Yeah, she would be surprised to see me become an actual threat.
Aletheia turned her attention back to me. She held out her hand, like a handshake. “I will see you again shortly.”
I reached out and took her hand; once I did, a burning sensation tingled up my arm, and a bright light emerged from our joined hands, causing me to look away and cringe.
I peeked at my hand once released from her grip; I was startled to see my glove had been torn right through, and a bright gold inscription had been placed on my palm:
Sailing on the Stars
Meallán
St. Brendan the Navigator
April 23rd, Earth Time 11:00 PM
Dock 42, Apollo City Marina
I glanced back up at Aletheia, only managing to see her smile before she disappeared. I blinked, but there was no mistaking her disappearance.
Weird. So that was the Guardian of Memory, I thought. I glanced back down at my sword and then over to the Sinisters, who were still not really paying attention to me and Elysian. Starry Knight and the SWORD agents were more than able to keep them busy.
I looked down at the sword and held it up, wondering at the glistening of the moonlight on the edge. It was mystical and magical and frightening all at the same time, evidence of the power within. I grinned. Awesome.
☼24☼
Strength
Elysian moved next to me. “You need to be careful with that,” he warned.
“No kidding,” I snorted in response. “Come on. I’ll go for the Sinisters up there. You make sure the SWORD guys can get Taygetay out of here and won’t get hit.”
“What about Orpheus?”
I searched the skies for the one-eyed leader of the Sinisters. I saw him a moment later, starting to pick a fight with Starry Knight. “It looks like Starry Knight’s going to take the lead on that one.”
Elysian sniffled indignantly. “Do not underestimate his power. He is the one who is in control of the Sinisters.”
“Really?” I almost doubled over in laughter. “I wouldn’t know it. He sure sucks at his job.”
Asteropy spoke up first, interrupting us. “Aw, look at that, girls, the little boy has a new toy.”
The other Sinisters laughed. The fat one, Celaena, called out, “It’d be perfect for cutting some cake!”
“Yeah, that’s probably all it’s about good for, too,” Elektra spoke up. “I doubt that kid has enough power to wield it anyway.”
I was slightly confused at their sudden willingness to not kill each other in an argument, but I held my ground and decided it was time to unleash my most powerful weapon (my mouth). “You ladies sound pretty cocky, if you ask me,” I called out. “But I don’t see any of you coming over to check my sword out for yourself.”
I had them there, that was for sure.
Alcyonë yawned. “We know that you’re not as powerful as Starry Knight,” she taunted. “We have little reason to fear you.”
Ouch, that burned.
“Hop on, kid,” Elysian rumbled. He ducked down and I jumped on as he flew up, heading straight for the Sinisters. Elysian was ready with his fire, and I was prepared to strike with my new weapon. The wind whipped against my face, the simultaneous chills of excitement and the onset of rain energizing me, sharpening me, refining me.
I felt a rush of adrenaline as I sliced down on the cloud of Sinisters with the Sealing Sword.
And completely missed.
“Huh?” I blinked. Did I really just miss? Ugh!
The Sinisters had taken to laughing.
“You’ve got a lousy aim,” Asteropy called out, her wicked smile making me grit my teeth in anger and embarrassment.
“I can’t believe I was worried there for a second,” Alcyonë chortled, her voice saturated in sarcasm.
“Even I think I could’ve done a better job,” Celaena agreed with a smile.
“See?” Elektra spoke up.
“Well, most of us,” Asteropy corrected, glaring at Maia, who had done nothing to try to get away, obviously.
“Uh, kid? Are you sure that you know how to use that thing?” Elysian asked.
What was this? Even Elysian doubted me? I huffed indignantly. I felt the anger boil within me as the Sinisters continued to laugh and/or mock me. Despite the desire to scream with rage at this grave injustice, I took a deep breath.
Okay, where can I do the most damage? Then the idea struck. “Elysian, turn around.”
“What? Why?” the dragon asked.
“Just do it!”
As Elysian swooped around and headed forward, he suddenly saw what my goal was. “You’re going to try to seal away Orpheus?”
“Yeah, that’s right,” I confirmed. I smirked when I saw that it was good timing on my part; Starry Knight looked like she could use some help.
Starry Knight had charged right into Orpheus as I approached. As he was flung back in between the layers of a nearby three-story parking garage, I felt a sense of approaching success.
“Ouch!” Orpheus barked loudly, as he skidded across the hard cement structure.
He didn’t have much time to pout. An arrow of light was shot at him seconds later. He had just barely managed to move before it whisked past him and shot deep into the concrete behind him. Orpheus huffed in response. “You’ll have to do better than that, Lady Justice!” he called out mockingly.
Elysian slowed. “Kid, are you sure about this?” he asked me.
“Yes, go!” I insisted.
“She seems pretty determined,” Elysian remarked.
I turned to watch an arrow split straight through his right arm. “You’ll do well to address me as Starry Knight, and forget my former title!” Starry Knight called out, a new fury to her words as another arrow was released from her bow.
“Okay, Elysian, slow down,” I said. I turned to see the Sinisters approaching from behind me, but I returned my focus on Starry Knight. Or Lady Justice? Was that her real name?
Orpheus grinned despite the obvious inflicted pain. “I see. So it is you!” His smile lit up as he added, “Does it bother you to recall your past glory?” he asked.
Starry Knight narrowed her eyes at him. “That could easily be said of you as well,” she called back. “A Leader in the Celestial Kingdom, was it?”
Orpheus lost his smile quicker than the pop of a cheap balloon. His voice was a deadly hiss as he muttered, “So, you do remember.” He clenched his fists. “Then we must finish it! Let us finish the battle that we started on the other side of Time!”
“It has been finished!” Starry Knight argued. “I told you then that you would never get what you sought; you have already lost. There is just the matter of carrying out the sentence of your rebellion.”
I didn’t have any idea of what they were talking about.
But I had my own trouble to deal with. A blur of color caught my attention. Spurts of pink, yellow, and green all flashed briefly in my mind as I ducked, squatted, and scooted around on Elysian’s back to avoid the Sinisters and what I was pretty sure were their claws.
I was about to try to fight back when I shot forward onto the hard surface of a roof; after I made sure my face was still on my head, I looked up and saw one of the Sinisters had figured out attacking Elysian was more effective than trying to fight me.
“Elysian!”
Elysian roared, giving me enough time to see Starry Knight was exchanging blows with Orpheus on a parking garage just across the street. I hurried to the edge, faltering as I looked down. What are the chances, I wondered, that I’ll be able to fly?
Glancing at my leathery black wings, I rolled my eyes. “Why is it always at the most inconvenient time that stuff doesn’t work!?” I lamented.
I stopped when I almost pushed off seconds later. “Ouf!” I grunted as I managed to twist myself onto the ledge. I felt vomit threaten me again at the thought of hitting the road from this far up. I wasn’t a physicist, but I was pretty sure I would’ve been splattered onto the ground.
It was Alcyonë again. She sneered at me. “Too bad. You got lucky.”
“No, I didn’t. You just got weak!” I screamed, as I slashed through the Sinister with the sword, thrusting with my full weight on the blade.
The sword cut all the way through Alcyonë; her body disappeared in a flash of swirling emptiness and whirl-winding green light as Alcyonë cried out, captured in her own black hole of a heart.
And then it was over.
I blinked a few times as the bright array of lights slowly subsided. When my eyes stopped flashing color dots all over my field of vision, I saw the Sinister was gone. All I saw that remained was a small, black chunk of rock.
The rock blazed, gradually fading from sinister green to bland gray to black; and then it lingered before me, as though it were waiting for me to do something. Am I supposed to take it?
Taking another leap of faith, I took a hold of it, and felt the odd texture of it against my fingers. Nothing spectacular happened.
I tucked it into my pocket, deciding to ask Elysian about it later. I turned around to see if anyone else had seen my heroic actions. I was extremely disappointed to see Starry Knight was still engaged in her battle for life or death.
Battle, part two. “Elysian!” I called out.
I watch as Orpheus, enraged, unleashed an attack of his own. The dark energy swirled around them as it sought to bring Starry Knight down, but she dodged it easily enough. The wind of the energy flowed passed her as Orpheus continued his assault.
It was a dance of danger and precise movements, as one would attack, and the other would dodge; for several moments this continued, knocking down several support beams in the parking garage and throwing up a bunch of debris and dust.
“Elysian! Come here!” I cried out again, this time more urgently.
“Just a moment,” Elysian grumbled up, as Maia and Meropae had tried to take turns riding him. He was bucking and thrashing horribly, trying to dispel himself from their grip.
Starry Knight landed another arrow into Orpheus’ left arm. He staggered, and fell back. Starry Knight saw her chance and went in for the kill.
“Elysian, now! Toss me over to the parking garage.”
Elysian reared back and flicked his tail in response, managing to kick off Maia at the same time.
Talk about whiplash, I thought as Elysian’s tail hit me hard, flinging me into the air. “Thanks!” I called back, half-serious, half-regretful. I rubbed my butt where Elysian’s tail had struck.
Seconds later, I found myself thrown (literally) between Orpheus and Starry Knight. Orpheus, aware of the danger, managed to push his body back over mine, just in time to avoid the killing blow of Starry Knight’s bow.
“Ouch!” I muttered, falling over.
Starry Knight, angered by his escape, faltered for a split second at my arrival. It was just briefly, in the twinkling of the eye, but Orpheus saw it, and it was enough time to make his move.
As I flouted around on the floor, his wispy hands shot out from his long robes, and grasped at Starry Knight’s throat.
“Starry Knight!” I cried, only to have Orpheus send a blast of energy at me. The cackling energy ball hit me square on, sending me tumbling further away.
I grabbed at my ribcage, and turned, watching as Orpheus tightened his grip on my partner. He squirmed at the touch of her skin, as it still carried the remnant of her light, but he frowned wickedly as he held her. Her breathing caught, and she silently began to choke. “Do you think this is some kind of game?” he asked her, his voice deadly cold. “Do you!?”
She shook her head as she coughed. Her bow fell to the ground with a small clatter as she grabbed his hands, seeking relief from his clutch.
“Starry Knight,” I muttered, trying to catch my breath.
Orpheus wrapped his hands around her neck tighter, clearly glorying in the feel of her twitching and struggling under his hold. “I’ll admit I underestimated you before. But your power can’t last forever! The curse that you placed on the girls is breaking. Soon their full power will be released, and then this world will be mine!”
Starry Knight shook her head, and managed to inhale deeply before sputtering, “It’s . . . not . . . my power.”
“What?” Surprised, Orpheus loosened his grip enough for her to wriggle free. She swatted him back with her power, managing to thwart his advance. She slumped to the ground and scooted away quickly, moving towards me. “Are you all right?” she asked me, her hand reaching down to my chest. A trickle of power leaked out of her hand, and I felt the rush of her healing powers settle me.
“Are you okay?” I asked, letting myself reach up and gently touch the marks on her neck. “He hurt you.”
“He hurt you, too,” she reminded me. She took my hand though, and whispered, “I’m fine. Now, please go.” Her insistence pushed me away as forcefully as her arms.
She turned back to Orpheus, and began circling away from me. “It is not my power that seals back the full power of the Sinisters. It is another’s.” She straightened, shaking off any inkling of weakness. Her violet eyes narrowed. She picked up her bow and drew back her bowstring, prepared to resume the fighting.
Orpheus flexed his hands impatiently, itching to get his fingers wrapped around her throat again. “That’s enough!” Orpheus growled, as he began to lunge forward. “This time, you will perish!”
A burst of power shot out from me, and a second later, I opened my eyes to see I’d managed to push myself in between the two foes, forcing them apart from their sparring before landing on my hands and knees right in the “Customer Only” compact car space by the entrance door.
I shook my head to clear my vision. When I looked up, I saw Starry Knight standing over me. “What are you doing?” she asked, her voice tight. “You need to go. Now.”
I ignored her. “You’re welcome,” I muttered, standing up.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“I just saved you from Orpheus!”
“You did not! I was doing perfectly fine on my own.”
“You can’t defeat him.”
“You interrupted the fight; of course I didn’t defeat him.”
“I said ‘can’t,’ not ‘didn’t,’” I snapped.
“It doesn’t matter! You shouldn’t be here,” Starry Knight muttered back. Her eyes shifted from me back to Orpheus, who was suddenly watching me with wicked eyes.
Orpheus’ inner hatred burned even more brightly at the sight of me and my sword blocking him from his initial prey. “You!”
I wondered why I’d even woken up this morning. Cold, paralyzing fear had overtaken my body at Orpheus’ accusatory tone.
“You! I will kill you this time! I will wring the soul from your body and cast it into hell myself!” Orpheus cried out as he launched himself forward, his power glowing with an ominous void.
I pulled my sword up, intending to use it as a shield. There was no room for hesitation here, I reminded myself, even if my body wasn’t as compliant as my mind.
With what I thought was a pretty brave front, I awaited impact of the growing, circular void and its crushing power.
It never came.
“Augh!” A flash spurted out from behind me, hitting Orpheus in the heart, holding him back. His attack crumpled around him, and I allowed myself a (brief) moment of relief.
I glanced at Starry Knight; there were beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she glanced behind Orpheus and his attack.
I noticed suddenly the other Sinisters were all heading over; Elysian was laying limp on the roof of the other building. A twinge of fear interlaced with concern shot through me as the stampeding rainbow of Sinisters bore down on us.
I woke up from my fear just in time to hear Orpheus question Starry Knight.
“Why do you protect him?” Orpheus asked Starry Knight scathingly. “Why? Tell me why!”
I recalled how Starry Knight had been accused of having me as her biggest weakness. Before Starry Knight could chide m
e for being weak, or incompetent, or useless, I decided to answer that question. “Because we’re partners!” I shouted as I stood up.
For some reason, this was even more irksome to Orpheus. The Sinisters arrived just as he pointed to me. “Attack him!” he ordered.
But I was ready this time. I swung out my sword, and took aim. “This ends now, Orpheus!” I announced, ready to deliver the defeating blow.
“No!” the strangled, dying-cat cry of a Sinister shot out of the darkness at the last second. I didn’t even see the shadow of bright pink as I cut into it; all I knew was a moment later, my brain was able to process Meropae’s scream of terror and rage as she was slowly sucked up into a singular point and sealed away.
I had not managed to seal away Orpheus; Meropae was the one I’d managed to capture. I turned to face Maia, wide-eyed, as I realized Meropae had been pushed in front Orpheus. And it had been done by Maia, of all people (using the word ‘people’ lightly here) at the last possible second.
That was the confusing part for many of us. Maia hated Orpheus, and work. I was confounded as to what had caused her to save him. Starry Knight and I exchanged a quick glance, and from her expression, she was just as surprised by this as I was.
In the meantime, Orpheus had averted his attention to a retreat. He flew up into the air, regrouping with his remaining girls.
With his cruel, fuming glance, Orpheus looked down at me, and then to Starry Knight. “This isn’t over,” he assured us, before taking off like a black shooting star across the night sky, finding a hideout in the sea of colors in the city night life. The leftover four Sinisters quickly followed, already talking about Maia’s unbelievable actions and the possibility of getting some food somewhere.
I looked down to see a bright speck glittering on the cement floor. I reached down and picked it up. The stone-like object was cold and surprisingly heavy against my palm. I put it in my other pocket and heaved a sigh of relief. The battle was over.