa refused to let go. She yanked the blade apart and the pair smashed their handles together once more. It became a battle of strength, both leaning into their weapons in an effort to overpower the other.
"You low life, second born, scum," Jysa hissed through gritted teeth. "You betrayed the true Grand Ruler and placed a pretender on the throne."
Starfire's eyes widened as realisation dawned. This was no contender for Robin's hand. She should have seen this coming. She should have known that there would be those among her people upset with her decision to make Galfore Grand Ruler and try and seek vengeance on behalf of her sister, whether her sister wanted it or not.
Jysa moved quickly, removing her blade from Starfire's and dropping down a few feet before shooting straight up in the air. Starfire fell forward, surprised at the movement. A flash of metal surged toward her and she rolled in the air to evade it. A searing pain sliced through her arm before something hard slammed into her back.
She hit the dirt face first and skidded painfully, her soral spinning away. She heard Robin's warning scream in her mind and rolled onto her back. Jysa was baring down at her, shooting out of the sky with green flames pouring from her eyes, the soral slicing straight for Starfire's head.
"Komand'r is the one true empress of Tamaran and you do not deserve to call her sister!" Jysa screamed as she dove.
The words burned through Starfire, creating a churning fire in the pit of her belly. How dare she! No one had the right to say that to her! Starfire reacted, losing herself in a green haze of anger. Her star bolts leapt into life and she caught Jysa's blade between her green filled palms. Jysa's eyes widened in surprise, before shifting her grip on the soral to loom over Starfire and tried to force the blade downward.
Starfire increased the energy to her star bolts, generating as much heat as possible and the blade began to warp beneath her fingers. With a quick flick of her wrists she twisted the head of the blade between her palms, bending the blade to a ninety-degree angle. Her eye beams shot out and slammed into Jysa's stomach, forcing the woman away.
Starfire floated off the ground, her eyes still glowing and tossed the distorted soral away. She slowly raised her arms at Jysa, star bolts glowing brightly from each fist. "Second born I may be, but do not ever assume I do not deserve to call her sister! I have done more for her than she has ever dreamed!" She unleashed a volley of star bolts at Jysa so fast the woman did not have time to dodge. Several slammed into Jysa's body, forcing her backward and into the dust.
Starfire stalked forward as Jysa struggled to her feet. She grabbed her by the throat with one hand, lifting Jysa off the ground and forcing her head upward. Her other hand conjured a star bolt and held it by her shoulder, poised to strike. Jysa kicked out, striking for Starfire's neck, but Starfire released the star bolt and snatched her ankle. Starfire dropped Jysa's neck and used her ankle as leverage to heave the woman over her shoulder and throw her into the nearby wall.
Jysa hit the wall hard and slumped at the bottom and Starfire unleashed another volley of star bolts at the woman. The walls rumbled, scattering the screaming crowd above as Starfire's star bolts slammed into it with such force that chunks exploded away, scattering shrapnel. The pounding of the star bolts kicked dust into the air, enveloping Jysa in a thick cloud. Starfire stopped and stalked forward once more. The dust cleared revealing Jysa slumped at the bottom of a broken wall, her clothes and hair still smoking from Starfire's attack.
Starfire wasn't finished. She reached down and seized Jysa by her gorget held her aloft once more, conjuring another star bolt.
"I yield," Jysa whispered, her voice filled with pain, before screaming it. "I yield!"
Starfire froze, before tossing the woman away. Jysa hit the ground and lay still, groaning in pain.
"Koriand'r wins!" Galfore bellowed loudly.
The sea of Tamaranians was silent, having glimpsed a portion of the destructive nature of the star bolts. Before it had been only rumor, something only the nobles had been able to witness at the defeat of Komand'r and nobles were prone to exaggeration. But now, as parcels of the wall crumbled down onto the arena, the general population knew how Starfire had been able to defend against the Citadel so well.
Starfire turned to her remaining xhandal contenders, her eyes still glowing a furious green. She floated into the air and conjured a star bolt for each hand as she stared at those that would dare compete with her. "If you are here in some feeble attempt to seek retribution, this is what you will need to deal with!" she roared in Tamaranian, holding her star bolts aloft and allowing them to grow.
There was a flurry of activity as the remaining females forfeited. She nodded and landed, releasing her hold on the star bolts before spinning on her heel and stalked from the arena.
It wasn't until she was part way down the long dark tunnel that headed for the waiting room that pain sliced into her awareness and she felt a sticky wetness dripping down her arm. She placed her hand over her upper arm and hissed in agony, her fingers drawing away bloody. She swiveled her head, looking at the long slice in her arm from her elbow to her shoulder, blood pouring from the wound.
She turned and looked in amazement down the long corridor at the droplets of blood that she had dripped. Jysa must have gotten her just before she'd forced her into the ground. Why didn't she notice this before? Robin was going to be so angry that she allowed herself to be hurt. She wrapped her hand around her wound, keeping her arm as straight as possible and began walking toward the waiting room again.
"Starfire," Robin cried, racing around a corner and almost slipping in a puddle of blood.
She half turned toward his voice, hiding her arm behind her and offered him a shaky smile. "Robin."
He glanced at the drops of blood on the floor and looked back at her, his eyebrows raised. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
She sighed and hung her head, presenting her arm to him. "I fear I am damaged."
Robin rushed forward, skidding to a halt before her and gently took her arm in his hands before inspecting the wound. "Come on," he said softly, scooping her into his arms and heading for the waiting room. "Let's get you cleaned up."
She lay her head against his chest and listened to the rapid thump of his heart, thankful that he wasn't going to yell at her for getting hurt, but she knew he was going to later. Robin approached the waiting room and the guards before it hastily opening the door for him. He kicked the door closed behind him and gently placing Starfire on a bench. He squatted down beside her and examined her wound intently, before snapping open his Titans communicator.
"Raven, we're going to need you," he muttered quickly, before heading to the refreshment table to fetch water. He grabbed a few cloth napkins and headed back to Starfire, wetting the napkins as he went. "Sweetheart," he said softly, kneeling by her side. "This is going to hurt." Starfire nodded and gritted her teeth as he began to gently clean the wound on her arm.
The door swung open as Raven and Beast Boy entered quickly, Beast Boy pausing to close the door behind him. Raven knelt by Robin's side, her hands already glowing with healing power. Starfire hissed in pain and tried to move away as Raven placed her hands over the wound, but Robin stood and moved behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders to keep her still.
"It wasn't too bad," Raven said quietly as she finished the healing and reached for the cloth to wash the blood off. "Bit deep in places, but no damage to nerves."
"I thank you, Raven," Starfire said with a trembling smile, turning to inspect the thick pink line that now adorned her arm.
"That'll go," Raven droned, indicating the scar. "Just be careful with it for the next few days, okay?"
Starfire nodded in reply before glancing up at Robin's stoic face. She dropped her head and waited for the impending tirade.
"Starfire," Robin began but the door swung open and Cyborg walked through interrupting him.
"Guys," he cried, brandishing the bent soral that Starfire had warped. "Y'all gotta see this. This is some seriously freaky stuff." He froze seeing the cloths covered in blood beside Starfire. "Star, you okay?"
Starfire nodded. "I am fine. Raven has healed my wound."
"Sweet," Beast Boy said as he looked at the weapon Cyborg held. "That is so cool."
Robin took the weapon from Cyborg, examining the blade, before letting out a long whistle. "She really pissed you off, didn't she?" He handed the weapon back to Cyborg and turned to study Starfire who gave him a tiny hopeful smile. He let out a long-suffering sigh. "Come on guys, xhandal is over for the day, let's head back to our rooms."