Star Rider and Bonds of Love: A Sci-Fi Space Opera with a Touch of Fantasy Heidi Skarie (fox in socks read aloud .TXT) 📖

beast’s claws tore throughMichio’s Light shield, grabbed him and hurled him to the ground.Toemeka screamed, “Fight back, Michio!”

Michio scrambled to his feet asthe beast attacked again, but instead of defending himself, Toemekafelt him radiate pure love. She didn’t know what was wrong. DidMichio actually believe the creature was a part of him? It didn’tmake sense. The creature would rip him to shreds. The beast wasn’tthe dark side of Michio; it was a form Condor conjured up.

The beast raised Michio into theair and smashed him to the ground again.

“Don’t believe him. Fighthim!” Toemeka yelled, feeling impotent.

Michio seemed startled by herwords, almost as if he heard her from a deep trance. He regained hisfeet. “I can’t. If I give him anything other than love, he’llgrow more powerful.”

“He’s not you. It’s a lie.He’s evil.” Toemeka wondered if Samrat Condor was using blackmagic on Michio.

“You don’t understand. Thisis the twelfth test at the School of Eagles. He’s the power in me.”The entity grew larger, then shot out dark energy that tore intoMichio. He collapsed to the ground in agony.

“Master Bakka, give mestrength!” Toemeka cried. She felt a warm glow emanating as shesurrounded herself with Light. Pulsing vibrations began to flowthrough her. She walked toward the monster, unafraid and trustingcompletely in Spirit. Love filled her and gave her strength.

The beast stopped attackingMichio and hurled a fireball toward Toemeka. From where he lay,Michio shot out a beam of light, knocking the fireball offtrack. Itfell harmless onto the ground, a few feet away from Toemeka. Michiostood and faced the creature. “I am not you. You are not the powerwithin me. Toemeka sent only love and you tried to destroy her.”

Michio blasted a beam of light atthe beast and it went up in flames. Pulling Toemeka into his arms, hesurrounded them both with a protective Light shield as the beastchanged back into Samrat Condor.

“Give up!” Condor yelled.“You have no chance against me. I am a god with unlimited power.Someday I will control the whole galaxy, for it is a reflection of myunlimited power in the astral worlds. Bow down and worship me and youand the woman will live. If you refuse, you will both die and beeternally damned in the fiery pit of Avernus.”

“We will never worship you,”Michio said. “We’re instruments for the one true, supreme God.”

A large knife instantly appearedin Condor’s hand. “I will kill Toemeka first, so you can watchher die.” Blood appeared on the knife.

Toemeka felt tension in Michio’sbody and knew he was affected by Condor’s words. “Don’t listento him!” she pleaded. “He can’t harm us unless we allow it.Trust in Spirit to protect us.” The energy around Michio shiftedand became highly charged. She felt him rise above his emotions andbecome a pure channel for Spirit. “Whatever happens, I love you,Michio.” As she said it, her fears dissolved.

Samrat Condor sprang at them andMichio cried, “Finish the teleport!”

Toemeka focused on the meadowwhere they’d landed their spacecraft. Unbearable pain searedthrough her as she was ripped from the astral world and felt herselfbeing thrown into a dark void of nothingness. She was merely a unitof awareness with no body, alone in the vast emptiness of theuniverse.

Whathappened to Michio? Shewas cut off from him and everything else she loved.

Michio!Where are you!a spark within her cried out. She began to chant HU and soon feltlove and Light begin to surround her. Focusing deeply, she feltMichio’s energy and moved toward it, letting the bond of lovebetween them serve as a rope to lead her to him.

She finally succeeded in enteringher physical body, but found it completely lifeless. She couldn’teven feel her heart beating. Gradually her life force flowed backinto her. She opened her eyes. It was night, but bright moonlightmade it easy to see Michio’s drawn face, gazing down at her. He saton the ground and she was in his lap, wrapped in the robe he’d beenwearing. Her arms felt strangely heavy as she put them around Michio.

“Toemeka!” Michio clasped hertightly and some of the color returned to his face. “My beloved,you’ve returned to me.”

“Something went wrong,” shesaid. “I got torn away from you and ended up in a void.”

“Samrat Condor attacked us aswe teleported. I was afraid I’d lost you.”

“I felt your energy andfollowed it back to you.” She leaned against his shoulder. “Ifeel so disorientated.”

“Put down anchor points andyou’ll feel better.”

She visualized putting downanchor points until she felt more stable. “That’s better,” shesaid weakly. She touched his face. “My love, I thought I’d neversee you again. I thought my dream was prophetic, warning me that myfate was to be sacrificed.”

“It wasn’t time for you todie.” He tenderly pushed a lock of hair off her cheek. “We’resafe for the moment. I’ve blocked Samrat Condor and his sorcerersfrom detecting our presence.

My love, I flew to planet Alandraas soon as I found your note. But you’d left in the morning and Ididn’t find it until I returned that evening.”

“I’m sorry. I should’vetold you about the mission. I should’ve said good-bye.”

“You should’ve stayed homeinstead of coming here.”

She heard the agitation in hisvoice and didn’t blame him for being upset with her. They’d bothalmost been killed. She began to tremble with emotion. “I knewyou’d feel that way, but I had to come. I couldn’t let Erling’sfamily die.”

“You have your own family toconsider now.”

“I know and it tore me in twoto leave you and Baymond.” She put her arms around his neck andkissed him. “I love you, Michio.”

“And I love you more than wordscan express.” He kissed her mouth, ear, cheek and the top of herbreasts as his hand slipped under the sheer fabric of her ceremonialgown and up her thigh. He lowered her onto the ground and made loveto her with desperate urgency, a reaffirmation of life. She respondedwith every part of her being as the world and all its dangers fellaway. A splendid feeling of being loved swept over Toemeka. She clungto him as her body shuddered with passion and he crested with her.For a sacred moment, it was just the two of them.

Michio continued to hold her asshe regained control of her