Let Me Fly Free (11 page)

The heat of the fight flows through me, and
I devote it all to forming the largest, hottest fireball I’ve ever
attempted, in hopes that one mighty strike will do what my last few
rounds of smaller attacks failed to. The orb of flames I create
between my hands is so large that I’m sure if Kiri were to curl up,
she’d fit inside. Bright yellows frolic across its surface, popping
and hissing. I pour every iota of magic I possess into this one
deadly weapon, until it seems as great as the sun itself.

I’m about to unleash it at the monster’s
head when it suddenly bears down toward Cyim, bending forward at
its torso and shooting its jaws toward his obsidian body. I expect
its teeth to shatter against the enchanted shield surrounding him.
Instead, they cut right through, sinking into the unicorn’s
shoulders.

“
No!” I scream. I release
the fireball, but the thlakeen dodges, and my projectile only
catches its arm.

Its cry of wrath and pain
sends an unwelcome tremor through my bones, but at least it had to
release Cyim to holler like that. I gasp as he collapses, his four
legs folding beneath him and his eyes closing. Stunned, I stare at
him, expecting him to spring up in a heartbeat. How could
he
have fallen? Not far
from him, I glimpse Kiri’s prone form against the tree. Ordinarily,
the contrast between the two could not be greater—one a powerful
immortal, the other a fragile girl. Yet, at the moment, they are
equals—both defeated and vulnerable.

But I am still standing.

A flash of red snags my attention, and I
realize that with Cyim no longer a threat, the monster is once
again focusing on me. Enraged, I start to form yet another
fireball. But then I spot its enormous, clawed hand reaching for me
again. Knowing what will happen if it catches me, I reach out with
my senses for a flame—any flame. The monster’s own fire, still
leaping from those spikes on its back, is the first thing I feel,
and that’ll do me little good when I’m trying to get away. I reach
past it and, feeling something farther away, dive into the other
blaze.

I’m not running; I’m dodging the only way I
can.

I emerge from the flame of a small torch,
one of many scattered around Kristakai to keep the forest from ever
falling into total darkness. These flames guide those who move by
night, so that no one ever need stumble about blindly. This one
stands on a short, thick metal shaft in the middle of a small
clearing, enchanted to burn bright without need for fuel.

I glance around to orient myself. It doesn’t
take long for me to realize that I’ve only traveled a few dozen
yards. The thlakeen is visible through the trees, the fire on its
back startling against the night. Equally startling is the glow
surrounding the seven unicorns, who, as far as I can tell, have yet
to act. Logic tells me that they must have a reason for waiting,
but the fact that they simply stood by and watched as Kiri and Cyim
were hurt infuriates me.

I want to rush back and engage the creature
once again, then recall that none of my past efforts have done me
much good.

Except right after it
struck Kiri… I managed to incinerate its tentacle.
The loss of a single appendage hardly seemed to
handicap the creature, but still, it was a triumph. Yet none of my
other attempts to burn the beast succeeded. That could be due to
any number of reasons, and I don’t have time to sift through them
right now. If only I knew the cause of that one-time
weakness!

Weakness…
A memory hits me, and I curse myself for not
thinking of it before.
It has a weakness!
The base of its skull…

I don’t know if the hearsay of the lone
criminal I interrogated is accurate, but it’s the best chance I
have. Still, I have to get close enough to attempt to exploit this
fault. I have to reach the flames on the creature’s own back.

All I need is a weapon, and I cast my gaze
around, searching for a rock or a fallen tree branch or some other
blunt instrument. My eyes land on the torch from which I emerged.
Wondering how difficult it would be to lift, I grab its metal shaft
and pull. Though it’s heavy, it offers no resistance.

Newly armed and with a plan
in mind, I reach out with my senses once again. This time, I
want
to emerge from the
thlakeen’s own fire. I seek the blaze closest to its head, and
seize it with my magic.

An instant later, I’m surrounded by flames
and black scales and the stench of salt and rot. To either side, I
spot the thlakeen’s gigantic arms, and below, I spy its tangle of
tentacles. What looks like a wall of black scales rises above
me—the back of its head.

I waste no time in hefting the metal torch
in my hands and bringing it smashing down onto my target. The
thlakeen throws back its head and lets out a deafening bellow, but
I ignore it. Still hovering in flame form, I bring the torch down
again, and again, and again, finding great satisfaction in the
crunch of breaking bone.

Panting from the effort, I take a moment to
check whether any tentacles or clawed hands are reaching for me.
The monster makes no move to snatch me, though, so I can only guess
that my attack has dazed it. Excitement bursts though me, and I
gleefully swing the torch down once more. I will pound this
Infernal beast to dust.

Elaia!
Amdyth calls to me psychically, her voice startling in its
loudness.
Clear out at once, or you will
be destroyed as well!

I freeze, wondering what she could mean by
that.

NOW!
Her voice booms through my head.

I’ve never heard anything so commanding in
my life, and I find myself obeying before I have a chance to
consider it. I soar toward the sky, dropping the torch in my
frenzy.

Looking down, I realize that the unicorns no
longer stand in a cluster, but surround the thlakeen from all
angles. Beams of light shoot from their horns, so dazzling that
even I have to shield my eyes. The brilliance is as powerful as the
sun, and I’m certain if I looked at it directly, I’d go blind. The
air trembles from the sheer force of the unicorns’ combined magic,
and I can feel its resonance in my very core.

A moment later, the light fades away. I
uncover my face and look down to find a black scorch mark where the
thlakeen once stood.

It’s gone; we destroyed
it.
A mix of relief, satisfaction, and
glee pour through me. I dive down and land beside the monster’s
remnants, hardly able to believe what I’m seeing. A grin stretches
my face, though my heart is still pounding. No longer will this
thing torment my people, my home. Justice has been delivered, and I
was one of the couriers.

Then I notice the unicorns gathering around
Cyim, who remains unconscious several yards away. With their
combined power, surely they’ll heal his injuries in a matter of
moments. I’ll likely find him towering over me with a stern
expression and a tiresome lecture within the next minute.

Kiri, meanwhile, remains motionless but for
the subtle rise and fall of her chest. I rush toward her, worry
crawling into my mind. But she must be all right; Amdyth would have
come to her if she’d sensed that Kiri were in true danger.

Kneeling beside her, I
place my hand on her shoulder and give a gentle shake. “Kiri!” When
she doesn’t respond, I shake harder and lean down toward her.
“
Kiri!
”

Her eyelids flutter, and she looks up with a
puzzled expression. “What… What happened?”

“
The monster is defeated!”
My face hardly seems wide enough to contain my smile. “Are you all
right?”

She sits up with a nod. “My head just hurts
a little.”

Delighted and relieved, I press my lips to
hers in a triumphant kiss. She seems startled, but soon melts into
me. I caress her lips with mine as I pull her close, pressing her
cool body against my chest. The monster is gone—thanks in part to
me—and my lover is safe in my arms.

In this moment, everything seems right.

But then a sharp noise pulls my attention
away, shattering the perfection. I whirl to see the seven unicorns
standing over Cyim, who remains unconscious. Their horns meet above
him, sparks spewing from the point of the convergence and
puncturing the air with their popping sounds.

“
Is he all right?” Kiri
asks.

“
I don’t know.” Concerned,
I hurry over to find out what’s going on.

As I approach, a sense of dread envelops my
heart—the sense that perhaps my celebration was premature, and that
our troubles are not over yet.

I watch in silence
as
the unicorns continue their spell, and, unpleasant as the noise is,
I refrain from covering my ears, since to do so seems
disrespectful. I expect my Terrene Father to open his eyes and rise
to his feet. I expect the deep puncture wounds on his shoulder,
which ooze silver blood, to heal instantly without leaving a
scar.

But when the unicorns cease their magic and
withdraw from their formation, he remains prone, his injuries still
gaping.

“
What’s wrong with him?” I
ask no one in particular.

Amdyth turns her violet
eyes toward me, and I can’t tell if they’re heavy with sorrow,
weariness, disappointment—or all three.
The Infernal power of the thlakeen was too great for our
Celestial magic to overcome, even when we combined the power of
seven.

“
What? Are you saying
Infernal magic is greater than Celestial?” It hits me that even the
immortal can be killed, and ice seeps into my heart. “Is he
alive?”

Yes, and I believe that,
with time, he will recover.
Amdyth’s tone
is gentle.
He has always been strong, and
this is not the first Infernal wound he has suffered. He will be
weak for a while, and it could be months before he is completely
restored, but, fortunately, the thlakeen was repelled before it
could cause any fatal damage.

I exhale, and some of the tension leaves my
body. Of course this wouldn’t be the first time Cyim faced
something Infernal… After all, he took part in the great battle at
the dawn of time that defeated the Fiend.

As for your first
question,
Amdyth continues,
Only the Divinity Herself knows. Some say the
destructive power of the Infernal Realm is stronger than the magic
Her Celestial beings wield, but I do not believe that is
true.

Beside me, Kiri shifts uncomfortably.
“Amdyth … you spoke before of the Age of Fire. Now that you’ve seen
the monster and know for sure what it is, do you … do you still
think it’s a sign that the prophecy is coming true?”

Unfortunately, it makes me
even more certain than before.
Amdyth’s
tone carries a sigh.
We are entering a
dangerous era, and I fear even the unicorns will not be able to
keep Kristakai safe.

Her words send a wave of apprehension
frosting over my skin. With Cyim, whom I once thought to be
invincible, lying wounded on the ground, I realize that her fears
are well founded. The thlakeen is but one of many beasts that lie
within the Infernal Realm, and it managed to bring a great unicorn
to his knees. It’s a good thing I was there when it attacked, for
without me, the monster would not have released him, and he might
have been lost to us entirely.

If one monster can do that to an
immortal…

“
Why did you not help him
in the battle?” I demand, suddenly angry. “How could you stand
there and let us face the monster alone?”

You were not meant to face
the monster at all.
Amdyth’s voice takes a
severe turn.
We needed time to build the
collective spell that ultimately destroyed the thlakeen, but your
actions forced Cyim to abandon the effort in order to aid you. Had
it not been for you, neither he nor Kiri would have suffered as
they did.

“
I did not suffer.” Kiri’s
voice is quiet but firm. “I chose to fight.”

Amdyth appears to ignore
her as she keeps her eyes on me.
Your
defiance led to grave consequences and is utterly
unacceptable.

My jaw drops. “What the blazes are you
talking about? I—”

You deliberately broke the
laws of Kristakai and disobeyed Cyim’s commands for you to
flee.
Amdyth’s voice is harsh.
Kiri only remained because you did, and Cyim
broke away from the other unicorns because he feared for you. Had
you not been there, he would have remained under the protection of
our collective magic. Not only would we have completed our spell
and brought down the thlakeen sooner, but no harm would have come
to him. It is fortunate that your actions did not result in
tragedy.