Chapter 24
DG was trying to keep herself from completely losing it. This realm... dimension... whatever forsaken place she was in, was far too close to death without the benefit of non-sentience. Right now she was thought and nothing else. It was terrifying.
You are more than that.
"Ozma."
Roquat must not win. He cannot be allowed to take your magic and rule the OZ. Our people would die... the kingdom would never recover.
"But what can I do? I'm trapped here. I have no body, I have no voice."
You have our magic.
"I don't know the spell to get out of here."
You must relinquish your control and let your power free. Only then can you escape this prison.
"But you said that could kill me."
It may yet. Accept the path you have chosen or remain forever here.
DG thought of her mother, sad, resilient woman that she was. She thought of the free spirit of Ahamo, the beautiful tortured soul of her sister, and the kindred spirits she had found in Glitch and Raw.
And finally, she thought of Cain.
Her unflappable, steady, and completely unexpected love.
She hoped he wouldn't blame himself. She hoped he'd be able to carry on and one day make peace with this.
She thought of the blue of his eyes.
And then she let go.
The Gnome King had just given the order to attack when a faint whistle of a breeze caught his attention. He had to hurry. He must take the little witch's power before he joined the fight outside and put an end the Gale line. He stalked through the passageway back to his throne room, the increasing wind starting to stir his beard. As he made the final turn, he heard the distinct sound of glass against stone, high pitched tinkling as the shards bounced along the floor.
Impossible...
He entered his chamber and had to shield his night accustomed eyes from the blinding glow. It was the girl, whole and alive, her skin as bright as the suns and dark Gale curls whipping around her face. She said nothing but knelt down, digging her fingers into the earth at her feet.
No, not again!
Roquat tried to ensnare her into her glass prison again but the ground beneath him began to rip itself asunder. She lifted her eyes, blue sapphire to crystalline red and shook her head. He dug his claws into his granite throne, howling in rage at his ineffective magic.
"I will not go!" he growled and tried again to lock her away in the void.
The air around the princess started to swirl violently, lifting the dirt and shards of glass around her until she was nearly obscured by the maelstrom. Roquat felt the pull of the twister, sucking him toward the hole in the earth but he held fast. She would not lock him away, he would not fester in that prison again for a millennium. He called on his people for aid. Hundreds erupted from the walls and ground below. They tried to advance on the princess but were beat back by the wind. They seemed locked in stalemate: Roquat not moving and his men unable to reach her.
The King clawed his way to standing when he saw it, a small flicker of red and orange at the center of the storm. The lower rings swept it up, the fire spiraling upward until the entire twister was a towering inferno. The gnomes hissed as the flames licked at their flesh and dove back into the rocks against the orders of their King.
He tried to hold on but the expanding tornado had reached his limbs and he lost his grip. His body burned as he was tossed into the fiery winds high over the rip in the earth until they suddenly dissipated. As the never ending blackness reached up to meet him, the last thing he saw was the princess, still glowing, teetering on the edge before she too, fell.