Terran Knights: Chapter 21

Sarah stumbled forward, her feet dragging through the mist. She tried to look around but she couldn’t focus. Her head was pounding, her limbs hurt and her chest ached. She had never had a hangover feel as bad as this and she knew exactly why but she didn’t want to say it.

She couldn’t think it.

She kept walking forward and stumbled along for far longer than she was ever used to. Eventually though her feet tripped over her pedestal and stepped onto it. Swinging her arms around she caught herself and the yellow light immediately surrounded her. She looked around and the other lights illuminated one by one.

Seth in the purple.

Kathryn in the blue.

Cal in the pink.

She stared at the last one. The one that didn’t light up that would have been next to her. The one that she needed to light up. The one that she needed to appear but it didn’t happen. She stared and stared at the darkened pedestal and every moment that past she felt the drill of pain going deeper and deeper into her heart.

Leaning her head against the pillar she hit it with her fist. She kept hitting it over and over before she finally screamed. She swore and she cursed at the empty pillar and at the thing that stole him from her.

The others did their best to not look at her. To not intrude on her moment of pain. And they felt shadows of that pain. They didn’t know him long but he was one of them, he was a close to being a friend. And now he was gone.

Sarah shuddered against the pillar, rubbing her eyes slowly. Her breathing was shaky but she looked around but and didn’t want to cry. Not now. Not yet. Climbing to her feet she pressed her head against the pillar of light and looked at each of them slowly.

“After Jack. After,” she paused and bit her lip hard forcing herself to focus. She glared at the ground and then looked back at them. “What happened?”

“What do you mean?” Seth asked. “You don’t remember what happened?”

She shook her head, “No I don’t. It’s a big blank.”

“After what you did I can imagine,” Cal said softly and frowned. “You ran back to Jack after he got hurt. I don’t know what you guys said but there was a flash of light and suddenly he was gone and you were standing. Your armor had red streaks all over it and one of your axes had turned into a sickle.

“The Taq-Law tried to stop you but it didn’t work out well for it. You didn’t just fight it off you just kicked it’s ass. At least mostly. It ran away before you could actually kill it.”

“Not gonna lie. It was scary,” Seth added looking over at her and shook his head.

“Agreed,” Kathryn mumbled. “After you took it out you just kinda passed out.”

“Passed out? Then where am I now?”

“With Marco,” Cal said. “He called a lot and I ended up answering. He came and got you so I’m assuming you’re back home.”

“Marco.” She bit her lip and stared at the ground again. “Did any of you tell him?”

“No,” Seth shook his head. “None of us wanted to tell him that news.”

Sarah nodded slowly and felt her tears coming back but she fought them off. Biting her lip again, she wiped her eyes slowly. “I’m assuming you all got home safe.”

“Yeah,” Seth said and the other two nodded. “Though the news is having a field day with this.”

“What?”

“Yeah there’s a lot of footage of the Taq-Law destroying the neighborhood and us fighting. They think we’re all problems and dangerous.” Seth shrugged. “Fuck them. They don’t need to get the facts right for us to know the truth.”

Light descended from above them and Ley appeared in front of them. Somehow the glow around it wasn’t nearly as bright or potent. Its eyes were slightly downcast before it looked at each of them one by one slowly.

 “Do you know what the hell Sarah did?” Seth asked. “The Taq-Law almost killed all of us. We only made it through it because of whatever thing Sarah pulled off.”

“The combining of the powers granted from two stones within one body is dangerous but the power you would gain would be beyond imagination,” Ley said. “However, each of your stones have bonded to you. For another stone’s power to work through you a large amount of will power must be present. Or another equally strong emotion. Such a merger would be too much for the stones and one could potentially be destroyed as a result. I believe that happened with Jacks.”

“Like pain,” Kathryn said softly. “But it’s the only way we stopped that thing. The only way Sarah stopped it.”

“It kept mentioning that it had to establish a foothold,” Cal said. “What’s that mean?”

“It means that they’ve marked this planet and they and giving it far more attention. The Taq-Law will remember the defeat they suffered today but they will also remember their success. When they’ll return to your planet I am unsure. Take this time to grieve and heal. I fear that this is only the beginning for you.”

Sarah opened her eyes slowly and stared into the darkness. Her eyes adjusted slowly and she reached out to her side, touching and feeling nothing. She blinked slowly feeling the empty spot and then turned over and it was empty on that side too. She sat up quickly and felt panic rise in her throat.

The door opened and she jumped to her feet grasping her stone. But then she saw him enter, his face shocked but melted into relief as he looked at her. Sarah stared at Marco and felt her legs going weak finally. She took a few steps forward and then stumbled and finally began to fall.

Marco rushed forward and caught her before she could hit the ground. She held onto his arms feeling that they were real. They were real and solid and the only arms she had left. She shook in them and finally felt her tears, finally felt the sliding down her face and finally let them out. Let the hot rivers of her pain stream down her face and screamed their loss into his chest.