Before-notes:
Sorry this chapter took awhile to come out. I've been pretty busy. I hope you guys like it.
In case you're confused by the name "Amiti" being used instead of "Myalkni", this is because it's written from Tyrell's point of view (Tyrell still thinks of him as "Amiti")
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CHAPTER 18: BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH
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Tyrell let out an ironic sigh. The two of them had made it far from the facility. Here they were, with no buildings in sight. In front of them, a path stretched over the lava pit. The way out was clear; it probably wouldn't be much further. But behind them stood Latakia.
"So, Myalkni, why so quiet? What are you doing here with an armed prisoner? Your 'special operation' couldn't be, perhaps, to escape, could it?"
"No, I'm not trying to escape," he replied tensely. "As you seem to already know, we're executing a mission on behalf of Lord Arcanus. I do not know why he wouldn't have told you already. That is a question for him, not me."
"Don't lie to me!" Latakia snapped. She swiftly clenched her fist and yanked it backward. A cry flew out of Amiti's throat, and Tyrell turned around to see Amiti writhing on the ground in agony.
"So you really think you can deceive me with that?" asked Latakia incredulously. "You should know better. You think it's not obvious what you're doing?"
Amiti was unable to answer. The only sounds that came from his mouth were moans and screams. Seeing him thrashing about on the ground, Tyrell felt a pang of guilt. In truth, he hadn't fully believed Amiti about the curse. A part of him had suspected the whole time that the curse was just an excuse, that Amiti had just been terrified of what Latakia would do if he disobeyed her, especially after all the torture he had probably already endured. It didn't seem far off that Amiti could have invented the curse if he was ashamed of having fear. But what he was seeing Amiti endure was clearly real.
And yet, Tyrell realized, something was still fishy about it. "Why," he thought aloud, "is the curse hitting Myalkni now, after he's been disobeying you this whole time now, ever since we left my cell?"
Latakia's eyes widened as she turned to look at him.
"Why does the curse only work when you're around?" Tyrell asked again, narrowing his eyes.
Latakia turned, wide-eyed, to look at Tyrell, her hand instinctively going to the hilt of her scythe. Her hand unclenched in the process. Amiti's pained moans seemed to subside, and out of the corner of his eye, Tyrell saw that he had stopped writhing around.
She just revealed the truth- she's been controlling it this whole time! Tyrell realized. The curse was a fraud after all, but it wasn't Amiti who had cooked it up. It was Latakia, controlling it with psynergy.
Latakia swore again. Tyrell could tell that her temporary release of Amiti's "curse" had been involuntary, that she was berating herself for giving it away.
Amiti slowly, shakily got to his feet. "It was you, this whole time!" he shouted angrily, looking almost betrayed. "I hate you!"
He wouldn't have chained me if he didn't think he was cursed, Tyrell realized.
Latakia flinched a little. "No you don't," she said. "How does it change anything? Wasn't it I whom you thought laid the curse originally anyways?"
"Just shut up," he spat. "I'm done with you and my father and the whole Tuaparang. Let us go."
"I'd never let you escape that easily," Latakia said. "You know you can't defeat me, and reinforcements will arrive soon. Surrender now, and your punishment will be slightly less... devastating."
"Oh c'mon, you know we don't care anymore," Tyrell shot back as he drew his sword. "Now that I'm free," he grinned, "why would I miss the chance to crush you?"
With that, he hurled a fireball at Latakia. She swiftly dodged to the side, and held out the palm of her hand, from which a plant sprung forward at Tyrell.
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Weapons depot
Karis cautiously opened the back door and stepped out of the corridor and quickly glanced around the room for signs of danger. She couldn't see any guards in the dim light from the Tuaparang's ubiquitous orbs. She beckoned the other fugitives forward with her hand, and they filled in to the room.
"So, the weapons should be right around here, right?" Karis whispered. "It's so dark, I can barely see a thing."
Before anyone could reply, a door slammed from across the room. So we have company.
"A pretty large party you've brought. You've come for the weapons, I suppose?" said a voice from across the room. "They're gone, and have been replaced with mines."
"Who are you," asked one of the fugitives, "and why should we trust you?"
"Would you rather distrust me and risk being blown up?"
The cloaked figure walked toward the group, into the dim light of the orbs. Karis knew this person, she realized, all too well. But how could that be?
His voice might have deepened and he might've grown substantially since she had last seen him, but Rief was still immediately recognizable.
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Tyrell quickly dispatched the plant with a burst of flames. It fell to the ground and shriveled up, but not before releasing a spray of needles at Tyrell. A few punctured his skin, releasing a light spray of blood.
Tyrell winced, and then thrust forward his palm, causing the ground beneath Latakia to explode. She managed to jump back, but was hit by the impact anyways and lost her balance, falling to the ground.
Sensing his chance, Tyrell charged forward at her, his sword raised in preparation to strike. However, as he ran, the grounded Latakia made a sweeping motion with her hand, and the ground shifted beneath his feet, causing him to stumble. He caught his fall with his elbows and managed to point his sword away from himself.
Latakia rose, ran over to him, and brought down her scythe. Tyrell rolled over and blocked the blade with his own. Their weapons locked for a moment, before Tyrell launched another fireball up at her. Latakia jumped back, but the fireball seared her torso while mid-air. Latakia quickly healed her wound as she retreated.
"Stop, both of you!" Amiti yelled. Both combatants froze.
"Latakia," he said as he slowly walked toward her, "you really don't want to let me go, do you?"
Latakia stared at him, not fully comprehending what he was saying.
"Well, you don't have to," he said.
"What do you mean?" Latakia asked, her brow furrowing in suspicion and confusion.
"Come with us," Amiti said. "I want you to come. You should be free too."
"I can't, Myalkni," Latakia said. "I'm cursed. I'm cursed for real."
"You can't fight it, you can't endure it?" asked Amiti. "I swear, we must be more than halfway out… it can't be much longer. It would be worth it. You could make it."
"No, I couldn't," Latakia said, her brow relaxing as she stared down at the ground. "You don't get it. My curse is different from what you think. If I disobey, I die."
Tyrell couldn't understand what Amiti was hoping to achieve. Having Latakia come along would be pointless. She'd only be a liability, and really, he thought, she wasn't worth sparing, let alone saving. He could maybe see a use in avoiding a long fight with Latakia because it would wear them down and leave them vulnerable, but then again she'd likely turn on them in the end anyways. She was best dead.
"Well then," Amiti said, "I can stay here with you then."
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Weapons depot
"…Rief, is that you?" Karis asked, stunned. "What are you doing here?"
She had so many questions for him. How did he get on this island? Had Arcanus captured him? How did he know that the weapons had been replaced by mines?
"Yes, it's me, Karis," Rief said. "Let's put aside the questions until we escape this place, shouldn't we? We don't have much time."
"Lord Rief, you're helping us escape?" Zhungmyen asked.
"Yes, I am," he confirmed. "I know a way out of here, but we must go quickly. We don't want to get caught."
"Why are you calling him 'lord'?" Karis asked. "Did I miss something?"
"He's new here, but he's a high-level officer. He's a prodigy, so young but such a skilled tactician and a formidable adept too," Zhungmyen whispered back.
An officer here? But how in the world did he end up here, Karis wondered.
"He's Arcanus' new right hand man- or was," one of the fugitives added. "It's really great that he's on our side. Do you know him from somewhere?"
"Come now, we don't have time for this. Follow me," Rief beckoned.
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Cliffside path
Latakia's eyes widened. "Really, you'd stay?"
Tyrell couldn't believe it either. What on earth was Amiti saying? After getting this far, he'd just decide to stay? He held his tongue though. Surely, Amiti must have some plan here, he thought.
"I don't want to be separated from you," Amiti told her, as he wrapped his arms around her.
"After making it this far, you'd really just turn back at this point?" Latakia asked softly. She looked into his eyes deeply, scrutinizing them, as if she was trying to discern the mind behind them.
"From the beginning, I wanted to be free, but also to save you," Myalkni said. "I thought then that I could do both, so when Tyrell showed me the chance to break free I took it. I figured I could come back and free you later."
"But you can't… That's impossible."
"I know that now," Myalkni replied, giving her a winning smile as he wrapped his arms around her waist. "I thank you for coming and showing me that. Now that I'm forced to choose between the two… I realize that being with you was much more important to me than my own freedom. I hate it here, but I realize I'd hate being without you much more. I choose you."
And with that, something within Latakia seemed to melt. Her fierceness, her steely resolve, her icy demeanor… they were all gone. All that was left was a fragile-looking, almost childlike young woman.
"You won't try to run away again?" she asked.
What in the world is happening, Tyrell thought, perturbed. But then he saw it. He saw what was going on, all too clearly. Amiti really is kinda like his father.
"No, of course I won't. I know now that I don't really want to," Amiti said.
Only a blind fool would fall for this.
"You'd really stay here just for me, you'll never try to flee again, ever?" Latakia asked again, clearly trying to assuage her doubts.
"Never again," Amiti affirmed again. "I promise."
"…Thank you, Myalkni," Latakia whispered, as a small tear crept down her cheek.
Amiti then leaned in toward her, and their lips met. Within seconds after Latakia closed her eyes and began to kiss him, he released his grasp, and gave her a forceful push. She screamed in shock as she fell off the cliff, into the lava pit. "Myalkni!", she cried, just before the lava swallowed her up.
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The fugitives could barely contain their elation as they walked.
"Now we have three adepts," exclaimed one.
"Now it'll be a piece of cake," agreed another.
Karis, however, wanted answers. How had Rief become an officer here? Why were there no guards here except for him? Why did he seem to know they'd be coming, and know about the mines? Why had he suddenly decided to join them?
"Rief," Karis called, "there are some things I need to ask you."
"Quiet," he hissed back. "Do you want to get caught?"
It was no use, Karis decided. She felt somewhat guilty for all the doubts she had. After all, he was Rief, her friend, who she'd traveled all over Angara with, wasn't he? They had been through so much together, and here she was finding herself still unable to trust him. She had no reason to believe that he was doing anything more than helping her escape. It's probably just this place making me paranoid, Karis thought,and the dark cloud of doubts hanging over her mind dissipated a little.
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Myalkni kept staring down into the ravine, his hands shaking.
"It wasn't me who killed her, really," he said. It wasn't clear whether he was saying it to himself, Tyrell, or no one in particular. "She wasn't really living; she hadn't been for a long time… She died ages ago. The only thing I destroyed was her body…"
"What you did was right," Tyrell said. "Don't sweat it."
"I know," Amiti sighed. "But in spite of everything, a part of me is still terrified of the prospect of becoming a … backstabbing… thing like my father."
"She deserved it," Tyrell added coldly, remembering all the things she had done to him in the weeks after he had been captured.
Amiti shuddered, for some reason.
"Look," said Tyrell, "you're right, she was dead ages ago."
In reality, he had no idea what that was supposed to mean. But he continued. "Either she died, or we'd be either dead or stuck here forever. Don't give her another thought."
"Okay, you're right," Amiti said. "She wasn't some monster though," he added softly. "She was pretty horrible… but I'm not sure she had much choice. She was just lost… long lost…"
Tyrell stared at Amiti, amazed. He's just such a good guy, he's even sympathetic to the one who tortured him, he thought.
"You're right though- she had to die so we could live and get out of here," Amiti resolved.
"We're not out yet," Tyrell said. "We should get going."
Amiti nodded.
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Deep in the Tuaparang's cave
As Karis looked around, she couldn't see any signs of the exit nearing. Rief had led them away from the facility, and they were walking on the edge of a cliff over the volcano's lava pit. They had passed by a number of stone bridges that led over the lava, walking in a circular path around the facility. This all felt wrong. As guilty as she felt for doubting Rief, she had to say something.
"Rief, how far is it until we're out?" she asked. "We've been walking quite some time now, and this place can't be that big…"
Rief gave an ironic smile. "I know exactly where I'm taking you," he said.
"What..." asked Karis fearfully, "does that mean?"
Rief said nothing, but walked gingerly over to Zhungmyen. Karis had just a split second to see the look of confusion on Zhungmyen's face before the woman cried out and fell to the ground. Blood soon pooled around her body, mixing with the water that was melting from the icicle that Rief had stabbed into her heart.
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Next Chapter: Between Times, Between Lives
Author's Notes:
Reviewing is cool :). Tell me what you think!