by K R Leikvoll
Luckily, Kirin was feeling the same thing. He held his hand up to stop everyone and put a finger on his lips. "He's here," he said super quietly.
"Who?" Arturio asked in a growly voice, no doubt hoping it was Lydris.
"Raven. I can sense Pestilence. He's using it as we speak," Kirin replied.
"Raven is…" I trailed off. I recognized the name but couldn't place it.
"The only other Essentia-wielder. Your guardian angel's little brother," Kirin said with a hint of sarcasm that actually hurt.
"Well, if we kill him, then it’s two-for-two, and Lazarus doesn't stand a chance," I said, eyeing every person there. Maybe we should've brought the army.
"I vote we leave right away," Arubai stated with his hand on his sword. "This is not a fight we can win without backup."
"We don't even know what we are dealing with," Ronen said sharply back to him. "Don't be such a coward." He moved ahead of us to the other side of the clearing, disappearing into the brush. The voices were begging so loud I didn't hear Kirin and Arturio arguing with Arubai. When Ronen returned, his face looked grim.
"You guys are going to want to see," was all he said. Our group of five approached the clearing and we all crouched to peek between the brush.
In front of us was an empty, dead field. In the center sat a square stone wall with an iron gate. The gate was being guarded by some kind of winged, bat-like fiend, and through it corpse-like people of all races were shuffling around in chains. It was a horrifying scene. Some of them looked dead, like legitimate zombies. Others were alive, if only physically. Through the gate, in the center, was a stone building emanating smoke.
"We need to leave!" Arubai said quietly but with concern. "Let's tell the council what we found and be done with it."
"No! Look at those people! They need help!" I snapped, glaring at that scarlet- haired bastard.
Kirin put a hand on my shoulder. "Val, he may be right. I don't know if we can do this alone."
On cue, a high-pitched scream erupted from inside the building. The scream caused Kirin, Arturio and Ronen to jump to their feet. Arubai and I just shared a curious stare.
"Did you hear that?" Ronen asked the other two. Shadows formed Famine in Kirin's hands.
Arturio took a deep inhale of the dead-smelling air with his wolf nose. "It's her," he said as he exhaled. "Let's go."
"It's who?" I asked, but they all ignored me and started to discuss various ways to attack the small fortress. I tried asking again. Nothing. Arubai shrugged at me with his usual snooty scowl.
"Okay, it's settled," Ronen said drawing into the dirt. "Arturio and I will take out the guard. The king, the Divinus and Arubai will infiltrate the inner building."
"Excuse me, what?" I still didn't understand what was going on.
"I am not going to fight Raven! Are you mad?" Arubai asked furiously. I could see a hint of sweat on his brow from nervousness.
Arturio had enough of it and picked Arubai up off the ground by his clothes. "Either help or get out of our way!" he growled. He dropped him, and Arubai instantly ran the opposite direction.
"I will bring aid!" Arubai called to redeem himself.
Kirin crouched down so I could climb on his back. He walked a few yards away from the gate and waited. A silver arrow flew through the air and hit the hell fiend’s right wing. It screeched in fury and began to move toward the direction of Ronen and Arturio crouched in the bushes. Hopefully they knew how to fight well enough to kill that thing alone. I couldn't keep looking back at them; Kirin propelled us over the wall easily and silently.
We dropped down inaudibly. I unclasped my hands and crouched behind him. We were surrounded completely on all sides by zombified prisoners. They were all skeletal, slowly shuffling around and staring at the ground.
Kirin held up Famine steadily as a man with dead brown hair and lifeless eyes approached us. He put his hands up to signal that he wasn't armed. Kirin was still cautious and backed us slowly into the wall in response.
When the deadened man got a glimpse of me, he fell to his knees and bowed his head. "Please... save... us," he begged into the dirt. "Before he –"
Another high-pitched scream came from the center building. Kirin nodded his head in that direction and started to run.
I put my hand on the man briefly as I passed him, doing whatever healing I could in that short span of seconds. I glanced back to see him staring at his hands that were full of color and life. None of the prisoners gave away our position as we passed; every single one of them did the same as the first man. Some couldn't even beg for help they were so near death. I'd have to come back around to heal them all once everything was done—if I even returned.
Kirin and I put our backs to the stone of the center building. Ronen and Arturio were still doing the tango with the guard. The prisoners were gathering at the gate en masse. The metal clanged and dinged as they began to shove and shake it. They were trying their hardest to bust it open to help; it was a huge relief that we wouldn't have to fight them, too. I was right about needing those people as our allies.
We could hear the sounds of struggle coming from inside the building. Kirin guided us to where a single uncovered window faced the empty field. It was too tall for either of us to peer inside; Kirin leapt to catch the windowsill and climbed out of sight. He took so long to reach his hands down that I almost thought he forgot about me. I had to take a step back and run up the wall in order to barely reach his grasp. With a heave, he pulled me through the window. He caught me in his arms and whispered for me to be quiet.
The window led inside to a spiral staircase I easily would've tripped down had he not caught me. It was so tight Kirin hardly fit without knocking his arms or head against the wall and ceiling. He grabbed my hand tightly and led the way down the stairs, not daring to make any sounds. When we reached the bottom, he squeezed down so hard it felt like he was trying to break my knuckles.
My heart dropped into my gut when I saw what he was seeing.
There was an almost empty room in front of us. Three figures populated it. One I recognized from one of my visions. He wore regal black and purple robes with a white skull painted on his face. His eyes were unlike any I had seen: royal orchid and glowing just as bright as any demon. The only person he could be was Raven, the other Essentia-wielder besides Kirin and Lazarus.
Beside him was a peculiar girl with jade-colored hair spun in pigtails. She was wearing scaled golden armor, covered head-to-foot in bangles, earrings and necklaces. The most peculiar things about her were her huge, yellow, reptilian eyes and the stubby horns on her head.
Neither of them was as interesting as the third person in the room.
It was Alexandra, chained to the wall... only...
"It seems we have visitors," Raven said, sighing in a moderately monotone voice. He sounded older than he appeared.
"You bastard!" Kirin yelled at him swinging his scythe at the empty air. "What have you done?"
"Upgrades," Raven replied with a wickedly insane smile on his face. It reminded me so much of Lazarus' insanity, I nearly panicked. A noxious green gas began to rise from the ground—not unlike back on Naadea with the plaguebearer. A scythe, with deadwood as its base, appeared in Raven's gloved hands.
"Holly, we are leaving," he said to the green-haired girl beside him. He kept his eyes on us and slowly moved toward the wall where Alexandra was chained. With a swipe of his scythe, he cut her chains and she fell to the ground.
The other girl, Holly, was changing into something else. Similar green fog surrounded her like a tornado, and she emerged as a massive jade drake. So big that she broke the wall behind them with her spaded tail. Before Kirin and I could do anything, Raven hopped onto her back, scythe still in hand.
"Alexandra, love, time to play with our friends," Raven said to Alexandra's slumped form on the ground.
She stood up slowly, unsure of her own body. I didn't blame her.
Someone, Raven or Lazarus most likely, had n
ot only done the unspeakable by performing the Dark Sacrament on her, but they had also seriously mutilated her body. She had another set of arms sewn into her rib cage that ended in sharp boney points and a pair of giant green wings that I had a feeling had belonged to the drake in front of us. Had I not known the familiar face of my aunt, I wouldn't have recognized her.
"Alexandra!" Raven said, clapping his hands together sharply. "Kill the others and bring the Nephilim with the Essentia shard to Duskwraith!"
Clearly possessed, Alex let out an inhuman howl, revealing all of her pointed fangs.
Raven and Holly took off faster than we could, leaving her to block our path.
Kirin lowered Famine.
"Alex," Kirin said, his voice raw with fury. "I'm not going to fight you. I can help."
Like some sort of rabid animal, she threw herself at Kirin, pummeling both of us into the staircase. I knocked my head against the stone hard enough for a concussion. A weaker version of me might've passed out, but Kirin was getting stabbed repeatedly in his gut by her shiv-like arms, and I couldn't sit there and do nothing.
The ring buzzed on my hand, ready to help. As Alex brought one of her right arms in to stab him again, I put up a barrier around us. The force knocked her off her feet and into the rubble of the wall. Kirin grimaced in pain, still keeping me pinned to the ground accidentally. I focused a heal on him for as long as I possibly could. Actual vapor rose from the wounds as they sizzled and healed.
He climbed off finally, ignoring me and rushed back toward Alex who was starting to stand again. I jumped to my feet to run after him, but I crashed into his back when he stopped abruptly.
In front of us, Ronen and Arturio had made it through the gate. Unknowingly, Ronen approached Alexandra with tears glistening in his brown eyes. Arturio fell to his knees and let out a howl that could only be described as one of grief.
"Alex?" Ronen said reaching a hand out toward her. Kirin called out to him, but he didn't stop. He caressed her cheek and stared in upset confusion at her glowing red eyes.
In one fluid movement, Alexandra slashed at his throat with one of her wings. In a spray of red blood, Ronen's decapitated body fell to her feet.
"Ronen!" I screamed in horror. Everything went numb.
Ronen... was dead? No, no, not him, too. Maybe I could heal him... no... not with his head torn off. It was hard to breathe between the shock and concussion. I sank to my knees, unable to comprehend reality.
Alexandra wasn't waiting for us to grieve. Her wings propelled her toward Arturio's form, who was still sitting on his knees. As quick as lightning, Kirin dashed between them. He parried her deadly blow with Famine, still desperately trying to plead with her.
"Alex! Wake up! It's me!" Kirin yelled furiously.
She let out another inhuman growl and swiped with one of her wings at his feet. It slashed open his pants and left a brutal flesh wound on his thigh. He lost his momentum, giving her the chance to swipe with her other wing, grazing his chest.
I couldn't just sit there and do nothing, but could I really bring myself to shoot Alex? My chrome gun formed in my right hand. I was shaking so badly I couldn’t aim.
Kirin wasn't attacking her, either. He continuously reflected her lashes, calling her name out over and over. Arturio made his way to his feet, but still seemed incapable of fighting her like myself. Kirin was having difficulty reflecting six limbs and two wings which were powering her assault. Her second left arm moved to slash his throat while her wings propelled her into the air. I barely blocked it with a barrier.
"Valentine! Focus!" Kirin yelled at me taking a second to clutch his neck, which had almost been cut. Demonic Alexandra dove straight for his chest, underneath Famine's staff. Kirin caught one of the added limbs with his blade, severing it, but it wasn't enough. Alex used her newfound fangs to rip at his gut making contact before I could stop it. She snarled with his black substance all over her face.
Kirin ripped her off by her hair and slammed her face into the dirt. One of Alex's green wings thrust forward as she caught herself, knocking him in the face.
My finger squeezed my pistol's trigger, launching a bullet of light at her. I missed narrowly, hitting her red hair a few inches from her neck and setting it ablaze. It probably wasn’t the smartest idea; her attention was drawn to me instead.
Alex dodged a slice of Kirin’s scythe and followed it up with her fist. He didn’t expect her reaction to be so fast. The punch hit him directly in the throat, knocking him off his feet.
Without knowing what else to do, I showered her with bullets of light. I couldn’t kill her, but I also couldn’t let her kill Kirin, no matter how upset I was with him.
She only needed my assault to convince her to come after me instead. Alexandra dashed across the field and grabbed me by my arm before I could react. Her wings propelled us into the air. My organs dropped into the pit of my being, and I couldn't suppress a scream. Kirin and Arturio were on their feet below yelling at each other, trying to figure out what to do. After gaining enough distance between them and us, we started toward the open field. I struggled as much as I could against her arms, not trying to think of the drop. I wouldn't let her take me to Lazarus; I would never be her prisoner again.
"I'm sorry about this," I yelled upward. I used all my strength to rip my right hand from her extra appendage. I pointed the barrel of my pistol up and braced myself with my eyes closed. My fingers pulled the trigger, and I finally made contact. It blew apart her right wing, sending us both plummeting to the ground.
Arturio's furry arms caught me, cracking one of my ribs enough for it to jab my lungs, though it healed with the aid of the ring. Kirin tore Alexandra off of me and pinned her on the ground. She was writhing against him like an insanity-driven monster. There was no semblance of herself left; I hardly recognized her. If she could see herself, she would want to be put down. No way would she ever want to be Lazarus' mind slave.
"Alex! Alex! It's me!" Kirin yelled at her, fighting her arms to the ground. He ripped her extra right arm off, making her scream like a banshee.
"Fight it, Alex, I know you're in there!"
I got out of Arturio's grasp and shared a tense stare with him. His eyes were distraught with pain, but I could see he was thinking the same thing as me. My hand tightened its grasp on my gun. I didn't want to kill her. I didn't think I could. Arturio patted my back and shook his head. He slowly removed the bone bow on his back.
"Kirin," I said, gently nudging his shoulder.
He looked up with nothing but agony. I could tell he was in denial. "No! I won't leave her!" Kirin yelled furiously.
"That's not Alex. That's a creation of Lazarus’. She wouldn't want to live this way. We need to... let her go."
"She can fight it. We can help her," Kirin replied, shaking his head in disbelief. Alexandra's angry wails nearly drowned him out.
Arturio put a strong hand on his shoulder. Kirin turned back at us again, still not comprehending the situation. "Maundrell—" Arturio started.
"No! The Void awaits her on the other side! You'd damn your own guardian?" Kirin asked incredulously.
Arturio and I shared another pained expression. It was true; Lazarus had contracted her soul to the Void rather than kill her...
"She walks in the Void now, Maundrell. To keep her alive would only make her endure more suffering," Arturio stated firmly. He tugged lightly on Kirin's arm, which Kirin ripped away.
"I won't kill her," he stated, purposefully looking away from us.
"Let's go," I said, stifling my tears. I grabbed him in a hug from behind and started to pull him from Alex.
Arturio took his place, holding her down.
"You don't have to see this," I whispered into his hair as I began to tug him along. Surprisingly, Kirin turned away. His eyes were glossy like he wasn't there. I intertwined my fingers with his and we started toward the open gate of the camp.
The sickened inhabitants were all grouped together standing near the
entrance. A hundred, maybe less. Some appeared like legitimate zombies, but they weren't trying to eat anyone, so I didn't feel the need to worry.
My heart was impaled by the situation with Alex which felt worse than my ribs I had healed. I loved her as much as I could for how long I knew her. Kirin, however, needed some kind of attention so he didn't lose his mind. The grief was heavy on my shoulders—much like when James passed away. Not only did we lose Alex, but we lost Ronen, too. His only mistake was being in love with her.
The ring buzzed and glowed brightly against my finger. Something about my emotions was sparking the light, not the darkness. I followed it in my mind, daring to close my eyes. It was trying to reassure me that everything was going to be okay, as unbelievable as it sounded. I welcomed it over any demonic essence or Vince. It washed over me in waves. As I opened my eyes, golden light surged around Kirin and me, hitting all of the affected. Like I had individually healed each one of them, the light cured their various ailments. Many started to actually cry in relief from whatever torment they were put through. The light even healed and soothed Kirin's wounds. I was really pleased with myself despite everything, but my body fell limp afterward.
I struggled to stand back up. It took Kirin several moments to register I had fallen; he was still in shock. He picked me up into his arms and continued to stare at nothing in the direction of the trees.
The sound of thumping in the distance made me look up. Jotus and Arubai were riding toward us on katomas with a score of soldiers. Kirin clutched me closer defensively as Arubai rode through the crowd to our side.
"I brought backup. Did you slay Raven?" Arubai asked.
I was feeling so fatigued I didn't want to be bothered with explaining anything.
"No. Now get out of my way," Kirin growled, starting to walk past him.
"We've brought the Divinus' katoma. She can ride back faster," Arubai protested.
"Please... just help the others," I said before anyone could say anything further.
Jotus jumped off his panther and started shouting in another language at the crowd of survivors. It startled me at first, but I was surprised to see an Evyan woman with dirty blonde hair run to embrace him. Some sort of beautiful reunion I'm sure. It was hard to feel anything over the shock I was still going through. The violence wasn't even close to over.