‘No…’ Marana mumbled. Quivering, she turned towards Efiros slowly, eyes wide in fear. His snout, baring sharp white fangs, was dangerously close to her head. She whispered, her voice shaky, ‘No… down boy. It’s not what it looks like. I’m tryin’ to help.’ Efiros had no intention of backing down. No one touched Zov’ha without going through him first. His growls were getting louder. ‘No, hush hush, look I’m puttin’ it back. I’m puttin’ the chip back.’
Marana’s hand shook, and she found it difficult to unload the chip from her wristband. When she finally managed it, she unceremoniously shoved it back into the coin-sized implant on Zov’ha’s chest. Realising too late what she had done, she gasped and took a few steps back as Zov’ha woke up.
‘Efy,’ Zov’ha mumbled, groggy-eyed, her brows knotted in confusion. ‘What…’ Marana’s wrist still displayed the hologram of Zov’ha’s anatomy, which spun lazily as the gyrosphere of the device was now disoriented. The graphs and data were all displaying error messages in red as the chip was no longer in the wristband. ‘Marana? You…’ She looked down at her exposed chest implant and hastily zipped herself. ‘Why? I trusted you!’
Efiros’ growls were now loud enough to wake up the travellers upstairs. Marana kept walking back as Efiros drove her into a corner.
‘I… I was only tryin’ to help you, Zov, I…’ Marana knew that it was no use arguing. Nothing she said would make a difference — the trust was broken. She had betrayed the fair-haired woman. Zov’ha appeared neither angry nor upset, but the whites of her eyes had turned pitch black, making her grey irides appear bright, as if glowing. This frightened Marana more than anything.
Zov’ha clenched her fists and spikes emerged from the back of her hand. Realising that she had somehow activated the Frost Ash unconsciously, Zov’ha concentrated, trying to stay calm and retract the deadly weapons. I cannot hurt Marana, no matter how angry I am. But to her surprise, she felt dust spilling out from between her fingers. She gasped and opened her hand — it was empty but covered in soil. The back of her hand had also transformed — the skin around her knuckles had receded to expose her bones that had swollen and appeared stone-like. Her arms felt stronger and harder — the spikes that had emerged were not icy, but rocky — grey and white. What is this? Zov’ha recognised a similar texture on the stone tiles of the floor. So… if there is no snow around me… I can imitate rocks? Water, and maybe even clay? She concentrated on the dust motes and the soil lodged between the cracks in the stone tiles. She could taste their metallic texture and smell the fragrance of earth. It almost felt like there was soil on her tongue, and she clenched her jaws, trying not to swallow. But the more she thought about it, the more dirt began spilling from her hands, as if she had been holding a fistful the whole time.
She ceased inspecting herself and glared at Marana. The Mechanov had turned pale as a ghost — such fear Zov’ha had never intended to cause… to anyone, let alone her friend. But would a friend betray her as Marana had? What reason did she have to nonconsensually view Zov’ha’s data? No one knew who she really was, not even herself. It was her secret to keep! And Efiros, she thought, was right to interrupt Marana.
No… Marana probably had good intentions. She is not the enemy. Zov’ha closed her eyes, forcing herself again to calm down. The influence of rock and soil seemed to surge. She felt elated now, unstoppable even. Only now she realised how much she had craved this sensation… whatever it was. Euphoria? It was not like this with Frost Ash. Frost is harder to control. It is anger, but that I can manage. Water is calming. Rocks, on the other hand, are euphoric… I feel overjoyed and unstoppable. She did not want to cease the surge… but she might end up harming someone. No. What can I do to stop this? Marana deserves to be hurt for what she did to me. She lied. Stole! And Lint too must die. He started this. He must die first!
She felt like laughing —- perhaps she was, she didn’t know. But then she heard something… a hum. A growl? Efiros. No… Efy! I may hurt him if I do not stop this now. Efy is innocent. Within seconds she felt the taut sensations on her skin fade away. The weight of the spikes on her arms dissipated. The emotional rush abated, and she felt it drain out of her. It was replaced by a dreadful feeling of loss and dissatisfaction. Annoyed, she opened her eyes but quickly turned away. ‘Come on, Efy,’ she said dully, as if disheartened. ‘It’s time to go.’
Marana did not move a muscle even when she saw all of Zov’ha’s anomalies disappear. She sighed in relief as Efiros backed off, and softly called out to Zov’ha. Zov’ha ignored her call and headed towards the exit. Stepping out into the chill of the Aerozan night, Zov’ha was unsure where she was heading, as long as she could get away from here. Her brisk walk turned into a jog. Her jog, then, into a run. In a few minutes she was sprinting, with the bear cub at her side — the two of them heading toward the wilderness.
Marana chased after Zov’ha but in the twilight of Nightflame she was blinded. Hopping out onto the porch and the courtyard, she concentrated on any sound she could discern. Towards the east she heard a rumble — Zov’ha’s bright hair was visible as a tiny dot in the distance, and Marana thought, this was probably the last time she would ever see her. But it was not Zov’ha that had caught her attention — it was that distant rumble. Then she noticed a dark haze on the horizon to the northeast. Smoke.
At dawn the hills north of Pilopia were dotted with the silhouette of what looked like a grand army. The pilgrims had all been alerted to move to the bunkers underground, but there was not enough room for all. The handful of guards that the Knights of Evalon had stationed to secure the Nightflame Festival were the only force, unprepared as they were, standing between the attackers and the village.
‘There may be thousands of them,’ Landking Irec mumbled. He had been distraught ever since Marana had alerted the village, just before dawn, of the enormous invasion force of raiders ready to crash into the village of Pilopia. ‘The only way to survive this is to try to escape, Segran, we cannot fight!’
‘And what?,’ Segran grunted in response, one arm on his brother’s shoulder. ‘Be cut down as we run? They have hoverbikes and siege tanks!’
‘And not to mention weapons with those explosive crystals,’ Marana warned them. ‘They are not here to plunder, Irec. They are here to kill.’
‘Marana is right,’ came a voice from a hologram on the table. It was High Knight Gyvaen Ram. She had been promoted after the previous High Knight, who Sinovan remembered dearly for saving his life, had sacrificed himself to protect his comrades from the explosive crystals that had injured Segran. Unlike her predecessor, Ram had an air of authority — she was forthright and pragmatic, and she sounded like someone used to giving orders. ‘Recent investigations of the raiders’ activities and their expansion around Aeroz seems to point towards terrorism. Their intentions are clear — relentless massacre. However, what their ultimate goal is we do not know yet. Another thing… We do not know where they are procuring these crystal-powered weapons from either. M.A.R.T. has promised analysis of the crystals we have at hand, but we have no results as yet.’ Marana averted her eyes. The only evidence of crystals — Zov’ha’s lance — was now destroyed. M.A.R.T. had nothing to analyse.
‘How long until we have reinforcements, High Knight?’ Irec said, almost whimpering.
‘My squadrons have already been deployed from the nearest bases,’ Ram replied. ‘But…’ she paused deliberately. The situation was grave and she wanted to give a realistic picture. ‘We have to consider the possibility that help may not come in time. We have a two-pronged plan. We fight only as a decoy. The goal is to flee. How are the tunnels in the bunker, Landking?’
‘Dilapidated… most of them,’ Irec replied. ‘Only one was accessible the last we checked, but that may have caved in since.’
‘The guards will create a distraction,’ Ram continued. ‘All who can stay and fight must move towards the dam. Irec, you must lead the rest through the tunnel. A squadron will be sent to the moors where the tunnels exit. Use the M451 exits.’
‘You hightailin’ back to Aeroz?’ Marana stomped into the shed where Lint had been waiting for her on his hoverbike.
‘Stayin’ll be the end of us,’ Lint protested. She walked straight up to him and stood in front of the hoverbike. ‘Marana, this ain’t our battle.’
‘And leave these innocent peasants to die?’ Marana showed no intention of letting him go. ‘Stand up for somethin’ at least once in your life, Lint! Always runnin’ away like chicken shit! We’re not leavin’!’
‘Look,’ he said, whispering this time. ‘No one in M.A.R.T, except Parpa, knows we’re out here. You wanna get into trouble showin’ up among the casualties?’
Marana was caught off guard, but she gathered herself, ‘So can’t two Aerozan’s drive down for Nightflame? Ain’t done nothin’ wrong, Lint!’
‘Seems suspicious that we got ourselves involved with Zov again,’ Lint started the hoverbike’s ignition, adamant of making a run for it. ‘Not throwin’ my life away for a bunch of peasants. And neither should you.’
‘How’re you even gonna get past the goons?’ Marana leaned in and turned off the bike’s ignition, placing her hand firmly on the start button. ‘They’ll snipe your ass like a damn goose in fall!’
‘Takin’ the southern highway,’ Lint huffed, exasperated. ‘Makin’ a run towards the mountains and then turn East.’
‘Into Xerbia? Are you outta your damn mind?’
‘Marana, come with me.’ Lint pleaded, leaning forward. ‘It’s not worth it. When we reach Aeroz, we’ll get KOE to rain hell on these bastards.’
Marana saw reason in his words. The two-pronged strategy would work, but all those who joined the decoy would die. ‘I can’t leave ’em to die… I…’
‘You’re leaving?’ Came Sinovan’s voice from behind them. He walked in with a rundown gun in his hand — old weapons that Irec was handing out to those who would form the decoy squad. ‘You won’t help?’ Marana looked at him with concern but said nothing. He placed the gun in a corner and walked up to the two of them, and Marana saw concern in his eyes. His dark red skin shone in the faint rays of sunlight that stole through the cracks on the roof. ‘I haven’t seen Zovhara. Where is she?’
Marana had forgotten about the incident at night. She had forgotten Zov’ha had left. Everyone had been so preoccupied by the threat of the raiders that Zov’ha’s absence had gone unnoticed. Now it struck her — without Zov’ha they really were heading to their doom. Lint was right, it was time to leave.
‘Sin, come with,’ she finally managed. She was stuttering now, moving towards the backseat of the hoverbike. ‘Nothin’ but death for us here. Take my buggy. Bring Segran, we can leave!’
‘No!’ Sinovan would never dream of abandoning the villagers and the pilgrims. ‘Marana,’ he emphasised every word slowly, both his hands gesturing to Marana to slow down, ‘where is Zovhara?’
Lint started the hoverbike again as Marana climbed in behind him. She was in tears, looking afraid and hopeless. ‘I’m sorry,’ she mouthed over the sound of the engine, and the two of them dashed away leaving Sinovan alone and confused in the shed.
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