Mikansia, looking for the remaining children of tal friend Jabez, has accidentally stumbled into a warzone. Kotae Mah, the capital of the orbital Ring of Tears, has been steeped in a war of succession for the throne of the High King. And Mikansia may be the last hope of the supporters of the rightful ruler, Prince Alpertti, who has just sat down to explain the whole situation to Mikansia...
The ceiling vanished in a rumble, along with a positively gleeful cackle. Mikansia didn't need to look up to know who it was, but ta did anyway. Standing on the lip of the wall, above them, was Zaina, the elf who had obsessed about Jabez and resented Mikansia's place in the triumphant's life. Zaina had killed Santeri, Jabez's father, after the triumphant had learned that the High King of Kotae Mah was a dark elf. Zaina had also killed Yngvar, who had helped Santeri realize the truth. And then Mikansia had been dragged off into the timestream, unable to avenge Yngvar or Santeri's death.
This was not how Mikansia wanted to meet Zaina again. Because dai was not alone. Surrounding Zaina were a dozen vaguely humanoidish figures, standing on the air itself. It took a second for Mikansia to comprehend what ta was looking at. They were in a constant state of decay. Reds, ebonies, and fuligins all melted and congealed and flowed, like an avalanche in flesh. "Turmeltunuts!!! RUN!!" yelled shouted one of the elder vaeltaja. Everyone began to fall back immediately, as the turmeltunuts descended on the air like we walk down stairs, ever falling apart. Cords linked all twelve turmeltunuts together, which occasionally pulsed with a jolting light.
Prince Alpertti charged the turmeltunuts with a bloodcurdling cry. Mu cut through one of their stomachs-
The turmeltunut squealed.
In ecstasy.
And grew bigger. Swollen in pleasure.
It was much louder on Prince Alpertti's return swing, leaning into the blow, almost grabbing the blade to shove it deeper as it swung at the Prince with mottled claws.
Somehow Mikansia was able to pull Prince Alpertti away from the turmeltunut's swing. The air crackled with ozone. The line attached to the turmeltunut flashed again and it moaned, softly, reforming a bit under the impulse. The flesh reformed, growing harder, engorged. Mikansia brandished Sydanelma toward the turmeltunut and it immediately backed up, collapsing skin hissing like a tea kettle.
"THAT SWORD DOESN'T BELONG TO YOU!!!" screamed the crazed Zaina as dai threw dailself upon Mikansia. A sword, possibly darker than the Sword of Uriel, came crashing down on Sydanelma. Not only was Zaina a better swordsman than the last time Mikansia had seen dai but the fuligin blade dai wielded had a weight behind it that reminded Mikansia of Sydanelma. Ta didn't know what this blade was but it was at least Sydanelma's equal. "Hello, brother dear!" crowed Zaina at Alpertti.
"You'll pay for those words, whore!" screamed Alpertti.
"MOVE" shouted Mikansia, pulling Prince Alpertti as one yanks a screaming child. Ducking under and around the tulmeltunuts was bad enough, but Zaina would not let up, attacking with a frenzy Mikansia would never have believed possible. And Mikansia wanted to return that fury, blow for blow. But ta couldn't fight Zaina and keep Prince Alpertti from getting himself killed. No jumping off of Kotae Mah for you! thought Mikansia to talself, with no small amount of grim humor. The WHAMWHAMWHAMWHAMWHAM of blocking Zaina's blade merged with Zaina's laughter, Prince Alpertti's helpless screams, and the moans of pleasure coming from the turmeltunuts, making one layered soundtrack of horror. Mikansia wondered if they would ever find the damn door.
But they did. And Toivol was waiting. "You need to get out of here! That dragonhide will stand up to almost anything and the Prince needs to be protected! Give me Jabez's sword! Please!" Mikansia hesitated, knuckles flexing as ta held the sword. "Please! That sword is all I have left to connect me to my family!" yelled Toivol as Zaina got closer. But it wasn't the Toivol that Mikansia had met, not even an hour ago. This Toivol had fire in torl eyes. Tor was not going to go to the Void, tor was going to die with torl feet under tor. And nothing about the Blade of Uriel seemed to fill Mikansia with much confidence; someone had to stay back.
It's hard to communicate how quickly the following happened. We're often told that a lifetime can flash by in an instant, but it's hard to communicate just how much can happen in such a short section of time. All of this happened in the space of one scream of protest from Prince Alpertti, who Mikansia still had by the collar like a baby kitten. But Time, in his mercy, the Mediator of Experience, did slow down enough for Mikansia to understand. Time is not always against us.
Jabez was standing in front of the pirates. The triumphant was holding the sword of triumphant's house, the pride of the family's ancestors. Jabez looked down at the hilt and remembered the look in Mikansia's eyes: the fire, the passion, the need to go and right wrongs. Jabez was looking at those eyes, in the triumphant's mind, as the sword was taken out of the triumphant's trembling hands. But Mikansia had to get to the surface; Jabez found refusing that need impossible. And Mikansia wouldn't say no to Toivol either, not now.
Jabez was with Toivol, many years ago. Jabez had only just begun the triumphant's training to become a sword singer, something Santeri had opposed vigorously. Jabez was nervous. And then Toivol had asked for that sword. The sword of Jabez's ancestor's. And this indignation had washed through Jabez. "No, this sword is mine" Jabez told Toivol. "Go get your own family heirloom."
Toivol started. Tor was no longer looking at Mikansia, but Jabez! Mikansia was still there, but ta knew ta was not what Toivol, somehow. Jabez held out Sydanelma, with an open heart. Toivol accepted Sydanelma with a gentle caress. "I've still a thing or two to each you, young'un," Toivol quipped. "Get moving now!"
Time resumed his usual pace.
And with that Toivol turned torl back and charged, just as Zaina had extricated dailself. A song erupted from Toivol's diaphragm in the ensuing fight: the Song of the Sword. But it was the happy ditty that Simone had sung on the way to the Gates of Paradise, at the loudest Toivol could belt it out, not the song of rage and aggression that the rest of the vaeltaja had twisted it into.
Prince Alpertti almost yanked mulself away from Mikansia's grasp. "No! Not Toivol! Come back! NO!!!" Mikansia's pleadings were lost in the two competing melodies: joyful sacrifice and the breaking of a young heart. So Mikansia punched Prince Alpertti's lights out. Mu went down like a sack of potatoes and Mikansia winced. There was no time to think more than that. Alpertti's heels dragged as Mikansia pulled the unmoving frame down the street. Toivol's rendition was still going strong in tal ears. A few elves came up and grabbed Alpertti's ankles, helping Mikansia carry the unconscious prince. "What happened?" one of them asked.
"I... I had to knock mu out," said Mikansia. They stared at her in horror. ""Mu was going to get mulself killed!" insisted Mikansia. The other elves didn't say anything more, leaving only the fading Song of the Sword, which rose above the howling of the wind, betwixt them and Mikansia. Mikansia wasn't sure if the song faded from hearing or if it stopped suddenly; the howling of the wind made that uncertain. Everyone was silent as they made their way to the next safehouse. Mikansia, feeling numb and naked without Sydanelma, was glad for the silence.
The crimson flag caught Mikansia's eye; it was the standard of the Sword Singers. And Mikansia didn't care one bit.
But Jabez did.
And the triumphant wouldn't shut up about how important it was.
Get it. Pleaded Jabez with Mikansia, deep in tal soul. Please.
I'm already heavy-laden, and not with Sydanelma either! No! spat back Mikansia.
Please, this is worth it. To retrieve a Sword Singer standard, to wrap it around one's shoulders, it is a great honor.
I. DON'T. CARE, yelled Mikansia in her mind, brows scrunching.
I do, is all Jabez said back.
Mikansia sighed, audibly, and stopped. The other two elves looked at ta quizzically, but ta ignored them, creeping out into the piazza they had just passed, up the pile of corpses, gripping the standard by the haft; its sharp end was in a fallen elf's abdomen. With a quick yank Mikansia had it free, with another yank the flag was off. A second later and it was tied around tal neck.
Mikansia stomped back to the ashamed elves, flag flying behind tal flowing form. "Let's get the Prince to safety," ta growled.
But Jabez was happy, at least.
Mikansia honestly couldn't tell the difference between their new safehouse and the old one, broken walls included. But they had a minute to rest and wait for Prince Alpertti to awaken. When mu did, mu rolled over, holding mul head in mul hands. "What... where's Toivol...?"
Mikansia knelt before Prince Alpertti. "I knocked you out. You are Kotae Mah, Your Highness, and Toivol's duty was to die protecting it." Prince Alpertti's eyes lit upon the standard of the Sword Singers, which was tied around Mikansia's neck, and mul gazed softened from anger to consternation to understanding to absolute admiration. "Guide us, Prince Alpertti. You are Kotae Mah."
Prince Alpertti nodded. "We are grateful. And yes, we will guide you. For Kotae Mah."
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