Chapter Six
Breathe in, breathe out. Relax.
Channelling the voice of her Warlock trainer, Elissa calmed her racing heart as she was chaperoned by an unnamed Awoken girl. Meditation has its benefits, something that was lost on the Hunters and Titans. The words became a mantra, and helped as her apprehension threatened to cloud her mind.
Arriving at the large iron doors that had greeted Elissa when she first entered the Queen's throne room, the Guardian stepped into the room and nodded as her guide slipped straight out again.
Save for a few guards standing straight, the room was empty. Tilting her head, Elissa glanced at the nearest guard. "So I'm... expected. To meet the Queen I mean."
Getting nothing but silence, Elissa frowned in irritation as the guard completely ignored her, continuing to stand upright with an expensive looking sword firmly gripped in hand.
Seeing the balcony that the Queen had descended from before, Elissa tentatively wandered over to the base and hesitated before climbing the first step.
"I'm going up here now so don't throw a hissy fit if I'm not allowed."
Feeling pleased with herself when the guard's eyes narrowed, Elissa grinned and started climbing the stairs, which turned out to be far harder than it should have been wearing a dress. Her pride demanding she not fall on her ass and give the guards something to laugh about, Elissa took her time reaching the top.
Seeing a set of doors blocking her progress after her climb, Elissa didn't hesitate this time as she opened both at the same time and ghosted in, shutting them softly behind her.
Her composure was swept away by the sight that greeted her.
A sparsely lit room with a giant wall made of glass separating her and the beyond, with a dining table covered with heaps of food decorating the middle. Elissa's room with its clear view of space had astonished her, but this was on another level. Stars twinkled proudly and the shifting colours of the Reef off in the distance framed the picture perfectly. For a fleeting moment Elissa felt like she was standing in the centre of the Universe.
"Beautiful..."
"It does have its charms." An amused feminine voice agreed.
Resisting the urge to drop into a defensive stance at being surprised, Elissa counted to three before turning around to dip her head in acknowledgment at the two people standing before her.
"Truly, Your Grace."
The Queen looked different up close Elissa mused. When sitting on her throne she seemed impossibly tall, but the Warlock was surprised to see that she was a good half a foot shorter than her. The man next to her was not however.
"Guardian." The Queen's brother drawled, seemingly bored already. To Elissa's satisfaction, he was for once not wearing his trademark armour, and was instead clad head to foot in black trousers and shirt, which was unbuttoned enough to display a firm looking chest underneath.
Peacock. He was quite handsome Elissa realised, and in normal circumstances would have given her the perfect opportunity to ogle out of the corner of her eye. But his sister was far more tempting.
She was wearing her usual outfit minus the shoulder pads, black jacket and fur lined scarf, which allowed the Guardian to gaze down her slender neck to just above her the swell of her breasts, pressed tightly against the form fitting purple dress that teased the smallest amount of skin.
Coughing at the sudden derailment of her line of thought, Elissa's blushes were spared as the Queen motioned to the table with a soft "Shall we?"
Approaching the table, both siblings sat at each end, leaving Elissa to take the spare chair in the middle, the Queen on her left and the Prince on the right. Feeling off balance at how best to proceed, Elissa waited until the Prince started plucking bits of food from each dish to place on his plate before she started to dig in.
The three sat in silence as they began to load up their plates from the food available. Internally Elissa's mind was working overdrive to think for an appropriate conversation starter. Somehow her usual stories that included punching a dreg into orbit on the Moon and complaining about the Cryptarchs didn't seem suitable with her current company.
"You are wondering why you have been invited here Guardian?" The Queen asked, a glass of red wine perched in her slender fingertips.
"I had assumed it was for my devastating conversational skills." Elissa responded cheekily, before scolding herself for speaking too candidly.
Her self-recrimination was interrupted by the Queen's soft laughter, and Elissa unsuccessfully attempted to subdue the sly grin that was threatening to crack her face, choosing to ignore the Prince's mutter about her conversational skills being devastatingly bad.
"Not for that I'm afraid." The Queen responded, bright eyes twinkling even further "This is a merely a courtesy of sorts- appreciation for your actions at the ball with the Zapals."
"Ah." Elissa hummed, before leaning back to consider her words. "You didn't look particularly happy at the prospect. Think nothing of it. You were spared a dance with that brute, and I got to blast him half a way across the room. A good day had by all." Elissa paused before chuckling. "Except for Drice I suppose."
Nodding appreciatively, the Queen and the rest focused back to their meal, a comfortable silence blanketing the group. Although Elissa couldn't help but notice the odd looks the Prince was giving his sister from across the table.
Eventually giving into her curiosity, Elissa locked eyes with the Queen. "So I've noticed you aren't calling me 'it' tonight. Is that because I took on Drice for you?" Noting the Queen's amusement, Elissa pushed on "Because if so I would happily volunteered to be strangled by him sooner."
The Queen shook her head, lips quirking up "Appearances have to be maintained in the throne room Guardian."
Raising an eyebrow at the unhelpful answer, the red head gestured to herself "I am not an 'it' Your Grace, as you can see."
"Believe me, I noticed." The Queen fired back, blue eyes momentarily flicking downwards from Elissa's own before settling back onto her face.
Did she just? Nooo...
The two women held their eye contact, unwilling to be the first to look away. Hearing a groan to her right, Elissa glanced over in time to see the Prince rolling his eyes before she quickly shifted her eyes back to the Queen, who raised a superior eyebrow in victory.
"On that note I believe I shall retire. It's been an experience Guardian." The Prince announced, standing up from his chair.
Elissa nodded in farewell, unsure whether or not she had just been insulted. The uncomfortable realisation that she was now sitting alone with one of the most powerful individuals in the galaxy slowly dawned on the Warlock, and she fidgeted in place.
"It occurs that I am in your debt Guardian."
"What's that?" Elissa frowned.
Standing up slowly from her chair, the Queen walked over to the glass wall and turned to face the Warlock. Elissa's breath caught as the Awoken leader was framed by swirling purple and stars.
"I believe the victor of the duel was granted the right of a dance with the Queen of the Reef." At Elissa's look of astonishment the Queen continued. "Unless I am mistaken."
"I am... untrained in such a skill Your Grace" Elissa responded, biting her lip before looking away.
Smiling slightly, the Queen extended a hand in invitation to the seated Guardian. "Then this is your chance to learn. Consider it an added boon."
Elissa stood and walked over with trepidation to take the smaller woman's hand, nervous at the idea of making a fool of herself. Her anxiety was only worsened as the Queen pulled Elissa's hand to rest on the white haired woman's waist, as she repositioned her own hands on top of the Warlock's shoulders. The two were standing so close that Elissa could smell the perfume that the Queen was wearing. Could feel the heat emitting from where her hands lay.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Slowly the two began to sway in place, tentative at first.
The Queen leaned closer to whisper in the Guardian's ear. "As you are taller, you need to lead." Elissa attempted to look down her feet but was swiftly interrupted as the Queen slid one finger under her chin, forcing Elissa to look up again. "Don't look down at your shoes. Focus on the movements of your partner instead."
Nodding silently, Elissa was forced to look straight ahead, as the Queen studied her face. Slowly growing more comfortable, the Warlock began to move faster, feeling confident enough to give the Queen a little twirl before pulling her in close again.
"A quick learner I see." The Queen smiled.
Shooting the smaller woman a lopsided grin. "Could be I had a good teacher." At the Queen's questioning look, Elissa couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her lips. "You're right of course, it was all me."
It was some time later that the Queen stepped back and gave the red head an appreciate nod. "I thank you for the evening Guardian." The white haired woman paused to wring her hands. "It has been most enjoyable." Eyes downcast, the Queen walked towards the door and opened it for Elissa, who dutifully walked straight through, surprised at the Queen's shift in mood.
"It has been some time since I allowed myself a night of frivolity. Perhaps it can be repeated, if you would allow me to call you a trusted associate."
"You can call me whatever you like." Elissa said straight away before freezing at the flirtatious overtone in her voice. Feeling her cheeks hot up at the slip of the tongue as the Queen stayed silent, the flustered Guardian bowed and mumbled a goodnight as she hurriedly rushed down the stairs as fast as her dress would allow.
Taking one last look over her shoulder before she exited the throne room, she was surprised to see the Queen leaning over the balcony to stare at her, an indecipherable look on her face. Unsure what to do, Elissa waved half-heartedly, and was encouraged by the small wave she got in return.
Leaving the throne room, Elissa felt conflicting emotions as she nodded to her guide to take her back to her room.
If only my brain would keep up with my mouth sometimes. She thought grimly, disappointed that she may have pushed the personal boundaries too far. And just as I was making progress as well.
Sighing, Elissa dejectedly ran her hand through her hair as she was led through the station, mind whirring as she considered the best way to apologise for her indiscretion. It would take time before she was in a position like that again, but a Warlock was good at waiting.
Dark hair, dark dress. The open ocean before them as the sun set glitters across the water. She turns to the woman standing next to her. The face achingly familiar but no name is forthcoming. The woman smiles and speaks. Words of love slip from her lips as the two lean in to kiss. A sense of déjà-vu as a foreboding feeling hits her like a tidal wave. She breaks the kiss and glances up in time to see an encroaching darkness hurtling from space towards them. The lady in black disintegrates into ash before her eyes. Elissa tries to scream, but there is no sound. She falls.
Elissa woke with a start and a gasp. She slowly released the sheets from her grip as her heart raced. Calming herself down, the Warlock swung her feet out of the bed onto the floor, and hunched forward.
Sleep came naturally to no Guardian. She couldn't remember much from her previous life. It was usually only triggered by a familiar face or a certain smell.
Or when I close my eyes.
Shaking her head to clear the lingering memory, Elissa stood up and walked over to her window, leaning against the wall as she gazed out into space. The City's leaders had attempted to set up a support network for its Guardian defenders that suffered problems after their rebirth, but it was soon discovered to be impractical as the men and women it was designed for never had the time to attend. Too busy with missions or training. The Darkness did not wait.
Each Guardian handled their burden in their own way. Some took to spending every spare moment in the Crucible, fighting. Others took pleasure in camaraderie, striking up friendships whenever they could. Others though turned to substance abuse- drugs, drink, anything to stop the memories. The Speaker frowned on such behaviour, but it was eventually decided as long as it didn't interfere with their duties, it would tolerated, if not encouraged.
Elissa had dipped her toe into all three practices at various points, but none ever stuck. Knowing that the nightmares would continue indefinitely allowed a measure of acceptance for her, if not peace.
Elissa stopped as she heard a muffled thump outside her door. Moving quickly over to her bed to grab the hand cannon she kept underneath her pillow, the red head pressed herself tightly against the wall next to the door as she strained to hear what was happening outside.
"Guardian." Ghost whispered, popping up next to her. "I'm reading several people on the motion tracker."
Nodding, Elissa lifted her weapon and waited.
She didn't have to wait long as her door hissed open. The Guardian flicked the safety off just before an automatic weapon opened up, shredding her bed to pieces.
Silenced weapons. Elissa thought, whoever was trying to do this was attempting to be quiet.
Hearing footsteps enter into her room, Elissa kept herself against the wall as an assault rifle came poking into her line of view. Springing from her position, the Guardian slapped the end of the weapon upwards. Elissa thrust her hand forward, catching the assailant right in the throat, collapsing his windpipe. Elissa's eyes narrowed as her attacker's identity became obvious.
"Fallen."
She should have known they would try to kill her. Lifting her hand cannon up, she fired once at the Vandal's head, and watched with satisfaction as it crumpled to the floor.
Bursting out of the room, Elissa ducked underneath of another Vandal's sword and shoved her revolver under its chin and fired point blank. Not waiting for the body to fall, the Guardian turned to the last attacker and swept the legs from the Fallen Dreg and fired into his skull as he landed. Checking the hallway to check for more hostiles, Elissa holstered her hand cannon. Looking down at the bodies, she was mourned to see both of her Awoken Guards, including Ladanya, collapsed in a pool of their own blood. Checking the pulses of both, she sighed.
"See if you can raise the alarm Ghost."
Met with an affirmative, there was a moment of silence before the whirring alarms rang loud across the station.
Moving back into her room, the Guardian paused as she looked at her armour hanging up. "You think I should suit up?"
"We both know it takes close to thirty minutes to put that on properly. The Fallen are striking hard and fast, who knows how much time we have?" Ghost bobbed for a moment "Go without but be careful. I can still shield you, but if it fails then you have no protection."
Grabbing all the ammo stashed in her room that she could carry, Elissa strapped them to her under armour padded clothing.
"Our first priority has to be to secure the Queen." Ghost continued "If she dies, her offer of friendship to humanity dies with her. The Awoken will be thrown into chaos."
Nodding urgently, Elissa broke into a run down the winding hallways, thankful she had memorised the route to throne room. Every hallway she was greeted by bodies, both Awoken and Fallen. Hearing the sounds of battle close to the throne room, Elissa cautiously poked her head around and saw the giant iron doors. The Queen's Guard had bunkered down, throwing makeshift cover in their way. A group of Fallen led by a Captain were trading fire, but making no progress. Elissa noted with satisfaction that the area was a perfect kill zone, and she had the element of surprise.
Seeing that the Captain standing in the middle of the group was the main threat, Elissa relaxed and gathered all the light she could muster. Flexing her hand, she summoned the energy into a ball of arcane power. Leaping up into the air, Elissa threw the nova bomb directly into the centre, obliterating the Dregs and Vandals that were stood too close.
The Captain staggered back burning but still alive. Landing softly on her feet, Elissa levelled her weapon and fired several times until the overwhelmed Captain lay dead. The lower ranked Fallen in the front lines turned in surprise at the attack, but were cut down as the Awoken took the opportunity to rise from cover and fire down the hall.
Jogging to meet the Guards at the barricade, Elissa nodded in greeting. "Where's the Queen- does she still live?"
One Awoken Guard stepped forward and snapped off a smart salute "Her Grace is secure behind these doors. The Fallen surprise attack has meant most of my colleagues have been held up several districts away fighting. Reinforcements are coming but for now we're the last line of defence. Prince Uldren is inside coordinating the Guard."
"Then I need to get inside. If the command centre falls then we're finished."
The Guard nodded sharply and gestured to her colleagues. The iron doors slowly opened and Elissa rushed inside only to be met by the muzzle of a hand cannon. Stopping in her tracks, the Guardian shot an irritated look at the man holding the gun. "Hello to you too, Uldren."
Eyes flashing dangerously, the Prince lowered his gun and holstered it, and turned to the two Guards standing beside him. "You and you take up defensive positions behind those two columns close to the doors." Uldren eyed the Guardian and pointed towards two other columns next to the throne. "You and I shall take the positions behind these." At Elissa's questioning look Uldren continued impatiently "There's a large group of Fallen approaching our position led by their Kell. If he breaks through the line outside, we have to stop him here."
Elissa gestured to the door. "Shouldn't' we be out there helping then?" She asked, voice harsh.
"No Guardian." Uldren hissed "There's only limited cover outside. If too many try to take up what little there is, it will be a slaughter. How about you let the sensible adults makes the decisions here."
Growling in frustration, Elissa sat in the shadows behind cover and waited, the anticipation of battle making her agitated.
Breathe in, breathe out.
Hearing the sounds of gunfire outside, the Guardian gripped her hand cannon tightly. Explosions and screams mingled into one until it went eerily silent. Suddenly the iron doors shuddered as an impact rocked it back. Sending a silent prayer to the Traveler, Elissa tensed as the doors flung open revealing the largest Fallen Elissa had seen since the Archon Priest Aksor.
All four of the defenders opened fire as the Fallen charged into the chamber and immediately flung one of the Awoken Guards onto her back. She had time to scream before a massive armoured foot silenced her.
Turning his attention to the second Guard, the Kell raised his shrapnel launcher and fired. The Awoken rolled behind cover and popped out several times to take pot shots, whittling away his shields.
Shouting in frustration in his guttural language, the Fallen dropped his shrapnel launcher only to pull out a much larger weapon. He levelled the weapon and fired one rocket that came streaming towards the column the Awoken was taking cover behind, shattering it into several pieces and stunning the Guard. Ignoring the desperate shots from Elissa and the Prince, the Kell picked up the Awoken woman one handed and crushed her head.
Letting the body crumple to the floor, the huge Fallen turned to focus on Uldren and the Guardian and fired his launcher again, keeping the two pinned down as he advanced.
Uldren dashed out of cover and feinted to the side as the larger foe attempted to swing his weapon like a club and missed. Having manoeuvred himself behind his target, the Prince lashed his foot out into the unprotected back legs and caused the Fallen to stumble. Sensing victory, he shoved his revolver into the back of its head, too close for any shield to stop a bullet.
Before he could pull the trigger, the Fallen flung a back handed strike and sent him flying across the floor, skidding to a halt by one of his dead Guards. As he attempted to rise, the Kell brought his foot down onto his arm, and levelled his weapon at his head.
"Do it." Uldren snarled, spitting on the floor.
Elissa stared in horror as the Prince of the Reef was cornered. Throwing her empty hand cannon away, she spotted one of the Awoken Guards fallen swords between her and the Kell. Breaking into a sprint, she grabbed the sword and slammed it between the shoulder blades of the Fallen. It screamed and swung its fist around, catching the Guardian with a glancing blow on the collarbone and sent her spinning away.
Grunting at the pain exploding in her shoulder, Elissa rose unsteadily before staring disbelievingly as the Fallen was now stalking towards her.
It grabbed her by the throat and seemed to sneer as it lifted her to its eye level.
"Just fucking die already." Elissa snarled, priming the one grenade she had.
Noticing the danger it was in, the Fallen roared before being silenced as Elissa shoved the grenade down its throat. It gurgled as it got lodged, allowing Elissa time to bring both her legs up kick away from the Fallen, sending it staggering as the Warlock flipped in mid air and landed prone on her front.
The Kell desperately reached into its throat, but exploded into a red mist as the grenade detonated. Pieces of meat and armour flying in several directions.
Rolling onto her back, Elissa let out a relieved sigh as she saw Uldren struggle to his feet.
"So much for Skolas. I told my sister we should have jettisoned his body into space instead of capturing him."
"You always were the master of hindsight brother."
Elissa stood up and glanced around in confusion. The air seemed to shimmer slightly and the Queen materialised as if from thin air.
"Neat party trick." The Warlock huffed, pleased that she had survived.
"It serves its purpose." The Queen smiled.
Elissa frowned in uncertainty as the air behind the Queen began to shimmer again. Suddenly getting a sinking feeling, the Guardian teleported behind the white haired woman just in time to see a Fallen Vandal with a spear materialising ready to attack.
Gathering what little energy she had left, Elissa felt as if she'd been punched in the gut as all the breath left her at once. Seeing the Vandal tilt its head to the side, she gazed down in bewilderment as her stomach began to bloom red, the spear lodged in her body.
Initially feeling numb, Elissa felt her head begin to cloud as rage took hold. She had not survived a thousand battles and killed an immortal God only to be felled by a lowly Vandal wielding a stick!
Channelling her rage, she slammed her hand into the Vandal's face, instantly incinerating it and sending the body hurtling across the throne room.
Elissa hissed as the spear that pierced her was dislodged and went flying with the Fallen, and she staggered backwards into the Queen, who instinctively caught Elissa and lowered her gently to the floor.
Gasping as the pain began to devour her, Elissa felt herself sliding towards the abyss as her body shuddered. The stricken face of the Queen the last thing she saw before she fell into darkness.