by T. C. Edge
I drop again, legs splitting wide, and push back between his own. The motion of his swing has him losing balance. I take the chance and stab, finding a weak point at his hip. The blade cuts through his armour, sinking into flesh. He howls and staggers away, turning on me with a animalistic roar.
The wound isn't deep enough, I know. Blood begins to seep, and will weaken him in time, but no vital organs were cut. It is a flesh wound only.
They stand again ahead of me, Krun panting with a growl, Dianna looking on, calm. A crack of lightning flashes nearby, thunder booming right after. I see Krun blink at the sudden brightness, and sense a chance to strike. I rush in again, slashing at the giant. I do so with my double blades, scimitar in each hand, jabbing and slashing in a sudden, wild flurry.
Another blade gets through, cutting into his upper arm. More blood begins to drain from him, his right arm weakened, the one that holds the blade. He drops it to the floor, and snatches it up with his left. He won't be as good with it. Few are ever as proficient with their second hand.
For the first time, Krun's face flashes fear. I see him taking a step back, not forward, blood seeping from two wounds. Dianna glances at him, knowing. I am beginning to break them both down.
Again, my eyes flick away, to see Amber standing above the Earth-Shaker, down on his knees, slabs of glowing stone all around him. She has won the bout, and will join us here soon. I know she doesn't want to fight these two. I know they were once her friends, in some capacity at least.
She saved your life, Kira, I tell myself. And by doing so, was forced to kill her friend. You cannot let her go through that again. You must finish this yourself.
The thought refocuses me. I move for Dianna, engaging her as quickly, as ferociously as I can. She steps back, defensive, as I draw her a little away from Krun. I keep him in my peripheral vision, watching him...waiting.
I can see him gearing up to fight. He takes a breath, grunts and puffs like a bull, and then suddenly comes charging. He's done the same several times now. With his blade in the wrong hand, he'll swing, and he'll do so more clumsily than before. He won't be used to such a thing. His balance will be lost, his positioning all wrong.
And so it comes to pass.
He does exactly as I anticipated, every motion already perceived. As he swings his blade, he hits nothing but rainy air, his weary body, slowly draining of blood, opening up just enough for me to strike. And with Dianna driven back, and on the defensive, she doesn't have time to react.
I leap high, and drive low. My scimitar strikes down, plunging into the back of Krun's neck, slicing vertical to his spine. His body gives way almost immediately, blood spurting from his mouth as my blade sinks deep. It is a fine kill, and a clean death, yet gives me no pleasure at all.
I have grown sick of taking life. This war has turned it sour.
Krun's body falls, face first, landing with a thud and a splash on the stone. I draw out my blade as he tumbles, and drop gracefully down to his side. Dianna stands before me, a sorrowful look on her face. I cannot conceal the same on mind. None of this should be happening.
We stand there, for a moment, entering a temporary impasse. She looks at her fellow Chosen and lets out a sigh, shaking her head.
"How did it come to this?" she asks, quietly, to herself. Her eyes then lift to mine. "What a fine warrior you are, Kira," she says. "I suppose dying by your hand wouldn't be the worst way to go."
"I could say the same, Dianna," I say. "But it doesn't have to be this way."
She looks at me and lifts a smile. "If only that were true."
We stand still, neither of us engaging, as a bright light suddenly blooms to one side, drawing our attention. I turn, as she does, and across the plateau comes Amber, her body glowing bright, flames flowing around her, wondrous and wild.
I see Dianna smile as she looks at her, a fond expression on her face. And as Amber comes, distracting the Chosen Phaser, I take my chance to put her down.
With a sudden explosion of speed, I sweep behind her back, and close in before she can react. I lift my blade as I approach, yet do not swing with the sharpened edge. I hit her, instead, with the solid handle, smashing it across her head. She tumbles forward, staggering on weak legs, and collapses to the floor, unconscious.
Amber moves quickly, rushing up towards her. Her eyes widen a little, perhaps thinking I struck her dead.
"I saw no need to kill her," I say, drawing Amber's eyes. They move away, looking upon Krun, blood pooling upon the stone around him. "I didn't have a choice with him," I explain. "I had to take one down..."
"You don't need to explain, Kira," Amber says quietly. "I'd have done the same. We've been forced into this."
We turn our eyes down again, looking at our defeated foes. And just as we do, a great crashing sounds behind us, a rumbling in the earth. We turn, back towards the cells, to see a body flying through the thick outer wall. It smashes through, flinging stone and rock all over, tumbling into a heap before us.
I let out a breath, as I look down into Ares's battered face, his eyelids flickering and falling shut. I can hear he's still breathing, but his mind has shut off.
And through the breach, comes Perses.
204
BRIE
I step out of my room, draped in a dry cloak fished from the closet. Outside, I can hear a battle going on across the great plateau. I stop, for a moment, and glance out of a window on the landing. A fire lights in the darkness, flashing flame, shooting skyward.
I draw back, my head so full. I shut my eyes and blink into a thousand minds. I can perceive them all at once, picture building in my mind of the battle at the gate, in the square, the hundred mini conflicts now raging throughout the city.
I can see it all. I am present everywhere. I walk across the landing, a transcendent form, evolved beyond all others.
Draw it back, I hear Zander say. Focus on you, Brie, and you alone. The rest will take care of themselves.
I nod, listening to his words. It is so tempting to slip into the minds of others, to see the world from their point of view. I could blink, from one to the next, hundreds of them, thousands. All are mine to command and control. The feeling is overwhelming.
I take a breath, and return to me alone. My eyes look forward, to the top of the stairs. A figure has appeared, gazing right at me.
"Brie," says Minerva, frowning. "I thought I heard something. Is everything all right?"
I smile at her. She was so alluring to me once, so powerful. Now, she is but a child.
"The city will be taken, Minerva," I say. "The Neoroman and Havenite troops are flooding through the gates. I don't want to force you into anything, but I will if I must. I'd prefer you to choose right now."
Her ethereal blue eyes shine with confusion. "I...I don't understand, Brie."
Behind her, from another room, Marcus steps out. He approaches down the corridor, moving in behind her. He looks at me with those brown eyes, ringed with a hazel light. I flash into his mind, so easily now, so clean. I could take him, too, I know. Like thousands of others, he could be mine.
"The Overseer has been controlling us all," I say to them both. "He controls this city, even above the Prime. Their powers combined have created a great illusion, through which none of us have been able to see." I speak clearly, my mind unburdened. For the first time in many days and weeks, I see the whole, full truth. "The Prime's powers are waning," I go on. "They will both be dead soon." I look to Marcus alone. "The Overseer wished to replace them with us, use us to forge an everlasting dynasty." I shake my head. "I am sorry, Marcus. It is all a lie. We cannot be together."
His eyes shallow, showing sorrow. I hate to see him like this. I shut my eyes, and move into his mind. I can see it all now, the controls of the Prime and the Overseer, a web of restrictions and altered memories, a new set of programming with a single directive - protect Brie, love Brie, never leave her side.
I centre my focus on him, and him alone, and sweep through his mind
, ridding him of their controls. And while I'm there, I free him of my own, severing the programming that Zander set, when I awakened his full potential.
I open my eyes back up; a second only has passed. He is free, now, of it all. He is merely Marcus again, respected soldier within the Imperial Guard, former Champion of Neorome.
His eyes blink as the recollections come, and the falsities in his mind are blown away. Several heavy breaths escape his lungs, as though he's waking from a long, terrible dream.
"Brie," he says, panting my name. "What...what happened."
"You're free," I say. "You're...you again."
It will take him a few moments to come to terms with it, I know, for the shroud to fully disperse. He steps to the wall, helping to take his weight, eyes dropping as he thinks though all he's done.
"What...what did you do?" Minerva asks, looking at him. She turns her eyes right back to mine, distressed. "You are not making sense, Brie."
"Your life here is a lie, Minerva," I say. "The city itself is too. You know most of it already, but have been unable to act upon or escape it, unable to truly break free." I smile at her and step forward, nodding as I come. "You are a good person, Minerva, and do not deserve to fall along with your masters. You have a power, and will, to do much good in this world. I will help you see it done."
She blinks, confused. I realise already that she will not be able to make the choice herself, not without knowing the truth. And even then, the hold of the Prime and the Overseer may be too strong for her. The Prime's powers are fading, yes, but his are not.
"Come, sister," I say, "let me show you the way."
I reach out and take her hand, and as I do, I move into her mind. I can feel her trying to repel me, a great fear swelling. I brush it aside, calm it with a thought. And then, bit by bit, I begin cutting through the controls in her mind, drawing out the truth.
It takes a little more time than with Marcus, the controls more bedded in, more deeply set. Marcus's power is physical, his mind more simple to unshackle. Minerva's cerebral landscape is vast, her cognition beautiful to behold. I enjoy the time I spend in there, untangling the years of lies and deceits, bringing out the truth.
When I withdraw, I find her blinking hard. She draws a heavy breath, and stumbles a little to the side. Marcus, recovered, swiftly catches her, grabbing her as she hits the bannister, her body threatening to tumble over the landing and down to the floor below.
He holds her firm and steady, as her breath comes wild and ragged. Her eyes are wide and blinking. Her limbs shiver as she looks upon the truth.
"They're...they're old," she whispers, full knowledge of the Prime revealed. "So...so old."
I stay silent, watching on. There is no need for me to speak right now. She, like Marcus, knows it all. She knows she has been used.
"I'm...I'm so sorry, Brie," she says, looking up into my eyes. "I've made you do...terrible things." She takes a sharp breath. "I've turned you against your own people."
"No," I say firmly. "No, it wasn't you, Minerva." Her eyes lift up, shadowed beneath her brows. "None of it was really you."
She manages to nod. Her eyes move up, frown drawing back. "I must help," she says. "I must help free the city."
I nod to her. "Go, see the Heralds of Awakening and the Chosen. Show them the light, as I have shown you."
"I...I may not have the strength," she says. "I do not have your power, Brie."
"You are the best of them, Minerva. I trust you. I trust you'll see it done."
She nods again, taking the faith I have given her. I smile at her and then look at Marcus.
"What will you do?" he asks me.
I turn my eyes to the window, the plateau raging beyond.
"End it," I say.
205
AMBER
"Get in my shield, Kira," I breathe. "Get in my shield right now..."
She shakes her head, staring at Perses as he steps forward, face bloodied and cut, great hulking chest heaving with each step. His eyes are like black fire, his face grim as potted stone. His lips curl into a wild, hateful snarl, drawn back like a tiger hunting its prey.
"No," Kira says. "No, you shouldn't have to worry about me."
"Kira..."
"I can fend for myself, Amber," she growls, body tensing up, shivering as if ready to dash off. "You need to focus on you."
I don't argue, thickening my shield as much as I can, focusing immediately on defence. My eyes glance down at Ares, a heap on the ground before us. His lips are split, cheeks cut, eyes already darkening as they bruise. I can't see any major injury on him, but don't know what lies beyond his armour, what damage Perses might have done to his internal organs.
My eyes rise up again, horrified as my mentor stalks towards us. He face shows the same, crazed expression that Elian did when he attacked me back in New Haven. The same expression Hestia assumed when I told her we were to kill the Prime. Or Kovas, when I did the same. Or Gailen only days ago.
Perses, now, has only one thought in mind - protect the Prime. Kill anyone who tries to oppose them.
And now his eyes are on us.
I gulp air to calm myself, and take a short step forward. I know it's useless, I know it will get me nowhere, but something in me says that I have to try anyway, if only to delay.
"Please, Perses," I say. "Please...stop."
He continues to stride on, stepping heavily towards me. I take another breath. He could explode at any time. He'd be on me before I knew it.
"Perses, stop and talk. It's me, Amber. Do you not remember me at all? Do you not remember what you've been doing?"
His eyes flicker, black obsidian, catching the firelight. He slows just a little, blinking. It's a chink of light, but not enough. I can sense him trying to fight it internally, but externally, he continues on.
"It's not happening, Amber," Kira says. "His mind is lost..."
Perses looks at her sharply. The conflict is swept away, a great rage consuming him once more.
"Probably shouldn't have said that," Kira says, taking a step backwards.
And just like that, Perses rushes right for her, exploding suddenly from the stone. He moves so fast the air seems to crack, the rain vaporised as he takes chase, Kira spinning on her heels and speeding off, like a cat fleeing from a ravenous hound.
I try to follow them, but my eyes can hardly keep up. They forge to a blur, their armour black, splitting a path through the storm as they go. I see hunks of rock detonate as Kira skips past them, and Perses charges right through, the air filling with rain and flying shards of stone alike.
I have no time to watch, rushing right into the action myself. I try to determine their path, my figure glowing bright, a beacon in the dark. I sense Kira coming back around, heading right for me. I tense, lift my hands, and get ready to unleash the flame. I have no choice now. It is do, or die.
I time it right, pouring spouts of flame as Kira rushes right by, Perses snapping at her heels. I manage to hit him, surprising even myself, buffeting him back as he lifts up his arms to protect himself from the blast. With a snarl he spins off, zipping away. I see him rushing to the side and turning right back, eyes now centred on me.
My heart pumps hard as I see him come, acting on instinct as I rocket myself into the air. He leaps, high off the ground, trying to grab my flaming legs as I soar. He seems to have no regard for his own health or safety, taken by a bloodlust, knowing he'll heal, knowing he can die and be reborn.
I gasp for air as I escape his clutches, the great height giving me a much better vantage. I get a glimpse of Kira, hidden off behind some rocks. Like a wolf howling to the moon, Perses let's out a great, bellowing roar, searching across the plateau with his eyes and ears both. It doesn't take a second for him to track her, his eyes guided to her hiding place. As soon as he sets off after her, she takes flight herself, a sword glinting by her side, leaping hurdles to stay just ahead.
I engage once more, swooping now from on high. They move so quickly it'
s hard to target one without hitting the other. To blast Perses would likely do little to the man, so invulnerable and blessed with advanced healing as he is. But Kira? Hit her and she might well roast. I cannot be responsible for that.
Either way, they move quicker than I can fly, and my regular eyesight makes it hard to follow their course. To my great surprise, I notice Kira fighting back, using her extreme agility to flick throwing knives at Perses as she hurdles over rocks and slips around cover, using her skill and keen mind to try to slow him in his tracks. Her aim is supreme, and each toss of a knife slows him down. He has to either deflect it, or avoid it. None of them miss on their own.
I try to fire at him when I can, yet aren't able to make much impact. There is an inevitability to it, a sense of impending doom. She will not be able to last down there forever. And however skilled and gifted she is, she will never be able to defeat him.
I know I have to do more. I cannot float up here and remain a spectator. Gritting my teeth, I begin my dive, swooping hard and fast like a gannet diving for fish. I see Kira rush across my vision, a blur of black, her armour doused to help hide her. Perses follows, closing in. I can feel his aura, his anger, raging.
I drop vertical, palms down, blasting as I go. The fires swarm and engulf him, a cloud of death spreading upon the plateau. For most it would be their undoing, their clothes catching fire, bodies scorched alive. For Perses it's nothing, a kitten biting his hand. He bursts suddenly from the cloud, his black armour blocking the flame, soaring right up into the air towards me
I don't see it coming. I have no time to react. A heavy fist comes swinging, detonating against my shield. Sparks fly, light exploding, my body flying straight for the stone floor. I hit with another crack, my shield taking the force of it. Yet as before, my head grows foggy, eyes blurred. Through the shroud of murk ahead, through the incessant rain and stormy air, he materialises right before me, standing everlasting as a mountain, face of craggy peaks. Indestructible. Impossible. The man cannot be killed.
