Chapter 29

Dommur’s point of view

I stood frozen to the spot – I’d just sealed my own fate, and nothing could stop this Soul Creature from killing me. No point firing at it – it had just proven that pointless. I couldn’t run: there was nowhere to run inside the crater and even if there were, I’d never outrun it. I couldn’t get in my ship and fly off, as it would easily destroy the fighter craft before I got 10 metres away. If it was going to attack, I could do nothing to stop it.

“You attack me?” it screeched, and I realised it was the creature with Kevin last time we came to their space, called Solin.

“No, I didn’t mean-” I began, but she snapped at me angrily, cutting me off.

“Traitor! We welcomed you to our space when you came peacefully!”

She drew back her wings and drove them forward in a massive flap, and a wave of unseen energy hit me, knocking me down from the ship and throwing me to the crater floor. My energy rifle went spinning into the shadows, but it was useless chasing it. I tried to crawl away, but she landed on my back, sinking her sharp claws into my shoulders. I yelped in pain as she continued.

“It was all a trick to lead us away to pick us off!” she accused in fury. “We saved you from those Valedrons and I disposed of them for you, and this is the reward you give to our kind?”

“I thought ya were one of them! I neva knew ya were-” I tried to explain again, but she wouldn’t listen.

Still gripping my shoulders, she began to flap her wings again, and I closed my eyes in terror.

Kevin’s point of view

“Can you see any of the others yet?” I asked Flyer and Monsoon.

“Nope…. Oh wait, there’s Tailflit!” Monsoon alerted. We looked over the crest of the nearby stone outcrop and sure enough, Tailfit was hurriedly flying towards us.

“Junarn is over this way. I haven’t seen Dommur yet.” He cried with anxiety and nervousness.

“Go back there and stay with him, Tailflit. If the Valedrons are still out there, he’ll be vulnerable alone.” Flyer ordered.

Tailflit obeyed, and Flyer and Monsoon both flew along beside me.

“Dommur can’t be far off,” I reassured. “They still issue rifles to every Interceptor, right, Flyer?”

“Yeah, they do. Just as well too.”

We reached the edge of a sheer cliff, and near vertical drop down to the bottom on some vast chasm.

“He wouldn’t have gone further than this.” Flyer stated surely. “He knows better than to stray from the team.”

An Aversion had been growing stronger as we flew. I could feel Flyer’s and Monsoon’s since they were so close, but the third one was more intense and had grown as we reached the chasm.

“Solin’s nearby. Maybe she’s seen him.” I commented.

“Zakkar!!” Flyer exclaimed in fright. “Over there! Look!”

Flyer pointed with his wingtip to the east, and I saw a large Valedron carrying a Small Gecko – Dommur – in its claws.

“That Valedron is going to drop him in the chasm!” Monsoon dismayed. “He’ll be killed!”

A horrible realisation came to me: the Aversion that felt so close…. . “That’s not a Valedron…”

“What?” Flyer exclaimed.

“That’s Solin!”

Flyer’s point of view

Kevin darted off in front of us as we flew frantically towards them both. Kevin changed into a Dragon and started to go at full speed towards Solin and Dommur. The backdraft from his wingbeats knocked Monsoon and I around in mid air, sending us tumbling around randomly. We both cried out in surprise, unable to fly straight from the force of the wind.

Monsoon recovered before me, and managed to grab my tail in his claws before I crashed into the ground.

“Quickly, let’s follow!” he suggested.

Kevin point of view

In seconds I was right behind them. Solin knew I was there, but ignored me – she was older and stronger. I didn’t want to attack her, as Dommur would fall to his death. If I tried to grab him from her grip, she might attack me, and the same result would occur.

Solin made my mind up for me, by leaving me with no choice at all. She hovered over the stone chasm and let go of Dommur!

“YAAAAAAAAARRGHH!”

I tried to ignore the terrified screams as I darted down after him. I reached out to grab him, but missed. I then used my telekinesis to slow him down, but it had little effect. The ground was getting closer and closer – soon I’d have to pull up to avoid crashing to the jagged, stony chasm floor myself. I had to act now. With a pang of guilt, I reached out my jaws blindly and snapped them shut again. By luck, it worked. Dommur cried out in surprise as my teeth dug into his tail. Pulling up, I sailed high and out of the chasm. I saw Flyer and Dommur approaching, and set the trembling Dommur down near his fighter craft.

Solin had now managed to get extremely close. I didn’t even turn to face her, disgusted and shocked.

“So you side with the mortals!” she exclaimed. “You would betray us too, Kevin!?”

“I’d betray you?” I spun on her angrily. “Who just tried to kill Dommur?!”

“He is a traitor!” she claimed. “He attacked me without question or hesitation!”

I looked at Dommur, who was still trembling with fright. Flyer and Monsoon flanked him protectively.

“D….d… didn’t…. know….. ya… weren’t….. V…. Va…. Valedron.” He stuttered.

“He thought you were one of the Valedrons, Solin.” I stated. “Maybe if you’d listened?”

“Mortals are weak!” she shouted with rage. “It’s mistakes like these that are so typical of mortals! No wonder they fight and squabble like this.”

“Your persistence is what makes you weak!” I snarled. “You can’t face the big picture! You’re so wrapped up in the belief that mortals are so ignorant that you can’t even see past your own shadowy nose!”

I rarely insulted people like this, especially not a friend as opposed to a foe. She was bristling with this insult, and in her shadow form, she charged at me, roaring.

Acting fast, I knocked her back with a telekinetic bolt. She rolled backwards and stood up again. Being more tactical this time, she picked up several boulders and threw them at me with a wave of her hand. The three creatures nearby all dived for cover, but I held both hands out in front of me, using my power to stop the giant rocks. With a wide spread of my arms, all projectiles were thrown aside.

She hesitated a moment, giving me a chance to change form from a dragon to my usual human form: I used less energy this way. I sent a few of my own telekinetic bolts, but she easily defended against it by raising an energy shield around herself.

My own rage was rising like floodwater.

Time for something stronger…..

I closed my eyes in concentration. I raised my hands up slowly, building up my strength, charging my attack. Solin waited behind her shield, wondering what I was planning.

Snapping my eyes open, I narrowed them with malice I thrust my hands in front of me, both of them claw-like in shape. With a surge of power, electric forks shot up my arms and through my fingers, then snaked towards Solin. The lighting bolts struck her energy shield, but it held, holding back the onslaught. I felt my arms trembling with effort to keep up this attack. I’d never been taught this…… this Lightning attack was something I’d willed myself to do. As my energy started to drain rapidly, I broke off my forking snakes of energy and they retracted back to my arms. I repeated my new-found attack, and saw Solin was struggling to keep her shield intact. After I retracted a second time, I saw her fall onto one knee, half drained – her shield was now down.

Expressionlessly, I stretched my arms in preparation for a third attack. They hurt….. but Soul Creatures weren’t meant to feel pain.

I paused as I remembered Anubis’ words to me decades ago:

“Always remember, positive emotions create while negative emotions destroy!”

I was beyond angry now – some instinct to prevail was driving me to attack constantly. My negative rage was not only giving me destructive potential, but also harming me too. Yet, I was too drunk on possibilities right now. I could feel my strength growing with each attack, and I had used my will to find a new power unaided and not pushed by any mentors. I could do anything if I willed myself to do so. My mind reeled with a new option – now I was strong enough, I didn’t have to stay at Karnak among the safety of the others.

I looked back to Solin, who was inching away fearfully from me in the moment I paused.

I drew myself up to my full height to attack again, Solin’s eyes widened as she ducked away. I summoned the Lightning again and the electricity danced around my arms again.

“What am I doing?!” I screamed at myself. I fought the instinct the attack Solin and threw my arms to my sides, and the charged bolts hit the stone and shale either side of me instead of forwards at Solin.

My chest heaved as I slouched to my knees. I couldn’t destroy her. Not even after what she’d tried to do. I’d be betraying everything I ever believed about good and evil.

When I recovered from my initial energy lag, I stood back up. Solin hadn’t moved, and was sitting transfixed on the rocks, staring at me.

“You don’t want to try anything like that again,” I stated in a monotone voice.

She just inched further away.

“Solin, if I was going to destroy you I would have done that already!” I snapped. “Not that you seemed to have much mercy for me.”

“What ….. what are you going to do?” she questioned fearfully.

“Anything I want. I don’t think you want to risk stopping me.” I sneered. “You’re half drained!”

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” she quizzed, trembling.

“I only stayed to learn about who I’ve become, and how to survive. This place has outlasted its usefulness.” I gestured to the Soul Creature territory, looking at her through narrowed eyes. “As have you.”

She yelped in fear and began to rise to more further away.

“I’m tired of your narrow-minded preconceptions about mortals.” I claimed. “I suggest you get moving. I’m not in a good, merciful mood anymore, Solin.”

She looked at me now with horror: “What have you changed yourself into? I don’t recognise you anymore, Kevin.” She stated. “You sound like a Soul Creature! You don’t sound very human anymore.”

“You always said I was being too human, so what’s the problem?” I snapped. “I spared you from my power even when you tried to kill one of my friends - now start moving……. Before I change my mind!”

Solin didn’t need any further warning, and quickly changed back to a Valedron, flew upwards and disappeared into space, heading for Karnak. I helped Flyer and his teammates reunite, and saw them off, but I remained moodily silent, and neither Flyer nor Monsoon dared talk to me at all. After that, I headed back to Karnak to rest before finally heading off on the long journey ……… home.

Amon-Ra’s (Ancient leader) point of view

I stood in the spectral plane with Horus, and Sehkmet, my mind brooding over the fight between Kevin and Solin we had just watched without them knowing.

“So, his power grows,” I commented. “Perhaps Anubis’ search was not so vain?”

“You’re saying we shouldn’t have banished him?” Sehkmet confronted in annoyed shock.

“No,” I replied, “His fanatical experiments were a danger. Stripped of his power, he poses little threat to us or the mortals.”

“Yet, this Soul Creature… he does seem to be growing stronger than any other of his kind.” Sehkmet admitted thoughtfully. “Maybe we should keep an eye on him – see how things turn out?”

“Oh don’t tell me you’re a believer now,” Horus teased her.

Sehkmet just looked down her lioness muzzle at him with indignation. “I merely say we bide our time!”

“Worried that Anubis was right now, are you?” Horus persisted.

“Sehkmet is right.” I declared. “We cannot act now – it’s too soon, and this little spectacle we beheld, however impressive, proves little.”

Sehkmet grinned at me proudly, but Horus looked proudly back, holding his beak high. I didn’t know why he was acting so superior – maybe he was just trying to maintain his dignity – but he didn’t usually tease the other Ancients so blatantly. ….

***

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