But as soon as they started to work, they shriveled up and fell to the ground.
“It burns!” The Umbra hissed as he recoiled from the pit’s edge. “Why does it burn?”
“Don’t know,” a familiar, angry voice answered. “Probably because ye’ve been stickin’ it in all the wrong places.”
A boot scraped the edge of the pit. I looked up, saw the lean, powerful leg the boot was attached to, then saw the owner of that leg smirk at me as she tossed a brown braid out of her face.
“Ye takin’ a nap down there, Challenger?” Merada asked me.
“Yeah, a short one,” I replied with a grin, then winced. Fighting Cavus always hurt like hell. “Could do with another five more minutes, though.”
“No worries,” Merada replied, raising her arm and revealing the new red longbow she was wielding. “Take yer time. I’ll just clean up here for a bit.”
I chuckled, tensed my legs, and leaped out of the crater.
“Forget that,” I replied as I landed next to her, suppressing another wince. “I love watching you work.”
She smirked even wider at me, then turned her gaze back to Cavus. The Umbra stared back at her, pumpkin head swaying as if he was in a daze.
“How?” Cavus asked with an injured, deformed jaw. “How were you able to hurt me? I don’t understand,” the monster said with another hiss of pain. “You’re not able. You’re not strong enough. You’re just my little Stell.”
The wild, beautiful woman snorted in contempt.
“Oh, I know why ye think I’d stay weak,” she said as she stepped away from the crater’s edge, her hard brown eyes still watching her enemy. “Ye tried to take everythin’ from me. That’s why ye ate everyone I ever loved.”
Her voice and eyes kept hardening, as she kept walking around the obstacle obscuring her adversary. “Ye thought I’d stay small, stay weak, because ye thought ye took everythin’ from me. But that be impossible,” she brought her other hand to her bowstring, “Because I still haven’t become even half of what I could be yet.”
She pulled on the string, and a blazing red arrow appeared, as if from nowhere. She raised her arms to aim for the Umbra, giving me a clear view of her arm. The limb was sleeveless now, allowing me to see the writing that encircled it. The words ‘I rage’ were written along the outer parts of her bicep and forearm, but the words ‘I love’ were scribed down the inner surface more likely to touch her chest. Directly across her bicep rested a beautiful piece of jewelry, an armband made of intricately coiled loops of gold, with a dark, faceted garnet resting directly in the center.
She pointed her flaming arrow directly at the center of Cavus’ mass and let loose. The missile left a trail of red fire, the same color as her armband’s gem, before slamming into the Umbra and blowing a hole in one of his coils. Cavus screamed in agony and disbelief, and once again, the corpse-gray hands crawled out to repair the wound, only to shrivel up and die.
The Umbra flopped his head down, rolling around on the forest floor. His new wound remained, unlike the injuries I had wrought.
“Heal!” he shouted. “Why doesn’t it heal?”
“Because I did,” Merada nodded as she nocked another arrow. “And part of growin’ up be bringin’ down yer old nightmares. Do me a favor and stay down, aye?”
She fired another blazing projectile, creating another hole in the Umbra’s massive body that caused more of his crawling hands to die in the repair attempt. Again, Cavus writhed in pain.
Vein-burner, the beautiful huntress sent to me. It’ll burn the inner parts of him, keep him from healin’ himself.
When did you learn how to make it? I asked, still marveling at the sight of my friend beating our enemy so badly.
Just now, Merada replied playfully. Had a bit of a revelation when ye decided to make me yer queen.
She’s gained the Ideals of both Wood and Blood, Breena sent as she flew over. She learned them both from us, somehow. And she’s embarked on a new journey for her Path of the Hunt.
The garnet on Merada’s armband sparkled again, and another flaming arrow appeared on her bowstring.
Reckon ye can get the full story in a few minutes? Merada asked. After we finish cleanin’ up around here?
Cavus panted as he raised his head back into the air.
“Ugly, stupid boy,” he rasped, his black-gray wounds pulsing as he spoke. “What have you done? What have you done with my little Stell?”
“Not much,” I admitted with a shrug. “I just stuck around and believed in her. I can’t take credit for this,” I pointed to Cavus’ wounds. “This ass-kicking’s all her.”
“Mmhmm,” Merada hummed brazenly, firing off another burning arrow into the monster, this one striking a hastily-raised tail and blowing it apart, instead of the Umbra’s face. “Reckoned ye’ve earned all kinds of credit from me, Challenger. After this arsehole’s dead, ye and I will have to work out a nightly payment to get me debt-free in a few hundred years.”
I love this woman, Teeth spoke up. Have I mentioned that enough? Because I totally do.
“Cheater,” Breena whispered through clenched teeth. But Cavus interrupted us with a gurgling roar.
“Forbid it!” he shouted. His eye sockets widened, and all the little lights began dancing inside them. “Uncle Cavus forbids it!”
“Not me uncle,” Merada said calmly as she fired another blazing missile into the giant monster, blowing up another serpentine coil. “Ye don’t become me family by takin’ from me. Ye just become my enemy.”
I looked at the eye sockets for a moment longer, realizing that Cavus’ injuries were granting an opportunity for us.
Merada, I sent urgently. Those lights. They can be saved.
Her head whipped around to face me.
Ye sure? She demanded. Those of me world, that he ate? Ye promise?
He’s right, Breena spoke up, flying closer to us. It happened when we fought him before.
So far, my fairy companion had been content to just watch her fellow Satellite fight, but now she grew larger and began crackling with power. Lightning ran up and down her arms, and golden light danced in her wings.
Are ye really sure? Merada demanded again urgently. They were eaten. I remember that much.
“Yeah, Breena’s right,” I said out loud, drawing both Toirneach and Claimh Solais, and letting fire and lightning crackle down them respectively. “All is not lost.”
Power rolled out of my mouth with those words. Cavus flinched again, but immediately coiled himself back together and let out another roar.
“Forbid it—forbid it—forbid it! You will stay my little Stell!”
More oil-colored tails rose up into the air before diving into the ground, tunneling over to us.
“She will be mine! And I will break her until she stays that way!”
“Tch,” Merada spat in contempt. “Talkin’ big when ye’ve already lost. Ye’re practically a new pair of boots by now.”
The tails began bursting from the ground, but we could see them coming from yards away, and dodged them easily. Cavus was no longer healing immediately from his wounds, and the three of us were able to read and evade his movements far more easily. As soon as I stepped out of the way, I tore an oncoming appendage apart with my two weapons. I saw Breena finish zipping out of the way of another limb, then turn around and shred it in half with the golden light that fired out of her wings.
Three more tentacle-like limbs converged on Merada, each as tall as a small tree and twice as thick. She dodged out of the way gracefully, brown braids dancing behind her as she moved. The red bow shimmered in her hands and transformed, straightening into a wooden spear with a red metal blade nearly as long as my short sword. The spearhead blazed with the same garnet-colored fire that had engulfed her arrows, and she stabbed all three tails with it in the blink of an eye. Each appendage stiffened after being struck, then fell limply to the forest floor.
Cavus howled again, and all three of us charged him by unspoke
n consent. Breena blasted the Umbra with golden light and blue lightning, Merada transformed her spear back into her deadly bow, and my dying battle and dragon forms guttered back into life as I hurled Toirneach again.
The Umbra howled and dodged, and did his best to deflect our attacks, but too many missiles got through. Merada’s attacks were still poisonous, burning death for him. His massive head finally slammed to the ground, and Merada pinned it there with her spear.
Cut them out, she hissed urgently. Hurry!
Breena grew to her largest size and raised her wand. Her golden wings blasted sharp blades of light into Cavus’ neck, reinforced by lightning and more light blasting out from the fairy’s wand. I dismissed my weapons in favor of drawing the Malus knight’s axe. I drew the weapon back in a two-handed grip and swung the rune-covered edge into the Umbra’s forehead. The pumpkin-shaped skull cracked open, and three little lights flew towards the crevice.
Cavus gave one more howl from his remaining mouths, but Merada just drove her spear deeper into him, turning his death throes into pitiful spasms. Then she closed her eyes and began whispering. The garnet on her armband bathed her in fiery light, traveling down her arms and into her weapon. At the same time, Breena and I let out one final blast with our own magics.
Cavus’ jaws opened to say something, but all that came out was a strangled croak. The next moment, his pumpkin-shaped skull crumbled apart. Black powder fell all around us as his entire body dissolved, rising up into an irritating cloud of dust.
A moment later, the cloud of dust began to vanish into the sunlight that was now streaming down into the forest. The shadow-plants dissolved as well, crumbling into the morning mist and revealing far more natural greenery in their place.
Our chests all heaved from the fury of the battle. Merada sank back to her knees, staring at her hands, her new spear-bow on the ground before her.
“I did it,” she said wonderingly, still staring at her open hands. “He was supposed to be unbeatable. The memories all screamed so. He defeated stronger Starsown than meself, a mere Satellite. And yet, I took him apart.” She looked up at me. “How was it so easy? He was supposed to terrorize me. He did terrorize me, before ye took me from him. And yet, when I faced him, he couldn’t touch me. Why? How?”
“I don’t know,” I said, shaking my head and kneeling down next to her. “All I know was that both this time and the last, the piece of Stell that Cavus went after was the only person that could beat him, Starsown, Satellite, or otherwise.”
“That’s true,” Merada said, blinking. “He couldn’t fight well. He built himself to wear me down.” She glanced at her new jewelry. “But then you crowned me. Forced me to look deep into meself. Find things that no one had discovered yet. Made me realize I had all these hidden places. All these hidden powers.” Her head snapped around to look at me again. “That’s it. I be like ye. Full of mysteries. Powers others say can’t be real.” She stood back up, taking my hands as she rose. I rose with her, and she moved her hand up until it brushed up against my armband, while glancing at her own new ornament..
“I’ve been jealous. And I know the others be jealous as well. But we don’t need to be. We have hidden powers ourselves. Gifts as great as yer own, if we can just discover them. Ye aren’t alone in havin’ excellence. And ye do not want to be, either.”
“You’re right,” I replied, nodding my head. “I’m not special. And I don’t want to be alone. I’d rather have you by my side.”
“Ye have me,” she replied with a smile. “And I think ye want the rest of me too.”
“I do,” I admitted, turning to five foot tall Breena and smiling at her. “I want all of Stell.”
“Aww,” the pink-haired fairy said with a lovely smile of her own. “C’mere, you guys,” she said as she held out her hands.
Really? Teeth said, as I gently put my arms around both beautiful women. A group hug is all we get out of this?
Patience, man, I said back at him, hugging Breena and Merada while trying to keep any improper thoughts from being discovered via the mindlink. And I’m not sure we’ll be up to performing when the adrenaline runs out anyway.
That’s true, Teeth acknowledged as Breena let out a contented hum and we broke off the hug. You’re about to pass out again.
What? I sputtered mentally. No, I’m not! I feel fine! In fact, I feel—
I swayed as I stepped away from the women. The fatigue hit me like a tidal wave crashing over an unsuspecting shore. I took another deliberate step back, determined to keep my balance, shaking away my desire to close my eyes.
“Ye okay over there, Malcolm?” Merada asked, turning her head to study my face. Breena, still in her largest form, walked over to take a look at me.
“Looks like mana fatigue,” the fairy said. “Did you overdo all the freaky magic stuff again, Wes?”
“No, no,” I insisted, holding up a hand. “I’m fine. Really.”
“Ye swayin’ about on purpose then?” Merada asked with a grin.
“Yes,” I decided. “Yes, I am. It’s practice, for in case I ever board a boat again. I’m fine.”
“Huh,” Breena said, muttering some kind of divination spell under her breath as she kept peering at me. “Looks like you got blasted and smacked around a whole bunch of times, and you tried to keep from getting killed by instant-casting a lot of Blood and Water magic.”
“Really?” I asked, curious. “I don’t remember casting any Water magic back there—stop that,” I said to my shaky legs.
You did it a couple times, Teeth volunteered. Especially near the end, when we were taking a bunch of Umbra blasts to the face. Was the right call, though.
Really? I asked, surprised at the compliment. Thanks.
It’s also gonna make you crash like a diabetic fairy in a candy factory.
What? I asked, even more confused now. I thought fairies couldn’t get diabetes.
We can’t, Breena answered through the mindlink. But only Earth sugar causes problems like that anyway. Who are you talking to, Wes?
“No one!” I said out loud. “I’m not having any internal conversations right now! And I do not pass out after every major battle! That is not going to be a thing!”
“Okay, Wes,” Breena nodded. “We believe you. Can you stand behind him, Merada?”
“Aye,” the Woad-marked woman replied, walking behind me and holding her hands out as if I might fall into them at any moment. “This be good?”
“That’s perfect,” the pink-haired woman replied. “Go ahead with what you were saying, Wes,” she said with a straight face. “We were talking about how big and strong you are.”
I glared at the human-sized fairy, who had the gall to return my gaze with a poker-faced serenity.
“Really?” I demanded. “You’re going to be that mean right now?”
“Sorry, Wes, could you repeat that?” My bonded familiar asked, still not backing down. “You were mumbling and rubbing your eyes.”
“I was not,” I snapped, as Merada snickered behind me. “And I do not pass out after every battle! I didn’t pass out after the other fight with Cavus!”
“Nope,” Breena acknowledged. “That’s true.”
“And I didn’t pass out after we finished the Tumult either!”
“Really?” Merada asked behind me. “Because I remember ye fallin’ over like a toppled log. Then ye got us in trouble for undressin’ ye.”
“That was the Trial, not the Tumult!” I said indignantly. “And it’s not my fault you guys keep undressing me in my sleep!"
“Not our fault either, with those abs,” the beautifully scandalous huntress muttered.
“I know, right?” Breena spoke up. “Those things need to be properly catalogued! For science!”
“Mhmm, science,” Merada hummed in agreement.
“Look,” I said, setting aside the potential harassment issue for the time being. “The point is, I don’t—and don’t need to—knock out after every fight. And honestly, I re
sent that implication. Just because I feel… a little… tired…”
Gosh, I felt fuzzy. What were we talking about again?
Abs, Teeth volunteered. You need to get them to start talking about your abs again.
“I’m sorry, Wes,” Breena said sweetly. “You’re right. You always work so hard for us. Maybe you deserve to take a seat for a moment? Like on that nearby log?”
“I don’t...” I started to protest, then couldn’t figure out why I even wanted to. “Yeah… that actually sounds really good right now… Why don’t we all sit down for a minute?”
Merada winked at Breena for some reason I couldn’t figure out. I decided to worry about it later, and staggered my way over to the large, slightly-comfortable looking log with Breena and Merada’s help. Cavus’ shadowy realm had dissipated with his death, leaving a normal Woadland forest in its place. As we sat down, with Merada still bracing my back, I tried to remember all the important things that had just happened. An Umbra had been beaten again in combat, something everyone kept saying was impossible, usually right after I saw it happen. Another one of Stell’s Satellites had transformed, growing in more ways than I could realize yet. As I gazed tiredly in the brunette woman’s direction, she gave me a dazzling smile, one that reminded me of Stell herself.
“Thank ye, by the way,” Merada said to me. The hand she braced me with began rubbing small, affectionate circles on my back. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t wearing mail. But still, it was nice.
“You’re welcome,” I said, fatigued and confused. “But I remember you being the one who pretty much kicked his ass on your own.”
“Aye,” she nodded, still smiling, brown eyes twinkling. “That. That be the attitude I’m grateful for.” Her hand reached higher, trying to find a spot on my back not covered by metal. “I heard ye when I was broken. Ye told Breena that I was the only one that could beat me nightmare. Then ye marked me, at me very weakest,” the hand reached over to stroke my gilded bicep. “Ye trusted me with an entire world, then went to make sure I had time to get me bearin’s again. Ye would have died if ye had been wrong about me, but ye didn’t even hesitate. That be why ye’re so tired, and why I can’t stop smilin’.” The sparkle in her brown eyes slowly dripped out, crawling down her cheeks. “And now,” she said, pointing to a suspiciously bright spot on the ground. “I get to meet the ones I’d just been told I’d lost for good.”
Lighting Distant Shores Page 10