Chapter Seventeen - The Blazing Wind

Tabitha was focused entirely on minding where they were going. Sylphid seemed intelligent but needed occasional corrections from Tabitha to stay on course. Calista observed that Master and familiar shared some kind of mental bond that allowed them to sync up and fly as they did.

Calista felt a strong envy of that. What it must feel like to be in control to that degree, or to simply share such a bond with your means of transportation. Calista always felt a strong attachment to her Bloodmark Fighter, but it wasn't alive in any sense, except in her own mind.

Tabitha turned her head to Calista and asked her a question with that emotionless monotone of her's, "Last time we flew. You were happy. Now you seem sad. Why?"

"I suppose I'm just having a moment of homesickness. You don't know how much I envy you for the freedom this creature offers you Tabitha. It's just that… The thought of never again being able to do so many of the things I loved back where I came from is starting to sink in…"

"When you want to fly. Tell me. I'll take you," said Tabitha.

Calista closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the night air to calm her mind. "I know you mean well Tabitha. But I am a proud woman. Don't try to take pity upon me."

"Not pity. Care."

"I appreciate it Tabitha. But no pilot could ever be truly content with anything less than being at the controls. It's difficult to explain the feeling, but I hope you never have to experience it."

Tabitha instinctively reached for her book to read but stayed her hand and took a hold of the dragon once again. "Tell a story," she asked of Calista.

She could read Tabitha's body language just as well as Tabitha could read a book, now she understood why she was always reading but spared her any comments and started thinking about how best to humor her request. "I suppose we have nothing better to do for now. So, a story. I'm not sure if I have any good ones that don't require a lot of context for you to understand, but I'll give it a try…"

Three years ago

Imperial Dreadnought "Indefatigable"
3rd Mobile Fleet: Somewhere in the mid rim

"Calista = Get in trouble with Darth-"

"Don't say his name Extwo. Please. I don't want to hear it. If all I can ever do is just pretend to fly. I'll take it. I just feel so trapped here."

"Calista = Too old for make believe. / / X2 = Concerned."

"Sixteen is not too old. Lighten up Extwo. Now plug into the computer and set us up a fun simulation. Pick an environment that requires a lot of fast flying and tight turns… Like… Either an asteroid field or… Actually, load up the Lost Shipyards simulation. That has a lot of fun spaces to fly around in."

Calista sat herself in the cockpit of one the ship's combat simulator and strapped herself in. Meanwhile X2-C3 rolled up to the nearby terminal where it extended its interface tool from the front of its chassis and connected to the computer.

"X2 = Play wingman or co-pilot?"

"Be my co-pilot Extwo. I always feel and do better when I know I can depend on you to manage the sub systems."

"X2 = Loading simulation."

As the simulation activated the front window of the simulator became a realistic view of the simulation environment. She began in the hangar bay of an Imperial Dreadnought and had to activate the systems and exit the ship just as if it were the real thing.

Meanwhile in the simulator control area, the ship's Commander Air Group was doing performance evaluations of her squadron when she saw the simulator activate. Curious as to who it could be at this late hour she activated the console in front of her and commanded it to show her the live video feeds from the active simulator.

"Ahh. I should have known. The Night Flier again," said Tornado with a smile. She couldn't help feeling warm and happy when she saw the teenage Echani's expression when she was flying in the simulator. Nobody ever got into it like she did.

"I hope that girl doesn't get in trouble with her master again," said another woman as she leaned down to peer over Tornado's shoulder.

"Last time she got caught I couldn't sleep because that faceless bastard was torturing her all night. I put in a request to get some quarters closer to the squadron so I won't have to be near it the next time."

"Damn it Tornado. If it bothers you so much, why don't you do something about it? You're both Darths aren't you?"

"No Gunner. He already thinks I'm out to get rid of him. The last thing I need is to get involved between him and his apprentice. She's the one who has to get strong enough to overcome him. She just needs the right opportunity to discover her own strength. All I can do is give her that."

"You have something in mind?"

"I always have something in mind," said Tornado as she handed a data pad to Gunner, her second in command.

Gunner was tall woman with short blonde hair. Unlike Tornado who always maintained her appearance the best she could with her long violet hair, Gunner was completely out of touch with her femininity. Tornado was sure she was cutting her own hair with a vibro blade from how many split ends she had going on.

"Did we seriously make the cut for the Wargames this year?"

"Yes we have. When we get there. I plan to invite the little Night Flier here to join the squadron."

"You realize that's a dangerous gamble."

Tornado turned back to look at Calista and how happy she was inside the simulator. "I know. But you should look at her sim scores. She's got talent."

"Good against an AI is one thing. Good against the living? That's something else."

Back inside the simulator Calista was having the time of her life as two simulated Republic aces chased her through the hull of wrecked Imperial Dreadnought. "Come on you Republic dogs! Try to chase me through this!"

"Calista = Should take simulation seriously. / / Full Acceleration = Unwise in narrow space."

"Let me do the flying Extwo. Tell me about who's chasing me right now. They're good!"

"Republic Aces / / Pike + Flashfire = Superior to Imperial Mark Seven Supremacy. / / Caution = Recommended."

"You sure picked some tough enemies for us."

"Calista = Wanted fun."

"You sure know how to deliver Extwo," said a grinning Calista. As she emerged from the battered hulk of the warship she engaged her afterburners and darted for the closest asteroid to evade their missile locks while flying a circle around the asteroid.

"Come on kid, you can beat them," said Tornado as she watched the tactical overview of Calista's situation with excitement.

"No. She won't. Not against those two," said Gunner with an amused tone.

Tornado reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out twenty imperial credits and set them down on the table. "Would you care to put your money where your mouth is?"

"Your on," replied Gunner as she pulled out a twenty and set it down on top of Tornado's.

Meanwhile the Flash Fire, a Republic Battle Scout acquired a missile lock and fired on Calista.

"Cluster Missiles = Inbound!"

"Full power to engines!"

Calista threw her throttle all the way forward and started a barrel roll. The missiles behind her all collided with each other as they tried to follow her ion trail to their destruction.

"Yeah. That did it," said Calista happily. Suddenly she had another missile lock warning, and then another.

"Republic Pike = Heavy missile fighter. Multi weapon + Multi target lock capability."

"Active the distortion field Extwo! Buy us time to take cover."

"Distortion Field = Active."

"I wish I could use the Force to sense the frustration of those pilots now."

"AI Pilots = Built with combat data only. / / Psychological Profiles = Unavailable."

"That's just not fun Extwo. At least play along with me here," said Calista with a frown.

"Pike Pilot = Complaining of enemy fighter's superior agility. / / Flashfire Piilot = Believes enemy pilot = Dirty Bantha."

Calista laughed childishly at how the droid humored her while she maneouvered her fighter through the gaps in the asteroids. The young Echani cheered herself on as she weaved her way through the tight spaces barely large enough for her Imperial interceptor to pass through.

"This is ridiculous. The simulators are for training. Not for little kids to play around with like a holo game console," complained Gunner.

"Yes. I sometimes forget that you were born full grown with a blaster pistol in your hand and demanded Republic blood instead of milk from your mother's tit," said an amused Tornado.

"She's a Sith Apprentice serving a Dark Lord aboard the flagship of an Imperial Mobile Fleet. She should act her station," said Gunner.

"There's nothing wrong with her acting her age too," replied Tornado with a finger waving about in Gunner's face.

"You really do have a soft spot for the kid. That's going to get you in trouble."

"I do. I don't know why. But I do. I'd rather she be my apprentice than his. But don't you dare repeat that."

"My lips are sealed."

"Look at the tactical display Gunner. Tell me what you see."

Gunner looked at the screen with interest for a long moment before raising her eyebrow. "Impressive. She's using the asteroids against the Pike's slower turn rating. But what's she thinking? The Mark Seven doesn't have the firepower to break that charged plating on the hull."

"I don't know what she has in mind exactly. But it's still clever flying."

"As soon as she gets into firing position that Flash Fire is going to shred her with its burst cannons. It can more than keep up with her even if it can't get a firing solution right now."

"Extwo. When I tell you, I want you to divert all power and overcharge the shields."

"Operation = Not recommend. / / Shield Generator = Inferior design."

"Trust me Extwo. We don't need it for long. Just long enough. As soon as I do what I'm going to do throw the power back to the engines until the shield generator cools down."

"Probability = High of shield generator failure."

"Sometimes. You need to take risks to win. Now Extwo! Do it!"

X2-C3 beeped in acknowledgement and the shields around her fighter began to glow brightly. Calista activated the reverse engines and allowed the pursuing Republic Heavy Fighter to pass her before she flew in under it and pulled up hard. The overcharged shields collided with the Pike and caused it to crash into an asteroid and explode while Calista sped away to keep from getting caught in the explosion.

Suddenly her cockpit lights turned red and the simulation shut down.

"Hey! What happened! I got away didn't I?"

"Calista = Escaped explosion. / / Enemy Flash Fire = Acquired targeting solution / / Calista = Dead."

"Awww. He could he get me so fast?"

"Republic Ace = Jedi / / Jedi = Fastest recorded shots with Burst Cannons."

"Lesson learned I suppose. Know your enemy before you try crazy stunts."

Gunner reached over and picked up the forty credits from the console and shoved them into her pocket. "Thanks. I'll be sure to enjoy a nice drink at the bar," said Gunner with a smug smile.

Tornado was meanwhile going over the last few seconds of Calista's combat data with a small smile. "That was genius. If it was anyone but those two after her, she could have pulled it off."

"Don't let your feelings for the girl cloud your judgement Tornado. What she did was reckless and stupid. If this is what she does in a simulation, I don't want her on my wing in real combat. That was something I'd expect from that crazy schutta you were kriffing, not a member of Nightwing."

"Don't compare her to Miriya. They're on two completely dif-"

"Someone has to state the obvious to you. You have a thing for reckless girls. I'm not suggesting you're attracted to her, so don't get me wrong. I'm suggesting you have a big sister complex, and it's going to get you in trouble. You can't help everyone. You can't change everyone. Not Miriya, and not the little Night Flier."

"Doesn't mean I won't try."

"I know. That's why I worry."

Calista emerged from the cockpit oblivious to the conversation about her taking place in the control room. She walked over to X2 and pat it on the head. "Thank you Extwo. I had fun," she said with a bright smile.

"Calista = Wants to try another simulation?"

"No Extwo. Let's not tempt fate tonight. Let's go back to our cabin, we can read stories until I fall asleep."

"X2 = Wants to download new Pirate Princess story."

"It's out?! Just when I thought tonight couldn't get any better! Let's go!"

"What's this Pirate Princess stuff?" asked Tornado with a curious eyebrow raised.

"It's a story about some random school girl becoming the captain of a pirate ship. It's pretty popular."

"That premise sounds, far fetched."

Gunner gave a shrug. "Most entertainment is. Let's go, I'll buy you a drink."

"With my money?"

"Well of course."

"You learned to fly by pretending to fly?" asked a curious Tabitha.

"Well. Not exactly. But yes... That's what it boils down to. I suppose one way of looking at it, is that the technology just supplements the imagination more than it replaces it."

Tabitha simply gave a nod to Calista as the two flew through the night towards the capital city.

Just as Louise was wondering if Kirche needed her at all, a lone guard was about to impale her through the back with his sword. Louise deflected the blow and followed with a slash across the torso, closing her eyes to shield them from the blood violently spraying in all directions. Meanwhile Kirche executed her spell to set a group of guards aflame. The pair were fighting in the main reception area of the prison where inmates would wait to be assigned cells. There were about a dozen men working in or guarding this space and Kirche had single handedly taken down all but the one Louise killed.

The stench of burnt flesh was invigorating Kirche's sadistic side as she took a deep breath of her work while Louise's bent over and tried to void her stomach contents, she was silently grateful that she hadn't eaten anything but the gag reflex was still painful to her. The smoke was thickening which made her eyes sting and water, which she was also thankful for in a small way because it spared her the sight of the still burning remains of the men Kirche roasted. Now that she thought about it, Kirche seemed immune to these effects Louise was experiencing; she wanted to ask why the fiery germanian was unaffected but decided this really wasn't the time.

"Louise. Look around for a prison manifest, I'll look out for more guards."

"Right…" Louise said with a violent cough.

"Sounds like chaos out there. I wonder what's happening?" asked Marianne with an ear to the door of the prison cell.

"I don't really couldn't give a damn right now…. Grrr! Are you going to help me with this bed or not? I for one would really like to be able to do more than just bleed on them when that door opens," said a disgruntled Karin.

"If you insist."

"No, I don't insist. If you'd like to take a nap instead, you're more than welcome to do that."

"While that does sound appealing, I'd get much more relaxation out of slaughtering the people who are trying to keep us away from our children," said Marianne as she moved to help Karin break apart the oak bed.

"My mother is on the third level, cell number thirty five. The queen is on the fifth. Cell number fifty two," explained Louise as the two walked briskly towards the stairs.

"Alright. From now on assume everyone knows we're here and be ready for big trouble."

"I'm ready for it," said Louise as she tightened her grip on Derflinger and held him in the shii-cho opening position, her grip on the sword was so tight that her knuckles turned white.

"You don't look ready. Just relax. I know it's your first time but there's nothing to be nervous about."

"But those people mean to kill us!"

"Well, yeah. Of course they do. Don't we intend to kill them too? So there's nothing to be nervous about."

"You're not making any sense Kirche..."

"Just relax. Stop fighting it and use it."

"What are you talking about?" asked Louise.

"That fear 'n' anxiety. The rush ya can only get from a life or death struggle," explained Derflinger.

"The thrill of victory?" Louise asked.

"Exactly. Now come on. This really isn't the time for conversation. This is the time to hurt people," said Kirche with a sadistic grin.

Louise nodded and relaxed her grip on the sword as the pair entered the stairwell. Kirche raised her shield in front of her and charged up the stairs where two men with pistols fired as soon as they saw her. The lead balls bounced harmlessly off her shield and onto the stone walls around them before falling to the ground as useless chunks of molten lead.

Kirche rushed the man on the left and slammed her shield into his chest, the red hot metal quickly heated his chest armor while Kirche used her ax to hack into the neck of the man on the right. The man pinned against the wall struggled to get free and pushed Kirche into his comrade while Louise came in from behind, her short stature and the low ground gave her the decisive advantage where she could stab the man through the bottom of his chest armor.

The two continued up the stairs without further resistance which set off a mental warning for Kirche who stopped at the door leading to the third floor.

"What is it Kirche?"

"No more guards in the stairs. That means they've prepared a defense. There's no way they didn't hear the gun shots. So them not coming to help means they're expecting us. I want you to stay back, I'm going to expand my shield and open this door to have a look."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"No. It probably isn't. But it's not like there's another way in now is there?"

Louise signed and stepped back while Kirche put her ax against her shield and visualized the transformation she wanted for it, the shield expanded from a standard infantry kite shield to a larger tower shield that she could keep her whole body behind. She took a hold of the door knob and tried to open it but she could feel the door was braced.

"This might be a problem. You got any tricks for this Louise?"

"I think so. Stand back..."

The pinkette closed her eyes and held Derflinger loosely in her left hand while she pulled back her right and concentrated on what she wanted to accomplish. She felt the flow of the Force and directed it towards her hand and pushed out with it, the door cracked under the power of the Force but didn't break. Louise concentrated hard, she needed more power. This door, and whomever was behind it was standing in the way of her rescuing her mother and she refused to allow it to do so. She allowed that thought to fester in her mind and she felt something stirring in the Force that she couldn't quite understand, all she knew was that it felt good. With that emotion held in her mind she pushed out again, this time with enough power to reduce the door to splinters.

Kirche didn't have time to be impressed, she ran up to the door frame, planted her shield firmly into the stone floor and ducked while a group of guards armed with musket rifles fired a volley at her. There were three rows of guards and only the first row fired; she was sure of that. Kirche didn't get a good look but she could make a good guess. The hall was wide enough for upto four men to stand shoulder to shoulder.

"Twelve men, all with rifles. Stay low. Oh, and give me your sword."

"What? Why?"

"Don't ask questions. Just trust me."

Louise handed over Derflinger to Kirche who then placed the tip of his blade between two stones in the floor and rested her shield against his pommel to keep it up while she took her axe in both hands.

"Damnit Kirche! I'm a sword, not a kickstand!"

"Tabitha. I don't mean to rush you. But time is of the essence. How far away are we?"

"Close enough," was the stoic answer as she pointed out towards the city in the distance.

"So that's the capital of Tristain? Not very impressive. I'll try to sense where they are so we can land next to them."

"We can't. Air defense."

"There's always a complication. Land us as close as you can then. We'll go in on foot."

Tabitha nodded and directed Sylphid accordingly.

"Nyd... Cen... Sigel…" Kirche chanted with her ax held in both hands while ducking behind her shield. Her ax began to glow brightly while she focused all her magical power into it. She raised the ax over her head and stood up to throw the spell out at the formation of guards.

But something went horribly wrong. The spell was cast, Louise couldn't see what happened from behind Kirche ducked under the shield, but the ax ignited and she fell backwards screaming in pain. Louise sprang to action and caught her before her head met the stone floor. Kirche was cradling her hands protectively but Louise didn't need to see them to know what must have happened. From the hall she could hear the sounds of the guards scream as they burned alive, combined with Kirche's it was almost skull shattering for the inexperienced teen. But Louise's concern for her friend let her block out everything that wasn't immediate to Kirche's safety.

"Kirche! Can you stand up? Once we let my mom out and I give her my old wand, she'll be able to do the rest. But I need you on your feet."

Kirche lifted up her hands and looked at their condition. Her hands were red and blistering, the pain was stinging in her hands but it wasn't anything she couldn't bear. Louise noticed Kirche's eye, she was frozen in fear. Kirche, was experiencing terror.

"Kirche! Snap out of it! We need to move!"

Kirche's eye snapped to Louise and she blinked at her. When reality finally dawned on her Kirche shook her head to clear her mind and focus on the present once again.

"Can you stand up?"

"Yes. Just help me up, I'll be alright after that."

Louise nodded and stood up while pulling Kirche up with her until the tall redhead found her footing and took a moment to examine her hands.

"I haven't seen you mess up a spell since the first day of our first year. What happened?"

"I don't know. It wasn't a backfire though. Louise, go into my bag and get out my elixer, just pour a little in my mouth."

"I'm sorry that putting my life in your hands got you… You know..." said Louise as she hurried to comply with Kirche's request.

"This isn't the time. Hurry. More guards will be coming."

Louise quickly pulled her hand out of Kirche's bag with a sharp yelp of pain. Her palm was bleeding and covered in the elixir.

"Well… Shit. I guess it broke when I fell."

"Sorry I couldn't catch you in time."

"If it weren't for you, it would have been my head instead of the bottle. I'll work through it, let's just move."

Louise looked over at where Kirche's shield once was and found that the ax and shield had reverted to her wand next to Derflinger. She picked up both and tucked Kirche's wand into her cloak beside her own for the time being. When Kirche didn't object, Louise took the lead and started walking down the hall with Derflinger held at the ready incase of any survivors or new comers.

The prison cell they were seeking was the last door of the hall according to the cell numbers. Prisoners were banging on the doors begging to be released but Louise ignored them all, she had no idea who they were or what they were in for and she didn't need to compound their troubles further for the moment, though the idea of letting everyone out to create further chaos as a cover did have an appeal, she'd wait until her mother was out before entertaining the idea any further.

Once Louise reached the correct door she banged on it with Derflinger's pommel and yelled to be heard over the sounds of the prisoners. "Mom! It's Louise, if you can hear me, stand away from the door, I'm going to break it!"

Try as she might, she couldn't hear any answer from the other side. She knew her Force senses weren't nearly as strong as Calista's, she was acutely reminded of that when all she could sense was the mixed emotions of the various prisoners and wasn't able to sort through any of it, just like it had been back at the bar. Louise stood back and hoped for the best. She mustered her anger but she felt a fear she couldn't block out, if her mother was too close to the door she'd be badly hurt if this went anything like it did the last time. That fear seemed to temper her power as she pushed out with the Force, the door cracked enough that she could easily kick it open.

Kirche felt a sense of dread at the look on Louise's face and knew nothing good could come of looking into the cell, but any distraction from the pain she was feeling was welcome at this point. She knew it couldn't have been that bad since all Louise did was go slack jawed. Though, once Kirche looked inside she almost wished she hadn't.

The person inside the cell was a young girl with long blonde hair, dressed in some sort of green outfit that was a top and short skirt who gave them a shy wave and a low greeting they couldn't hear over the sounds of all the prisoners still banging on their doors. The first thing Kirche should have noticed were the girl's elongated ears. But that wasn't what Kirche and Louise were speechless over. Kirche almost felt guilty for not paying enough attention to how shy and afraid the girl seemed to be at the sight of the pair of them. She was in tears and cowering in the corner of the room facing them with her tearful eyes and that innocent smile. It stood to reason she wouldn't comprehend their reaction to her, especially after the horrors she probably heard more loudly and clearly than either of them did.

Neither of them seemed to give a damn that they're just busted open the cell of an Elf, their race's mortal enemies. Whatever plans Brinvilliers had for this girl, Kirche and Louise both concluded in their minds that it would be best to spoil them by liberating the girl. But that still wasn't the thought foremost on their minds. The sight of her did do what Kirche hoped it would do, the pain she was in couldn't have been any further from her mind at the moment.

"Please don't hurt me," said the Elf in a low tone that neither girl could hear or register.

Both had only one thought on their minds which they both blurted out at the same time...

"They're huge!"

Calista pulled up her hood and tried to tuck her hands into her sleeves, she silently cursed herself for changing into the short sleeved sith battle robe. She was suddenly feeling self conscious of her arms being unable to walk in her usual manner. She forced the thought out of her mind and allowed her arms to hang at her sides. Then she remembered the sharp bladed spikes protruding from the top of her glove and silently thanked herself for changing her robe, that habit would have sliced the sleeves.

Tabitha fell in step with Calista with her curved staff held neatly just off the ground, she pulled up the hood of her cloak to blend in neatly with the Sith woman beside her. Calista was silently grateful to have someone with her who didn't need to be told what to do, and showed such subtle initiative. Calista shook her head, she was over thinking. She closed her eyes and emptied her mind.

At one of the many gates to the city, a group of guards readied their weapons and stood ready to challenge the two young women approaching them. Calista felt their tensions soar as soon as they got a glimpse of her armor, Sith armor certainly had that effect, no matter how practical or functional she tried to have it when she commissioned it. Part of the function in the form was always to inspire fear, and it certainly did an admirable job of that here.

"Halt. You're in violation of the curfew imposed by his excellency Duke Brinvilliers. Identify yourselves!"

Calista held out a hand to Tabitha who was about to direct her staff at the men, she gave a small nod and held her staff neatly at her side again while Calista took a step forward to the guard who challenged her.

"You don't need to know who we are," said Calista in a commanding tone of voice and with a wave of her hand to the guard.

"We don't need to know who you are," he replied in a blank tone with all life gone from his eyes. The other guards looked around in confusion at what was happening.

"You will let us pass into the city…"

"We will let you pass into the city," replied all the guards as they stood aside to make way for the two young women.

"After we are gone, you will forget that we were ever here."

"We will forget that you were ever here."

The pair entered the city and Calista lead them into a dark alley way. That was when Tabitha's curiosity bested her icy calm. "How?"

"The Force has a strong influence on people with weak minds. I can compel such pathetic individuals to do anything I command."

"Never use it on us," said Tabitha in what Calista was sure was a threatening tone which brought a small smile to the Sith's lips.

"There's no need to feel insecure Tabitha. Like I said, it only works in the weak minded. Our friends would probably be hurt to know you think so poorly of their mental strength."

"I will protect them."

"Do you fear me Tabitha?"

"No."

"Fear isn't a bad thing. Fear keeps us alive. Those who reject their primal fears invite death and disaster."

"I refuse to fear."

"Refusing to fear and not feeling fear aren't the same thing."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I aren't all that different. I don't know your circumstances and it's none of my business to ask. But you've seen and done things. Just like I have. That's why you don't feel fear when I unmask my aura. That's why you didn't budge when I threatened to kill old Osmond that day. You knew I wasn't going to kill him. You understand my actions. That tells me you have experiences similar to mine, where such tactics would be useful. That's why you're content to follow my lead and not ask pointless questions. Because we have the same objective, and would go about accomplishing it in exactly the same way. The difference between us though, is that I embrace my fear, and you reject it. But you do still feel it, even if you choose to ignore it."

"Two roads, same destination."

"You don't have to be afraid of us Elf. We're not going to hurt you," said Louise as she walked up the stairs with Derflinger held at the ready in front of her incase of trouble.

"I know that now," answered the shivering girl between Louise and Kirche as the trio walked in a single file.

Kirche looked at the shorter girl in front of her and asked a question she felt silly for not asking sooner, "Do you have a name? It feels stupid calling you Elf."

"Tiffania. And I'm only half Elf. My father was human."

"You're just like Calista then. She's also half human," observed Louise as they passed the fourth floor and continued up the winding stairs.

"Is she a friend of yours? Is she also half Elf?"

"She is a friend. But she's not half Elf. She's half something else entirely. Anyway, are you sure they took my mother to the same cell as the Queen?"

"That's what they told her they were doing when they took her out of the cell and put me into it."

"When we get out of this, you'll have to tell us why they locked you up here."

"When we get out of this, I still won't be safe. Humans always want to try and kill me," said Tiffania with a sad tone.

"Not on our watch. Right Kirche? Right Derf?"

"Hell yeah," said Derflinger.

"Stay focused Louise. Let's deal with one problem at a time here," said a stern Kirche.

"Relax. I've already got a plan. I'm sure they'll have a lot of guards on this level to watch the Queen and my Mother. Especially if they're sharing a cell, they'll be dangerous together. So they'll have to have reliable and competent guards. I can't create firestorms, but I can blow things up like nobody else can. I plan to try my magic on them."

"First time you've ever hoped for your magic to backfire huh Louise?"

"Second. First time was when I fought Guiche. But it didn't work like I wanted it to back then. I just hope it will this time."

Louise reached into her cloak and pulled out her old wand. The only thought on her mind was the irony of how her useless magic now had a use.

"Say, Tiffania. Elves are supposed to have really strong magic that's different from ours. I don't suppose you have any tricks you can use to help Louise do you?"

"I wish I did. But my magic never does what it's suppose to."

"That sounds familiar. I guess we have another Zero in our midst," said Kirche with a grin.

"It's not the time Kirche… We're here. Both of you stay back," said Louise as she took a hold of her wand and Derflinger with her left and and mustered her anger once again. This time she felt no fear of whatever could be on the other side of the door and when she pushed out it was with enough power that the door completely splintered on the first try.

Louise widened her eyes and dove for the ground as the first row of riflemen took their best shots at her. Her wand fell out of her hand but she managed to keep a hold of Derflinger. She pushed herself up enough that she could dive for her wand, once she had it in her right hand she pointed it at the first hint of man she could see through the smoke and chanted the first spell that came to mind, the one that most reliably exploded; levitation.

Only nothing happened. Louise widened her eyes as the men quickly switched places while the first group reloaded and the second were ready to fire once the smoke cleared enough that they could see their targets. She didn't have long, she needed to do something. She could hear Kirche and Tiffania behind her begging her to come back and take cover but she knew that wasn't the answer.

"Use your fear. Let the Force flow through you. Don't think. Just feel."

Louise shook her head, Calista's words in her mind usually lead her to answers but all she felt was paralyzing fear which shut down all of her higher reasoning abilities. But there was anger swelling inside her as well. These men wanted to kill her, these men were keeping her mother and the queen locked up here. She stood up and held Derflinger tightly in her grip but she was too afraid to advance. She tried to will her legs to move but they wouldn't, she was completely frozen and now she was staring down the barrels of eight loaded and primed muskets.

She could hear Derflinger yelling at her, she could hear Kirche and Tiffania coming up behind her to try and drag her away but it was too late. Louise felt the killing intent overpower all the other sensations and emotions in the prison. Then Louise held out her right hand and dropped her wand while closing her eyes. The men fired and time seemed to stop with the deafening sound of all those guns going off again. The only sound after that was the ringing in her ears, and all she could feel was fear. But this fear wasn't her own. It came from the men in front of her.

Louise opened her eyes and saw all the lead balls suspended in the air in front of her. She didn't know how she did it, and she didn't have time to question it, but she suddenly knew how to use it. It was an instinct she felt an irresistible urge to give into and use, as if the Force was telling her what to do next. She closed her fist and her eyes and extended two fingers out towards the men. Kirche watched as the lead balls suddenly shot themselves back at the men who had initially fired them and they were all 'shot' by their own projectiles. Some through the head, others through the necks, and others still in the chests. The bullets passed through to the second row who were still reloading their weapons. They all went down.

"Louise?! How the hell did you do that?" asked Kirche in her most incredulous tone.

By now the ringing in Louise's ears had subsided enough that she could actually hear her speak, but all Louise could do was shake her head while she walked forward to one man who was trying to stand up using his rifle for support. Louise held Derflinger up high and brought him down over the man's head and split him almost completely in half. She struggled for a moment to get Derflinger out of the man's body and eventually succeeded while also splattering herself in even more blood, only now she didn't seem to mind.

"I don't know Kirche. All I know is that I've never felt more alive than I do now... And it scares me."

"That's not a bad thing Louise. It just means you respect your own power. Hold onto that," said Kirche with a nod to her pink haired companion. Louise turned back to Kirche and gave her a nod. The sight of Louise's calm face dripping with fresh blood brought a small and proud smile to the redhead's lips.

Louise turned away and started walking down the hall to the third to last cell on the left. Without much ceremony, Louise banged on the door with Derflinger's pommel, she knew this was it, she knew she was in there. "Mother. It's Louise. Can you hear me?"

"Louise?! What the hell are you doing here?!"

Louise nodded to herself, there was no doubt about who's angry yelling that was.

"Mother. I need you to take cover away from the door. I'm going to destroy it."

"How do you plan to do that?! Just go get the keys from the guards!"

Louise took a deep breath and used the Force to push out the door. As if all her recent practice paid off, the whole door was forced off its hinges and fell down to the floor without cracking or splintering. "That would take too long," said Louise as she looked in and saw her mother looking at the door with a bewildered expression.

Karin then looked up at Louise and dashed out of the room where she put her hands on Louise shoulders and started checking her for wounds in a complete panic. "Louise, you're covered in blood, where did they get you?"

"I'm fine mother. It's not my blood."

"Louise. It was stupid of you to come here. What were you thinking?!"

Karin's voice was cracking as she pulled Louise into a tight hug. Louise knew her anger was just the only way she could express herself. Louise reached around with her right hand and held her mother back tightly while she held Derflinger off to her side in her left hand.

Marianne emerged from the cell a moment later and cleared her throat to get their attention. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but now that we've been liberated from our confinement, might we continue this mother daughter reunion after we've effected our escape from this place?"

"Yes Mari, you're right. Louise, I'll need your wand."

Louise felt her cloak but she only had Kirche's wand on her. Behind her Tiffania had come up to them with Louise's wand in her hand and smiled as she offered it to Karin. "You dropped this when you stopped those bullets Miss Louise."

"Stopped bullets?" asked Karin and Marianne.

"It's a long story mother. I'll tell you everything once we're out of the city."

"So what's your exit strategy?"

"Rescue you, give you my wand, and follow your lead?"

"You came in here without any sort of exit plan?! I thought I raised you better than that!"

"Hey we had one! It just didn't work out because his soup got cold," barked Louise.

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"Don't ask. Let's just get going mother, please?"

"Very well. Oh and as for you Elf. Sorry if you got a little roughed up while I tried to beat up our captors," said Karin with a twisted grin on her face as she took the wand and started down the hall.

Louise and Tiffania were standing in her wake with bewildered expressions on their faces.

"Oh, don't be offended dears. When Karin gets this way she takes a little too much pleasure in her work and forgets herself."

"Yes your majesty," said Louise with a polite bow of her head.

"Do you happen to have an extra wand I could use?" asked Marianne.

"Err," Louise looked to Kirche who nodded at her.

"Give her my wand. It's not like I can use it right now. If the stories I've heard of Marianne the Blaze are true, I can't think of anyone else who should get to use it."

Louise pulled the wand out of her cloak and handed it over to the Queen.

"Thank you very much miss. Now, I'd like for all of you to stay behind me. Karin and I both tend to get carried away sometimes," explained Marianne with a kind tone of voice as she transmuted Kirche's wand into a rapier like sword wand and then started walking down the hall.

She stopped next to Kirche and looked at her hands with an expression and voice of concern, "How did that happen my dear?"

"Animated fire," said Kirche while looking down at her hands.

"That's the reason we favor weapons and wands with an extended reach. Next time, transmute to a sword wand or something else that'll keep the business end further away from you hands," explained Marianne with a warm smile.

Karin was taking cover at the exit to the stairs on the ground level while Marianne came up beside her. "What do we have out there?"

"It seems they got help from the outside. They've got the prison locked down. I counted fifteen with muskets, another dozen or more with swords. I think there are some mages out there but I can't be sure," explained Karin while pointing at all the recent bullet holes in the wall in front of the door.

"I guess we missed a few on the way in," said Kirche with an annoyed grunt.

"You girls did surprisingly well if the carnage I saw getting down here was any indication. Now just leave the rest to us and stay back, what's the plan Karin?"

"You're asking me for a plan? You're the one with the plans!"

"Switch places with me, let me have a look."

Karin nodded and stepped away from the door while Marianne took her place and quickly poked her head around the door frame, and then quickly took cover after a couple shots were fired and hit the wall behind them.

"They're seven meters away. Poor marksmen. Giving men guns doesn't mean they know how to use them effectively."

"So, do you have a plan?"

"I think so. I'll need a wind wall though."

Karin looked down at Louise's wand and shook her head. "This practice wand won't be able to channel my power at that level. I can't even transmute it. Most I can give you is an air blade and even that's iffy."

"It'll be enough. We're skipping to plan F."

"Plan F… Good!"

"What's plan F?" asked Louise.

"Don't ask. Just stay the hell back. All of you! Don't come out until we tell you to," commanded Karin.

Marianne and Karin nodded to each other. The queen held her sword wand away from her body and focused her power, with a quick chant she ignited the blade and nodded one more time to Karin before running out the door and touching the blade to the ground which sent a massive firewave out towards the riflemen while Karin followed close behind and created a gust of wind to further fuel the fire which engulfed the riflemen, igniting their gunpowder which put them out of their misery rather quickly. But the sword men caught in the blaze weren't so fortunate and fell to the ground screaming in pain and terror as they tried to roll around to put out the flames.

Kirche was impressed enough that she went slack jawed. "Damn Louise, your Queen really knows her stuff! She precast the spell and contained it in the sword wand to release on demand. I need to learn that!"

The three girls couldn't contain their curiosity and poked their heads around the corner to see what was happening. They saw Karin and Marianne back to back casting spell after spell at the enemy reinforcements. Louise and Kirche were in awe at the pair, with wand and sword they weaved their spells creating total chaos in the room so nobody would have a chance to organize and come at them. They were like the conductors of a symphony of death in perfect sync with each other.

"How do you know where to go?" asked Tabitha.

"I don't. The Force is guiding me," answered Calista as she pointed out to the central prison.

Tabitha nodded. There were twenty men outside securing the area. Five riflemen, the rest wielded polearms.

"I'll provide a distraction. The men with the slugthrowers are for you. I'll deal with the rest." said Calista as she took up her Lightsaber staff and split it into two hilts.

Calista started running forward towards them, the Force enhancing her speed to where she was little more than a black blur to the men she was charging.

Meanwhile inside the prison a group of soldiers managed to rally near the prison gate and came at Karin and Marianne. Karin reacted on instinct and directed her wand at the group of eight men coming for her.

"Heavy wind!"

"Karin no!"

Calista stopped in her tracks and suddenly ducked. Tabitha raised an eyebrow and tilted her head when suddenly the entire front gate of the prison blew out and crushed the twenty men who stood ready to defend themselves from Calista.

The Sith looked up from where she fell on her belly, "What the hell was that?!"

Karin ran out and stood on top of the broken gate and looked around for more threats.

"Damn it Karin! You know better than this," yelled Marianne as she followed Karin closely.

Karin looked down at her hand and saw nothing left of her daughter's wand there except for splinters through her hand. She shrugged as she started pulling out the wooden shards. "It worked didn't it?"

"If you keep this up you're going to need to have your hand amputated long before we get you to a healer!"

"A little gangrene is good for the skin."

"That's not even close to funny. After all these years you still don't give a moment's thought to damage you do to yourself. What would you ever do without me?"

Louise sighed as she watched Marianne tear off another strip of her dress to make a bandage for her mother's hand. Those two were so much like her and Siesta that it was more than a little frightening to think about just how alike her and her mother really were.

Calista stood up and dusted herself off, then put away her Lightsaber. Marianne and Karin were immediately on guard but Louise run out in front of them to stop them from doing anything.

"Hello there," said Calista while pulling back her hood.

"It's alright, she's with us," said Louise as she stood with her arms out between Calista and Marianne.

Louise returned Derflinger to his scabbard on her back and then ran up to hooded woman and gave her a tight hug. Calista stood there with her arms out in surprise before giving in and wrapped her arms around Louise warmly.

"Calista… I'm so relieved to see you again."

"Did you think I wouldn't come as soon as I was able? I just wish you'd waited for me before doing something as reckless as this. But I'm proud of you all the same Louise. You did good."

"Thank you. That means a lot to me… Wait. Your eyes! What happened?"

Calista let go of Louise and gently pushed her off before looking around at the people gathering around them. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now the city is alerted to what's happened here and this thing with the gate probably let everyone in a kilometer know to start moving here."

"Then we need to get out of the city now," said Marianne

"Which way out do you think?" asked Karin.

"We go out the way Tabitha and I came in. The west gate."

While a plan was being formulated Tabitha walked up to Kirche and gently took a hold of her hands, she looked up at Kirche blankly for an explanation.

"I'm alright Tabitha. Yes, it hurts a lot, but, it's nothing I can't bear," said Kirche with a small smile to her best friend who nodded in response.

"Stay close. I'll protect you."

"Thank you Tabitha."

"So who do we have here?" asked Calista while looking at the elf.

"I'm Tiffania," she answered shyly.

Sensing the girl's fear, she offered a warm smile to help calm her nerves. "I see. My name is Calista. I'm your sister."

Tiffania looked at her blankly, so did Louise and Kirche.

"I'll let Matilda explain once we get you back to her. Until then, stay close to me."

"You know my sister?" asked Tiffania with voice full of hope and excitement.

"Indeed. Matilda is a sister to me, and now you are too," said Calista as she put a hand on Tiffania's shoulder to nudge her along as she walked them away from the prison.

Karin went and picked up a longsword from one of the corpses inside the prison and quickly rejoined the group as they moved into one of the dark alleys.

"Wait a minute Calista. This is Matilda's sister?" asked Louise with shock.

"So it would seem. You did well to rescue her. I knew you would."

"Wait, so you knew Kirche and I would save Tiffania, but you didn't know what would happen with my mother and the queen?"

"Who says I knew any of that?"

"You just did?" Louise said while shaking her head in confusion.

"Patience Louise. In time, you'll understand how things really work."

Louise was about to ask a follow up question but was preempted and cut off by Calista.

"There will be time for questions later. Focus on the present."

"My Duke! The Queen and the Duchess!"

"Escaped. I see the flames from here."

Brinvilliers stood up from his desk, where the former King once sat, and walked over to the window where he could see the flames, he could almost hear the sounds of the pair slaughtering his men so brazenly in the streets.

"I hoped it wouldn't come to this...They can not be allowed to reach the Valliere army. It could jeopardise everything."

"My lord?"

The Duke turned to face his officer to issue his order "Send out our new allies. Have them hunt down and kill the Queen and Duchess."

"As you command!"

The officer quickly exited the room leaving Brinvilliers alone with his thoughts. He turned back to the window to observe the fires and the smoke rising into the night sky, even after all these years, he still found their raw power to be awe inspiring.

"Why couldn't you have seen it? Why have you forced me to do this all alone?"

Brinvilliers walked back to the desk and looked at the document he was working on, the ink was still wet, but he smiled confidently at the paper. He was sure this was the one that would change everything. He looked around his desk at the crumpled and discarded drafts which preceded this version.

"Why did it have to be this way? There was a time when we were so young and free, we questioned everything, dared the world to try and stop us. Now look at us. How far we've all fallen."

As he spoke his eyes fell upon a painting of a group of young people in the room. In the center was the King, beside him on his right was Karin the Heavy Wind, on her right, Marianne the Blaze. To the king's left, Montmorency the Wave, and Gramont the Wall. Standing behind the King was Colbert the Snake, and beside him, Brinvilliers locked eyes with his younger self…

Brinvilliers the Raging River.

Sylphid flew away from the capital as fast as she could with seven people riding on her neck and back. It was a clear night sky with two full moons. Tabitha rode up front near the dragon's head with Kirche sitting behind her best friend. Followed by Calista and Tiffania who sat in the middle of the dragon's neck and on the dragon's back were Louise, Karin, and Marianne.

Karin held Louise tightly with her head resting against her chest and gently stroked her daughter's hair dotingly. Her words weren't angry anymore, they were confused and frustrated.

"Louise. I don't know what to say, or what to think."

"I'm sorry mother. I couldn't just do nothing once I heard what they were planning to do to you both."

"You could have been killed. How do you think I would have felt if that happened? And we very nearly didn't make it out of the city before our enemies managed to start locking everything down. If it wasn't for Marianne's quick thinking and all those fires she set… I don't even want to think about the possibilities if this didn't work out the way you hoped Louise."

"How could I have lived with myself if I didn't try? I still need you. Now more than ever. I just had to rescue you."

"It's not that I don't appreciate it Louise. Being alive is certainly better than the alternative, but I'd rather be dead than have you risk your life for me. Someday when you have children of your own, you'll understand."

"Then can we talk about this again when that day comes? I plan on both of us being alive and well by then."

"It's a deal. So tell me what's happened to you? When did you get a sword? How were you using that magic without a wand?"

"That's a long and complicated story."

"We have nothing but time right now," said Karin while leaning down her head to kiss the top of Louise's.

"It's thanks to that woman up there in front of Tiffania."

"Calista?"

"Yes. She's something called a Sith. I brought her to our world through the summoning ritual at the start of the school year and she's been teaching me to be like her."

Karin and Marianne looked at each other and then down at Louise.

"You summoned her as your familiar?" asked Marianne.

"She's a bit like him isn't she?" asked Karin.

"It's the hair. Is she Thyrsian like he was?" inquired Marianne.

"Actually she's Echani, but she's half human. But who are you talking about?" asked Louise.

"My late husband's familiar. You're a Void Mage Louise?"

"Yes your majesty. That's what Professor Colbert told me. Then Osmond tried to have me killed when he found out. Colbert protected me. And Calista killed Osmond. Well, there's a lot more to it than that, but that's the short version."

"Osmond… Bastard. We'll need to have a talk with Colbert. Fill him in and get the whole picture from his angle," said Marianne.

"I'm sorry you got mixed up in all this Louise. I promise I'll tell you everything we know once I've gotten all the details straight," said Karin while hugging Louise tighter.

"My magic doesn't work anymore though. Ever since I summoned Calista my power seems to be getting weaker. I used to be able to blow up a whole classroom. But every time I've tried it now, the effect diminished until just now in the prison, I tried to use it and nothing happened at all."

"We'll find answers Louise. I promise. So tell me more about what's happened to you? Like who's that friend who helped you rescue us?"

"That's Kirche von Zerbst."

"A Zerbst?! Helped you rescue us? How the hell did that happen?!"

"She's my friend."

"You made friends with a Zerbst?!"

"Yes mother. I have."

"Stranger things have happened Karin."

"Maybe. But I really can't remember when..."

Meanwhile Tiffania gently poked Calista's shoulder to get her attention.

"Miss Calista? How did you know I was Matilda's sister?" asked Tiffania in a shy voice.

"We spend a lot of time talking. Most of what she talks about is you. I almost feel as if I've known you all my life at this point."

"Could you tell me a bit about her Miss Calista? I haven't seen her in such a long time."

"Just call me Calista. Or Cali if you like."

"As you wish, Calista."

"Baby steps I suppose. Matilda is doing well. She's a member of the Princess' advisory council. So she's not in any more trouble like she was when I first met her. Now that you're safe, she'll be so relived."

"I can't wait to see her again. I've missed her so very much. But I hope I won't cause any trouble for her."

"Why would you cause her trouble? You're actually the solution to all her problems."

"Everyone here is really nice so they haven't said anything about it, but I'm an Elf. Humans don't like elves."

"Humans don't like a lot of things. Hating what's different is in their nature. Some of them overcome it, but most don't."

"You talk about them as if you're on the outside looking in?"

"In a way I am. Just like you I'm only half Human. My mother was Echani."

"Oh, Miss Louise and Miss Kirche mentioned you. They said you were like me."

"I am. Humans hated me because I wasn't human. Echani hated me because I wasn't Echani. I had to fight to make my own place in the world as a Sith. Even then, it wasn't easy."

"I know how you feel. My father didn't want me, so my mother and I had to live in strange places all the time. I was too young to remember everything but I remember the day she died. That was the day Matilda's father rescued me and brought me to live with his family. Matilda didn't care what I was, she was just happy to have a sister. She was always looking out for me, playing with me, even when she went away to school, she came home every weekend to spend time with me."

"That sounds like her. Since I met her she's been a big sister to me too. Looking out for me, helping me figure out the ins and outs of this world, training with me. I haven't appreciated her as much as she deserves. She's a good person."

Kirche smiled and put her hands around Tabitha's waist the best she could with the bandages the Queen did for her. Kirche then rests her head on Tabitha's right shoulder and hugged her as tightly as she could without hurting her hands.

"Cali has a point there. I don't think I've ever told you how much I appreciate your friendship Tabitha."

"You have," said a stoic Tabitha.

"When?"

"All the time you spend with me."

"I don't get it."

"Actions. Not words. Like now."

"I see what you mean. But, to me, words are just as important. I love you Tabitha. You're my best friend, my soul mate. My total opposite who makes me a whole person."

"You're different. What happened?"

She took a deep breath as she prepared to tell Tabitha the "Kirche's rapid fire" version of the story...

"I settled matters with Louise and we managed to pull of that rescue I also fell in love with a girl and I mean really in love not lust. Well there was that too since she was Germanian and we all know the best things in life come from there and then there was this barfight Louise and I managed to get out of by the skin of our teeth and it was quite the valuable lesson and then the rest you were there for and now I'm here with you and the most important lesson I learned from all this is to appreciate the things I have in life because it's too easy to be like Louise and not show anything the appreciation it deserves."

"You can talk really fast. You know that Kirche?" said Calista with an amused tone.

"This is nothing. You should see me when I'm working," answered Kirche with a laugh.

"They're having fun. So tell me something Louise. What's a Sith exactly? What is she teaching you to be?"

"It's hard to explain. I don't even fully understand the basics of it myself yet. You see, they're like Mages, but they're not. They use this thing called the Force. I have no understanding of what the Force is though, so don't ask me to explain it yet. What I know is that it grants power to people who can feel it, or perceive it, I don't know how to even describe it. I can levitate things with my mind, I can push things without touching them. Calista can shoot lightning out of her fingertips even."

Derflinger popped out of his scabbard which gave Karin a fright since her face was right next to him.

"Louise can also do the Lightning thing."

"I only did that once Derf. I don't even know how I did it, and Calista told me not to try it again until I was ready."

"Louise… Your sword is speaking," said Karin with confusion.

"Oh. Sorry ma'am! I'm Derflinger. Pleasure to finally meet my mother in law!"

"Mother in law?!"

Marianne snickered to herself at how quickly Karin went from her doting mother face to her angry face.

"Ahh, yeah. You see... Derf is my partner. I found him in a shop in Moissac. He's been with me through everything and if it weren't for him, I don't know where I'd be now."

"I see. I suppose thanks might be in order. But if you ever call me your mother in law again, I'm going to give you to my Manticore as a chew toy!"

"Umm. Alright. Whatever ya say. Mom? Mommy? Mother dearest? Oh what do ya want from me? I promise I'm incapable of making ya into grandma!"

"Have you no sense of self preservation Derf?" Louise deadpanned while rubbing her eyebrow.

Meanwhile Karin glared at the sword with her eyebrow twitching furiously at him.

"Whoa! Like mother like daughter! That angry face is just like the one Louise had when I made a boob joke about her!"

"Derf…" started Louise with a low growl.

"SHUT UP!" yelled Louise and Karin in unison.

"Sheesh. Two angry woman insecure about their cup sizes… I'm outta here," said Derf as he sheathed himself.

"Sorry mom. He's a good guy... But... Sometimes... There's just no excuse for him."

Sylphid suddenly started falling. Louise grabbed onto her mother tightly while Karin took a hold of one of the dragon's spine protrusions and held on as tightly as she could. When Sylphid leveled off and resumed normal flight again Louise opened her eyes and saw that everyone was alright. Tiffania was clinging to Calista, Kirche was clinging to Tabitha, she was clinging to her mother, and opposite her the Queen was holding onto the same protrusion that her mother was holding onto. Louise tried to recall the events of the last few moments but it was all a blur, she couldn't even remember any sound at all.

The next moment she felt a powerful urging take over her senses and overrode even her base instinct for self preservation. Louise felt something telling her what to do that she couldn't explain; but chose to trust in it. She swallowed her fear and stood up while drawing Derflinger. She heard her mother scream at the top of her lungs for Louise to get down but she ignored her while she swung her sword in front of herself, slicing into an air blade spell that would have cut her, her mother, and Sylphid clean in half. The spell was absorbed by Derflinger very quickly.

Suddenly Sylphid had to make a hard turn and Louise fell over and almost fell off completely were it not for her mother grabbing onto her arm and pulling her back into a relatively safe spot on the dragon's body near the only spinal protrusion she could hold onto. She couldn't make out the words but from her position she could tell her mother was yelling for her to stay down and hold on. Her heart was pounding and she was sweating profusely, almost falling off the dragon convinced her to heed the command and do nothing but what she was told.

Louise finally worked up the nerve to at least open her eyes and take a look at what was happening. She looked to her right and saw Calista extend a hand out towards something and purple lightning began to flow from her. She followed the stream of energy with her eyes to another dragon, this one was more of a brownish color and was armored, with an equally armored knight riding upon it. She couldn't make out what happened next because Sylphid had to make another hard turn and Louise had to hold on tightly and focused on nothing but holding on with her left arm while her right clutched Derflinger in an iron death grip.

She felt something brush past her hair and looked up with fright at what could have been next to her when she saw Tabitha's staff in her mother's hand being directed out an an unseen target, after she cast her spell she stood up to continue fighting. The next thing Louise's sight registered was a bright orange light illuminating Sylphids back, she looked up at the Queen casting jets of fire out into the distance.

Louise felt that urging again, it was so strong she couldn't ignore it no matter how much she wanted to. She stood up and stepped forward, she pushed the queen back behind her and held out her sword to the next spell that was coming at her. The fire stream didn't stop, Marianne just directed her wand away from Louise while Derflinger absorbed the spell, then she pushed Louise back behind her and stepped out beside Karin once again. Sylphid then had to make a hard turn for reasons Louise couldn't see and she lost her footing again. This time her mother was so heavily distracted that she either didn't notice, or couldn't react to save Louise as she fell off the dragon. Louise was sure this was the end for her as she fell to her death but then she felt someone grab her hand and when she opened her eyes she saw Calista's face as she held onto Louise's arm. She couldn't hear a word Calista was saying but she held on to her tightly as her and Tiffania worked together to pull her back onto Sylphid.

Once she was sitting securely again she reached out and threw her arms around Calista's waist and held onto her tightly, the armor around her torso made Louise feel some small measure of security as she held what felt like an immovable object. That same instant there was a bright flash of orange light that lit up the sky around them so brightly it turned night into day. She saw everyone ahead of her turn their heads back to look and though she didn't want to, she gave in and turned her head as well. Behind them was a firestorm so blinding Louise had to close her eyes again to shield them. The sound of the roaring flames was even more deafening than her anxiety. She knew what that spell was, even if she'd only heard stories about what happens when those two combined their magic into a single spell… It was called the Blazing Wind.

When Louise looked again the queen was down holding onto that protrusion between the dragon's wings that had seemingly been the center of the universe to her not more than a few moments ago. Her mother was kneeling down beside her and helping to hold her there. The moonlight reflected off every bead of sweat on and coming off her mother's face which made it seem like she had a constellation of stars around her. Louise found it a beautiful sight. After combining and casting a spell of that magnitude she felt the two had more than earned a moment's rest. In the distance she saw a small black cloud of ash scattering to the winds while almost a dozen other Dragon Knights turned around to fly away. But for some reason she didn't feel the tension lifted from everyone around her.

As if someone lifted a silencing spell Louise was suddenly aware of the sounds coming from all around her. The first to return was the sound of the wind flowing through her hair. Then the sensation of her hair being blown in every which way. But the sound of everyone's silence was deafening and before she could ask herself why, she heard her mother speak in a loud and desperate voice like she'd never heard from her before.

"No! Don't you dare die on me Mari! Not after all we've been through!"

A/N: That was the finale of the Capital City arc for Louise and Kirche. Now the third and final arc will commence.

What a mile stone. 200k words, almost 450 pages in Google Docs.

From myself and Etri, we thank you for your continued support for this story. Your reviews, favorites and follows inspire us to work harder to make this story better with each chapter. We hope you'll continue to read and enjoy. We also hope you'll take the time to review the story up to this point because we really love to hear what people think, enjoy, and crave as we go forward.