Chapter 35: First To Fall

The beam of light carried Hitomi and Folken into the very heart of Zaibach, exactly as Hitomi had intended. The war had to be stopped, and the best way to end it was to take out the puppet-master who pulled all the strings.

"Dornkirk!" Folken shouted, the sound echoing within the large domed chamber. His voice burned with anger, all directed at the crippled man sitting high above them.

The platform they stood on was wide and circular. A large set of doors was at their backs. Above, mounted to the ceiling was a large crystal sphere. As they watched, swirls and jumbles of color played across it. From the sphere, a large brass telescope branched downward. At the viewing lens of the telescope sat Emperor Dornkirk. He was bare from the waist up, his skin shrunken against his bones, making him look like a dried out mummy. His hair was white, curly, and long enough to fall in waves around his raised viewing seat. His beard too, hung down below his useless legs. From the back and sides of his metal throne, tubes and wires emerged, embedded in the old man's body. They were the only things only keeping him alive, keeping his body from rotting away completely on his raised throne.

"What is this?" Dornkirk sounding mildly surprised as he turned his small dark eyes to them.

Hitomi didn't move, just watched as Folken stepped forward.

"AAhhh... So you have completed your mission after all, Stratigoes." Dornkirk turned his seat to fully face the two. He nodded in approval. "You have delivered to me the full power of Atlantis! Now all of our dreams-"

"You're wrong! Your dreams and ideals are nothing more then a mad man's wish! We've come to put a stop to both your madness and this war you have created!" Folken drew his sword with a hard, angry tug.

"Once that power," A bony finger pointed at Hitomi. "is placed in my Destiny Engine, all of our dreams will finally come true!" He laughed, thin and full of mad ambition.

With an quick flick of his wrists, Folken unbuttoned his robes, allowing them to fall and hang from his belt. Hitomi's brilliant green eyes watched him step up to the edge of the platform and spread his blackened wings.

Van's mind searched and found what it was looking for close to an ally's fallen guymelef. But now he had to get it, and he was already completely open to attack. Allen's last move had snapped his sword in two. He needed new sword, and fast.

"What's the matter, Van? Helpless?" Allen laughed as he walked towards the defenseless Escaflowne.

'Shit... I have no choice but to make a run for it. Damn him.' In a bold move, Van turned around and ran, showing his back to his enemy. The sword wasn't far, only a few steps away, but he felt like he was moving through water, his limbs not moving as quickly as they should.

Allen smirked; raising his left arm, he unleashed a spray of crime claws at Escaflowne's exposed back. The claws caught Van in his right shoulder, sending him to the ground.

Within Hitomi's mind, the white feather received another two drops of blood. Time was running out.

Before her Folken raised his sword. "This is for Naria and Eriya!" He cried as he jumped into flight, soaring towards Dornkirk.

The old man only laughed. "Do your worst."

Hitomi's heart stopped as she swung about, her bow was in her hands before she could even think about what she was doing. Arrow notched, she was only fast enough to get one of the three archers at the door before their arrows were let loose.

She heard Folken grunt as the arrows found their mark. She turned to look.

Folken hovered above her, his black wings moving only enough to keep him aloft. His sword dropped from his metallic hand and hit the floor far below with a loud clang. The arrows had hit him in the back, both buried deep.

Folken coughed, and a thin trail of blood ran out of the corner of his mouth and down his chin. "Hitomi..." He turned in mid air with great effort. One arrow had gone right through below his left shoulder, piercing the edge his heart. "Take care of.. Van and Mother for me..." It was costing him a great effort to keep from falling. "Tell them both... that, I love..." His pained eyes rolled into the back of his head and his wings stopped mid flap.

With tears shinning in her bright green eyes, Hitomi watched his body fall from the air and disappear below the platform. "No..."

"He was weak. He had grown too soft." Hitomi turned angry eyes to the old man. Before he could take another breath, she had put an arrow through his heart. His pale eyes turned glossy as his face went slack, his body going limp in his throne.

The soldiers behind her advanced. She hadn't made them too happy by killing their king, but then again, they had just killed Folken.

Van grunted with the effort to stand. Escaflowne's joints creaked with the strain, but he had a new sword. Van clenched his right fist tighter around the hilt. His whole body burned; the only thing keeping him moving was his promise to Hitomi. 'I'll come back to you, Hitomi.'

Allen kicked Escaflowne in the back, knocking Van face first into the ground again. "I'm not letting a demon like you live any longer." Scherazade raised its arms, its sword thickening into a spear. Allen lifted it over his head. One strike and he would rid the world of this accursed creature.

Hitomi's glowing figure stepped back to the edge of the platform; she kept her eyes on the approaching men. Two archers and five swordsmen. Her right hand was stretched over her left shoulder, feeling Van's feathers on the end of her arrows. She had six arrows left. Six arrows and seven men.

She lifted an arrow, slowly notching it. These men didn't seem to be in any kind of rush. She paused, she had almost forgotten about the dagger Van had given her. It was still tucked into her belt, but there was no way she could use it. Not unless it was one on one and her opponents were using short swords. Maybe the archers than...

She let her arrow fly into the breastplate of one of the nearest man, killing him instantly. Even after she had picked off two of their number, the soldiers seemed hesitant to approach her.

Six to go.

The pendant swung in Van's mind, warning him of what was coming. He needed to get out from under the melef's armored foot. He had no other options.

Escaflowne's joints and gears started to shift, setting off steam as it transformed into a dragon right under Scherazade's foot.

"What the-" Caught off guard by Escaflowne's dragon form, Allen paused just long enough for Van to get the upper hand. With a flick of the mighty dragon's tail, Scherazade was airborne.

The change didn't last long though, Escaflowne was too damaged. Before Allen's guymelef had even hit the ground, the dragon was changing back.

Allen hit the rocky terrain fifty feet away. The fall only winded him, but it was just the edge Van needed.

The young King charged. With his newly borrowed sword in hand, Van skewered the now kneeling enemy guymelef as it started to rise.

Everything seemed to stop.

Allen was breathing heavily. His cold blue eyes now wide with fear. He blinked rapidly, sweat ran down his face as he looked down. 'The sword.' Allen looked down.

Van stepped back as Allen fell backwards, the sword sticking out of Scherazade's cockpit.

"Curse you... you'll see... All your kind will die..."

Van stepped back, breathing heavily, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart. "Never." And then Escaflowne's engergist blinked out.

There were four left now. Only four. But none of them seemed willing to advance on the strange girl from the mystic moon. She had taken out the last archer and now all that were left were the swordsmen.

She watched as they cast glances at one another and a younger soldier nodded his head before turning to run for the door. If she let him get away, he would bring more soldiers, and she couldn't handle any more men.

She raised her bow, notched one of her few remaining arrows, and aimed, but the other men took that opportunity to move closer. The young soldier was almost to the door now. She couldn't let him get away, or allow the other soldiers get any closer. She had to do something.

"Back off!" She shouted. Energy sung around her like a tornado of color and light. Pale blues, yellows and pinks wound around her, startling the men, but they would find their courage again and the younger man had managed to slip out the door. She could already hear the shouts and footsteps of more Zaibach soldiers now approaching.

A strange laugher filled her head and the feather appeared again in her mind. This time it was spinning slowly down towards a pool of red. The longer she stayed, the less time Van had. The strange laughter was still there, but now it had taken on a mocking tone.

Van hit the ground after Escaflowne's hatch opened and spat him out. What was wrong with it? The damage wasn't that bad. He turned in bewilderment. He heard psychotic laughter as he wiped the sweat and grime from his face, and turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

"What's the matter, Van? Got a boo boo?" The Zaibachian general laughed.

The young King stood his ground. "Dilandau..." He growled out the name as if it were a filthy word.

The red armored albino laughed again, giving the King of Fanelia a mocking bow. Then he raised his fiery red eyes to lock with Van's amber ones. "Now... lets play!" He exclaimed, reaching for his sword.

To be Continued