Chapter 19

Elexis withdrew her blade and kicked Cordatis' dead body face down into the snow. Cordatis tumbled a few times and then lay still, cold and motionless.

Alex ran forward and faced Elexis, he gave a quick glance at his dead master and his heart broke. He was filled with a burning anger over all that Elexis had done, but for some reason he felt that there was more. 'Was it temptation?' He thought. He just wanted to forget about everything and live happy with Elexis by his side, but that would never happen. The Elexis that Alex loved had died long ago, or had she. Could she be saved?

"Why?" Alex asked bitterly, "Why did you kill Cordatis? Why did you betray the Jedi?" Alex's voice was heavier with muddled anger. He kept his distance but he still drew his light sabre and pointed its end at her throat.

"I did it for us." Elexis stated.

"For us?"

"I did it because chancellor Palpetine was the sith that the Jedi had been looking for, and he raised Anikin Skywalker to be his new apprentice. I have seen all that Anikin is capable of and together he and Palpetine will destroy the Jedi." As Elexis explained, it all became clearer to Alex. "I was tired Alex, and I wanted things that the Jedi would never allow, so I went to Palpetine and told him that I would help him hunt down the Jedi if he allowed you and I to live."

"Elexis how could you! You were a Jedi!" Alex pleaded. He lowered his light sabre and turned away.

"You think I truly care about the Jedi? All I care about is us. Join me Alex, learn the power of the dark side as I have and together we can live alone with no one to ever tell us what to do. Please Alex, I love you and I know you still love me."

Slowly Alex placed his hand back over his light sabre, "You are right Elexis, I do love you. But I am a Jedi and I will not be corrupted by the sith as you have been." Alex removed his cloak and looked Elexis in the eye as her expression changed and she removed her own cloak.

Elexis readied her light sabre and then spoke softly, he voice then rose to a shout "If you will not join me, then you will die!"

At the same time Alex and Elexis leaped into the air and landed in the spot between where they were standing. Before Alex hit the ground he had to stop Elexis from slicing his abdomen open with the first stroke. Once he gained his footing Alex swung his light sabre up and tried for Elexis' head, she deflected his blade and swung for Alex's hip. Alex managed to push her light sabre away but the counter allowed her to kick him in the stomach, knocking him backwards. The first thing that Alex noticed in this fight was that Elexis was much faster and much more powerful than before, and she now possessed an eerie feeling of darkness. Alex parried before Elexis could stab him in the chest and then he swung his blade at the point under her arm, Elexis barely dodged the hit and she received a small cut to her left breast. She placed her hand over the wound and winced with pain while Alex twirled his light sabre in order to gain a better grip on the handle.

As they battled, Alex began to realize that he was being driven towards the ice cliff. 'I have to change my position or else I'll fall.' Alex thought to himself. Now Alex stood directly on the edge of the cliff so that when he twisted his foot. Small pieces of ice broke and fell into the deep abyss below. With some tricky footwork Alex was able to break himself free of Elexis' hold and stand facing parallel to the cliff. Now they both stood on the edge of the overhang, extending their light sabres so that only the tips met. The wind began to pick up and it blew Elexis long dark hair across her face so that she had to push it behind her ears. Alex's hair had also grown quite a bit and now the strong wind blew it around in an untidy mess.

Neither opponent attacked, they just looked into each others eyes once more until Elexis spoke, "The Jedi have kept us apart." She justified, "I have to stop them. For us," Elexis looked as if she were about to burst into tears, and Alex knew she didn't want to kill him as much as he didn't want to kill her.

"Please Elexis," Alex begged, "I love you, and it's not too late. Come back to me, come back to the light."

Elexis raised her head slightly, "As long as the Jedi live there will be no light." And with that Elexis force jumped over Alex and swung her light sabre at his head. Alex ducked her sword and tried to catch Elexis off balance, but before he could strike she spun around and extended her arm, force pushing Alex into the air back towards the old cabin.

Alex landed hard, right against his old land cruiser. On top of the rusty old cruiser sat a fuel box that was out after he left three years ago. As soon as Alex had regained his feet Elexis was on him again. He feared if the fight did not end soon, that she would over power him.

Elexis stabbed for Alex's chest and he swiped away her blade. Then she went for his neck and he parried the blow and then deflected the next. Elexis pushed Alex's blade down and punched him in the jaw. Alex ignored the hit and again struck at Elexis. Their blades clashed and held together, and for a moment Alex glared into Elexis' eyes as he strained and pushed the blades towards her throat. He thought he saw a hint of worry in Elexis' face, but that was before she kneed him once in the groin and then broke the grip on his light sabre. Alex caught Elexis' fighting arm by the wrist and she did the same to him, again they were stuck, until Elexis shifted her weight and drove both their blades into the old land cruiser. Alex feared for the worst as the laser ignited the fuel and the front of the cruiser exploded in a fierce cloud of flame, smoke, sparks and shrapnel.

Alex was thrown back into the snow by the force of the blast. He had caught a piece of shrapnel to the abdomen, his ears were ringing and his vision was blurred, in fact he could hardly see out of his left eye at all. And then he felt his face start to burn as the explosion had scorched the entire top left side. Nothing could be done for it now, and he still had a task to do. Alex stood up wearily and still dizzy from the blast he searched for Elexis, he found her on her knees in the thick snow a few metres away from the cruiser. She did not seem so damaged from the explosion. Elexis took her light sabre and stood up as Alex stumbled towards her, both opponents were shaken from the explosion and their moves required extra effort. Elexis swung her blade first and Alex was able to block the attack and slide her light sabre to the side, he then used his shoulder to knock Elexis off balance and she fell to the ground. As Alex stood over Elexis, with his light sabre pointed at her neck, he could hear Master Amicus' voice in his head, 'I want you to take no chances, your enemy will certainly not hesitate when he sees his chance to kill you, and neither shall you.'

Alex looked down at Elexis. She was the enemy and she had to die, however Alex could not bring himself to kill the only woman he had ever loved. As he hesitated his grip tightened on the light sabre hilt until he was almost crushing it. Elexis took this chance and hooked her left foot under Alex's right leg, sweeping him off his feet and into the white snow. Elexis collected her light sabre using the force and then swung the blade at Alex's head. Before the blade struck, Alex kicked Elexis in the abdomen and she was forced back into the snow. Alex then rolled onto his belly and reached for his own light sabre, he then stood up and spun himself around. As Elexis came at him, Alex drove his light sabre deep ender her rib cage, piercing straight through her heart as she tried to cut him down. Elexis dropped her weapon, then took a quick breath in and made a slight choking sound.

Alex withdrew his blade and held Elexis close in his arms, lowering her to the soft, snowy ground. As he held her, tears dripped from his eyes and ran down his cheeks. Alex watched Elexis' beautiful face, her lovely green eyes that were once so full of life, were now tinted with the peril of the dark side. Elexis looked up at Alex and reached out for him. "I'm so sorry Alex." And then the life in her eyes began to fade, until it was gone.