Chapter XLIII: Baen Fior (Cont. III)
Blackheart did not look up, still struggling with the Seph, her eyes locked shut. “Come on, Adelia. Wake up….I’ve brought you eight….all we need is the ninth. You are our nine. We won’t leave without you…”
Baen laughed, “You really think that waking her up is a good idea, Blackheart? She has joined me, now. She gave up her will to save you, and in the end, I betrayed her. Oh, she has struggled to take herself back, but she won’t win. It’s quite the kiss I have,” Baen hissed.
“She can fight you off, I know her better than you ever will! She’s stronger than you’ll ever be…” Blackheart lashed out at Baen with his words, returning to Adelia and shaking her, trying to bring her out.
Baen sighed, “I’m afraid you’re wrong. Adelia will awake as my queen…as my ally….as my lover.”
Blackheart drew the shortsword from his belt and rose. “You’ll never hold sway over her. She may be weakened by you, but she will never give into the darkness that you have filled her body with.”
“Your impetuous resilience is getting annoying, Blackheart,” Baen hissed, lifting his hand and drawing Blackheart to him, his right hand clamping hard around the rogue’s throat. “It’s over fool,” Baen leered, “You’ve lost. Adelia shall forever serve the darkness that flows through her body just the way that I must forever feel the pain she sent surging through my veins. Oh, I”m sure she never told you that she tried to stop me and that her curse has brought about my frail and fragile state. But know that it’s true, and her enslavement to my will is payback for a lifetime of scars that I shall have to endure. She did not even know me and yet she tried to deal me more pain than anyone has ever felt. Everyday I feel my body tearing itself apart, but I cannot die from it….for my mind works against it, works to hold me together, for my revenge is not yet complete. If I could only give in, but I cannot!” Baen’s fingers clenched tighter around Blackheart’s throat, the rogue choking as he tried to struggle free. The others tried to come to his aid, each being struck down by a wave of energy, for Baen had cast a field around him now. “Do you know what it is like to live one’s whole life in the misery and dejection of complete solitude? Do you know what it is like to endure a pain greater than even the Watchers can deal? NO! How dare you all try and tell me that I am evil for wanting to have revenge for the curses heaped upon me?! What did I ever do to earn them? NOTHING! I did only what I was made to do, and for it I’ve been punished!” Baen spat in Blackheart’s blue face and hurled his body across the dirt, tearing up the rogue’s shirt, the rocks cutting into his skin.
Baen span around, his entire body crackling with energy. “ENOUGH! I have wasted too much time playing around. All I desire is to be left alone with my love! But you shall not let me, so I shall destroy you so that I can have my solitude.” Baen closed his eyes, his lips whispering an inaudible chant. All around him, lightning and fire began to shape and crackle, slowly spreading out and pulsing.
“What the HELL is that?” West asked, slowly drawing away.
“It seems to be a field of intense magic. The kind that will probably irradicate whatever the caster wills it to,” Thyrus said, taking a rock and hurling it at the field. The rock disintegrated at the edge, a shadow of it hanging in the air and then slowly shredding apart. “That’s not good…”
“Why, what does that mean?”
“I don’t know,” Thyrus said grimly.
“That IS bad then,” West said slowly. He reached into his pocket and drew out one of his two last cigarettes. “Well, one last smoke then,” he said, lighting it slowly. “I told you we needed nine.”
“Great idea, let’s argue, shall we,” Blackheart said.
“I really don’t want to die, is there anything we can do?” Donovan stared at the field that slowly drew closer and closer.
“Not much,” Thyrus said. “That magic is pure hate and destruction, absolute war, it is made up of every sin and every violent act in the world….it’s a destructive force like none we’ll ever see again. Well, if anything proves that that really is Baen and not some magically powered madman, it’s that.”
West sighed and glanced over at Eza, who sat on his shoulder in thought, “Well, at least we know WHO is killing us. Great. It was nicing knowing all of you…even you Eza.”
Eza opened her eyes and smiled weakly, her voice still tinkling like a bell, “It was nice knowing you, West.” She took a deep breath, “Take care of yourself.”
“Not much time left for…” But West didn’t get to finish his statement before Eza shot off his shoulder, blade drawn. Her eyes focused closely on the field that rippled ever closer to her. West stared in disbelief, “What the HELL is she doing?!”