Chapter 21

Eyes pealed apart to a bright sayk high overhead. It hurt as they adjusted, just like the rest. Hurt wasn’t right, a discomfort from a sleep in wherever she could find was the typical wakeup. WHat wasn’t typical was waking up on her own, without the jolt of danger during her own. Instead, sand scratched her scales and buffeted her skin warmly. She stirred, shaking off the grit and adjusting herself to her surroundings. Nothing but sandy dunes as far as she could see.

Nothing and no one. Am I alone? I’m alive? Was she not eaten or chased by those with murderous intent? She should be dead, no matter what happened. That voice she heard, what did it say again? She racked her brain. There wasn’t fog blocking the thought, nor the emptiness of the eaten memories, just a rousing like coming to realize that other people live lives just like she does. 

Then more came back to her. They were not the answers she wanted and only left her soul with more holes. The giant spared her, carrying her off as a lullaby. And there was her goal, what she could not go and do again. Another chance proposed itself to her. By the grace of Ah, she had another chance.

She was alive. She was alone. She would kill him.

He had left her, had found a place for himself, people for himself, and left her to rot. He did not care about her, just like everyone else. She would not be able to find Natrai, the zealot, or even the one from before. But she knew where he was, this Ellis. What she could do was to settle this score, leaving her with at least something.

And then what?

That didn’t matter. Nothing mattered but killing that person. No one would get in her way again. Life seemed so insignificant now, those instincts instilled in her by Natrai were unimportant. The only thing that mattered was that he received just what he deserved. He deserved recompense for all the pain he brought her, for why she would want memories of him gone, for forgetting about her.

The sayk was warm and the sand hot, but the cold winds of the coming frozen seasons cut her bitterly. She did not care, she had time to tend to her wounds later. THe sky called to her, the warmth of the sea of fire whispering comfort she could not find where she was. A comfort she felt internally, deep within her flame sac.

It warmed, sliding off like water off a seal. Her body trembled with eagerness, more ready than ever to finish her task. More ready than she had been that day in front of the Tuumon Kova. More ready than... she had ever remembered being?

Yaro rolled her shoulder. It felt amazing, no pain from sleeping on the hard stone ground of a city, no fatigue from flying for so long. No hole either, it was completely sealed. Her legs felt strong, ready to leap into and touch the sky before ever unfurling her wings. She stretched her wings, the gentle breeze rifling through her feathers like it looked for the correct file in a complete collection.

She took in a deep breath, the siphoned air of little fire no problem for a full flame sac. She had the strength to find him one final time. The decision would be made, as she easily took to the sky, did she force an explanation first?  Does she talk to him at all, grovel like she's looking for handouts? Of course not, she will find him and hold him by on scrawny arm and force her way into his mind. Then, she would know, she would know why the people he chose were so much more important than her, what heinous act he had done to her that he left. Then, then she would decide his fate whether she would send him to Tukk or to Yon.

The ring pulled north, away from the direct east she should have traveled. He was on the move. Was he running from someone; was he running from her? Even if he ran all the way to the end of Kald, she would find him again, she had the strength.

He’d gained more distance than she would have imagined, the zuyg rose, casting the night in its dim vermillion. Clouds seemed to be afraid of her as they were far off in the distance, leaving the darkened land bare before her. Lights speckled the scape, always in the chasms and never in the desert nor in the bordering jungles. She embraced the warmth of the air, the only thing in her possession now the ring. She would come as herself to him, bare but not exposed. She would come and finish it all, one way or another. Resolution seemed to guide her over the chasms towards him.

Those around Ellis, like that absurdly strong fairy or the drake family, they would surely try to stop her again. They seemed to have some connection, knowing his name and even coming to his aid. If only she knew their language, maybe she would be able to avoid the fight. Then only after she killed him she could escape or kill them too, if that’s the resolution that was to be had. But she would surely not be able to contain her rage and they would sense only that. A wall of enemies again, it seemed. The drake family were weak compared to her, the gorgon would be easy to handle, and the humi were an unknown. But that fairy… she did not have the mental strength to wrestle its ethereal hand and it was too tiny for her whips to lash. She could try breathing fire on it, though it would remove the final option as a surprise for any other fight.

The night dwelled dark and cold, air beginning to crispen as the ring dragged her down. The cold seasons would set in soon, she did not have time to think for an alternative to this confrontation --not that she would want to. Alone in the winter…

The ring, glowing like a beacon, grew strong as she approached, the chasms of her aura became filled with the forest of velvet and ivory. The irony was not lost on her as she looked down; she did not bother to try and see in the dark nor to sense who was there when she flew overhead. They would meet her with a challenge, that was all.

Whips of fire unfurl like banners of war.

From the darkness, a muddle figure begins to emerge. Yaro took her time, waiting for them to come to her. Eyes focus as best they can, but are unnecessary, the aura was strong and obvious. The woman in black atop that giant drake.

Kak, Yaro thinks. The fight would be a lot harder, but oh so worth it. It was only her, Yaro could manage to end her, to make her regret ever capturing and trying to enchant her.

Yaro drops as a gale of wind booms past. Yaro focuses effort on controlling the heat of her whips, increasing it enough to create more of a turbulence but not to burn her palms. She would kill that woman.

Yaro dove past another boom, easily twisting around it as though she could see the wind. Her mind remained open, ready to ensnare her like she did the followers, ready to let her know pain Yaro endured every day. She did not fall for the bait and remained tightly closed, aura only a false worry and confrontation. Yaro emanated her anger and determination.

Yaro encroached and the dragon opened its maw, quickly sending a torrent of fire up at her. Yaro saw it come slowly, enough time to figure out whether she could try the same trick with them or if this flame would be stronger and cause damage. She dove out of the way, tumbling much further than she needed to be to lash them.

A wall hits her, slamming into her like a vehicle. Breath is hard to find and the darkness of the night become everpresent for too many moments. Falling, that’s now what was supposed to be happening. Yaro righted herself, shaking at the blunt pain in her stomach. This woman, she had an insane strength of aura as well, her ethereal hand just as strong as the fairies. Her ribs were bokeh and it had to be blood that dribbled from her lips. What should have been pain felt like a fire kindling within her.

Yaro roared back, whips braced against her wings and flame sack puffing to gain height faster than she thought she could. She sped up at them, though the ring pulled her down.

The woman and drake avoided her flame whip lash, the Yon-bound giant far faster than she could have anticipated. Still, Yaro twisted, sending her second whip in their new direction. This made contact, Yaro felt the drake’s aura shout in orange, then purple, then red as her whip gouged its hide. Blood rained on her, hot and glorious. Natrai would be proud.

Yaro zoomed past, eyes closed. Her whole being committed to coast in the air, the wind taking her where she needed. All her focus honed on her sense of aura. The memories of the jyk came flooding, how it had felt, what things felt like, how she could define even ethereal limbs among the mass of soul. The memory was enough, she could sense it, the woman readying that mallet to crush her.

Her body jerked, wings billowing under a gust of wind. She grabbed the wind, letting it pull her suddenly away, unexpectedly away from the mallet as it passed silently, invisibly, deadly before her.

Doubt left her; Yaro would win. Her eyes opened, burning hate searing from her into the woman. “If you do not wish to die, you will lay down your arms,”

More shots from the thunderspear, so many, boomed past her. None could touch her, each being sent harmlessly into the black sky as her whips warped the air. No, not just her whips, her entire being. She was fire and she would burn them all to ashes.

Another gale of wind from the thunderspear. Yaro batted it away but was met with the mallet speeding down towards her. The drake and the woman came from below, fire already spewing from the drake’s mouth. In the instant, the mallet had to be the more dangerous, so Yaro once again dove into the dragging flames of a drake. These flames… they burned. Screams had yet to be born as the breath shook her to her core. She had to endure them, she would kill them. If she could just get close, just lash around one of their necks…

The flames abruptly stopped. A fist breaks through, hitting her square in the stomach, bones crunching. Not her ribs, but her arms, in that moment she braced herself. The darkness came again, Yaro was not ready. The drake’s fist seemed to embed itself in her, replacing her arms with its’.

They did not give her the chance to recover. She tumbled through the air, the world spinning and passing every second. Auras of confirmation raced after her in the darkness. Her arms, they were limp. Her whips…

Yaro screamed, flame sack burning. Her whips, her enchantment, her being, she was not so easily broken. They thought they had won, just because she could not move her arms, that she would lose her whips and the fight would be over? No. The reed of the zuyg burned with her, a deep red so pure, so filled with rage. Her mouth burned, dribbling down her chin, down her shoulders, down her arms, creating a scarred path to her psalm where it gathered in those eternal tattoos. She bared it all and breathed out all within her flame sac to her hands.

The came at her, flames bared and ethereal mallet readied. Yaro raised her arms and welcomed them with a burning hug.

The mallet cracked her leg. She did not need it any more. She had them. The whips ensnared the humi and drake. Yaro relished their screams. Snapping and popping filled the air, flames near white with ferocity, engulfing the two in Yaro’s brought death. Yaro laughs menially as their auras are not of fear, but of anger. Yes, hate her, hate Yaro like the rest of the world does.

A shout drifted from above.

Yaro looked up, dumbfounded. Her breath catches, whips disappearing into a cold emptiness. Her throat freezes over, numbing and hollowing. High above, there was a blot against the zuyg. The light-bands cracked form had a blemish, one that yelled… something. The blot became bigger, the sound clear but unintelligible. They were falling, a humi figure. Ellis!?

“No!” Yaro shouts as she hurls herself upwards. The updraft is fast, but not fast enough as she no longer has flame within her flame sac. Deep breaths, desperation tried to filter the ambient fire of the sky. It was too cold, too little. All she had were her wings.

The blot grew, darkness of outstretched arms open for her. She caught them, shoving her body into his and her legs around his waist. Her arms flailed uselessly as he embraced her, holding on so tight. Holding on to her whole form. He- they could not stay airborn. Too heavy, she did not have the lift of her flame sack.

The ascent slowed until they were alone, aloft in the air for an eternal second. She blinked. He blinked. The tears, they were theirs. He looked at her, into her. He saw her.

He knocked on her mental gate, a familiar yet lost feeling. How long had it been since someone knocked? She let him in saying, “I found you.”

“You found me,” Ellis said.

She would not let him go again, she would not leave him again. She would not let anyone take him away again. The warm air became cold on his back, his embrace like a peaceful snowfall. His sorrow trembled with him against her. Her ropes vanished as they fell into the void. No, it was not emptiness they fell into, it was the long holding of a pleasant dream.

Yaro risked her life for him and spent all this time trying to find him. Regret. Deep regret on memories gone. Memories eaten. Memories left behind. He watched her struggles, never realizing this was the fate she had when they’d met. He did not understand. She saw him piddle around, meeting people with self-loathing and an unwillingness to find himself. She did not understand. Did they understand themselves? No. But that was okay. They had each other to help, to lift the other up. Even after all this time, the people Ellis now bound himself to, the self-actualization Yaro undertook, there was still so much to be done. And now they had each other, once again. Tears drenched their shared thoughts, staining it was regret and longing. They had the chance to figure things out. Together.

As their minds separated, amiably, the world came back into freezing perspective. They plummeted, the trees, sand, ground, only a minute away from splattering them. Yaro tried to give them lift with the beat of her wings, but they did little. They were rudders, not sails-

That familiar presence came over them. The fairy, it... grabbed them, coddled them and levered them gently to the ground. It was an ethereal limb, so great in strength. It smelled of blooming rot, a hint of a connective tissue with something, someone. Blooming lavender? Not the woman, but the fairy. Tiredness dragged Yaro down. She had no more reason to fight, her body knew that and took advantage of her. To Yon with it.

They landed standing, Ellis still holding Yaro. He was crying. I guess I am too. Tears dripped onto his head. Things were muddy, thoughts almost distant.

Yaro reached to grasp her emotions, struggling as they slipped this way and that. There was so much. He had not looked for her because he did not remember her. He was trapped and his kindness sought out to help people. She barely heard the fairy say, “I did work, but it was still a reckless and stupid plan, Ellis. What would have happened if I’d lost track of you, then you’d just be good on the ground.”

“But I knew you wouldn’t,” Ellis smiled, not letting go of Yaro. He slid down her, his head only up to her chest. He’s really short. He buried his face into her belly, scruff of beard scratching against her skin. She lowered her head to his, rubbing the top of his head. In the language he’d not used in so long, she said, “I can’t believe you remembered.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t sooner. Can you forgive me?”

“Of course I can. Can you forgive me for taking so long to find you. And for-”

“Let’s talk later, lovers,” the fairy interrupted, Yaro glared. Only moments ago she’d been resigned to killing them all. But now… She would see how this played out. “they’re almost here.”

Yaro dazed in an empty kind of contemplation as Ellis explained what he could to his companions. “This is Yaro, my Atho, my love”, "Separated", “I told you”. It rang hollow for Yaro as she stood bare before them. Her breath deep, arms rags, she couldn’t. She had to heal, she knew that. She would need to fight, she knew that too. Why was she just standing there, like a deer placidly eating some shrub? He was the reason she was there, and they would have to accept her traveling with them.

She stood by his side, anxiety and understanding creeping in as she understood she stared at the woman in black. Tia, Ellis called her. Her arms had to be repaired, opened and licked. She began doing so, almost out of a habit like that of a cat grooming itself. Gasps came from all but the woman and her drake companion, Taho. Those names would regret meeting Yaro. Her mind slowed. Ellis was here, she’d accomplished her goal. It was all a matter of being herself, of repairing herself. At least she wasn’t in a sewer, she chuckled aloud.

There were others too. The young drake from before, the gorgon too, and a wolf creature. It reminded her of her last meal. I wonder if they hear my stomach growl over my licking. She chuckled to herself.

Further away, Tia spoke of murder and violence. Branding. Trusting.

Yaro’s eyes drooped. Darkness would not take her, not yet. She had to- she had to heal.

Ellis? He took her face, kissing her. It was nice, soft plush lips. She liked this kiss, a new thing. Kissing had never left her lips before, it felt electric, blood of her arms smearing his face. He looked funny. A smile warmed her face. She wanted so badly to know him, to fill that gap she let be consumed. Was it wrong to kiss him? She asked if they could leave, just the two of them. He smiled, gently cooing as she went back to licking her wounds, “I’ve made some promises during our time apart, Ruby. Come with us, please?”

Ruby... That name fell into the pit, ready to refill her missing connection. She slowly nodded, “I- no understand... matter… I want- get to know you.”

Ellis’s smile faltered. He kissed her again on the cheek. They still had a long journey ahead of them. They would figure everything out.