Eshami and I took the pathway to the right with weapons at the ready, and Koriya stepped along quietly beside me. She seemed wary of something, and it was beginning to damage my calm.

After a moment of walking, our group came to a metallic device that appeared to lift and lower to other levels of the ship.

“This should take us up to the Control Room,” I stated with a false confidence that I’d gotten used to using while on this ship.

Koriya stumbled and fell against the far wall. “Oh!” she cried in what could either be surprise or arousal.

I surmised this is where she would try to spring her trap so I approached, cautious.

“Are you alright?” I asked her with forced concern.

But she truly didn’t look well, and I leaned in to check on her. She’d begun to sweat profusely, and she was shivering uncontrollably.

“Eshami?” I waved over my healer companion, as she reached into her bag and withdrew her holy book, old and dog-eared throughout its many worn pages. She thumbed to a specific page and flipped it open to show me without saying a word.

I read the words at the top of the page:

Protection from Evil

Was that why Eshami was skulking around? She had cast a spell to suppress her aura, effectively making herself nigh invisible to evil creatures — such as Koriya?

Koriya cried out in pain again, grasping her head in her hands.

I grabbed the woman with both arms, and she screamed— a piercing sound that nearly deafened me. Eshami dropped to one knee so she could better focus on her book — the inspiration for her spells. Had she thought of something that I had not?

“Koriya!” I said forcefully. “What’s the matter?”

She looked up, tears in her eyes. “He’s done it. Xash has broken free!”

She stood up, a wave of telekinetic energy shot out, forcing me back to the other side of the corridor and sending sparks flying.

“He has awoken. And you must die!”

Her hands ignited in reddish flames, and her eyes followed suit. She wasted no time diving after me, screaming “Your flesh! I must have it!”

I brought my blackened blade to bear, but she appeared to be in some kind of frenzy, and allowed the blade to penetrate her flesh without notice. She clawed at me, trying to grab hold of my face — perhaps to eat me?

She wrestled with me, but I managed to keep her at bay — only just!

“Hold, vile Demon!” came a voice to my side. I turned my head to see Eshami’s figure — finally out of the shadows — glowing with a magical aura of brilliant light. Her voice boomed with divine power. Was she about to lay the smackdown on this woman in my defense?

“My divine gifts have shown to me your true depravity,” she called, “and I have held my tongue, but no longer. I call upon the powers of my Goddess to smite thee in righteous flame!” 

At this point, even Koriya turned to regard the audacious priestess as her sword glowed with divine magic.

“Your hero is mine to do with as I please!” Koriya hissed at her, pulling herself off of me and stepping back. She now stood between us and the direction we needed to go — the strange elevating device.

“You are misinformed, Demoness,” Eshami growled back, “the Hero is under my protection, and by the Divine Light I’ll not let you twist their heart towards darkness!”

The enraged priestess dove toward Koriya in a flurry of radiant fire and swordplay. I watched in awe as my usually timid companion put it all on the line to defend me.

She was brutal and elegant in her attacks, but Koriya gave as good as she got, slinging dark energy bolts and flaming orbs. The corridor erupted in fire and debris, and I struggled to stand thinking I might need to dodge an errant attack any moment!

I brought myself between the two fighting women, dodging magical blasts, evading Koriya’s sharp talons, and parrying Eshami’s blade. I needed to put a stop to this battle before the ship took any serious damage!

Already the hallway was in shambles and the lights were beginning to flicker erratically. Smoke started to steam out of a new vent created by an exploding arcane blast.

Eshami struck with her longsword suddenly, and I only just parried it with my own blade, knocking it harmlessly aside. But I fell for her feint — my combat style must have grown on her — and her other hand was ready with a spear of conjured ice, which plunged deep into Koriya’s chest!

There was pure shock painted across Koriya’s face as she stumbled backward. She screamed in what can only be frustration before she fell to her knees.

“Demons be slain,” Eshami whispered in a hushed prayer as Koriya fell down, the fire in the demon’s eyes rapidly departing.

The priestess dropped to her knees in a great emotional cry — not entirely unlike Koriya’s in her death throes, I noted. I stepped over to her and crouched down, embracing her in a supportive and caring hug. “I couldn’t risk losing you,” she whimpered almost inaudibly.

“You won’t.” I wiped a tear from her cheek. “We need to get back to the Control Room,” I instructed, grabbing her trembling hand gently.

From her quiet and reserved life in the Pendown cathedral to slaying powerful demons on a prison arc among the stars, the young elf’s bravery had been nothing but admirable. I couldn’t help but applaud her transformation.

The two of us reached the lift device, and the doors opened silently as we approached.

I stepped in, and an image of Ketal appeared on a black panel on the wall as the doors whooshed shut.

“What is your destination?”

I looked at Eshami, whose own inner demons raged silently within her.

“Control Room, Ketal.”

It’s time for a rest.