313) The Salvation of Eden, Chapter 77 — No greater Love

The rest was obliterated by the massive explosion, quickly followed by four others, although none of them were aware of that, or for several deadly moments, anything at all.

Kohra and Gorb were thrown halfway across the little lake, landing with a splash in ice cold water. The shock brought Kohra to consciousness enough that she instinctively started swimming, thrashing to keep her head above water. Gorb was nearby, similarly thrashing, but unable to swim, he went under.

“GORB!” she yelled. Her voice sounded tinny and far away. Everything was ringing.

Diving under, she looked for Gorb, only to see him suddenly shoot out of the water!

Scrambling up, she broke the surface. But he was already heading back down, sinking like a stone.

Diving under again, she saw him hit bottom in a crouch, then jump, launching himself upward. She was dimly aware that the water was shallow enough that he could surface in jumps, allowing himself to breathe.

“DOMINIC!!” she screamed, but heard nothing beyond the consistent ringing buzz in her ears, and the distant-sounding, muffled rumble of falling stalactites as it seemed the entire ceiling was collapsing behind them.

Treading water, she spotted their exit, a stone staircase rising out of the lake on the far side. It wasn’t much farther.

The next time Gorb shot up, she caught his eye, pointing toward the staircase. He didn’t have time to see it right away, but by the next jump, he understood. Together, they half-swam, half-jumped until the water was shallow enough that Gorb could stand.

Kohra turned around, gasping for breath. “DOMINIC!!” she screamed again, scanning frantically in the darkness.

The cavern was a total disaster, although she could only see slightly past the edge of the lake before it became too dark. Just beyond the water’s edge, the floor was a seething mass of slimy boulders.

“DOMINIC!!” she screamed again.

Then she spotted Melkorn, waist-deep in the lake, Lenny clinging to his back, Reilly in one arm, his other hand dragging Grok. The big man stumbled, almost losing his balance. Nearby, Dominic and Devona floated in the water, face down.

A flicker of movement caught her eye. White hair streaming behind, Graxia zoomed out of the gloom on a rope, leering in her triumph. She landed on the shore, right at the edge.   

“Now you all DIE!!” She drew her Wand and started to raise it toward Melkorn, the poor guy far too stunned from the explosions to comprehend that he, along with everyone in the water, was about to get electrocuted.

* * * * *

They say that in moments of life-or-death, time sometimes slows down, giving you uncanny clarity of perception. Kohra understood instantly what she had to do. There was no time for anything else.

“Get them out of the water!” Kohra screamed at Gorb, hoping he understood.

Focusing on the spot immediately behind Graxia, she activated her cloak. Her guts wrenched, and then she was there, inches away from the Zhaalmohhrian Heir. Without hesitation, dagger firmly in hand, she stabbed, aiming right for the heart.

Graxia instinctively twisted to the side, just enough to take the blade in her arm instead. She spun around from the blow, the lightning bolt crackling harmlessly into the ceiling.

For a second, they stood toe-to-toe, Kohra alone with their enemy, knowing she could not win this fight. She was about to die.

She was too close for Graxia to discharge the Wand at her, but the woman didn’t even hesitate, re-sheathing it and drawing her sword, expertly slicing up at Kohra’s neck in one fluid motion.

It was a moment of pure instinct, or maybe divine intervention; Kohra was never entirely sure. But as the blade edge carved toward her, the Flux Magnified, focusing itself, smaller, smaller, coalescing as a tiny plate of armour, meeting the blade edge right at the point of impact.

She screamed as the sword ricocheted, slicing across her cheek instead. As Graxia swung again, Kohra ducked, the blade whizzing over her head, only to come back down in a diagonal slice at her torso. Again, the Flux responded, Magnifying to a tiny plate of armour right at the point of impact, and the blade bounced off her ribs. She doubled over from the blow, gasping for breath.

Shrieking with rage, Graxia booted her in the face. Kohra staggered back, eyes full of tears. There was nothing, no moment left to think, to decide, to act, nothing but…to let go, to surrender completely to the Flux.

The only person who would ever know that Kohra’s eyes turned pure, shining black in that moment, was Graxia.

She hesitated. It was fear. The Heir of the Zhaalmohhrian Empire was afraid.

Then Graxia engaged, a tornado of rage and flashing steel, while Kohra dodged and ducked and blocked, her miniscule ForceShield zipping around to protect her most vital parts. Still, the Zhaalmohhrian’s blade cut into her face, her shoulder, her forearm, her thigh. Blood flowed into her eyes. And still she fought, fought for everything she knew, everything she loved.

* * * * *

Gorb stared from across the little lake, barely comprehending the sacrifice the girl was making. Then he looked at the bodies in the water, at Melkorn already fading, falling backward with Reilly in his arms, Grok slipping out of his grasp. Quickly tearing off his armour and most of his clothes, Gorb launched himself into the water, leap-running for Melkorn, praying he would get there in time.

There was no time to think about Kohra, to think about anything but getting them all out of the water. He grabbed Devona and Dominic, and hauled.

“Forrrward, man!” he shouted at Melkorn. “Come on!!”

Melkorn responded dully, lumbering toward the far side, finally dropping to his knees and lowering Reilly onto one of the steps before collapsing, Lenny still clinging to his back. Grok sputtered beside him, crawling up out of the water, while Gorb dragged Dominic and Devona onto the steps.

Grok was already working on Reilly, so he crawled up to Devona, tilting her head back, trying to blow some air into her lungs. Even without the Light, Gorb still knew a few things about Healing.

A few steps down, Dominic retched, spewing water onto the stairs. Devona followed, and Gorb stepped back, letting her get some air. Grok was holding Reilly over her shoulder, patting her back. The little girl was breathing, but looked like she’d been trampled by an angry bull.

Graxia glanced over, noting the others had made it to the stairs.

After all these years, all my sacrifices, these accursed FILTH show up to ruin it all!

She cursed in Whiteling, turning back to the pathetic Elf girl bleeding in front of her. For some reason, her blade kept missing its mark. It didn’t make sense. It wasn’t like the girl’s skin was magically hardened or something; she’d seen that before. This was different. She was cutting her up left, right and centre, but every killing blow would somehow ricochet. It didn’t make sense.

But the girl was about to collapse anyway. Time to finish her off, then the others would taste her Wand. She WOULD have her revenge.

Her pause gave Kohra just enough time to catch her breath. When the next thrust came, she was ready, twisting to the side. Graxia countered quickly, elbowing her in the face and slicing for her chest. Again, the blade ricocheted, hacking Kohra’s arm instead.

On the stairs, Gorb was rallying the others. Although Kohra would never know this, not a single one even hesitated, once their disorientation cleared enough that they realized what was happening. As she struggled and fought and got carved up like a piece of bloody meat, they rallied, charging back as soon as each of them was able, churning through the water in a suicide rush to try and save their friend.

Dodging and weaving, the Flux tearing through her like lava exploding through the rim of a volcano, Kohra lost all sense of existing as a separate entity. The Flux roared through every cell of her body, splaying open her awareness, scouring her clean of every vestige of “Kohra.”

She felt no pain. Had no thoughts. There was only this rush. This roaring power. THIS!

Graxia's blade came down again, and Kohra lurched to the side, the sword slicing her right thigh before the Flux warded it off. She was weakening with each blow. It was like getting hit by Gorb's hammer from inside and out at the same time. She staggered, but kept her feet. The blade stabbed forward, seeking the soft vulnerability of her stomach while she twisted away. She was too slow, but again the Flux slammed into her stomach at the same moment as the blade; she reeled backward, fighting to keep her balance.

A fist smashed into her face and she fell back, tears again flooding her vision. A hand grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, jerking her forward while the sword blade stabbed for her chest. Again, the Flux responded. The force of the blow was tremendous, all air knocked out of her as she fell backward, gasping, into the water.

Graxia saw her advantage. Time to end this. The girl was down. She reached for the Wand.

Thrashing, choking, desperately trying to find her balance so she could stand up, Kohra’s hand smacked against something hard on her side. It was in her satchel, under her cloak. As her hand closed around it, she stood up, swaying, woozy, but determined to prevent Graxia from firing that Wand.

Graxia was lifting the Wand, aiming directly at her, as she threw the bottle. She remembered the hobo, her one-legged “friend” who hated Elves, so long ago it felt like lifetimes.

Graxia raised a gauntleted hand, blocking the bottle but unintentionally smashing it, dousing her face in alcohol.

She screamed, wiping at her eyes, blinking furiously, trying to bring the accursed Elf back into focus.

Kohra lunged for the Wand.

Graxia stepped to the side, smashing her sword-fist into the back of Kohra’s head as she stumbled by.

Swaying and unsteady, the girl got back to her feet. Her teeth red, snarling like a wild animal, she lunged again for the Wand.

Graxia feinted to one side, spinning to boot Kohra directly in the face. She reeled backward, Graxia raising her sword for the killing blow. Darkness was falling, everything was fading, but in that final moment, Kohra launched herself forward, wrapping her arms around the woman’s waist, the Flux finally leaving her.

She barely felt the cold steel stab into her back, slicing between her ribs and out through her stomach, as her bodyweight dragged Graxia down into the water.

The Zhaalmohhrian Heir struggled to break the girl’s death-grip and stand back up. Wrenching free, Graxia pulled her sword back out, red and dripping. Finally, this damned Elf was going to die.

Kohra knelt in the shallow water, hands clutching her stomach, aware of nothing but the strange sight of thick redness dripping through her fingers into the black water.

The alabaster-skinned woman raised her sword one last time. She had time; she could see the others rushing her, but they were too far away. She would dispatch this filth, then swing back out on her rope, and take them down with her Wand from a safe distance. She had won this fight. They had nowhere to run.

“HAMMERRRR!!!” Melkorn roared, throwing his axe in desperation, but missing by a wide margin. Gorb’s hammer sailed past as well. Devona tripped and went down, scrambling back up but clearly too far away to do anything. One of Dominic’s arms hung uselessly at his side; bellowing incoherently, he threw his boot dagger with his wrong hand but it also sailed past. Lenny shot a weak FrostBolt that Graxia sidestepped. And Reilly, swimming for all she was worth, was simply too slow. 

Graxia saw the handless woman’s Wand just in time, diving to the side as a thin grey beam shot past, melting a fist-sized tunnel into the wall on the far side of the cavern. The Wand crumbled into dust as Grok cursed. After waiting three hundred years to take that shot, she’d missed.

But now they were close enough that Graxia had to leave, unless she wanted to risk going toe-to-toe with the whole group at once. The Elf girl had fully collapsed into the water now, a halo of blood all around her.

Graxia smiled.

Filth.

Sheathing her sword and wand, she leapt, straight up, hands grasping the rope above her head, knowing her pulley system would swing her back across the stalactite-death-zone. It had taken ten solid years to rig up this rope system, purchase those barrels, get everything into place. The Inheritance was SO CLOSE. She just needed to get rid of these vermin, and it was hers, finally!

Once she was on the other side, she’d fry these bastards once and for all.

A black streak, launching itself right off of Kohra’s bloodied torso, sailed through the air like a serpentine arrow, deadly fangs sinking into Graxia’s neck. Sheer incredulity crossed her face as she clung to the rope. For about two seconds.

Then she fell, hard, onto the stone floor, writhing as the poison flooded her brain. A moment later, a large stalactite impaled her, and she disappeared, screaming, as the stalactite-snail enveloped her body.

Graxia was gone.

“ARROW!!” Dominic yelled. “Snakeyyy!!!" A little black head poked out of the shallow water near the shore, heading for its friend.

* * * * *

Gorb cradled Kohra in his arms. Her body was limp, cold, her hands still clenched against her flayed stomach. Grok knelt in front, tipping her last vial of healing potion into Kohra’s bloody lips.

Drip, drip, drip.

Kohra moaned, blood gurgling out of her mouth and spilling onto her chest. Grok dripped the remaining potion into her mouth. And prayed. There was nothing more they could do.

Everyone gathered around, kneeling and squatting in the reddened water. Reilly sobbed, cradled in Devona’s arms. Dominic looked destroyed with worry, his face ashen, one hand hanging limp by his side, the other petting Snakey absently, who was wrapped around his shoulders. Melkorn stood stoic, like a soldier, but tears gushed down his cheeks.

  They waited for what felt like forever. Kohra’s breathing became shallower and shallower until it seemed to disappear entirely.

“Kohra?” Dominic said in a low voice. Then, panicked, “Grok! Is she breathing??!”

“Shhhh.” Grok pointed with an arm-stump. “Look.”

Beneath Kohra’s bloodied hands, her stomach wound was disappearing, the skin knitting itself back together. A few seconds later, her body was wracked with a huge spasm and she cried out, then burst into a round of severe coughing.

“Uuugggghhh….” Kohra lifted one hand slowly to wipe her eyes. “That was…fun.”

Another round of coughing. She wiped her eyes again. Her vision was clearing, at least in one eye; the left was swollen shut.

The others’ faces swam into focus, contorted with worry.

She cracked a bloodied smile. “Y’all look like the Hells.”

Lenny, eyes full of tears, barked into laughter. “HA! And you look like a beauty queen.”

Kohra reached forward, taking Grok’s hand. “You saved my life.”

Grok grinned, “Hey, I owed you one,” gently leaning in to hug the girl. “You saved us all,” she whispered into Kohra’s ear.

Kohra’s eye widened in sudden fear. “Graxia! Where —”

But Gorb interrupted her, still cradling her. “Shhhh. Yerrr safe; just rrrest. Grrraxia’s dead. Thanks t’ ye.”

Kohra’s other eye managed to finally open. “You mean…we, we won?”

“We kicked her ass!” Reilly yelled.

“Snakey kicked her ass!” Dominic yelled, laughing.

The cavern exploded into whoops and shouts and laughter.

Lenny jumped right into Melkorn’s arms, cackling wildly and shouting obscenities into the darkness, shaking her fist in a challenge to all the worlds. Dominic carried Snakey around like the hero who scored the big goal to win the game, whooping and hollering. Melkorn joined him, holding Lenny up in one hand and Reilly in the other, pumping his arms in the air, yelling “Yeahh!! Yeahh!!” over and over.

Devona knelt down in front of Kohra, taking her face into her hands, gently. Kohra winced. It still felt like she was on fire, even after the potion. Devona’s eyes glistened as she kissed her cheeks. Neither of them knew what to say. Kohra just gazed, thinking she had never seen anyone more beautiful in her whole life.

Dominic, Melkorn and the others strode past, laughing and shouting, “Snakey!! Yeah!! Snakey!!”

“Sure, I get stabbed, and Snakey gets all the credit,” Kohra rasped. Devona laughed, holding her hand.

Carefully, Gorb got to his feet, lifting her easily. With Grok and Devona’s help, and then Melkorn’s once they hit the deep water, they carried her back across the little lake, laying her gently on blankets that Dominic spread onto the stone steps. The laughter and excitement giving way to shock and exhaustion, they all stretched out. Now there was nothing to do, but rest and heal. And sleep.

As Kohra drifted off, Lenny’s voice floated out of the gloom. “Hey Gorb.”

“Mmm?” he murmured.

“Nice underwear.”

The cavern echoed with laughter for a long time.