Duty Chapter 5
#5 of Duty
Duty
Chapter 5
By: David C. Henry ("Ahndeleck")
Cellista climbed the stairs up to the stage, her heart hammering. She knew each of the flames were watching her as she made each step to the center of the stage. Once she reached the center, she heard the crash of metal behind her. The doorway back out had been sealed with a solid metal doorway. Then her heart caught at the base of her throat and she looked, wide-eyed, at the flames surrounding her.
Silence filled the room then. While she could sense the crackle of magic surrounding her, a stillness crept over everything. Then the orange flame seemed to shift slowly back and forth on its alter.
"Now she's impressive. Maybe a little shy, but impressive."
"A little shy? She's terrified, Zymarrin." the deep indigo flame swirled, "Though I don't blame her. She's never done this before. None of them ever have in this."
"I didn't have to read her mind to know that. Still though, what do you think?"
"I won't take her." The green flame flickered and then suddenly vanished from the alter.
"Neither will I, she's not fun enough." the greyish silver flame followed the green one.
Cellista watched in wonderment as the other flames took turns with each other making their choices. Several flickered out after a single comment. Three remained though, Quahi's bright white flame, Zymarrin's orange, and Sharoc's blue.
"I can see she has been chosen by Azerzan," Quahi rumbled, his voice slow and even, "and that must make her mine. She'll need me through everything she will do for the Covenant."
"Sacaemir took Azerzan, and he has done well for them." Zymarrin responded, "She won't need you. She needs strength, and I like her, she burns bright with desire and need. Besides-"
"Besides," Sharoc interrupted, "she's mine. I've seen her move, I've watched her fly, she has a grace that surpasses both of you by far."
"I can't deny that," Quahi said, "although I still think that I must take her."
"We all know where her future leads." Zymarrin flickered back and forth again, her voice impatient, "You won't help her where she's going. She will need strength, power. Quahi go, she's not one for you."
"True." Quahi's voice seemed reluctant, "I shouldn't take her. Little one you are so tempting though. Which ever of these two pick you, live your life well for them." Then his flame flickered and disappeared.
"Now Sharoc, does she burn, or does she fly?" Zymarrin's voice teased the other flame.
"She flies. We've both heard what Arsohe has said about this one. You should heed Quahi in this case."
"Wait," Cellista stepped forward, calling up to the flames, "What is this about my future? Where do I go? What do I do?"
The two flames flickered in silence for moments. Maybe I wasn't supposed to say something there. Damn, what have I done now?
"It has been a long time since someone had the courage to come forward and be so bold in front of us." Zymarrin said, "I like that. I like that a lot. If you ever get too bored with Sharoc here, let me know. I think you and I could have a great time together Cellista."
Then her flame went out. The whole sanctuary drained into the single blue color coming from the one flame left. It seemed to grow in size then, and Cellista turned to face the only god left in the temple. What is it that they see in me? What will Sharoc say? What is he going to do? She stared up into the flickering blue color. It felt almost calming, entrancing for a while.
"Cellista," Sharoc's voice grew nearly fatherly, "I've always liked your kind. Ever since Tiamat made you, I've loved and blessed every one I could. We have many followers in the world, but we have just as many threats. I would be with you, but first, I have to see if you can stand against those enemies of Tiamat and my ally Garuda."
"Yes Sharoc," Cellista nodded, "what must I do for you?"
"Live."
The flame grew small then, but Cellista saw hundreds of small blue flickering wisps rise from the flame. They gathered, and she felt their power growing. Sharoc's actually summoning something. I've never seen that before. It takes so much power, gods what is he doing? Damn, what am I doing? She called forward one of the light blue wisps to her paw and released it out from her talons. She willed a second one from her paw and sent them both slowly wandering over her scales. Then she returned her attention to the glowing orb of power over the alter. Any second I'm sure. There has to be enough power for anything he'd want there.
Then the power hovering in the air collapsed in on itself, then expanded outward to form a huge sphere. then as the sphere began to fade, the shape of a bird formed. It hovered in place for a moment as it's image began to solidify, the light diminishing into deep blue-gray feathers. The creature's eyes retained the light and glowed with the fierce blue light of Sharoc. The wicked blueish black beak moved then, and clicked as the eyes fell on her. The giant bird then spread it's wings, and then to Cellista's horror, spread it's second pair of wings underneath the first. A whare, I'll never survive.
A screech as loud as a lightning bolt filled the room, as the whare dove down at her. Cellista lunged herself aside barely missing the sharp black claws from tearing at her wing. The creature's wings hit her in the neck, immediately leaving a stinging sensation. Quickly she turned to try and throw some spell at the creature. Her gaze met with an empty room behind her.
She remembered Kathagra telling her about whares. They were giant birds that would strike with the force of the wind, and could strike as invisibly as the wind. Turning quickly, she tried to keep an eye on every direction as much as possible.
The shattering screech and brilliant flashes of pain running through her back slashed her attention. She roared as the whare flew over her head and then instantly vanished. It could turn invisible, and she couldn't hear it either. Then she felt the blood running on her back. The cuts felt deep, but she she could endure.
A twirl of bluish color caught her attention to her side. She swung herself around to meet what would come. The whirlwind coalesced into a single blue semi-circular blade, that darted straight for her neck. Cellista bent herself aside narrowly missing a blow that would have killed her. The deafening screech shattered around the room, then then a new wave a pain erupted on her head just behind the horns.
The blow sent her reeling. Screeches echoed around the room, and Cellista tried in vain to keep her sight on the whare. Another blade made from magical force shattered at her feet, missing cutting a talon off cleanly by an inch. With the quick motion of a wing, she brought one of the small wisps she kept near her down and drew it to her side.
She released the wisp's power, and a wall of ice bust into being, just as another blade came speeding toward her. The blade me the wall with the sound of crackling ice, but the wall held it's place. Cellista willed another of her wisps to her claw and held it ready. The power in it drained her hand of any feeling and a watery chill spread through her foreleg.
Next move you do bird, will be your last. Show yourself and I'll have a javelin of ice longer than me through your heart. She turned her head slowly around the sanctuary, and everything looked still. She felt it's magical presence, and the presences of Sharoc's flame nearby. The presence of the whare seemed to whirl around the room, it seemed everywhere and in no particular place at any time. The deadliest aspect of the creature, not knowing where it would come from.
Cellista saw it too late, as the creature appeared all at once at the top of the room in a flash. It summoned another blade of air, and then disappeared. Leaping forward the blade caught the side of her tail, cutting a deep gash into her.
Then ahead of her the bird flashed again into being, far from where it had been a second before. Cellista launched the wisp in her claw at the creature. As the bird reached out its talons, the wisp from Cellista lanced forward into a single thin shard of ice.
Cellista, landed hard on one foreleg, as the other still guided the icy wisp, and the sudden weight buckled her foreleg. The whare vanished with a flap of its wings as the ice neared its chest, and Cellista collapsed on the stone stairway at the edge of the stage. The icy javelin shattered on the wall harmlessly above her.
"Damn it!" Cellista felt the thunderous waves of pain from her landing and the cut on her tail, "Show yourself and just die!"
Again she felt it circling the room. Cellista willed another icy wisp into her other foreleg, the icy chill numbing the pain. I have to stop this thing, or it'll kill me. I need it to go after something other than me, then I can focus on it. Bait, I need bait. She reached towards the other wisp she had kept near her with a wing. She pushed an image from her mind into the wisp, and it crackled and expanded forming a dome of ice over her.
Crackling collisions erupted all around her, and she felt the whare throwing a gale of blows against her shield. I have seconds before that breaks. What do I use as bait? What does that thing eat? Mountains. Next best thing, but what?
A portion of the dome above her cracked and shattered, a dark bluish-black beak retreating from the shell of ice. I don't have many ice wisps left, and nearly nothing else will even hurt this thing. A flash of an idea jumped into her mind. Wisps, I'll use wisps. That thing eats magic.
She pulled every earthen wisp from within her, and a dull numbing sensation spread from her central core as the wisps traveled down her foreleg. She raised her paw and opened the talons wide. Five small brown cloud like points of light fell from the palm of her paw, and floated to the ground, slowly floating down the stairs. Another screech above her shattered her thoughts, and then the whare shattered the dome above her. Ice fell and vanished in puffs of blue-white vapor.
Cellista twisted her head up to the space above her. The presence of the whare seemed more solid now, and she could nearly see it as it dove downward towards the wisps below her. One of the wisps winked out then and a fog of dust like smoke appeared, faint, but visible.
Cellista backed away from the stairs, and then held up the claw with the icy wisp in it. One more and I should see you. The bird took another, and the magical vapor thickened nearly instantly. Cellista followed the zipping path around the room for a couple seconds. Then the whare began another dart down to the third remaining wisp.
Cellista launched the ice at the creature. The bolt sliced through the air as the whare materialized above the wisp. As the wisp winked out, the javelin lodged itself in the creature's chest. The javelin exploded into chips of ice, as a deafening screech broke through the sanctuary.
Cellista lowered her foreleg and waited eagerly. The whare flapped its many wings slowly and toppled over onto its side, muffled squawks flowing out of the beak. Cellista saw the gaping hole in the bird's chest, the javelin had struck true.
She walked slowly down the stairs and stood over the great bird. It tried to move itself with its wings, pushing at the stonework to crawl away from her. She stepped on the bird's tail feathers pinning it in place. The creature shuddered and released a long groaning screech up at her, then lay silently under her. It's labored breathing came for a few breaths then ended in a shudder.
Cellista took a deep relieved breath. Majestic. It's a shame. Why would Sharoc want me to kill this? She looked back at the flame, and saw its presence slowly growing. She turned from her adversary and climbed the stairs to the stage again.
"Cellista," the voice called from the flame, "come to me and receive my mark. I'm very pleased to call you my own."