by J. K. Barber
Katya knew her words to be true; she could feel her body being tainted. Her cooled veins were now leaden. She was slipping away. So this is what happened to Master Pieter, and now I am to share his fate, she thought, remembering executing his corrupted re-animated form in the catacombs of Aeirsga as Akor'shi-kai. She remembered every detail of the former Master Sorcerer's face, Mala's battle partner; his decayed cheek with teeth visible underneath and the line of sutures around his neck where Salamasca had sewed his decapitated head back on. Katya shivered, truly terrified.
The sorceress was fading, her mind letting go of her body. She saw her own hand floating next to her as if of its own accord. The skin was ashen and her veins black. A line of crimson droplets of what must be her own blood drifted by as well. It was too much work to breathe. She closed her eyes. She felt herself already wanting to obey. Better to sleep. Better to listen….
Katya mentally shook herself awake, her eyes fluttering open. NO! I will not be one of her toys!
"No," Katya simply said, fixing Salamasca with sharp, focused eyes.
"DIE ALREADY!" Salamasca shrieked like a banshee, shoving the crystal deeper into Katya's side. The younger sorceress screamed using the last of her breath, her body involuntarily arching in agony. A single tear slid down Katya's cheek, as her torso slumped back to its natural position. Her vision darkened as unconsciousness claimed her.
The raven-haired sorceress stood at the edge of a still pond, its waters so clear she could see greenish-gray fish swimming serenely in the water. A forest of evergreens surrounded the small lake. Where am I? she thought, confused. She remembered her struggle in the Void with Salamasca, but now she was here. And why am I naked again?
Katya looked down at her fair skin, once again only her dark locks providing any coverage. The dream Tomas gave her in Simza came to mind, her current nakedness a continuity to that particular reverie. Her attention was drawn to the pond, as water ripples lapped the shore at her toes. When she looked up, she saw the disturbance came from a woman standing in the shallow water, her dark hair and bare skin the same color as her daughter's.
"Mother?" Katya said hoarsely, her throat tight with emotion. "Is it really you?"
The woman in the pond smiled brightly. "Yes, I am here. My beautiful sweet daughter," Dara said, her eyes filling with happy tears. "You have grown even more since I last saw you."
Katya took a couple steps into the water, wanting to wrap her arms around her mother in a tight hug, but Dara raised her hand, beseeching her to stop.
"No, we can't touch, I am sorry," Katya's mother said. "I am here only in spirit by the grace of the Great Mother and the gift that Broodmother Water gave you."
Katya touched her forehead lightly, "The kiss?" she asked.
Dara's gleaming smile returned, "Yes, child. It was a gift of cleansing, knowing that Salamasca would most likely try to take you as her own. The Broodmother's kiss and the Great Mother have made sure that that did not come to pass," the older woman paused, her eyes becoming more piercing. Katya recognized that look; it was her mother's scribe's face when she was peering at a document, her attention totally focused on her task.
"It has always been you, daughter," Dara stated.
"What?" Katya replied, her brows knitting with uncertainty.
"The Great Mother chose you to be the Avatar. Your sister was involved only because of the bond you share as twins," Dara said plainly.
Katya dropped her eyes, her mind racing as she put together the pieces of the puzzle in her head. There had been so many questions about the Avatar, that the riddle as a whole had been left mostly unsolved, chalked up to simply being an inexplicable miracle. The sorceress gathered her thoughts as best she could, trying to single out her most pressing questions from the large number that this revelation had stirred up. Dara gave Katya a few moments, seeing her downcast head and the thoughts she must be contemplating. It did not take the sorceress long.
"Mother, why me?" Katya asked, regarding her mother inquisitively. "Why was I chosen as Avatar?"
"That remains a mystery, I am afraid. One cannot know all of the Great Mother's secrets,” Dara replied, her face amused. Katya's face soured in disappointment, and Dara's motherly heartstrings were pulled. She added, "I can only tell you that it has to do with magic and the Ley Lines as Aronshae's lifeblood. Think of the dragons. They laid their eggs in the nexus crystals, using their magic to incubate them. Aronshae itself is magical, and the Great Mother is its caregiver," Dara said, her words easy upon her tongue. "You, daughter, were born with magic. It happens to very few. Remember how few attended the Snowhaven's Sorcerer School. There were never more than a hundred. One hundred people out of how many residing in Illyander?" Dara paused long enough for Katya to nod, signaling that she followed her mother's train of thought. "You and your fellow sorcerers carry a piece of Aronshae's within. The Great Mother has her own reasons for picking you specifically though."
Katya took the words to heart, the young woman's trust in her mother innate. They stood in silence for a short time, as the sorceress considered what Dara had said.
"So what now, mother?" Katya asked. "My body is in the Void, unconscious and wounded."
"You must wake, child," Dara stated. "The Broodmother's tear has cured you of the Ice Queen's corruption. You have been given a clean slate, wiped of even your primordial bond to your sister."
Katya was unable to respond; her mind began to reel, her mother's words forcing her body awake. No! I have so many questions! she screamed inwardly. The sorceress equilibrium failed her, and she fell to the mossy stones that surrounded the pond. Dara appeared above her, as if she were kneeling over her.
"Wake, child," Dara shouted over the loud hum in Katya's ears. "Claim your birthright!" As her mother's face faded away, Dara mouthed, "I love you." Katya was then blinded by brilliant light.
Katya's tear glimmered in the dark like a diamond sparkling in sunlight. The skin in its wake brightened in color, the pink of life returning to the young sorceress' deathly pale complexion. Salamasca had only a moment to ponder it, before the Shadow Walker jerked behind her and his hands went limp. The older sorceress turned to see a dragon, his purple scales glittering in the light of the nexus, spitting out her Shadow Walker's head. Salamasca began to slowly float away into the Void, no longer anchored by her creation. She ignored the danger that that presented, so focused was she on the purple drake and holding onto the unconscious sorceress in her arms. Her eyes never left his flank, as she studied the dragon closely. His tail spike was embedded in the Ley Line behind him, securing him in place. He was familiar but she could not place him. Salamasca frowned at the droplets of black blood from her beheaded minion drifting out of the drake's mouth. The drops floated away from them both, disappearing as they blended in with the darkness of the Void. Salamasca returned her gaze to the dragon, whose eyes were studying her and trying to guess at her thoughts.
"You don't recognize your former minion?" the dragon said, his voice resonant and confident. Salamasca's eyes widened as she recognized the voice.
"Sirus!" she hissed, her surprise gone and her eyes narrowing. The white-haired sorceress reached out mentally to the dragon thinking to rein him in, only to discover the corruption within the dragon was gone entirely, along with her influence over him. She blinked, looking again at the unblemished pigment in his scales. By whatever means, her minion had been freed and no longer served her.
She did not dwell on the revelation. Salamasca continued to hold onto Katya with one arm, and pulled her staff from a sling on her back with the other. The chittering of scarabs could be heard even in the Void as she whipped it out of its harness. The spell on her lips failed though, as Katya's body began to grow larger and her skin began to glow with a pale luminescence. Salamasca stared down at the girl, horror clutching at her warped heart.
"No!" Salamasca screamed in disbelief, her face twisted with bitterness. "You can't become Akor'shi-kai without your sister!"
Sir
us took full advantage of the distracted sorceress. The pale thigh that showed through the slit in Salamasca's robes was too tempting a target. Sirus sank his teeth into her leg, snatching her floating form out of the Void, and swung her hard into the nexus. As he had hoped, Salamasca did not let go of Katya, even shrieking in pain as she was. The two sorceresses and the dragon disappeared back into Aronshae.
Salamasca's command tent exploded, Sirus' massive dragon body suddenly occupying the space, sending those present sprawling in an effort not to be squashed. The telling flash of light, a glimpse into the sun-like radiance of a nexus when someone exited the Ley Lines, warned Sasha before he came through. She knew Sirus, a dragon of immense size even for a young drakeling, would probably be the one leaving the Ley Lines in accordance with their original plan of him lying in wait for the Ice Queen. The Master Swordswoman dove into Jared, launching them both toward the tent exit and away from the nexus crystal. They were almost out when Sirus came through. The woodsman and swordswoman were flung another fifty paces by the dragon’s haunch, as it impacted with their fleeing forms. Salamasca and Katya flew up into the air as if they had been tossed. The two sorceresses landed in a heap, blood covering both of them in thick splotches. Sirus lay disoriented on his side, his mouth bloody as well. The bodies of the fallen were crushed under his enormous bulk. Salamasca's remaining conscripted men in the area ran in fear of the dragon, seeing firsthand what another of his kind had wrought on the camp.
Katya's eyes opened wide, the shock of re-entering Aronshae through the nexus pulling her from unconsciousness. Salamasca's staff was off to the side, and she was struggling to untangle her limbs from the other woman and reclaim her weapon. The sorceresses managed to finally part and stand. Katya instantly realized she was at least two hands taller than the older sorceress, as she looked down at the Ice Queen's snow-white hair. Salamasca scooped up her staff, leaning on it heavily to support her gravely wounded leg. She wrapped both her hands tightly around the timber-bound weapon, holding it before her and calling out in a bestial speech as she gathered dark energies into her body.
Katya struggled to see, her eyesight now like a hawk's; the edges were blurred, but when she looked straight forward, the objects she saw where amazingly sharp with their colors brighter than they should be. Her hand tingled and she looked down to see a blade form out of the limb itself. The fine ancient sword was long and straight. It was delicate in its make with silver ivy filigree starting from the bottom of the hilt and flowing up the base of the blade. A dragon's head capped each side of the crossguard. The weapon glowed with the same luminosity as the skin of her hand, which drew her attention to the long, draping sleeve of her attire. She wore elegant silver robes, made of an almost weightless fabric, and like a rushing river it streamed around her body with a tailored fit, its folds in constant gentle motion. Without her guiding it, the sword rose, its point aimed at Salamasca, who in turn pointed her staff at Katya. The raven-haired sorceress felt energy surge up from her feet and down through the sky. With years of practice, Katya harnessed the power and focused it into her weapon.
Sasha and Jared struggled to get around Sirus' body, but the dragon was trying to get up himself, as well as regain his bearings. The redhead knew she had to reach Katya so that they could form Akor'shi-kai. Time was of the essence if they were going to finally succeed in killing Salamasca. With Jared right behind her, Sasha rounded Sirus, and the swordswoman witnessed a shocking scene that appeared to play out in slow motion. Sasha had only a moment to see her sister awash in Akor'shi-kai's glow and a full head higher than Salamasca, yet it was truly her sister that stood before her, an eldritch blade in her hand alight with a golden radiance.
With an explosion of released raw force, all but the two sorceresses were blasted off their feet. Even Sirus' great bulk flew through the air backwards, his wings limply trailing behind the bulk of his body. Jared and Sasha managed to sit up, but the gale of power rushing before them pressed like wind in a tempest. The hunter also held his injured shoulder, the hard landing having further torn open the wound. Sirus came to rest much further away. He, too, raised his head from the heap in which he fell to watch the two sorceresses fight.
Golden fury poured from Katya's blade and met Salamasca's roiling black mass that smoldered with tendrils of gray mist. Where the two spells met, the darkness was consuming the light, trying to eat it whole like a mouth filled with sharp teeth working its way up the length of Katya's beaming lance.
Katya was losing, and she knew it. She was sweating like a novice, and soon her spell would fail. She thought about what her mother had said about the Ley Lines, how they were the lifeblood of Aronshae. An idea blossomed in her mind like a Snowhaven winter lily, bursting from the frozen snowy ground and opening its light blue petals to the spring sun. Instead of just from the ground and air, Katya opened the Ley Line, as if she were going to enter the nexus, but stayed in Aronshae and kept the path open. She then drew on the power of the Ley Lines themselves to fuel her spell.
Salamasca flew back with the force of the golden current that blasted through her own spell like it was simply mist, evaporating in the morning sun. Surprisingly, the Ice Queen was still alive in a tangled mess of white hair and torn robes. She was trying to lift herself up on bloodied elbows. Katya closed the distance between her and the other sorceress in a few bounding strides, screeching like an eagle diving for the kill. The enchanted blade in her hand disappeared, evaporating like the steam in a smithy when hot steel is placed in water.
Katya took a page from Sasha's book, pushed her opponent back to the ground, hauled her fist back, and punched Salamasca in the face. There was a sickening crunch, and Salamasca held her ruined nose in both hands, the excruciating pain of the blow clear in her scream. Katya panted from the effort, glanced down, and realized the crystal, though cleansed and clear, was still embedded in her side. The corruption was gone, but the fact remained that she had a foreign object protruding from her lower ribcage. Her head spun, but she pulled on the Ley Lines once again, invoking the power into her very muscles for the strength to finish her task.
Katya sat astride Salamasca's wounded form, her silver robes pooling around them. She pulled the crystal shard from her own side, gasping at the pain the act elicited. With one hand, Sasha’s dark-haired sister pushed Salamasca's hands away from her nose, pinning them on the ground behind her. In one swift motion, Katya buried the bloody shard into the prone sorceress' eye. The raven-haired woman then slumped to the side, collapsing onto the scattered and soiled rugs.
Sirus and Jared stared dumbly at the scene, taking in what had just happened. Sasha ran to her sister's side and lifted her into her arms. Katya was coughing up blood as she was turned over. All of the Great Mother's power had faded from her form. She wore the same black desert robe she had throughout their travels in the Eastern Kingdom and was back to her original size as well. The redhead ripped the hem of Katya's robe and pressed the cloth to her sister's wounded side in an attempt to staunch the flow of blood, while holding her tightly with her other arm. Tears streamed down the swordswoman's face to drip onto her sister's blue lips. Katya struggled in her sister's arms as if she were being strangled, desperately trying to breathe.
Sasha was momentarily distracted by a curved blade slicing down to sever Salamasca's head from her shoulders. The redhead glanced up to see Jared beside them. He kicked the head, the snow white hair, now tangled and pink, wrapping around itself as it rolled away. Sasha glared at him, but the woodsman just shrugged.
"Just to be sure," he stated with a slight grin on his stubbly face. Sasha's drawn visage and Katya's struggling form sobered him immediately. He knelt down and gently lifted the makeshift bandage to inspect the sorceress' wound. Taking a quick look at the fresh blood on her blue lips, the woodsman sighed heavily.
"Her lung is punctured," Jared stated, sadly shaking his head. "Without healing, there is nothing that can be done," he said gravely, putting a supportive hand on Sasha's shoulde
r. “I’m so sorry.”
"Katya, you are the one that does the healing around here!" Sasha said, panic in her voice. She turned to Jared. "Please, do something!"
Jared just shook his head. A shadow covered the crouched trio, as Sirus leaned over them and took a glimpse at Katya. He was quiet for only a moment, his assessment of the sorceress' wound brief due to its apparent severity.
"Jared is right. I am sorry," the dragon said softly, his voice a gentle rumble.
"No no no no, NO! We were supposed to do this together!" Sasha cried, turning back to her sister, holding her close and looking her in the eyes. Katya stopped struggling and her pale hand rose to the tears on Sasha's face. Sasha kept talking. "You killed her, Katya. You did it. You saved us all," Sasha said, hoping the words would bring her sister comfort. The sorceress smiled and dropped her hand. Sasha took it in her own, grasping it tightly as if her grip could keep her sister from death's door.
"Kiss... Gabriel... tell Iluak...," Katya attempted with her last breath.
"Shhh, sister. Save your strength." Sasha said, putting a finger on Katya's lips. "He knows, sister. Iluak knows..." The redhead's voice failed her. She removed her finger to cradle Katya’s head better, but she smeared blood across her sister’s white cheek as she slid her hand under the tangled dark hair.
Katya's eyes blearily focused on Jared. He leaned forward, thinking she would say something, but no words came. The sorceress simply looked back and forth between the pair, her dark eyes deep and meaningful.
