by Noëlie Frix
So strong, Jason thought, feeling faint. Too strong.
Myegi and Aapol seemed to materialize next to them.
“Ah. I was hoping this could be avoided,” Death sighed. And he flew down the stairs, joining the main struggle again. The Sun spirit followed after him. Myegi knelt next to Jason, touched his heart and drew the poison out.
“Come on. We need you; get back in there. We’ll take care of Death.”
Jason stood up and nodded; decided not to waste any time, the Immortal and Spirit ran down.
*****
Marcus kicked Heka in the gut and his forces roared. Warrior slammed her fist against War’s temple and her army surged forward, roaring back. Their swords clashed and so did their soldiers. No one seemed to gain the upper hand. Both War and Warrior had sustained several minor cuts, but nothing major, nothing that was substantial enough to deter the other. Rather than draining their energy, the ongoing conflict fed their powers, rendering them tireless, nigh unbeatable.
She dodged his fist, feinted to the right, throwing a dagger with her left. Marcus caught the feint, avoided the sharp tip and swung his sword in an arc that would have decapitated her had Warrior not dove out of the way.
She managed to circle around to his back. Heka was quick enough this time and she planted her knife in his back.
Marcus bellowed in rage and agony as both he and his army bled. He pulled out the blade and glared at her. She pressed her advantage, her kick catching him in the jaw, making him stumble back. She thrust her sword forth. War slid along the blade towards her. She threw a fist in the direction of his kidney, but Marcus caught her hand and snapped the wrist back. Pain flared as the bones cracked and Heka moved back, willing the bones to mend themselves and fast.
“Sorry. That must have hurt,” War grunted, attacking again, relentless.
Heka threw herself back into the fight with a fierce, fiery rage. She took care to use her right hand, keeping the left at her back until it healed completely. After less than a minute, she was using both hands again. Warrior head-butted her uncle and blood poured out of his nose. His niece elbowed him in the chin, snapping his head back.
“Sorry,” she mimicked. “That must have hurt.”
*****
Damien found himself facing his old enemy, Julius. Though both were old, they were still healthy and strong men, neither had lost much of the skills and vitality of their youths.
“It has been a long time,” Damien said coldly, his sword drawn.
“Indeed. Too long.”
“Not long enough if you ask me,” the king grunted. Around them, battles raged, but the soldiers left their sovereigns alone.
“I wonder if you are still capable of fighting as you once did,” Julius grinned derisively.
“Let’s find out!” Damien replied coldly. And he struck. Their swords clashed loudly.
Désirée fought not far from the two monarchs. She planted her elegant dagger into the heart of the soldier who had just attempted to kiss her and turned her attention toward the man she had been tormenting for the past months. And she had every intention to continue when the war was over.
Love&Beauty headed in their direction, those she passed seemed to forget about the raging combats around them, deciding to stare at her instead, or trying to kiss or woo other soldiers.
Julius felt her approach and sidestepped, avoiding her strike. She moved to Damien’s side, looking smug.
“Is it coincidence that you find yourself here,” the king asked, paying attention to Julius who had turned back to them and seemed to be deciding how best to attack, “or are you capable of following me around even during battle?”
“What do you think?” she asked sweetly. Damien breathed an inward sigh of relief until she added, “I was keeping an eye on you, of course.” This time, he groaned audibly, and Julius saw his opening.
“You don’t want to attack us,” Désirée said, her voice irresistibly beautiful and he stopped mid-strike, his sword raised, his head cocked to the side questioningly.
Julius grunted and struck, but Damien’s sword intercepted his.
“Don’t you think you would rather find someone to love than to kill? I think you would.”
Julius wanted to do what she was telling him to, he wanted to do whatever the beautiful lady asked. “Be quiet, you witch,” he clenched his jaw, clearly making an effort to resist her. Damien saw sweat beading on his adversary’s brow.
“Go on. Someone needs you. You love Marcus,” she sung with a mischievous grin. “He wants you and so do you. It’s all you want. A true love’s kiss, to live happily ever after. So go on, you know where to find him. There’s no reason to wait.”
His eyes glazed over and she knew she had him. Julius marched toward the center of the field.
“Nice trick. For once, I am glad to be on your side,” Damien admitted.
“Oh, you always are.”
He didn’t reply, not after what he’d just seen. What he needed was to get back to fighting, not to go after someone, or worse, something, in search of a kiss.
“I’ll see you after all this is over,” she declared and they both moved, Damien advancing carefully, Désirée seeming to glide and with no apparent worry.
****
“My Lord?” Heka and Marcus heard Julius calling. “My Lord, you are the most amazing and beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes on.”
War parried a blow and countered Heka’s who asked incredulous, “Is he trying to woo you?”
“I must make you understand. Oh, will you please allow me to be with you?”
“Shut up, you moron,” War groaned through gritted teeth, allowing Heka to land a hard hook to his jaw, forcing him to stumble back a few steps.
“I beseech you, I beg you, allow me just one kiss, to prove that our love is real.” Julius had gotten within two feet of the Immortals, the one place no one dared approach.
“When I am done here, I will go gut that bitch, Love,” he kicked the sovereign in the head, who fell back, unconscious.
“And you’ll end up kissing your sword,” Warrior replied seriously. She saw a dark shape appear behind her uncle and made sure not to show any sign that she acknowledged the presence of Jason, who planted his dagger in Marcus’s shoulder—it would have been the heart, but War had felt him at the last moment and moved. It didn’t matter. Shadow was gone, and Heka saw her opening. Her uncle had been distracted, even if only for a split second, it was enough.
Her foot caught him in the sternum, then her fist below the jaw. She grabbed a knife and planted it in his already wounded shoulder. Marcus fell back, hitting the ground with a hard thud. Warrior surprised him by pulling two arrows out of her quiver and planting them through the backs of his hands, pinning him down. She fell on top of him, with her knee pressed against his throat, and her sword right below his eye.
Around them, the battle started to die down. Marcus’s troops were retreating, right into the second half of Warrior’s forces which had landed and were coming ashore.
“Call off your troops, or I carve out your eyes.”
It wasn’t necessary. His soldiers were throwing their weapons to the ground in defeat. War was fuming, but he knew he had been beaten. Most Immortals were still fighting—they didn’t easily give up conflicts, and they held grudges for a long time. Slowly but surely, though, their fights waned, and some started leaving.
“This might surprise you, but you’re actually not the toughest adversary I’ve ever faced,” Heka leered, standing up, though she kept her sword at War’s throat. Marcus stood up as well and sheathed his own arsenal. He may have been a power-hungry tyrant, but he had to recognize the rules of war; his adversary had gotten the best of him. He would make up for it later. This time, his niece had won.
“Well played,” he acknowledged resentfully.
“Thanks,” a very thin smile stretched her lips. “Are you ready for some peace talk?”
“Ask me again tomorrow,” he said. “Then we�
�ll discuss it.”
“Taste of defeat too bitter for you to talk now?”
“As a matter of fact, yes,” he turned and started to leave. “I’ll see you then, Heka. And you’ll have to let me know where you got that armor from.” Yeah right, she thought, not a chance I’m ever telling you about Demons.
Cheers of victory erupted across the battlefield, and while she was glad for their victory, Heka had trouble sharing in the euphoria. The death toll was astronomical. She’d eventually celebrate as well, but it would probably be a couple days before she felt like rejoicing.
She started walking toward the fortress’ wall, when something caught her eye. She stood, stricken with shock for a moment, then began running.
Chapter 34: The Aftermath
(or the way things always seem to go wrong right after you tell yourself the worst is over)
“Andy!” Heka knelt next to her stricken friend. She saw the arrow protruding from his side, lodged between his ribs. His tunic was turning crimson quickly, the blood pooling beneath his body. Andy looked at her, his face curled into a grimace of pain, but his eyes were clear and focused. “Andy?! I’m so sorry,” she blubbered, her mind reeling. “Trélig,” she screamed. “Juan!”
The two ran to her side and saw the cause of her distress. The Immortals looked at each other knowingly, sadness on their face.
“You’re gonna be okay,” Warrior declared, cradling his face in her lap, holding his hand in hers—it was cold.
“That’s another lie,” he said in a small voice that was barely above a whisper. “But that’s okay.”
“No. I promise, you’re gonna make it.” She looked expectantly at Nature and Drugs who shook their heads sadly.
“It’s fine,” Andy said. “I’m okay. I get to die in your arms, after all. Staring into your gorgeous eyes. It’s a pretty sweet way to go.” He managed a small, tortured smile, and his eyes were full of love for her. She felt tears rise to her eyes; his breathing was becoming even more raspy and shallow. “The only thing I regret…is that I never got the guts to ask you out,” he laughed, though it came out as a short, wet bark; his chest heaved.
Heka leaned down and kissed him. A big kiss on the lips. She loved Andy, as nothing more than a friend, but she loved him, and he deserved as much.
He smiled stupidly up at her, and she heard his heartbeat slow.
“I’m sorry.”
He opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out—just a thin trickle of blood. Andy closed his eyes and Heka began to cry silently.
Around them, only five people stood. Trélig, Myegi, Aapol, Jason, and Juan. They all bore some injuries and fatigue stretched their features, but they stood silently by, not complaining one bit, ignoring the pain they felt.
Suddenly, Andy’s eyes snapped open and his mouth curled into an evil grin. Warrior recognized the evil purple eyes immediately and jumped back and away from her fallen friend. Chaos smiled up at her, then detached himself from Andy and appeared next to the body.
“That’s too bad,” he frowned. “He was a useful asset. Hello again, Sweetheart.” He completely ignored the others who watched with various expressions on their faces. Aapol and Myegi threw him disdainful, suspicious looks, Juan and Trélig gaped, and Jason set his jaw. But this was between Heka and Seth, so Aapol just made sure no one else came around and made a mental note to talk to Drugs afterward.
“What are you doing here? And what do you mean an asset?”
“I did warn you that you would be betrayed by someone close to you. You remember I’m sure.”
Heka glared at him, “What betrayal? We won and Andy did nothing but fight to his last for us.”
“Well of course he did. I promised I wouldn’t interfere with your little battle, now didn’t I? I can tell you did not trust that I would keep to my word, but, alas, I had no choice,” Seth held up his hand where the spiral glowed purple. And you’ll also note that I said I was not certain betrayal was the right word for it, as poor, dear Andy was completely unaware of what he did.”
“And what did he do?” she asked carefully.
“Allowed me to pop in on you every now and then.” He saw the look on her face and continued, “Well obviously that wasn’t very clear, so let me lift the confusion. As Andy befriended and started taking an interest in you, as I myself had for some time, I started…seizing the reigns, shall we say.”
“That was supposed to clear things up?”
“Maybe if you’d let me finish…He wasn’t entirely possessed in the way you might think. For one thing, he never had any idea I was there, and for another, he was usually in control of his words and actions. The only time I truly interfered with the latter is when I helped him make the fateful decision to stay and fight by your side. Otherwise, I just sort of shared his mind, aware of his every thought and feeling, capable of listening in on your conversations. It was quite the lucky draw when he got called to duty by his king. And the fact that you trusted him so completely was wonderful too.”
“So you used him to spy on me.”
“I am a deceitful liar,” he admitted. “Which you were regrettably clever enough to figure out. I knew he might die, it was even likely to happen. If he did, I figured you’d be hurt. If he didn’t, which I do think I might have preferred, he would have provided me with a continued asset in whom you had complete faith and trust. Oh, well! Things happen,” Chaos shrugged.
Heka unsheathed one of her swords and went at him. Warrior’s edge went through him, like it had with Myegi. Seth looked at her with an expression that resembled pity which only served to enrage her further.
“Remember, we used to fight without powers. Now you find yourself hopelessly outmatched.”
She set her jaw, every muscle in her face and body tense, and opened her mouth to insult him. But she never got the chance.
Chaos moved, even faster than Heka could; he sent her sword clattering to the ground, took another step forward and thrust his knife into her stomach.
“Straani blade,” he smiled slyly. Warrior groaned, but he held her up, his weapon still shoved inside her, his other hand grabbing her neck.
Jason made a move forward, but a slight nod of Chaos’s head and Heka’s fallen sword flew towards him, pinning him to the ground by his foot, causing a short scream of pain to emerge from his lips.
“This is between the two of us,” he snarled, briefly looking in his direction, his aura flaring a terrible, dark purple that was almost black.
Jason swallowed hard but stayed where he was, knowing that if he made a single move, Heka would suffer for it. Seth turned his attention back to Warrior who tried hard not to let the pain show, despite the feel of the blade inside her and the taste of blood in her mouth.
“I won’t kill you, my sweet,” he declared in a low voice. “I could, mind you, but the world is so much more interesting with you in it. And it would take quite a bit of effort. Plus, it isn’t entirely fair, I’ll admit. You’ve just come out of battle, and I’ve only been watching, studying your technique and weaknesses. Furthermore, arguing and fighting with you is the most fun I’ve had in centuries. So I won’t kill you. But I’ll be watching.”
“Go to hell,” she spat blood at his face which he did not bother wiping away.
“Where is it you think that I come from?” he grinned wickedly, twisted his knife out, and stepped back, but before she fell to the ground, he reached over and grabbed her throat in a vice like grip, pulling her close to him. “I warned you challenging me was a bad idea,” Seth whispered in her ear while she choked. “You should have listened,” then he kissed her and pulled his hand away. Heka crumpled to the hard ground, coughing and dragging air back into her system. “What is it that you always say? Ah yes, some battles you win, some you lose,” he winked. “Until next time. And remember what I said before: Don’t forget about me. Demons are dangerous.” Then, just like that, he vanished.
Chapter 35: New Beginnings
The end of the war had
come smoothly after Augoro, and peace had settled once more over the land. Marcus had retreated back to his fortress, already planning his next move, which Heka knew would not come for a while. Atos remained hidden, preserving his last remaining strength, his mind full of vengeance. The only one who still caused them some grief was Sciana, who enjoyed sending plagues in the humans’ direction.
Heka had not faced Chaos since the end of the battle at Augoro, and the only sign that he had ever existed was the scar in her hand that, as he’d promised, had not faded. She supposed Seth kept watch over her, biding his time patiently, but Heka had decided she would not worry about him until the time came, if it ever did.
Nature had gone back to his Island, though he made regular excursions into Syra where Electra had taken up her favorite hobby once more: creating unfounded rumors about angering some spirit or god of thunder. Since the war, relations between the sisters had gotten much better, and despite the occasional bickering, they had become good friends.
Désirée had remained at King Damien’s court, to his horror. Juan and Brandy spent the majority of their time in the reputed party cities of the planet, leaving behind them mostly friendly trails of decadence. The Spirits of the Moon and Sun had taken it upon themselves to watch over the Demons and talk to the couple that they knew—although they were the tamest of them, those two were still powerful and able to provide them with information…for a certain price, of course. As for the Elementals, they had seemed to vanish once again, fading back into legend.
As for Jason and Heka, they had moved in together, living from place to place, traveling around the world as they wished.
“Damien sent us a letter,” Jason said, handing her the envelope and sitting across from her at the kitchen table. “So did your sister.”
