Crimson Lancer: Book 1: The Nine

by Chester R. DeForest

Genres: Science Fiction Fantasy; Superheroes; Science Fiction

Synopsis

Deciding what to do with one's life is never easy, but learning you were never meant to have a choice is definitely worse. Kana Iwasaki learns on her 20th birthday that she isn't meant to be someone, but rather a battery for the nine most powerful beings in the universe. 

Running and fighting to stay one step ahead of those that have waited millennia for her, she must discover the truth about the power within her. And ultimately, Kana must face what she is and decide what to do with her life: surrender to her destiny of enslavement, spend the rest of her life running, or stand in the light and be something Super.

Warning: This book features Mature Content including Sex and Violence.

 

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Release date: April 25, 2023

Publisher: Palmetto Publishing

Print pages: 261

Content advisory: This book features Mature Content including Sex and Violence.

Sample

PROLOGUE

Nine. There are and have always been only nine types of energy. Chemical, Elastic, Electric, Gravitational, Motion, Nuclear, Radiant, Sound, and Thermal energy. They have existed as inanimate forces since the beginning of time, but all things evolve. The physical manifestation of such a force can only be called one thing, a ‘God’. Whether seeking notoriety or wanting to remain hidden these creatures would not be able to avoid shaping the world around them. Did man discover fire or did Thermal Energy give it to them just to see what they would do with him? Did Electricity help Benjamin Franklin build his kite to prove a point? What would drive an immortal being that is energy? The same thing that drives man, the search for more power. However, if the universe is one thing it is balance. The Nine sit at the vertices of a nonagonal plate perfectly balanced on the tip of the universe. Each having different uses, but none more powerful than the other. The only way to tip such a scale is for more energy to be added, something that hasn’t ever happened before.

CHAPTER 1HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

‘Knock knock’. Kana rapped on the door and then stepped back to wait patiently. When no reply came immediately, she started to smooth her skirt and check her stockings for wrinkles. She would not hear about her ‘dress standards’ again. Standing in the dim hallway outside of her stepmother’s study her eyes went down her long legs and to the dark hardwood of the floor and walls. She couldn’t help but mark the stark contrast to the bright and open home she had grown up in, outside of Kyoto, Japan. This house her stepmother had built here in Manhattan, after her father died, was anything but ‘bright’. It was a dark, quiet tomb. A meticulously cleaned tomb, but, a tomb nevertheless.

“Enter.”

Her stepmother’s slow and even tone finally announced. Never raising her voice for any reason, Kana would have missed the summons had the house not been so quiet.

Kana slid the heavy door into its pocket then entered the private study. She was surprised to find among the ceiling high bookshelves and rich wooden furniture was a guest. Standing before her stepmother’s desk was a large gentleman in a black suit and tie. He had turned at her entrance and was examining her in a way that made Kana uncomfortable. It wasn’t the way that lude men examined her on the subway or out in public, it was more like he was weighing her as a potential threat.

‘A bodyguard?’ Kana thought to herself.

She continued into the room and as soon as her eyes met her stepmother’s she dropped into a deep curtsy. A formality that had been ingrained in her from the moment she had met the woman when she was six. She was sure that she had even seen her father bow to her a time or two, when they didn’t think she was looking. Of course, looking at the woman all the scraping of knees made sense. She wasn’t regal or beautiful, but her stern posture and slow calculated demeanor demanded obedience. She wasn’t ugly per say, she was just plain. Always nicely, but simply dressed and with her hair in a tight blonde bun. Kana had never seen the woman with her hair down, literally nor figuratively. And then there were her eyes. Her eyes were so void of emotion that as a young girl, Kana had feared the woman was an emot

ion that as a young girl, Kana had feared the woman was an evil doll come to life. Maybe she was. She certainly had never shown Kana anything other than a cold acknowledgement that she barely existed in her stepmother’s eyes. Not for the first time she thought that as soon as she turned twenty-one and gained access to her father’s trust; she would never see this woman again. In fact, next year she was just going to stay on campus over the summer and be done with this place.

“You called for me, stepmother.” Kana said raising from her curtsy.

“Yes. As it is your twentieth birthday there are some changes to be made.”

The reminder that she was exactly 365 days away from freedom of this woman, made Kana beam inside.

“Changes?” Kana asked confused. She glanced sideways at the man who was now by the wall. With his eyes now searching her ass for a deeper meaning to life, so he must have decided she wasn’t a threat, but a girl.

“I have had the university notified that you will no longer be in attendance.” Her stepmother continued.

Kana’s head whipped back to stare shocked at the woman. Her hands moved to cover her mouth as it fell open at hearing the most horrid words, since learning of the passing of her father.

“What?” Was all she could croak, but her stepmother didn’t seem to notice or care and went right on.

“Your dorm room was emptied out last night, and I expect the contents to be delivered here this afternoon.”

“I..I don’t understand. What is going on?” Kana asked full of confusion as she finally managed to speak up.

“You no longer have any need for school. You will remain here with me from now on. Mr. Ludlow here.” Her stepmom finally acknowledging the man, made him step closer and give the barest of nods before extending his hand to Kana. “will ensure your safety and that you never leave the property grounds.”

Kana found herself reaching to shake the man’s hand when her stepmother

’s last words clicked in her head. Instead of taking Mr. Ludlow’s hand she turned and stepped up to the desk. The idea she had heard her stepmother correctly making her forget herself. She leaned over and put her hands on the desk.

“Did you just say, I can never leave? Have you gone mad, Elise?” Kana asked, the confusion in her voice turning to anger.

The use of her name made Elise click her tongue and stand up to face her stepdaughter. She methodically adjusted her dark blue blouse and gray skirt; ensuring any imperfections from sitting were corrected. Before then stepping around her desk and up to the younger woman.

“Careful, Kana-kun.” She emphasized the Japanese title for someone of a lesser status. Elise being of European decent didn’t use the title often, and always to remind Kana of her place. Kana’s father and real mother had been of Japanese descent and raised her in their ways. Kana knew this was also her stepmother’s quiet way of reminding her that her parents were both gone, and she was all Kana had.

Elise grabbed Kana’s face and pulled her closer to hers. It was the fastest, Kana had ever seen the woman move and her grip was painful.

“You don’t want to ever push me too far, or you will regret it. Do you understand?” Her stepmother demanded.

“Yes, let go. You’re hurting me.”

Elise let go but didn’t pull her hand away instead she touched Kana’s cheek tenderly. Kana just swallowed and stood patiently. Having no clue what was happening.

“I may have handled this poorly. So, allow me to explain further. Though to truly understand you must think beyond yourself, child. Today changes everything. What I have waited so long for, is finally at my fingertips. And I will not let anyone get in the way now. Not when it is so close.”

Kana just looked at her even more confused. Elise sighed and her fingertips slide down from Kana’s cheek to her stomach. She placed her hand on the girl’s lower abdomen. Kana looked at her in bewilderment.

“I don’t...” Kana began.

“Today you become a woman. Don’t you feel it? Your body now grows with the power to support more than just yourself. In time you..” Kana stepped back and cut her off.

“The fuck! This is about me getting pregnant. I don’t even know what to say. Except, maybe to tell you it’s way too late for the sex talk.” Kana let it all out and decided it’s her turn to do the talking and not let this psycho get another word in. “I’m not sure what century you think it is, but this.” she motioned to her abdomen. “has nothing to do with you. And legally I was a woman when I turned 18, so today..”

She was cut off when, with a nod from Elise, Mr. Ludlow stepped in and decked her in the face. Kana had trained in martial arts her whole life; her father had insisted on it. Back in Japan she started with Karate when she was five. Over there it was even taught at her primary school. Though she would continue with hand-to-hand training right up until they moved, she hadn’t loved it or been the best. No, for Kana it was Sojutsu, the art of the spear. She took to the weapon and was captain of every team she joined. Even when they came to America, and no one practiced the art in the tri-state area, she did. Almost every day. During those first months it was the only part of her day where she didn’t think of her father. She thought of all this on her way to the ground. It was a sucker punch, in a place she never thought she’d find a fight, but still. All that training and she went down like a white belt, that hurt as much as the punch.

Her face rebounded off the rug, that wasn’t near thick enough, and brought her back to the moment. Glad she was still conscious she rol

led on to her back and started to crawl backwards. When neither her stepmother nor Mr. Ludlow took a step closer, she touched the side of her face. She winced in pain, and a quick sweep of her tongue confirmed no teeth had been knocked out. Stock of the damage taken she stood up in a fighting stance and raised her hands. Her stepmother just turned and went back to the desk.

“That will be all for now, child. We will talk again when you come to terms with the situation.” Elise said and then immediately grabbed a notebook and began jotting something down.

Kana just stared in disbelief at the whole encounter, frozen. She just stood there. Stood there trying to think of what to say. Stood there thinking of who to fight. She just stood there until the situation managed to make her feel ridiculous. There slightly crouched with her arms up, hands loose. She was the one under attack, she was the one forbidden to leave, and yet somehow, she felt awkward. But then it hit her. She was forbidden to leave. Then that’s exactly what she would do, leave. She turned and ran.

She ran down the wooden hallway straight for the front door. She thought briefly of what she was leaving behind up in her room, but to hell with it. She wanted away from this place right now and then forever. She could make it on her own for a year. Maybe she’d move in with Alexa, her best friend. She would help her, just for a year. Then after that Kana would use her trust to repay Alexa and get herself back into school. Everything would be alright. She just had to get out of here.

Her running caught the attention of several of the house staff, but none tried to stop her. Mrs. Winter, Head of the house staff, must have heard her coming because she poked her head out of the sitting room right before Kana passed. She yelled something, but Kana didn’t hear. All of her senses were trained on the front door and getting through it. She barely slowed do

wn when she got to it. Just enough to turn the knob and yank it open. She was two steps out the door and getting back up to a full sprint when Mr. Ludlow came around the porch, from the other side of the house, and tried to close line her. He was fast and he set his arm intending to collide with her head, but this time she was ready. At the last minute she turned her trajectory and her body, barreling into him and not his arm. They both went down, but Kana expecting the impact rolled with it and was actually able to get back to her feet rather quickly. Mr. Ludlow however took his time. Pulling himself up he took stock of his torn suit jacket and pants.

“You little bitch.” He said through gritted teeth. “The mistress said I could ‘help you to understand your new situation’. So, don’t take what’s about to happen personally, just remember it’s a teaching moment.”

“I don’t know or care what she told you. I’m leaving, so get out of my way.”

Mr. Ludlow chuckled and started toward her, unconcerned. When he’s just about within reach he changed his posture and snaped a front kick at her stomach. Kana, ready for an attack, slid right and tried to come in for a right handed counter punch to his face. She had been hoping that he wouldn’t expect her to have any training. Whether or not that was the case didn’t matter, he was better trained. He trapped her extended arm under his own and used her momentum to throw her unceremoniously back to the ground. She rolled over to her stomach and managed to just get up on to her hands and knees when his first kick took her in the stomach. She gasped as it lifted her off the ground and flipped her over on to her back.

“Ahh...Ahhh” She moaned holding her stomach in pain. He’d no doubt bruised more than one rib with the blow.

Mr. Ludlow c

ame to stand at her feet and look down at her. He watched her writhe with quiet glee. Scared, she moved to slide back away from him.

“Please. Just let me go.” She pleaded as she continued to try and scoot further. “Why are you doing this?”

His eyes trail down her body and when they stop at her hips, she briefly glances down herself and sees what her position and crawling have allowed her skirt to reveal. She stopped moving to reach down and cover herself from his eyes. This only made him smile more.

“Don’t worry. My instructions were clear. That’s off limits. But this...” Quick as a viper he bent down and grabbed a handful of her shirt and lifted her up by it. Then just as quickly punched her defenseless face several times. “...is encouraged.”

Kana had grabbed at his hand to try and free self, but the first punch had dazed her and the second and third made thinking clearly nearly impossible. Somewhere she was aware of the taste of pennies in her mouth, but the only clear thought at the moment was ‘someone help me’. Even in her own head it was a weak whisper of a thought. She knew there was no one coming.

Mr. Ludlow struck her again and her fingers went numb. Her arms going limp to drag on the driveway. She looked up at him then, blood from her nose and busted lip sliding down her face. She had no more fight in her and he knew it.

“Finished already? Too bad. I’ll just have to hope this lesson doesn’t stick and we can do this again anoth...” He was cut off as a kitchen knife was stabbed into his shoulder. Screaming in rage and pain he dropped Kana to turn and see Mrs. Winter standing behind him. A bloody knife reared back to strike again.

“Get off of her, you monster.” Mrs. Winter screamed before trying to stab him again. Ludlow surged toward her to catch the knife and the two stumbled off struggling. Mrs. Winter then turned her gaze to meet Kana’s eyes. When they do they soften, and she pleaded. “Run, child. Hurry.”

Kana looked at the woman. She was yelling something, but the words made no sense to her scrambled brain. The eyes though, they pierced the fog and Kana understood. She rolled over and painfully pushed herself to her feet. Clutching her side and bruised ribs, she staggered for a moment but was then quickly moving for the gate. All those years of training, and never a class on how to move after getting your ticket punched.

She was at the small side gate in moments. Holding on to the iron wrought fencing for strength, she paused to spit the blood from her mouth and to try and catch her breath.

This close to escaping, helped to clear her head and she knew she couldn’t waste the time Mrs. Winter had bought her. She pulled the gate open and stepped out to look up the street. One block, that was all that separated her from safety. She knew that once she made it to 7th avenue there would be people, taxis, and maybe even a cop. All that was within her sight with no obstacles in between. She actually smiled a bloody smile at the thought, but then she looked back into the courtyard.

CHAPTER 2LUDLOW

At some point Mr. Ludlow had knocked the knife from Mrs. Winter and lost all control of himself. She hadn’t heard it before, but now his shouts of rage were clear as bells.

“You fucking bitch.” He screamed with spittle leaving his lips as he slammed Mrs. Winter into the ground. “You cut me!” He had mounted the poor woman and was now swinging wildly at her. His fists raining down on her. The poor woman tried to put her hands up, but it was futile.

‘He’s going to kill her’. Kana thought. She took one last look at the empty road to her salvation and then made up her mind. She stepped back into the courtyard but wasn’t sure what to do. She was no match for Ludlow in hand to hand, so she’d have to change the rules. Looking around she immediately saw what she was looking for. A rake left by the grounds crew. With one stomp she snapped the head off. The break wasn’t clean, so now the smooth shaft ended in a 6” jagged spike. A traditional ‘yari’ (spear) if she’d ever seen one.

“Stop it. I’m the one you’re trying to teach a lesson, right?” Kana shouted at the raging man.

He stopped mid swing to look at her uncertainly. His fists bloody with first Kana’s and now Mrs. Winter’s blood and his face and shirt were dotted with it as well. His shoulder wound had been forgotten in his rage. Breathing hard from his assault he just paused there with is arm still raised as he slowly regained control. Kana could now hear Mrs. Winter’s sobs with his shouting stopped. He stood up regaining his composer. He seemed almost embarrassed for his rampage. He attempted to straighten his jacket and even wipe away some of the blood. He looked genuinely surprised to find it on his shirt. He only managed to smear and spread it though. He also took stock of the gate and where Kana stood.

“You came back.” He said a little uncertain. “I owe you for that. You leaving would not have been good for me.”

Kana didn’t know what to say or how to react to this new side of the man. First cold, then a raging madman, now embarrassed and unsure of himself. Whatever he was, he was unhinged and dangerous.

“Why don’t you drop that thing and come back inside. Then we can all just move on.” He took a step toward her.

Kana spun the weapon in a flourish and put herself in a defensive stance. The tip pointing at Ludlow’s chest. Ludlow paused and

the two locked eyes. They didn’t know it, but they were having the same thought at the exact same moment. ‘This was not the same girl from before’. What Ludlow saw; Kana felt. She stood straighter, her posture more confident, and even after the earlier beating her eyes were sharp and clear. With the spear in her hand, she had no fear. This was familiar ground to her. In her years practicing Sojutsu she had stood across from hundreds of opponents, and now carried the confidence of all those victories. She hadn’t won every match, but she knew she was good.

“I’m still leaving, but first I’m kicking your ass.” She challenged.

Mr. Ludlow sneered, some of his own confidence returning.

“You come at me with that stick and you’re going to regret it.” He stalked to her, and to his surprise Kana didn’t wait for him to close the distance. She did. She came on, fainting a jab to his face that made him turn and juke left just like she wanted. She smoothly stepped to the right and brought the bottom half of the spear into his ribs, hard. He gasped, but not wanting to give up ground, he took the blow and then tried to move into grab her. Kana just calmly side stepped though and turned the spear with his momentum, sweeping his extending arm off to the side. With practiced grace she continued her move bringing the spear around her shoulders as she spun. Ludlow, now lunging in the wrong direction, was defenseless as Kana used the momentum of the spin and twirl to bring the blunt end smashing down on the back of his shoulders. He went down in a snarl of pain. Kana watched him fall then stepped to Mrs. Winter.

“Come on, we have to get out of here.” Kana pleaded as she extended her hand.

Mrs. Winter smiled flatly and let the girl help her to her feet, but as she wiped the tears and blood from her face it turned sad.

“No, dear. You have to go. I must serve The Lady Elise, but you child. There is

 nothing here for you.”

Kana looked at her in disbelief. ‘What power does my stepmother have over these people?’ She asked herself. But to Mrs. Winter she just pleaded. “What? No, we can go together.”

But Mrs. Winter gave her a small shake of her head. “I don’t pretend to know what is going on, but you must go. Just go.”

Mrs. Winter turned and then limped back into the house. Leaving Kana dumbstruck until a voice from behind woke her.

“See, that’s a woman who knows her place. You should learn from her.”

Kana turned to see Mr. Ludlow just getting to his feet.

“Last chance to...”

He’s cut off as Kana charged him in a rage of her own. Screaming as she attacked, she made the spear a blur as she moved. Ludlow, with his arms raised defensively in front of him and his eyes darting to watch for the attack was not ready for her. The butt end caught him behind his right knee, then the left side of his face. Thinking he saw an opening be snapped a kick at the girl as she turned spinning. His foot hit nothing but air instead of her defenseless back, and when it landed, he got a blow to his testicles for all his effort.

‘That surely crushed one of them.’ Kana thought with more than a little glee, as she gave the devastated man a kick of her own.

Catching him under the chin, the blow made Ludlow bite though part of his own tongue. Blood poured from his mouth, and his hands went to his face in a panic. Kana gave him no reprieve. Stepping into it with all her weight, the next blow struck him hard across the chest. She then lets the spear’s rebound, swing around her back to take his feet out from under him.

Ludlow laid on the concrete drive gasping, ...