by Orr, Krystal
She turned around and looked back at her love. Arizira’s eyes were no longer on hers. They were locked with another. Another Talliea could not see.
Unbeknownst to Talliea, Arniran warriors were not far from her location. She was unaware of the group of women who were moving toward her and the men coming up behind her. Arizira was not, however. Her ears had picked up on the sounds of her sisters, even though they had moved quietly enough. The world was stuck between night and day, the transition from one to another not having taken place yet.
It was as if an eternal dusk.
Arizira watched her sisters to the north come to a halt. She watched Bela'luin, a few paces away from the main group, train her eyes upon Talliea. She watched her former lover equip her bow, notch an arrow, and take aim.
Bela'luin viewed Talliea as the reason for her own affairs. She blamed Talliea for corrupting Arizira. She blamed her for bringing the Esu to her sacred forest. With one shot, she could end Talliea's life and, in turn, save Arizira's spirit.
She could not have known about Arizira's parentage. She could not have known that she, herself, had laid with one of Esu blood. She could not have been aware that her actions had been written down long before her birth, or that her next decision would bring about the manifestation of destiny.
No, Bela'luin could not have known about any of those things because her heart had been consumed by hate. She had allowed her anger to lead her actions and, once that course had been set, she could not have done anything to deviate from it.
The arrow was released quickly. She heard her sisters moving away to engage the men coming up from the east. The Esu woman, Talliea, looked in Arizira's direction. Everything slowed and the next set of events happened nothing like Bela'luin had intended.
Arizira moved like lightning from her location. She moved faster than what should have been possible. She moved toward Talliea.
Her actions had barely been given any thought. All that mattered was Talliea. All that mattered was protecting her.
The Esu men emerged from the trees behind Lao'dahn. They noticed his condition. They noticed Talliea standing numb not far away from him. In an overwhelming instant, they became aware of their predicament.
Women came out of hiding around them. Several, several women. Each had either silver or white hair with intense eyes that burned white like the moon. They were all adorned in earth-toned leathers, accented by leaves and feathers and beads. Each woman was equipped with a bow and arrows while several others carried long swords, sabres, daggers, or glaives.
Arizira ran toward Talliea. She felt as if time itself had stopped. The arrow Bela'luin had loosed was going to hit her love. She had to get Talliea out of harm's way. She had to save her. How could she lose her now when she had only just found her again?
Talliea looked around her, too stunned to do anything other than remain frozen where she was. Everything had gone from calm to calamity in far too short a time. She saw Arizira coming toward her and smiled, despite the situation. Yet, that smile never grew to fruition. Arizira's face was not one of happiness or joy or peace. It was one of sorrow, of pain.
It was one of fear.
The moment Talliea became aware of the danger around her -- truly aware, was the moment her world came to a screeching halt. Not twenty feet in front of her, Arizira froze. Her eyes widened as blood spilled from her lips. A shocked and disbelieving look overcame her features.
Talliea felt her breath leave her lungs harshly. Her eyes lowered and she took in the sight of the arrow protruding from Arizira's chest. Arizia fell to her knees.
Talliea screamed.
It was unlike any sound ever made by another. It was a sound never to be replicated again. She watched Arizira's hands come up to her chest before she swayed and fell to the ground. Voices clashed behind her, in front of her, around her. She was unsure. They no longer mattered. Her feet covered the short few paces separating her from Arizira and she dropped to the ground next to her.
"No, no, no...no, please. Ari? Ari? Stay here with me, love. Please...no...no..."
Her hands ran across Arizira's body in a rush. Tears fell from her eyes as she held the body of her love.
"Fai...lira," Arizira muttered faintly.
Talliea cried harder and shook her head. It had been so long since she had heard that term of endearment. Around her, the sounds of battle sounded, but she could only concentrate on Arizira. Her love was dying in her arms and her body felt so much pain, she could barely stand to suffer it. There was an emptiness trying to overcome her.
As her hands ran across her lover's chest, the shocking warmth of blood met her fingers and a new wave of agony ravished her body.
"You should not be here, Ari-sera! I was trying to keep you safe, love! Why? Why?"
And her words were the truth. She had been meaning to save Arizira when she had told her to leave. She had not desired any harm to come to her. When she had been looking for Arizira in the forest, Talliea had never entertained the possibility that open war would break out around them during their reunion.
This was never supposed to have happened.
Arizira coughed and, with difficulty, managed to place her hand on top of Talliea's, which rested on her chest.
"I...m-missed you. I...promised...t-to keep you s-safe."
Her explanation felt inadequate. She wanted to say so many things, but she knew her time was short. Her breathing was coming much more slowly and the effort to talk too demanding. She wanted to tell Talliea about her parents. She wanted to tell her about the white wolf and how Cynra and Taetylona had been working together.
Most of all, Arizira wanted to tell Talliea about their baby.
But, how could she tell her such a thing now with her own life seeping slowly away? Talliea would be doubly devastated if she learned of her child only to lose her so soon after. With Arizira's life fading away, so too was the life of their baby. The thought sickened Arizira, but she could not allow Talliea to feel that same emotion.
Tears fell from Talliea's eyes and pooled in the crook of Arizira's neck. She could feel her love's breathing coming farther and farther apart. Her skin was pale and quickly cooling and blood was drying on her lips.
"Not this way, Ari. Not this way."
Arizira attempted another small smile before wincing with pain. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and Talliea realized the light within them was fading. Quickly, Arizira forced herself to say all the things that were important to her. To Talliea. To them.
"A-always t-this...way, f-failira. My e-eyes are...g-g-gladdened to s-see your...f-face again. Y-you are...s-safe. T-this is...e-enough...f-for me."
"Ari-sera...no...please. I can not walk this world without you. P-please! Stay here. Stay here with me."
Talliea's heart could not decide if it wanted to continue to beat or cease all attempts and join her love's. She had waited her whole life for Arizira. She had found herself in the other woman. Love, happiness, physical fulfillment-all had been achieved for her through Arizira. The two of them had found one another. They had become friends. They had become equals.
They had found love and become lovers.
The thought of never experiencing any of those things again terrified and saddened Talliea beyond all imagining. She could not live her life without Arizira. She couldn't. Their two separate lives had become one over the course of their time together. The bond they shared was unlike anything Talliea had ever known. She knew she'd never find that type of connection again.
"I'm going to save you, love. Do you hear me? Just stay with me," she pleaded, before attempting to pick the smaller woman up.
Around them both, the sounds of steel meeting steel rang out in the silence of the forest. Voices called out to their fellows and resounding commands were issued afterward. Occasional flashes of light flared to life in various areas but, for the moment, no one attempted to interfere with Talliea or Arizira.
Arizira cried out when Talliea tried to move her. Pain sho
t through her chest and fanned out into her arms and fingers. Fresh blood spilled from the wound in her chest and her vision darkened.
"Do...n-not, Tah-li. D-do n-not," she panted out. She knew the Esu and Arnira would soon be upon them and she desired her last moments to be spent with her love rather than in pain on some futile attempt at flight.
Talliea loosened her hold on Arizira's body and let her head fall onto her neck. She needed to be close to the woman who had brought her to life and healed her heart.
"I love you so much," she whispered in a ragged breath against Arizira's neck. Kissing her pulse, Talliea let herself feel the enormity of her crazed emotions. Everything assaulted her at once and she cried as someone who has lost a most vital part of themselves.
Her spirit felt like it was being ripped from inside her only to be replaced with a deep, black, and unforgiving void. She grasped Arizira's shoulder and squeezed her arm almost painfully in her desperation to keep them together.
"Failira..."Arizira croaked. Her voice was deeper and slower and Talliea knew their time together was coming to a fast end.
Pulling away and running her fingers across her lover's face, Talliea tried to clear her tears so that she could see Arizira's eyes more clearly.
"Y-you a-are...my life's...g-g-great...est...d-desire. I...l-loved y-you...f-from the m-m-moment I s-saw...you. Y-you...c-compli...mented me a-and I w-was great..er...w-with you...t-than I e-ever w-was...a-alone. I...l-love y-you..f-fai..l-lira. A-always..."
Talliea watched the dull glow of Arizira's eyes finally dim and fade away. A glossy sheen seemed to cover them almost immediately and her body slackened in her arms. A deep rattle-like sound came from her throat and in the next moment, she was still and quiet.
"No! No! Oh, please! No! Ari? Ari? I love you...please!"
Talliea's mind attempted to shut itself down. The amount of pain she was currently experiencing was nearly enough to render her completely useless. She looked down at Arizira, her sweet, loving, beautiful and perfect Arizira.
She was gone.
The two of them had just found one another again! No, no, no! How could this be the end? How could this outcome be just and fair? Lao'dahn got to live while Arizira lay dead in her arms? It was not right! It could not be the truth.
She had searched for Arizira for days. She had been determined to find her again and never let her go!
Now, Esu and Arnira battled around her in the deepening night. Flashes of light lit up the sky and voices, both fair and harsh, cried around her. She felt numb. She felt dead. She felt alone and in a state of despair she had no name for.
All of this was her fault. If she had never allowed Arizira to leave, things might have turned out differently. The two of them may very well have gotten away from Markahn and Lao'dahn and the others. Everything happening around her was her fault.
Arizira's death was her fault.
The admission twisted her insides. She was responsible.
"No...no. I am sorry, love...I am s-so sorry. Come back...c-come back...p-please..." she begged.
She gathered Arizira in her arms and held her close as she began to rock them both back and forth. "I love you. I love you, Ahmanae. Please...wake up. Please...please. I love you...so much..."
She couldn't accept this. Her mind refused. She felt her breathing start to become raggedly uneven. It was difficult to draw in the air she needed. Her tears burned her eyes and were hot as they fell down her cheeks.
She started to gasp for breath as she continued to hold Arizira's small body. Her hands tangled in her hair while she held her close.
Suddenly, other people appeared around the two of them. They were a mix of Esu and Arnira.
Talliea's head popped up. Her right hand was resting near the arrow sticking out of Arizira's chest while her left held her head and neck in a lover's embrace.
The men of the Esu yelled to one other and began their advance. On the opposite hill, several Arnira called out a cry in their own tongue and, likewise, began descending the slope toward Talliea and Arizira.
Everything seemed to move in slow motion. Talliea was unsure why the others had suddenly chosen to take notice of her. The Esu men shouted and Talliea heard words about Lao'dahn and revenge. At the same time, she heard the Arnira speaking. Their words were translated in her mind despite her being unaware of it.
They believed she had killed Arizira. They planned to avenge their fallen sister. They intended to take Arizira away from her just like the Esu men had plans to rip the two of them apart again.
Why couldn't both sides leave the two of them alone? Had they not caused her enough pain? Enough misery and anguish? She hurt --deeply. Inside her bones, there was an ache that she knew she would never be able to relieve. Her heart was beating, but only barely.
Everything was a struggle. All she wanted to do was sit with her love. She only desired a few more moments with Arizira.
Was that honestly asking too much? Could she truly not just be left alone so that she could say goodbye? She had never wanted this war. She had never asked to be a part of others' hatred. All she had ever wanted to do was be free. Be herself. Be in love and be loved. No sooner had she found all of those things, then other people had interfered and destroyed the simple things she had found.
Because of them and their hatred and their animosity, Arizira had been taken from her. Again. Because of them, she had been forced to let Arizira go so that she could live. What good had that sacrifice been? Arizira was dead.
She had been shot through the chest with an arrow. She had bleed to death in Talliea's arms as soon as the two of them had been reunited. What should have been the happiest time of her life had turned into the most devastating, the most horrific.
Talliea felt something stir inside of her. It was powerful, all consuming. It felt familiar. She had experienced it before, when she and Arizira had first made love. It had not manifested itself then, she remembered. Her first orgasm with Arizira had dulled the sensation and she had forgotten about its existence. Now, however, it was present. It was alive.
It was hers.
Several men and women advanced toward her. Their weapons were raised. Their faces were angry. Talliea watched them as they closed the distance. Her face was one of absolute calm. She did not fear them. She pitied them because they were powerless.
Slowly, she raised the hand that had been resting on Arizira's chest. Her fingers were still covered in blood.
Time became hers.
"Stop," she said in a low, but steady voice. The word was not forceful, not was it rushed. It was spoken as plainly as if she was saying hello.
At her command, the battle between the Esu and Arnira changed. Drastically. An invisible wall of force fanned out throughout the forest. Leaves were torn from their branches. Dirt was disturbed where it lay upon the ground. Pebbles and rocks, grass and other debris were flown out in a wide arc around her.
The men and women running toward her were flung into the air. They remained trapped by unseen hands. A sound like that of a sonic boom resounded throughout the immediate area Talliea was in. She watched as the power she had unleashed spread out and destroyed stone and wood and tree alike, creating a crater in the forest floor where once litter had been.
Dust fanned out where dirt was thrown into the air. Startled cries left the lips of both the Esu and the Arnira. They struggled to free themselves from the bonds that held them immobile. Talliea noticed arrows frozen in the air and sword and axe alike that were, equally, trapped within her power.
Nothing moved. Nothing spoke.
There was no sound, only a hush. Small rocks and twigs floated some distance from the ground while the very time of the day appeared frozen. The sun was nearly hidden behind the horizon while the moon was slightly visible in the sky.
Far away on a hill overlooking the battle, Cynra watched with Taetylona in stunned silence. Talliea's powers were far greater than either of them had ever realized.
Talliea looked aroun
d her, completely in control of everything she could see. Her eyes, her body, her entire being seemed to be illuminated by some silvery-yellow halo. She breathed normally, calmly. There was no rush. There was no haste. All of time was hers. In this single moment of her life, Talliea understood everything.
She studied the disbelieving looks of the men and women around her. One set of eyes caught her attention. They were emerald green and filled with contempt. Bela'luin watched her some short distance to her right. Her bow was in her hands, the arrow she had released from it, stuck in the air between herself and Talliea. Tears were in her eyes.
Talliea moved her eyes from Bela'luin's and toward the arrow caught between them. She brought her right hand, which was still in the air, down into a fist.
Bela'luin's arrow turned to dust and disintegrated.
Nothing moved for several minutes. Not even a breeze could be felt in the area Talliea commanded. She looked around her once again and, once satisfied that no others were in any position to take Arizira away from her, bent down and easily lifted her love into her arms. Her eyes continued to take in everything around her, and Bela'luin finally noticed what they made appear so unsettling.
There were no whites in them. Only blackness. Her face was as calm as a serene sea. There was no emotion present.
Talliea placed her hand over Arizira's chest and the arrow that had claimed her life ceased to be. In an area where nothing moved, Talliea slowly started walking. Like a painting, the landscape she passed was frozen in time. Leaves and branches and grass and rocks, all were caught in the air around her. Unable to move, unable to fall to the ground. Unable to continue their trajectory.
Talliea walked with Arizira in her arms. She walked away from the pain and the hatred and the lust for battle that consumed those she left behind. She walked away from weapons and anger and blood and sorrow. Long after she had departed the area, the scene remained frozen. It was not until she was safely away that she released those caught under her power.
Sound seemed to be released from a vacuum and exploded around those still present. Every bit of debris that had been rooted in place suddenly continued to fly through the air. Rocks slammed into men and women. Leaves caught in the wind and were carried away. Dirt and dust invaded the eyes and nostrils of both Esu and Arnira as they, too, found themselves able to move.