Beneath the Sea

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. 4 .
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Secrets

"Melodia, please, you must stop this foolishness. Order your men down and we will return you to Lord Calbren, to Balancoire!" Commanding, yet temperate and kind, the white-haired man's voice rang through the Lava Caves. He was the epitome of poise and dignity, stately even as the sweat collected on his pallid face. "We can end this before it gets out of hand."

But the girl did not listen. "Oh, you're funny, King Ladekahn. After all this hard work, do you think I'm one to back down now? Sweet Malpercio wants to destroy you... Ha ha... ha ha ha!" Locks as silver as his own quivered while she laughed.

The king stepped forward, hands open and offering peace, infinite sympathy on his face. "Melodia, you must understand—" A gun prodded him in the back and he felt it clink against his body armor. His heart sank.

Would there be no hope for this lost soul?

Her dress, like a stained glass window fused into fabric, swished elegantly as she walked forward. The ten ribbon wings of pink draped from her shoulders bunched up when she raised an arm to pat the fair king's cheek. "If it weren't for your importance to my mission, dear King Ladekahn, you'd be dead by now." Her expression chilled him to the bone.

...Was this the most terrible evil...? The kind that smiles and giggles and heartlessly rips out your throat?

"Neither of you are making any sense."

"C'mon, just get on the ship. It'll be fun!"

"Think of all the good you'll do!"

"We'll get into a lotta great brawls!"

"You can protect the peace of the new world!"

"And break from tradition!"

"And follow your destiny!"

"And show off!"

There was a long, exaggerated pause, followed by a groan of resignation. "Fine, fine... I can't believe I'm letting you two talk me into this... Now, remind me. What's our transportation gonna be?"

"My fishing boat, of course."

"...Figures."

Lyude made his way down the lines, sighing and wilting from the overwhelming sense of defeat. In all his years toiling as a soldier in the Imperial forces, he had never done anything, not one thing, to earn him merit. His was a worthless career of inability to meet expectations and disappointment to his reputable siblings.

They had always risen in the ranks, received compliments comparing them to their formidable father, carried the family name with honor...

Not that he was jealous — oh no, he was glad for them. But just once, he wanted to feel the glory of a promotion, the pride in an admiring comment. Years ago he had almost resigned himself to a life doomed to failure, but he retained the courage to continue as a soldier at his sister's, Vallye's, side. Now, once again, he had failed his country.

Skeed and Vallye held their positions tightly at his side as he walked sadly down the path to the shipyard. With a fierce scowl that said straighten-up-shoulders-back-head-high, Vallye swung her arms as violently as though she were wringing his neck. Skeed, the eldest, only looked disdainful. He had assigned Lyude to the task of returning Kalas and the traitor Xelha to the Empire. Lyude knew why the mission was given to him.

Because it was impossible.

There was no way anyone would ever find the pair. In an entirely new world full of never-ending earth, there was an infinite wealth of places they could hide. Lyude was sent out simply to leave and never return home again.

Depressed, he sighed again. He would follow orders faithfully.

"Your tie is out of place, and you must look proud!" Vallye hissed.

"I-I'm sorry..." Looking down to fix his clothes to Imperial regulations, Lyude bumped into someone, a tall, hard someone. Looking up into the scruffy face of a middle-aged man, he realized that two people flanked the giant. One had kind eyes and flashy pink clothes, the other blue hair and bloodied armor...

"It's...! It's them!" Shocked, he stumbled backwards. Here? How? "Xelha and Kalas!"

Vallye was only taken aback for a moment. "Soldier Lyude! Stop messing around and get them!" Vallye's voice echoed in his ear, urging him into action. Getting a hold of his emotions, the redhead whipped out his trusty gun and deck of Magnus cards. Beside him, his siblings did the same, immediately falling into regulation battle stances, from feet turned exactly this far outward to elbows angled just so.

Xelha, Kalas, and their dark-skinned companion were just as surprised as he at the meeting, and were caught completely off guard at the first attack. As they fumbled for their decks and called to each other, Skeed — a celebrated warrior in his own right who, like Lyude, used a gun that wielded the power of energy rather than solid bullets — aimed for the young woman. Xelha managed to summon a buckler for protection against the first wave, but she wasn't so fortunate for the next assault. Luminously shining, Skeed's blast breached her sphere of light magic, knocking her into a passing civilian.

Lyude gave a start.

A passing civilian?

"The people of Mintaka are in danger! Brother, we must evacuate the citizens before somebody gets hurt!" To his horror, a jet of blood spurted out of a man who stood gaping behind Kalas. Vallye frowned at her inaccuracy, but continued to fire ruthlessly at her foe. "Vallye, stop!"

Dodging a chaotic strike from Kalas, she raged, "Shut up and fight, moron! Fight for your country!"

My... my country? As the traitors and his siblings faced off in opposing lines, Lyude made himself blind to the increasing crowd that pressed in to watch the battle. They stepped over the fallen body without concern. "My... I can't stand by as..."

"Fight, Lyude!" Skeed yelled.

And he was given no choice. A bull in fisherman's garb was charging at him, paddle hefted out like a rack of searching horns. Unable to block with such short notice, Lyude cringed as dark wood collided with his shoulder. He heard a splintering sound — was it the paddle or his arm? — and then waited apprehensively for the successive strike. It landed hard and flat on his chest, forcing air out of his lungs like a sack of flour.

How... how useless I am...

From the corner of his quickly dimming vision, he saw a vaguely white-pink flash spiral at him. "Get ready for a beatin'!" a gruff voice bellowed. "Destructive..." With one arm sagging uselessly at his side, Lyude toppled before the finisher even hit him. "...Dragon Uppercut!" Then he was on his feet again for a moment, neck arching unnaturally as a serpent scaled his front to smash his chin straight up. He felt his eyeballs knock the back of his head and bounce back; his jaw fell open, busted and aching. Red smeared his vision. He couldn't tell whether or not it was his hair. Mouth yawning open while he lay on the smooth and dusty road, Lyude tried to call out a warning to his siblings.

The sky, looming ever larger above him, was painted red and black. Cloudlessly it reached out to him. "Lyude, don't give up again, don't give up!" it said over and over again. Over and over and over. "Don't give up. Don't give up. You can't give up. What will happen to your family if you give up? Don't give up, Lyude."

A pink foam bubble burst on his lips in response.

Is this the end, then? That was... simple.

"Lyude, don't give up! You have to keep fighting, you idiot!"

Froth. Pop.

I lost... because my soul was feeble. I did not even retaliate against the fisherman.

"Soldier Lyude, I demand that you stay alive!" Imperious as always, Skeed's voice boomed in his ears.

Gurgle. Eyes glazed, then cleared, and glazed again.

Skeed? Brother? I miss you. I miss passing time with you and Vallye and... Mother and Dad. I'll fight for you, Brother.

Something hot touched his arm and chin, and a sensation that was a breezy summer day vibrated in his lungs. A cascade of warm healing branched into him in trembling tendrils. Involuntarily, Lyude's eyes opened.

A blue sky greeted him.

Skeed crouched nearby, hammering energy blasts at the broad-shouldered, darkly powerful fisherman. Xelha had been downed and sprawled abnormally near a defensive Kalas, who was making a good effort of holding his own against Vallye. Rising shakily, Lyude gingerly felt his jaw and brought up his gun. "Sir Skeed, I thank you for the Healing Magnus."

"You're welcome, soldier. Now get back to work." Distractedly, he pointed his gun at Kalas and Vallye's skirmish. Lyude regained his senses and scrambled to his sister's side.

"It's about time, Soldier Lyude," Vallye said, releasing a Healing Magnus on herself. "Sir Skeed and I have weakened him substantially, now finish him off." She backed out of the redheaded line, strands of crimson hair clinging wetly to her milk-white skin, cheeks puffing slightly. With eyes like a viper, she scrutinized Lyude as he faced the tough blue-haired man. "...Be on your guard, brother."

"Thank you." Lyude bent his knees and braced himself for the attack that Kalas had been preparing...

...Only a few swipes of the blade. Apparently, Kalas had been weakened. His wings, black and disheveled, beat fiercely to keep him on his feet. He had been damaged so badly that one looked almost skeletal.

No...

It was skeletal.

Lyude's eyes widened in alarmed recognition. "Vallye, that man has a winglet!"

"Yes, yes, now get on with it," she snarled. "If you don't strike back soon, he's going to heal himself!"

Lifting his gun in hesitation, the soldier eyed the uniquely manufactured winglet. "But... R-right, ma'am." Lyude aimed for the fighter faltering in front of him and the eerie metal appendage clawing the air. "Haah!" A blast of musical energy — that is, sound waves with a high enough frequency to do harm — streamed from his gun and found its target in Kalas' torso. His opponent doubled over and, confidence bolstered, Lyude launched into a series of rapid attacks. Kalas faltered a little more at each hit, finally collapsing as Lyude initiated Overture.

When the light receded, Kalas lay motionless on the ground, a small, red line of blood trickling from his lips and one arm still draped around his side. Lyude looked to his siblings for meek approval.

Vallye nodded in morbid satisfaction as Skeed finished off their remaining opponent, the fisherman. In a terse voice, she said, "Nice work, Soldier Lyude. Once you stop holding back, you begin to make your country proud." She surveyed the crowd briefly, turning an unfeeling eye upon their few casualties. Her idea of country was vastly different than her brother's.

Inclining his head to accept the rare compliment, he watched the great bear finally crumple beneath Skeed's Imperial might, and tried to encourage the small flickers of delight he felt in their victories. He failed somewhat miserably.

THUD.

Ouch.

Eyes opened now.

Slowly, slowly.

There.

Faces, fuzzy. Warm rush.

What... where...? Consciousness. Are we in Alfard still?

All at once her senses besieged her: unchecked heat burning her skin; faces swimming above her eyes like lilies on a lake; a smell, putrid gases; sand swelling her tongue; a dizzy symphony of voices, clicks, whirs, and faint crumbling.

"Hey, Xelha, you okay?" Gibari's face loomed over her, darkening, and then sharpening, then... focus.

"I think so... I'll be all right." Xelha took the hands that Kalas and Gibari offered her, standing uncertainly on injured legs. Burn marks scaled her calves, and a blast had charred a hole in her shorts, but she maintained a look of disoriented peacefulness. "What's going on?"

"We're now unwilling playmates of the Empire, to make a long story short," Kalas said humorlessly. As he spoke, dried blood flecked from his mouth.

Gradually, Xelha became aware of the wide ring of soldiers encompassing their sandy bit of turf. For each member of their piteous trio, at least fifty soldiers stood ready with guns and orders "not to shoot to kill, but to restrain." She shuddered and pressed closer to her friends. "We can do what we came here for, in that case."

Kalas wore an inscrutable expression. "...I'm ready."

Nearby, a soldier in red who had been studying Xelha and seemed to be the leader called out, "The prisoners are all conscious and are ready for the Emperor!" A swarm gathered around them, akin to a nest of armor-clad and irritable bees. They ushered the bewildered three forward to the origin of the earthy grinding sound. Xelha felt her heart drop very suddenly.

She bumped against Kalas and the look he gave her was none too reassuring.

Yet... at that moment she just wanted him to smile.

Push, shove, jostle, thrust, "Kneel before the emperor, and prepare to serve his might!"

The crowd abruptly gave way, like some enormous bubble collapsing in on itself. A hush fell, then a hill surfaced, lurched, and began to obscure the sky. Xelha's breath caught in her throat, and she felt herself sag against someone's muscular form as she and her friends were faced with a growing, shifting monster. Simultaneously all soldiers dropped to their knees, and even Skeed, Vallye, and Lyude, who stood nearby, inclined their heads respectfully. It felt empty then to Xelha as suddenly the only thing that stood between her and the horizon was a head made of sand and clay and turning remains.

He opened his mouth — only the most committed of soldiers didn't recoil at his breath — and belched out the words: "The offerings... they have cooome... And Kalas, among them!" His head did an inhuman, rapid turn to an impossible angle, and he grinned. "Very good, Skeed, very gooood!"

The broad-shouldered man stepped forward in acknowledgement. "I thought you would be pleased, my Lord."

"Aaahahaha! And pleased, I aaaamm..."

A thin smile graced Skeed's face, and he stated, "Emperor Geldoblame, I would like to take the honor of directing your attention to the warriors at my side." He motioned to them coolly, continuing, "Officer Vallye and Soldier Lyude assisted me in the capture of wanted criminals Kalas and Xelha."

"Duly noted... A fiiine family." The Emperor smacked his lips together and shards of stones flew out. "And I see you have a captured a civilian, in addition." Gibari stood taller in defiance at this. "These offerings will serve me weeelll!"

"Just as I thought they would, your Magnificence. Your power will be unmatched by any."

"Yeesss... Yeeess! My might will be unimaginable!" He laughed, and his hideous chins throbbed. "Briiing them forward! Hahahahaaa..."

As Xelha and her companions were bustled forward, Skeed sank back in line with his siblings, and with awe and a fearful wonder his brother regarded him. Lyude leaned forward slightly, whispering in hushed tones, "What's going to happen now?"

Skeed stood firm and respectably. "Why, he's going to destroy them."

Lyude's eyes widened. "D-destroy them! That... that can't be. I thought they were coming to serve him..."

In irritation, Vallye butted into the conversation. "Saying prisoners are being sent to 'serve' is a nice way of saying that they will be killed. Sacrificed."

The trio was shoved before the head and its wide mouth, their hands bound and heads low. Although Kalas seemed reserved to his fate, Xelha and Gibari were struggling in their bindings to the roar of Geldoblame's laughter.

"Sacrificed?"

"Of course," Skeed confirmed. "To serve the Emperor is to become a part of his being, to have one's soul be assimilated into the massive energy and power that is our Lord." He spoke dispassionately.

"But... I thought that..."

"Oh, shut up," Vallye snapped. "Save your tender heartache for later. This is a special ceremony that you should feel honored for attending. Now, watch the might of our Lord Geldoblame!"

"But... No one ever told me... This can't...!" He fell into a horrified silence. Nearby, Xelha and the others were dropped unceremoniously before Geldoblame. To Lyude's irresolute eyes, everything from that point on was a dream.

There was a moment of chaos in the area. Gibari emerged unbound and enraged, tearing the ropes from Xelha and Kalas' hands. He rounded on the guards, completely ignoring the thrashing head above him. Although he had been stripped of his Magnus, he wrestled a gun from a bewildered guard, kicking him down and cocking the weapon without missing a beat. Kalas did the same, enlivening and dodging past his friends to attack. Xelha put up her fists uncertainly, stunned at their unplanned unity. Throughout this sudden assault, the Imperial elites remained relatively calm, exchanging calculated looks.

Above, Geldoblame bellowed with laughter. "What a shoooww... Ahahaa! Just what I hoped for!" As his mouth cracked in amusement, brown oozed from the sides of his lips. "Hahaha, Kalas, you brute!"

At this, Kalas turned and fired a spiteful bullet at the Emperor's left eye.

He missed terrifically, though.

A soldier leapt at him then, aiming to batter his head with a gun. Kalas swept a practiced turn and, wings flashing out from his cape, thrust the tip of his gun forward. It met flesh and he pulled the trigger. The man slumped over him. Kalas heaved him off and turned to meet the next Imperial, wiping his wet cheek a little.

Close by, Gibari let loose a terrible yell of power. Soldiers came at the two in waves, their flurries of bullets whistling by. He stood as a human battering ram. His fists and power were violet explosions of pain, and he actually managed to knock off quite a few soldiers before having to get rid of whoever happened to be manhandling Xelha beside him. Then he would turn back around, face all firm looks and concentration.

Xelha hadn't grabbed a gun yet, but she delivered her fair share of shaky punches. She wasn't completely useless without her magic, though, as every now and then she landed a well-placed kick that doubled her enemies over and brought a faint blush to her cheeks.

As the crowd crushed closer in, it became evident that they were fighting a losing battle. Xelha and Gibari were pushed back-to-back, still lashing out frantically despite the many bullet wounds that ravaged their bodies. Kalas remained relatively unscathed and had expanded his circle somewhat. Seeing that the one-winged man was more skilled in the art of death, the Imperial soldiers seemed to flock to the sinking pair.

Pausing a moment as the attacks against his friends increased, Kalas looked around in half-confusion, half-concern. His opponents were... running away. He decided that his newfound free time would best be put to finding a way to escape. And rescuing his friends, of course.

The arrogant Elites watched from a distance, observing the struggle between two disproportioned forces, muttering in exasperated drawls, "For the love of the Empire!" and "Just who is the new training officer?" They felt contempt for their fellow soldiers, those who were weak enough to tremble at the raw fists of amateurs. They saw a dangerous young man's wild looks, knew that he was the true threat, and retired from the sidelines. Vallye and Skeed pulled out guns, shaking their heads and following the crowd.

"W-wait!"

Skeed stopped, staring back at his younger brother expectantly. "Yes?"

"The sniveling little... Sir Skeed, pay no attention to him. This isn't the time for such nonsense." Vallye curled her lips in disdain. "He has nothing to say that's worth listening to."

"Let him speak, Officer Vallye. He has the right." The warrior folded his arms.

Lyude's head lowered respectfully, forlornly. "There is nothing I can say to persuade you, nothing to let you see the truth..." He held out his arms in a pacifying gesture. "I cannot make you see my side of justice. I have tried. I know I have."

"It you must, get on with it, already," Vallye whined.

His hands suddenly balled into fists. "Brother, sister." He lifted his face up slowly, the brilliant red curtains that were his hair drawing back to reveal conviction. "I cannot stand aside and believe that there is some vague but reasonable excuse for their deaths."

"Oh, you're going to go on about this again? We've heard enough." Vallye tried to push past him, but he grabbed her arm and his voice rose plaintively.

"For years, I have puzzled over why the Empire sometimes does the things it does. I couldn't understand why my superiors would kill and pillage, then pile explanation after explanation on what could not really be explained. And I couldn't understand why you" — her arm shook in his grip — "you, of all people, would kill and think it justified. My own sister!" His expression took on disappointment.

She bared her teeth. "Shut up!"

Again, his voice rose in a broken crescendo. "Give me one good reason why those three, or anyone, should be — sacrificed!"

"F-for the good of the Empire! Are you mad? It's all for Alfard! Unhand me! I said, unhand me!" A bullet streaked past, and she flapped to wrench herself free.

"Vallye, I can't stand these rationalizations any longer...! From the beginning of my career... the beginning, I have seen innocents tortured at the hands of those I respected. Why do all of you sin, and then praise your work?" He faltered, emotion cracking his voice. "I — can't — stand — this! Not again... will I suffer!"

That was it; Vallye slapped him. "L-Lyude! Stop, stop your heroic wailing!" She looked like a wet cat, her face whitish and her hair stringy and her eyes wide, wild. "Sir Skeed, do something to stop him!"

For the briefest moment, Skeed looked as though he wanted to say, Why? He's your problem. Instead, he addressed Lyude. "Brother, calm yourself. Now, just what do you plan to do to stop us?"

The soldier looked taken aback. "What do I plan to do?"

"You mean you're not going to stop him?" Vallye screeched.

"Yes, brother, what do you plan to do? You're obviously outnumbered, fairly unskilled, and your resolve is fickle. The wisest decision you could make would be to honor your family's legacy and fight alongside your siblings. For the Empire. Intelligent, yes? So will you join us? Or, if you decide to follow some reckless feeling, do you think you can defeat your own sister and brother?"

Lyude stiffened. Then he dropped his sister's arm and fled.

He burst through the crowd, spasms of rage and desperation racking his shoulders. He had to do something. He needed to... to... Thoughts drained from his mind, falling away into darkness. Yet he vowed to take some action to rebel against the Empire. None seemed right; the killing of innocents to feed a demented monster, spreading irreversibly budding, biting lies among the ranks, adhering to a twisted system... He had to stop the vicious mentality.

With hopeless anger in his heart, he felt himself draw near to his targets, ducking and dodging past several battling men. No one attacked him yet. Still they recognized him as one of their own: and imperial officer. He felt himself lunge through a door in time, pushing past all, reaching out and crying against inhumanity... then standing defenseless before the enemy.

Each movement had the weight of all the sun and stars in the sky, a simple task becoming heavy, disenchanting. Lyude pulled out Magnus. He tossed the cards to them.

Them, the traitorous Xelha and the giant Gibari.

He held up his arms, outstretched in a grand gesture of peace, awaiting their acceptance or rejection, and the judgment of the Empire. All were shocked, but he was determined to fight for the trio's cause. He wanted to devote the numbered, precious years of his life to something good.

Gibari pointed a gun at Lyude in confusion. "You really with us?"

He nodded. "I have realized the fault in my ways. The people I serve are evil and no longer deserve my loyalty. Now... I want to help the three of you."

One of the soldiers creeping up on Xelha suddenly jerked sideways and toppled, leaving a space for Kalas to come forward. He nodded, hair drifting into his eyes. "Let's go."

The stillness of the moment ceased to exist then, as though the stretching pressure of an elastic pulled to its limits had been released. A loose alliance was formed in the following crash, and fighting resumed. The Imperial soldiers all around doubled their efforts in retaliation of Lyude's betrayal. No longer did Geldoblame laugh and thrash. He screamed in disbelief.

"Get themmmm!" rang out in the air.

With the Magnus, Xelha, Gibari, and Kalas were able to heal their wounded bodies and equip a few weak weapons. They weren't capable of using Lyude's guns and Concertos, so they had to deal with pointed sticks of bamboo and bits of bombs and fire. They made the best of their circumstances, though, and held their own for quite awhile. Lyude fought with a sense of justice long absent. Later, he realized that the seed of self-respect had been nudged into him. Now his gunshots found their targets more often than not, but his triumphant cause of freedom would ever tower over the tattered remains of his family.

There was a soft, painful realization that he would live wholly separated from Vallye and Skeed. The tenuous connection had been severed; he was his own person and completely different.

He wavered for a moment, believing he caught a caught a glimpse of a red-haired woman through a moving gap in the crowd. He thought she was smirking. Suddenly, pain ran down in hot, steaming agony, red and running, pulsing, and burning. A transparent crimson steam seemed to spiral up with the chorus of battle cries. His leg burned, her smile burned, and he kicked in pain. Lyude nearly toppled, but he bit back the intensity and aimed at his old comrade — think methodical.

Shaken, he missed and another bullet entered his body. It tore through his shoulder, ripped out of his back like a beast uncontained. He looked up. The offender stood menacingly in front of Lyude, holding up a gun, pressing it against his forehead. The quiet redhead gasped in a sudden fit of blood.

Vallye's lip twitched in a furious fit of mercy. She kicked Lyude's sinking, torn body out of the way and advanced towards the others.

Lyude, feeling a ring of blood on his face, heard himself fall against the ground. He wondered, Why am I so weak? The second time... the second time I fail myself.

His head dropped against another. He managed to move his eyes over. Lyude found himself looking at Xelha's face. Her misty eyes reflected him in brown orbs, warming a little in recognition, the skin around them wrinkling slightly in a smile and friendly, Oh, you, too? Then a small trickle of blood rolled over the bridge of her nose and splashed into her eyelashes, and she blinked wetly. She mouthed, "Thank you."

In his strange, dreamlike state, he would have wanted to be the one to thank her. Yet his blood was seeping quickly into the desert ground and, besides, his body was becoming numb. Instead, he summoned strength to turn his head and look up at the sky. Men moved around way up there, pushing, shoving, hitting. Somehow, even on the path of righteousness, he had stumbled and fallen.

A shadow loomed over him, killing the flaming rays of sun. The shadow grew larger and condensed into a large black body and someone fell on him. He then lost consciousness.

Xelha watched the fat soldier lose part of his face to Kalas' small bomb, then tumble over like a smooth-moving, deadly mammoth being shot down. The heavy body landed on Lyude's sprawling figure. She felt Lyude's hand thump on the ground from the impact, and then settle. She tried to tug at his unclenching fist.

Letting out a breath, she sighed blood and let her muscles relax. It was all rather hopeless, anyways. Kalas was right. It had been worth a try, though. She had just thought that they'd discover something and then have an opportunity to escape... Instead, they had found themselves in the middle of nowhere, a small group isolated in a vast desert nation. They were taken far from civilization, then surrounded utterly by well-trained troops of the Empire. Now that she had time to think, she realized that they had been lucky to survive this long.

Sadly, Xelha imagined her life being ripped up like a Magnus card, to be discarded and never used again... that was her fate out here. Her only regret, now that she realized her mistake, was that she had dragged Kalas and Gibari into it. And that poor young man, Lyude.

She sensed the limp hand beside her.

In a surge of useless determination, she hoisted herself into a sitting position. She concentrated her power on clasping his arm and tugging sharply, with the hopes of pulling him free. To her surprise, his body slid out from beneath the soldier of Alfard easily. Confused, she looked up.

A woman stared down coldly at her, a spray of brightly colored wings fanning out behind her. Her eyes, severe and unforgiving, glinted as she shoved the soldier from atop Lyude. Xelha then dragged him free and tried to prop him up beside her. The tall woman released the soldier unceremoniously and nodded to Xelha. Astonished, the fair-haired girl realized that she had gained another ally.

The warrior sprinted off to do more battle, fighting with a lashing energy that Xelha had never seen before. She stood imperiously tall, with pointed green boots and long, athletic legs, graceful arms, and a well-trained physique. She moved with the suppleness of a skilled fighter — a sort of dancing movement that Xelha hadn't quite mastered yet — and her long black hair whipped around her as she swung fluidly between attack and defense. A jerk of her fists and soldiers bowed all around her.

After clearing a small area, the powerful beauty turned back to Xelha. "Move out!"

Xelha scrambled to her feet gracelessly, dragging the dazed Lyude with her. She caught a glimpse of the woman dashing through the crowds, lashing out against enemies and meeting up with Kalas and Gibari. She watched them forge a desperate alliance quickly. A gush of relief poured through her as she saw Kalas and Gibari coming to her, fighting through the soldiers to return.

Their breath sounded loud in her ears, more deafening even than the explosive gunshots resounding all around. Lyude's body pulled away from her, carried by a pair of bulky arms, and at once she felt Kalas' hands supporting her. She looked at his grim face and pleaded with her eyes. She prayed for forgiveness. He didn't notice her, though; he set his eyes on the dark-haired woman before them, away from the girl clutched to himself.

The woman commanded their attention and ordered in a deep, barking voice, "Let's go! Our mission is to escape with our lives. Retreat!" She motioned for the exhausted four to follow her and dashed off out of the crowd, away from Geldoblame and the horror of battle, a fountain of sand kicking out from her boots.

There was no hesitation. Immediately Kalas chased after her, Xelha clinging to his arm, fighting to free himself from fighting. She was jostled at his side, her perception of reality shrinking down only to him, the blazing sun above, and the hot stench of blood and sweat in the air. Terror of the soldiers chasing them faded away. She was going to live.

"Keep moving," Savyna ordered. "It's not much further, but it's likely that the Empire's forces are still following us. If you stop, you'll meet with death."

Kalas wiped the sweat from his forehead, shambling along, gasping hoarsely. Death, again. He looked up into the sun and shielded his eyes, then turned to look at the infamous Lady Death.

No. Savyna. That was her real name.

When they had escaped to a safe distance, when all of their fears and defenses had subsided, everyone had relaxed enough to turn their gazes upon the dark, militant woman. They were silent in their observations. She never halted her brisk pace until Gibari posed the question.

"Hold on now, lady. We don't even know your name. Mind telling us?"

She smiled, a mystery, her lips curling up poisonously. "Savyna."

Kalas felt sure that it was she, the one he had heard so much about. A vicious destroyer, all the devastation of war in a single woman. She had hard, unfeeling eyes. He recognized them. He knew a man once, a fighter like her who had lost faith in life. The man had clung to the memory of her, the only human being he could ever call "friend," reviving her with vivid descriptions on black, lonesome nights.

Yes, Lady Death who smashed her opponents in deadly battles, looking on with cold, dark, cruel eyes.

He decided, upon seeing her, not to trust her. He knew that she had saved them from Geldoblame, but for what purpose? That which he could not know was unpredictable, and that which he could not predict was unreliable. After all, she could be leading them away from Geldoblame into the clutches of an even more anxious foe.

The others seemed to accept her though. In a patient manner, Gibari had continued his query.

"It's not that we're ungrateful for your help, Savyna, but could you tell us why you helped us out?"

Kalas watched as she folded her arms, a defensive gesture that she made seem imposing. "I learned about you from hearsay, and I happened to be around. I was just saving innocents."

Lyude, who had been healed by a spare Magnus, looked up as she said this. "Saving innocents? Sounds suspicious to me."

Indeed, no one would expect a hardened beauty such as herself to, out of the kindness of her heart, drop out of the sky and save the day.

Smirking, Kalas said, "And why did you help us out, Lyude? Did you think it would be fun or something?"

"I have a very good reason for joining you!" the redhead steamed.

Kalas rolled his eyes. "Do tell."

"It's Emperor Geldoblame!" Lyude became frantic, almost, his emphatic gestures aiding his sense of justice. "You see, they're doing something awful. Those people who are being 'sacrificed'... it's not a simple ritual after all. They really are being sacrificed! Their lives are being taken." He turned to Kalas. "I learned that you three would be killed to make the Emperor stronger, and I had to do something. I hated the fact that the people I trusted were betraying me. My own family..." He hung his head. "It hurts me that I must turn my back on them, but I can never trust a person who will make me stand by and watch a life taken so wrongly."

Gibari nodded slowly at the conclusion of Lyude's explanation, folding his arms. "I think you made the right choice, kid. It's never good to take a life, even when it's necessary like in battles."

Savyna agreed, "Fighting should only be used as a last resort, but then the kill should be swift and merciful."

"A merciful death..." Lyude buried his face in his hands. "Xelha, Kalas, and Gibari. I ask if I can join you so that I can avenge the deaths of those who were killed at the benefit of the Empire."

Xelha had reached out and touched his hands lightly. "Of course you can come with us, Lyude. You'll be a great help."

"And what about you, Savyna?" Gibari asked.

Kalas watched her regard them frigidly. "I can't return to the Empire. Only I have access to a ship, so we have no choice but to travel with each other to escape. After that, we shall see how the world stands."

"Alright!" Gibari clapped his hands together. "Let's get going!"

Their small, worn party trooped on bravely, then. The sun, after finally reaching its peak in the sky, wobbled a little on its invisible mount and tilted slightly in descent. He felt its heaviness on them all. The wretched desert seared his face.

Suspicions weighed heavily on his heart as he quietly glanced at his comrades from downcast eyes. Each of them gave altruism as a motive. He wanted to, but he just couldn't... quite... believe it.

The glimmering spot on the horizon transformed into a thin, long oval, the ship that perched on the end of the island. The hot sun continued to beat down upon them, but it was sinking slowly into the horizon, like a massive, shining drop of molten honey. Sweat dripped from his hair and he imagined the coolness of the ship. He imagined sitting down and resting his limbs, and falling into a deep sleep. "I'm so tired of walking," he muttered.

"Looks like we still need to toughen you up, Kalas!" laughed Gibari. "With that kind of attitude, you could never be a fisherman."

"I don't want to be a fisherman," he grumbled.

"Oh, c'mon!" Gibari yelled cheerfully. "We'd be happy to have you in Nashira. You're a pretty good guy." He blinked as sweat rolled into his heavy brows. "Hey, where are we going, anyways?"

"To my ship," Savyna stated.

"No, I mean where are we going after that?"

Everyone exchanged blank stares.

Xelha suggested predictably, "I think that we should let one of the rulers know about the threat of Geldoblame. He's taking lives and building strength. We must fight against him." She clasped her hands together, head lowered. "It's a responsibility."

Annoyed at her proposal, Kalas retorted. "Oh, sure, fight him just because he's evil. But aren't you even a little bit curious to find out why he's trying to gather strength before just eliminating him?"

"Kalas! With that much power, he's a threat to the entire world! We should do something to stop him before he gets out of hand."

"Like he's not already."

Gibari lost his good humor, looking grim. "I have to agree with Xelha, Kalas. You don't stop to ask why a lion is hunting you — you just do everything you can to protect yourself. Does everyone agree?"

Kalas shrugged, once again annoyed. People didn't just go around destroying things. Gramps would have wanted to explore every option. "Fine, whatever you say, guys." Geldoblame was supposed to be dead, but if they wanted to kill him again instead of exploring the mystery...

"So, who should we tell?" asked Xelha. "King Ladekahn is unfortunately gone, and I doubt that Lord Rodolfo of Sadal Suud would help us much."

"I don't know about that," Gibari said. "When that weird castle appeared in the sky before, Queen Corellia, King Ladekahn, Duke Calbren, and the guy from Sadal Suud all met together to find a way to achieve peace. He'd be willing to negotiate, I think, but Queen Corellia might be our best bet."

Kalas felt sudden anxiety.

"That would be wise," Savyna said, tossing her long black ponytail. "I have lived in Anuenue before. She is a benevolent ruler."

"So we're off to Anuenue, then?" Xelha asked.

"Sounds like it to me," Kalas affirmed, sounding tired.

"Hey. Savyna, that's your ship, right?"

"Yes."

The tall woman nodded and motioned for them to follow her. They stumbled after the warrior woman, and at last made it to the edge of the island of Alfard. Kalas stepped up to the side, looking down. The land spread out below him, dizzying in its expansiveness and sheer depth. Savyna walked purposefully past him to her ship, which was rather small but could accommodate their numbers. She placed the palm of her hand against its dusty, dully glinting side, and a portion of its side swung open. She bent and climbed inside, a signal that they should again follow.

Kalas found himself pressed into a seat beside Xelha. The front of the ship allowed room for only one person, where Savyna sat at the controls. It struck Kalas rather suddenly that they were defenseless against the woman. The others were stupid; they had allowed her to come into a position of control over them before they were sure they could trust her. He wouldn't say anything, though; he was just along for the ride.

The ship rumbled abruptly and lifted into the air, hovering and then speeding off into the sky. The journey to Anuenue proved to be long, stretching across the night, and all that he could remember was the brief glimpses of stars streaking across the sky through a dusty window, soft and white against the dark blue backdrop. He stared at them a long time, pondering their eternity and attempting to stay awake.

Savyna showed no signs of betraying their feeble trust, but he still held to the side of the ship, as though it would keep him anchored to the world, safe and secure. She could do anything. The past, his past, had taught him not to trust anybody...

Eventually, the smooth lull of the engines and the billowing tapestry of sky hushed him into half-consciousness. He fought, but finally fell asleep.

Xelha's head rested wearily against the back wall of the ship. It was mostly silent within, save for the whir of engines and the rhythmic breathing of the two companions that had fallen asleep in the peaceful night. She looked over at Kalas' sleeping figure, then at Gibari's. Two strong men looking out for her. She appreciated it... but she didn't want to always have to be protected. She would prove herself to Kalas and make him respect her. He would have to eventually, though, wouldn't he? They were destined to be together...

Right?

She pulled her gaze from the immobile figure next to her to stare straight ahead. Beside her, she felt Lyude shift. He was still awake, at least.

"Xelha?" she heard him whisper in a voice that penetrated darkness.

She held still. "Yes?"

"I don't mean to be inquisitive, but..." He looked at her then, eyes shining from Savyna's glowing panel. "How... how did you get caught up in all of this?"

She smiled at him, her heart warmed. He seemed to be a genuine man. "I was trying to help rebuild the Empire, so I was working at the Imperial Fortress. I..." She paused, trying to find a way to explain herself but stay close to the truth. "While I was working there, some women told me that those who go to 'serve' the Emperor never come back. When I came across Kalas, I felt compelled to help him. It was a chance that I took, but it turned out well." She closed her eyes. "Kalas is safe."

"Yes, you're right. It did turn out well for him."

She then smiled apologetically. "I'm truly sorry for any inconvenience I have caused you... You understand, though, don't you?"

"Of course." His eyes glittered. They were crammed together so much in the small ship that their faces were very close. She could see the exquisite outlines of his skin, the round innocence of his eyes, a pouting, expressive mouth...

"I'm glad, Lyude."

"As I am."

Xelha looked at him earnestly. "Lyude, there's something I have to tell you."

He watched her carefully. "I'm listening."

"While I was in the Empire... those two women told me about a man. He was a noble man, they said, who stood up to the Empire in the name of innocent people. They said that he lost all of the authority that came with his family name because of his decisions, and that his title was stripped from him."

His kind eyes were scrunched up in pain.

"They said he was courageous, a hero. Lyude, the people of Azha believe that you are their savior..."

"I didn't do enough..." He closed his eyes to the memories. "But... thank you, Xelha. I must have faith in myself. You are a good woman."

She smiled happily. "And you are a fine man." Then she yawned, stretching a bit as well. "It's late. I'm going to see if I can get some sleep. Good night, Lyude."

As she leaned her head back against the wall, she sighed contentedly. Lyude was right: he needed to trust himself. She hoped that she had helped in him in some small way... Then her thoughts became fragmented in the darkness. Her eyes closed slowly, she felt herself drifting along the buzz of the engine, along Kalas' breathing and Gibari's, along the soft padded noise that Savyna made when she pressed the ship's pedals down...

She drifted into sleep... drifted...

In the night, Xelha's sleeping form leaned soundly against one of the men beside her. He didn't stir.

Dedicated to Holyknightsteve, my little sister, and really old home movies.

Um, hi.

Sorry for the delay. Erm, I mean, horrendously long setback. I've had this chapter written for a really long time, but I never got around to editing it... You see, I actually have through about chapter nine written. Why the wait? I have to slog through all the lame sentences and bad grammar and all-encompassing ickiness when revising, and that takes time.

Eh. This chapter wasn't even that good. Hopefully the next will be more interesting.

So I hope to be better at updates in the future... Just kick me in the pants if it gets too bad...