He felt a wave of relief at seeing her alive. He had been so worried that they would never see each other again, but here she was, safe and sound. He couldn’t help but stare at her, as she knelt beside him, gathering energy and feeding it into his wounds. He thought that she was the most beautiful person he had ever met in his entire life. Her face was bruised and covered in dirt, but that didn’t take away from her beauty. Nothing could. She was absolutely stunning. Her blue eyes, her long brown hair—everything about her brought a smile to his face.
“Diandra…”
She looked deep into his eyes, “Yes, Leo?”
“…Thank you.” He wanted to tell her, in that moment, that he loved her, but he couldn’t find the right words. He wasn’t ashamed of himself, like he thought he’d be. Because it didn’t matter to him if she knew his true feelings, right then and there. They were both alive, and that meant that they had all the time in the world. He would find a time to tell her, perhaps when they had a little more privacy.
She smiled at him, but before anyone could say another word—Ravez jumped down from the broken level from above, carrying a body in his arms. He laid it down and they all saw that it was Zane. Diandra left Leo, in his mostly healed condition, and moved over to the psychic’s unconscious body.
“He’s still alive!” she exclaimed, feeling his life-force.
Everyone let out a huge sigh of relief. For a second, Leo’s heart had been filled with dread. Eli’s prophesy said that Zane would defeat Grindaull. It didn’t mention anything specific, like if Zane had to die as well. Leo was so happy to know that it hadn’t been the case.
“Did you find Grindaull?” asked Kitso, moving over to Ravez. It was a fair question, and the next one on everyone’s minds. Until they received confirmation of the king’s death, they couldn’t assume the best.
“No,” said Ravez, flatly.
Everyone tensed up a little. Did the king disintegrate in the explosion? Or was he still out there somewhere? With an explosion like that, Leo found it hard to believe anyone could survive being at the epicenter of it.
“There were no other bodies up there,” continued Ravez, “All I found was Zane and this sword beside him.” Ravez reached behind his back and took out a large, sickly looking sword. It had a black blade with serrated edges and a bone grip. The whole group felt uneasy at the sight of it, but Kitso and Rome looked particularly frightened.
“…Zabumura,” said Kitso in a hushed whisper, almost as though he was afraid to say the name out loud.
“If only the sword remains…then Grindaull must be dead,” said Rome.
“I agree,” said Kitso, “But that begs the question…what do we do with it?”
“The angelics will know what to do—until then no one should touch it.”
“Agreed.”
Leo looked at Ravez, intrigued. The mysterious man of an unknown species had held the cursed sword only moments before, but he seemed fine. All the legends of Zabumura stated that the sword could kill anyone who touched it, if they weren’t strong enough. It could have been luck that Ravez held it with immunity, but Leo guessed that there was likely more to it than that. Was Ravez that powerful? Did he have a secret evil presence living inside him that was able to keep the demon’s influence at bay? They all knew that purity of heart wasn’t enough to stop the blade’s curse. After all, it had corrupted the great Kahl himself, bringing him to the point of madness and eventual suicide. If something like that was going to happen to Ravez, Leo wanted to know so they could stop it.
But he knew that Ravez wasn’t going to keep the sword. In fact, the rogue placed it on the ground the second Kitso and Rome asked him too. And if Zabumura needed time to enact its influence, then maybe Ravez let it go in time…Leo hoped that was the case.
But whatever the future of Zabumura might be, Leo knew that it was out of his hands. The angelics would take it soon, and move it to a safe location. As long as no one used it again, AzzaNation would be safe from its evil.
In the meantime, it was time to celebrate! They were all alive and Grindaull was dead. That was all that mattered now. The Brotherhood of Light was about to take control of the planet, and they could start bringing peace and harmony back to AzzaNation. Their journey was only just beginning, and Leo knew that he was ready for whatever happened next.
EPILOGUE
T he breeze was light and pleasant in the AzzaNation air. The sun beamed in the sky, keeping the ocean waters warm. Right where the Kahl waters meets the Sorean Sea, rows upon rows of debris floated in the water. It floated along the current, moving from one large sea into another. Some pieces were swept away, brought to shore, by the constant waves. Others would get plunged into the ocean’s depths, never to be seen again.
One of these pieces held a body. A bloody and beaten body. Broken armor and tattered clothes were its only company. The gentle waves were the only sound it heard, and the salt-water the only smell. Suddenly, the body stirred and woke up in a coughing fit. He coughed up blood and held his chest in pain.
In that moment, he didn’t know where he was or what he was doing, but when Grindaull felt the warmth of the sun above him, all he wanted to do was sleep.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Matt Mihilewicz is a Canadian author who is making his official debut with Chronicles of AzzaNation: Dawn of a New Age. He’s been writing creatively since high school, either through screenplays, short stories, poetry, or novels.
When he isn’t writing, he is usually acting in any manner of film, television, voice acting, or theatre. He currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta, with his beautiful wife Lauren.
Follow him at:
Facebook.com/Matt-Mihilewicz-Author
Instagram: @mattmihilewicz
The Chronicles of AzzaNation: Dawn of a New Age Page 29