by N. I. Snow
“Hold on,” Zaharak again growled to Emma.
The girl held on as tightly as she could as she felt the Seeker's body tense up beneath her. Zaharak used both hands to pull himself into a jump. She squeezed her eyes shut and wind rushed though her long black hair as they shot upward. Her stomach lurched when they stopped about three meters from where they had been. To their right Tigret put on more speed to intercept Zaharak.
The gray Seeker jumped again. When they landed, Emma's hold around Zaharak's neck slipped. Her mind did not register that she was falling until her fingertips could not touch the safety of his broad back. Sensing an opportunity to steal the girl away, Salianos raced up to catch her. A futile effort. With a flash of gray, the Tazalian had the tip of his tail around one of Emma's arms. Emma reached to grab a hold of his tail to support her weight better. She looked up to see Zaharak’s attention on the balcony above as if gauging distance. Without warning he began swinging his tail. Emma's hair flew around her face as he swung the whip-like limb faster and faster. At the apex of a swing Zaharak's tail unraveled from her arm and she felt herself flying through the air.
Emma let out a yell as she watched the three Tazalians grow smaller below her. She landed with a roll on the balcony, her breath knocked out of her lungs. Now free from his charge Zaharak shot up the wall like a rocket. No more than seconds after Emma had landed, Zaharak was lifting her up. He cradled her in his arms as if he were a father carrying his cub.
Somewhere below them came the sound of Tazalian curses from the High Elder. Knowing time was short, Zaharak took off down the hall that led back to the Valkyrie. Behind them, he could here Salianos pursuing closely; and although he could not hear her, he knew Tigret was in pursuit also. Coming to a wide junction room, Zaharak stopped abruptly and put Emma down on her feet. The girl gave the Seeker a confused look, but he ignored it as he turned to face their approaching enemy.
Zaharak took off his hat and smashed it between his hands. As the tattered fedora began changing into the deadly razor disk, he spoke softly but urgently to Emma, “Run to the Valkyrie.”
Emma gaped at him. “I won't leave you.”
Zaharak gave her a sharp look. “This is no debate.”
Emma reached for the dagger at her back, “Let me help you fight them. If there is a chance I'll be captured, I would rather make them fight for me.”
Zaharak swung around on one foot towards her. He knelt down and gently placed his free hand on her right cheek. His normally cold eyes had a soft, almost sad look in them. “And I would rather not give them that chance at all.” He then placed his hand on her own, which was curled around the handle of the still-sheathed dagger, “I do not wish to see you with blood on your hands unless it cannot be helped.” He let her hand go. “Now hurry.”
Emma's bottom lip quivered and she did something that neither she or the Seeker ever could have expected her to do. She threw herself at him, embracing him in a tight hug. When she let go, there was an odd surprised look on the Seeker's snout, the first he had ever worn. Had it been some other time, Emma might have laughed at how comical he looked with wide eyes and a slightly open jaw.
Emma did not laugh. On her pale face was serious and stony look, “You will make it back to the Valkyrie.” It was not a question she asked the Seeker. It was an order, one that Zaharak would follow without question.
Zaharak stood and turned quickly away from her as his ears caught the sound of approaching feet. “Go!” He growled at the girl as Salianos appeared from the hallway.
The High Elder's violet eyes watched Emma take off down the hallway to her right, before turning their burning gaze on the Seeker crouched before him with the deadly disk held out behind him. Silently gliding to the right of the gray Tazalian, Tigret readied herself to attack. Time to end the chase.
Twenty-One
Jonah fought furiously against the strong hand holding his neck as the blue coolant filled his mouth and nostrils. His lungs burned from the want of air and it took all his will power not to inhale the strange blue liquid. He imagined that above the surface was the bronze snout of the torturer smiling gleefully at his plight.
Just as Jonah felt himself grow weaker from the lack of air, he was pulled out of the water. His body flew through the air and crashed into a wall. His head nearly smacked against the edge of a power panel. When he fell to the ground he coughed and gasped for air. He tried to get to his knees but was kicked in the ribs by a heavy, booted foot. He collapsed to the ground unable to breathe without pain shooting through his body. A few of his ribs had been broken, he was sure of it.
“What's the matter, young one? Just moments ago you were so full of life.” Tarline's brazen voice taunted Jonah.
This time the torturer allowed his prey to pull himself onto his hands and knees. Jonah coughed harder than before. To his dismay, each time he coughed, bits of blood flew out of his mouth. He looked quickly around the room for anything that might aid him against the cruel Elder, but all he could see was the pool of fluid, power panels, and the thick cables that ran from each one. He could see nothing he could use, and there was no way he could directly fight the Elder. The Elder raised his leg to kick the boy again, but this time Jonah rolled out of the way. Tarline hummed with interest. He hadn't expected this.
“Showing some initiative, are we?” The scarred Elder walked slowly over to where Jonah had stopped. The boy had rolled himself against the wall and now had no way to escape another blow. Tarline held himself back, though. “I was wrong about you. You are a lot tougher then you look, but I have been restraining myself. No more.”
Tarline reached down with one hand and picked Jonah up by the ragged remains of his shirt. His free hand he brought up close to Jonah's face. He pressed a claw against Jonah's cheek. In the second the Elder paused, Jonah grabbed the Elder's wrist with both hands and pushed it away. Tarline let out a feral growl, as he fought the boy for control of his own hand.
Torturer and prey glared threateningly at each other until Jonah released his hold on the Elder's wrists. The move had been so sudden that with the torturer still expecting resistance from the boy Tarline's hand flew forward. Jonah ducked his head underneath the limb as it shot past his face. Tarline's claws raked against the wall, slicing into a thick power cable. A jolt of electricity shot through both Jonah and the Elder. Surprised, Tarline released his hold on the young man. A mistake.
When Jonah was free from Tarline's grasp, he shoved his body into the torturer's. Tarline stumbled towards the edge of the coolant pool. His arms flayed about as he tried to regain his balance. Before the Elder could do so, Jonah, unsteady himself pushed the torturer again. Blue coolant splashed into the air as Tarline fell head first into the pool. Tarline surfaced in time to see Jonah pulling the cut power cable free from the metal clasps that held it to the wall.
His emerald eyes widened with fear at what the boy was planning. The scarred Elder knew he could survive a direct electrocution from a power cable with as much voltage as the one the boy held; but placed in the coolant, the electricity would become amplified. He knew he might not survive, he might even feel pain. That idea made him even more afraid. He had spent his entire life trying to prove that he could not feel pain, that it did not exist for him.
The bronze Elder thrashed through the water to the edge of the pool. He had his claws on the metal floor and was ready to pull himself up when Jonah stomped a bare foot down on one hand. Tarline looked up with wide eyes at the boy’s cold, hard, green eyes.
“S-Sweet boy, kind boy,” Tarline's normally brazen voice whined, “You would not kill an old reptile this way, would you? I-I only joked at killing you. I would never kill such a good boy.” The Elder licked his lips as Jonah's eyes narrowed. Tarline tried to climb out again only to have Jonah's other foot push him back down. Tarline began whining again, “And I would never have laid a claw on that pretty, little cub sister of yours.”
Another mistake. Jonah let out a yell, stepped off of Tarline's hands
and a split second later shoved the cable into Tarline's open jaws. When the cable fell out of the scarred Tazalian's mouth and his body thrashed about, Jonah tossed the end of the cable into the coolant, sending a constant stream of electricity through Tarline's body. Steam rose from the water as Tarline shrieked with agony. A sizzling and popping noise came from the Elder's body. It took Jonah a moment to realize that he was hearing the sound of the bronze Tazalian's scales being fried off. An acrid smell of burnt flesh filled the air stinging his nostrils. Then Tarline's body fell backwards into the fluid, smoke rising from his motionless form.
Jonah carefully let go of the cable and sat down. He breathed heavily as he watched Tarline's body sink further into the coolant. He did it! He killed Tarline! Now the torturer could never harm his sister.
Jonah bolted up. Emma! He had to get back on the right route. He had to find her. Ignoring the stabbing pain in his chest and ribs, he limped hurriedly back the way he had come. Tarline may be dead, but the others were still out there. He had to get to her, he had to make sure she was safe.
Two against one, but Zaharak was ready for them. Tigret pounced first. The gray Tazalian whirled his body around bringing his disc to meet the dagger that she had aimed at his throat. Blades locked, fangs bared, the pair pushed against each other, one trying to overpower the other. Zaharak took a step forward giving himself a better stance against Tigret. The bronze female snarled as she tried to keep her hold against Zaharak. The gray Tazalian pulled out of their lock and quickly ducked under Tigret as she lunged for him, causing the bronze Seeker to shoot past him in a forward charge. Zaharak quickly sent a round kick to the back of her head causing the bronze Seeker to fall on her snout.
Tigret rolled herself into a crouch before Zaharak could land another kick. She thrust the dagger toward Zaharak's exposed stomach. Zaharak quickly leapt backwards. The sharp blade missed his belly by a hairsbreadth. Zaharak retaliated by swinging his disk down towards Tigret's snout. The bronze Seeker ducked away from the weapon only to receive a deep cut along her upper arm. The female Tazalian ignored the searing pain and the blood flowing from the gaping wound as she sized up Zaharak.
While the Seekers battled, Salianos slid silently towards the hall where he had seen the human cub vanish. Zaharak caught sight of the High Elder and leapt into the air and kicked out with both feet at Tigret's chest. As the bronze Tazalian flew backwards, Zaharak landed cat like on the ground before bounding for the faded blue-scaled Tazalian, who was trying to slink away.
Salianos threw himself into a roll as Zaharak's blade slashed towards him. He let out a hiss as he pulled a long-bladed dagger from his red-and-white robes lunged at the Seeker. Zaharak hooked the dagger with his disk. Twisting the handle violently the Seeker forced the dagger from Salianos’s claws causing it to land with a clang at the far end of the room.
Salianos growled and lunged at the Seeker once more. Zaharak swung his blade at the High Elder, but the faded-blue Tazalian caught the Seeker’s arm. Keeping a hold on his arm, the Elder turned his back to the gray Tazalian and using his body as a lever threw Zaharak's body over his. The gray Seeker crashed painfully on the ground and his disk flew from his claws and slid across the room. The High Elder pounced upon the Seeker only to be launched into the air by a powerful kick from the gray Tazalian's legs.
Zaharak leapt to his feet and charged at Salianos who had climbed to his knees. Salianos shielded his body with his arms as Zaharak slashed with his claws and kicked at him. The High Elder stood up and smashed Zaharak with his body sending them both to the ground. Salianos grabbed the Seeker's neck with both hands and pressed his entire weight down on Zaharak. Ignoring the pressure building up in his head, the gray Tazalian opened his jaws and snapped his head up towards Salianos’s throat. He bit down on the High Elder's flesh, fangs sinking deep.
Each Tazalian fought for the kill. Both of their snouts twitched with tension. Zaharak's lungs were desperate for air but he kept his hold on the faded-blue Tazalian's neck. Fear flashed through Salianos’s eyes as he felt Zaharak's jaws close tighter, his fangs sink deeper. The Seeker could crush the High Elder's life much faster than High Elder could choke it out from the Seeker. Knowing time was short, Salianos made a desperate move.
Zaharak felt the High Elder's claws release his neck, then watched for a second as they flashed towards his face. He could not tell what came first, the pain or the abysmal darkness. His jaws released their hold on Salianos’s neck as the Seeker let out a cry of excruciating pain. He felt it. How could he not? Tarline had known the importance of the eyes. A Seeker needed them, so there was no way to condition them against pain without ruining them. Zaharak felt Salianos’s claws rake through his yellow orbs. His head fell back against the cold steel floor with blue blood flowing from his damaged eyes.
He could hear Salianos stand up and step away from him. Zaharak imagined a smile crossing Salianos's snout. He could hear a cruel chuckle escape the High Elder as he rubbed where the Seeker had bit down at his throat, “Oh, how the mighty has fallen. Here lies Zaharak, the Death Shadow, now utterly helpless. After all, what good is a Seeker without his eyes?”
Though Zaharak could not see, he had a feeling Salianos looked towards Tigret. “You may finish him, Tigret, but not until he hears the cries of his little cub friend when I have my claws on her.”
Zaharak heard Tigret's stony voice from somewhere to his right, “With pleasure, High Elder.”
Zaharak listened as Salianos picked up his dagger and ran for the corridor. He could hear the High Elder's footsteps fade into the hallway to his left followed by Tigret's booted feet deliberately making noise so that Zaharak could hear her moving towards him. He did not care. Salianos was heading for Emma and there was nothing he could do.
Tigret's cold, grating voice came from somewhere nearby, “I will enjoy your last moments, Zaharak.”
Zaharak made no answer. Instead he lay silently on the cold floor eyes blinking rapidly of their own accord, as if that would somehow bring back his vision. He could still feel blood running from his eyes like blue tears, spraying with every blink. He had failed. For once in his long life he had failed.
“Seeker!” The deep voice of the phantom Tazalian from his vision shouted to him, “You cannot fail! Emma's fate is far worse then what I showed you!”
However, even as Alekia's new vision flashed into Zaharak's mind, the Seeker was unable to move. He was a fallen star that had finally burned out and the galaxy would die with him.
Emma stopped in the large open room she and Zaharak had trained in the last few weeks. It felt like she had been running for hours since she left Zaharak's side. A heavy weight of grief had fallen over her forcing her to stop finally. She sat down in the far left corner of the room next to the viewport filled with the brilliant image of the galaxy's center. The young girl pulled her knees up to her chest and laid her forehead on them.
She couldn't do it. She couldn't go on. Not without Jonah, and not without Zaharak. She knew the Valkyrie was close, but she didn't care. She had been helpless against the Elders. All she had been was a useless weight. She had wanted to help Zaharak fight off Tigret and Salianos, but all she could do was run away like a child.
Tears welled up in her eyes. Now she did not know if Jonah or Zaharak would even make it out of this alive. There had been no sign of the Elder Tarline, which could only mean that he had gone after Jonah. She remembered the condition the torturer had left Jonah in and she did not want to imagine what he would do to her brother now that he did not have any restrictions.
Tears ran down her cheeks. Zaharak, the statue of a Tazalian, was finally showing the light of change. He was finally showing emotions and now they would most likely never know what he would have become. The tears came in torrents as she remembered the sad look that had been in his stoic yellow eyes. What if Yahrik had been right? That Zaharak had become weak, and she had herself to blame? All she wanted now was for this nightmare to end.
Emma sniffled and
went to wipe the tears from her cheeks with the sleeve of her dress when she stopped. A look of puzzled awe struck her face.
Each tear that Emma had shed had rolled off of her face and now floated into the air. Her eyes shined with wonderment as she gazed deeply into the center of the floating droplets. Within each depth was a sparkling light that upon closer inspection shown with what appeared to be small solar systems. Then after floating a small distance each droplet burst into brilliant golden dust that faded as it fell to the floor.
Emma could not understand what was going on. Had her tears always done that? It is true that she had always tried hard to be strong and not cry ever, but even as a child she must have once. Had her tears done this then?
More of the radiant droplets fell from her eyes. Again each with the similar glow of star systems. They were all beautiful, despite the weight of sorrow that filled her soul. Although she would have hated to have them see her cry, she would have wanted Jonah and Zaharak to see the wonder that was happening.
A cold laugh filled the room making Emma's head bolt up. There grinning like a demon from hell itself was Salianos standing not three meters from her. The faded-blue Tazalian's violet eyes were filled with a wild light. How long had he been there?
Emma let out a yelp of fright as Salianos bounded towards her. He knelt down and grabbed her face with surprising gentleness. He gazed at the few tears that still rolled down her cheeks. An awed breath escaped his thin lips as he watched one float away before bursting into the golden dust. His violet gaze then returned to her stormy eyes. She wanted to shrink into nothingness away from the hungry look that played in those piercing violet depths.
“All my years of searching,” Salianos's raspy voice was eerily calm and quiet, “from planet to planet I have been looking and now I have finally found you.”
He drew a claw along her face, carefully collecting a tear that lingered on her right cheek. He brought the claw close to his face so that he could examine the droplet. “The tears of the Gaia. I had always anticipated seeing the Light itself, but never its actual tears.”
