43. Amarhuk （Rook）
AMARHUK (ROOK)
I knew what was happening, but I couldn’t stop it.
The limited mental powers I’d gleaned from Hana only worked against her. She couldn’t break my mind… but other sylphim could, especially a whole host of them working together. I sensed it, felt the vision take me, even as I tried to shake it off and fight… but I couldn’t.
Or… had I?
Fuck.
I couldn’t tell what was real anymore. I was still on a battlefield, still fighting for my life against elves and sylphim and more, but… was this the true fight? Why would the sylphim make me see something so close to reality?
This had to be real… right?
Maybe?
Fuck, my head hurt like hell. But was that just from resisting the mind-altering effects of the angels or were they actually inside my head, making me see this… even if it seemed like little had changed.
“Rook! Please!” Izzy’s cry drew my attention.
I found her amongst the chaos around me and saw how she struggled against Valnea.
The sylphim must be hindering her mind too, limiting her ability to fight.
She should have overwhelmed the false queen long ago.
But with her mind being attacked at the same time, it looked like she could barely defend herself.
I ran, sprinting to her, but even as I reached her, Valnea punched through that perfect chest of Izzy’s and pulled out her heart. Izzy fell, dead, eyes wide and vacant, into my arms as I arrived too late.
“Noooooo!” I screamed with raw agony, my heart torn out and shredded at the sight of Izzy, bloody and broken before me.
Is this what my mother had felt? It was so much worse than anything I’d imagined.
My mother, at least, hadn’t been on the battlefield, hadn’t seen the exact moment, the horror of it. I had.
Valnea laughed as she stomped on Izzy’s heart and I collapsed to my knees, clutching Izzy’s lifeless body close.
“You fools. You thought you could defeat me?” Valnea cackled.
And the cold, dark emptiness inside my chest constricted even more, sucking in everything I was, an implosion of my being. It left behind an empty shell.
A shell, that had nothing left to lose.
“You’ve made a mistake,” I hissed as I let the body of the woman I’d so deeply loved fall away. I rose, drawing my sword, summoning my magic. “I have no reason to live, but before I die, I’ll take as many of you with me as I can!”
Valnea’s shocked expression made me smile, a grim grin.
She fell back as I surged toward her, but I couldn’t reach her. Other elves blocked my path. And they were strong, too strong, I’d never defeat all of them, but I didn’t have to. I just had to cut down as many as I could before they killed me.
I fought with cold dispassion, hacking at the elves like so much wheat.
And yes, they cut me, broke me, made me bleed.
But what did I care for blood, since my heart was already gone.
The pain didn’t matter, all that mattered was soon I’d find the cold comfort of death, but before that, I’d make so many others feel it too.