Chapter 55
Warning: Um.................................................. naked man running around? :P
November 9th - Kiraul
Zaelem
In an instant, his vision returned. Everything was bright at once; the inferno blazed so intensely he could barely see. His lungs began to function, too. He had the urge to breath and choked instead; black soot rose in thick, ominous clouds.
In that same instance, an intense burning pain tore through his body. Everywhere were vicious tongues of flames leaping out to grab at him, seeking to devour him. His skin opened in bursts of raw, angry pain.
It took him a while to realise that Kismette's energy was coming in a steady, unbroken flow. The light was blinding, but his sight remained. The burning smoke scorched his throat dry and suffocated him, but he did not need air for survival. The fire consumed his skin, but it regenerated just as quickly as it peeled away.
He clenched his teeth and looked around frantically. He needed to leave the incinerator before she runs out of energy. He knew little about incineration plants, but there had to be a vent for the gas to escape.
The dense, impenetrable smoke certainly did not help. Neither did the gruelling pain.
Grythen
Nobody spoke. The three star holders were in deep concentration while the two Segaris could only watch and hope for the best. All around them, grass began to wilt and turn brown, forming a growing circle of death around the trio.
Kiraul
His bumpy slide down the incinerator roof ended with a heavy slam onto the black plastic lid of a trash compactor bin. The retch-inducing stink repelled him from the bin as quickly as he could scramble off it. He rolled onto the ground.
A groaned issued from his chest as he laid his head on the grass. Was he really that clumsy without his powers?
Small clouds of soot flew into the air when he cleared his throat. He laughed soundlessly and felt her relief. "Thank you, little button. I'm out. You can stop now. Oh… my…" He began to close his eyes.
Like a frog in a pot with the heat turned low, he did not realise it had already begun to snow until some landed on his lips. He jolted awake and sat upright. It was freezing cold.
He then realised that his clothes was not restored like his body was. Shit.
His eyes widened as his fist came out in a blur. Punching as fast as he could was something ingrained into his bones, not something he actively seeked out his star for. “Something is… wrong. The magic circle couldn't have expanded… right?”
”Did you also realise that you are more than a hundred kilometres away from me now?” Kismette chuckled. ”Deinja thinks that my range may actually be limitless. He also said that my star’s energy was much higher than normal, and that may have allowed me to use it even when I was outside the magic circle when I was young. I guess it means you can do the same too.”
"Wow." He turned his attention to the security camera beyond the staircases. This would be easy peasy now.
"Where are you? Are you safe? Are you coming back now?"
Something in his chest constricted. The agony in her voice was gnawing at him, but he was not done yet. He came here for a purpose and he still yearned to fulfill it.
"Hang on, I have a plan. I'll call for you later." He swung the toilet door inwards and headed for the showerheads.
*****
He had been searching for almost half an hour. He released an anxious sigh. Jaelon could be marching Kiraul’s troops out any time now.
Pulling his clothes together, he clenched his jaws and exited the tower. The clothes he managed to pinch were not made for gusty winds and snow. He went towards the first man he saw squatting at an outmoded cannon. He was wearing a military uniform; he should be able to tell him.
Zaelem cleared his throat, putting on an official mien. “Excuse me, Sir. May I know where to find General Fly?”
The blonde man paused and turned his head just an inch towards him. A few strands of white hair were poking out of his beret. He seemed to be waiting for Zaelem to say something. After a while, he asked, visibly irritated, "Name?"
"General Fly. Do you know-"
The mechanic spun around and threw a screwdriver at Zaelem's thigh, but the blue star holder ducked just in time. The man growled, his demeanour threatening. "I've a mind to put you in your place, Mister. Who are you? A spy?"
Zaelem could barely catch his breath. "What?"
"You don't even know our protocol. And you don't even know who I am. You are not one of us."
Zaelem stared at the man. Deep creases were etched into his dark, tanned skin while tufts of grey hair peeked from under his beret. Crescent shadows hung under his eyes as his lips formed a tight line. He truly could not recognise that face.
But he could recognise that voice. He propped himself upright hastily. "… General Fly?"
*****
Kiraul's castle was old-it had stone walls, dungeons and flame torches, complete with a musty damp smell-but 'lavishly' decorated with garish pieces, no doubt a none-too-subtle flaunt of power and wealth. The Grand Meeting Hall, a place for accepting guests and conducting meetings where only the King was allowed to sit, was even more obscene.
What a vain dandy. Zaelem adjusted himself on a ceiling beam and lie in wait for his target. It seemed the King had been a boorish man who catapulted into his current position through some unorthodox way or another. Funny how 'vain' also means 'useless'.
General Fly had brought him to the security room and pointed out the locations of all the spy cameras. Zaelem whizzed past them easily, registering nothing more than a ghostly blur on their screens. Entering the room had been effortless too; it was guarded by men loyal to General Fly.
The plan was for him to knock out the tyrant King and his bodyguard when the King returned from lunch. In the meantime, General Fly will gather as much of the army as he could and lock Jaelon up somewhere. He will then come in with a group to bring the King away. The lesser commotion created the better. They were not sure if a larger portion of Kiraul’s army were loyal to the General or to the throne.
Alas, when the door opened, the room was entered by not just the King and a bodyguard, but also Jaelon and five other armed guards. It seemed the King got wind of something and feared for his safety. Zaelem pressed himself against the wall and felt for the blade hidden in the coat General Fly had dressed him in. He hadn't planned on killing today.
“What do you mean by ‘can’t be found’? Magicked away? Are you incapable of commanding my army? Grow a brain, sonny!” the King roared. He knocked his chair over as he was about to sit on it and crashed to the floor instead.
The first guard who rushed over received a kick in the face. “Retards! All of you! How can I trust you to protect me?”
Jaelon fidgeted nervously as his self-worth depreciated with every second. “They simply refused to cooperate. When I asked the remaining half of the army to arrest the missing half, they laughed and walked away. General- Master- Fly must have been a lousy commander. He didn't train the men properly.”
“That double-crosser…” a feral sound came from the King's throat. “Drag someone out to hang in the parade square. Let it be known that one man will be dead every minute until all of the missing ones return. Go. Now!”
Even Jaelon seemed shocked at the cruelty of his new King. “Y- Y- Yes, Your Majesty.”
Zaelem sucked his breath in through his teeth. He watched the mousey man bow and head for the door. A sense of urgency tightened his throat. Kiraul’s army had nothing to do with him, but the thought of sacrificing innocent lives so pointlessly made him sick.
As he moved into a crouching position in preparation for a surprise attack, a gunshot rang out. A searing pain manifested itself in his right shoulder and he fell from his hiding place, hearing one of the guards shout, "Intruder!"
Ning: HEYA! :D It's been such an incredibly loooong time, heh. Thanks for sticking around!! ♥ ♥ ♥ Also, here is where I drop the bomb on you guys: we're very, very close to the ending now. As in, this-is-the-second-last-chapter kind of close. :X
I'm currently working on a mini project (which you guys will find out in due time *wink*) so I probably won't be hanging out as much as I wished to. Also, I need to find a job. Which isn't hard in itself, unless you're talking about a job I like. :P
Anyways, here's an outtake from the scene where Z entered the washroom:
I thought it looks like a shampoo ad, hahahaha.
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Next: Final Chapter