Kartega
Chapter 49

“What are you doing here?” Sid yelled at the impostor.

“One must always follow the path of Kartega, Stardaughter,” Tazmin said calmly as ten warriors moved forward to stand beside her. “She has led me here to you.”

The high priestess’s eyes landed on Dalrak and she sneered. When she was done counting off the people in the room, her gaze landed on the Arcane. “Oh, sisters, you have chosen poorly indeed.”

“They didn’t choose anything! She made them this way!” Sid yelled and pointed to Leona’s slumped form on the ground. “Help me! We can end this together!”

“Help you, Stardaughter?” Tazmin asked. “It wasn’t long ago that I was asking for your help myself. Kartega was asking for your help and you chose to run.” She sneaked a glance at Dalrak again but he looked away.

“Kartega does not want what you want!” Sid screamed. “Help us, Tazmin!”

The priestess’s shoulders dropped and Sid’s heart swelled. With her help, they had a shot at getting through to the Arcane. And if that didn’t work, the magic the priestess and the warriors could bring might be enough to take hold of Leona’s following for good. Her lips curled upward and froze.

“Sil gecko rohan!” Tazmin belted to her warriors.

One by one they moved in, the magic in them bursting out in tendrils of light. The two warriors on the priestess’s left charged first, blasting two perfectly aimed surges of electricity at Tann and Ashlan. They’re not here to help. They’re here to kill. Stars help us.

“Tann! Ash! Duck!” She yelled and ran for them, palms out to greet the warrior’s magic.

Her hands reached for their magic with her own, grabbing hold of the tips of their bursts with electric currents and dragging them toward her. Arms shaking, she pulled their magic in, breathing through clenched teeth to control it. Spit bubbles flew from her lips as she pushed air in and out, trying to keep hold of the surge of power hurtling through her body. The added energy made her head pound and she had a flashing memory of laying on the filthy ground in Tazmin’s hut, swollen with magic and electricity.

“Sid!” Ashlan yelled from behind her.

“I’m fine! Can you all handle the warriors?” She shouted back as another bolt of magic rushed by her, hitting the back wall. “Serryl, you need to stay with the Arcane!”

“What are you going to do?” Serryl hissed and ran to the chained women.

“I’m going for the priestess!”

She took off. Her legs pumping fast as she ran straight for Tazmin. She reached the spot where the queen’s body lay, serene and peaceful, as though she wasn’t responsible for the enslavement and murder of everyone on the star. For a moment, Sid considered pulling her out of the path of destruction but the thought passed quickly. Sid leapt into the air, jumping over her and barely missing her plump hip with her boot.

Ahead of her, Tazmin stood calmly. Unencumbered and looking quite a bit bored. The symbols on her body pulsed with light but it was nothing compared to the glow Sid was giving off. She’s not even trying!

Sid skidded to a halt ten steps in front of the priestess and glanced back to her team. Tann and Ashlan were surrounded, six warriors stood around them, hands outstretched and a hurricane of magic dancing at their fingertips. She saw one reach out to grab ahold of Tann’s body, pulling him like he weighed no more than a drop of water. She attempted to yell for Dalrak’s help but quickly noticed him fighting off two warriors himself. He held his ground but she could see his movements were strained; he was losing energy. And fast. In the center of the room, Serryl flashed her teeth at the approaching warriors. She seemed confident but Sid knew that if they got too close, they’d rip her apart without even trying. The sword she swapped her blade for was nothing but a toy when compared to the raw, unbridled power the warriors had been trained to use.

“Why are you doing this, Tazmin? We’re on the same side!”

“I am on the side of Kartega,” Tazmin glowered, “I choose no other side than that.”

“And you think this is what the star wants? For you to kill the people trying to help everyone?”

Tazmin smiled.

“We’re not your target, are we?” Sid asked, her eyes widening in fear as she realized why the Al’iil had decided to make an appearance. “You’re going to kill everyone in the city like you planned.”

“Kartega would like to thank you for leading the path to salvation.”

“You don’t speak for Kartega!” Sid yelled. “You’re insane!”

“I had hoped our lessons would have taken some hold on you but it seems you refuse to see the true path that you have been put on.”

“What lessons? All you did was try to turn me into a magic bomb for your own misguided use!”

“There were many things to learn in your time with us, Stardaughter,” Tazmin said. “I am surprised you missed the most important lesson of all.”

“And what’s that?”

“The death of the few do not outweigh the lives of the many.”

Sid’s thoughts rushed through her, jumbled in the memories of the Al’iil camp she had tried to bury deep inside. The pain she had suffered there. The hope she’d lost. Her mind raced as pictures of moments flashed, landing on the Qualin in the jungle. The first time she realized that the Al’iil were not the answer to her problems. That they were all mad and that Tazmin was a self-guided killer masquerading as a leader.

“Only someone who is blind would think that! This is not what Kartega wants, Tazmin!” She yelled.

The high priestess placed the back of her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. As she did so, the symbols on her body glistened, as if suddenly turned on. “Thank you, Stardaughter.” Was all she said before she pounced forward and shot a burst of magic directly into Sid’s chest.

The magic burned as it collided with her body and the force knocked her back. She tried to keep her balance but her feet tangled and she dropped to the floor with a loud thud. Sid could feel the familiar ache of the priestess’s magic on her, the sickly sweet taste she got in her mouth when it entered her system. Brushing her palms furiously over the charred spot on her suit where the magic hit her, she scrambled to her feet.

Tazmin was already moving closer to her, readying for another hit.

Trying not to look weak, she straightened up, fighting the vertigo that threatened to overtake her. She shot a charge at the priestess, then another, followed by a third. The priestess blocked each one easily, trapping the electricity in a loop of blasts that dissipated Sid’s magic like she had blown out a small fire. Tazmin’s body, that seemed so relaxed before, was now glowing intensely and the thick muscles in her legs and neck bulged as she ran for Sid. She shot her hands forward, grabbing hold of the magic Sid had stored in the veins of her legs and pulled.

Within moments, Sid was on the ground again, her head pounding from the hit it had taken when she fell. She reached up to touch the back of her head and pulled away a wet palm. Blood.

Still holding her head, she jumped back to her feet.

“I will give you this, Stardaughter. You don’t give up easily,” Tazmin smirked and threw a blast of energy at Sid’s shoulder.

It hit her with such strength that she was spun almost all the way around. She looked to Dalrak who was still holding off the warriors around him. He was close to her, so close she wanted to reach out and pull him in. Fifteen steps, maybe twenty. She could make a run for him, unite her magic with his. Strengthen them both. But she needed to get away from Tazmin and her wrath first.

It was then that Sid noticed the figures behind Tazmin. Uniforms of blue and bright, silken dresses; torn and covered in bloody rips. The guards and some of the Magistras rushed into the room, weapons in hand. Among them she spotted Abbot and sighed in relief. At least she didn’t lose someone else she cared for today.

Fear and relief flooded Sid’s mind. Whatever Tazmin and the warriors did when following them must have cleared enough of a path for the queen’s guard to get through. She wasn’t certain they were there to help but at least it gave her a chance to get Tazmin’s attention off her until she was able to recharge. If she could just preoccupy the priestess for a few moments while she scurried away, she could make it to Dalrak.

“It’s the Al’iil!” She shouted, with somewhat truthful fear coating her words. “They’ve broken through!”

Tazmin looked at her like she had lost her mind then followed her gaze to the doorway. Sid could see her anger boiling under her skin, her magic in turmoil once her eyes landed on Leona’s puppets. The same people she had despised for so many years. The people she wanted dead and gone.

The guards and Magistras stood dumbfounded and Sid wanted to walk over and slap each one of them individually, then maybe all of them as a group. What the muck are they waiting for?

She pointed an index finger at Leona’s body. “Protect your queen, you fools!” She yelled.

That seemed to do the trick. Her words stunned them into action and they hurried for Tazmin, blades and swords slashing through the air. Sid had gotten her chance. As soon as the priestess turned her back, she took off. Her calf muscles felt like they were going to tear through her boots but she breathed through the pain, her attention only on the back of the warrior crouching over Dalrak’s form. His hands were twisted against Dalrak’s neck, twisting and electrocuting at the same time. Sid’s stomach turned as she jumped in the air and leapt onto the warriors back. Her fingers latched around his forehead and travelled down, finding his eyes. With a guttural scream, she pressed into his eye sockets, making the warrior fall back from Dalrak in agony. He was clawing at her hands, trying to loosen her grip and relieve the pressure. Slashing and jerking, his body wriggled above her and crushed her with its weight. He was going to pummel her to death if she didn’t move. Sid took a breath, tightening the grip of her legs around his waist and shot a burst of electricity from her hands, straight into the warrior’s eyes.

A yell left him that echoed all through the room. She let him go, watching in horror as he flipped to his hands and knees, feeling the ground for something resembling his weapon. “Kehen!” He yelled, blood and pus oozing from the holes where his eyes has once been.

The warrior turned to her and his hands shot out, ready to blast. Sid fought for her magic — draining fast now — trying to gather any semblance of energy to block the attack. Suddenly, the warrior’s body twitched. Slightly at first, then with such force he began to rise from the floor. It was as though something had gripped him by the neck and was pulling him into the air. His body shook and sparked and over his shoulder she could see the bright yellow glow of Dalrak’s magic holding tight. It threw shock after shock into the warrior’s body until his head slumped over his shoulders, his once glowing skin now charred beyond recognition. Dalrak dropped his magic and the warriors body dropped with it, hitting the floor lifelessly.

“Good?” He asked and she nodded, jumping to her feet.

She ran to him, averting her eyes from the body on the floor. Not far behind lay the second warrior Dalrak fought, his head twisted at an unnatural angle and his eyes as blank as starlight. “I could use a charge,” she said and held out her hands.

Dalrak grabbed hold of her small palms, obliterating them from view with his own. Just touching him made her feel like she was stronger and when he let his magic roll over her, her entire body shook with elation. Every cell in her swelled as she fed on his power. She felt like she had just woken up from a two-day nap after not sleeping for a year. Her magic screamed, bashing against the confines of her skin. She let some of it free, signaling for Dalrak to stop. The warrior let go and smiled.

In a second, his lips turned downward and he swung her around to face the doorway where most of the Freedom Runners started to pile in.

“No!” She yelled. “Why are they here?”

It wasn’t that they couldn’t use the help. They were low on numbers and even with the guards and Magistras helping, the high priestess and her warriors were flicking them off like dirt on their feet. She could already see five guards and a Magistra on the floor, eyes rolled in the back of their heads. The girl looked familiar and it didn’t take Sid long to recognize Kelyn, her once stoic face now darkened with burn marks down her cheeks and neck. These were trained fighters and even they couldn’t stand against the Al’iil. The Freedom Runners didn’t stand a chance. Sid had to do something.

A warrior headed for her and she turned to Dalrak with questioning eyes.

“Go,” he said, stepping in front of her and blasting a bolt of energy at the attacker.

Without turning back, she ran. Past Tann and Ashlan who were fighting back to back with two warriors each on their sides. They worked in tandem, each one picking up where the other left off, slicing their blades through the air to block the attacks. One of the warriors charged forward and Tann nudged Ashlan in the ribs to signal him. On cue, Ashlan spun around Tann’s side, vaulted in the air and delivered a high kick to the side of the warrior’s skull. As the massive man stumbled to the side, Tann swung his blade, puncturing a hole in his abdomen. The warrior crouched, holding on to his bleeding stomach and the two got back into formation, their backs tightly pressed against each other.

Wow! These two are good together! Sid noted but kept running.

She slipped through the crowd, ducking and turning as she made her way through the room. The once peaceful place was a battlefield. Shouts swept the room and weapons clashed as a staggering amount of magic rifled through the air. She ran blindly, not checking to see who she was passing. Guard, warrior, Magistra, Freedom Runner — they were all the same to her now. Just people getting slaughtered for no reason at all.

“Tazmin!” She yelled when she finally reached the priestess.

The high priestess turned to face her, her body glowing so vividly that Sid had to look away. The crazed look in the priestess’s eyes scared her but she stood tall before her. Trying to regain some composure in her words.

“This has to end,” she said. Begged it, really. “We have to end this!”

The priestess cocked her head like a beast trying to understand a command. She smiled, her expression wild and sinister, and rushed forward, magic bellowing from her, surrounding her body in a wave of electricity. She was almost in front of Sid, her body so hot that Sid could smell the energy. She stumbled back, tripping over her own two feet and fell. As Tazmin hovered over her, Sid closed her eyes. Shut them so tightly her brain hurt. Now I die, she thought and waited. When nothing happened, she flung her eyes open just in time to see Dalrak step in between her and the priestess.

“Move!” Tazmin roared but Dalrak held his place. “Move or die!”

When he didn’t shift, she saw the high priestess swirl around to his side, forcing an energy blast at Sid’s face.

One step was all it took.

One step and Dalrak blocked the blast with his abdomen. His body reeled back and landed on Sid.

“Noooooo!” She yelled, cradling the warrior in her arms. “No! What did you do?”

Tazmin stopped, her eyes darkening as she lowered her gaze to the bleeding wound in Dalrak’s stomach. She stepped closer to him but Sid wrapped her arms around his chest protectively, trying to move away from the priestess. The warrior was too heavy for her to carry and his unconscious body made distributing his weight impossible. Her feet kicked out from under her and she landed hard on her bottom.

“Leave him alone!” She yelled as the priestess crouched over them.

Tazmin’s hands reached for Dalrak’s wound and she tried to slap them away. Tears streamed down her face, leaving a trail of clean skin on an otherwise filthy canvas. The priestess looked at her and Sid paused, registering the fear in her eyes.

She waited for her to say something and for a long while she thought she never would. As though Tazmin has gone mute from the act of hurting one of her own. A cry sounded somewhere behind them followed by the slashing of a sword across flesh. Sid refused to turn her gaze though everything in her screamed to look away. She raised her chin and cradled her arms tighter around Dalrak’s neck. Tears streamed down her face and she choked on sobs that barely left her lips as Tazmin lowered herself to her knees over them.

The high priestess pressed her palm into Dalrak’s stomach, stopping the bleeding. “We need to end this. Now.”

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