Chapter 57
‘Don’t judge a thing until you know what’s inside it
Don’t push me – I’ll fight it
Never gonna give in – never gonna give it up no
If you can’t catch a wave then you’re never gonna ride it
You can’t come uninvited
Never gonna give in – never gonna give it up no
You can’t take me – I’m free’*
Solin’s point of
view
Anubis made no
attempt to conceal his initial surprise as the figure stepped further from the
shadows, still hidden by his hood. However, his Aversion was too clear for him
to mistake. He let his telekinetic bolt fizzle away, turning fully towards the
shadow.
“What are you doing
here?” Anubis demanded, his voice shaking slightly. “You no longer have any
significant strength!”
Kevin’s bass voice
was filled with anger and malice, and his deep chuckle sounded chilling even to
me.
“Strength or no
strength, did you really expect me to just sit back and let you run around,
destroying everything you encounter?”
“You are no fool, I
have learned that. You would not risk such a dangerous encounter.” Anubis
exclaimed. “I don’t understand…”
Kevin took another
step forwards towards Anubis.
“No, I didn’t think
you would,” Kevin’s voice was dripping with contempt, his glowing eyes
narrowed. “I’m stopping your little games right now.”
Anubis steadily
gained confidence when Horus stood by his flank, despite both of them being
unnerved. He dared a sneer at Kevin arrogantly.
“Even if you had the
power and skill to face me, you couldn’t face both of us.”
“You don’t
understand because both of you have lost your capacity for compassion. I will
protect them, or die trying. I won’t give up.”
Anubis laughed
sharply and mockingly. “I still hold dominance over you, ‘Ka Mesha’!”
The jackal Ancient
thrust his paw out towards Kevin, and each of the remaining spirits, Horus,
Kevin and I, flinched as his power was unleashed. Anubis directed his might at
Kevin’s form, striving to manipulate his mind, and control him. Yet, Kevin
merely raised his palm up in front of him, all hate and anger draining from his
face, as he abruptly appeared to regard Anubis with sudden indifference.
Whatever Anubis was hoping for failed due to this one, seemingly harmless
gesture.
The jackal scowled,
“What sorcery of your is this?”
“Not mine, Anubis,”
Kevin stated plainly. “It’s yours.”
“What?”
“You said it
yourself Anubis: ‘positive emotions create while negative emotions destroy’.”
Anubis was becoming
agitated with Kevin’s unyielding determination, and stepped back. Horus
followed suit, his courage linked to Anubis.
“Be gone, Soul
Warrior! Your time is over!” Anubis screeched nervously.
“No,” Kevin
retorted with horrible finality. “You’ve pushed me too far this time, Anubis.
It’s over for you, because I’m no longer your puppet – I’m free.”
Sensing the growing
tension between the two sworn enemies, I ushered Flyer towards the band of
humans.
“This will get
nasty,” I whispered urgently. “Get out of here: all of you.”
“But-” Flyer
stammered.
“No buts! Go!” I
snapped.
I watched their
retreating figures leave before turning back to the two combatants. Anubis was
growling and dropping to a fighting stance. Horus was backing off, clearly
willing to let Anubis deal with Kevin alone.
Kevin, himself,
took once last step forwards into the moonlight, streaming through the windows.
In one graceful swoop, he swirled his trenchcoat off and threw it aside. His
bare chest was revealed, riddled with scars from his past, each a medal of his
bravery or a symbol of his memories. He, too, fell into a fighting stance, and
I realised that they were both going to fight hand-to-hand in a physical duel.
I held my breath as
they became motionless, a deafening silence descending over the darkened room.
Then, like the snap
of a frayed nerve, they simultaneously roared and lunged at each other, claws
meeting flesh in a terrible clash…
Flyer’s point of
view
“We should follow
her advice and head for safety,” I insisted.
AJ furiously shook
his head: “No way, man! Brian’s still in there! We can’t leave him!”
Leighanne agreed,
and pushed her way past Howie and AJ, returning for the store.
“I’m going back to
him!” she declared, tearful.
“No, Leighanne!” I
cried, flying after her and hovering before her. “Those spirits in there hold
vast power that should not be underestimated. Getting caught in a battle
between them would be fatal.”
The others looked
torn between common sense and loyalty.
“Fine, we stay
here, if you will not head home. Lets hope our shadowy warrior win’s through.”
“Who was that,
anyway?” Howie asked, his voice awed by the terrible snarls that could be heard
from the store.
“I don’t know,
friends… but I assume he is Solin’s solution to this mess…”
Solin’s point of
view
Forced to duck once
more as the combatants clashed into one another with unrivalled force, I groped
for a hold on Brian’s jacket, trying to pull him to safety. I heard Kevin’s
grunt of pain, and I was given no warning when he was thrown heavily into me,
knocking us both away from Brian’s unconscious form. Barely realising I was
there, he darted back up and threw himself at Anubis, catching the jackal in
the chest and sending them both smashing into another isle. I winced as I saw
the fountain of cans and packets thrown about and rebounding back into them.
However, they seemed oblivious to anything but each other.
Turning back to
Brian, I found a grip on his jacket at last, and started hauling him to the
exit. Unable to interfere in the duel without getting in the way, I could only
hope to be helpful by getting this human out of danger.
Chancing another
look at the battle, I gasped as Anubis picked up a can and hurled it at Kevin.
It struck him in the chest heavily. Crouching in a pile of cans, he picked up
another missile from his endless supply. The second hit Kevin on the shoulder,
the third sailing into his wing and bending it back awkwardly. Anubis took this
chance to dart upright and batter Kevin in the face with a fourth can. There
was a sickening thud as metal met flesh. Kevin barked in agony, reeling
backwards, his hands clamping like a vice over his cheek. The Ancient struck
him again and again, mercilessly giving no chance to retaliate.
Kevin let out an
enraged roar, knocking Anubis back with a huge, straining beat of his wings.
Free from the barrage of blows, the warrior pounced over to the next isle and
melted into the shadows.
Anubis recovered
quickly and, thinking Kevin had fled, spotted me. He chortled evilly, stalking
towards me. I wanted to run, flee to safety, yet I knew I had no choice,
hampered with Brian’s frame. I reached out one paw to charge up a bolt, but
against Anubis, it was futile.
He got closer,
baring his teeth. Where was Kevin? Had he fled himself? I contemplated dropping
Brian to fight back, but that could have injured him. The jackal was coming too
close. I gently let Brian slip to the floor unharmed, yet Anubis was within
striking distance. I covered my head in my arms as he growled and pounced.
“Rrrrraaaaaahh!”
Anubis was hit
sideways by a darting shadow. Wings unfurled for balance as the two spirits
tumbled across the tiled floor and blurring into one form momentarily. I
sighed: Kevin hadn’t retreated after all. Kevin gained the advantage, pinning
the Ancient down with his weight, while his scaled claws rent at
Anubis’ black face.
Convinced he was fine on his own, I picked Brian up, and swinging his arm
around my shoulder, trudged out of the building.
AJ’s point of view
“Is Solin still in
there?” I quizzed, wincing at the crashing noises emanating from the store
building. “Shouldn’t we help them out, Flyer? Both she and Brian could be in
trouble!”
“Alright, I’ll go
first, and follow when I signal you.” The Valedron agreed.
Flyer glided
forwards, slowly checking the entrance. However, a spear of blue light
plummeted downwards between Flyer and us, cutting us off from him. The light
materialised into the falcon Ancient, Horus.
I gasped, backing
off towards the others. Yet, we were all defenceless. Without Solin, or her
mysterious friend, we wouldn’t last five seconds. Flyer was the only thing
close to helpful now, but he was on the other side of him.
Horus gleefully
rubbed his wings together, “Well, well. If it isn’t Zakkar’s human friends!”
“Crap…” I muttered,
eyes wide is fear.
“While Anubis is
busy, I get you all to myself!” he exclaimed cunningly. “You cannot – OW!”
Horus jolted
upright sharply, spinning on his heel. And there, biting savagely into his
tail-feathers, was Flyer. Horus squawked in indignation, as Flyer hung
persistently on to him, especially since he was ridiculing him during his
moment of triumph.
I made a desperate
dive for the falcon, trying to grab his scrawny throat. It was a great mistake,
though. Horus managed to flick me backward with his wingtip with unimaginable
power. I tumbled to a halt at Howie’s feet. Flyer was right – we were no match
for them.
The Ancient had
managed to regain some composure and control, deftly grabbing Flyer’s throat.
He snarled at the small reptile angrily, squeezing his throat: “Pitiful
insect!”
Kevin’s point of
view
I had him now. My
rage bubbling over, unstoppable, I hauled Anubis up against the wall and
smashed my balled fist into his face. He was knocked aside easily, and I
grabbed his collar again, and hit his black face the other way. Relishing this
moment, I grabbed the front of his cloak and threw him towards the adjacent
wall. His back connected it with a sickening smack. Leaving him no chance to
recover, I clawed three scratches on his muzzle. I repeated the attack, maiming
his features with slashes and blood.
Just as I was about
to think up something new to do to him, my vision blurred to a deep crimson,
irritating my eyes. I blinked, trying to clear it. Nothing happened. Still red.
I wiped at my eye, and brought my claws away crimson.
Blood.
Pinning the jackal
with one claw, I used the other to furiously wipe at the crimson liquid
dribbling into my eye from a gash on my forehead. It was hastily cleared. Yet,
to my dismay, Anubis was grinning at me, one paw held in front of my face. It
was glowing with a charged white energy. It struck me what he was doing – it
was a telekinetic bolt…
With no time to
move, he released the blast into my face, only inches away. I screamed in
agony, thrown backwards by the force, tumbling to the floor. My wings sprawled
out under me uselessly, as I clutched my face, scalded, half-blinded and
tortured by pain. I rolled onto my stomach in anguish.
“I warned you,
little Soul Warrior,” Anubis mocked, his voice hoarse. “Now, I finish what I
started… follow me, if you can…”
Solin’s point of
view
‘I want to heal
I want to feel
What I thought was never real
I want to let go of the pain I've held so long
[Erase all the pain 'til it's gone] I want to heal
I want to feel
Like I'm close to something real
I want to find something I've wanted all along
Somewhere I belong’**
I propped Brian up,
hearing him moan painfully as he stirred. I left him safely by the wall, away
from the conflict. I had no time to wait for him to wake up. I had spied Horus’
confrontation, and Flyer was in trouble – I could hear his strangled cry from
the wall of the building.
I charged at Horus,
who immediately dropped Flyer and side-stepped to avoid me. Yet, too late did
he act. I caught his wing in my snapping jaws and bit deeply into it. He
squawked in distress, tearing loose from me. I spat away feathers that I had
torn off from him. I narrowed my eyes at him, and his barrier of courage and
pride dissolved in that instant.
“Anubis was unwise
to come against you painful pests! He can deal with you himself!”
The falcon
dissipated to a mist, which floated swiftly towards the stars. I tore my eyes
away from the fleeing Ancient as a roar of pure agony rent the air… from the
human building.
“No…” I breathed
numbly, sensing Kevin’s Aversion weakening significantly, so much that I could
barely feel it. “No…”
Just as Horus had
departed, Anubis came stumbling out of the store, darting towards our group. He
shook his paw at the sky furiously.
“Cowardly sparrow!”
he spat accusingly. “You’ll pay for this, Horus!”
His words were
lost, and he was left shouting at the stars.
I stared at Anubis,
disbelieving. He looked even more terrifying, his face riddled with scratches,
his body bruised, and limping badly. His Aversion flickered with instability,
like a candle in a breeze, but on the other hand, it was still alarmingly
stronger than mine was. This was nothing, however, compared to my distressed
mind working out that if Anubis was here, Kevin had failed.
“You can’t have…” I
shook my head, shocked.
Anubis just
sniggered at me with malice. His paw came flashing down, grabbing my throat. I
struggled against his grip, feeling myself being drained of energy.
“We has always been
weaker than me!” Anubis claimed gleefully. “I warned him! You should never have
brought him here! And now, you will pay for your compassion towards that
outcast!”
I felt numb inside
– I had convinced him to return only to fight and lose. I was so assured that
he would prevail. I stopped struggling, tears stinging my feline eyes. I
resolutely accepted my wayward role in Kevin’s destiny, and wished for death as
punishment.
“Then kill me…” I
croaked weakly as my life was sucked away, “… and release me from … this
torturous existence…”
Anubis’ face suddenly
contorted in wide-eyed disgust. He deftly tossed me aside to the tarmac of the
road.
“I will not give
you what you wish!” he bellowed. “You will suffer, not be released!”
I didn’t attempt to
stand. I just slumped onto the hard floor, near Bodai’ran, the Frontier, near
death. Through blurring vision, blinded by delirium and tears, I watched as
Anubis stood before Kristin and began to charge a white bolt to finish his
original purpose in this place – to kill her.
I turned away,
unable to watch. My eyes drifted to the entrance instead. Unexpectedly, a
flicker of strength, a flame of loyalty, rekindled in my sensed. With mounting
awe, I saw a scaly claw clamp around the doorframe. A second claw gripped the
wood above the first.
It can’t be…
A head peered out
of the doorway, the expression pained yet grim. The figure rose, stepping
heavily out of the store. The long, dark hair… the expressive, green eyes… the
dragon wings… No, I wasn’t imagining it…
Fuelled by his
infallible loyalty, compassion and bravery, Kevin charged wordlessly at his
nemesis. Time seemed to slow, and each step of his sprint towards the Ancient
seemed drawn out and strained. Anubis yelp as his back was struck echoed,
mingling with the sound of whirring as the translucent telekinetic bolt flew at
an angle towards the sky, harmlessly. The world seemed to speed up to the
normal rate as Anubis tumbled to the ground.
Kevin took one step
forward, then froze.
I blinked… what was
he doing? Surely he wouldn’t miss this chance to finish of his sworn enemy?
“Hate, revenge and
violence are the tethers that bind us to misery... hope and compromise are the
blades that will cut us free...”
Kevin was speaking
in his mind… to himself, it seemed. Yet, I heard his unspoken words, wondering
what he was contemplating.
He moved again, but
stepped back. He took another, and another. He stopped again. He crouched. I
frowned at him, bewildered. With a whoosh of air and the forceful beating of
huge wings, Kevin jumped upwards, and hovered a metre in the air. His glowing
blue eyes faded to a deep crimson, while his claws began to pulse red, not
white, energy. Throwing back his head and throwing his arms wide, he let out a
roar of pure hate and anger, the light in his eyes growing more intense. The
lampposts in the streets flickered and sparked as a pervading wave of energy
flowed from the hovering figure. Kevin’s furiously beating wings were stirring
up a gale, knocking everyone to the floor. Flyer, being smallest, was tossed by
the wind, his wings flailing uselessly in the growing tempest, until AJ managed
to grab his stubby tail.
Kevins bellowing
died down, and he stopped flapping, falling heavily to the floor. He lifted his
head, and his eyes had lost their glow: they were calm… compassionate. His
strides back towards Anubis were indifferent, free of hate.
Anubis eyed Kevin
warily: “Well, Zakkar, you finally beat me. Make it quicker than I did, I beg
you…”
“I’m going to kill
you,” Kevin claimed flatly.
I gasped. All of
his hurt, his agony, his hatred, and I expected him to execute Anubis without
delay. Yet here he was, placidly letting him go.
“Why not?” Anubis
breathed, but not without relief. “Surely you hate me?”
“You were mortal
once,” Kevin stated positively. “We all were. Somewhere along the line, you
just forgot what compassion is. I did myself, after Oblivion. Once you do that,
it’s just a downward spiral. Yet, all it takes is a friendly reminder…”
Kevin gave me a
grateful glance.
“… to rediscover
what it means.”
“Then you…” Anubis
began, trailing off.
“You underestimated
the power that love, loyalty and compassion can instil. The power I gained from
it, pushing me on. Remember… positive emotions create while negative emotions
destroy. If I let my hate consume me, it would just destroy me too. I’ve come
to realise that I don’t hate you – I hate what I became because of you.”
“You’re… you’re
really letting me go?” Anubis breathed, a genuine smile crossing his battered
muzzle.
Kevin nodded
slowly. He pulled Anubis up sharply, and stepped back from him.
“Now, go,” Kevin
commanded, almost pleadingly.
Still lost in a
dream of darkness and defeat, Anubis dissolved, and flew for the heavens.
Kevin himself,
drained both physically and emotionally, closed his eyes peacefully and fell
onto one knee, his wings falling lifelessly to the ground either side of him.
In the silence that
followed, broken occasionally by Kevin’s laboured breathing, Kristin
tentatively approached the crouching spirit. Her hand cupped his cheek gently.
Kevin’s eyes opened, and he stared up at his wife, disbelief in his eyes. His
mouth gaped slightly, seeing before him his goal, his journey’s end. The one
he’d been searching for endlessly for over 300 years.
“Is it really you,”
Kristin asked, her voice quivering with new tears.
Silently, he
nodded.
“How?” she begged,
disbelieving.
“It doesn’t
matter,” Kevin whispered lovingly, his voice tinged with growing joy. “I’m
home…”
Even from a
distance, I could see the tears of delight glistening on his face as he pulled
his wife close and met her lips in a passionate kiss.
No matter how much
I tried to accept they belonged together, that scene was forever a dagger in my
heart.
* ‘You Can’t Take
Me’ – Bryan Adams
** ‘Somewhere I
Belong’ - Linkin Park
***