Woohoo.. got them done and got the text current… as I wait for Scrivener to open… for a long time. – Tiff

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“We’re raising the stakes and increasing the reward!” The announcement boomed through the air, echoing over Lexx’s relay. “If Lexx wins, he will be reunited with his long-lost sibling!”

Lexx’s heart ceased beating, the air burning in his lungs as he stopped breathing. Images flashed over the relay accompanied by sad, sweet musical notes. The battle was forgotten, as were his opponents.

There was a girl… who looked like him… looked like his mother. Green eyes, clear and full of life, showed through wispy bangs. Unlike him, it seemed she was having a good time.

Or the images were carefully edited.

His sister.

###

Stars bloomed over Zaile’s relay as he opened up a call to the ADC using his private connection. “We. Had. A. Deal.” He snarled into the void.

“The deal stands. Do your part.” The response was a slap, spreading across the stars with a chilling cold. The connection severed, dropping Zaile into a whirl of unsettling emotions. This wasn’t what he had wanted at all. Not only was his little sister in danger but how could she win against Lexx? He wouldn’t hold back. His life was on the line.

Zaile leaned his head against the glass wall, gazing out over the moon’s surface. The earth loomed in the distance, so close, yet so far. And there… was his sister. Most likely about to be killed. How would he fulfill his end of the bargain against the odds?

“Something wrong, sir?” Cinka approached with a rustling of her gown.

He didn’t answer, his tongue tied and throat squeezing shut.

Slender arms wrapped over his shoulders as her weight pressed to his back. It was oddly comforting, but he didn’t relax.

“I don’t pay you for this,” muttered Zaile, glancing at her.

“You don’t need to pay me to care,” she whispered.

That’s all he needed. Words that sounded sincere.

Caring.

She didn’t have to fear losing her job, so why would she say that? Why would she bother…

###

Frozen as his entire body went numb, Lexx faced the ocean. The crashing of the waves had dulled to a dim roar in the back of his mind. The light faded, even as the sun rose, sending light dancing across the sea. Water sloshed over his boots, soaking into the bottom of his pants.

Nothing existed.

The chance at an everyday life crumbled before his eyes as he stared into the sun.

Wake up! Riane exploded out of nowhere, screaming. Her voice shattered through his mind, followed by a boot scraping over a rock behind him.

Lexx came alive, swinging his wings out defensively to block the attackers. Get away from them!

His foot slid off the rock and into the water, but only for a moment. With powerful sweeps of his wings, he beat his opponents back. There was a tug on one of his wings as the bigger of the attackers grabbed the feathers. Not about to be brought down, Lexx kicked and twisted away, losing a feather in the process.

A sting shot through his wing, fading rapidly as he spun in the air. His dice were in hand in an instant, and he dropped them in the middle of the attackers. They glittered in the darkness, plopping into the wet sand.

“We came prepared for everything!” shouted the bigger opponent, holding up a fist that undoubtedly held his dice. The words barely escaped his mouth when Steel slammed into him, his head twisted to catch him in the chest. A gleaming orb dropped from his hand as Steel carried him up the beach and plowed him into the sand.

The other didn’t do much better. A wiry green lizard, the size of a car, leaped on him, jaws opening wide.

“But you weren’t prepared for that?” Lexx scoffed, rising higher in the air.

A spot of blue light rolled over the sand, flashing as a startled dice popped into view. Momentarily disoriented and unprepared, the creature blinked, its back to its owner fighting for his life in the sand behind it.

Steel grunted, kicking up sand beneath his three-toed cloven hooves. He swung his head, facing off against a larger opponent. The larger attacker lay on the ground, groaning as he tried to get up. This match was far from over as the dice turned to their new targets.