A Whisper of Wings (69 page)

*Kill! Kill them! Here is the power, now use it! Slay Serpent. Nothing else matters! Quickly, do it!*

Shadarii simply let the power bleed off into the sky. It blazed out like a rainbow in the dancer’s trail.

*Stop it! Thou’rt killing us! Thou stupid girl, we’re going to die!*

Shadarii turned a barrel roll as a lightning bolt seared past her tail.

~Finally you understand! I will not hurt another living soul - not even her. Yes, we are going to die, Starshine. It will be very soon now. I will try to make it quick.~

The Ka wept and tried to break away, but Shadarii clamped the spirit tight. The creature’s every nightmare finally come true; she was trapped inside a useless body while her enemy closed in for the kill. Shadarii saw the evil little being’s fear and laughed inside her mind. How strange that a being so very old craved life so uselessly.

~Why are you afraid of death, Starshine? Nothing can ever truly end. Feel the joy with me! Take one last flight and feel the wind flow through my hair!~

The spirit screeched and lunged out at its prison.

*Let me out! I forgo the bargain. The deal is off! Let me out!*

~Not yet, Starshine. Soon. Remember that you have ended our bargain. I kept faith with thee to the end.~

*Let me go!*
The spirit wailed. *
I don’t want to die!*

~You are evil, Starshine. How many wars have you begun in the cause of ‘right’? Why don’t you stay with me, Starshine? Why don’t you stay and feel my death?~

*No! I am the ultimate force of good! It is my destiny to scour the world of evil! Thou shalt kill us both for nothing, and all for this stupid pacifism!*

~Mother Rain sent me to create a legend. This is the ending of the tale. I must die and pass into the world of myth. It is what was always meant to be…~

Zhukora was gaining; Shadarii heard her sister split the air with rage, and this time the blast caught Shadarii in the wing. Shadarii reeled away, pain blazing down her side.

Warriors stared as Shadarii staggered overhead. The duelling figures swept across the clearing at the centre of the crowd. Tingtraka croaked in horror as Shadarii dodged another blast. The skinny huntress wept in fear, tearing at her hair.

“Kïtashii, we have to stop her! Shadarii doesn’t have any power to hurt! Zhukora’s going to kill her!”

“She-she’s where she is meant to be! It’s-it’s what she wants.” Kïtashii crammed her hands against her skull in pain. “I made an oath. I can’t fail her…”

“Shut up Kïtashii! She can’t win! She’d rather die than hurt anything. She’s going to drain Zhukora’s power and leave her to us!” Tingtraka grabbed her friend and shook her like a sack. “We can’t just sit here!”

“It’s a legend. Don’t you understand? She’s making a legend!“

Shadarii’s one sided duel with death went on. Kotaru held his wife and gazed up in amazement at the sky. He stared up at a perfect face and felt his whole world shine.

Shadarii!

Kotaru looked across the grass and met a familiar set of faces. He locked with Tingtraka’s eyes and saw her jerk with shock.

Far up in the sky Shadarii climbed for height. The armies dwindled, the air turned still, the suffering of the battlefield faded far behind. Here there was nothing but the purity of silence; nothing but the soft caress of Father Wind…

~Look! See how beautiful it is! How clean, how wild, how free!~

Zhukora shot up from below, her wake blazing with a stream of fire. Serpent lunged inside Zhukora’s mind and almost screamed in need.

*After them! They mustn’t have any power. She hasn’t flung a single spell!*

Shadarii shot downwards like a bolt of flame. Zhukora pushed her endurance to the limit, ramming power behind her wings as she tried to gain more speed. The ground blurred, and air screamed past Zhukora’s ears. She saw her sister’s naked back and stretched her spear out for the kill. Her mad eyes were fixed only on a fluttering orange tail.

Suddenly the tail whipped out of sight. Zhukora wrenched her head back, blinking in amazement as her enemy swerved away.

* Zhukora, NO!*

The girl whipped her face around in shock as she ploughed into a tree. Wings dissolved in fragments as she plunged towards the ground. Zhukora tried to blast herself a path; power blazed out from her flailing hands, and a trail of lightning slashed across Shadarii’s wings.

Zhukora blurred to earth and smashed to the soil. Limbs snapped and bones splintered; in a single horrid instant Zhukora shattered into ruin.

Shadarii tumbled helplessly in the smoke of her own blazing fur, and with a silent scream she skidded down to earth. The woman rolled in agony, one wing blasted to a bloody stump, then staggered to her feet, holding up a hand to keep Tingtraka far away.

The teacher dragged herself towards her sister’s shattered body. ïsha wildly arced into the mud around Zhukora, sizzling as it burned the broken reeds; Shadarii limped closer, pity and revulsion shining in her eyes.

Serpent ripped free from Zhukora and sped towards the swamps, only to be pierced by a blazing shaft of light. Shadarii trapped the creature with her power, and Starshine burst from her hiding place to loop and wheel in victory. The creature laughed, only to turn her mirth into a shriek of fright as Shadarii blasted her out into the sky.

A globe of force crushed the Ka together in a screaming heap. With a mighty flash the energy stabbed down into an empty skull. The prison was plunged ten thousand spans into the molten earth. Starshine and Serpent screamed a final time before the gates closed behind them with a crash. The two spirits could battle one another to their heart’s content, forever buried deep inside the mud.

The little teacher fell down to her hands and knees. She coughed and trembled, suddenly ripped by the agony of her severed wing, and ïsha dripped from her soul where she had torn the evil spirit free.

“Zhukora!”

Daimïru shot through the air to hurtle herself beside Zhukora’s shattered body. The girl screamed in pain and held Zhukora’s bloody head against her breast.

“No! Not her! Take me! Take me instead!” Daimïru rolled mad eyes and stared up at Shadarii. She reached out a bloody hand and pleaded through her tears. “Please! I love her! Please, take me. Don’t let her die!”

Shadarii retched in pain. She had caused hurt - she who was sanctified to life. Shadarii somehow dragged herself up to touch Zhukora’s broken hand. The Teacher sobbed and opened her soul up to the world, and the power tore her own wounds even as it blazed and healed. Light shone forth beneath her hands to fill the world with love.

Daimïru stared as broken bones smoothed beneath Shadarii’s touch. A black hand reached up to clutch Daimïru’s breast; the torn hide healed, the fur regrew. Shadarii flung herself into a sister’s pain and made the girl anew.

Zhukora lived, and the evil spirit inside her had been purged. Shadarii dragged herself away; she tasted blood upon her tongue and felt the touch of death.

Zhukora’s eyes opened. She stared up at the sky and blinked as Daimïru held her, kissing her, adoring her. The blonde warrior wept into Zhukora’s face and caressed her with a cloak of golden hair.

Somewhere in the background, something small and fragile slowly scraped across the ground. Zhukora smelled Shadarii’s scent and instantly lifted from the ground.

Zhukora looked in longing at Daimïru’s eyes, then wrenched har gaze aside. Black hair rippled as the evil figure flowed towards its prey.

Zhukora ignored him, her aura blazing as power thundered back into her soul. Her sister had done too fine a job! Zhukora flung back her hair and howled in joy. The glorious madness would go on - she would follow it into the depths of death itself!

Shadarii heard the laugh and dragged breath into her lungs. With one almighty heave she staggered to her feet. The girl stared about herself in pain; a warrior lay on the ground clutching at his skull, and the little plainsgirl healer was frantically dragging him away. Warriors stood watching; sea people, pilgrims. Mrrimïmei stood waiting, but her time was not quite yet…

Zhukora met Shadarii’s eyes, and her face lit up with a strange emotion. They looked into each others hearts and finally began to understand.

Zhukora raggedly drew breath and rode the Dream.

“So powerful! You’re like a God! Could you be the one I need? Could you? Well it’s not that easy little sister! You’ll have to prove that you are worthy! Fight me! Pull me down. Purify my dream or die!”

Zhukora snatched a spear up from the ground; Shadarii’s world dissolved into slow motion as her sister charged. Silent Lady raised her great, sad eyes and read Zhukora’s soul.

So be it. Let us dance the story to its end.

She began to run. Zhukora’s naked body blazed like darkest night; she spread her wings and launched herself towards Shadarii, screaming for her blood.

The women raced together at blinding speed. Zhukora stabbed her spear for Shadarii’s heart, when suddenly the wooden spearhaft exploded into life. Flowers bloomed, tendrils writhed; Zhukora gasped and let the spearpoint gouge into the ground. Shadarii felt the shock of impact as their bodies rammed together, then span away and crashed into the earth.

Behind her, Zhukora still flew above the grass. Her wings folded up with agonising slowness, the broken spearshaft jutting out between her shoulderblades. The girl arched up in release and slowly came to rest before the crowds.

There was a long, slow scream of agony. Daimïru hurtled herself beside Zhukora’s corpse and howled in soul-destroying grief. Shadarii staggered back and turned away, slowly raising up her eyes to meet a gaze deep in the crowd.

Mrrimïmei.

The huntress sobbed, her eyes mad-bright with tears while Shadarii bathed the girl in perfect love.

I forgive you…

Tingtraka tore herself from Hupshu’s arms and ran to her teacher’s side. Kïtashii sobbed and stared in horror at the spear jutting through Shadarii’s chest.

Mrrimïmei laughed and stared wildly at the crowd, but the smile fell from her face as she saw her husband’s eyes. Thousands of faces gazed at her in revulsion. The girl began to shake her head and pull at warrior’s hands.

Shadarii felt her body die. It was beautiful; an ending to all pain. She rolled her eyes to stare into the sky, gazing up in thanks to Mother Rain.

I will die pure! Poison shall not have me. I have served you with all I have to give.

For the love I shared, I thank you.

For the joy I gave, I thank you.

For-for this release from suffering, I thank you…

It was close. Shadarii waited patiently; she felt her friends around her and was glad.

Someone held her head. There was a smell, a touch, a tone of voice that had so long lived inside her dreams. Shadarii stared up through a mist and gave a loving smile.

Kotaru…

He was here, just as had been promised. Mother Rain had blessed her with this final gift. Shadarii lifted up a hand to touch a face long lost and gone. She drew him down and kissed him, just as they had upon their one short night of love. She felt his aura twining with her own and was at peace.

I love you Kotaru. I love you…

Kotaru ripped himself free of Shadarii’s arms and frantically searched for help. He suddenly locked with a pair of horrified golden eyes.

“Harïsh! Harïsh, quickly! You have to help her!”

His wife stared at him and wept. Kotaru simply didn’t understand. He held Shadarii in his arms and screamed out to his wife in agony.

Harïsh reluctantly moved to Shadarii’s side. She looked down at the spear jutting through the Teacher’s chest. Shadarii’s breathing slowed, her eyes were closed; she could almost be asleep.

Harïsh tried to remove the spear, but the weapon had stuck fast. Totoru pushed the girl aside and bent his massive strength, and the bloody shaft slid free. Blood seemed to explode out beneath his hands. It bubbled in Shadarii’s lungs and spurted in the air; and where it fell, tiny crimson flowers began to grow.

Harïsh winced and tried to see the wound. Kïtashii used her own hair and mopped away the blood. The healer probed into the wound and then let her hands fall away.