Azeron: Day Four: Part Six
Mordrel continued her baiting but Lilly was no longer aware of it.
Although somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind she knew a battle raged on around her, in the foreground – as she echoed Kyrel – she knew only a vibrant outpouring of memories.
Over the past four days she had begun getting acquainted with her powers and now every moment of that was racing through her mind.
This was more than memory: it was a Technicolor dreamscape that went by at a dizzying pace. Every sensation Lilly had felt at the time of these past events was repeated on her now with each fresh image.
The time Kyrel had sunk her repeatedly into the ground, forcing her to use her power over the earth to free herself; the time she’d raised an entire wall between him and her, the time she had disregarded his instruction, and using the Tuâoch command: katat, had blasted him halfway across the village training ground.
As the warmth radiating from his fingertips relaxed her entire body, and she grew more comfortable repeating his words, Kyrel kicked it up a notch. Together they were soon reciting at a speed that gave the words cadence and proved Terrence right: it really was more a chant than a song.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth… vak.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst. ”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
Lilly was no longer aware of the words leaving her own mouth. She was fully immersed in her memories; like daydreaming in surround sound, she re-lived those moments in which she had exerted her powers. As each event had been accompanied by an array of sensations – from the physical five to those, which could be deemed purely emotional – so too was each memory. And for Lilly, feeling all this the second time around was every bit as intense as those first times. Only now, much like under the bridge when she had touched Kyrel as he’d performed the Dres Verfelt upon the shraeka, she experienced it all in a fraction of the time it had truly taken.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
She and Kyrel were speaking as one now, their lips moving in perfect sync with each other’s.
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
The many fears and anxieties Lilly had felt through using her powers returned, pouring into her with each memory.
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
The loneliness and confusion her entire situation had engulfed her in gushed in too, as did the rage she’d been feeling each time she had used her powers in anger.
Faster and faster she and Kyrel spoke together.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
Again she felt the pride and triumph of her every magickal accomplishment. Again she felt the rush of strength, which surged through her each time she’d used her powers.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
Lilly remembered using her powers to save Kyrel when Toleth, under the control of a young ginat, had attacked without due cause.
Although somewhere in the deepest recesses of her mind she knew a battle raged on around her, in the foreground – as she echoed Kyrel – she knew only a vibrant outpouring of memories.
Over the past four days she had begun getting acquainted with her powers and now every moment of that was racing through her mind.
This was more than memory: it was a Technicolor dreamscape that went by at a dizzying pace. Every sensation Lilly had felt at the time of these past events was repeated on her now with each fresh image.
The time Kyrel had sunk her repeatedly into the ground, forcing her to use her power over the earth to free herself; the time she’d raised an entire wall between him and her, the time she had disregarded his instruction, and using the Tuâoch command: katat, had blasted him halfway across the village training ground.
As the warmth radiating from his fingertips relaxed her entire body, and she grew more comfortable repeating his words, Kyrel kicked it up a notch. Together they were soon reciting at a speed that gave the words cadence and proved Terrence right: it really was more a chant than a song.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth… vak.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst. ”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
Lilly was no longer aware of the words leaving her own mouth. She was fully immersed in her memories; like daydreaming in surround sound, she re-lived those moments in which she had exerted her powers. As each event had been accompanied by an array of sensations – from the physical five to those, which could be deemed purely emotional – so too was each memory. And for Lilly, feeling all this the second time around was every bit as intense as those first times. Only now, much like under the bridge when she had touched Kyrel as he’d performed the Dres Verfelt upon the shraeka, she experienced it all in a fraction of the time it had truly taken.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
She and Kyrel were speaking as one now, their lips moving in perfect sync with each other’s.
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
The many fears and anxieties Lilly had felt through using her powers returned, pouring into her with each memory.
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
The loneliness and confusion her entire situation had engulfed her in gushed in too, as did the rage she’d been feeling each time she had used her powers in anger.
Faster and faster she and Kyrel spoke together.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
Again she felt the pride and triumph of her every magickal accomplishment. Again she felt the rush of strength, which surged through her each time she’d used her powers.
“Ta esta, ta’at, ta tuatha vorok.”
“Thev-levath… risth ta… risth vak.”
“Lathaa tuatha vorok inst.”
Lilly remembered using her powers to save Kyrel when Toleth, under the control of a young ginat, had attacked without due cause.
While Harper kept an eye on their surroundings: scanning and re-scanning for fresh dangers or any sign of Vereena’s return, she and the twins kept up their grinding; pausing every few seconds to blow away the accumulating dust, and rub at the floor’s hard surface with their fingertips.
Despite the abundance of the dust, her groove seemed no different from the last few times she’d checked it, and fresh doubts sprang to mind: was it really getting any deeper? Did the surface really feel any thinner?
Terrence was also wondering if he was about to be proved wrong by his own untimely death.
As much as he told himself the dust was proof, the chunk of sap growing smaller in his hand made this fact debatable. It was also clear that with every Da’ariel who pulled away from the group surrounding them, time was running out.
Unlike Lilly, he was very much aware of the battle inside the cage, as were his brother and Harper, and as he looked over to them, he saw from the engrossed looks on their faces that they were both still listening intently to Mordrel.
“Do you not see this fighting is foolish?” she was asking. “I do know you are without your powers, girl. Anything the Da’ariel could have taught you is no use to you now, in here. See, when I learned you still lived… How Herrella had saved your life by sending you to the human world, I decided it would be wise to take precautions. So you see… Even if the ka’aam shareê is not yet upon you, this cage will contain you until it is.”
While Lilly appeared entranced in her chanting, Mordrel’s voice made it clear that the more she said the more worked up she was becoming. “You cannot truly think to defeat me!” she yelled. “Your birth was unsanctioned, your essence is rightfully mine, and as the head of House D’vey – as the rightful ruler of all Azeron – I am here to claim it.”
Despite the abundance of the dust, her groove seemed no different from the last few times she’d checked it, and fresh doubts sprang to mind: was it really getting any deeper? Did the surface really feel any thinner?
Terrence was also wondering if he was about to be proved wrong by his own untimely death.
As much as he told himself the dust was proof, the chunk of sap growing smaller in his hand made this fact debatable. It was also clear that with every Da’ariel who pulled away from the group surrounding them, time was running out.
Unlike Lilly, he was very much aware of the battle inside the cage, as were his brother and Harper, and as he looked over to them, he saw from the engrossed looks on their faces that they were both still listening intently to Mordrel.
“Do you not see this fighting is foolish?” she was asking. “I do know you are without your powers, girl. Anything the Da’ariel could have taught you is no use to you now, in here. See, when I learned you still lived… How Herrella had saved your life by sending you to the human world, I decided it would be wise to take precautions. So you see… Even if the ka’aam shareê is not yet upon you, this cage will contain you until it is.”
While Lilly appeared entranced in her chanting, Mordrel’s voice made it clear that the more she said the more worked up she was becoming. “You cannot truly think to defeat me!” she yelled. “Your birth was unsanctioned, your essence is rightfully mine, and as the head of House D’vey – as the rightful ruler of all Azeron – I am here to claim it.”
The second wave of troops who’d entered the cage were slowly decimating the pitiful amount of able bodied Da’ariel who stood against them. Looking around, Tobias saw enough of the warriors had left the circle now for him to have a decent view of most of the battle raging beyond this small, and for the moment, slightly safer spot.
Unfortunately his brother was definitely right about one thing: skilled as the Da’ariel were with their weapons, the forest was their terrain; without the trees to weave between they had indeed lost their edge.
Not that they were doing badly, they’d taken from Mordrel’s forces at least as many as they themselves had lost, but with her having countless more troops outside the cage, their efforts obviously weren’t going to be enough. The dead and the dying littered the ground, while any able remained in the fray.
As they ground their milaratak’i chunks against the floor, Tobias found his eyes drawn to a Da’ariel woman with a gash down the length of her back, and a dagger protruding from the back of her right thigh - an injury, which slowed, but far from stopped her. She took most of her body weight onto her arms; crawling to help a companion, who was pinned down by a Deebanaarie with a short sword less than an inch from his jugular.
Eyes bulging with strain, the woman made it in the nick of time, pulling the dagger from her own thigh, she plunged it deep between the Deebanaarie’s blades.
Both he and she went limp, and the previously pinned down Da’ariel male pushed away both their bodies; retrieving his weapon without a second glance, he leapt back into the fight.
As a shiver ran down his spine, Tobias turned to look at his brother; he had been watching too and for a second their eyes locked. Then two of the Da’ariel behind Terrence fell backwards on to him and Tobias leapt to his feet as Harper crawled to safety.
For a moment the wind was knocked out of Terrence and the weight of two bodies had him pinned to the hard floor at such awkward angles he was certain something would snap before he could get back up, but seconds later they were both up again and racing out into the main fight.
Tobias crouched over him offering a hand, and taking it Terrence gasped. “I’m OK, I’m OK.” He checked himself over, before running the back of his wrist across his brow and taking several deep breaths, as he watched what was left of their Da’ariel enclosure close back up around them.
“I don’t think we have much longer.” Tobias shook his head. “The Da’ariel are losing too many too quickly.”
“I know,” nodded Terrence, his tone as reassuring as he could make it. “But Veer will be back here any second with more of this sap stuff, OK.” He picked up the piece originally meant for Lilly and crawled back to his ‘sweet spot’ going back to his grinding as he added, “Then I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to crack-”
“Pretty sure!” Tobias crawled over to him. “What if she doesn’t even make it back here? Can you see what’s going on in here? For all we know she’s already de-”
“She’ll get back here!” snapped Terrence, and biting his lip Tobias looked over to Lilly and Kyrel, neither appeared affected by the brief intrusion. They each seemed as entranced as the other in their continued chanting.
Mordrel on the other hand, was apparently done with words altogether. That or the din within the crystal cage was now too much to hear anything more from her.
Still scratching away, Harper glanced up to see the gates opening a third time, and watching more of the Deebanaarie rushing inside, their swords at the ready, she knew Tobias was right: the Da’ariel would soon be overpowered.
A hand on Terrence’s shoulder gave him a start. Turning around he saw Vereena. Tobias and Harper turned around too. Panting like a dog on a hot day, the Da’ariel girl held one fresh lump of milaratak’i out to Terrence.
A deep slice across her left cheek which poured blood down her face, and an equally nasty gash on her arm, a couple of inches below her shoulder on the same side, had Terrence asking, “You OK?” as he took the sap.
“I shall be fine.” Vereena placed her dagger between her teeth and pressing her hand against her arm, assessed the damage before she pulled a rag from one of the pouches at her waist and began wrapping it around the wound.
One handed, it was proving tricky and handing the milaratak’i she had retrieved over to his brother, Terrence reached for the rag.
“Here, let me help with…”
Vereena pulled away with a confused look.
“I have no need of-”
“Trust me OK, I can do this faster,” he snatched the rag from her hand adding, “The last thing we want, when more of those Deebanaarie come crashing through your pals here, is you not ready to kick their asses.” Then he was tying it into a tourniquet, and seeing her wince as he tightened it, smirked, “So you do feel pain then... that’s good to know.”
Hearing Harper snigger Vereena turned to catch her also smirking and glared pointedly down to where her hands remained motionless.
“Right,” Harper looked down at the small but totally usable piece of sap in hand and shrugged. “I should probably-”
But before she could finish, the circle was breached again, and pushing Terrence aside Vereena bounced up.
Wrapping the crook of her injured arm around the face of the first Deebanaarie to make it through, she snapped the man’s head back, and spinning him - backward - against her chest, jabbed her dagger deep into his windpipe, arterial blood spraying as she wrenched the blade free.
As he sagged, she spun him again and kicked his body back out onto the next approaching Deebanaarie.
This one was a woman and as the body of her companion sent her tumbling to the ground, another Da’ariel forced his blade through her armoured chest pinning her to the ground. That same Da’ariel twisted his blade for good measure before pulling it back out and turning on another approaching Deebanaarie.
The three kids grimaced, turning away but in every direction similar sights of bloody violence were occurring around them.
Turning back, Terrence saw a third Deebanaarie come crashing through on the opposite side of the not-so-protective circle, less than a metre from where Lilly and Kyrel remained deep in their trance-like state.
“There!” he pointed, yelling for Vereena’s attention. A second later the young girl was at her cousin’s side beating back several Deebanaarie with the help of her fellow Da’ariel.
Tobias and Harper glanced about, realising as they did that the last shreds of Da’ariel enclosing them were rapidly falling away. There was little more anyone could do to keep the barrier of bodies effective.
A second later Vereena was yelling, “You two! Down!” as she leapt over their heads, her short-sword already at mid-swing.
Looking over his shoulder Terrence saw she had downed another Deebanaarie, probably saving his life yet again. “Thanks,” he called out as he watched her bounce to her feet.
“Break the milaratak’i!” she shouted back at him, her blade already locked fiercely in battle with another. “We must have access to the essence!” she told him. “Break the ground, break it now!”
“Right,” he picked up the second chunk of sap and got back to work, scraping the floor. A few seconds later however and all three of the classmates were ducking from another attack.
Again, Vereena reacted swiftly enough to save them. Tobias watched as she offered his brother a helping hand. In spite of their situation Terrence smiled gratefully up at her as she began reiterating what she had already said.
“There is no more time; you must try again to crack-”
Then all at once her mouth and eyes grew wide and she took in a short, sharp breath. Instead of getting Terrence upright she slumped forward onto him. Feeling a warm trickle run down his right leg he pressed his hand to it, it came away smeared with blood. Terrence craned his neck, seeing the shiny bluish butt of a dagger sticking out of Vereena’s back.
Grasping her shoulders, Terrence, held her out at arm’s length. “Shit!” he hissed as he watched her lower jaw trembling and the colour leaving her already pale face. “No,” he mumbled, staring into her wide, watering eyes. “No, no, no!”
Harper and Tobias crawled over to him, and amidst a confusing array of questions, all of which could be summed up by ‘what the hell are we going to do now?’, they began pulling the young Da’ariel girl off him, then Terrence glanced up; seeing their side of the Da’ariel barrier was now as good as dispersed, and that two Deebanaarie were running at them with raised swords, his next “Oh Shit!” came out as a scream. Startled, Harper and Tobias let go of Vereena, dropping her back onto his chest as they scrambled about with Harper turning around to see the same two Deebanaarie and also screaming.
Tobias looked over too. Only he did so just in time to see S’ret dive in between them, fending both Deebanaarie off with several vicious lashes of his short-sword.
Gasping for air, Terrence slithered out from under Vereena, and sitting up, pulled her onto his lap. Despite the obvious agony in them, he was relieved to see her eyes re-open.
“The magicks are our only chance now,” she gasped the words at him. “You must.... crack.... the surface.”
“You’re hurt,” he gulped “It looks real bad. If I don’t-”
“Terrence... Emerson,” she grabbed his hand, pulling him closer as she strained to keep her voice audible. “Without the magicks,” she struggled for air. “We are all dead. Do it now! Break the…” her eyes drooped shut again.
“Veer...” Terrence tried to rouse her. “Veer? Vereena!” Gulping again as tears sprang to his eyes, he turned to see his brother watching him, a distraught yet pitying look on his face, and nodding Terrence muttered. “We… We have to-”
“Break the surface,” Tobias nodded, his expression instantly becoming one of abject determination, as he added, “I’m on it,” then crawled away, retrieving the larger chunk of sap Vereena had brought them.
Harper was the next to speak up, her hand burrowing deep inside her jeans pocket.
“It’s OK,” she pulled out the tiny clay bottle Vereena had given her and Lilly earlier. “I’ve got this,” she prised out its minute bung and carefully administered three drops.
As the third drop went in, Tobias was calling for her and Terrence to get down, and with a quick glance up they saw a Da’ariel youth obliviously backing into them as he fought off three Deebanaarie.
Terrence stretched himself over Vereena; his first instinct, to keep her from further injury. Harper on the other hand, realising the Deebanaarie were equally as oblivious of their presence; kicked out her foot tripping the first to come close enough.
He toppled over, helmet clattering to the ground, and also caught unawares, the Deebanaarie directly behind him went flying too. The third saw what was happening and already a slave to momentum, was forced to take a flying leap over them.
He landed on his feet but only just and before he could fully recover his wits, a broad swipe from the youth’s sword separated his head from his neck.
In spite of the triumphant relief they felt on seeing the Deebanaarie’s body fall to the floor and his head roll across the cage before landing amidst a scuffle of feet and disappearing from sight – a mutually disgusted “Ewww!" came from both Terrence and Harper: bringing with it a synchronised need to avert their eyes.
The two Deebanaarie felled by Harper’s initial intrusion were already untangling from one another. The first, having lost his helmet, glowered angrily over at her as he reached for his weapon.
Fortunately for Harper, her help turned out to be all the advantage the Da’ariel youth required.
The second the glowering Deebanaarie was up, he leapt forward, diving at him and thrusting the length of his short-sword deep into his gut.
As he accomplished this, the third Deebanaarie, also on his feet, and missing his short-sword since going flying, pulled out what looked to Harper like a small wooden mace; it’s long gnarled handle appeared little more than a thick branch torn from a bush or some other minor foliage. Its multi-pronged barbs were tipped the vile yellow of pus though many had already picked up a hefty coating of crimson.
Seeing him seize on the opportunity presented by having the Da’ariel’s back to him as he raised the weapon high above his head, Harper screamed. “Behind you!” Spinning around, the youth plunged his dagger up into the Deebanaarie’s left armpit, making his mouth spring open for a silent shriek, as the grisly looking weapon dropped to the ground.
At this point he pulled his dagger out of the Deebanaarie’s armpit and plunged it into him again. This time he jabbed it up behind the chin; taking a moment to twist and grind before pulling it out again and kicking the now limp corpse down onto the ground. After this, he whirled around, threw a grateful smile Harper’s way, and running off, leaped back into the fray.
Turning back, she saw Terrence watching her, a miserable glint in his eye.
The friendship he’d struck up with Vereena was obvious to everyone. Now his inability to stop her bleeding out as he held her in his arms was – to Harper at least – a heart-wrenching sight.
Meanwhile, Tobias, having adopted what appeared to be a permanent scowl, had gone back to rubbing at the floor again and was so busy giving it his all he barely seemed to notice his brother’s distress.
Harper knew better: if nothing else, his grinding at that sap as hard and fast as he was, served mostly to distract from the many discomfiting things going on around him. Every few seconds he would try again to crack it. Several more times the Deebanaarie got near him and each time S’ret or another nearby Da’ariel fought them off.
When one of these attacks forced him to roll out of the way, he was back up again on all fours in seconds, muttering something Harper couldn’t quite make out, under his breath.
“Who the hell am I kidding?” Tobias muttered as he crawled back into position and began – again – to scrape and bash at it, “I can’t do this,” he told himself. “Stupid plan. Stupid fucking plan!” He kept scraping, before bashing on each word as he added, “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! We’re. All. Gonna. Die.”
Never before had he doubted his brother so much, but he couldn’t help it. There was no real sign of this super hard flooring giving way any time soon. Now as he was sent flying across it again, he was about ready to give up. However this time the arm held out to him was Harper’s. “Come on,” she urged and together they crawled back to the cage’s centre again, and each with a chunk of the milaratak’i in hand began bashing at it together.
Unfortunately his brother was definitely right about one thing: skilled as the Da’ariel were with their weapons, the forest was their terrain; without the trees to weave between they had indeed lost their edge.
Not that they were doing badly, they’d taken from Mordrel’s forces at least as many as they themselves had lost, but with her having countless more troops outside the cage, their efforts obviously weren’t going to be enough. The dead and the dying littered the ground, while any able remained in the fray.
As they ground their milaratak’i chunks against the floor, Tobias found his eyes drawn to a Da’ariel woman with a gash down the length of her back, and a dagger protruding from the back of her right thigh - an injury, which slowed, but far from stopped her. She took most of her body weight onto her arms; crawling to help a companion, who was pinned down by a Deebanaarie with a short sword less than an inch from his jugular.
Eyes bulging with strain, the woman made it in the nick of time, pulling the dagger from her own thigh, she plunged it deep between the Deebanaarie’s blades.
Both he and she went limp, and the previously pinned down Da’ariel male pushed away both their bodies; retrieving his weapon without a second glance, he leapt back into the fight.
As a shiver ran down his spine, Tobias turned to look at his brother; he had been watching too and for a second their eyes locked. Then two of the Da’ariel behind Terrence fell backwards on to him and Tobias leapt to his feet as Harper crawled to safety.
For a moment the wind was knocked out of Terrence and the weight of two bodies had him pinned to the hard floor at such awkward angles he was certain something would snap before he could get back up, but seconds later they were both up again and racing out into the main fight.
Tobias crouched over him offering a hand, and taking it Terrence gasped. “I’m OK, I’m OK.” He checked himself over, before running the back of his wrist across his brow and taking several deep breaths, as he watched what was left of their Da’ariel enclosure close back up around them.
“I don’t think we have much longer.” Tobias shook his head. “The Da’ariel are losing too many too quickly.”
“I know,” nodded Terrence, his tone as reassuring as he could make it. “But Veer will be back here any second with more of this sap stuff, OK.” He picked up the piece originally meant for Lilly and crawled back to his ‘sweet spot’ going back to his grinding as he added, “Then I’m pretty sure we’ll be able to crack-”
“Pretty sure!” Tobias crawled over to him. “What if she doesn’t even make it back here? Can you see what’s going on in here? For all we know she’s already de-”
“She’ll get back here!” snapped Terrence, and biting his lip Tobias looked over to Lilly and Kyrel, neither appeared affected by the brief intrusion. They each seemed as entranced as the other in their continued chanting.
Mordrel on the other hand, was apparently done with words altogether. That or the din within the crystal cage was now too much to hear anything more from her.
Still scratching away, Harper glanced up to see the gates opening a third time, and watching more of the Deebanaarie rushing inside, their swords at the ready, she knew Tobias was right: the Da’ariel would soon be overpowered.
A hand on Terrence’s shoulder gave him a start. Turning around he saw Vereena. Tobias and Harper turned around too. Panting like a dog on a hot day, the Da’ariel girl held one fresh lump of milaratak’i out to Terrence.
A deep slice across her left cheek which poured blood down her face, and an equally nasty gash on her arm, a couple of inches below her shoulder on the same side, had Terrence asking, “You OK?” as he took the sap.
“I shall be fine.” Vereena placed her dagger between her teeth and pressing her hand against her arm, assessed the damage before she pulled a rag from one of the pouches at her waist and began wrapping it around the wound.
One handed, it was proving tricky and handing the milaratak’i she had retrieved over to his brother, Terrence reached for the rag.
“Here, let me help with…”
Vereena pulled away with a confused look.
“I have no need of-”
“Trust me OK, I can do this faster,” he snatched the rag from her hand adding, “The last thing we want, when more of those Deebanaarie come crashing through your pals here, is you not ready to kick their asses.” Then he was tying it into a tourniquet, and seeing her wince as he tightened it, smirked, “So you do feel pain then... that’s good to know.”
Hearing Harper snigger Vereena turned to catch her also smirking and glared pointedly down to where her hands remained motionless.
“Right,” Harper looked down at the small but totally usable piece of sap in hand and shrugged. “I should probably-”
But before she could finish, the circle was breached again, and pushing Terrence aside Vereena bounced up.
Wrapping the crook of her injured arm around the face of the first Deebanaarie to make it through, she snapped the man’s head back, and spinning him - backward - against her chest, jabbed her dagger deep into his windpipe, arterial blood spraying as she wrenched the blade free.
As he sagged, she spun him again and kicked his body back out onto the next approaching Deebanaarie.
This one was a woman and as the body of her companion sent her tumbling to the ground, another Da’ariel forced his blade through her armoured chest pinning her to the ground. That same Da’ariel twisted his blade for good measure before pulling it back out and turning on another approaching Deebanaarie.
The three kids grimaced, turning away but in every direction similar sights of bloody violence were occurring around them.
Turning back, Terrence saw a third Deebanaarie come crashing through on the opposite side of the not-so-protective circle, less than a metre from where Lilly and Kyrel remained deep in their trance-like state.
“There!” he pointed, yelling for Vereena’s attention. A second later the young girl was at her cousin’s side beating back several Deebanaarie with the help of her fellow Da’ariel.
Tobias and Harper glanced about, realising as they did that the last shreds of Da’ariel enclosing them were rapidly falling away. There was little more anyone could do to keep the barrier of bodies effective.
A second later Vereena was yelling, “You two! Down!” as she leapt over their heads, her short-sword already at mid-swing.
Looking over his shoulder Terrence saw she had downed another Deebanaarie, probably saving his life yet again. “Thanks,” he called out as he watched her bounce to her feet.
“Break the milaratak’i!” she shouted back at him, her blade already locked fiercely in battle with another. “We must have access to the essence!” she told him. “Break the ground, break it now!”
“Right,” he picked up the second chunk of sap and got back to work, scraping the floor. A few seconds later however and all three of the classmates were ducking from another attack.
Again, Vereena reacted swiftly enough to save them. Tobias watched as she offered his brother a helping hand. In spite of their situation Terrence smiled gratefully up at her as she began reiterating what she had already said.
“There is no more time; you must try again to crack-”
Then all at once her mouth and eyes grew wide and she took in a short, sharp breath. Instead of getting Terrence upright she slumped forward onto him. Feeling a warm trickle run down his right leg he pressed his hand to it, it came away smeared with blood. Terrence craned his neck, seeing the shiny bluish butt of a dagger sticking out of Vereena’s back.
Grasping her shoulders, Terrence, held her out at arm’s length. “Shit!” he hissed as he watched her lower jaw trembling and the colour leaving her already pale face. “No,” he mumbled, staring into her wide, watering eyes. “No, no, no!”
Harper and Tobias crawled over to him, and amidst a confusing array of questions, all of which could be summed up by ‘what the hell are we going to do now?’, they began pulling the young Da’ariel girl off him, then Terrence glanced up; seeing their side of the Da’ariel barrier was now as good as dispersed, and that two Deebanaarie were running at them with raised swords, his next “Oh Shit!” came out as a scream. Startled, Harper and Tobias let go of Vereena, dropping her back onto his chest as they scrambled about with Harper turning around to see the same two Deebanaarie and also screaming.
Tobias looked over too. Only he did so just in time to see S’ret dive in between them, fending both Deebanaarie off with several vicious lashes of his short-sword.
Gasping for air, Terrence slithered out from under Vereena, and sitting up, pulled her onto his lap. Despite the obvious agony in them, he was relieved to see her eyes re-open.
“The magicks are our only chance now,” she gasped the words at him. “You must.... crack.... the surface.”
“You’re hurt,” he gulped “It looks real bad. If I don’t-”
“Terrence... Emerson,” she grabbed his hand, pulling him closer as she strained to keep her voice audible. “Without the magicks,” she struggled for air. “We are all dead. Do it now! Break the…” her eyes drooped shut again.
“Veer...” Terrence tried to rouse her. “Veer? Vereena!” Gulping again as tears sprang to his eyes, he turned to see his brother watching him, a distraught yet pitying look on his face, and nodding Terrence muttered. “We… We have to-”
“Break the surface,” Tobias nodded, his expression instantly becoming one of abject determination, as he added, “I’m on it,” then crawled away, retrieving the larger chunk of sap Vereena had brought them.
Harper was the next to speak up, her hand burrowing deep inside her jeans pocket.
“It’s OK,” she pulled out the tiny clay bottle Vereena had given her and Lilly earlier. “I’ve got this,” she prised out its minute bung and carefully administered three drops.
As the third drop went in, Tobias was calling for her and Terrence to get down, and with a quick glance up they saw a Da’ariel youth obliviously backing into them as he fought off three Deebanaarie.
Terrence stretched himself over Vereena; his first instinct, to keep her from further injury. Harper on the other hand, realising the Deebanaarie were equally as oblivious of their presence; kicked out her foot tripping the first to come close enough.
He toppled over, helmet clattering to the ground, and also caught unawares, the Deebanaarie directly behind him went flying too. The third saw what was happening and already a slave to momentum, was forced to take a flying leap over them.
He landed on his feet but only just and before he could fully recover his wits, a broad swipe from the youth’s sword separated his head from his neck.
In spite of the triumphant relief they felt on seeing the Deebanaarie’s body fall to the floor and his head roll across the cage before landing amidst a scuffle of feet and disappearing from sight – a mutually disgusted “Ewww!" came from both Terrence and Harper: bringing with it a synchronised need to avert their eyes.
The two Deebanaarie felled by Harper’s initial intrusion were already untangling from one another. The first, having lost his helmet, glowered angrily over at her as he reached for his weapon.
Fortunately for Harper, her help turned out to be all the advantage the Da’ariel youth required.
The second the glowering Deebanaarie was up, he leapt forward, diving at him and thrusting the length of his short-sword deep into his gut.
As he accomplished this, the third Deebanaarie, also on his feet, and missing his short-sword since going flying, pulled out what looked to Harper like a small wooden mace; it’s long gnarled handle appeared little more than a thick branch torn from a bush or some other minor foliage. Its multi-pronged barbs were tipped the vile yellow of pus though many had already picked up a hefty coating of crimson.
Seeing him seize on the opportunity presented by having the Da’ariel’s back to him as he raised the weapon high above his head, Harper screamed. “Behind you!” Spinning around, the youth plunged his dagger up into the Deebanaarie’s left armpit, making his mouth spring open for a silent shriek, as the grisly looking weapon dropped to the ground.
At this point he pulled his dagger out of the Deebanaarie’s armpit and plunged it into him again. This time he jabbed it up behind the chin; taking a moment to twist and grind before pulling it out again and kicking the now limp corpse down onto the ground. After this, he whirled around, threw a grateful smile Harper’s way, and running off, leaped back into the fray.
Turning back, she saw Terrence watching her, a miserable glint in his eye.
The friendship he’d struck up with Vereena was obvious to everyone. Now his inability to stop her bleeding out as he held her in his arms was – to Harper at least – a heart-wrenching sight.
Meanwhile, Tobias, having adopted what appeared to be a permanent scowl, had gone back to rubbing at the floor again and was so busy giving it his all he barely seemed to notice his brother’s distress.
Harper knew better: if nothing else, his grinding at that sap as hard and fast as he was, served mostly to distract from the many discomfiting things going on around him. Every few seconds he would try again to crack it. Several more times the Deebanaarie got near him and each time S’ret or another nearby Da’ariel fought them off.
When one of these attacks forced him to roll out of the way, he was back up again on all fours in seconds, muttering something Harper couldn’t quite make out, under his breath.
“Who the hell am I kidding?” Tobias muttered as he crawled back into position and began – again – to scrape and bash at it, “I can’t do this,” he told himself. “Stupid plan. Stupid fucking plan!” He kept scraping, before bashing on each word as he added, “Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! We’re. All. Gonna. Die.”
Never before had he doubted his brother so much, but he couldn’t help it. There was no real sign of this super hard flooring giving way any time soon. Now as he was sent flying across it again, he was about ready to give up. However this time the arm held out to him was Harper’s. “Come on,” she urged and together they crawled back to the cage’s centre again, and each with a chunk of the milaratak’i in hand began bashing at it together.
A second later Kyrel joined them and glancing over to where he had been sitting moments earlier, Tobias saw Lilly seated exactly as she had been; her legs crossed and her palms pressed down flat either side of her; only now a feint, but deep orange glow was emanating from her lap.
Terrence and Harper were also watching her as looking down on Tobias, Kyrel scanned the cage as if returning to it from a distant land, and said, “Lilly no longer requires my assistance,” before nodding to the floor and asking, “You do?”
“Err... yeah.” Tobias shook his head, “I’m beginning to think Slater was right about this plan,” he shrugged, his gaze skirting his brother as he added; “We can’t break this stuff. We’re screwed!”
“Nydrel!” Kyrel dropped to his knees and snatching the chunk away from Harper set about pounding it against the ground himself. “We cannot let her be right.” He added, “She must have access to essence, now!”
“What do you think we’ve been doing?” Harper snarled at him. “It’s not working, OK. We have to find another way.”
“There is no other way,” Kyrel hissed through tightly gritted teeth, wincing as he bashed repeatedly at the floor. “We must make this work!”
As if conceding to the desperation of his words, the next time he slammed down the chunk, small shards flew up from the ground beneath it. Though not enough to see beneath, or even through the Milaratak’i, it was proof the plan could work and caused Kyrel to pause a second as he and the others stared at it, then at one another, with dumbfounded expressions. Then Tobias was grinning down at the thin sliver which had appeared.
“Well come on then!” he nodded. “What are we waiting on? Permission from the Queen?” Duly spurred on, he and Kyrel brought their chunks down again, faster and faster, each blow now coming down harder than the last.
“The Diun Sela Lekaa is begun,” said Kyrel as they beat at the ground. “To bring the ka’aam shareê to a close now Lilly must have access to essence,” he explained. “If she cannot draw it from the ground here all other essence is forfeit.”
“But you said no essence can pass through this thing,” Harper spoke up, as if on a loop, her gaze shifting between, Vereena’s body, inert in Terrence’s arms; Lilly zoned out and glowing; and Kyrel with his determined bashing. “What other essence is…” her words petered out, her eyes following Terrence’s to Vereena; as he remembered so many of the things she’d told him: regardless of magickal ability all living beings in Azeron had essence. In some way it was an essential part of the very fibre of their being; something in their blood and vital to them.
Looking up, he scanned the cage to the best of his understanding, the mark they called the full Do’mass - on the back of Lilly’s head - would make her the most powerful sentient being conceived in Azeron since their ancestors, the Tualavan, disappeared from the lands. Yet, it was the gradual diminishing of essence in the Da’ariel, which had ultimately caused their inherent lack of active magicks.
Just how much essence did they have to spare? And how much could a being as powerful as they hoped Lilly was about to become require to finish the Kalaareem by way of the Diun Sela Lekaa?
Seeing the glow in her lap begin to expand he turned slowly back to Kyrel.
“Can it be stopped?”
“Nydrel,” the Deebanaarie spoke without looking up, “The Ka’aam Sharee is begun. It will finish only on its own.”
Terrence looked down to the floor. Now that its surface had been breached, it was coming away relatively easily. Small as they were, pieces flew up with each fresh whack.
Another look Lilly’s way showed the glow was still expanding; already encompassing most of her thighs and waist. Its brightness increasing as it spread through her body, growing at a slow, but steady pace.
Again Terrence’s gaze fell to the ground, where shard after shard flew up as Kyrel and the others continued to work at it.
“It’s not coming away fast enough is it?” he asked.
Kyrel’s only response was to keep on beating, “What have you done?”
Terrence shook his head and the obvious reprimand in his voice had Tobias asking, “What’s the matter?” as Kyrel, still bashing, glanced up saying, “Only what I had to.”
“How many of these Da’ariel have you put at risk?” asked Terrence.
“At risk?” Harper and Tobias paused in sync.
“These Da’ariel are not the only ones at risk,” Kyrel smashed away more of the floor. “As the only other being of active magicks within the milaratak’i,” he slammed his piece ever harder against the ground. “I am the first she will take from.”
“Are you crazy?” Harper’s eyes grew wide as she too began to understand. “What if she drains you all completely?”
“Then every Deebanaarie in here will also meet their end,” he smacked the chunk down again. “And Lilly will have all the essence she needs to defeat my sister.”
“At a cost of everyone in this cage?” Tobias shook his head.
“At a cost of your own life!” added Harper. “Slater wouldn’t have wanted that. You should have told her-”
“Lilly will learn to understand my actions here today.” Kyrel bashed and bashed but all any of them saw was more milaratak’i underneath that which he smashed away. “As Azeron’s rightful leader; she was born to make sacrifices.”
“Sacrifices?” Tobias frowned as he looked around the cage.
Terrence was looking Lilly’s way again; the glow had reached her ankles and two thirds of the way up her chest.
Outside the bars Mordrel could see it too. Her words were all native now, and the more she spoke the more agitated her voice became. Soon she was screaming at her troops, “Liensh ven! Liensh ven inst! Cat ya vac inst!” Again the gates opened.
“Err… guys...” Harper shook her head as she watched the remaining Deebanaarie pouring into the cage. “Guys!” she raised her voice to get their attention. “Kyrel! I’m pretty sure your sister’s done waiting on our surrender.”
“Surren…” One look at the hordes now clashing with the remaining Da’ariel, and Kyrel dropped his piece of milaratak’i back in front of Tobias as he said, “Finish it!” Then bouncing up, he drew his sword, and ran to help defend Lilly.
“Oh hey sure,” Tobias shouted after him. “Ain't like we weren’t trying before or anything.”
Kyrel wasn’t listening - he couldn’t - he, Liath and two others were presently all that stood between Lilly’s incandescent form and a growing number of Deebanaarie converging on her position.
Despite his ill-timed sarcasm Tobias and Harper went back to beating at the ground again and it continued to shatter.
Tobias took another quick look Lilly’s way; the glow, now bright enough to make him squint, had travelled down her arms as far as her wrists, and already encompassed everything else below her neck. Terrence was right: whatever was happening to her was happening too fast. It didn’t matter how thick the milaratak’i was, it simply wasn’t coming away in large enough pieces.
Yet the Ka’aam shareê was also taking too long. Unable to keep her eyes off the fight, Harper was looking every few seconds to Kyrel and the three Da’ariel warriors still surrounding Lilly. It took the four of them a great deal of slicing and hacking, to keep the immediate area around her clear. It was a continuous melee; with each of them ducking, diving and leaping out of the way of the blades swinging at them.
The Da’ariel on the left of Liath took a hit: a Deebanaarie blade cut a deep slice into the top of his left thigh, forcing him to slump on one knee. This however, barely seemed to slow him down. Turning the momentary disadvantage into an advantage; he continued to fight from that lowered position. Chopping at the legs of two more Deebanaarie with his sword before he swung it backwards, a diagonal slice seemingly aimed at the ground, which tore through the ankle of the one who had wounded him.
Suddenly footless, the Deebanaarie howled, falling forward, and the same Da’ariel then swung his blade upward, running almost its entire length across his throat before he hit the ground. The Da’ariel bounced up and dived back into the fray with the others.
“Liensh ven! Liensh ven!” Mordrel continued her shrieking. “Cat ya vac inst!” More of her troops poured inside the cage.
Catching sight of the despair on his brother’s face – as Terrence gazed down at the young Da’ariel girl, his lips moving continuously as he talked to her, despite her apparent lack of consciousness – Tobias beat harder at the ground.
The milaratak’i continued to give, but still it wasn’t enough. Another look to Lilly, and he saw no part of her was now without the glow; all the way to its tips, her platinum blonde hair was significantly more brilliant than usual. Her hands remained either side of her, as good as glued to the floor, where Kyrel had placed them. Though her eyes were closed, her head was tipped back far enough that she faced the sky. It seemed she was also done chanting, as her mouth, now motionless, hung open to its widest.
“Crap!” Tobias let loose a fervent string of obscenities, as he continued bashing.
“Nydrel!” cried Mordrel. Realising too late what was happening within the cage, she ran for the gates herself; throwing her own troops aside. However, before she had a foot across the threshold Lilly let loose a heart stopping shriek. Aided by the unending stone wall of the vast crater it echoed around them and all other sound came to a stop.
This was no scream of fear, or pain, but of release, and both Da’ariel and Deebanaarie alike were compelled to stop all they were doing. Some were caught mid-leap and falling short of their targets landed hard on the ground yet even they hurried to roll over and stare at Lilly as the hot white light she had become, shot straight up in one solid beam.
For the longest few seconds, that beam maintained a length that went from Lilly to the height of the cage; one narrow, almost blinding pillar of light. Mesmerising was an understatement. From the way everyone stared up at it; it was clear no one present had seen any such a thing before.
After a few seconds, the pillar of light seemed to disperse, becoming instead billions of tiny sparks of yellow, each bouncing about amidst the top of the bars. Not only were they setting off the red sparks of the drakstorl t’fambroch, they appeared to be locked in a fierce dance with them.
Then all the sparks dived to the ground, yellow and red combined. Cries of terror rent the air from Da’ariel, Deebanaarie and classmates alike, all except Tobias ducked instinctively, arms raised over their heads.
About half-way down, the sparks re-converged; becoming one solid beam again only now - tainted by the red – it was considerably thicker and more a burning orange than the hot white light Lilly had released.
Mesmerising a sight as all this was, Tobias gave that beam of light little more than a cursory glance. Instead he beat harder and faster at the ground, smashing away shard after shard, his sights set on only one thing: easing his brother’s pain.
The next thing he knew he was sent flying by a gasping Terrence and looking up as they rolled to a stop, they watched the butt of the light’s beam come crashing down. It collided with the ground, right where he’d been bashing, then became stationary. One thick iridescent pillar swaying, as if influenced by the gentlest summer breeze.
Both brothers looked over at Lilly. It was difficult to tell beneath the vibrant glow that still clung to her but she also seemed to be swaying.
A loud crack rent the air and their attention was immediately drawn back to the ground, where, being the only ones close enough to see such detail, they, Kyrel, and Harper all watched as a mesh of hairline cracks began to light up in the milaratak’i floor.
These cracks quickly worked their way outward until their circumference was at least a metre wide.
Thin whip-like strands leapt out of the main beam, lacking its orange hue they were the same hot white as before.
Their movement appeared sentient: huge tentacles each lashing out and clamping onto separate bodies; striking Da’ariel and Deebanaarie without discrimination.
One swooped down and latched onto Kyrel. Catching him in the small of his back it lit him up and held him as if in suspended animation. Another lunged down beside Harper, causing Vereena to jerk as it plunged in through her midriff inches from where the dagger had entered.
“No!” screamed Terrence as she also lit up.
Then a louder cracking could be heard, and on the move again, the dazzling pillar of light roared down into the ground.
The fine cracks beneath the milarataki’s surface faded, and with a series of thunderclaps from the ground, many larger cracks opened in their place.
Though there were considerably less of them, these new fissures ran to twice the length of those before, but only until the thick whip-like strands retracted from their victims, becoming one with the beams main body again, as it disappeared into the ground.
Terrence and Harper were also watching her as looking down on Tobias, Kyrel scanned the cage as if returning to it from a distant land, and said, “Lilly no longer requires my assistance,” before nodding to the floor and asking, “You do?”
“Err... yeah.” Tobias shook his head, “I’m beginning to think Slater was right about this plan,” he shrugged, his gaze skirting his brother as he added; “We can’t break this stuff. We’re screwed!”
“Nydrel!” Kyrel dropped to his knees and snatching the chunk away from Harper set about pounding it against the ground himself. “We cannot let her be right.” He added, “She must have access to essence, now!”
“What do you think we’ve been doing?” Harper snarled at him. “It’s not working, OK. We have to find another way.”
“There is no other way,” Kyrel hissed through tightly gritted teeth, wincing as he bashed repeatedly at the floor. “We must make this work!”
As if conceding to the desperation of his words, the next time he slammed down the chunk, small shards flew up from the ground beneath it. Though not enough to see beneath, or even through the Milaratak’i, it was proof the plan could work and caused Kyrel to pause a second as he and the others stared at it, then at one another, with dumbfounded expressions. Then Tobias was grinning down at the thin sliver which had appeared.
“Well come on then!” he nodded. “What are we waiting on? Permission from the Queen?” Duly spurred on, he and Kyrel brought their chunks down again, faster and faster, each blow now coming down harder than the last.
“The Diun Sela Lekaa is begun,” said Kyrel as they beat at the ground. “To bring the ka’aam shareê to a close now Lilly must have access to essence,” he explained. “If she cannot draw it from the ground here all other essence is forfeit.”
“But you said no essence can pass through this thing,” Harper spoke up, as if on a loop, her gaze shifting between, Vereena’s body, inert in Terrence’s arms; Lilly zoned out and glowing; and Kyrel with his determined bashing. “What other essence is…” her words petered out, her eyes following Terrence’s to Vereena; as he remembered so many of the things she’d told him: regardless of magickal ability all living beings in Azeron had essence. In some way it was an essential part of the very fibre of their being; something in their blood and vital to them.
Looking up, he scanned the cage to the best of his understanding, the mark they called the full Do’mass - on the back of Lilly’s head - would make her the most powerful sentient being conceived in Azeron since their ancestors, the Tualavan, disappeared from the lands. Yet, it was the gradual diminishing of essence in the Da’ariel, which had ultimately caused their inherent lack of active magicks.
Just how much essence did they have to spare? And how much could a being as powerful as they hoped Lilly was about to become require to finish the Kalaareem by way of the Diun Sela Lekaa?
Seeing the glow in her lap begin to expand he turned slowly back to Kyrel.
“Can it be stopped?”
“Nydrel,” the Deebanaarie spoke without looking up, “The Ka’aam Sharee is begun. It will finish only on its own.”
Terrence looked down to the floor. Now that its surface had been breached, it was coming away relatively easily. Small as they were, pieces flew up with each fresh whack.
Another look Lilly’s way showed the glow was still expanding; already encompassing most of her thighs and waist. Its brightness increasing as it spread through her body, growing at a slow, but steady pace.
Again Terrence’s gaze fell to the ground, where shard after shard flew up as Kyrel and the others continued to work at it.
“It’s not coming away fast enough is it?” he asked.
Kyrel’s only response was to keep on beating, “What have you done?”
Terrence shook his head and the obvious reprimand in his voice had Tobias asking, “What’s the matter?” as Kyrel, still bashing, glanced up saying, “Only what I had to.”
“How many of these Da’ariel have you put at risk?” asked Terrence.
“At risk?” Harper and Tobias paused in sync.
“These Da’ariel are not the only ones at risk,” Kyrel smashed away more of the floor. “As the only other being of active magicks within the milaratak’i,” he slammed his piece ever harder against the ground. “I am the first she will take from.”
“Are you crazy?” Harper’s eyes grew wide as she too began to understand. “What if she drains you all completely?”
“Then every Deebanaarie in here will also meet their end,” he smacked the chunk down again. “And Lilly will have all the essence she needs to defeat my sister.”
“At a cost of everyone in this cage?” Tobias shook his head.
“At a cost of your own life!” added Harper. “Slater wouldn’t have wanted that. You should have told her-”
“Lilly will learn to understand my actions here today.” Kyrel bashed and bashed but all any of them saw was more milaratak’i underneath that which he smashed away. “As Azeron’s rightful leader; she was born to make sacrifices.”
“Sacrifices?” Tobias frowned as he looked around the cage.
Terrence was looking Lilly’s way again; the glow had reached her ankles and two thirds of the way up her chest.
Outside the bars Mordrel could see it too. Her words were all native now, and the more she spoke the more agitated her voice became. Soon she was screaming at her troops, “Liensh ven! Liensh ven inst! Cat ya vac inst!” Again the gates opened.
“Err… guys...” Harper shook her head as she watched the remaining Deebanaarie pouring into the cage. “Guys!” she raised her voice to get their attention. “Kyrel! I’m pretty sure your sister’s done waiting on our surrender.”
“Surren…” One look at the hordes now clashing with the remaining Da’ariel, and Kyrel dropped his piece of milaratak’i back in front of Tobias as he said, “Finish it!” Then bouncing up, he drew his sword, and ran to help defend Lilly.
“Oh hey sure,” Tobias shouted after him. “Ain't like we weren’t trying before or anything.”
Kyrel wasn’t listening - he couldn’t - he, Liath and two others were presently all that stood between Lilly’s incandescent form and a growing number of Deebanaarie converging on her position.
Despite his ill-timed sarcasm Tobias and Harper went back to beating at the ground again and it continued to shatter.
Tobias took another quick look Lilly’s way; the glow, now bright enough to make him squint, had travelled down her arms as far as her wrists, and already encompassed everything else below her neck. Terrence was right: whatever was happening to her was happening too fast. It didn’t matter how thick the milaratak’i was, it simply wasn’t coming away in large enough pieces.
Yet the Ka’aam shareê was also taking too long. Unable to keep her eyes off the fight, Harper was looking every few seconds to Kyrel and the three Da’ariel warriors still surrounding Lilly. It took the four of them a great deal of slicing and hacking, to keep the immediate area around her clear. It was a continuous melee; with each of them ducking, diving and leaping out of the way of the blades swinging at them.
The Da’ariel on the left of Liath took a hit: a Deebanaarie blade cut a deep slice into the top of his left thigh, forcing him to slump on one knee. This however, barely seemed to slow him down. Turning the momentary disadvantage into an advantage; he continued to fight from that lowered position. Chopping at the legs of two more Deebanaarie with his sword before he swung it backwards, a diagonal slice seemingly aimed at the ground, which tore through the ankle of the one who had wounded him.
Suddenly footless, the Deebanaarie howled, falling forward, and the same Da’ariel then swung his blade upward, running almost its entire length across his throat before he hit the ground. The Da’ariel bounced up and dived back into the fray with the others.
“Liensh ven! Liensh ven!” Mordrel continued her shrieking. “Cat ya vac inst!” More of her troops poured inside the cage.
Catching sight of the despair on his brother’s face – as Terrence gazed down at the young Da’ariel girl, his lips moving continuously as he talked to her, despite her apparent lack of consciousness – Tobias beat harder at the ground.
The milaratak’i continued to give, but still it wasn’t enough. Another look to Lilly, and he saw no part of her was now without the glow; all the way to its tips, her platinum blonde hair was significantly more brilliant than usual. Her hands remained either side of her, as good as glued to the floor, where Kyrel had placed them. Though her eyes were closed, her head was tipped back far enough that she faced the sky. It seemed she was also done chanting, as her mouth, now motionless, hung open to its widest.
“Crap!” Tobias let loose a fervent string of obscenities, as he continued bashing.
“Nydrel!” cried Mordrel. Realising too late what was happening within the cage, she ran for the gates herself; throwing her own troops aside. However, before she had a foot across the threshold Lilly let loose a heart stopping shriek. Aided by the unending stone wall of the vast crater it echoed around them and all other sound came to a stop.
This was no scream of fear, or pain, but of release, and both Da’ariel and Deebanaarie alike were compelled to stop all they were doing. Some were caught mid-leap and falling short of their targets landed hard on the ground yet even they hurried to roll over and stare at Lilly as the hot white light she had become, shot straight up in one solid beam.
For the longest few seconds, that beam maintained a length that went from Lilly to the height of the cage; one narrow, almost blinding pillar of light. Mesmerising was an understatement. From the way everyone stared up at it; it was clear no one present had seen any such a thing before.
After a few seconds, the pillar of light seemed to disperse, becoming instead billions of tiny sparks of yellow, each bouncing about amidst the top of the bars. Not only were they setting off the red sparks of the drakstorl t’fambroch, they appeared to be locked in a fierce dance with them.
Then all the sparks dived to the ground, yellow and red combined. Cries of terror rent the air from Da’ariel, Deebanaarie and classmates alike, all except Tobias ducked instinctively, arms raised over their heads.
About half-way down, the sparks re-converged; becoming one solid beam again only now - tainted by the red – it was considerably thicker and more a burning orange than the hot white light Lilly had released.
Mesmerising a sight as all this was, Tobias gave that beam of light little more than a cursory glance. Instead he beat harder and faster at the ground, smashing away shard after shard, his sights set on only one thing: easing his brother’s pain.
The next thing he knew he was sent flying by a gasping Terrence and looking up as they rolled to a stop, they watched the butt of the light’s beam come crashing down. It collided with the ground, right where he’d been bashing, then became stationary. One thick iridescent pillar swaying, as if influenced by the gentlest summer breeze.
Both brothers looked over at Lilly. It was difficult to tell beneath the vibrant glow that still clung to her but she also seemed to be swaying.
A loud crack rent the air and their attention was immediately drawn back to the ground, where, being the only ones close enough to see such detail, they, Kyrel, and Harper all watched as a mesh of hairline cracks began to light up in the milaratak’i floor.
These cracks quickly worked their way outward until their circumference was at least a metre wide.
Thin whip-like strands leapt out of the main beam, lacking its orange hue they were the same hot white as before.
Their movement appeared sentient: huge tentacles each lashing out and clamping onto separate bodies; striking Da’ariel and Deebanaarie without discrimination.
One swooped down and latched onto Kyrel. Catching him in the small of his back it lit him up and held him as if in suspended animation. Another lunged down beside Harper, causing Vereena to jerk as it plunged in through her midriff inches from where the dagger had entered.
“No!” screamed Terrence as she also lit up.
Then a louder cracking could be heard, and on the move again, the dazzling pillar of light roared down into the ground.
The fine cracks beneath the milarataki’s surface faded, and with a series of thunderclaps from the ground, many larger cracks opened in their place.
Though there were considerably less of them, these new fissures ran to twice the length of those before, but only until the thick whip-like strands retracted from their victims, becoming one with the beams main body again, as it disappeared into the ground.
Complete silence followed and with it came a stillness, which seemed to weigh down the air itself. From Deebanaarie to Da’ariel, puzzled glances abounded.
In an instant Mordrel was yelling commands at her troops again, and as everyone remembered their weapons, scuffles began to break out.
However, few managed to do more than start something before Lilly expelled a second scream and the electric red of the drakstorl t’fambroch burst from her mouth just as the first light had. This time, instead of stopping at the top of the bars, it shot straight through them and kept ascending till it disappeared.
Seconds later, from far above them, a deep sad wailing could be heard. It reminded Harper of every recording she’d ever heard of the under-water cries from whales.
A huge shadow appeared over the cage, growing in seconds to encompass most of the cho’odzi’s crater. All at once, everyone inside it realised one of the T’karas was falling. The frenzied scrambling that followed was unanimous.
Most of the Da’ariel ran toward Lilly; each intent on somehow protecting her, while the Deebanaarie almost trampled Mordrel in their efforts to exit the cage.
All of these actions were in vain. There was no time for escape and the creature’s magnificent size made defending against its imminent collision a futile endeavour.
Fortunately, for all, its size also saved them. It smacked down on its back, directly over the top of the huge cage; the outer edges of one of its wings pierced by several of the thick milaratak’i bars.
Not yet dead, the T’karas continued its wailing. Its proximity and the acoustics within the crater made the sound painful; everyone covered their ears, while the few still standing, dropped to their knees, as others doubled over in agony.
Not that this stopped most from watching with rapt attention as the creature’s other wing came down with a loud slap. It covered a vast section of the cage, plunging most of the area beneath it into darkness.
Finally the death moans stopped. Mordrel was the first on her feet. Kicking bodies, both dead and injured, from her path, she made her way toward the centre of the cage where Lilly remained motionless, her head still tipped back and her eyes still closed.
Others began clambering to their feet; many of the Da’ariel running at Mordrel, they swung their blades at her. She had only to wave them on, and following the motion of her hand, they flew across the cage, some skidding across the floor others slamming into the thick bars.
Liath rose as Mordrel passed him by and wasted no time leaping at her back. Spinning around she kicked him out of the air, then using the same force she had used on the other Da’ariel, pulled him against her hand shouting for everyone else to hear.
Although she spoke only the native language now and no one was immediately available to interpret, the three classmates got the gist as well as anyone else when Liath dropped to the ground; screaming as he rolled around in agony, until he stopped moving altogether and a burnt orange mush dribbled from his eye sockets and down his face.
Tobias turned away, grimacing as he fought the urge to regurgitate. As he did, he noticed Kyrel, barely recovered from the light’s whip-lash at his back, slowly rising from the ground.
One of the fissures had opened next to him, and reaching out, he placed a hand across it, his other going out toward his sister, a line of fire shooting out of it.
Mordrel swung around, quelling the flames with an instinctive wave of her hand. Pausing to stare at it in stunned silence, she watched it fizzle out, then turning fully caught sight of Kyrel - barely up on all fours – her brother’s pained expression told the truth of his weakened state.
An instant scowl formed on Mordrel’s face and she unleashed yet another string of Azeronian that didn’t need interpreting.
This family re-union was only ever going to go one of two ways: One of these siblings wasn’t coming out alive, and given that Kyrel could barely achieve an upright position, it was easy to see why Mordrel began chuckling as she made her way toward him.
Shaking her head as she made her approach she switched languages again.
“How pitiful you have become brother. Do you know this word? It is one the humans use to describe a chorosh k’bar like you.” Kyrel was too busy gasping to answer, and tilting her head Mordrel’s expression became contemplative as she said, “Mairiel spent a lot of time learning words to describe you. That’s right,” she nodded in response to the doubt in his eyes. “She always intended to tell the girl of you, had some fine words picked out too. Then of course you made an appearance and well...” Mordrel shrugged, “ruined all of her plans... you are good at that, are you not brother?”
Again Kyrel raised his hand, shooting a second jet of flame after her. This time it barely reached to within a foot of her dark blue shoe before fizzling out on its own. Again Mordrel laughed, drawing closer with every word as she added. “Was she really worth it brother: filthying yourself up against the Da’ariel?”
The sight of him straining as he forced himself up on to shaky legs had her laughing more; guffawing the words. “Worse still, it seems their foolish persistence has grown upon you. You know you cannot protect this child, still you try. And for what brother? Is it because she too is pitiful? She cannot even contain her own essence! Is this really the best your filthy Da’ariel could bring into the world?” She gestured beyond him to where Lilly remained seated. “To think I would have let you return,” Mordrel shook her head. “That you could have stood here at my side all these cycles past; all you had to do was bring me the girl Kyrel, had you the strength, you could have killed her yourself. All would have been forgiven.”
Taking a moment to move a couple more bodies from her path with her powers she glared over at him.
“That you should think our people could ever know how you deigned to taint the D’vey bloodline…”
For Terrence, Mordrel’s reason for switching from her language was made clear in that one sentence. She had things to say to her brother that she did not want her own troops to know.
Whether or not Kyrel was listening was another matter. From the way he swayed it was obvious a lot of concentration was already going into simply staying on his feet. Somehow he did manage, keeping his vaguely protective stance as he kept his back to Lilly, obscuring his sister’s view of her, and the others. Seeing Vereena begin to stir, her eyes opening and her bleary gaze settling almost immediately on him, Terrence put a finger to his mouth, and keeping low crawled back to her as Mordrel was telling Kyrel, “The very idea that you still live sickens me.”
With a grimace the young Da’ariel girl looked up at Terrence, her voice coming out in a raspy whisper.
“Ny Mech! It is so dark!”
“I know,” he whispered as she attempted to push herself up with a wince. “You probably shouldn’t,” he pressed her gently back down. “You err… took a dagger in the back.” Watching her reach around to feel it he gulped, nodding, “looks pretty bad. You err... you probably…”
With a deep groan she pulled out the blade, and nodding Terrence added, “…shouldn’t pull it out...” before sighing. “Never mind,” he finished, as she dropped it to the floor.
“If I do not move,” Vereena hissed through her teeth. “I cannot protect cousin Lilly.” Keeping one hand pressed against her wound, she tried a second time to get up, and again he pushed her back down.
“Don’t you know what ‘looks bad’ means?” he glared to her side. “You’ve already lost a heap of blood. Now you’ve gone and pulled out the-”
“I cannot just lay here,” she grabbed hold of his arm, using it to pull herself up before he could object further. “Mairiel is dead.” Vereena’s voice, wavered slightly but no other sign of emotion showed as she asked. “You do know what that means?”
“Err…” Terrence’s eyebrow bobbed up as he somewhat dubiously asked, “that Lilly just made Queen?”
“I should be at her side.” nodded Vereena.
“No,” He shook his head holding her back. “Kyrel has magicks, what can you do that he-”
“You do not understand.” She attempted to wriggle free of his grasp, but her wound proved too much of a hindrance, and instead she ended up clinging to him as Tobias and Harper appeared either side of them.
“Is she going to be OK?” asked Harper.
“No,” Terrence shook his head as he held Vereena close. “Not if I can’t stop her from getting back in the fight.”
“Kyrel is already weakened.” Vereena pulled away again.
“And you’re not?” Terrence glared at her.
“Terrence Emerson,” she shook her head at him. “At his strongest Kyrel is little match for his sister. Here within this much milaratak’i… within the cho’odzi… where there is already so little life,” she shook her head. “Too few of his powers can be called on for him to hold her off much longer.
“Least he has powers!” shrugged Harper. “What the crap have we got?”
With an awesome effort Vereena managed to push herself off Terrence, wincing as she took a second to steady herself, clinging to his arm for support again; a sharp hiss escaping her tightly gritted teeth. “Kyrel cannot protect Lilly alone. He must have help!”
Mordrel was still goading Kyrel. “You could still return home,” she was telling him now. “You are my brother Kyrel; take her life yourself and we shall see how generous I feel.”
Still shaky on his feet he finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whispered wheeze. “I will not… allow you to do-”
“Allow!” Mordrel glared at him. “You... will not ‘allow’... me!” she shook her head, “Mother truly was a fool: letting you spend so much time in study, when you should have been in training as my first. See now how you do not know your place… As if the wisdoms of the ancestors could ever be truly understood by you: A male... Ha! Your head is too full of moolach, Kyrel. You can barely sustain the Kratack, yet I have grown far stronger in your absence. You should have stayed away brother…” she grinned, “what could I possibly have to fear from you now?”
Less than a metre from him now, she could barely contain herself for laughter. “Perhaps… you intend to fall on me… that is about all you look capable of.” Turning around she spoke to her troops, translating something of similar effect to them.
A rumble of skittish laughter went through those few still physically capable of showing amusement and turning back to Kyrel she smirked.
“You think you taste victory now? That in preventing me from reclaiming the girl’s thar you have somehow won? What a fool you are. Powers or not I will still have her essence.” A scowl crossed Mordrel’s face as she added, “If only to see that victory become rot in your mouth brother - when you watch me do as you should have done so long ago.”
“Nydrel,” Kyrel shook his head, “As long as I still have the breath to stan-”
“Then you shall have no breath!” Mordrel’s hand went up, and so did Kyrel’s, though he was immediately pulled toward her; the heels of his boots squeaking across the smooth ground, his demise seemingly imminent; a stalemate of wills followed. With each of them creating a vacuum: a reverse of Lilly’s ability to create gusts – they were caught up in a tug-o-war without a rope.
“You really want to do this brother? You are already so weak…” Mordrel spoke through gritted teeth, a slight but obvious strain in her voice. “You know you cannot stop me,” she told him. “End this now and I shall make your death a swift one.”
There was no response from Kyrel, he was concentrating every iota of his strength on not being sucked across to her. But that strength was failing fast. Taking a chance he tilted his palm away, and quickly raised his other hand, again a line of fire blasted toward Mordrel. Only this time her powers lent it strength, and unable to outmanoeuvre herself, she was soon a shrieking fireball.
The brightness of the blaze lit up the entire crater and everybody watching was again forced to shield their eyes.
Kyrel was no exception, having toppled onto his rear, he sat watching his sister hop and whirl, tearing off her outer garments and hurling them to the ground.
Extinguishing the flames with a wave of her hand, she stood a moment, swathed in a halo of thick smoke that remained visible as the area re-darkened, then she fell to her knees coughing.
The long blonde hair, which had adorned her head, was now a crisp black lump on the top of her scalp, her brows and lashes had suffered the same and the skin of her cheeks, nose and her forehead were mottled with seared red patches.
The acrid stink of cooked meat and singed hair assailed the nostrils of everybody close enough.
“Nice!” Tobias muttered, as he paused from crawling to appreciate the spectacle. However, seeing Mordrel reach for the nearest living body; a semi-conscious Deebanaarie with a badly twisted leg and a run of stab wounds going diagonally across his chest, they watched as she lay a hand across that lacerated chest and grimacing Harper said, “Not so nice for him.” as a murky orange glow began seeping from the soldier into Mordrel. It snaked its way up her arm fading just past the shoulder. Beneath her hand the warrior convulsed, as the skin on his face began sagging, before bubbling and dribbling into a thick blancmange-like puddle on the floor.
Watching with grim fascination, Terrence was thankful he’d had so little to eat over the past few days. Although he and the other classmates could barely believe their eyes, as the black lump of charred hair slid off Mordrel’s head and new hair began growing in, he knew she was sapping the Deebanaarie of his life-force.
Though the process happened swiftly, it gave Kyrel the chance to get back on his feet - a mighty effort with grunts, gasps, and the odd hiss of pain. Yet somehow he managed to be up and back in his fighting stance a second before she too was on her feet.
Mordrel turned to face him, her hair back to at least a quarter of its previous length, and her burns completely gone.
When she spoke again her voice carried with it all the vehemence of the flames which had burnt her.
“That… brother… was your biggest mistake yet!” Again she made her approach, shaking her head as she added. “A swift death would have been too good for you. No… you shall join the ranks of my shraeka, so your agonies can be as endless as they shall be boundless.”
“Always you have had more words than sense, Sister,” wincing Kyrel spoke in short gasps. “You plan with more ambition than wisdom.” He shook his head. “You remain as cut off in here as I. If anything my powers give me the advantage,” shaking with exhaustion he pulled his sword from his belt, “the dres verfelt can only give back so much. Eventually you will be losing more than you gain if you continue to try your magicks on me. “Ny,” he shook his head. “To end this you shall have to try another method.”
For a moment Mordrel glared at him, her eyes hot shards of anger which few could see in the darkened cage. Then she said, “as you wish brother,” it was clear from her voice that she spoke through a smirk and as she did, she used her power to raise a nearby sword from the ground.
Kyrel squinted, watching its blade glint in the darkness as it travelled butt first toward her. However, with his and everyone else’s attention diverted, Mordrel swung out her other arm and a magnesium-white flash, crackled from her hand, briefly abolishing the dark.
Kyrel turned in time to pull a stunned face as the brunt of the strike caught him across the left side of his cheek and forked off to dance down that side of his body.
It was he who shrieked now, shocked in more ways than one, he dropped to his knees. His sword clattering to the ground as his hands flew to his face; in a vain attempt to subdue the immense pain there.
“You think I would lower myself by locking blades with you?” Mordrel asked through an escalating chuckle.
“Shit!” gasped Terrence, “Come on.” He set off crawling toward them again.
“Seriously bro,” Tobias caught hold of his ankle. “You did just see that right? What the hell are we supposed to do against somebody who shoots lightning from their hands?”
“I don’t know,” Terrence shook his head as he turned back to Tobias adding, “But Veer’s right, if Kyrel falls…” the sentence didn’t require finishing, instead they both began scanning the immediate area for a solution.
The sword Mordrel had used as her ruse lay on the ground again. Oblivious of it now, she raised both hands, separate strikes leapt from the fingertips of each, zapping her brother a second time.
In an instant Mordrel was yelling commands at her troops again, and as everyone remembered their weapons, scuffles began to break out.
However, few managed to do more than start something before Lilly expelled a second scream and the electric red of the drakstorl t’fambroch burst from her mouth just as the first light had. This time, instead of stopping at the top of the bars, it shot straight through them and kept ascending till it disappeared.
Seconds later, from far above them, a deep sad wailing could be heard. It reminded Harper of every recording she’d ever heard of the under-water cries from whales.
A huge shadow appeared over the cage, growing in seconds to encompass most of the cho’odzi’s crater. All at once, everyone inside it realised one of the T’karas was falling. The frenzied scrambling that followed was unanimous.
Most of the Da’ariel ran toward Lilly; each intent on somehow protecting her, while the Deebanaarie almost trampled Mordrel in their efforts to exit the cage.
All of these actions were in vain. There was no time for escape and the creature’s magnificent size made defending against its imminent collision a futile endeavour.
Fortunately, for all, its size also saved them. It smacked down on its back, directly over the top of the huge cage; the outer edges of one of its wings pierced by several of the thick milaratak’i bars.
Not yet dead, the T’karas continued its wailing. Its proximity and the acoustics within the crater made the sound painful; everyone covered their ears, while the few still standing, dropped to their knees, as others doubled over in agony.
Not that this stopped most from watching with rapt attention as the creature’s other wing came down with a loud slap. It covered a vast section of the cage, plunging most of the area beneath it into darkness.
Finally the death moans stopped. Mordrel was the first on her feet. Kicking bodies, both dead and injured, from her path, she made her way toward the centre of the cage where Lilly remained motionless, her head still tipped back and her eyes still closed.
Others began clambering to their feet; many of the Da’ariel running at Mordrel, they swung their blades at her. She had only to wave them on, and following the motion of her hand, they flew across the cage, some skidding across the floor others slamming into the thick bars.
Liath rose as Mordrel passed him by and wasted no time leaping at her back. Spinning around she kicked him out of the air, then using the same force she had used on the other Da’ariel, pulled him against her hand shouting for everyone else to hear.
Although she spoke only the native language now and no one was immediately available to interpret, the three classmates got the gist as well as anyone else when Liath dropped to the ground; screaming as he rolled around in agony, until he stopped moving altogether and a burnt orange mush dribbled from his eye sockets and down his face.
Tobias turned away, grimacing as he fought the urge to regurgitate. As he did, he noticed Kyrel, barely recovered from the light’s whip-lash at his back, slowly rising from the ground.
One of the fissures had opened next to him, and reaching out, he placed a hand across it, his other going out toward his sister, a line of fire shooting out of it.
Mordrel swung around, quelling the flames with an instinctive wave of her hand. Pausing to stare at it in stunned silence, she watched it fizzle out, then turning fully caught sight of Kyrel - barely up on all fours – her brother’s pained expression told the truth of his weakened state.
An instant scowl formed on Mordrel’s face and she unleashed yet another string of Azeronian that didn’t need interpreting.
This family re-union was only ever going to go one of two ways: One of these siblings wasn’t coming out alive, and given that Kyrel could barely achieve an upright position, it was easy to see why Mordrel began chuckling as she made her way toward him.
Shaking her head as she made her approach she switched languages again.
“How pitiful you have become brother. Do you know this word? It is one the humans use to describe a chorosh k’bar like you.” Kyrel was too busy gasping to answer, and tilting her head Mordrel’s expression became contemplative as she said, “Mairiel spent a lot of time learning words to describe you. That’s right,” she nodded in response to the doubt in his eyes. “She always intended to tell the girl of you, had some fine words picked out too. Then of course you made an appearance and well...” Mordrel shrugged, “ruined all of her plans... you are good at that, are you not brother?”
Again Kyrel raised his hand, shooting a second jet of flame after her. This time it barely reached to within a foot of her dark blue shoe before fizzling out on its own. Again Mordrel laughed, drawing closer with every word as she added. “Was she really worth it brother: filthying yourself up against the Da’ariel?”
The sight of him straining as he forced himself up on to shaky legs had her laughing more; guffawing the words. “Worse still, it seems their foolish persistence has grown upon you. You know you cannot protect this child, still you try. And for what brother? Is it because she too is pitiful? She cannot even contain her own essence! Is this really the best your filthy Da’ariel could bring into the world?” She gestured beyond him to where Lilly remained seated. “To think I would have let you return,” Mordrel shook her head. “That you could have stood here at my side all these cycles past; all you had to do was bring me the girl Kyrel, had you the strength, you could have killed her yourself. All would have been forgiven.”
Taking a moment to move a couple more bodies from her path with her powers she glared over at him.
“That you should think our people could ever know how you deigned to taint the D’vey bloodline…”
For Terrence, Mordrel’s reason for switching from her language was made clear in that one sentence. She had things to say to her brother that she did not want her own troops to know.
Whether or not Kyrel was listening was another matter. From the way he swayed it was obvious a lot of concentration was already going into simply staying on his feet. Somehow he did manage, keeping his vaguely protective stance as he kept his back to Lilly, obscuring his sister’s view of her, and the others. Seeing Vereena begin to stir, her eyes opening and her bleary gaze settling almost immediately on him, Terrence put a finger to his mouth, and keeping low crawled back to her as Mordrel was telling Kyrel, “The very idea that you still live sickens me.”
With a grimace the young Da’ariel girl looked up at Terrence, her voice coming out in a raspy whisper.
“Ny Mech! It is so dark!”
“I know,” he whispered as she attempted to push herself up with a wince. “You probably shouldn’t,” he pressed her gently back down. “You err… took a dagger in the back.” Watching her reach around to feel it he gulped, nodding, “looks pretty bad. You err... you probably…”
With a deep groan she pulled out the blade, and nodding Terrence added, “…shouldn’t pull it out...” before sighing. “Never mind,” he finished, as she dropped it to the floor.
“If I do not move,” Vereena hissed through her teeth. “I cannot protect cousin Lilly.” Keeping one hand pressed against her wound, she tried a second time to get up, and again he pushed her back down.
“Don’t you know what ‘looks bad’ means?” he glared to her side. “You’ve already lost a heap of blood. Now you’ve gone and pulled out the-”
“I cannot just lay here,” she grabbed hold of his arm, using it to pull herself up before he could object further. “Mairiel is dead.” Vereena’s voice, wavered slightly but no other sign of emotion showed as she asked. “You do know what that means?”
“Err…” Terrence’s eyebrow bobbed up as he somewhat dubiously asked, “that Lilly just made Queen?”
“I should be at her side.” nodded Vereena.
“No,” He shook his head holding her back. “Kyrel has magicks, what can you do that he-”
“You do not understand.” She attempted to wriggle free of his grasp, but her wound proved too much of a hindrance, and instead she ended up clinging to him as Tobias and Harper appeared either side of them.
“Is she going to be OK?” asked Harper.
“No,” Terrence shook his head as he held Vereena close. “Not if I can’t stop her from getting back in the fight.”
“Kyrel is already weakened.” Vereena pulled away again.
“And you’re not?” Terrence glared at her.
“Terrence Emerson,” she shook her head at him. “At his strongest Kyrel is little match for his sister. Here within this much milaratak’i… within the cho’odzi… where there is already so little life,” she shook her head. “Too few of his powers can be called on for him to hold her off much longer.
“Least he has powers!” shrugged Harper. “What the crap have we got?”
With an awesome effort Vereena managed to push herself off Terrence, wincing as she took a second to steady herself, clinging to his arm for support again; a sharp hiss escaping her tightly gritted teeth. “Kyrel cannot protect Lilly alone. He must have help!”
Mordrel was still goading Kyrel. “You could still return home,” she was telling him now. “You are my brother Kyrel; take her life yourself and we shall see how generous I feel.”
Still shaky on his feet he finally spoke up, his voice barely above a whispered wheeze. “I will not… allow you to do-”
“Allow!” Mordrel glared at him. “You... will not ‘allow’... me!” she shook her head, “Mother truly was a fool: letting you spend so much time in study, when you should have been in training as my first. See now how you do not know your place… As if the wisdoms of the ancestors could ever be truly understood by you: A male... Ha! Your head is too full of moolach, Kyrel. You can barely sustain the Kratack, yet I have grown far stronger in your absence. You should have stayed away brother…” she grinned, “what could I possibly have to fear from you now?”
Less than a metre from him now, she could barely contain herself for laughter. “Perhaps… you intend to fall on me… that is about all you look capable of.” Turning around she spoke to her troops, translating something of similar effect to them.
A rumble of skittish laughter went through those few still physically capable of showing amusement and turning back to Kyrel she smirked.
“You think you taste victory now? That in preventing me from reclaiming the girl’s thar you have somehow won? What a fool you are. Powers or not I will still have her essence.” A scowl crossed Mordrel’s face as she added, “If only to see that victory become rot in your mouth brother - when you watch me do as you should have done so long ago.”
“Nydrel,” Kyrel shook his head, “As long as I still have the breath to stan-”
“Then you shall have no breath!” Mordrel’s hand went up, and so did Kyrel’s, though he was immediately pulled toward her; the heels of his boots squeaking across the smooth ground, his demise seemingly imminent; a stalemate of wills followed. With each of them creating a vacuum: a reverse of Lilly’s ability to create gusts – they were caught up in a tug-o-war without a rope.
“You really want to do this brother? You are already so weak…” Mordrel spoke through gritted teeth, a slight but obvious strain in her voice. “You know you cannot stop me,” she told him. “End this now and I shall make your death a swift one.”
There was no response from Kyrel, he was concentrating every iota of his strength on not being sucked across to her. But that strength was failing fast. Taking a chance he tilted his palm away, and quickly raised his other hand, again a line of fire blasted toward Mordrel. Only this time her powers lent it strength, and unable to outmanoeuvre herself, she was soon a shrieking fireball.
The brightness of the blaze lit up the entire crater and everybody watching was again forced to shield their eyes.
Kyrel was no exception, having toppled onto his rear, he sat watching his sister hop and whirl, tearing off her outer garments and hurling them to the ground.
Extinguishing the flames with a wave of her hand, she stood a moment, swathed in a halo of thick smoke that remained visible as the area re-darkened, then she fell to her knees coughing.
The long blonde hair, which had adorned her head, was now a crisp black lump on the top of her scalp, her brows and lashes had suffered the same and the skin of her cheeks, nose and her forehead were mottled with seared red patches.
The acrid stink of cooked meat and singed hair assailed the nostrils of everybody close enough.
“Nice!” Tobias muttered, as he paused from crawling to appreciate the spectacle. However, seeing Mordrel reach for the nearest living body; a semi-conscious Deebanaarie with a badly twisted leg and a run of stab wounds going diagonally across his chest, they watched as she lay a hand across that lacerated chest and grimacing Harper said, “Not so nice for him.” as a murky orange glow began seeping from the soldier into Mordrel. It snaked its way up her arm fading just past the shoulder. Beneath her hand the warrior convulsed, as the skin on his face began sagging, before bubbling and dribbling into a thick blancmange-like puddle on the floor.
Watching with grim fascination, Terrence was thankful he’d had so little to eat over the past few days. Although he and the other classmates could barely believe their eyes, as the black lump of charred hair slid off Mordrel’s head and new hair began growing in, he knew she was sapping the Deebanaarie of his life-force.
Though the process happened swiftly, it gave Kyrel the chance to get back on his feet - a mighty effort with grunts, gasps, and the odd hiss of pain. Yet somehow he managed to be up and back in his fighting stance a second before she too was on her feet.
Mordrel turned to face him, her hair back to at least a quarter of its previous length, and her burns completely gone.
When she spoke again her voice carried with it all the vehemence of the flames which had burnt her.
“That… brother… was your biggest mistake yet!” Again she made her approach, shaking her head as she added. “A swift death would have been too good for you. No… you shall join the ranks of my shraeka, so your agonies can be as endless as they shall be boundless.”
“Always you have had more words than sense, Sister,” wincing Kyrel spoke in short gasps. “You plan with more ambition than wisdom.” He shook his head. “You remain as cut off in here as I. If anything my powers give me the advantage,” shaking with exhaustion he pulled his sword from his belt, “the dres verfelt can only give back so much. Eventually you will be losing more than you gain if you continue to try your magicks on me. “Ny,” he shook his head. “To end this you shall have to try another method.”
For a moment Mordrel glared at him, her eyes hot shards of anger which few could see in the darkened cage. Then she said, “as you wish brother,” it was clear from her voice that she spoke through a smirk and as she did, she used her power to raise a nearby sword from the ground.
Kyrel squinted, watching its blade glint in the darkness as it travelled butt first toward her. However, with his and everyone else’s attention diverted, Mordrel swung out her other arm and a magnesium-white flash, crackled from her hand, briefly abolishing the dark.
Kyrel turned in time to pull a stunned face as the brunt of the strike caught him across the left side of his cheek and forked off to dance down that side of his body.
It was he who shrieked now, shocked in more ways than one, he dropped to his knees. His sword clattering to the ground as his hands flew to his face; in a vain attempt to subdue the immense pain there.
“You think I would lower myself by locking blades with you?” Mordrel asked through an escalating chuckle.
“Shit!” gasped Terrence, “Come on.” He set off crawling toward them again.
“Seriously bro,” Tobias caught hold of his ankle. “You did just see that right? What the hell are we supposed to do against somebody who shoots lightning from their hands?”
“I don’t know,” Terrence shook his head as he turned back to Tobias adding, “But Veer’s right, if Kyrel falls…” the sentence didn’t require finishing, instead they both began scanning the immediate area for a solution.
The sword Mordrel had used as her ruse lay on the ground again. Oblivious of it now, she raised both hands, separate strikes leapt from the fingertips of each, zapping her brother a second time.
While one caught Kyrel on the chest, just below his left shoulder, the other hit the top of his right leg. Crying out, he jittered violently at the end of each stream of lightning. Revelling in her power, Mordrel kept these on him far longer than the initial strike. When she finally released him, he toppled onto his side; charred, smoking and undeniably crippled. “You arrogant fool!” she made her way toward him. “Do you truly think yourself the only D’vey still capable of developing new magicks?” Kyrel rolled onto his front, trying in vain to push himself up. His head got no higher than an inch off the ground before his sister was standing over him.
Placing a foot on the back of his neck she pressed his blackened face against the ground. Kyrel couldn’t even whimper; he was too weak to do anything but lay there as she gazed down at him.
“Now you will see,” said Mordrel “I shall leave you just enough essence to understand what is happening when the girl dies at my hands.”
Terrence was just grabbing hold of the twice-discarded short-sword, when Tobias grabbed hold of his ankle again.
“Hey wait,” he pointed. “Look,” From their position they had a clear view of Lilly. Until now she had been statuesque: frozen in the exact position she’d been in when the first pillar of light had lurched from her mouth.
Now as the twins watched, her head began lowering, stopping only when she faced a more normal, forward angle.
Mordrel was too preoccupied with tormenting her brother to notice that just off to the side of her, Lilly was awakening.
Abruptly she rose from the ground, her movement reminiscent of a silk handkerchief being tugged upward on a thread. To the twins it appeared to happen in a blink, and though they couldn’t be certain in the darkness; she seemed a lot like she was floating.
“I don’t think this is down to Kyrel anymore.” Tobias told his brother.
“Right,” muttered Terrence, “I don’t think it’s down to any of us anymore.”
Together they watched as Lilly; definitely floating, glided silently towards Mordrel’s back.
“Even if our people knew the truth,” she was telling Kyrel. “You truly believe they would ever allow you to defile our line? That your tainted blood could ever take the place of their true Queen? Your life is given up for nothing brother…” Removing her foot from his neck, she waved a hand over him, immediately his body was rising from the ground to meet her. “What would you have me do…” she asked as he hovered ever higher “submit to the Doloch Ty of a deserter? Ny,” she shook her head. “It is you who has more ambition than sense …and now you shall have the full reward of that ambi-”
Coming in from the left; Lilly tapped Mordrel’s right shoulder. The Deebanaarie queen turned to glance behind. Unfamiliar with this common schoolyard prank, she scowled at finding no one there; her confusion as inevitable as her next move, and the second she looked the other way, Lilly socked her one: square in the jaw.
Kyrel’s blackened body thudded to the ground, forgotten by his sister, as she raised a hand to her startled face and Lilly said.
“A little something new for you to learn from the human world... Karma’s a bitch – Bitch!” a second blow knocked Mordrel clear off her feet.
“Yes!” Tobias punched the air and not daring to take his eyes off the action, Terrence, raised an uncertain eyebrow.
Lilly raised a hand, waving it at Mordrel and sent a gust strong enough to send her flying backwards across the cage and into its thick bars.
This knocked the wind out of the Deebanaarie Queen, and while she clawed the ground, struggling to get up, Lilly glanced down at Kyrel.
The sight of him hit her hard and her immediate thought was to help him, but alarm rang out in the form of a call from Terrence.
“Slater! Watch out!”
Whirling around she saw Mordrel’s hand aimed at her. Lilly found herself moving aside with such unexpected ease that she was several feet out of the way when the lighting lurched from Mordrel’s palm.
“Whoa!” muttered Tobias; his voice echoing the surprise of everyone present; including Lilly, whose bizarrely peaceful facial expression now seemed as perplexed as the Deebanaarie queen was outraged.
Again Mordrel struck out at Lilly, and again she was out of the way before the white hot sparks reached within feet of where she’d been; the only difference being that this time she moved in the opposite direction.
A growl of frustration escaped Mordrel, her lips a snarl, as her eyes darted about and she began yelling in Azeronian.
All at once those of her troops not incapacitated seemed to shake off their own stunned demeanours and getting back on their feet began running at Lilly with their weapons drawn.
“Oh crap!” hissed Terrence, as the Da’ariel also came out of their stupor, and scuffles broke out around them.
A Deebanaarie near the twins turned, catching sight of them and seeing the blade in Terrence’s hand, ran at them swinging his sword. Rolling aside Terrence screamed as the blade came down where he’d been.
Dropping his sword, he scurried away as fast as all four of his limbs would carry him. He was so focused on getting out of the situation, he only realised Tobias wasn’t with him as he got to within a few feet of the girls.
Vereena’s tonic appeared to be working; despite her injury she was back on her feet, with her dagger in hand, and a determined scowl on her face; she positioned herself somewhat unsteadily between Harper and a handful of Deebanaarie.
Like her, the few other remaining Da’ariel were also occupied in combat. Realising none of them would be coming to aid him, Terrence glanced up over his shoulder, and seeing the same Deebanaarie still pursuing him - sword raised high for a second lunge - he rolled aside again, landing on his back in time to watch the blood smeared blade come down inches from his ear.
Relentless as he was terrifying, the Deebanaarie warrior wasted no time raising his sword a third time, and trying to roll back the other way. Terrence knew he was moving too slow.
There just wasn’t anyway he could outmanoeuvre this snarling warrior above him, screaming, he watched the sword coming down toward his face. However, before it reached him, the Deebanaarie’s face crumpled and toppling to the right he went down hard.
Terrence’s gaze went with him: he watched the warrior grimace more with anger than pain as he pressed a hand to the huge gash spurting blood out the top of his left thigh. Stunned, Terrence glanced up, catching a look of similar surprise on his brother’s face. While there had been no real skill in his attack, the element of surprise had made it effective enough, affording them at least a moment’s respite.
Tobias doubled over, panting for breath, with the twice discarded short-sword now grasped firmly in both hands.
This was however all he had time for before Terrence saw the Deebanaarie attempting to get up and yelled out his brother’s name. With a look of panic and an absolute lack of hesitation; Tobias ran forward. He brought the sword down hard, lopping off three fingers on the hand the warrior had been using for support.
Letting out a howl, the Deebanaarie fell flat on his face, then growling with anger, began getting up again. Seeing Tobias take another few swings at him - the force of each blow being enough to make him hit the ground afresh, with the blade ricocheting off the back of his armour – Terrence realised no real damage was being done, and fearing the Deebanaarie may regain his equilibrium any second, began yelling.
“His neck Tobes, get the neck! Go for the throat!”
Shifting on one foot, Tobias swung around, and jabbing downward with all his might, put a significant portion of the blade through the side of the warrior’s neck. A fountain of blood sprayed upward, splattering him all over – face included – and leaving the short-sword sticking out of the dead Deebanaarie’s neck like a garish blood soaked cocktail stick, he stumbled backward staring at the corpse.
Getting up, Terrence caught his brother before he could fall over, and hearing a voice boom out above them they looked up to see Lilly floating high above the heads of everyone present. “Diam lutor, di ti enkart, durst Mai Leyavanya,” said Lilly with that same bright yellow glow which had ensconced her entire body before, now confined to her eyes.
Whatever she’d said put an immediate stop to all the fighting as everyone turned to gaze up at her. “Divula lanasta kator?” she shook her head at them, her words carrying more than a hint of reprimand. “Nuath lienth d’lor ki ti!” She smiled down at Deebanaarie and Da’ariel alike.
As Tobias and Terrence looked around at them; all mesmerised by the awesome sight that Lilly had become, Harper poked her head out from behind Vereena so she could watch also.
“Ti durst lek ti Mai.” Lilly added, “Viesh di ti lek ensha Mai Mai. Ek tanak ek lavuck di inst Doloch ty-”
A horrific shriek came from Mordrel and again she lashed out. Another streak of magnesium white blazed across at Lilly.
Despite the suddenness of the attack Lilly seemed the only one not taken by surprise. Her movements remaining as fluid as before, she whooshed through the air, moving aside faster than Mordrel could aim. Along came a second strike, then a third and fourth; with Mordrel letting loose further angry shrieks, as she tried several more times to catch Lilly with those same fearsome bolts she’d used on Kyrel; so demoralising the Da’ariel hopes: hopes, which Lilly was now returning to them three-fold as she glided aside avoiding them effortlessly.
“I don’t get it?” Tobias straightened up and gazed around muttering. “What happened? Why did they all stop attacking? They’re not even trying to help Mordrel… why not?”
“Because she is unworthy…” Vereena’s voice came out as a tight little gasp from behind the twins. They spun around to find her wincing; one hand pressed to her injured side, her other arm slung over Harper for support.
Immediately Terrence was at their side, taking her weight on to him, his voice all concern as he asked “What do you mean unworthy?”
“Does it matter?” asked Harper “The fighting’s stopped, that’s good enough for me.”
“I ain’t complaining. But she’s their Queen; shouldn’t she be pretty damn worthy?”
Gazing around at the mesmerised faces Tobias shook his head.
“Nevermind that… when did Slater learn Azeronian?” Together the four of them stared up at the trailing yellow light that was Lilly circling the cage, easily evading the shots Mordrel was still taking at her.
Suddenly she stopped, and turned to fully face Mordrel.
Vereena and the classmates gasped as she was buffeted by the full strength of Mordrel’s next lightning blast. Lilly wavered in mid-air for a second, before leaning into the waves of electricity, steadying herself like someone facing a heavy wind. The power crackled across her skin, seeming to flow through her body. The glow in her eyes blazed even brighter as she drew strength from Mordrel’s attack.
“What in the fuck...” muttered Tobias.
Lilly raised her palm, and everyone – including Mordrel – looked on in confusion as a cloud of thick vapour accumulated before it. Then, muttering something none of them could hear, she waved her hand directing the mist. In an instant the vapour solidified into dozens of fine shards and a light flick of her hand sent those shards hurtling toward Mordrel. Again the 'unworthy' queen was shrieking, only this time there was considerably more fear in it.
Several shards shattered against the bars and floor around her but a great majority hit home; embedding themselves deep into her body, and extracting a scream of agony in the process.
“Holy Shit!” squeaked Tobias, “What was that?”
All at once he and Harper seemed to be hopping with excitement, as they talked over each other, asking a flurry of questions.
“Was that water?” Harper was frowning; whereas Tobias, apparently having difficulty finishing the simplest of thoughts asked, “What just… Did she just… Was that…”
“Yes.” Vereena gave the one answer to each of their questions, as like them she stared on in amazement.
“When did she learn that?” Terrence was asking now, “I don’t remember her learn-”
Vereena placed a hand over his, conveying all she needed with a look, and they both turned back to see Mordrel looking around for the nearest living body to drain, as she had done after Kyrel’s attack on her.
This time however, she was not as fortunate. Having been flung to the edge of the cage she was now several feet from any bodies, living or otherwise.
Lilly waved a hand her way and a heavy gust lifted Mordrel off the ground.
With a second wave she brought her slamming back down, and with a third; she sent her flying up so hard, that upon hitting the carcass of the T’karas above them, the Deebanaarie queen burst through its thick flesh, sending large splatters of blood and mucous down on a significant number of the onlookers.
Placing a foot on the back of his neck she pressed his blackened face against the ground. Kyrel couldn’t even whimper; he was too weak to do anything but lay there as she gazed down at him.
“Now you will see,” said Mordrel “I shall leave you just enough essence to understand what is happening when the girl dies at my hands.”
Terrence was just grabbing hold of the twice-discarded short-sword, when Tobias grabbed hold of his ankle again.
“Hey wait,” he pointed. “Look,” From their position they had a clear view of Lilly. Until now she had been statuesque: frozen in the exact position she’d been in when the first pillar of light had lurched from her mouth.
Now as the twins watched, her head began lowering, stopping only when she faced a more normal, forward angle.
Mordrel was too preoccupied with tormenting her brother to notice that just off to the side of her, Lilly was awakening.
Abruptly she rose from the ground, her movement reminiscent of a silk handkerchief being tugged upward on a thread. To the twins it appeared to happen in a blink, and though they couldn’t be certain in the darkness; she seemed a lot like she was floating.
“I don’t think this is down to Kyrel anymore.” Tobias told his brother.
“Right,” muttered Terrence, “I don’t think it’s down to any of us anymore.”
Together they watched as Lilly; definitely floating, glided silently towards Mordrel’s back.
“Even if our people knew the truth,” she was telling Kyrel. “You truly believe they would ever allow you to defile our line? That your tainted blood could ever take the place of their true Queen? Your life is given up for nothing brother…” Removing her foot from his neck, she waved a hand over him, immediately his body was rising from the ground to meet her. “What would you have me do…” she asked as he hovered ever higher “submit to the Doloch Ty of a deserter? Ny,” she shook her head. “It is you who has more ambition than sense …and now you shall have the full reward of that ambi-”
Coming in from the left; Lilly tapped Mordrel’s right shoulder. The Deebanaarie queen turned to glance behind. Unfamiliar with this common schoolyard prank, she scowled at finding no one there; her confusion as inevitable as her next move, and the second she looked the other way, Lilly socked her one: square in the jaw.
Kyrel’s blackened body thudded to the ground, forgotten by his sister, as she raised a hand to her startled face and Lilly said.
“A little something new for you to learn from the human world... Karma’s a bitch – Bitch!” a second blow knocked Mordrel clear off her feet.
“Yes!” Tobias punched the air and not daring to take his eyes off the action, Terrence, raised an uncertain eyebrow.
Lilly raised a hand, waving it at Mordrel and sent a gust strong enough to send her flying backwards across the cage and into its thick bars.
This knocked the wind out of the Deebanaarie Queen, and while she clawed the ground, struggling to get up, Lilly glanced down at Kyrel.
The sight of him hit her hard and her immediate thought was to help him, but alarm rang out in the form of a call from Terrence.
“Slater! Watch out!”
Whirling around she saw Mordrel’s hand aimed at her. Lilly found herself moving aside with such unexpected ease that she was several feet out of the way when the lighting lurched from Mordrel’s palm.
“Whoa!” muttered Tobias; his voice echoing the surprise of everyone present; including Lilly, whose bizarrely peaceful facial expression now seemed as perplexed as the Deebanaarie queen was outraged.
Again Mordrel struck out at Lilly, and again she was out of the way before the white hot sparks reached within feet of where she’d been; the only difference being that this time she moved in the opposite direction.
A growl of frustration escaped Mordrel, her lips a snarl, as her eyes darted about and she began yelling in Azeronian.
All at once those of her troops not incapacitated seemed to shake off their own stunned demeanours and getting back on their feet began running at Lilly with their weapons drawn.
“Oh crap!” hissed Terrence, as the Da’ariel also came out of their stupor, and scuffles broke out around them.
A Deebanaarie near the twins turned, catching sight of them and seeing the blade in Terrence’s hand, ran at them swinging his sword. Rolling aside Terrence screamed as the blade came down where he’d been.
Dropping his sword, he scurried away as fast as all four of his limbs would carry him. He was so focused on getting out of the situation, he only realised Tobias wasn’t with him as he got to within a few feet of the girls.
Vereena’s tonic appeared to be working; despite her injury she was back on her feet, with her dagger in hand, and a determined scowl on her face; she positioned herself somewhat unsteadily between Harper and a handful of Deebanaarie.
Like her, the few other remaining Da’ariel were also occupied in combat. Realising none of them would be coming to aid him, Terrence glanced up over his shoulder, and seeing the same Deebanaarie still pursuing him - sword raised high for a second lunge - he rolled aside again, landing on his back in time to watch the blood smeared blade come down inches from his ear.
Relentless as he was terrifying, the Deebanaarie warrior wasted no time raising his sword a third time, and trying to roll back the other way. Terrence knew he was moving too slow.
There just wasn’t anyway he could outmanoeuvre this snarling warrior above him, screaming, he watched the sword coming down toward his face. However, before it reached him, the Deebanaarie’s face crumpled and toppling to the right he went down hard.
Terrence’s gaze went with him: he watched the warrior grimace more with anger than pain as he pressed a hand to the huge gash spurting blood out the top of his left thigh. Stunned, Terrence glanced up, catching a look of similar surprise on his brother’s face. While there had been no real skill in his attack, the element of surprise had made it effective enough, affording them at least a moment’s respite.
Tobias doubled over, panting for breath, with the twice discarded short-sword now grasped firmly in both hands.
This was however all he had time for before Terrence saw the Deebanaarie attempting to get up and yelled out his brother’s name. With a look of panic and an absolute lack of hesitation; Tobias ran forward. He brought the sword down hard, lopping off three fingers on the hand the warrior had been using for support.
Letting out a howl, the Deebanaarie fell flat on his face, then growling with anger, began getting up again. Seeing Tobias take another few swings at him - the force of each blow being enough to make him hit the ground afresh, with the blade ricocheting off the back of his armour – Terrence realised no real damage was being done, and fearing the Deebanaarie may regain his equilibrium any second, began yelling.
“His neck Tobes, get the neck! Go for the throat!”
Shifting on one foot, Tobias swung around, and jabbing downward with all his might, put a significant portion of the blade through the side of the warrior’s neck. A fountain of blood sprayed upward, splattering him all over – face included – and leaving the short-sword sticking out of the dead Deebanaarie’s neck like a garish blood soaked cocktail stick, he stumbled backward staring at the corpse.
Getting up, Terrence caught his brother before he could fall over, and hearing a voice boom out above them they looked up to see Lilly floating high above the heads of everyone present. “Diam lutor, di ti enkart, durst Mai Leyavanya,” said Lilly with that same bright yellow glow which had ensconced her entire body before, now confined to her eyes.
Whatever she’d said put an immediate stop to all the fighting as everyone turned to gaze up at her. “Divula lanasta kator?” she shook her head at them, her words carrying more than a hint of reprimand. “Nuath lienth d’lor ki ti!” She smiled down at Deebanaarie and Da’ariel alike.
As Tobias and Terrence looked around at them; all mesmerised by the awesome sight that Lilly had become, Harper poked her head out from behind Vereena so she could watch also.
“Ti durst lek ti Mai.” Lilly added, “Viesh di ti lek ensha Mai Mai. Ek tanak ek lavuck di inst Doloch ty-”
A horrific shriek came from Mordrel and again she lashed out. Another streak of magnesium white blazed across at Lilly.
Despite the suddenness of the attack Lilly seemed the only one not taken by surprise. Her movements remaining as fluid as before, she whooshed through the air, moving aside faster than Mordrel could aim. Along came a second strike, then a third and fourth; with Mordrel letting loose further angry shrieks, as she tried several more times to catch Lilly with those same fearsome bolts she’d used on Kyrel; so demoralising the Da’ariel hopes: hopes, which Lilly was now returning to them three-fold as she glided aside avoiding them effortlessly.
“I don’t get it?” Tobias straightened up and gazed around muttering. “What happened? Why did they all stop attacking? They’re not even trying to help Mordrel… why not?”
“Because she is unworthy…” Vereena’s voice came out as a tight little gasp from behind the twins. They spun around to find her wincing; one hand pressed to her injured side, her other arm slung over Harper for support.
Immediately Terrence was at their side, taking her weight on to him, his voice all concern as he asked “What do you mean unworthy?”
“Does it matter?” asked Harper “The fighting’s stopped, that’s good enough for me.”
“I ain’t complaining. But she’s their Queen; shouldn’t she be pretty damn worthy?”
Gazing around at the mesmerised faces Tobias shook his head.
“Nevermind that… when did Slater learn Azeronian?” Together the four of them stared up at the trailing yellow light that was Lilly circling the cage, easily evading the shots Mordrel was still taking at her.
Suddenly she stopped, and turned to fully face Mordrel.
Vereena and the classmates gasped as she was buffeted by the full strength of Mordrel’s next lightning blast. Lilly wavered in mid-air for a second, before leaning into the waves of electricity, steadying herself like someone facing a heavy wind. The power crackled across her skin, seeming to flow through her body. The glow in her eyes blazed even brighter as she drew strength from Mordrel’s attack.
“What in the fuck...” muttered Tobias.
Lilly raised her palm, and everyone – including Mordrel – looked on in confusion as a cloud of thick vapour accumulated before it. Then, muttering something none of them could hear, she waved her hand directing the mist. In an instant the vapour solidified into dozens of fine shards and a light flick of her hand sent those shards hurtling toward Mordrel. Again the 'unworthy' queen was shrieking, only this time there was considerably more fear in it.
Several shards shattered against the bars and floor around her but a great majority hit home; embedding themselves deep into her body, and extracting a scream of agony in the process.
“Holy Shit!” squeaked Tobias, “What was that?”
All at once he and Harper seemed to be hopping with excitement, as they talked over each other, asking a flurry of questions.
“Was that water?” Harper was frowning; whereas Tobias, apparently having difficulty finishing the simplest of thoughts asked, “What just… Did she just… Was that…”
“Yes.” Vereena gave the one answer to each of their questions, as like them she stared on in amazement.
“When did she learn that?” Terrence was asking now, “I don’t remember her learn-”
Vereena placed a hand over his, conveying all she needed with a look, and they both turned back to see Mordrel looking around for the nearest living body to drain, as she had done after Kyrel’s attack on her.
This time however, she was not as fortunate. Having been flung to the edge of the cage she was now several feet from any bodies, living or otherwise.
Lilly waved a hand her way and a heavy gust lifted Mordrel off the ground.
With a second wave she brought her slamming back down, and with a third; she sent her flying up so hard, that upon hitting the carcass of the T’karas above them, the Deebanaarie queen burst through its thick flesh, sending large splatters of blood and mucous down on a significant number of the onlookers.
“Eww!” Harper’s mouth fell open as a large splodge landed on her shoulder.
When she looked up again Lilly was no longer floating; she was kneeling at Kyrel’s side, apparently oblivious of everyone else watching her and each other with uncertain expressions on their faces.
With Terrence’s continued support, Vereena and the other two headed for the pair. Watching, as turning Kyrel over, Lilly cradled him in her arms, and proceeded to lay a hand on his forehead.
On reaching them, Vereena dropped to her knees.
“Cousin you truly are-”
Lilly turned to face her and seeing Lilly’s eyes still glowed yellow, both Terence and the Da’ariel girl gasped.
“Ny dilur!” muttered Vereena.
“Timur Am Ness Vereena, velair d’tat. Siiem tae,” smiled Lilly.
“OK, seriously,” Harper shook her head as she and Tobias reached them also. “What’s with you speaking native all of a sudden? When the fuck did that happen?”
“When my people lent me their essence.” Lilly glanced her way, the yellow behind her eyes making them seem oddly distant. “I am sorry you were injured.” She turned back to Vereena, and reaching out pressed a hand to her cousin’s back where the dagger had gone in.
Despite all they’d seen, the classmates stared in amazement as that same light that persisted in Lilly’s eyes began glowing there too.
Vereena looked down, her mouth falling open as a deep warmth brought with it an odd but distinct sensation. The second Lilly removed her hand the younger girl was pulling aside her tunic and shaking her head.
“This cannot…” her eyes followed Lilly’s hand back to Kyrel’s forehead, and looking every bit as stunned as the others, she watched that same glow seep into the Deebanaarie. It gradually filled his body, changing his skin - mottled with charred patches - back to its former healthy state.
As the light reached the tips of Kyrel’s toes he opened his eyes, and echoing Vereena murmured, “Ny Dilur!”
Gulping, he pushed himself up into a sitting position so he could better stare into Lilly’s iridescent eyes.
“Timur Fai lek Kyrel,” She smiled, “velair d’tat. Siiem tae.”
“Quim an,” Kyrel shook his head. His lower lip trembled and his eyes welled up, “nassana d’elth,” he added “ta’taa lisk mina. K’tek vota-”
“Ny.” Lilly’s smile grew as she put a finger to his lips. “T’tait d’elth vieenst kathor.” Holding his gaze she nodded, “Diesh ven Fai lek Kyrel.”
“What’s going on?” Keeping his voice low Tobias tugged on his brother’s arm, “Why isn’t anyone speaking English anymore?”
“Err...” Terrence whispered into Vereena’s ear.
“What are they saying?”
Vereena could barely take her eyes from Lilly, as she answered in a confused whisper of her own. “These words… they are... Tualavan...”
“Tualavan?” Harper raised an eyebrow. “As in the huge mess of tunnels we went through to escape the village?”
“Not exactly,” Terrence shook his head, his gaze fixed on Lilly. His mind reeled with all he’d learned about Azeron’s history. “Tualavan wasn’t the tunnels, it was the capitol, it’s also what the Da’ariel call their Ancestors who lived there.”
“Yes,” agreed Vereena in an awe filled whisper. “It seems cousin Lilly now speaks the language of our ancestors…”
“How is that even possible?” asked Harper.
“I… I cannot...” Vereena shook her head. “I am sorry.” She finally tore her gaze from Lilly, turning instead to Terrence. “I am unsure how to completely translate.”
“Then just give us the gist,” shrugged Harper.
“Gist?” she shook her head, eyes flitting over Lilly and Kyrel before returning to Terrence. “I do not think I-”
“Just tell us what’s been said so far,” interjected Tobias. Terrence’s tone was more apologetic.
“We’re kind of out of the loop since no one’s speaking our language anymore.”
“Yes,” nodded Vereena “yes, of course... err.” turning back to keep watching she added, “Cousin Lilly thanked us, for the essence we each gave to her.”
“And that’s why Kyrel looks like he might break down any second?” Harper sounded dubious. “Must a been some thank you.”
“Ny, ny…” Vereena shook her head. “He does not believe he did enough. He says he failed her, that he is unworthy of her thanks.”
“Failed her!” Harper shook her head. “How much more does he think he could have...”
“Kel ven yath lek,” Lilly was saying now as she pressed a hand to Kyrel’s chest. Foreign as the language was, compassion was clear in her words. “Tes vai, shan lek.” She placed the same hand at her own chest, in a fist, giving him the customary head bow.
“Ny, ny!” Alarm was obvious in Kyrel’s voice as he glanced nervously about them, clearly aware of the intrigued audience. “Nydrel!”
All near enough were watching with avid fascination - their faces an equal measure of awe and uncertainty. “D’mousk kel t’vey,” Kyrel shook his head, and reaching out, gently closed a hand over Lilly’s fist,
“Siiem tae, Mai Lilliath. Vor lesh ka kel kek t’vey.”
“He thanks her…” whispered Vereena. “…and says she belittles herself in bowing to him.”
“Ny,” Lilly was shaking her head again; gently pushing Kyrel’s hand away, so she could put hers to her chest again, “Dirlisk kek, t’vey... Fai lek Kyrel.”
Terrence watched him nod, a grateful yet fearful look in his eyes as he again looked around them.
“Fai lek?” Harper’s face screwed up. “What’s Fai lek? Why does she keep saying that?” seeing Vereena’s gaze shift as she bit down on her lip, Tobias shrugged, “What? You don’t know or you don’t want to tell us?”
“This is... not for me to say…” Vereena spoke with obvious embarrassment, then she was bowing her head as Lilly turned their way. Lilly’s hot yellow gaze moved slowly over all of them before settling on Vereena as she said,
“There is no wrong in what they ask you cousin.”
Moving with that same fluid grace she had before, she rose from the ground and made her way to where Baxter and the branch remained fused within their globule of mucus.
“Such simple creatures these humans are,” she knelt at his side, staring curiously down at him. “So frail. So easily damaged.”
“Hey!” Harper raised an eyebrow. “Who’s she calling frail and...” her words trailed off as Lilly added, “Yet they experience…” realisation seemed to dawn on her and turning Vereena’s way she frowned, “Their world has affected me.”
“Yes,” nodded Vereena, “A risk that needed to be taken… will you still be able-”
“Veyhi!” Lilly stated, with the certainty of freshly confirmed facts. “I am not diminished. There is so much... so many… emotions within this body…” she let her head tip slightly to look down on Baxter again. “For this one, we feel... regret, loss.” her eyes closed and her face became the picture of sadness. “So much sorrow.”
“Grief,” suggested Terrence, and again he was facing that eerie yellow stare of hers. With a gulp he shrugged “Lilly was…Well I... I guess we all kind of figured he was a goner, so yeah, I’m pretty sure grief is what you’re feeling”
“Grief,” Lilly’s head tilted to one side. “You are right… this is…” gasping she swayed, then closing her eyes again steadied herself before opening them. “It infuses our essence.” Looking back down at Baxter she nodded, “There is much feeling for this one. His suffering... it is too much.”
Seeing her push a hand in through the thick pinkish brown goo, that still covered Baxter; Harper almost dived on them both.
“Hey, hey wait...” She stepped forward, “what’re you-”
“Please no…” Vereena put a hand to the other girl’s chest, as did Terrence nodding, “I think we have to trust her.”
In spite of his words there was similar concern on his face, and seeing this Vereena nodded. “You must all trust her,” before turning back to watch as yet again light poured out of Lilly.
“But Baxter’s not even from this world,” insisted Harper “How do we know that’s even gonna...”
“I think it’s OK,” Terrence put a hand on her shoulder and she followed his gaze to where the entire sack of mucous was now glowing, the light seeming to pulse as it increased in brightness.
Seconds later, when it was almost too bright to look at, it dissolved into a fine dust, each speck glowing individually as they fell down around Baxter, or swirled away on the slight breeze that wafted about inside the cho’odzi.
The huge chunk of tree was also gone, and as Vereena dropped her arm, Harper and Terrence both rushed forward, falling to their knees beside Lilly; Terrence immediately set about checking Baxter over.
Finding torn clothes and patches of damp blood, but no sign of any actual injury he couldn’t help grinning when Baxter’s eyelids fluttered open, and he grumbled;
“Yeah, you can quit groping me now mate.” Then he caught sight of Lilly watching him; her face serene and her eyes glowing and blinking profusely. Baxter pushed himself up to get a better look at her as he whispered, “Holy shit! All of that really just happened… you took out Mordrel.”
“Welcome back Robert.”
“Robert?” Harper’s nose wrinkled as if offended on Baxter’s behalf.
“How can you know about Mordrel…” asked Terrence, “You were,” he frowned, shaking his head as he muttered. “At least I thought you were unconscious.”
“I was,” nodded Baxter. “At least I think I was.” Biting his lip, he stared down at the floor, shaking his head as he added. “I remember being stuck in a tree… then everything went dark… I… I guess I passed out but then…” he shook his head again. “Then there was light, the most amazing fucking light.”
“What, like... the-end-of-the-tunnel kinda light?” Harper looked doubtful. “Did you hear voices too, or see a long dead relative beckoning to you?”
“No.” Narrowing one eye at her, Baxter shook his head, “It wasn’t anything like that, alright. This light was... it was everywhere and frightening but real beautiful,” his brow dipped. “a-and I saw fire… and I think there was ice.”
“So you woke up during the fight?” asked Terrence.
“No.” Baxter looked up, glancing his way. “I was unconscious right here,” Baxter patted the floor. “I saw that too.”
Equally confused Tobias asked, “Saw that too? So what, you had an out-of-body experience?”
“No!” Baxter turned to stare at Lilly, unperturbed by the glow in her eyes, “It was you…” he nodded, his lower lip trembling, in much the same way Kyrel’s had. “You came to me, I… I… I saw…”
“What you saw was-”
“The things you’d seen!” Baxter finished the sentence for her.
“What?” Terrence’s gaze shifted between them. “How did you-”
“Yes,” Lilly nodded at Baxter, “We shared our essence with you.”
“OK, that just sounds dirty.” Harper’s hands went up and she threw the twins a dubious look. Neither Lilly nor Baxter was listening.
“It was necessary to heal your wounds.” Lilly was saying.
“I know,” Baxter nodded “I… I more than saw things. I think… I think I knew things too… like you were telling me stuff as you... as you fixed me… too much for me to remember now,” he shook his head, frowning again. “But I think I knew that too.”
“Mmm hmm,” nodded Lilly “Do you remember that we would not have shared the essence with you if it were not-”
“Yes,” said Baxter, his voice cracking slightly as he raised it. “I remember,” he nodded. “It’s OK. I understand. I still know enough, to know I’m OK with this… really, i… it's fine. Actually it’s kind of amazing. Thank you.”
“What’s fine?” asked Tobias, “What’s amazing?”
Lilly was already shaking her head, her smile as comforting, as that of a mother offering her child warm milk and a cookie.
“No thanks necessary Robert,” she said before floating up onto her feet again.
“Yeah, well, I’m still confused here,” said Harper. “Someone wanna tell me what the hell just happened?”
“Oh hey,” it was Baxter’s turn to raise both hands. “If I understood,” he shrugged, “I would.”
“But you just said you understand.”
“Sure,” agreed Baxter “A few things, but not everything!”
Seeing Terrence raise a quizzical eyebrow, he shrugged. “Look, all I’m certain of is I was at death’s door and on the losing side of a bloody battle.” His gaze remained on Lilly as she neared Vereena, “Now I’m all patched up and somehow I know Slater single-handedly won this war while I was out of it! It’s kinda confusing actually, but I’m not gonna knock it.”
“Won the war?” Again Terrence was raising an eyebrow as Harper got up shrugging.
“Well I just hope you can walk,” she offered Baxter a hand adding, “cos I don’t think we’re getting a taxi out of here.”
Pushing her hand away he got to his feet grinning, “I’m a hundred and ten percent.”
Giving Lilly a wary look, Terrence asked, “So do you know anything else?”
“Like what?” they watched her float Kyrel’s way, nodding for him to get up.
Lowering her voice, Harper whispered from behind her hand,
“Like why all of a sudden she’s speaking the language of the ancients and referring to herself as we?”
“She is?” asked Baxter a bemused look on his face, “I don’t think I noticed.”
“Mmm hmm,” Tobias nodded, “It’s kind of odd.”
The classmates watched her speaking with Kyrel, who continued to look humbled. A second later Baxter was saying, “Hey, far as I’m concerned… them that go around performing miracles can talk however the hell they want.”
“Miracles…” Lilly turned to look at them, her expression thoughtful. “…Is not the entire existence of this world a miracle by the standards of the human world?”
“Well, yeah,” he shrugged “You’ve got me there.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets he nodded, “It’s just that these guys are a little-”
“We are aware of their concerns.” Lilly eyed each of them in turn, her eyes settling on Tobias: standing a short ways off from the others, with his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and a desolate look on his face. “Even those concerns which are not voiced are known to us.”
As the others looked his way, Tobias averted his eyes, and turning back to them she said, “Whispering works only for those forced to rely upon hearing.”
“Right,” Baxter nodded, “Of course… they didn’t mean to-”
“What do you mean, of course?” Harper scowled. “Like that made any sense!” She shook her head, “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but what the hell have you done with Slater?”
Lilly’s smile widened as she said, “Isn’t that just like the humans?” She turned her smile on Vereena. “My last Qin Am Ness. You alone know the truth of what we are. How we came to be.”
“Yes,” nodded Vereena, her arm going across her chest. “I am Qin Am Ness. To carry the knowledge of you is my duty.”
“Knowledge of?” Terrence shook his head. “You mean knowledge for right?”
Lilly turned to him, the glow in her eyes making the hairs on his neck rise. “There has always been more to the duties of a Qin Am Ness than any but they have ever known…” she explained.
“Duties like what?” asked Harper. “Who… Or…what the hell are you?”
“I’m still the girl you knew,” she nodded, and Tobias mumbled, “Yeah… well your eyes beg to differ.”
Lilly’s next smile was all amusement as she closed her eyes then reopened them. There was no sign of the light and looking to him she asked. “Is this more to your liking?” Instead of answering he looked back down at the ground and turning back to Harper, Lilly said, “You see… I’m still she.”
“But you’re more now too aren’t you?” asked Terrence. “You’re speaking some ancient Azeronian language a…and… you took out Mordrel with magicks Kyrel hasn’t even taught Slater yet.”
“I am different,” agreed Lilly.
“Because of that light, right… that was your essence… the real you… and those other lights, the ones that came out of it those were…”
“You know what they were,” she told him. “And I see that you do not approve, but I required more strength to break through the milaratak’i. Taking what I needed from my people was a necessary measure.”
“Necessary!” Anger flashed in Terrence’s eyes. “Veer was already injured when you ‘borrowed’ her essence. You could have-”
“Ny diesh ver!” hissed Kyrel, his intention to spring obvious enough to make Terrence cringe away, an arm going up over his face.
“Nydrel!” said Lilly, her hand rising to halt the Deebanaarie - although the calm in her voice was apparently enough.
Not for Baxter though - he took Terrence completely by surprise: slapping him hard up the side of the head and literally spitting with rage as he yelled, “You watch your fucking mouth!”
“Hey! What the fuck?” Terrence dropped his arm as he turned to glare at Baxter, “Seriously? I’m looking out for all of us here… how the hell is that a problem for-”
“It’s a problem if you’re gonna be talking to her that way!” Baxter squared up to him. “Show some fucking respect or I’ll-”
“What…” Tobias joined his brother. Shoving Baxter backward as he added, “… Come on then. Tell us what you’ll do!”
“I’ll show you what I’m gonna…” he drew his arm back with a mighty swing, his hand balling into a fist, aimed squarely at Tobias’s face.
“Robert!” The harsh disapproval in Lilly’s voice stopped him instantly; his arm hovering mid-way between himself and Tobias; his face a mixture of determination and confusion.
Sucking in his lips he glared at the twins a moment longer, eyes flitting from one to the other - both stared at him as though he’d gone crazy. “No!” Lilly told him; her tone softer but every bit as stern. Baxter shook his head, arm returning slowly to his side.
“No one should be talking to you like that…” he turned to look at her. “It’s… it’s… I won’t let them! I can’t!”
“You can and you will,” said Lilly, her voice commanding yet soothing.
“What the hell has she done to him?” Harper whispered near Tobias’s ear as she sidled closer to the twins.
“Dunno,” he shook his head, “Some kind of mind control?” he suggested, with a glance to his brother.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Terrence shrugged “Maybe it’s-”
“There is no need for concern.” Lilly assured them. “Robert remains influenced by the essence I shared with him. His loyalty and the desire to defend me are little more than unavoidable side effects, most of which should pass soon enough.” She looked from Baxter to Vereena and on to Kyrel. “Must I remind you of their efforts? The milaratak’i would not have been weakened were it not for these three,” she turned back to smile at them. “they have not been touched, they have no way to know who they address… but they have earned the right to ask questions,” She nodded Vereena’s way, and taking a step back the young girl bowed her head. Lilly’s gaze moved on, landing next on Kyrel as she said, “And you will have to learn tolerance Fai Lek. It is true the ways of the humans are very different from those of our world. However their help will be most valuable if your daughter is to carry on what has begun this day.”
Kyrel also stepped back, bowing his head as Vereena had done. Lilly turned to Baxter, smiling as she shook her head. “You know we have no desires to see any of you harm each other…” taking a moment she looked out across the crowd. Every eye was on her; the Da’ariel and Deebanaarie all listening as intently as if they could still understand her words. “Everybody here means a great deal to us,” said Lilly as she turned back to Baxter. She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah…” he mumbled with genuine remorse as he stepped aside, and she made her way toward them, “I… I’m sorry,” added Baxter, “I didn’t mean-”
“It is OK.” Lilly said as she came to a stop in front of Harper and the twins. Tobias kept his eyes low, a disgruntled wary look on his face, whereas Terrence, attempting to focus on her, showed a whole different kind of apprehension: his eyes drawn consistently to Baxter for cautious glances.
“He will not strike you again.”
“So what; until your essence wears off he’s like your lap dog?” asked Harper as she threw Baxter a wary glance shrugging, “Sorry to be the one to say it but: That’s a little too weird.”
“Am I to understand that you would have preferred I let Robert die?”
“No!” Harper shook her head. “Of course not I… I just…”
“We’re just a little confused.” said Terrence.
“Ain’t that the understatement of the year,” agreed Harper.
“And you...” Lilly floated up to Tobias, her face inches from his, compelling him to look up. “… so full of concerns.”
“W-well yeah,” he muttered. “Maybe I am.”
“Hey, we all have concerns,” Terrence spoke up. “I mean sure, we’re real glad you can do the healing thing and that you took out Mordrel, but nobody said anything about you being like this… about you being…”
“All über powerful and floaty light…” Harper nodded to where Lilly’s feet weren’t quite touching the floor. “Plus…” she shrugged “you do seem to have lost a little something called your mind.” Getting a sharp look from Baxter, she glared back at him pointing, “Don’t you even think of starting with me Baxter! I don’t care where she’s been putting her essence, or how loopy it’s made you. She says she’s still Slater: I say I’ll talk to her any way I please.”
Again Baxter’s lips pulled back into a scowl, but the second Lilly raised a hand he was sucking them in and averting his gaze. Harper turned back to Lilly, “So what’s with all the, you know... ‘we’ and ‘us’ malarkey? Do you even know who you are anymore? Because I don’t know about anyone else here, but I’m definitely getting a Slater’s left-the-building kinda vibe.”
The bemused smile that broke up Lilly’s face had Harper raising a hand as she added. “Don’t get me wrong OK; Baxter the lap dog, I can learn to live with that.” She glanced his way with a shrug, “I think we can all learn to live with that. But seriously, just tell us what’s really going on here? What’s really happened to Slater… Who… What are you?”
Lilly continued to float as if no longer capable of walking. She paused in front of Terrence, looking him in the eyes as she said, “You are the one charged with finding answers.”
“Well, yeah,” he frowned “But nothing about this, those scrolls were way old. It was all ancient history.”
“You sure Bro?” Tobias sounded dubious as he turned to Terrence. “Maybe you’re forgetting something?”
“You have been through an awful lot of them,” Harper shrugged his way. “Surely it wasn’t all-”
“Seriously?” He raised an eyebrow and glaring from her to his brother added, “If anything Veer translated for me had been titled “So You’ve Come Into Your Powers and Ended Thousands of Years of War, What Happens Next? I’m pretty sure I’d have shared with the class already.”
“Tez is right,” Tobias nodded. “There’s no way he could have kept something like whatever the hell is going on here to himself.”
“Good point.” shrugged Harper “He’s been boring us all with the details for days now.”
Lilly was not so easily appeased; her eyes narrowed as she stared deeper into Terrence’s, then she was shaking her head.
“You learnt so much more than you believe. I see it; the buried truths inside of you.”
There was a smirk as she turned to Vereena. Immediately the younger girl dropped her eyes. It was the first time she’d shown any difficulty looking at Lilly since the transformation.
“What is it?” Terrence asked her. “Veer what’s wrong? What is she talking about?” Slowly she looked up and for the first time he could remember he saw a fearfulness in her eyes as she looked from him to Lilly then back again.
“I had an oath to keep.” As if that was all the explanation needed; apparently for Lilly it was.
“I know,” she nodded, “and I’m sorry.” Reaching out a hand; the tips of her fingers touched Terrence’s left temple and before he could pull away or protest with more than, “Sorry for-” his body went rigid, his head snapped backward, and his eyes glowed bright yellow. For everyone watching it was over in a split second with Terrence sent flying to land on his ass as if knocked down in a fight.
When she looked up again Lilly was no longer floating; she was kneeling at Kyrel’s side, apparently oblivious of everyone else watching her and each other with uncertain expressions on their faces.
With Terrence’s continued support, Vereena and the other two headed for the pair. Watching, as turning Kyrel over, Lilly cradled him in her arms, and proceeded to lay a hand on his forehead.
On reaching them, Vereena dropped to her knees.
“Cousin you truly are-”
Lilly turned to face her and seeing Lilly’s eyes still glowed yellow, both Terence and the Da’ariel girl gasped.
“Ny dilur!” muttered Vereena.
“Timur Am Ness Vereena, velair d’tat. Siiem tae,” smiled Lilly.
“OK, seriously,” Harper shook her head as she and Tobias reached them also. “What’s with you speaking native all of a sudden? When the fuck did that happen?”
“When my people lent me their essence.” Lilly glanced her way, the yellow behind her eyes making them seem oddly distant. “I am sorry you were injured.” She turned back to Vereena, and reaching out pressed a hand to her cousin’s back where the dagger had gone in.
Despite all they’d seen, the classmates stared in amazement as that same light that persisted in Lilly’s eyes began glowing there too.
Vereena looked down, her mouth falling open as a deep warmth brought with it an odd but distinct sensation. The second Lilly removed her hand the younger girl was pulling aside her tunic and shaking her head.
“This cannot…” her eyes followed Lilly’s hand back to Kyrel’s forehead, and looking every bit as stunned as the others, she watched that same glow seep into the Deebanaarie. It gradually filled his body, changing his skin - mottled with charred patches - back to its former healthy state.
As the light reached the tips of Kyrel’s toes he opened his eyes, and echoing Vereena murmured, “Ny Dilur!”
Gulping, he pushed himself up into a sitting position so he could better stare into Lilly’s iridescent eyes.
“Timur Fai lek Kyrel,” She smiled, “velair d’tat. Siiem tae.”
“Quim an,” Kyrel shook his head. His lower lip trembled and his eyes welled up, “nassana d’elth,” he added “ta’taa lisk mina. K’tek vota-”
“Ny.” Lilly’s smile grew as she put a finger to his lips. “T’tait d’elth vieenst kathor.” Holding his gaze she nodded, “Diesh ven Fai lek Kyrel.”
“What’s going on?” Keeping his voice low Tobias tugged on his brother’s arm, “Why isn’t anyone speaking English anymore?”
“Err...” Terrence whispered into Vereena’s ear.
“What are they saying?”
Vereena could barely take her eyes from Lilly, as she answered in a confused whisper of her own. “These words… they are... Tualavan...”
“Tualavan?” Harper raised an eyebrow. “As in the huge mess of tunnels we went through to escape the village?”
“Not exactly,” Terrence shook his head, his gaze fixed on Lilly. His mind reeled with all he’d learned about Azeron’s history. “Tualavan wasn’t the tunnels, it was the capitol, it’s also what the Da’ariel call their Ancestors who lived there.”
“Yes,” agreed Vereena in an awe filled whisper. “It seems cousin Lilly now speaks the language of our ancestors…”
“How is that even possible?” asked Harper.
“I… I cannot...” Vereena shook her head. “I am sorry.” She finally tore her gaze from Lilly, turning instead to Terrence. “I am unsure how to completely translate.”
“Then just give us the gist,” shrugged Harper.
“Gist?” she shook her head, eyes flitting over Lilly and Kyrel before returning to Terrence. “I do not think I-”
“Just tell us what’s been said so far,” interjected Tobias. Terrence’s tone was more apologetic.
“We’re kind of out of the loop since no one’s speaking our language anymore.”
“Yes,” nodded Vereena “yes, of course... err.” turning back to keep watching she added, “Cousin Lilly thanked us, for the essence we each gave to her.”
“And that’s why Kyrel looks like he might break down any second?” Harper sounded dubious. “Must a been some thank you.”
“Ny, ny…” Vereena shook her head. “He does not believe he did enough. He says he failed her, that he is unworthy of her thanks.”
“Failed her!” Harper shook her head. “How much more does he think he could have...”
“Kel ven yath lek,” Lilly was saying now as she pressed a hand to Kyrel’s chest. Foreign as the language was, compassion was clear in her words. “Tes vai, shan lek.” She placed the same hand at her own chest, in a fist, giving him the customary head bow.
“Ny, ny!” Alarm was obvious in Kyrel’s voice as he glanced nervously about them, clearly aware of the intrigued audience. “Nydrel!”
All near enough were watching with avid fascination - their faces an equal measure of awe and uncertainty. “D’mousk kel t’vey,” Kyrel shook his head, and reaching out, gently closed a hand over Lilly’s fist,
“Siiem tae, Mai Lilliath. Vor lesh ka kel kek t’vey.”
“He thanks her…” whispered Vereena. “…and says she belittles herself in bowing to him.”
“Ny,” Lilly was shaking her head again; gently pushing Kyrel’s hand away, so she could put hers to her chest again, “Dirlisk kek, t’vey... Fai lek Kyrel.”
Terrence watched him nod, a grateful yet fearful look in his eyes as he again looked around them.
“Fai lek?” Harper’s face screwed up. “What’s Fai lek? Why does she keep saying that?” seeing Vereena’s gaze shift as she bit down on her lip, Tobias shrugged, “What? You don’t know or you don’t want to tell us?”
“This is... not for me to say…” Vereena spoke with obvious embarrassment, then she was bowing her head as Lilly turned their way. Lilly’s hot yellow gaze moved slowly over all of them before settling on Vereena as she said,
“There is no wrong in what they ask you cousin.”
Moving with that same fluid grace she had before, she rose from the ground and made her way to where Baxter and the branch remained fused within their globule of mucus.
“Such simple creatures these humans are,” she knelt at his side, staring curiously down at him. “So frail. So easily damaged.”
“Hey!” Harper raised an eyebrow. “Who’s she calling frail and...” her words trailed off as Lilly added, “Yet they experience…” realisation seemed to dawn on her and turning Vereena’s way she frowned, “Their world has affected me.”
“Yes,” nodded Vereena, “A risk that needed to be taken… will you still be able-”
“Veyhi!” Lilly stated, with the certainty of freshly confirmed facts. “I am not diminished. There is so much... so many… emotions within this body…” she let her head tip slightly to look down on Baxter again. “For this one, we feel... regret, loss.” her eyes closed and her face became the picture of sadness. “So much sorrow.”
“Grief,” suggested Terrence, and again he was facing that eerie yellow stare of hers. With a gulp he shrugged “Lilly was…Well I... I guess we all kind of figured he was a goner, so yeah, I’m pretty sure grief is what you’re feeling”
“Grief,” Lilly’s head tilted to one side. “You are right… this is…” gasping she swayed, then closing her eyes again steadied herself before opening them. “It infuses our essence.” Looking back down at Baxter she nodded, “There is much feeling for this one. His suffering... it is too much.”
Seeing her push a hand in through the thick pinkish brown goo, that still covered Baxter; Harper almost dived on them both.
“Hey, hey wait...” She stepped forward, “what’re you-”
“Please no…” Vereena put a hand to the other girl’s chest, as did Terrence nodding, “I think we have to trust her.”
In spite of his words there was similar concern on his face, and seeing this Vereena nodded. “You must all trust her,” before turning back to watch as yet again light poured out of Lilly.
“But Baxter’s not even from this world,” insisted Harper “How do we know that’s even gonna...”
“I think it’s OK,” Terrence put a hand on her shoulder and she followed his gaze to where the entire sack of mucous was now glowing, the light seeming to pulse as it increased in brightness.
Seconds later, when it was almost too bright to look at, it dissolved into a fine dust, each speck glowing individually as they fell down around Baxter, or swirled away on the slight breeze that wafted about inside the cho’odzi.
The huge chunk of tree was also gone, and as Vereena dropped her arm, Harper and Terrence both rushed forward, falling to their knees beside Lilly; Terrence immediately set about checking Baxter over.
Finding torn clothes and patches of damp blood, but no sign of any actual injury he couldn’t help grinning when Baxter’s eyelids fluttered open, and he grumbled;
“Yeah, you can quit groping me now mate.” Then he caught sight of Lilly watching him; her face serene and her eyes glowing and blinking profusely. Baxter pushed himself up to get a better look at her as he whispered, “Holy shit! All of that really just happened… you took out Mordrel.”
“Welcome back Robert.”
“Robert?” Harper’s nose wrinkled as if offended on Baxter’s behalf.
“How can you know about Mordrel…” asked Terrence, “You were,” he frowned, shaking his head as he muttered. “At least I thought you were unconscious.”
“I was,” nodded Baxter. “At least I think I was.” Biting his lip, he stared down at the floor, shaking his head as he added. “I remember being stuck in a tree… then everything went dark… I… I guess I passed out but then…” he shook his head again. “Then there was light, the most amazing fucking light.”
“What, like... the-end-of-the-tunnel kinda light?” Harper looked doubtful. “Did you hear voices too, or see a long dead relative beckoning to you?”
“No.” Narrowing one eye at her, Baxter shook his head, “It wasn’t anything like that, alright. This light was... it was everywhere and frightening but real beautiful,” his brow dipped. “a-and I saw fire… and I think there was ice.”
“So you woke up during the fight?” asked Terrence.
“No.” Baxter looked up, glancing his way. “I was unconscious right here,” Baxter patted the floor. “I saw that too.”
Equally confused Tobias asked, “Saw that too? So what, you had an out-of-body experience?”
“No!” Baxter turned to stare at Lilly, unperturbed by the glow in her eyes, “It was you…” he nodded, his lower lip trembling, in much the same way Kyrel’s had. “You came to me, I… I… I saw…”
“What you saw was-”
“The things you’d seen!” Baxter finished the sentence for her.
“What?” Terrence’s gaze shifted between them. “How did you-”
“Yes,” Lilly nodded at Baxter, “We shared our essence with you.”
“OK, that just sounds dirty.” Harper’s hands went up and she threw the twins a dubious look. Neither Lilly nor Baxter was listening.
“It was necessary to heal your wounds.” Lilly was saying.
“I know,” Baxter nodded “I… I more than saw things. I think… I think I knew things too… like you were telling me stuff as you... as you fixed me… too much for me to remember now,” he shook his head, frowning again. “But I think I knew that too.”
“Mmm hmm,” nodded Lilly “Do you remember that we would not have shared the essence with you if it were not-”
“Yes,” said Baxter, his voice cracking slightly as he raised it. “I remember,” he nodded. “It’s OK. I understand. I still know enough, to know I’m OK with this… really, i… it's fine. Actually it’s kind of amazing. Thank you.”
“What’s fine?” asked Tobias, “What’s amazing?”
Lilly was already shaking her head, her smile as comforting, as that of a mother offering her child warm milk and a cookie.
“No thanks necessary Robert,” she said before floating up onto her feet again.
“Yeah, well, I’m still confused here,” said Harper. “Someone wanna tell me what the hell just happened?”
“Oh hey,” it was Baxter’s turn to raise both hands. “If I understood,” he shrugged, “I would.”
“But you just said you understand.”
“Sure,” agreed Baxter “A few things, but not everything!”
Seeing Terrence raise a quizzical eyebrow, he shrugged. “Look, all I’m certain of is I was at death’s door and on the losing side of a bloody battle.” His gaze remained on Lilly as she neared Vereena, “Now I’m all patched up and somehow I know Slater single-handedly won this war while I was out of it! It’s kinda confusing actually, but I’m not gonna knock it.”
“Won the war?” Again Terrence was raising an eyebrow as Harper got up shrugging.
“Well I just hope you can walk,” she offered Baxter a hand adding, “cos I don’t think we’re getting a taxi out of here.”
Pushing her hand away he got to his feet grinning, “I’m a hundred and ten percent.”
Giving Lilly a wary look, Terrence asked, “So do you know anything else?”
“Like what?” they watched her float Kyrel’s way, nodding for him to get up.
Lowering her voice, Harper whispered from behind her hand,
“Like why all of a sudden she’s speaking the language of the ancients and referring to herself as we?”
“She is?” asked Baxter a bemused look on his face, “I don’t think I noticed.”
“Mmm hmm,” Tobias nodded, “It’s kind of odd.”
The classmates watched her speaking with Kyrel, who continued to look humbled. A second later Baxter was saying, “Hey, far as I’m concerned… them that go around performing miracles can talk however the hell they want.”
“Miracles…” Lilly turned to look at them, her expression thoughtful. “…Is not the entire existence of this world a miracle by the standards of the human world?”
“Well, yeah,” he shrugged “You’ve got me there.” Stuffing his hands in his pockets he nodded, “It’s just that these guys are a little-”
“We are aware of their concerns.” Lilly eyed each of them in turn, her eyes settling on Tobias: standing a short ways off from the others, with his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and a desolate look on his face. “Even those concerns which are not voiced are known to us.”
As the others looked his way, Tobias averted his eyes, and turning back to them she said, “Whispering works only for those forced to rely upon hearing.”
“Right,” Baxter nodded, “Of course… they didn’t mean to-”
“What do you mean, of course?” Harper scowled. “Like that made any sense!” She shook her head, “Look, I don’t mean to be rude, but what the hell have you done with Slater?”
Lilly’s smile widened as she said, “Isn’t that just like the humans?” She turned her smile on Vereena. “My last Qin Am Ness. You alone know the truth of what we are. How we came to be.”
“Yes,” nodded Vereena, her arm going across her chest. “I am Qin Am Ness. To carry the knowledge of you is my duty.”
“Knowledge of?” Terrence shook his head. “You mean knowledge for right?”
Lilly turned to him, the glow in her eyes making the hairs on his neck rise. “There has always been more to the duties of a Qin Am Ness than any but they have ever known…” she explained.
“Duties like what?” asked Harper. “Who… Or…what the hell are you?”
“I’m still the girl you knew,” she nodded, and Tobias mumbled, “Yeah… well your eyes beg to differ.”
Lilly’s next smile was all amusement as she closed her eyes then reopened them. There was no sign of the light and looking to him she asked. “Is this more to your liking?” Instead of answering he looked back down at the ground and turning back to Harper, Lilly said, “You see… I’m still she.”
“But you’re more now too aren’t you?” asked Terrence. “You’re speaking some ancient Azeronian language a…and… you took out Mordrel with magicks Kyrel hasn’t even taught Slater yet.”
“I am different,” agreed Lilly.
“Because of that light, right… that was your essence… the real you… and those other lights, the ones that came out of it those were…”
“You know what they were,” she told him. “And I see that you do not approve, but I required more strength to break through the milaratak’i. Taking what I needed from my people was a necessary measure.”
“Necessary!” Anger flashed in Terrence’s eyes. “Veer was already injured when you ‘borrowed’ her essence. You could have-”
“Ny diesh ver!” hissed Kyrel, his intention to spring obvious enough to make Terrence cringe away, an arm going up over his face.
“Nydrel!” said Lilly, her hand rising to halt the Deebanaarie - although the calm in her voice was apparently enough.
Not for Baxter though - he took Terrence completely by surprise: slapping him hard up the side of the head and literally spitting with rage as he yelled, “You watch your fucking mouth!”
“Hey! What the fuck?” Terrence dropped his arm as he turned to glare at Baxter, “Seriously? I’m looking out for all of us here… how the hell is that a problem for-”
“It’s a problem if you’re gonna be talking to her that way!” Baxter squared up to him. “Show some fucking respect or I’ll-”
“What…” Tobias joined his brother. Shoving Baxter backward as he added, “… Come on then. Tell us what you’ll do!”
“I’ll show you what I’m gonna…” he drew his arm back with a mighty swing, his hand balling into a fist, aimed squarely at Tobias’s face.
“Robert!” The harsh disapproval in Lilly’s voice stopped him instantly; his arm hovering mid-way between himself and Tobias; his face a mixture of determination and confusion.
Sucking in his lips he glared at the twins a moment longer, eyes flitting from one to the other - both stared at him as though he’d gone crazy. “No!” Lilly told him; her tone softer but every bit as stern. Baxter shook his head, arm returning slowly to his side.
“No one should be talking to you like that…” he turned to look at her. “It’s… it’s… I won’t let them! I can’t!”
“You can and you will,” said Lilly, her voice commanding yet soothing.
“What the hell has she done to him?” Harper whispered near Tobias’s ear as she sidled closer to the twins.
“Dunno,” he shook his head, “Some kind of mind control?” he suggested, with a glance to his brother.
“Couldn’t tell you,” Terrence shrugged “Maybe it’s-”
“There is no need for concern.” Lilly assured them. “Robert remains influenced by the essence I shared with him. His loyalty and the desire to defend me are little more than unavoidable side effects, most of which should pass soon enough.” She looked from Baxter to Vereena and on to Kyrel. “Must I remind you of their efforts? The milaratak’i would not have been weakened were it not for these three,” she turned back to smile at them. “they have not been touched, they have no way to know who they address… but they have earned the right to ask questions,” She nodded Vereena’s way, and taking a step back the young girl bowed her head. Lilly’s gaze moved on, landing next on Kyrel as she said, “And you will have to learn tolerance Fai Lek. It is true the ways of the humans are very different from those of our world. However their help will be most valuable if your daughter is to carry on what has begun this day.”
Kyrel also stepped back, bowing his head as Vereena had done. Lilly turned to Baxter, smiling as she shook her head. “You know we have no desires to see any of you harm each other…” taking a moment she looked out across the crowd. Every eye was on her; the Da’ariel and Deebanaarie all listening as intently as if they could still understand her words. “Everybody here means a great deal to us,” said Lilly as she turned back to Baxter. She raised an eyebrow at him.
“Yeah…” he mumbled with genuine remorse as he stepped aside, and she made her way toward them, “I… I’m sorry,” added Baxter, “I didn’t mean-”
“It is OK.” Lilly said as she came to a stop in front of Harper and the twins. Tobias kept his eyes low, a disgruntled wary look on his face, whereas Terrence, attempting to focus on her, showed a whole different kind of apprehension: his eyes drawn consistently to Baxter for cautious glances.
“He will not strike you again.”
“So what; until your essence wears off he’s like your lap dog?” asked Harper as she threw Baxter a wary glance shrugging, “Sorry to be the one to say it but: That’s a little too weird.”
“Am I to understand that you would have preferred I let Robert die?”
“No!” Harper shook her head. “Of course not I… I just…”
“We’re just a little confused.” said Terrence.
“Ain’t that the understatement of the year,” agreed Harper.
“And you...” Lilly floated up to Tobias, her face inches from his, compelling him to look up. “… so full of concerns.”
“W-well yeah,” he muttered. “Maybe I am.”
“Hey, we all have concerns,” Terrence spoke up. “I mean sure, we’re real glad you can do the healing thing and that you took out Mordrel, but nobody said anything about you being like this… about you being…”
“All über powerful and floaty light…” Harper nodded to where Lilly’s feet weren’t quite touching the floor. “Plus…” she shrugged “you do seem to have lost a little something called your mind.” Getting a sharp look from Baxter, she glared back at him pointing, “Don’t you even think of starting with me Baxter! I don’t care where she’s been putting her essence, or how loopy it’s made you. She says she’s still Slater: I say I’ll talk to her any way I please.”
Again Baxter’s lips pulled back into a scowl, but the second Lilly raised a hand he was sucking them in and averting his gaze. Harper turned back to Lilly, “So what’s with all the, you know... ‘we’ and ‘us’ malarkey? Do you even know who you are anymore? Because I don’t know about anyone else here, but I’m definitely getting a Slater’s left-the-building kinda vibe.”
The bemused smile that broke up Lilly’s face had Harper raising a hand as she added. “Don’t get me wrong OK; Baxter the lap dog, I can learn to live with that.” She glanced his way with a shrug, “I think we can all learn to live with that. But seriously, just tell us what’s really going on here? What’s really happened to Slater… Who… What are you?”
Lilly continued to float as if no longer capable of walking. She paused in front of Terrence, looking him in the eyes as she said, “You are the one charged with finding answers.”
“Well, yeah,” he frowned “But nothing about this, those scrolls were way old. It was all ancient history.”
“You sure Bro?” Tobias sounded dubious as he turned to Terrence. “Maybe you’re forgetting something?”
“You have been through an awful lot of them,” Harper shrugged his way. “Surely it wasn’t all-”
“Seriously?” He raised an eyebrow and glaring from her to his brother added, “If anything Veer translated for me had been titled “So You’ve Come Into Your Powers and Ended Thousands of Years of War, What Happens Next? I’m pretty sure I’d have shared with the class already.”
“Tez is right,” Tobias nodded. “There’s no way he could have kept something like whatever the hell is going on here to himself.”
“Good point.” shrugged Harper “He’s been boring us all with the details for days now.”
Lilly was not so easily appeased; her eyes narrowed as she stared deeper into Terrence’s, then she was shaking her head.
“You learnt so much more than you believe. I see it; the buried truths inside of you.”
There was a smirk as she turned to Vereena. Immediately the younger girl dropped her eyes. It was the first time she’d shown any difficulty looking at Lilly since the transformation.
“What is it?” Terrence asked her. “Veer what’s wrong? What is she talking about?” Slowly she looked up and for the first time he could remember he saw a fearfulness in her eyes as she looked from him to Lilly then back again.
“I had an oath to keep.” As if that was all the explanation needed; apparently for Lilly it was.
“I know,” she nodded, “and I’m sorry.” Reaching out a hand; the tips of her fingers touched Terrence’s left temple and before he could pull away or protest with more than, “Sorry for-” his body went rigid, his head snapped backward, and his eyes glowed bright yellow. For everyone watching it was over in a split second with Terrence sent flying to land on his ass as if knocked down in a fight.
For Terrence himself, the experience lasted far longer. His mind was flooded with an array of imagery all jumbled up at first.
He and Vereena reading, and talking, and learning from each other, he and Vereena sipping juice from wooden mugs, or water from animal skins. He and Vereena laughing as he shared jokes from home with her, or regaled her with tales of the many splendid, and not so splendid, things he’d done in the name of brotherhood. Eventually the mess of memories began untangling into a linear sequence of events.
He and Vereena were back at the village, poring over scrolls in what was left of the room of writings. As she translated aloud he dug deeper into the shelves, pulling more and more scrolls from the wall. When he thought he heard her read something of possible importance he took the time to sit and scribble down notes.
It was at one of these scribbling moments that she read out a section neither of them could comprehend so Terrence had asked her to repeat it.
“... only the mother of all mothers can pacify her young and heal the ills of our Azeron, and only if a child of both is mother of mother, will all that was return of the mother.”
“Man, did your Ancestors know how to talk in riddles.” Terrence had scoffed. “I mean no offence, but come on: mother of mothers of mothers of mothers! And I mean seriously... Last I checked it pretty much always takes two to tango right so this whole ‘child of both’ thing... well talk about redundant.” Looking up to see the pensive look on her face he’d asked, “It makes more sense to you?”
The young Da’ariel girl had bitten down hard on her bottom lip, obvious apprehension in her eyes as she raised an eyebrow. Terrence added, “It does! You totally get it! Well come on then... What are we talking about exactly? Is it important? Should we tell Lilly?”
“Nydrel,” Vereena shook her head, “These writings, they are so old. The language mostly forgotten; you were correct the first time, Terrence Emerson. None of this makes any sense. Even my knowledge as Qin Am Ness cannot help me decipher a meaning from this.” Seeing his disappointment she sighed, “Perhaps I read it wron-”
“No wait,” he insisted with a raised hand. “A mother of mothers is basically what Mai Mai means right?”
“Mmm hmm,” Vereena nodded, watching a moment as he scratched his head, mulling the words over with more careful consideration. As he started to scribble on his notepad again she turned the binding over in her hands taking in for the first time the few etched lines and the faded Do’mass on its otherwise plain sepia outer skin.
By the time he glanced back up at her, shaking his head and saying, “Nope, sorry, but I got nothing.” Vereena had already rolled up the binding, and moved on to another.
“Perhaps there will be something more useful in this,” she smiled, rolling open the new binding and set about translating its contents.
He and Vereena reading, and talking, and learning from each other, he and Vereena sipping juice from wooden mugs, or water from animal skins. He and Vereena laughing as he shared jokes from home with her, or regaled her with tales of the many splendid, and not so splendid, things he’d done in the name of brotherhood. Eventually the mess of memories began untangling into a linear sequence of events.
He and Vereena were back at the village, poring over scrolls in what was left of the room of writings. As she translated aloud he dug deeper into the shelves, pulling more and more scrolls from the wall. When he thought he heard her read something of possible importance he took the time to sit and scribble down notes.
It was at one of these scribbling moments that she read out a section neither of them could comprehend so Terrence had asked her to repeat it.
“... only the mother of all mothers can pacify her young and heal the ills of our Azeron, and only if a child of both is mother of mother, will all that was return of the mother.”
“Man, did your Ancestors know how to talk in riddles.” Terrence had scoffed. “I mean no offence, but come on: mother of mothers of mothers of mothers! And I mean seriously... Last I checked it pretty much always takes two to tango right so this whole ‘child of both’ thing... well talk about redundant.” Looking up to see the pensive look on her face he’d asked, “It makes more sense to you?”
The young Da’ariel girl had bitten down hard on her bottom lip, obvious apprehension in her eyes as she raised an eyebrow. Terrence added, “It does! You totally get it! Well come on then... What are we talking about exactly? Is it important? Should we tell Lilly?”
“Nydrel,” Vereena shook her head, “These writings, they are so old. The language mostly forgotten; you were correct the first time, Terrence Emerson. None of this makes any sense. Even my knowledge as Qin Am Ness cannot help me decipher a meaning from this.” Seeing his disappointment she sighed, “Perhaps I read it wron-”
“No wait,” he insisted with a raised hand. “A mother of mothers is basically what Mai Mai means right?”
“Mmm hmm,” Vereena nodded, watching a moment as he scratched his head, mulling the words over with more careful consideration. As he started to scribble on his notepad again she turned the binding over in her hands taking in for the first time the few etched lines and the faded Do’mass on its otherwise plain sepia outer skin.
By the time he glanced back up at her, shaking his head and saying, “Nope, sorry, but I got nothing.” Vereena had already rolled up the binding, and moved on to another.
“Perhaps there will be something more useful in this,” she smiled, rolling open the new binding and set about translating its contents.
A second memory flooded Terrence’s psyche: later that same day when he’d sought Vereena out, after a meeting she’d had to attend with her Grandmother, he’d hardly been able to contain his excitement.
Convinced he’d figured out a viable meaning to what he’d had her repeat earlier, he followed her back to her hut, to where she told him she’d brought the binding for further study.
Once inside Vereena had handed it to him as she set about making them drinks and he set about explaining his theory.
“See I was thinking about the wording, and well, maybe it isn’t so redundant after all. I mean, sure, a Mother of mothers is a Mai Mai right? Any Mai Mai and Every Mai Mai, so that part’s clear, but what about this mother of all mothers? That’s not even the same thing.”
“It isn’t?” asked Vereena, as she ground a handful of dried berries into a fine powder.
“No,” said Terrence, “you read it! The exact words were: only the mother of all mothers can pacify her young and heal the ills of our Azeron... right?”
“That is what I read,” she nodded.
“Well that seems like a pretty significant difference to me. I mean why would your ancestors slip that ‘All’ in there if it wasn’t important?”
“I do not know that they would.” Vereena let him continue as she scraped the berries into two wooden mugs and poured on a watery yellowish liquid.
“Then the only explanation is that it was intentional.” Terrence told her. “Because the Mother of all mothers which that scroll speaks about is not just any Mai Mai. She’s more than a figurehead.”
“Figurehead?” Vereena’s eyebrow went up as she carried their drinks to the small table.
“Yeah,” Terrence’s hands went everywhere as he explained. “A symbol, a monarch with very little real powers.”
“Then this Mother of all mothers has powers?” suggested Vereena “Do you believe the binding speaks of Cousin Lilly?”
“God, I sure hope that tastes a lot better than it looks.” Terrence frowned as she put the drink down in front of him. Then looking up to see her gazing down at him he shrugged, “No offence,” and receiving a smile added, “but no, not Lilly,” reading disappointment in the young girl’s eyes before she turned her back on him and made her way back across the room he nodded, “I mean Lilly is important, I didn’t get it before, but after you read from this.” He ran a hand down the rolled out scroll. “And then I saw her and Kyrel training today, well then it all made sense, at least it does if I’m right.”
“Go on,” Vereena prompted as she returned, sipping her own drink.
“Well you spoke before of the Lady Leyavanya.” said Terrence. “The first Queen of the Da’ariel right?” he nodded. “You told me yourself that to your people she’s sometimes known as the Mother of all mothers.” As Vereena reached his side Terrence sipped his own drink and looking up at her smiled, “Wow, that’s not half-”
Before he could finish a fine powder was blown into his face. It whooshed up his nose and clogged his throat, preventing him from making a sound. Immediately his eyes were watering, throbbing and bulging in their sockets. He feared they may explode. Then everything became foggy, including Vereena’s face, so close to his but almost impossible to make out.
“I’m sorry, Terrence Emerson.” Her voice was sad and distant. “This knowledge is not for sharing yet.”
Convinced he’d figured out a viable meaning to what he’d had her repeat earlier, he followed her back to her hut, to where she told him she’d brought the binding for further study.
Once inside Vereena had handed it to him as she set about making them drinks and he set about explaining his theory.
“See I was thinking about the wording, and well, maybe it isn’t so redundant after all. I mean, sure, a Mother of mothers is a Mai Mai right? Any Mai Mai and Every Mai Mai, so that part’s clear, but what about this mother of all mothers? That’s not even the same thing.”
“It isn’t?” asked Vereena, as she ground a handful of dried berries into a fine powder.
“No,” said Terrence, “you read it! The exact words were: only the mother of all mothers can pacify her young and heal the ills of our Azeron... right?”
“That is what I read,” she nodded.
“Well that seems like a pretty significant difference to me. I mean why would your ancestors slip that ‘All’ in there if it wasn’t important?”
“I do not know that they would.” Vereena let him continue as she scraped the berries into two wooden mugs and poured on a watery yellowish liquid.
“Then the only explanation is that it was intentional.” Terrence told her. “Because the Mother of all mothers which that scroll speaks about is not just any Mai Mai. She’s more than a figurehead.”
“Figurehead?” Vereena’s eyebrow went up as she carried their drinks to the small table.
“Yeah,” Terrence’s hands went everywhere as he explained. “A symbol, a monarch with very little real powers.”
“Then this Mother of all mothers has powers?” suggested Vereena “Do you believe the binding speaks of Cousin Lilly?”
“God, I sure hope that tastes a lot better than it looks.” Terrence frowned as she put the drink down in front of him. Then looking up to see her gazing down at him he shrugged, “No offence,” and receiving a smile added, “but no, not Lilly,” reading disappointment in the young girl’s eyes before she turned her back on him and made her way back across the room he nodded, “I mean Lilly is important, I didn’t get it before, but after you read from this.” He ran a hand down the rolled out scroll. “And then I saw her and Kyrel training today, well then it all made sense, at least it does if I’m right.”
“Go on,” Vereena prompted as she returned, sipping her own drink.
“Well you spoke before of the Lady Leyavanya.” said Terrence. “The first Queen of the Da’ariel right?” he nodded. “You told me yourself that to your people she’s sometimes known as the Mother of all mothers.” As Vereena reached his side Terrence sipped his own drink and looking up at her smiled, “Wow, that’s not half-”
Before he could finish a fine powder was blown into his face. It whooshed up his nose and clogged his throat, preventing him from making a sound. Immediately his eyes were watering, throbbing and bulging in their sockets. He feared they may explode. Then everything became foggy, including Vereena’s face, so close to his but almost impossible to make out.
“I’m sorry, Terrence Emerson.” Her voice was sad and distant. “This knowledge is not for sharing yet.”
“What the fuck?” Tobias shot Lilly a fierce glare from his brother’s side.
“You OK?” Harper was at his other side staring down at him, her face all concern as he blinked profusely, trying to clear the mists from his mind.
“I…I’m fine,” he shrugged off their efforts to help him up adding, “I’m OK.” Struggling to get his bearings, he looked up, scanning the faces of the others; all staring back at him. His eyes settled on Vereena, she alone still had her back to him, but feeling his eyes on her, she slowly turned around, her expression solemn, yet proud.
“Why would you...” he shook his head, gazing up at her from the hard black floor. “I… I thought we were friends?”
Dropping her eyes, Vereena turned to Lilly.
“Niesk vey taag taal Mai Lilliath, Dimsh un Cat ya vac.”
Lilly nodded, and Vereena strode off without another word.
For a moment, watching her go, Terrence looked as though he might cry.
“What was that all about?” Tobias glared after the younger girl, “Where is she going?”
“To ready our people,” nodded Lilly. “It is time we left this place.”
“But what about Tez?” he turned to his brother. “What did she do to you Bro?”
“She is my Qin Am Ness,” said Lilly “She did what she must.”
“Not exactly an explanation!” growled Tobias but Lilly barely seemed to notice his growing anger. Instead she turned her gaze back on Terrence.
“You must know you cannot blame her. The duties of a Qin Am Ness go above that of any friendship.”
Swallowing down an acrid lump of nothing, he clambered onto his feet.
“I do know who you are.” He nodded, “I figured it out. All of it, but she made me forget. A-and now I remember. I… I…” for a moment there was confusion in his eyes then he was nodding again, “I know who both of you are.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tobias “What did Jab-Happy do to you bro? Who is she? What did she make you forget?”
“Vereena is exactly who you have always known her to be,” Lilly told them. “A fine warrior and a worthy Qin Am Ness. It was never her intention to deceive any of you.”
“But she did!” insisted Terrence.
“And because you do remember, you know why she had to,” insisted Lilly. “You know how important it was that the truth of me remain hidden until now.”
“Just because I get it, doesn’t mean I’m OK with it,” his voice rose enough to make both Kyrel and Baxter step forward. Though Lilly’s hand went up, Terrence seemed not to notice, instead his eyes remained fixed on her as he added, “She screwed with my head! Blew that crap in my face and made me forget, when all I was doing was trying to help. Don’t you think for even a moment that I’m OK with that! I thought we were friends. That, that meant something to her. But she...” his voice became solemn. “She didn’t even hesitate!”
“Do not allow anger to blind you Terrence. The last Qin Am Ness faced with such a decision chose a much more final solution to keeping my secret. Generations may have come and gone since then, but things do not change as swiftly in Azeron as they do in the human world. Had a Qin Am Ness chosen to execute you, none of my people would have questioned it.” Seeing him gulp she added, “Stripping you of your memories was a hesitation for Vereena and it happened only because of how much your friendship has come to mean to her.”
“If that’s true then why even make me remember? Why not just leave things how they were? You still know everything Lilly knows and she had to know how much I’d hate feeling this way? Why didn’t you just leave things the way they-”
“Because,” Lilly’s feet finally touched ground and she stepped closer to him. “You deserve the truth Terrence.” Scanning the faces of Harper and Tobias she nodded, “because you all deserve the truth and I know of none better suited to explaining that which has transpired here.”
“What about you?” He shook his head, “I’m no servant of yours. Why the hell should I do what you can just as easily do yourself? Probably easier I reckon,” he shrugged “You’re the one who started this whole damn thing. No one has a better idea what’s going on than...”
Despite the obvious vehemence of his words they trailed off the second she raised a hand.
“This Kalaareem is all but ended,” she smiled. “And with it my link to this vessel fades. When all that remains is the last daughter of my line, she will not remember enough to offer explanation. She will, however still be the true ruler of these lands, and as such she too will need to know all that you discovered.”
Lilly turned to Kyrel, beckoning with a nod. Without question he approached as she said, “Do not forget who you are Fai Lek. Herrella is gone, and Lilliath will not always have me, but she does still have you.”
“Yes Mai Mai.” his arm went to his chest for the briefest of bows before he was reaching for her.
“Hey no. Wait!” Panic took over from the anger in Terrence’s voice. He’d recognised the finality of Lilly’s words. Now hurrying toward them both he added. “I can’t be your messenger!” He watched her slump forward into Kyrel’s outstretched arms, “I mean, I wasn’t even...” Again Terrence’s words trailed off, the look on the Deebanaarie’s face telling him all protest was now pointless. “She’s gone?” he asked.
“The Kalaareem is ended.” Kyrel nodded. “This body could not sustain so much power without it.”
“But I… I could have been wrong about loads of things,” said Terrence. “How could she just trust me like that? What if I had it all arse backwards? I never even got the chance to check on half of what-”
“Hey,” feeling a hand on his shoulder, Terrence turned to see Harper at his side. “Don’t worry,” she shook her head, offering a smile. “Lilly knows how smart you are, OK. She knows she can trust you.”
“That’s right.” Tobias joined them, his smile more of a mischievous smirk, yet every bit as comforting, as he added, “Besides Bro... We all know you’re never wrong.”
“You OK?” Harper was at his other side staring down at him, her face all concern as he blinked profusely, trying to clear the mists from his mind.
“I…I’m fine,” he shrugged off their efforts to help him up adding, “I’m OK.” Struggling to get his bearings, he looked up, scanning the faces of the others; all staring back at him. His eyes settled on Vereena, she alone still had her back to him, but feeling his eyes on her, she slowly turned around, her expression solemn, yet proud.
“Why would you...” he shook his head, gazing up at her from the hard black floor. “I… I thought we were friends?”
Dropping her eyes, Vereena turned to Lilly.
“Niesk vey taag taal Mai Lilliath, Dimsh un Cat ya vac.”
Lilly nodded, and Vereena strode off without another word.
For a moment, watching her go, Terrence looked as though he might cry.
“What was that all about?” Tobias glared after the younger girl, “Where is she going?”
“To ready our people,” nodded Lilly. “It is time we left this place.”
“But what about Tez?” he turned to his brother. “What did she do to you Bro?”
“She is my Qin Am Ness,” said Lilly “She did what she must.”
“Not exactly an explanation!” growled Tobias but Lilly barely seemed to notice his growing anger. Instead she turned her gaze back on Terrence.
“You must know you cannot blame her. The duties of a Qin Am Ness go above that of any friendship.”
Swallowing down an acrid lump of nothing, he clambered onto his feet.
“I do know who you are.” He nodded, “I figured it out. All of it, but she made me forget. A-and now I remember. I… I…” for a moment there was confusion in his eyes then he was nodding again, “I know who both of you are.”
“What do you mean?” asked Tobias “What did Jab-Happy do to you bro? Who is she? What did she make you forget?”
“Vereena is exactly who you have always known her to be,” Lilly told them. “A fine warrior and a worthy Qin Am Ness. It was never her intention to deceive any of you.”
“But she did!” insisted Terrence.
“And because you do remember, you know why she had to,” insisted Lilly. “You know how important it was that the truth of me remain hidden until now.”
“Just because I get it, doesn’t mean I’m OK with it,” his voice rose enough to make both Kyrel and Baxter step forward. Though Lilly’s hand went up, Terrence seemed not to notice, instead his eyes remained fixed on her as he added, “She screwed with my head! Blew that crap in my face and made me forget, when all I was doing was trying to help. Don’t you think for even a moment that I’m OK with that! I thought we were friends. That, that meant something to her. But she...” his voice became solemn. “She didn’t even hesitate!”
“Do not allow anger to blind you Terrence. The last Qin Am Ness faced with such a decision chose a much more final solution to keeping my secret. Generations may have come and gone since then, but things do not change as swiftly in Azeron as they do in the human world. Had a Qin Am Ness chosen to execute you, none of my people would have questioned it.” Seeing him gulp she added, “Stripping you of your memories was a hesitation for Vereena and it happened only because of how much your friendship has come to mean to her.”
“If that’s true then why even make me remember? Why not just leave things how they were? You still know everything Lilly knows and she had to know how much I’d hate feeling this way? Why didn’t you just leave things the way they-”
“Because,” Lilly’s feet finally touched ground and she stepped closer to him. “You deserve the truth Terrence.” Scanning the faces of Harper and Tobias she nodded, “because you all deserve the truth and I know of none better suited to explaining that which has transpired here.”
“What about you?” He shook his head, “I’m no servant of yours. Why the hell should I do what you can just as easily do yourself? Probably easier I reckon,” he shrugged “You’re the one who started this whole damn thing. No one has a better idea what’s going on than...”
Despite the obvious vehemence of his words they trailed off the second she raised a hand.
“This Kalaareem is all but ended,” she smiled. “And with it my link to this vessel fades. When all that remains is the last daughter of my line, she will not remember enough to offer explanation. She will, however still be the true ruler of these lands, and as such she too will need to know all that you discovered.”
Lilly turned to Kyrel, beckoning with a nod. Without question he approached as she said, “Do not forget who you are Fai Lek. Herrella is gone, and Lilliath will not always have me, but she does still have you.”
“Yes Mai Mai.” his arm went to his chest for the briefest of bows before he was reaching for her.
“Hey no. Wait!” Panic took over from the anger in Terrence’s voice. He’d recognised the finality of Lilly’s words. Now hurrying toward them both he added. “I can’t be your messenger!” He watched her slump forward into Kyrel’s outstretched arms, “I mean, I wasn’t even...” Again Terrence’s words trailed off, the look on the Deebanaarie’s face telling him all protest was now pointless. “She’s gone?” he asked.
“The Kalaareem is ended.” Kyrel nodded. “This body could not sustain so much power without it.”
“But I… I could have been wrong about loads of things,” said Terrence. “How could she just trust me like that? What if I had it all arse backwards? I never even got the chance to check on half of what-”
“Hey,” feeling a hand on his shoulder, Terrence turned to see Harper at his side. “Don’t worry,” she shook her head, offering a smile. “Lilly knows how smart you are, OK. She knows she can trust you.”
“That’s right.” Tobias joined them, his smile more of a mischievous smirk, yet every bit as comforting, as he added, “Besides Bro... We all know you’re never wrong.”
