Blade of the Lucan: A Memory of Anstractor Read Online Free PDF Page A

for anyone to see. She wondered what her young admirer would say about her disappearance. It would have looked as if she never existed, and since Luca knew nothing of the Phaser’s abilities, the soldier would probably think that his mind was playing tricks on him.
    She proceeded to walk towards the area of the mountain that she was told the meeting with Blu would be held. It was the entrance to a cave, and as she walked into the darkness she suddenly heard a growl. She crouched into a fencer’s stance and drew her knife from the sheath on her leg. A large cat bounded towards her with cruel intent and she brought up the knife instinctively, hoping to ward it off.
    “Shah, G’toh!” A rough voice spoke, and the animal stopped and sat down, licking a massive paw.
    Marian looked around to find the voice and a large Deijen walked out, dressed in formal resistance garb and brandishing a long, brown rifle.
    “She wouldn’t have bitten you, Lady Raf. She just likes to play. Don’t you, Nemesis? You just wanted to play with the pretty lady, right?” he asked the cat, who merely stared up at him with large yellow eyes.
    The large cat growled and then licked its chops and Marian—seeing that it was a female—walked up to her and patted her on the top of her head.
    “Well met, Blu,” she finally said after spending some time to pet and befriend the large cat.
    “Long time, Lady Raf,” the Deijin said as he moved his seven-foot frame to stand in front of the tiny woman. He rested his hand her shoulder and Marian moved in and hugged him affectionately, her head barely reaching his chest.
    “Where’s the monk?” Blu asked.
    “He is unable to be here,” Marian said, looking up at him to read his eyes.
    The Deijen looked disappointed. “I was hoping he was with you. We have been holding on for him for many years now. This resistance that he helped to become great has suffered some setbacks, and if anybody could get us back on track, it would be Rafian. Where is my old friend, Lady Raf?”
    “I can explain later but he isn’t in this galaxy—”
    “That makes no sense,” Blu said, cutting her off. He grabbed her shoulders to hold her in front of him, looking into her twinkling pupils for any trace of mischief.
    “It’s the truth, Blu. Do you remember how special Rafian was with the things he was able to do in fights?” she said.
    “Who could forget? We still talk about him; those of us that were there. We wish he would come back to us to help. We could use his special talents,” Blu said.
    “The skills he has are not of this world, Blu,” she said.
    “What do you mean, another world?” the large, cobalt, Deijen asked, his brows knitted into a frown as he held her.
    “Another world outside of Luca, another system with its own planets … do you understand?” she asked, and the Deijen nodded, despite the reservations reflected in his long, plain face. “Rafian took me away with him the day he disappeared. He is from a world that has the technology to move across galaxies. But he had to return because his people were dying.”
    Blu looked at her intently as he tried to process everything she was telling him. “But WE are his people, Marian. We are the ones he bled with, trained with, and fought with. We are brothers. I watched him grow from a grunt all the way up to being our leader. You mean to tell me that this entire time, Rafian, our Rafian, was an off-worlder?”
    “Yes. But this is why he was special, Blu. It is why his eyes lacked the spark that all other Tyherans have, and it is why he left,” Marian said.
    Blu chuckled and moved his hands from her shoulders to the small of her back. He said, “Come inside, Marian; this is a lot to take in. We were curious how you showed up so suddenly without Rafian, and we worried that you had killed him and returned to your—”
    “You all dishonor me with such a vicious rumor, Blu,” Marian said sadly as she took the cat’s leash and followed Blu inside