Vengeance
The horses came to a stop, breathing hard from their jaunt across the plantations of Paragon. Wind Fire dismounted, heading over to the nearly dry stream nestled in the low hills of the vedltland around them. They'd been running for Sun movements to escape, but he had yet to detect even a hint of pursuit. Maybe they're frightened of me, he said to himself, thinking on how he'd become…I don't even want to say it.
Wind Fire put the thoughts aside, noticing his sister still struggling with her bonds. Feeling like an idiot for that neglected detail, he pulled a knife from his belt, "Topaz, let me."
She brought her hands over, but paused, wide eyed once she took full view of the young warrior.
"I'm not going to hurt you…whatever's happened to me…" he attempted to calm her, cutting her hands free.
Topaz interrupted him, struggling out, "I know…I know brother…but you're still…still glowing."
The Abisi was indeed still surrounded by a very faint illumination from the explosion of power at his tribe's campsite. He realized Topaz, and even Storm couldn't take their eyes off the mark emanating from his forehead, "What does it look like?"
Storm answered first, "Like a small Sun, with lines, like Sunrays."
"The mark of the Forsaken," Topaz went onto describe, naming one of the five caste's of the Anathema.
Wind Fire faced away from his siblings and took a view of the surrounding landscape, where his eyes caught a quick glance of the Sun. The blazing celestial object began its long descent from midday, which in way, he could actually feel. Why did you curse me? Then again you freed me...Agh, what am I saying? The Anathema aren't your children, Initi. They stole your power. He named the spirit of the Sun, the Day Eye, who shined the light of his great torch over Creation as he journeyed across the skies, just as the Dragons tasked him with so mortals could see what they what they were doing. But why do I feel a part of you? He didn't know what to make of this, taught like any child of the hideous demons the Anathema were, stealing Initi's light to trick mortals into worshiping them. With this lie, they had held all of Creation in bondage like the Perfect held his people; and even after their usurpation, the mad spirits continued to possess innocent folk, reaping mayhem and destruction out of revenge. Yet Wind Fire had no murderous urges, only fear and concern flowed through his veins, primarily over the fates of his brother and sister.
It was then he heard the thundering hoofs of an army of horses, causing the siblings to jump in their saddles with alarm. Wind Fire could tell they were coming from the other end of the stream, just stunned, not knowing how they could have found them; he took care once they cleared the fields to keep away from any arteries of travel. They shouldn't have any idea what length of the stream we'd be on. On that thought, the Abisi saw the scarlet outline of the eye on his sister's hand. Five-curses! Why didn't I think of this? Cursing at the revelation of the Perfect tracking them through the unnatural connection.
A plan formed in his mind and he began to cut off strips of his robe, "Hurry, blindfold yourselves!"
"What?" Topaz was taken back.
"Just do it."
She raised up her palm, and become conscious of what her brother had. "Oh Fire…you have to leave us."
"No!" He fiercely refused, beckoning them to take the strips.
His siblings submitted and blindfolded themselves, followed by Wind Fire taking their mount's reigns. While doing so, he saw their pursuers, coming over the far slopes, recognizing not only the cavalry of the Paragonese, but the colors of the Three Fires. He felt a slight stab of betrayal, but scolded himself, knowing they had little choice. Besides, I'm a monster now.
Wind Fire wasted no more time, taking flight with his relatives in tow. The fugitive warrior hoped the animals could take one more race, charging to a location only he knew of. They just had to clear the harriers first and they'd be safe there. Just as the desire for speed entered his mind, the aura around him flared. The Hahjab was about to curse himself, for his anima making a more obvious target of themselves, when he felt a jump of speed from his mount. The landscape became a blur, while their hunters faded more and more into the distance. Not knowing who else to praise, Wind Fire simply thanked Initi.
Feeling safe they clearly outpaced his pursuit, he reared the horses to come around the army before continuing south. His sanctuary was a small wateringhole he discovered last Fire Season, on his usual lonely hunts. He figured with Topaz and Storm blinded, the Perfect would have no idea where to find them. And by the time the last rays of the day, and the year for that matter, reached over the horizon, they had arrived.
Storm questioned, "Where are we?", brushing aside the tall, desiccated brown grass from his face.
"You know for a thousand times Storm, he can't tell you," Topaz chided him this time.
"Well, we're here now," Wind Fire stopped the horse from their slow trot in the sea of towering pasture, looking upon the puddle left from the searing heat of the season.
Topaz and Storm removed their blindfolds, joining their brother in dismounting and letting their rides eagerly feast on the remnants of water.
Wind Fire took one sight of the Moonless sky of Calibration, knowing the Perfect's forces wouldn't dare continue their hunt. "I won't say how long we're staying, for obvious reasons, but you two should sleep."
"Yeah, let's see the Perfect find us now," Storm cockily declared, taking an eye to his mark. "Whoa, it's gone."
"What?" Wind Fire and Topaz both exclaimed.
The older brother took hold of his hand, while Topaz viewed her own. To his horror, he witnessed not a vanished eye, but a shut one, "Oh by the gods, no!"
Both his siblings clinched in pain, collapsing as waves of agony struck their bodies.
He cried, "Topaz! Storm!" But they have to be inside for the mark to take them! It was common knowledge that when one's eye-mark closed, this execution would only come to the condemned once they were off the streets, indoors, and after Sunset, just as Sun Blade died in his tent. They should be safe...They...Yet he watched their deaths come, knowing there was nothing he could do to save them.
His siblings cried out too, wailing as they convulsed. Falling to his knees with tears of frustration raining down, Wind Fire took hold of his baby brother and elder sister, squeezing onto them as their bodies grew ever still, and cries faded to dying gasps. When they ceased, the Abisi knew they were gone.
"Damn you!" He shouted with every once of fury, still clutching his siblings. "I swear I'll kill you! Hear me, by all the gods and all my ancestors, even the Yozis…I'll be the one that crushes the life out of you Perfect…I SWEAR IT!"
Wind Fire held the lifeless bodies of Topaz and Storm all night, grieving for them while cursing the Perfect and all of Paragon. He didn't move until he again felt the Sun rise.
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