Chapter 25: Unstoppable Forces
The sisters who came after, and the one who followed. They all fight for something. Something great and grand. But the Sapphire ones only fight for each other, saving not the world, but their family. And the purest manifestation of that lives in a child's heart. A lost soul teaching her successor the lessons she herself couldn't learn.
A Thorn
Roisin
"Let me down, darling," I struggled against Jasmin's hold. Why wouldn't she let me fight? "Delia needs me! Va needs me!""Dearest, if I let you down, are you going to go and die in front of your family? Again?" She spoke not with Jasmin's voice, but with Salora's. It was hopeless to try convincing her if Salora was in control. "I cannot allow that."
"You said the same when we met in the Thornwood temple. You know you can't stop me. Now give me back my wife." The silver band on my finger chilled for a moment. "At least her I could talk some sense into."
"Oh, is that how it is?" Jasmin's voice returned. "Do you really think Salora's just taking control of me? Rude." She gripped me tighter, squeezing the air out of me. "I'm using her, she's using me. If we can't be integrated we can at least —"
Her expression went blank. The world paused for several heartbeats. Two of Delia stood in the middle of the fray, Asha continued drawing her bow, the advance of the beasts held. No. That was wrong. Delia stood, speaking with Aurelin. She was at last willing to accept she was wrong.
"— take advantage of each other's knowledge and skills." Jasmin's words continued just as Aurelin vanished. Her glow changed. I'd seen it a few times in the cycles, when Salora tried to unravel the future. She'd be gone long enough for me to —
"Don't bother. I'm fully aware of your silliness. Look ahead, dearest." She pointed toward the cliffs. Easier to see with the forest levelled. Two shadows were up there, one quickly closing the distance to the battlefield as the other dissipated. "Tides are changing. Must you —" She went from hope to horror in a blink. "You must promise not to die, Roisin."
"You're letting me go?"
"Only if you promise."
"Fine. I promise to try not to die, Jasmin."
"Run straight to Delia." I looked where her eyes were focused. Delia was crushing beast after beast. "She's about to need your help."
I leapt from Jasmin's arms and landed in front of the vast silverthorn briar she'd spread across the front of the town. As I recovered my senses, a horrified scream tore through me. Not the moment, but the future. I'd grown used to the sound, but this was different. It was Delia. Not getting injured, but falling to despair, destroying Lafleur again.
Calculating before I rushed forward, I reached back and took two silverthorns from Jasmin's masterpiece, placing them in my belt. Insurance. Thirty-two steps. Half of them depended on the Devourers being in the right place at the right moment. This would be fun.
One, two, three. Bursting forward and closing the gap. Four, five, six. Atop the first one and using its tail as a diving platform into the mess. I didn't have to fight until I was beside Delia. Ten, eleven, twelve. The perfect corridor to pass between the damned beasts.
The wind rushing past was a gale. I'd never moved that fast, and perhaps I should revise my step count. Twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five. No, I was right on track. Draw out Poisoned Truth. The silverthorn sabre I'd used to kill the Fiend.
Twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one. I was at last beside Delia, but one step remained. Why had I counted.
"Thirty-two." I said aloud as the sabre slid through the neck of a Devourer attempting to take Delia from behind. "Right."
"You're late, sister of mine." Delia's dry voice spoke fatigue and fear. "That wife of yours is a bit controlling, no?"
"In her defence," I said with a smirk as I lifted Delia from the ground, using the tricks Micah had shown me, "she had to watch me die to my own foolishness a hundred thousand times. And with Salora's vision back, that's increased a million-fold."
I began fighting the Devourers with my free hand as I held Delia with the other.
"Two choices, sister," I offered. "Go where I tell you or I toss you to the far side of Powell's Square with some help from Talia."
"Where am I going?"
"To Jasmin. You and she are going to work with Nyxara and Deona."
"How do you know all this?"
"No time." How do you tell your sister that the divine light at the heart of the world revealed the path to victory while you were dead? You don't, that's how. "Make your choice."
"Jasmin."
"Good girl. Protect my wife, or I'll never forgive you, Deels."
"Protect my sister, or I will personally raise you from the dead and give you a few more scars, Ros."
I threw her with all my might, putting every bit of cold-flame into the effort, and turned back toward the fight. A thousand hungry mouths stood between me and the other three. This would be fun.
A Huntress
Asha
"Deep breath," the voice in my head was kind and soft, almost sad. "You remember the temple. You did it then, you can do it now."Aunt Rosie and Aunt Jazzy were on the ground fighting those scary things. How could two people fight so many monsters? How was everyone so calm about fighting when there was no way —
Everything started getting dark. How could I help? I didn't learn how to use a bow. I barely knew how to use a fork.
"It's much the same, little one." That voice wasn't mine or Momma's or anyone I knew. But it was safe and calm. "You think of what you want to poke with the fork, and you poke it. You think of what you want to hit with the arrow, and you hit it."
"Yes, but what if I miss?"
"So you're actually speaking back now?"
"Please, miss voice person. I need to help Momma and the others."
"I have a name, you know." She was laughing. "And I'll tell you my name, little one, if you trust me."
She was so nice, ever since my hair turned like Aunt Rosie's. Why was she so nice to me?
"You're wondering why I'm so nice, aren't you?"
I felt my eyes go wide. "How did you know?"
"Because I felt the same way when I met the first Despairing Truth." She was really sad then. "And I couldn't understand why someone would be so nice. Why be nice to me? She had so much else she could do."
"Was she your Momma?"
"Goddess, no," the voice said softly. "She was the first person who loved me the way your Momma and Daddy love each other."
"Like Aunt Rosie and Aunt Jazzy."
"Exactly. And she loved me so much that it scared me," she sighed, "so I ran away. I met a man. I married him. We had a baby. The man I married disappeared one sun. Poof. Gone. And I was left with the baby."
"Did the lady come back to help?"
"I wouldn't let her, little one. And that's why everything fell apart." Things went through my mind. Bad things. Scary things. "I'm sorry you're wrapped up in this. If I'd just let her love me, this would've been so much better. And you and your Momma wouldn't have to fight."
"What's your name?"
"Linna."
"Like my dolly?"
"Indeed. But I'm not your dolly. I'm something so very different." A long breath. "Will you trust me now, Asha?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good girl. Deep breath, look out on the battlefield. What do you think is the biggest trouble?"
I traced my eyes around. Mrs. Reed and Momma were fighting, pushing through monster after monster. But every time one of the big furry ones showed up, they got pushed back.
"Those bear wolf things."
"Good girl. Aim, breathe, draw, hold, breathe, aim, release. Can you do that for me?"
The fire in my hand was warm, not hot as I did what she told me. When I let it go, it shot across and landed right in front of Momma. One of the big bear wolf things was about to hurt her.
"Excellent. Now do it again, but think about as many as you can."
I repeated the motion, and a hundred fires flew out, taking down the bear wolf things in big groups.
"Good girl. Don't overwork yourself."
We went on like that for a while. She'd talk to me, telling me about her life before. The love she had with her son. The woman he eventually married. The way the world changed. And I would keep trying to slow down the scary monsters.
After a while, the whole ground shook, and big huge scary vines spread across the city. Aunt Jazzy did that the sun that Aunt Rosie got tired.
"Your family are very good to you, Asha. Take care of them."
"Miss Linna," I said softly, "why can't I hurt the lizards?"
"I don't know, little one. Would you like to try?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Then you know what to do."
I raised the bow and aimed toward one of the lizards that was getting close to the vines. I drew back, readying the shot. The flame that lit wasn't red. It was bright blue, like Aunt Rosie's hair. As it released, it tore through the air like a shock, shrieking like the scary lizards.
When it hit, the lizard was gone, and everyone was looking at me, even the monsters.
"Good girl, little one. A fine Huntress you'll be, if you want it."
"I need to get down there and help." I looked down and saw Momma coming my way. Not on foot, but through the air. She wasn't flying. She was flailing. Her feet landed right next to me like she meant to do that. "Momma! I hugged her close."
"Oh my little one. Aunt Rosie is too strong for our own good." She laughed. "How are you doing up here?"
"I want to help, Momma. I can help."
"Yes you can. Do you want me to get you down to the ground? The rest of us have to stay back and save the town."
"Please, Momma. I want to help."
"Are you going to keep yourself safe?"
"I'm going to keep everyone safe."
"Good girl."