Greetings Readers!
Another week has past and it has been crazy busy. I started don't he new project, and thanks to all the research I did before starting has allowed me to pull way ahead of the project, which is amazing.
I was hoping to get some more writing done this week, but thanks for ESKOM (read bane of my existence), I am struggling to get work done, much less try to work on my own projects.
Anyway, today's post has some adult innuendos, so if you're under 18, you shouldn't be reading this. As for the rest of you. I hope you find it as funny as as cringe as I do, because if so, then I have done my job.
Saita was somewhat surprised when all her S-class fights had been cancelled though she was paid for all of them ahead of time.
“What the hell, Bruno!” she demanded in the middle of breakfast one morning. “Why are my next two months completely empty of fights?”
“You have been accepted in the Saith Games. You need to complete your physiotherapy and remain in top form. The other S-class fighters have bought your fights over and that is why you were paid, and the fights were removed from your schedule. Now, can I eat breakfast in peace?”
“I am not a delicate flower! You do not need to protect me!”
“Standard contract rules, sit, read.” Bruno tapped on the piece of paper next to him. “Read through all of it. I have another one for you to sign when you are done with that one.”
Pouting, Saita sat down and read the contract, it was an extension of her current contract but was only for an extra month.
“Is Chaka bored of me already? Only a month extension?”
“That is so that he can protect his investment during the Saith Games. He wants exclusive rights to be able to bet on you and make bets for you, at a cut of the profits, naturally.”
“Naturally, my point is, why a month? My contract ends soon. Why not offer me another 18 months or a permanent contract?”
“He says you can discuss that with him when you come back from those fights. You should then be able to get better rates now that you are an established fighter. Or stay with the Saith if you want. I hear their mercenary groups are always looking for outsiders.”
“And the other contract?”
“This is the reason that you cannot be in a fight for the next two months.” Bruno slid the paper to her. “No competitive fights for the next three months. Plus, you need to pass a medical a month before the fights and be clean of all drugs. Even pain medication.”
“What about…?”
“All your, shall we call them, biomechanical parts will be submitted as well as your current medical conditions upon you signing that document. Basically, you are permitting the Saith to know your insides and outside.”
“So, they will know I am human?”
“They already know. They sent you an invitation to compete on a reference as well as the results of your last fights for the year.”
Saita looked at the paper with distrust before sighing and setting it down on the table. “This all seems a little too easy. Bolx said that this was difficult to get into.”
“I have noticed him around a lot more lately. Invited him to your bed yet?”
Saita went scarlet and rubbed at her aching shoulder. “Don’t you start! I get enough of that from the girls.”
“Hell, you don’t need to marry him but if you find him physically pleasing then you should grab the opportunity with both hands. Or one, I don’t know his size.”
Saita slouched into her chair and looked around in embarrassment to make sure that Bruno hadn’t been heard. “Shh!”
“Well, he clearly likes you or he wouldn’t have stayed as long as he has. I was thinking of asking him to escort you to the fights.”
“Oh, he would just love that.” Saita rubbed her face in irritation.
“You are heading to Saith territory. The crown may have accepted your entry but there may be others that are not so happy at it,” warned Bruno. “Now sign those contracts so that I can get the doctors to gather your data to send to the Saith. Then you are going straight to your appointment because I know that you have missed the last two.”
“I am healing. A physio is not going to make it heal any faster.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not. You need your doctors to sign off on your health in about two months. Do the work, do the exercises, and then go kick some tail.”
Saita rolled her eyes but nonetheless took the pen offered and signed the documents after reading them through a few times. She didn’t know what to feel. Excitement? Dread? Terror? She was wary of having any people look at what was inside of her. However, these weren’t just any people, but the very people that her father had attacked using her name. Did they remember? She hoped not. She wanted to remain anonymous, which is why the next question caught her off guard.
“Short sleeves today?”
She flicked her eyes to her bare forearms and was somewhat confused at why she had chosen it. The edges of the marks were starting to flare again but she had ignored them. She cleared her throat and said. “Laundry day?”
“Really? I believe that was yesterday.”
Bruno chuckled when he saw her startled face at being caught in a lie. “Go on? Try another.”
“Bolx likes them,” she admitted as she blushed again.
Bruno chuckled before saying. “Saita, you are allowed to feel. You nearly died and he saved you. The connection is quite normal you know.”
“It’s nothing.” she pushed herself to her feet. “I’m going to my appointment now.”
Bruno laughed as she just about ran from him. Saita wished he hadn’t brought up her choice of clothing today. She had enough turmoil in her life at this moment and didn’t want to have to defend what she was feeling. Though, he had been right. She was grateful for what Bolx had done for her and she could never repay him for that. He made her feel wanted but she had been clear that she was not the one he had loved. He had offered friendship instead and she leaped at the chance to have someone to talk to about everything. He had been her ear for weeks now and knew all her dark feelings and thoughts. How she had hoped that the dogs would have killed her because she was tired of missing her family.
He listened, he loved to listen, and rarely offered advice unless he knew she was going to listen. His knowing her meant that he knew what to say to cause her to listen. Sometimes he would talk about his time, but he refused to talk about her from his time unless she asked him directly. She was somewhat grateful. Yet, there were times that he looked at her with a such longing she was sure that he wanted more than just friendship and she just didn’t have it in her to put her heart out there again.
She arrived at her physiotherapy appointment and the doctor seemed somewhat shocked at her short sleeves but made a point to say nothing. He instructed her to undress before he got started. She kept her eyes closed as he worked. His office was surrounded by mirrors, and she didn’t want to see the scars and marks that littered her upper body.
“Your movement is stiff. You haven’t been doing your stretches. I’m going to insist that you come twice a week if this is your attitude to my advice.”
“I have no excuse,” she muttered as she reached for her shirt blindly.
“Nope.” the doctor took the shirt away. “Complete stretches three to five. Let me see you do all of them, so you don’t have an excuse for not doing them today.”
Grumbling, Saita complied. Her mind wasn’t on the appointment but rather on Bolx. Several times the doctor had to correct her movements. Eventually, he was happy with her movements, and he allowed her to get dressed and led her from the room. She was extremely happy to be free. She was excited to tell Bolx about her entry into the Saith Games. She was practically running through the halls to reach outside. She had to stop herself as she reached the door that led outside.
“What are you doing?” she hissed to herself. “Working yourself up and for what? He doesn’t see you for you. He just sees her.”
“Well, that isn’t true.” a hand ran between her shirt and her back. “This mark she didn’t have, and I like it.”
She twisted herself to slam her back against the door and looked up at the Saith that was grinning at her. Her face was ablaze, she could only stammer. “Don’t touch me.”
“You really should check that you pull your shirt back into place before running from the physiotherapist. I was trying to fix it.” he lost his grin, and it was replaced with a look of concern. “I’m sorry, should I have asked permission.”
“You always ask permission.”
“You are right. Would you still like to go for a walk around the lake?”
She stood with her back pressed against the door, embarrassed about her reaction so she whispered. “Yeah, sure.”
“Then you need to open the door.”
“Hmm.”
She made sure that her shirt was fully pulled down before she turned and opened the door for them to go outside. They walked for a long time in silence. Bolx was embarrassed by what he had done, and Saita was unable to get the burning sensation to leave her back. She had never allowed anyone to touch her marks before. She had barely allowed Astec to caress her when they had their walks in the forest all those years ago. She was angry at the way she had reacted. She had desperately wanted to feel loved but when the only person in her life tried, she snapped at him.
“I’m sorry, Saita,” said Bolx. “I…”
He stopped mid-sentence before grabbing her left arm to slow down her speed. “Can we please just talk like adults and not teenagers?”
He gripped her upper arm rather tightly and it was clear he was not going to let her go until they spoke about this.
“We don’t have to. I like what we have now and to mess with it, I don’t want to lose what I have with you,” she admitted. “And I’m terrified that if I let you speak, I will lose the only friend I have in this world. Can we please just ignore what just happened? Please?”
“It’s not going to change the way I feel,” he said softly as he let go of her arm.
“I am not her!” Saita hissed as she looked at him. “I cannot be her for you.”
“I don’t want you to be. You can’t be her but…”
“No, stop, please.” she stepped away from him. “I have no family, you have no family, and the world is ending…”
“I love you.”
“You love a memory,” she said accusingly. “I just want a friend!”
“I know,” he said with half a smile. “And I’ll be your friend because that is what you need right now. But I want you to know my feelings, and yes, perhaps they are based on a memory, but I want you to know what I am feeling. I am not going to lie about it. I’m not going to hide it.”
“I know the Saith of the Royal Guard need to have a child.” she spat. “If this is your intent you need to find someone else. I can’t…”
“Hey! You are overthinking this.” he gently took up a hand. “I have feelings for you. I don’t want to knock you up. What is going on inside your head?”
“Oh gods…can we just go back to the door and pretend all of this just never happened?”
“Yeah, let’s do that.” said the Saith sadly.
Many of you may be wondering what Saita was like in Bolx's time, and you're in luck! I decided that later I would write about his time. But to give you all a sneak peek, her nickname was Ice Queen with an expletive I won't add here. She was a protector to the throne and was damn good at her job, and then the Fell Dragon came to their time. I won't say more than that. But that's all for this week, join next week to see how she is welcomed by the Saith as she travels to their homeworld.
For those of you just joining us, please note that this the third book in the Fell Dragon series. Follow this link to read the two earlier books:
Fell Dragon Book 1
Fell Dragon Book 2
As the series continues, it will combine with another book series I wrote. To avoid confusion about what is happening, introductory chapters will be introduced separately so that you don't have to be lost. However, these chapters will contain spoilers. You can find these chapters here:
Races Explained
Banishment
Royal Guard
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Haven't read the other parts yet? Follow these handy links:
Part 11>>You are Here>>Part 13