by Turhan
Our friend returned for a different reason, she circled overhead three times, opened her mouth and let out a roar, out of her mouth flew thousands of butterflies that swarmed around us as though paying homage to our sweet sister. Golleenia looked toward us, bowed respectfully, then disappeared into the distance.
I felt a touch to my shoulder, it was Xenakaz, he tilted his head to draw me away, he wanted to talk.
“Sarine has changed her mind, she no longer wants to release the girls, wewanted to send out envoys to relay her message but－”
“How would she usually approve of a decree?”
“Her tongue is unique, she uses the three tines independently of each other to inscribe commands into royal chromium tablets, after twenty one minutes her saliva turns the writing into a third level of invisible that only her Sukah Magi can read. It can’t be forged.”
“Then she wants more,” I said. “Can we speak to her?”
Xenakaz slowly nodded yes.
I walked back to Sin-dy and whispered what Xenakaz had just told me. Elektra noticed and after hugging Jade and Amber she made her way over to us.
She narrowed her eyes, her body glowing a deep blood red hue, she was seething. “What is it?”
We told her, but she didn’t wait for us to finish. “Where is she?” Elektra was already walking away from us, we ran to catch up and Xenakaz led the way.
Sarine and Ophelexa were out of their glass prison but restrained by several shackles and chains. The entire perimeter was guarded by hundreds of demons and several more were in the war room with us.
“It isn’t enough that you took my sister from me and that you’ll get Tulaqan, but now you want more?” Elektra was pacing with her hands on her hips and looking away from Sarine.
“Save your venom, if you want me to release the girls. Oh, and I just wanted to let you know, I haven’t enjoyed killing someone so much in a long time, I wish I could do it again.” Sarine hissed and laughed at all of us.
“What do you want Sarine?” Sin-dy asked. “Tulaqan is all we have.”
“No, there’s more and you’re going to give it to me, or I’ll make sure every girl in Sarturas suffers for a long time.”
“Quit being so vague, or I’ll cut out your tongue,” Elektra gripped her dagger.
“Oh I’m going to enjoy this so much,” Sarine mockingly said. “That bitch niece of yours has the Grphyn arm-band, I want it, that thing will be at my beck and call, oh I just love negotiations don’t you?” She looked over to Ophelexa who cackled in response.
She had us at a complete disadvantage, there wasn’t any way we could say no.
“I’ll talk to my daughter, it’s up to her,” I walked out, Sin-dy came with me.
We found Amber in the room that had been transformed into a play area for my youngest daughter Coral, and Kira’s daughter Davina. They still didn’t know what had happened but Coral knew something was going on, Amber was hugging them both and her eyes were red from crying.
“Dad!” Coral came running over to me, I felt bad because since all of this had begun, I really didn’t get much time to spend with her.
“Amber’s crying a little bit,” she said sadly. “I don’t want her to.” Davina ran over to us too and hugged Coral.
“She’s just upset because－”
“She’ll be okay,” Sin-dy spoke up. “Amber just wants to go home to New York, we’re all going soon. Why don’t we go sit down over there, I can tell you what it’s going to be like in your new home. Sin-dy led them away so I could talk to Amber.
We left the play-room and made sure we were far enough not to be overheard.
“What is it dad?”
“It’s Sarine,” I went on to explain everything to her.
“I’m going to call on Golleenia,” Amber said. “But I don’t know what she’s going to do.”
Amber left to be by herself and I went to find Sin-dy and the kids. When I found them, Jade had returned from Kira’s side leaving Jasmine there. She was braiding everyone’s hair, including Sin-dy’s. “Your turn dad.” She forced a smile. I sat down next to Sin-dy and held her hand, we were both too emotionally exhausted to even speak for a couple of minutes while Jade braided my hair into a pony-tail.
“What did Amber say?” Sin-dy eventually asked.
I replied, “She’s talking to Golleenia.”
“There you go dad,” Jade walked around to sit in front of us.
“That’s a pretty necklace,” Sin-dy was looking at Jade’s pendant.
“Thanks, I got it back, that night from Madame Tutella’s bag−”
“Dad!” Amber came running in. “She’ll do it!”
I couldn’t believe it, we could finally make plans to release all the girls. I listened as Amber explained what had happened with Golleenia to Jade and Sin-dy, but something seemed to be theatrical about the way she was recounting things.
“I’m going to call Golleenia dad.”
We all met back at the war room, Golleenia couldn’t come inside because she was too big so she stood outside the enormous open Palladian windows.
“Give me the arm-band, now!” Sarine held out her hand. Amber slid it off her arm and tossed it in Sarine’s direction. Sliding it on to her arm, she commanded Golleenia to bring the head of one of the guards to her.
“Yes Mistress,” With that said, she spread her wings and flew away.
“Here,” Amber said. She handed her a royal chromium tablet. “I did what you asked. Inscribe this with your decree for the release of all my sisters.”
Sarine took the tablet and using her triple tined tongue she spent the next several minutes and etched the decree.
“You’ll get this when I see the guards head.”
Golleenia was back, flapping her wings and twisting her body she tossed a severed head through one of the tall windows, it rolled into the middle of the war room, its eyes bulging and its spinal cord still attached.
“Don’t even think of ordering Golleenia to attack us,” Xenakaz threatened. “Your head will be lying next to his.” He pointed at the remains of the demon that had just landed in the room.
Sarine threw the tablet at Amber. “Don’t pout little girl, the Grphyn will be well fed, with all the heads of my enemies.” She looked at Golleenia. “Stop staring at me and get out of my sight until I need you again.”
Golleenia shrieked wildly and left.
“How long will it take to organize all the girls to return to their homes?” I asked.
“The decree will go out right now,” Xenakaz said, as he read the tablet. “There are reports that the Templars are gathering at the outside of the Adamantine gates. If all goes well, the girls will be back on Earth in the next forty eight hours.”
“I’m going to sit by my sister’s side,” I said.
“I’ll come with you dad,” said Amber. “I have to talk to you about something.”
Sin-dy came with us but Elektra decided to stay and watch Sarine and Ophelexa.
Jasmine was still with Kira. “Thanks for staying by her side,” Sin-dy said. “Jade wants to braid your hair too, look.” We both showed off Jade’s handiwork on our hair.
“Awesome! Oh I learned that word on my MP3 player.” She smiled and left to find Jade.
“You’re not going to believe this dad,” Amber was excited.
“It’s Golleenia, we planned the whole thing−”
“What did you plan?” Sin-dy asked.
“She isn’t being manipulated by Sarine, she’s just pretending, only we have a special connection.”
“But the guards head,” I was confused.
“No dad, it wasn’t a guard, we guessed Sarine would ask that. Golleenia had already left Sector Seven and killed one of Sarine’s forces and brought its dead body back here, all she had to do was bring its head to her, it worked perfectly.”
“Amber, you’re incredible,” Sin-dy hugged her tight.
“We have to tell Xenakaz,” I said. “If anything goes wrong h
e has to know.”
With my emotions mixed between the imminent release of all the girls and the death of my sister Kira, I looked on at Sin-dy and Amber celebrating. They were holding each others arms and spinning around in circles, it felt like they were moving in slow motion. A breeze stirred and blew some of the rose petals away from Kira’s bed, it moved her black hair and rippled her white gown, for a moment I imagined she was still alive, just sleeping.
I closed my eyes and tried to remember our short time together, when we first met back at her cabin, her eyes sparkling like jewels and full of life, the time she first met her daughter Davina and had to choke back her tears of joy, how she fearlessly protected our children, risking her life every step of the way, and then, this, laying in peace. I hoped she was somewhere that she could see we were almost within reach of everything she’d fought for.
Then something stirred inside of me, it was that feeling of invincibility that my sisters and I had felt in the past, I couldn’t understand, how could that be?
“Kylar,” Xenakaz had come looking for us. “I think you should return to the war room. It’s Elektra, she’s arguing with Sarine and her body is almost flaming.”
Sin-dy and Amber quickly returned back to the war room with me.
“I licked your sister’s neck while she drew her last breath,” Sarine’s tongue came out twitching as she taunted Elektra. “Mm, it was delicious.”
“Aunt, don’t listen to her,” Amber tried to calm my sister down. “Trust me, everything is going to be okay.”
“I’ll never be okay,” Elektra replied, “until she pays for murdering my sister.”
“Oh, murder?” Sarine continued taunting Elektra. “No no no, I was just doing her a favor, I heard her husband had died, and I choked her to death so she could meet him, you should thank me you ungrateful bitch.” Sarine and Ophelexa burst out laughing.
Sin-dy became visibly upset at Sarine’s comments, and especially at the way Ophelexa was laughing, at her.
“If you think that’s funny,” Sin-dy was mad, “then you would have loved it when I sliced off your sister’s head, it fell down bobbling all over the place, I danced all over its ugly head.”
“That was you? You’re going to die for that!” Ophelexa screamed.
The mood in the room became charged with hatred and feelings of revenge, emotions were escalating and it didn’t look as though there would be a good ending to it all.
“What about you Kylar, cat got your tongue?” Sarine didn’t know when to stop. “Ophelexa told me all about how you loved the way she licked your−”
“That’s enough!” I yelled.
“No, it’s not enough!” Elektra screamed. “But this is!”
She leapt at Sarine and as they struggled Elektra set her on fire. Sarine was screaming and the rest of us tried pulling my sister off, but the flames were too hot. Sarine grabbed Elektra by the throat and yelled, I’m going to kill you!” She gripped her throat tighter still. “You whimper like a coward, just like your sister,” she taunted. “Now you’re going to join her.” Sarine’s tongue came out and touched Elektra’s face.
“The cat hasn’t got your tongue, but I have.” Elektra managed to pull out her dagger and before Sarine could react, she reached over and sliced her tongue right off. Sarine was writhing in pain and let go of Elektra. “You looking for this?” Elektra was holding the tongue and shoved it back in Sarine’s mouth, then using both hands she plunged the dagger through the top of her head, Sarine stopped struggling and slumped, dead, to the floor.
Elektra fell back and her flames began to subside. Sarine’s flames didn’t, they continued to blaze. Elektra got back up on her feet and we rushed over to her. “I’m fine, but that thing, has taunted my sister for the last time.”
We heard a clunk, it was the Grphyn arm-band that had fallen off Sarine’s body. Elektra walked over, picked it up and placed it on the window ledge. “Let it cool off Amb’ she won’t need this any longer. If anybody wants me I’ll be with my sister.”
Elektra left the scene of devastation as Ophelexa was stuttering. Sin-dy glared at her. “Don’t say a word, or . . . . ”
This was good, but at the same time it was really bad. If her father, the Devil himself, or her sisters got wind of this, I didn’t even want to think about it. We had to keep this a secret until all the girls were released. Sarine’s decree was already out and the only one left to give orders was Ophelexa.
“What do we do now?” Amber asked.
“Nothing,” Xenakaz replied, then turned to his guards. “Everything will continue as planned. Bury Sarine’s remains and take Ophelexa to my private quarters, double her guard.”
“Forgive me,” he turned to us. “I have to leave and return Tulaqan to Heraclese. Qirvana−”
“We understand,” I cut in. “Thank you for all your help.”
Amber handed Tulaqan to Xenakaz. “I want to thank you too, I’ll make sure all my sisters in Sarturas know how you helped us get back home.”
“I made a promise to Qirvana,” Sin-dy said, as she approached Xenakaz. “Ask her about it, she may want you with her, and I thank you too.”
“You’re welcome, my friends, and Kylar, until I get back, my guards will be instructed to follow your commands and they know where to find me.”
Xenakaz sheathed Tulaqan, spoke to his guards and left.
Sin-dy, Amber, and I, walked out and headed toward Kira’s resting place.
“I’m so sad,” Amber said. “Are we going to take Kira home with us?”
“Yes,” Sin-dy replied, “and we better start getting ready, we should leave here by tomorrow morning and head for the gates.”
We returned back to where Kira was temporarily laid to rest and stood by her side. Jade had also returned and was standing alongside of Elektra, Amber hugged them both. The three of them stood there at Kira’s feet watching over her with their arms around each others waists.
Sin-dy looked over to Jade who had reached over to touch Kira’s feet, her little triangular pendant fell out from her shirt, dangling and glinting on the chain around her neck.
Sin-dy nudged me. “Kylar, I . . . I . . . ”
Chapter 22
Rain
“Sin-dy, what is it?” I asked. “Do you need something?”
“Kylar,” she gulped. “I have to talk to you.”
“Go ahead.”
“Um.”
“What’s going on?” Elektra asked.
“I’m really sorry,” Sin-dy grabbed me by the arm and whispered. “This way.”
“We’ll be back in a few minutes guys,” I called out as Sin-dy dragged me away.
After going back inside Sin-dy looked at me. “Listen Kylar, do you remember how I told you that crazy story when we were all on Crystal Mountain?”
“Which one?” I asked. “You told me lots of story’s, the one about Ophelexa being Eny−”
“No,” she cut in. “I mean the one about Owen Parfitt.”
“The nutty pirate?”
“Yes,” Sin-dy was looking at me with her eyes wide open as though she was expecting a bell to ring in my head, but it wasn’t.
“Kylar.”
“Sin-dy, you keep saying my name.”
“I told you about Owen, remember? Pulling a trick on the Devil.”
“Do you mean the magic trick? When he made the, I can’t remember, he . . . ”
“Yes, that’s what I’m talking about.”
“Listen, Sin-dy, you need to be a little more specific, where are you going with all of this?”
“Do you believe in destiny? Don’t answer that, but I think I do.” Sin-dy was pacing back and forth pushing her blonde locks back over her head and was deeply engrossed in her own thoughts. She was talking to me but kinda not. “I was meant to meet Owen that day.”
“Why,” I asked, but she wasn’t listening.
“Wait,” she spun around. “We have to get the pendant from Jade.” She looked back up, finally spe
aking to me, no longer just thinking out loud.
“Pendant?” I blinked, trying to add things up.
“Owen Parfitt said, “Someone has to put the triangle in your mouth when you’re dead, it brings you back to life again.”
“Did you say, Jade has ‘the pendant’ the one Owen−”
“No, what I’m saying is Jade has, a pendant, a tiny triangular one with three horns inscribed on it, just like the one−”
I cut in. “Just like the one Owen described to you, Sin-dy, this would be the craziest thing that’s happened to us, to Kira, ever.”
“We can’t tell the others, they’ll think we’ve lost our minds.”
“Then we need to get it from Jade,” I said. “But how?”
“I don’t know, what if I’m wrong and the whole thing was just another pirate story by Owen, he was known for weaving tall tales, I’d hate to build anyone’s hopes up, they’d be really upset.”
“Dad, we have to try it,” Amber walked around the corner we were standing at, she had been listening to us. We were stunned at our stupidity for not realizing she was there. “Amber, I’m so sorry, what did you hear?”
“Everything,” she replied.
“Everything? Then, are you sure you want to go through with this?” Sin-dy asked. “What if－”
“What if it’s true?” Amber asked.
“Honey, if it isn’t true, it’ll make everyone feel worse,” I said. “Maybe we should think about this for a while.”
“No dad, we don’t have time, I want my aunt back.”
“Me too,” Sin-dy said, as she touched Amber’s arm. “We all do.”
“I’m going to ask my sister if I can wear it for a while.”
“I’ll come with you,” Sin-dy said.
We returned to Kira’s resting place, Jade was gone but Elektra was still there, her eyes fresh with new tears. Killing Sarine might have exacted revenge for Kira but it wasn’t making Elektra feel any better, her sister’s death was killing her from the inside out, it was like her spirit was dying. They had grown up together and always had each other to turn to even after being placed with foster parents. I couldn’t tell her what we were planning, it would just seem like a cruel joke.