I need to kill a Goddess to power the unity spell. And I need a Noble Djinn for the focus. All the pieces are here.
“Aaliyah, Zaritha!” Christy shouted, beckoning with her hand. “I need you.”
Aaliyah, crouched in the corner watching Kyle’s duel with Makerah, whirled into dust, flowing across the battlefield, past all the wounded concubines. She flashed back into the flesh, taking Christy’s hand. Zaritha rose in a cloud of steam, her arm dangling, broken by Makerah’s mad flailing. She zipped across the room, landing next to them.
“Feed me your power through Zaritha like you did at the school!”
“What are you up to?” Hecate hissed through Faiza’s mouth. She clawed through Sable and Phillipa’s spell, her eyes dark with rage.
“Britney! I need you to grab Hecate and hold her!”
The Rakshasa stood next to Phillipa and channeled water at Hecate, swirling around the Goddess. Energy poured into Christy, all the power of a Noble Jann. She reached her hand out and grabbed Hecate as the Goddess destroyed Britney’s watery bonds.
“Ishtar, send me into the mind of Faiza so I may free her from your enemies bondage.”
“No!” hissed Hecate, throwing up a counter spell.
But the power brimming within Aaliyah was immense, seething with the energy of creation. Ishtar’s presence in Christy burned hot. It was more than Hecate could handle. Christy fell into Faiza’s mind, pulling Zaritha and Aaliyah with her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fumi was wracked by pain. Hecate’s spell shot agony through her. She could barely follow the battle as the pain gripped her. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, aching under the strain. Nothing she could do could shake the pain.
And then it ended.
Christy, Zaritha, Aaliyah, and Faiza all slumped to the ground, the evil Goddess no longer powering her spells. Fumi shuddered, gasping in relief as she sat up, her Windsight seeking out Kyle.
Fear shot through her. Kyle was battered back by Makerah’s attack. Fumi gasped in horror as the Unbound Marid’s water crashed into Kyle’s leg. He fell and Makerah hammered his body, crushing his legs.
“No!” Fumi shouted and summoned her wind, yanking Kyle back from the crushing blows to her. She cradled her husband’s head on her lap. He coughed, his chest crumpled and beaten. “Please, no, Kyle!”
“Fu…mi…” he struggled to say, his voice thick with blood.
“HE IS MINE!” roared the Marid.
“You have to be okay, Kyle!” sobbed Fumi.
The Marid loomed over them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fatima burst between Kyle and the Marid, her yari burning bright.
“You will not have him!” Fatima snarled, surging fire towards him, boiling off the tendrils of water he lashed out with.
Kyle coughed weakly behind her.
Fatima’s fire surged hot, driving back Makerah. She lunged with her flaming yari, the Marid flinching before the intensity of her passion. She had never been so angry, so fearful, and so full of love. Her husband was dying, and she would use up every last ounce of strength she had to see him defeated.
Fireheart fed off her passion.
Britney joined her side, knocking away Makerah’s attacks with Waterclaw, fighting against the Marid for control of the water flinging through the air. She channeled it back at the Marid, whipping it towards his mad face.
“GET OUT OF MY WAY!”
“You cannot have him!” Fatima shouted.
“I AM THE SULTAN!” the Marid bellowed. “ALL WHO DEFY ME SHALL PERISH!”
More water seemed to be generated, flowing out of the maddened Marid. Fatima had no idea where he pulled the liquid from. Maybe he was creating it with his Djinn power. It sloshed around in great, sweeping tentacles that slammed into concubines and surged at Fatima’s fire. Makerah’s attacks grew more fierce, building like the relentless tide.
Britney didn’t make a sound as a tentacle cracked against her temple. She fell back, rolling across the ground, blood pouring from her split scalp.
“Britney!” screamed Phillipa.
Sable and Phillipa began casting shield spells behind Fatima, protecting the wounded. Protecting Kyle.
I have to beat Makerah! I have to protect Kyle!
More water attacked her, driving back her flames, slowly dousing her passion. Fatima stepped back, Makerah swelling above her, laughing in triumph. Fatima had to be strong. She had to keep fighting.
But the tide was relentless.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world grew dark around Kyle. The pain in his crushed body slowly fading away. Fumi’s pleading cries grew soft, distant. Fatima’s fire dimmed. His sister was being driven back. Makerah’s water slammed around the room, throwing about the concubines caught in his tide. The water crashed against Phillipa and Sable’s spell, protecting them.
For now.
Fatima stepped back. She was losing the fight.
Kyle didn’t have the strength to watch any longer.
His eyes closed.
Darkness fell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christy looked around at the dark void of Faiza’s mind. Faiza huddled in a far corner, wrapped in chains, sobbing and pleading. Hecate stood, pale-faced, dark-hair, her face ravished by age. She was a twisted crone, full of bile and hate.
“Christy,” she hissed, striding forward.
“Free Faiza from Hecate,” she hissed to Aaliyah and Zaritha. “This is her mind!”
“I am not the one that imprisoned her!” laughed Hecate. “She swore to be my vessel willingly!”
“I was tricked!” sobbed Faiza. “You took my memory! I didn’t know what I was agreeing to! You kept the truth from me!”
“She swore an oath, Christy,” Hecate cackled. “You know all about swearing oaths.”
Christy shivered beneath Hecate’s baleful gaze. But she held strong. Ishtar’s blessing was with her. “I made a mistake, just like Faiza did! I did not know what a loathsome, foul creature I was submitting to!”
The Goddess’s will crashed into Christy. She screamed, hunkering down beneath the immensity of Hecate. She tried to push against the fist of the Goddess’s thoughts. She was like a bug straining against the crushing boot.
The only thing keeping her mind from squishing was the warmth of Ishtar’s milk. I was prepared for this moment. I need to believe that I can survive. That I can fulfill the prophecy. Kyle needs the power. It is the only way to defeat the Unbound Marid.
I just need to hold on!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aaliyah and Zaritha tore at the chains wrapping around Faiza. Christy screamed behind them, her pain knifing through Aaliyah’s heart. The force of Hecate’s will echoed through Faiza’s mind, buffeting Aaliyah’s senses.
“She is so powerful!” groaned Zaritha, hunching down. “How can we defeat her?”
“We can’t,” moaned Faiza. “She is too much. I have fought her for days, but I couldn’t stop her.”
“We can do it together!” Aaliyah insisted, forcing herself to be strong, to be the Sultana. She ripped more of the metaphysical bonds from Faiza. “Stand, Mother, and we shall defeat this foul Goddess!”
Faiza shook her head. “I can’t.”
“You can, Mother!”
Aaliyah heaved Faiza up, forcing her to stand straight in the face of Hecate’s will. Christy was hunched into a ball, barely keeping the Goddess from snuffing out their minds. Aaliyah pushed her will into Hecate, trying to force back the immense power.