Chapter 15
We all started running.
“They’re here.” I said to Ellery. He nodded and broke off from our mob.
“Keep as many villagers alive as possible.” Niku ordered. We were too late. Glowing ghostly apparitions, looking remarkably alive, were walking across the field. They looked flesh and blood, but they moved with ethereal grace and with an unholy glow. Venhedas and Eiryn were already lying in a pool of their own blood. Basra had a deep slash across his chest and Melo was desperately trying to keep him alive. Eaie was clutching Jorje to her chest and trying to scramble away from the ghosts with only one leg. We watched in silent horror as Kelty’s limbs were ripped from her body by several ghost-children.
“Stop!” I screamed, pulling the attention from Eaie, Jorje, Basra, and Melo. I didn’t see Pereira, Ahlf, or Chika, but I was afraid to take my eyes off the ghosts.
“Why did you do that?” Tatyna hissed in my ear.
“We are supposed to keep as many people alive as possible!” I snapped. Quella hissed and I felt her curl into a ball on my head, her spikes poofing out angrily. Sparks flickered around my hands as I prepared for them to attack. They lined up before us, matching us person for person.
“You are Rogue.” One woman stood in front of the line. She was gorgeous with long brown-gold-red hair and bright blue eyes. She had to be my mother. Her lips didn’t move, but her voice invaded my mind.
“Mum…” Niku froze behind me.
“You are mine.” She continued.
“My Niku. My Shahera.” “We are your children.” I agreed.
“Why do you fight against me?” She asked, tilting her head.
“We must be avenged. Do you not long for the death of those that killed us?” “It wasn’t the entire village’s fault. It was the terrors two people inflicted. You may have their lives.” I said. “But you have killed innocents. We cannot abide that.”
“None are innocent.” She replied.
“What about us?” I asked. “We are not here to avenge you.”
“You are family. You will be at peace when the village is destroyed.” “What about me? I was raised by the Janjua family. I am a traitor to the Rogues.”
“You have always been mine.” She said, simply.
“I birthed you, began your training, died for you, and ensured your survival when Janjua would have otherwise killed you.” “That doesn’t make me yours.” I snapped. “I don’t belong to anybody. Not my father, Loïc, not my brother, Niku, not my love, Ellery, and especially not you, my
dead mother! You also didn’t have the power to influence the minds of others. You were a Kinetic, not an Empath.”
“Being dead has its advantages.” She replied.
“I have been lied to my entire life.” I said. “I know what is truth.”
“How?” The thing that was my mother asked.
“I am an Adept.” I said. “I can feel what is truth.”
“You are an arrogant child.” The woman growled at me.
“I died for you!” “Stop making her angry.” Tatyna growled in my ear. I could feel the Rogues backing away from me as I continued to anger the dead.
“You should have
stayed dead!” I snapped.
“It seems the arrogant child needs to be taught a lesson.” Her face grew angry and ugly.
“You do
not belong in our world!” I said. “The dead should remain so, as the gods willed it.”
“You know nothing of the gods!” Her lips still didn’t move, but as her anger grew, her beauty faded.
“Neither do you.” I said. “You have been too focused on revenge, too connected with the world of the living, to learn anything of the gods.”
“The gods gave me this power!” She snapped.
“The gods kept me alive, which is more success than you were able to manage.” I replied.
“Shahera!” Niku was farther away than I expected. The eight elderly ghosts were approaching me slowly. Quella purred on my head and I felt my power focus in an instant.
“You will watch as your village and your precious Ellery are torn apart.” The woman growled.
“Don’t threaten my family.” I said, letting my sparks increase in strength and magnitude.
“I am your family.” “Not anymore.” I threw my sparks at the eight elder ghosts, shoving fire against them. They screamed, a horrible, sickening sound similar to the screech of rock rubbing against rock. The woman before me glowered as my majik burned the ghosts down to their bones. My Kinetic abilities smashed the bones into dust and spread the dust across the field. I turned my gaze back to the green eyes that mirrored the fury I had.
“You will regret fighting against me, child.” Her voice hissed in my mind.
“All talk and no actions. Prove it, old lady.” I snapped. She raised a hand and pointed at the group of Rogues behind me. I spun around at the shout of surprise. She was using the majik she had absorbed to lift the group into the air. The children swarmed the group, attacking them viciously. Majik of all different colors exploded into the air as the trained Rogues tried to fight off the fourteen bloodthirsty children.
I turned to the three Kinetics in front of me. One young man, who looked my age, smiled flirtatiously at me. Luka. The other man was older than Loïc and looked very unpleasant. My mother joined hands with them and they focused on me. Pure agony soared through my veins as they shoved all their majik at me.
“You have power. But you lack control and focus.” She said.
“You can’t defeat me.” “People keep telling me what I can and can’t do.” I replied through gritted teeth.
“So, you are weak-spirited. I am doing you a service by killing you.” I was lifted in the air as my body spasmed with torturous majik. They were using their power to contract my muscles and invade my senses. They kept shoving majik into my brain, hoping to drive me mad.
“Nope.” I shoved back, throwing all of the majik they shoved into me back at them. I collapsed on the ground in a heap. Quella fell off my head and landed in my lap, wheezing softly. The three ghosts also fell backwards, although none of them fell to the ground.
“What do you mean?” My mother looked more disheveled than before, but it wasn’t enough. I wouldn’t be able to destroy her like I had the elderly.
“She has the tendency of going against everyone’s expectations.” Ellery’s voice made my heart stop. I wasn’t likely to survive the fight, so there was no way Ellery could. “She’s kind of annoying that way.”
“So, this is your sweetheart? Very handsome.” She nodded approvingly.
“Not much in the brains, though, is he?” “Stay behind me.” I said, getting to my feet and placing Quella on my shoulder. She growled and scurried to the top of my head again.
“I can help.” Ellery insisted quietly.
“Help the other Rogues.” I replied. “The children have very little, if any, majik.”
“I’m not leaving you.” Ellery argued.
“Aw, how sweet.” She sneered at us.
“He’s going to die for you.” “No one else is going to die!” Ellery snapped.
“Save Melo, Basra, Eaie, and Jorje.” I hissed. “They will die unless you get them out of the fire.” Ellery sighed heavily and my mother took the opportunity to strike. Instant panic filled my senses as I realized she was attacking Ellery. She couldn’t hurt him. She couldn’t kill him. Nothing could happen to him.
It clicked.
Whatever I had been missing that gave me the ability to focus and control my majik and to speak properly slid into place as my panic over the potential death of Ellery froze time for a second. Everything made sense. I
knew how to use Quella to our best advantage. I
knew how to use my majik efficiently. I
knew the best way to keep Ellery safe. I
knew what I had been missing. I could save the village. I could save Ellery.
“Don’t you
dare touch him.” Somehow, I had managed to throw up a wall between my mother and Ellery in the split second between her throwing her majik at him and it actually hitting him. Ellery gasped quietly and I knew he knew something big had just happened. I felt the majik pushing against my wall, but it didn’t hurt.
“What did you just do?” She looked furious as her majik strained against my protective wall. The two men on either side of her added their majik to hers, trying to break me.
“I just figured out how to kill you.”
“You arrogant fool!” She snarled at me, shifting the majik from my wall directly to me. Exquisite agony tore at me, pulling a scream from my lips.
“No! Shahera!” I could hear Ellery, but all I could see was the cold, harsh blue of my mother’s eyes.
“You can’t have him.” I growled, letting the majik that was attacking my body flow into mine. I used their power to boost my wall.
“Clever, child.” She smiled as if I had pleased her.
“Very clever. I am afraid, however, that it will do you no good. I focused that majik and I can tear it down.” Their aim changed to the wall and I collapsed on the ground again. I wasn’t sure how many more times I would be able to get up after enduring their torture. My wall stood firm, their majik insulating me from the pain of their attack. I focused on Melo and Basra and getting them behind my shield with my Kinetic powers. Once they were safe, I brought an unconscious Eaie and a sobbing Jorje to safety. Quella what shaking violently by the time I finished. The power was there, but my focus was nearly shot. I couldn’t keep up the battle if I lost my focus.
“I reworked your majik.” I said, gingerly getting to my feet. “It won’t hurt him no matter what you do.” The three Kinetics stopped and stared at me.
“You are much more annoying than you appear.” She said.
“Yeah.” I sighed, trying to ignore the steady ache in my limbs. “I get that a lot.” Ellery was yelling something, but I couldn’t concentrate enough to hear the words. Hopefully it was good news. Majik was thrown at me again. I threw up a mirror, deflecting all their majik back to them. They weren’t harmed by it, but it kept me from having to absorb all the power. I took a quick stock of how I was doing. My nose bled freely and cuts ranged up and down my body from where the majik was strongest when it hit me. A hand touched my shoulder and a calm wave swept through me, distracting me from the pain and the weariness.
“Use our power.” Niku urged me. I shook my head.
“I don’t need power.” I gritted out. “I need focus.”
“You can do this.” Both Niku and I knew that I had to come up with the focus myself. All he could do was encourage me. “I’m here for you.”
“All your helpers are dead.” I called to the woman. “We will never let you kill this village. Take the two in the jailhouse and be at peace.”
“I see.” The woman eyed Niku and me, shutting off the flow of power. Gratefully, I dropped the mirror and watched as she turned to the village. Abruptly, I expanded my wall so it encompassed the rest of the village, but not the jailhouse. It nearly toppled Quella off my head. I almost didn’t make it work.
“You do not trust your mother?” “My mother died seventeen years ago.” I replied.
“Focus.” Niku murmured. Quella whined from the top of my head. My body shook as I struggled to hold my power in check. It was taking too much focus to guard the entire village. A small wall to protect a few people was fine. I needed the whole village directly behind me if I was to ensure their safety. I felt a surge of foreign majik add to my wall, building it up stronger. The Rogues were helping me. I knew when my mother had killed the couple in jail when she turned back to me with a demonic grin.
“That felt good.” “Be at peace.” I ordered. “Your vengeance is completed.”
“It is too late.” She smiled.
“The whole village must die. I will tear this mountain down from underneath it.” “What about the Rogues?” I asked, desperately.
“They chose the wrong side.” “Aurélie!” Da’s hand grasped my other shoulder, lending his physical strength to me while I struggled to remain standing. “What has happened to you?”
“My love.” She smiled at him, sweetly.
“You have been fighting for justice for me for years. Join me in killing this worthless village.” “Aurélie, you can’t destroy this village.” Da said. Her face fell.
“You’d choose this pathetic place over your wife, Loïc? You told me that you would always fight for me.” She said.
“I choose our children.” Da replied. “Do you remember them?”
“They fight against me!” “They are wonders, aren’t they?” Da spoke as if she hadn’t said anything. “Our little Shahera has grown into a powerful Adept. She has only
just learned her focus this week, and only
just got her familiar today. And Niku, our little boy is the most powerful Empath the Rogues have ever seen. He is soon to be wed to a powerful Hunter in her own right.”
“Why do you tell me this?” “I am so proud of our children, Aurélie. They have grown into the most strong-willed, talented, and powerful people I have ever known. They take after you. But, my love, they haven’t been able to truly live yet. Shahera lived her whole life in physical pain from abuse while Niku has dealt with the emotional pain of losing his mother and sister.”
“I wasn’t allowed to live at all.” “You suffered a terrible fate, my love.” Da said. “But, you gave birth to two of the most brilliant Rogues our society has ever witnessed. Don’t make them suffer the same fate as their mother.”
“Shahera said I wasn’t her mother. That her mother died years ago.” “Only because you do not act like her mother.” Da shook his head. “Aurélie, you are attacking your own children and wishing death upon them. No mother does that.”
“So I am not their mother.” “You are misguided, love.” Da interrupted her before she could become angry. “Think about when you were alive. You lived and breathed for Niku and Shahera. You
died protecting our little girl. Why would you want them dead, now?”
“They do not remember. They do not wish for revenge.” “They were children. They can’t remember.”
“They do not care to remember!” She snapped.
“We were slaughtered mercilessly and now the one person I was sure I could count on has betrayed me! Loïc, you will regret this decision.” “I don’t think so.” Da said. “I will always love you, Aurélie, but our children are the future. We have to give the future a chance.”
“No!” Majik made the ground shake with the word.
“I will not be denied my vengeance! I have waited nearly seventeen years to murder this village!” Abruptly, all three remaining ghosts disappeared.
“That’s not good.” Niku muttered. Pure agony shot through my veins a moment later. I screamed, but it was swallowed back by a force I couldn’t control. Quella hissed and scampered up Da’s arm, glaring at me from his shoulder. My muscles spasmed uncontrollably as I lost control of my body. I fell to the ground in a heap, twitching as tears flowed freely from my eyes.
“Don’t fight me.” She was inside me. No, not just her. All three. Their voices were merged as one. They merged souls. My mother was truly gone. Da and Niku held my arms down tightly, trying to keep me from clawing my eyes out with my fingernails.
“This way, you, at least, will be kept alive. Isn’t that what you want?” “Get out.” I growled out loud. I was fighting myself physically, mentally, and majikally, desperately trying to keep control. Quella hissed at me every time the Rogues fought back, as if she could tell by looking at me what they were trying to do. I was terrified of what would happen if they took over. Would I be shoved aside and be forced to watch while they controlled me? Would I be absorbed into their consciousness and lose myself forever? I had just gained the focus and control I needed to speak normally and learn about my powers. I wasn’t ready to give up on it yet. And what about Ellery? I couldn’t survive without him.
“Your majik is powerful. With my focus, I will use it to tear down this mountain and kill everyone on it.” “No.” My voice was fading. I was losing.
“Join us.” The voice spoke through my lips. I managed to shake my head violently and clamp my jaws shut.
“Shahera!” Niku was freaking out, as was Da, and it terrified me.
“Don’t cry, my darling.” The voice issuing from my lips wasn’t human anymore. My family was talking to me, but I couldn’t understand them. It took everything I had to fight the force of the three combined wills and not be destroyed in the process. My majik flowed over my skin, attempting to burn my family away from me.
“No.” My lips moved, but no sound came out.
"Stop struggling. I have control of your body.” They continued to try and force my sparks to hurt my family. I shook my head.
“I won’t kill them. Yet.” I wouldn’t let my power hurt my family. I couldn’t.
“Don’t. Touch.” Every word felt like a knife to my gut. “My. Family.”
“You’re strong, my sweet. But not stronger than me.” “Go. To. Hell.” I ground out.
“After you.” My body sat up, pulling away from my family. I lost control completely. My body stood up and looked at the sparking on my fingers. My hand shot out and tore down the majik wall. Ellery stood protectively over Basra and Melo. My legs walked over to the dying Eaie and the crying Jorje.
“Pathetic.” “No!” Niku slid to a stop between my body and them, shielding them. Tears leaked from my eyes as I cried in relief. The spirit was going to kill them and absorb the majik from their death. It would have made it far too powerful for anyone to stop. My hand shot out and sparks flew at Niku. He collapsed in pain and I screamed soundlessly.
“Stop!” Ellery stood between my body and my brother, absorbing the majik.
“No!” My voice issued from my mouth. My split-second of control allowed me to halt the agony that doubled Ellery over.
“Well,” I lost control again,
“You truly do love the mundane idiot. No matter. My control will overpower your meager will soon enough.” My hand clenched and the ground began to tremble. The spirit wasn’t going to wait any longer. Ellery looked at me, terror filling his gold gaze.
“Shahera.” He reached out a hand to me.
“Fool. Shahera can’t do a thing.” My hand pointed at him and he screamed. I tugged at the control, fighting it tooth and nail until the majik flow stopped. Ellery was spasming on the ground and the spirit was laughing in my head. He slowly got to his feet and gingerly took a few steps towards me.
“Don’t do this.” He begged, stumbling as the ground began to shake. Once again, my hand gestured and the pain hit him. He dropped to his knees, desperate to stay upright even as he screamed uncontrollably. I died watching him. The spirit took joy in my emotional agony. I fought it, trying to get it to release him. The sadistic mind, so near my own, stopped the pain to see what would happen next. For entertainment. Ellery pulled himself to his feet and looked at me.
“Please, Shahera.”
“Shahera is here no longer.” I screamed in my head as a quake caused Ellery to stumble forward into majik. His screams terrified me to my very soul. I threw myself against the spirit, desperate to get the torture to stop. Tears streamed from my eyes and it seemed to be the only thing I could control. The spirit cackled madly as it turned off the flow of power. It was using
my majik to hurt
my husband.
“She is there.” Ellery was panting as he got to his feet. He hugged my body tightly as if his touch would bring me out as much as it was keeping him upright. “Shahera, if you can hear me,” He held me close even though I was hurting him, “I love you.” He cupped my face in his hands, trying to find me even as my majik slowly killed him. Tears of pain or terror, I couldn’t tell which, streamed from his eyes.
“D…don’t.” I don’t know how I got the word out. “Run.”
“No.” Ellery hugged me tightly. “I’m not going to abandon you ever again.” I knew I was sobbing. “I can’t live without you.”
“I can’t watch you die.” My voice clawed its way out of my throat.
“Aww. How sweet. Fortunately for you, honey, I’m going to kill you momentarily, so living without her will be a non-issue. Unfortunately for her, I’m going to kill you momentarily.” “I love you, Shahera. I trust you.” He smiled at me. I don’t know how he was smiling. He was about to die. “I’m not leaving you. I will never leave you.” The sudden onslaught of majik caught us both by surprise. He screamed and his body twitched violently against mine as he clung to me in his agony. My body pulled away from him as he shrieked. Abruptly, his voice stopped and his body froze. I died on the inside.
“No!” I threw all my rage, all my terror, and all my panic at the spirit that took my body. They killed my husband and
that was
not happening. All my fury took on a force it couldn’t match and it shoved the spirit out of my mind, leaving me oddly empty. I dropped to my knees as the earth’s quakes grew stronger. People were screaming in the village. “Don’t leave me.” I hugged his head, sobbing. “Come back. Don’t leave!”
“Shahera!” Da called to me. “The mountain is collapsing!”
“Don’t leave me! You said. You said!” I whispered to him. My sparks flickered over my skin in my terrified emotional state. I threw all my majik at him, focusing it into Healing power. I could Heal him. He would be all right. He said he wouldn’t leave me. He
said.
“Shahera!” Niku grabbed my arm. I fought against my brother, still Healing him. “He’s not coming back!”
“You said!” I was hysterical. “You
said!” Niku dragged me off him, trying to calm me down. Da helped Niku hold me back, away from him. I was screaming, words or sounds, I don’t know. I fought against my family. He had to be saved. He had to be alive. He said.
“Shahera.” Da’s voice was quiet and made me pause. “He’s dead.”
“No!” I sobbed, still fighting them.
“Yes. The mountain is going to kill everyone else. You have to stop it.” Da said.
“You said…” I watched his motionless body, ignoring the violently shaking ground and the terror from the village.
“Shahera!” Da tried to pull my attention. “Save the village. Save your family.”
“I don’t
want to!” I screamed at him. “I have to save him!”
“Shahera –”
“
Stop it!” I fought desperately to get to him. “Let me go!”
“No!” Niku tugged me back. “You have to let him go!”
“Let
me go!”
“Save this mountain!” Niku snapped.
“
FINE!” My word shot majik straight through my bones and into the ground. The ground instantly stopped quaking and Niku and Da were thrown off me. I scrambled to his side. “You
said! Come back, dammit!”
“You cannot reverse death.” The spirit wasn’t gone yet.
“He’s
not dead!” I snapped. “
You hurt him.” I didn’t even recognize my own voice. The spirit screamed a bone-chilling, agonizing sound as my majik tore it apart. “Goodbye, Mum.” I spat.
“You can’t save him.” Niku said in the quiet that followed.
“You are
not going to leave me.” I growled. “You
said.”
“Shahera, don’t –”
“Come back, you ass!” I yelled, throwing all my majik at him in the effort to pull him back. My vision swam and pure agony laced my limbs. I was using too much majik too quickly. Someone was yelling, but I couldn’t focus on that. Too much was at stake. He
had to live! He
had to come back. He said…
My body trembled and my vision slowly began to darken. Tears flowed down my face and my sparks began to shoot poison through me every time they flashed. I wasn’t just giving him my Healing majik. I was giving him my life. He still wasn’t moving. More majik. He had to be all right. He had to come back. More majik. The screaming became white noise as my vision faded to only his face. His beautiful face. More majik. Come back to me. More majik. Why aren’t you waking up? More majik. Don’t be a butt head. Why is my majik fading? I can’t let you just
leave. You said. How much more majik do you need? You better not have lied to me. I’ll kick your ass. You said…
His eyes fluttered open and he gasped in air. He looked up at me, his gorgeous golden eyes dazed. I smiled. I saved him. He didn’t leave me. My vision blackened and someone screamed my name.
Yes, I’m terrible at writing fight scenes. I’m sorry. I have been ridiculously busy with my life and am completely exhausted. I also got to do some really exciting things in the past 24 hours so I’ve got a slight adrenaline withdrawal. And I remembered that you are all probably going to kill me if I don’t update soon.
Thanks to DrumerKyd
for reviewing! I really appreciate it! Also, I’m working on snippets of this story from Ellery’s perspective as well as a sequel to this story, told from Ellery’s perspective as well. But for now, my main focus is on my Harry Potter fic! Thank you, my lovelies! ~LP
