Alliance of Serpents (30 page)

As if answering to Kindel's unspoken request,
Arus brought his sword down on Scimitar's weapons with impressive
force. As soon as the clash rang out, Aldoric darted around
Kindel's assistant and lunged forward with his fists clenched.
Kindel sidestepped his brother and drove a stiff punch into his
ribs, followed by another that Aldoric managed to knock away with
his forearm. A powerful kick connected just above Kindel's hip,
missing his belt pouch by a hair.
If you damage the Lephadorite
or the amulet, Aldoric, I'll make your death more painful than you
can possibly imagine.
They fought back and forth, twisting and
flailing in the elegant style of the warrior race, each punch
thirsty for blood, each kick intended to kill. Zo'rhan strength was
something humans often underestimated; their primitive bones were
like twigs to Zo'rhan fighters.

A grunt of pain behind Aldoric attracted
Kindel's attention, and he was rewarded with a punch to his jaw.
Angrily, he directed an open palm toward his brother and unleashed
a stream of magical fire into his chest. Aldoric was knocked onto
his back with a dull thud, clutching at the smoldering wound.
Kindel looked to the source of his distraction and froze. Scimitar,
now holding only one of his swords, was clutching his free arm as a
stream of blood trickled though a slash in his sleeve and soaked
into his gloved fingers.
No one has ever injured either Scimitar
or Kalibur!
Arus' sword met Scimitar's remaining weapon with a
smooth precision and strength that even the most skilled swordsmen
trained for many years to obtain. Kindel had pushed both of his
assistants far beyond their limits before they began to show such
quickness and accuracy. Now, of course, they were two of the most
experienced and deadly warriors in the universe, but it had taken
many years to bring them to that point. To see such experience come
from a child was unimaginable!

Aldoric had risen to his knees, his dark eyes
narrow over bared teeth. "Nothing short of death will stop me,
Kindel. I won't let you win!"

The crack of Kitreena's whip drew Thorus'
gaze. Despite the fresh blood dripping from her nose and the
streams of red that ran from her forearm and gathered at the tips
of her fingers, the girl's weapon was lashing from side to side in
a violent rage. But that wasn't what made Kindel gape openly. A
purple light consumed her eyes, and smoke seemed to be rising from
her body.
She's learned to Morph!
Not only that, Kalibur was
hunched over in pain, gripping his middle where Kitreena's whip had
apparently connected.
Both of them? How could two children have
broken through the defenses of my best soldiers? How can it be
possible?
Surprisingly, the only thing that seemed to be going
in his favor was Vultrel's battle with the Kyrosen. With movements
faster than Kindel had ever seen from a boy of his age, Vultrel
spun his sword in a blur much too quick for the bulky man to defend
against. Bleeding gashes dotted his arms and legs, and while the
Kyrosen was panting heavily, Vultrel looked like he could continue
fighting for days.
Who
are
these kids?

A series of explosions rumbled in the
distance, followed by a crackling transmission from the
communicator at Aldoric's belt. "Aeden reinforcements reporting for
duty. Sorry for the delay, Damien. We got held back there longer
than we'd anticipated."

Kindel craned his neck around as one of the
two carriers blocking the
Refuge
exploded in a massive ball
of flame, sending a shower of debris clattering across the bridge's
viewport. Two Aeden battleships emerged as the flames dissipated,
accompanied by a sea of starfighters and assault transports. The
force of the blast knocked everyone to the floor, though the loss
of the carrier was the last thing on Kindel's mind. Around him, the
fallen warriors were shaking their heads and slowly pushing
themselves up. Aldoric groaned loudly and held a hand against his
charred chest as he rose to his knees. The others were recovering
as well, but the momentary break in battle was all that Kindel
needed.

Leaping to his feet, he clasped his hands in
front of him and extended his energy toward them. At first, his
intention was to return only himself, his allies, and Arus to the
Black Eagle
, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to
eliminate Aldoric and Kitreena as well. The Kyrosen would come too;
there was no sense in leaving him behind so that he may strike back
at another time. Teleporting so many people required quite a bit
more concentration and slightly more time, but only a few mere
seconds. The icy warmth of the white glow surrounded them, the
floor shifted beneath his boots, and the light dissipated to reveal
the hangar bay of the
Black Eagle
.

The hangar was largely barren. Most of the
fighters had been launched long ago, leaving nothing but abandoned
fueling hoses and inactive maintenance arms littering the floor. A
few damaged starfighters sat in the far rear of the hangar awaiting
repairs alongside several passenger transports, but for the most
part, the room was wide open. Kindel grinned proudly as he shifted
his eyes to Aldoric, who was practically snarling with rage. His
voice boomed in the expanse of the hangar. "I have won, brother.
You can resist to your hearts content, but your refusal to resort
to the measures necessary to defeat me guarantees my victory over
you and your pathetic Aeden Alliance." Arus raised his weapon
threateningly, joined by Kitreena and her whip, eyes still
encompassed by amethyst, but Kindel merely laughed at their
courage. "Boy, what I offer you today is a greater honor than any
soul across the universe has been given. You shall be the guardian
of peace for years to come, driven by the power of that wondrous
device in your head."

"I will never serve your vision of peace,"
Arus shot back. "You make a mockery of peace and justice."

Kindel smiled warmly. "In time, you'll
understand." Especially once the implant was reprogrammed. "You'd
be a fool to pass up this opportunity." Kitreena said something
under her breath, and Arus nodded in return. "I want to make you
into the ultimate soldier, Arus. Why doesn't that sound appealing
to you? Why do you insist on mediocrity?" The girl's fists were so
tightly balled that her knuckles had turned white.
Is that mist
swirling around her body?
"And what has you so angered, my
lady? I would be happy to give you a spot alongside him, if you so
desire. Fitted with an implant like his, you could—"

The air suddenly grew cold as ice, and
slithering streaks of electricity wrapped around Kitreena's hands.
Her hair whipped violently as she threw her head back, and the
scream she unleashed sent an icy chill down Kindel's spine.
What
in the name of the Maker is she doing?

*******

A burning sensation rolled through Kitreena's
chest as she fought to maintain control of her senses. There had to
be a way to wield her power while preserving control over her
actions.
How can he speak of enslaving Arus so casually? How
dare he even consider the thought?!

"And what has you so angered, my lady?"
Kindel asked through that infuriating smile. "I would be happy to
give you a spot alongside him, if you so desire. Fitted with an
implant like his, you could—"

The power welled up in her like a surging
volcano, rushing down her arms and flooding through her chest. An
oddly thrilling pain shot up and down her spine like jarring shocks
of electricity, and she threw her head back with a blood-curdling
scream. Vivid red light blinded her vision as she rose into the
air, teeth clenched so tightly that she thought they might shatter.
A tugging sensation drew her arms and legs toward her chest as all
of the pain and warmth and anger and hatred gathered in the center
of her body. It almost felt as though she was being torn apart and
crushed into a ball at the same time. She was vaguely aware of the
voices shouting below her, but their words were muddled beyond
recognition. Finally, just when she thought her skull was going to
burst, she threw her arms and legs out in an explosion of searing
hot air and fire as the built up pain and raging emotions were
replaced by an energy so pure and so powerful that Kitreena felt as
though she could lift the
Black Eagle
 itself onto her
shoulders.

When she opened her eyes—
I don't even
remember closing them
—she was hovering close to the ceiling of
the hangar, nearly twenty paces above the floor. Every inch of her
body down to the last strand of hair on her head was shrouded by a
brilliant white light. In her hand, she held her whip, surrounded
by a fire so intense that the weapon may as well have been
made
 of it. Energy pulsated in her veins with such
purity and sweetness that she felt more invigorated and renewed
than ever before. With the power she held, she felt nearly sure she
could destroy every ship in the Vezulian fleet with a mere
glance.

And that was the problem.

Though it had initially seemed that her
furious rage had subsided, the truth was that it had become
stronger than ever. However, it now manifested itself in the form
of an arrogant ruthlessness that she was eager to unleash upon her
enemies. The thought of tearing Kindel Thorus limb from limb
brought a grand smile to her face. Anyone who sought to hurt the
innocent would pay for what they'd done. Those that stood against
her would suffer and perish at her hands.
No, I can't think that
way.
But it was the only way.
No! I have to control
myself!
Kindel, Scimitar, Kalibur, and even Vultrel would have
to die.
NO! I must keep my composure!

It all happened in a matter of seconds.
Scimitar and Kalibur, who'd drawn themselves up on either side of
Kindel like regal soldiers defending their king, were on the ground
before Kitreena even realized she'd moved. She could feel the anger
pulsating through her, driving her fists forward as she streaked
like lightning toward Vultrel. He, too, fell in a flash. That left
Thorus alone to defend himself, and waves of pure energy radiated
from her body as she shot toward him.

It took only his firm hand around her wrist
to bring her to a sudden halt.

"My dear," he cooed mockingly, "you
overestimate your strength. Aldoric may be able to stand toe-to-toe
with me in battle, but our power dwarves your insignificant
Morpher's talents." He twisted her wrist with a sudden snap,
wrenching a shriek of pain from her lips. Bones shattered in his
grip, bringing her to her knees as she frantically clawed at him
with her free hand. How could he have such power? The energy that
had driven her so strongly only moments earlier faded under the
throbbing pain in her wrist. Damien had built her up to believe
that she was almost invincible in her transformed state.
I'll
have to kill him, too.
No! The power that came with Morphing
was tainting her perception of everything!
But he lied to me.
How could he—?
The power was fading.

"Kitreena!" Damien's voice echoed in her
brain. Or had it been Arus? One or the other, or perhaps both, they
were calling to her. Footsteps raced across the floor, pounding in
her brain like a blacksmith's hammer against the anvil, and were
silenced by a brief explosion of light that Kitreena couldn't make
out. Her vision was wavering, she realized.

A new sensation formed in the pit of her
stomach, like the feeling one experiences just before vomiting. The
room began to spin and heave, and she squeezed her eyes closed,
still hammering helplessly against Kindel's grip with her good
hand. Her breaths shortened to quick gasps as the rocking in her
stomach shifted, spreading to her arms and legs so that her body
felt like it was full of jelly. No, it was
made
 of
jelly. Bones of jelly, surrounded by surging water that sloshed
back and forth. It rocked higher and further with each passing
moment, daring her to empty her stomach all over Kindel's boots.
He certainly deserves at
least
that.

The glowing light that made up her body
solidified and faded, reverting Kitreena to her true form. Kindel
finally released his hold on her wrist and tossed it away, and she
barely sensed the floor smacking her in the face before everything
went black.

*******

The steel joint of Arus' shoulder was warm to
the touch, but thankfully, it had withstood the force of Kindel's
attack. Beside him, Damien was groaning through his teeth as he
pressed a hand against the fresh wound on his shoulder. He seemed
to be in no hurry to get up, perhaps aware of little besides the
pain. Combined with the large burn on his chest, Damien had taken a
good deal of abuse during the fight, though everyone had certainly
shared in the bloodshed. Kitreena lie in a heap beside Kindel,
blood still fresh on her chin and arm, wrist twisted in an
unnatural way. To see her power reduced to nothing had been more
than discouraging. When she had Morphed at Cathymel, she had downed
everyone
in seconds, even Sartan Truce. But Kindel had not
only withstood the explosion, he'd also tossed her aside as little
more than a doll. Could
anything
 hurt him? Damien had
managed to land a few punches, but Kindel seemed almost unaware of
the dried blood smeared below his lip. The only thing that gave
Arus any hope was the knowledge that the man did, in fact, bleed.
If he hadn't seen it for himself, he may have thought Thorus to be
invulnerable.

Besides Kindel, the only one still standing
was Muert, who seemed to have a better idea of what he was up
against. His confidence had long vanished, replaced by an uneasy
determination. Whether he still thought he could win or not was
irrelevant. He was certainly ready to die trying.
It may come to
that if you're not careful, Muert.