Chapter Ten
Rain struck me.
The fans fell from my hands, as I went careening into the grassy dirt below.
I'm not sure what hurt more, my head or my heart.
Rain looked pleased with himself.
"Good work, Goro," Rain said, praising the four-armed Shokan.
I got up slowly. The fuzziness in my head took a few seconds to dissipate. I watched in horror as the 8-foot-tall creature back-handed Jade, sending her crashing to the ground.
I glanced over and spotted one of my fans sticking out of the grass, just a few feet in front of Rain. He must have noticed too.
Before I could retrieve it he kicked it out of the way. Towering over me, he shook his head in disapproval. He grabbed me by the top of my hair, dragging me over to where Jade lay on the ground. I was thrown forward into the dirt.
I leaned over and tried to wake Jade. After a few tries she slowly started to come around.
"Ugh, what happened," Jade asked wearily, rubbing her temple.
"I think we were just deceived," I responded nervously.
"Very observant," Rain interjected, sardonically. He bent down to my level and pinched my cheeks. "And beautiful. You'll make an excellent queen, my dear."
I spit in his face. Not my finest move but it was all I had in the moment. I was also really hurt by the betrayal. He laughed pitifully, wiping his face, then turned to address Goro.
"Where is Shao Kahn? I thought he'd have returned by now."
"Negotiations take time, Rain," Goro responded.
"Prince Rain," he corrected.
"The only Prince around here is me!"
While the two princes argued, Jade turned to me, asking nervously.
"What do they want with your father."
"Nothing good," I responded. My eyes glued on our two kidnappers. "I suspect Shao Kahn is here to try and claim Edenia for his own.
"I hope our royal army is well-equipped to fend off an attack and keep Kahn at bay," Jade commented.
"We have to stop them… while they're still distracted. I'll take Rain. You take Goro. Ready?"
"Now?"
"Now!"
And with that, we sprang forward into action.
I caught Rain by surprise and tackled him to the ground. We rolled for a bit, tumbling away from Goro. We both got back onto our feet and assumed a fighting stance. I attacked with a backhand which Rain blocked.
###
Goro roared and charged toward Jade. Her eyes widened in fear. She barely leaped out of the way, rolling just a few feet away from the Shokan. Before getting back to her feet, something on the ground next to her caught her eye.
A staff!
Probably left behind by some weary hiker.
No time to wonder about that now. In an impressive display of acrobatics, she grabbed the staff whilst performing a handstand. She spun the staff over her head, then twirled it around her body. The staff served as a shield of sorts against the four-armed brute, as well as a weapon.
This ought to even the odds a bit.
Recovering from the charge, Goro shook his head, clearing it. He turned around and, with all four arms raised, leaped towards her. She backed up a few steps, just out of striking distance, then used the staff to catch the creature with an uppercut.
It was a decent strike but it left Goro barely stunned. She spun the staff and swung it against Goro's midsection.
The staff broke in two.
###
I caught Rain's backhand and countered with my own, striking him in the temple. His anger grew and he came at me with a fury of blows. Some I blocked successfully, but they came too quickly for me to catch everything. I was being driven backward, desperately needing to gain the offense.
One sweep motion from Rain caught me off guard and I fell backward onto the grass. From the ground, I looked over and saw Jade struggling with Goro.
I needed to end this battle and help her.
That's when I noticed another of my bladed fans lying on the ground, just behind Rain.
I needed to be quick.
Utilizing one of the defensive tactics Jade had shown me when knocked down, I kicked forward with all my strength, driving my foot into Rain's shin. The kick was so effective it shifted his knee in the other direction, dislocating it.
Rain crumbled to the ground.
I rolled forward and was able to regain my weapon. I flicked open the fan, spun around, and sliced.
I watched as the boy from the market fell over, splitting in two.
I hurried over to help Jade. But before I could reach her, a creature emerged from the woods, stopping me in my tracks. Before I could comprehend what was happening, I found myself surrounded by several evil-looking creatures. Their mouths were filled with razor-sharp teeth which seemed to extend past their cheeks. Their eyes were red and burned with a hatred that made my body run cold with fear. A protrusion came from inside their wrists, from which a long, sharp blade extended.
Tarkatans!