ROTU: Chapter Thirty-Eight

Elindrel's eyes opened wide as he suddenly dropped to his knees on the grassy area where he stood. His vision blurred as a violent scenario overtook his mind. Visions of animals running from a spreading fire filled his thoughts. One-by-one the fairy warriors were slain by rampant Naztak as the portals to Strenkarliawere forced and held open by dark energy.

He looked down at his hands as he felt his magic fall dormant. Sorrow filled him and his sight blackened as he became powerless to protect the fairies and the other Elementals.

Kafele appeared in gold and green light amid the chaos within Elindrel's mind.

It is time, Elindrel. If you fail to fight in this war, the surface realm is not the only one that will be destroyed.

Elindrel took a deep breath as Kafele's voice and the vision disappeared. He looked around to find the four Elemental guardians standing nearby.

"We received the same vision from the Goddess," Anstar said with a grave look.

"Her messenger never appears unless it is vital to the state of the planet," stated Soosian with a worried frown.

Gildan yawned. "We need to prepare, Elindrel. Your hate for the humans cannot override Kafele's warning."

***

Miles away, deep in the mountains of Colorado, Aeilah woke those in headquarters with a blood-curdling scream.

Jalena rushed into the Conduits' shared room in alarm to find Drisana attempting to comfort a crying Aeilah.

"What is it?" Jalena asked.

Drisana shrugged as Aeilah jumped off the bed and ran into Jalena's arms. "She said a man is coming."

Jalena lifted Aeilah, who buried her head in Jalena's neck. "Was it a dream?"

Aeilah nodded.

"Let's go for a walk," Jalena said.

Drisana helped Aeilah change her clothes, and Jalena hurried back to her room to dress in her training attire.

An hour later, the sun had risen and Aeilah had calmed. Jalena supervised as she ran around through the trees in a flat, grassy clearing just a mile from the facility.

Shamira and the other Conduits joined the two.

Shamira handed Jalena a cup of coffee as she sat down beside her in the grass.

"Did she ever say why she was scared?" asked Shamira.

"She said a man is coming, but nothing more. It could be Drasúl, so I think it's best we remain more alert than normal."

Shamira nodded. "I wish I knew more of what to do for her. Master Jabari was always good with us as children."

"Part of the problem is that we aren't the ones who are supposed to train her. I will still practice with her, but for her to expand further, she needs Elindrel."

Jalena and Shamira started as Aeilah suddenly screamed again. They both jumped to their feet as their senses heightened. Across the small clearing, Drasúl appeared in a flash of light just as the alarm on Jalena's and Shamira's bands flashed its warning signal indicating facility infiltration.

"Drisana, lead the other two back through the tunnels to the bunker," Jalena commanded as Sitara hurriedly scooped Aeilah up.

Too late, Jalena,Drasúl said. The Avehkal are already there.

A group of Cinak approached on one side of the clearing.

"Stay together!" said Jalena as her eyes flashed. She immediately threw a light shield to encircle the three. "Do not leave the circle!"

The three huddled together within the shield.

Jalena knew that the shield would not hold for long against Drasúl, but it would at least keep the Cinak at bay until she thought of a strategy.

Two Avehkal came into view from behind Drasúl, leading a bloodied and swollen Lyons. His arms were bound behind him. An Avehkal smiled and pushed Lyons so that he stumbled and dropped to his knees.

"Lyons," Jalena whispered. Anger rose within her.

Shamira dropped her stance.

Watch for his dead energy and do not hesitate in your movement, Jalena said. He has prepared for this.

So have we.

Jalena gave her a nod.

"Oh, how I have waited for this, Queen Jalena." He held his arm open before him. "Finally, after all these years, an opponent worthy of fighting." He moved to where Lyons knelt. "Mark Lyons and I have had some interesting discussions. My techniques for withdrawing information are not as creative as Akila's, but effective, nonetheless. He's helped me understand some of what you've been up to all these years."

"Yeah, sorry Captain Warrior Princess," Lyons called out. "I didn't voluntarily give you up to this asshole, Damien. He has some kind of power that allows him inside my thoughts. His gold-skin lover, Ralian, is in our headquarters now because of it. But," he glared up at Drasúl with a cocked eyebrow, "I'm not really impressed after seeing what he could do. My wife hits harder than him and that's when she's playing around."

"Lyons!" Shamira yelled just before Drasúl struck.

Jalena disappeared and reappeared in the air to throw a spinning kick at Drasúl while casting a shield between him and Lyons. She succeeded in only softening the blow with her shield as Lyons's breath caught, and he went flying across the ground like a large rag doll. Jalena's shield pulsed around his skin as he rolled to a halt, now unconscious.

Shamira met Drasúl on the other side in a flash. She sent one nearby Avehkal flying backward and turned to block incoming strikes from the other.

The Cinak hungrily circled the Conduits. The girls cowered together as the creatures jumped at the shield.

The Cinak yelped in pain and shook off the burn of the blue light. They continued to circle the three in a red blur, snarling and snapping their sharp teeth.

Drasúl disappeared and reappeared further away. His laugh echoed through the clearing. "Ah, Jalena, you're so predictable. Are you forgetting about the importance of remaining detached or has being around the weaker species made you soft? Why are you wasting your time? You show care for humans, but they will be your downfall like they have for many others. A species that knows nothing but its own weakness is a nuisance. You may have saved Mark Lyons's life, but it's unlikely your efforts will be worthwhile given his injuries were already so severe—it's just squandered energy that you will need for me."

Jalena mumbled the incantation to unleash the power of the dragons as she calmly walked forward.

With my eyes, I unveil the flame

With my heart, I unleash the fight

With my knowing, I transmute the form

With my being, I project the light

Her eyes flashed with a yellow glow as the Mark of the Dragon appeared on her forehead. Gold light moved beneath her skin as the flames of the dragons surrounded and spread out wide around her. The sigils on her skin lit up in bright gold.

"There are some," she responded to Drasúl as she eyed Lyons out of the corner of her eye, "worth saving. However, I am not here just for them. I am here at the request of the most powerful Mysteis that has ever lived."

The flames around her brightened. "I am here because he extended his life to ensure that I protect this planet as well as mine. I am here for those who are living and carry the flames of honor within their hearts. I will defend them from the darkness of your threat. I will protect them with all that I am, as I should have done for those I failed in the past—for my own warriors that I serve as guardian to. I was robbed of the chance to protect them as I wished because of someone who wished to protect me—someone whose life was more important than mine. He is the main reason I will defeat you, Drasúl. I am here for him, to see that his life wasn't sacrificed in vain—to finish the job that he did not and ensure that you never harm another innocent soul."

Drasúl sneered. "How sentimental."

Jalena teleported and appeared behind him, sending a mixture of Gyan's light and the dragons' flaming gold fire through her palms.

He rolled his shoulder as her blade of light just missed his upper arm. He teleported to the other side of the clearing, staring at Jalena in surprise when she appeared wherever he did.

Shamira joined Jalena as soon as both of the Avehkal's lifeless forms dropped. She moved in unison with Jalena as the two fought smoothly side-by-side. She appeared behind Drasúl and landed a blow to the back of his knees as Jalena appeared in front of him and kicked him hard in the chest. The two disappeared in a flash as he went tumbling across the clearing.

Jalena teleported before him again and used her charisma to bind the energy within him.

He smiled as his movements froze. "Your power has grown. Even without the magic of the dragons, I can tell."

"Your time is over, Drasúl," she said as fury rang through her. She extended her arm as Gyan's gladaé formed within her grasp.

"Okay then, enough games," he said as white-tipped black flames spiked high around him. The dragon marking on his arm lit up in a white and silver glow. Multiple black rays flew repeatedly through the air in every direction across the field.

Teleport! Jalena yelled to Shamira as she released her hold on Drasúl and disappeared. My shield will not hold against the frequency of his blades alone!

She reappeared and surrounded the three Conduits with golden flames as Drasúl's blades slammed into the shield. The shield began to crack and the guarding Cinak moved closer but were pushed back again when the gold fire spiked high around the girls and sealed within the blue. A Cinak ran yelping into the forest as the flames of the dragon swallowed him.

Jalena altered the frequency within the light shield around Gyan's blade and deflected the next flying blade back at Drasúl. She blocked Drasúl's consecutive attacks with ease, moving closer each time she teleported to force Drasúl back into a physical altercation. As she neared him, she leaped and somersaulted in the air, at the same moment shooting the dragons' fire from her feet to throw him off balance.

She teleported and reappeared before he could regain footing and rapidly closed the gap to catch his wrist before he could make his next move. In the same instant, she turned at the hip and spread her hand flat against his chest, shooting a fanned ray of blue and gold light directly through his body.

The attack sent Drasúl flying backward. His back slammed into a tree, and he slumped to the ground, temporarily unconscious.

Shamira reappeared next to Lyons. She gasped as she noted his arm and leg seeping blood where Drasúl's blades had struck.

Jalena glanced at the two and surrounded them with the dragon's flames as Shamira bent to heal Lyons.

Lyons regained consciousness as Shamira's light entered his wounds. He winced in pain as her light moved through him.

"I know it burns, Lyons," she said. "Your body carries a different frequency than the light I am healing you with. However, if I don't help seal some of your wounds, you will die."

Smirking, he opened one eye. "You look like a glow worm." He smiled. "I knew you cared—can't help but love me, huh?"

Shamira chuckled. "I need to get you to the circle with the others. I can't give you any more light than this, so I'm going to half-carry you there."

Lyons groaned as Shamira pulled him up. Jalena joined the two and helped to support Lyons's weight.

"Stay there. We will come to you," Jalena called to the Conduits who started to walk toward the three. "Drasúl isn't dead."

Now, Shamira, Jalena said. Her eyes lit up as she released Lyons.

Shamira bolted to the others, half-dragging Lyons.

A large block of blue light shot up between the group and Drasúl just in time to defend the next round of light spears.

Drasúl appeared before Shamira as she reached the group and threw a blow that knocked her across the ground. She tumbled several feet before she teleported just as Jalena appeared to catch Lyons. Spinning a vortex shield around him, she shoved him into the circle with the other three.

Drisana caught Lyons as he stumbled against her.

Gyan's sword swept upward at the last minute to meet the Cinak that appeared on the opposite side of the shield. The creature gasped in surprise as the sword pierced him.

"You're fast," said Jalena, her eyes narrowed, "but not fast enough."

Aeilah buried her eyes against Sitara as the Cinak fell to the ground.

Shamira! Jalena called.

I'm okay, she said as she reappeared nearby.

Drasúl chuckled and smeared the violet-blue blood that spread across his chest from Jalena's recent attack. "This is more like it!" Light expanded around him as he teleported again.

I'll take care of the last of these guys, Shamira said as she showed behind the Cinak.

Jalena nodded. She appeared in the same spot where Drasúl reappeared and leaped to land a knee to his throat. She altered her move at the last minute, teleporting to a lower point, and spun, stretching out her leg to kick his knee.

Failing to teleport in time, Drasúl's legs crumbled, and he rolled across the ground.

Jalena left no hesitation in her advancement. She tightened the grip on Gyan's sword. Thoughts of him surfaced and solidified within her as if they were leading her determination as they had all the years she had lived and felt alone on Earth. She continuously landed blow after blow to Drasúl's head and body, knowing that she could gain the advantage if she kept him close and made him focus on solely fighting physically.

Her eyes widened as she glimpsed the Lumsigne mark appear and disappear on Drasúl's neck. A red halo within his eyes flashed as Aderes's power attempted to surface.

Drasúl teleported and dropped to a lower stance as he countered Jalena's next movement.

"Aderes!" exclaimed Jalena.

"He is controlled despite what you may see in appearance."

Jalena paced before him. "Even though you house warrior blood, Drasúl, you fail to know the warrior you are attempting to control—the very one who rebelled against orders. Aderes was very cunning. He would have let you believe that you had control until an advantageous moment." She smiled internally as she felt a surge of affection for Aderes, who she knew was listening. "So, are you sure, Drasúl? I never forget the fighting styles of my warriors. You're dropping your right shoulder after you block and before you strike. He always did that when we sparred. "The chaos within is what remains in control," she continued, "because you do not know who you are and are therefore unsure of who will actually dominate your being in the end."

Jalena knew she had got to him.

Drasúl's stare faltered just before fury filled his gaze. He took a deep breath as anger overshadowed his arrogance. "Shut up! I've had it with you light warriors always interfering—it's the same now as it was on Elsaria! We should have ended you long ago along with the Glisayas."

The white-tip flames around him turned crimson as his gaze turned black. A black crimson glow outlined his eyelids as the Mark of Darkone appeared on his forehead.