"Allen… get me out of here…." I squirmed to try and free myself just enough to pull myself out of the invisible Guymelef's hands. Judging from what Scherezade looked like, I could scale down the front… so long as it remained still. The chances of that were slim to none.
It was clear that whoever was piloting the enemy machine wanted me alive and unharmed though, because after a moment's thought it put me down.
"Keori, Merle. Leave this place at once. Do not stop until you get somewhere safe and do not worry. I will find you when this has been cleaned up." His voice was clear and solid as it came out behind the metal frame of Scherezade.
"She will not make it far…" I ran to Merle and stopped to look back as Allen slide into something hard. Sparks flew and Merle tugged on me to get me to move.
"I won't forgive you if you let this guy take you out Allen!" I ran with Merle and never heard Allen answer if he had even heard me at all. I stumbled when more shockwaves took the earth and nearly dropped to the ground when Scherezade's blade came down on the enemy.
"He will be fine… Allen is one of Gaia's best fighters and has piloted a Guymelef for many years…" But I had stopped listening… I couldn't think of anything right now other than running.
Both Merle and I had stopped to catch a breath in a store room that was loaded from floor to ceiling with bottle jars. For some god forsaken reason I had to open them. I don't know if it was because I was wired on adrenaline or what, but I kept at it. Jar after Jar… some had food like nuts, pickled vegetables and dried fruit while some contained a dark liquid.
"What is this Merle?" She looked over her shoulder and then back out the window. She answered while keep vigilant eye on the happenings outside.
"It is sugary liquid used to sweeten liquors used for certain desserts… it is not…" I grabbed a jar and dumped half of it out so I could carry it easily. "Keori! What are you doing..." Merle swung out the door after me while I hefted the pottery around. I knew what I wanted to do with it the moment I saw it. "Come back! That is not the way!"
I ignored Merle outright and ran back towards the area Allen had been, but he was now farther. I could only imagine that he was trying to lead the enemy away, but it didn't matter. Everywhere I looked there were broken pillars, people screaming, people crying and death… There was so much death and I was just seeing it now. I heard the scraping sounds of steel on steel and followed it.
"What are you doing?" Merle was running beside me and I could tell she was seconds from attempting to drag me away.
"I'm saving him… he's fighting something he cannot even see." My breath was hard and laboured, I was not the runner my mother had been and god did it burn. I saw the top half of Scherezade who was on a level below us. He was in some kind of garden view that peered over the rest of Palas and if I had not been sore, numb and wired with fear I might have thought it pretty. "Allen!" I took the stairs two at a time.
"Get back!" Allen's voice rang in harmony with the voice from the other Guymelef and debris hit my face and chest as a stone statue was obliterated. It stopped just as quickly as it had started and that was then I smelt it. The stink of oil and gears, but it was not Allen. Scherezade stood almost 30 feet away and I could feel the hot breath of steam that could not have been from him.
I picked up the jar and splashed the thick red stain which rippled down and made visible the foot of my enemy.
"Stupid witch…" The voice hissed by he didn't move from between Allen and I which was fine with me. I wasn't going for Allen anyways.
"You came back to do this…" Merle grinned as she knew Allen was because the fight was almost even with being able to at least see where your enemy stood. "Hurry… let Allen finish this." We both ran to the left and over a large crack that had formed under the weight and duress of two Guymelefs fighting. As soon as both Merle and I were out of range from injury they resumed. "That was dangerous… Smart, but dangerous. Allen would have walked away from this battle without your aid. But he now stands a chance of not taking injury because of it… You have courage like your mother…" For some reason it made me proud and my mother wasn't even here to hear it.
"We can't stay here… So long as I'm here then they will keep fighting… Allen and the others… We have to move…" No sooner had it come out of my mouth did I stumble to the ground. My hands burned with the little rocks that had pushed up under my palm as I slid.
"Run!" Allen shouted from the distance and from the ground I could see why… running towards us, shaking the earth as it came were two more enemies. I couldn't see them, but they had passed through the liquid I had ended up wasting mostly on the ground, so with each step a smear of red suddenly appeared after each quake and then another tremor coursed through the ground all around me. It was so hard that my teeth had slammed together and jarred my brain around inside my head. I coughed as dust entered my lungs and my eyes watered. I blinked quickly to try and relieve them, but the world had suddenly become very quiet other than a ringing in my ear.
"Van!" I saw Merle, but I couldn't hear her. I rubbed my face and tried to clear my vision while I strained to hear what she was saying. "Master Van!" Merle had said something with such fevor that I almost didn't notice that strange darkness that was all around me then… It blanketed me and I could feel the temperature difference from being in that shade. The moment my eyes cleared I looked at the underbody of what could only be described as a dragon.
.
It stood over top of me and giant crimson wings curled around its sides blocking me in. A clawed hand was bent under the long metal neck as if it was trying to cage me it or hoard me like golden treasure.
"Merle…" My voice was tiny and I almost couldn't hear myself. The rose colored gem in it hands pulsed and I could feel it in my body the moment I had said a single word. A small sound, like a coin or pebble being dropped caught my ear before an explosion rocked me. The force blew me sideways and I couldn't tell what was going on anymore. The dragon swiped to catch me and missed and something blew the entire edge off of the Palas-view platform away. I couldn't hear anything, but a constant ringing from the explosion that might as well have been set of inside me head. I was disoriented and confused, but that all vanished the moment I felt nothing.
.
I didn't feel heat.
I didn't feel pain.
I didn't even feel alone for all the good it did me.
.
.
What bothered me and snapped me out of my moments reprieve was is that I wasn't feeling gravity and watched the lower city of Palas rise up to smack me in the face as I spun awkwardly in an uncontrolled fall. I wondered why I wasn't screaming, why I couldn't cry. Perhaps I am too afraid to cry. I listened to the rapid flapping of this obnoxious dress I was still in and as I rolled and faced up, I saw the Dragon leap of the edge from above and drop down after me.
"Faster…" My hand reached out as if that little distance was going to make a difference.
"Escaflowne!" A metal claw encased me whole and in the darkness of its hand I felt its wings beat and lift. I was no longer falling and I began to feel the beating of its heart. Or was it mine? Inside I turned and looked out from a crack into the world outside.
.
Palas was burning.
.
"Escaflowne!" I heard someone yelling and a saw land below as the Guymelef lowered with a slight jolt. It became quiet and I wondered if I was actually stuck inside this thing or if maybe this was actually one of the enemies.
"Let me out!" I pushed a finger through the crack of light and I was answered by a strange voice while I began to shake against my will.
"Just hold on." A man walked by and then the claw opened and I tumbled out. "Are you hurt?"
.
.
.
Shock took over where nothing but survival instinct had born witness to her actions before. Keori knelt on the ground with her fingers clawing into the ground and a steady trail of tears ran down her smoke stained, ash covered face.
Van looked the girl over and picked up a handful of things that were not right. This woman had just fallen from the Palace terrace above, but she was dressed like a whore. Escaflowne had moved without being piloted to save her while he had been making the ascent up… and she looked too much like Hitomi to pass for anyone other than the girl, Keori.
"What is your name?" That seemed to stir something because she became ridged before looking at Van with a mixture of utter fear and isolation.
"Errie…" Van knew that was a lie. The owner of the Dancing Flower was a robust woman with fire for hair and soul.
"Tell me your real name… Is your name Keori?" He watched recognition pass over her face and then fade. This was Hitomi's daughter and she had been on Gaia for a month and learned enough that she should trust almost no-one. He looked her over and picked out the features that were Hitomi and those that were not. Keori was brown haired, green eyed and slightly bigger than her mother in frame. Her hair was only shoulder length and was in a loose mess on top her head.
"Who are you and why are you talking to me?" She thought of striking out at him and running, but she knew her legs wouldn't carry her.
"Have you seen a cat-girl name Merle or the Asturian knight Allen." She broke down then with her face hidden in her hands.
"He was fighting the invisible Guymelef up there before I was pushed off! Two others showed up and the last I saw of Merle was in the Palace! Kaen…. I have to find Kaen!" She finally forced herself to move and Van went to grab her.
.
He was stopped when Escaflowne moved and blocked his path.
.
"Escaflowne…" She paused and looked at Van, her body still shaking. Her face stared at him like she was seeing him for the first time.
"I saw you… I saw you in the sky while I was falling…" She shifted away from him as if he might catch aflame and ignite her. Her feet slid back one after the other. She was about to bolt and run.
"Van! Keori!" Keori gripped her heart and something hit the ground and shone in her eyes forcing her to cover them. Allen had been running and met up with her just as blood dripped from her nose like it had when the Praktu had taken hold of her.
"Keori…This is Van of Fanelia… Your nose…" Keori backed away, but Allen held her. "I saw an army with a banner of silver of a green backdrop… I saw blood and black feathers… I saw winged men and women like him…" Allen and Van passed each other and confused and concerned look. Neither willing to speak openly or out loud about what would soon become common knowledge between them all.
"Van… when did you get here? When did they Escaflowne begin to work again?" Van regarded Keori as he spoke until he followed her gaze to the pink pendant that was on the ground beneath Escaflowne's energist.
"I'm not sure… I was on the coast of Asturia in a ship when it flew passed me for the palace." Allen glanced at the Guymelef as Van came towards Keori. She pulled against Allen's arm, but he held her still.
"This is yours." Van held out the pendant which activated the moment it touched Keori's hand. The chain was clenched in her palm while the pendant shot skywards and pointed to something invisible in the sky and was moving as a fast speed.
"The enemy seems to be retreating…" Allen watched until the pendant dropped limp and swung in Keori's hand.
"Who did this Allen? Is Chid alright? Where is Merle?"
"Let us head back up and we will all discuss this… With all of us together I am sure things will become easier to understand and explain." Allen locked arms with Keori who could decide which she should pay more attention to. The dragon or the King of Fanelia.