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Chapter 52 – Void against Void
Metheus
I screamed Luella’s name as I saw her bird form hurtle towards the end of the room. She almost hit the wall but managed to flap her wings weakly. Her fire was still there, but it was fainter. She had roasted the starving god, but not enough to overpower it completely.
One thing was for certain, however. Our joint forces had weakened the Ninurta. I felt it. The pressure it had on me was different from the first attack, even though this second one was more sustained.
Luella regained some of her strength, flying back to where I was – where the void battled the void. Together, we had channeled some of his stolen strength to Rowali. My little sister was supposedly returning these powers to the witches they belonged to. There was so much energy transfer within the Great Hall that the room had become filled with various flashing colors.
My wife’s phoenix perched on my shoulder as if for comfort. Even in her new form, she seemed to transfer more heat toward me.
“Give it up, fire stealer!” the Ninurta roared.
“I will never do that. You need to return to where you came from!”
“You witches and demigods cannot hold someone like me, not for long,” it laughed sardonically.
“We will keep on trying. As long as someone is willing to fight you, you will still find yourself back in your prison.”
The Ninurta laughed. However, I could swear that its laughter sounded like it was becoming deeper and more disembodied, as if it no longer belonged to the funnel swirling in front of us. My head was pounding, but I would not let go. I knew that if I broke the connection, it would hurt someone badly. It could be me, Luella, or both of us. However, keeping us connected to the ancient god would also endanger our lives.
He was getting weaker. Fading. We held on. He roared again, shaking the pedestals of the Great Hall. Then, there it was. We see more energy being released from him, in various colors and densities. The funnel became smaller and smaller, shrinking and shriveling before our eyes. Luella chirped. I was surprised. It was a sweet sound of satisfaction, compared to her usual fierce sounds.
On the floor, I saw Rowan creeping towards the fading funnel. She went into a kneeling position, holding out her arms as if in prayer – in offering. Then, she crept closer to the funnel, serving as its medium and prison. The remaining black smoke went inside of her. Then, she turned over on her back on the floor and started shaking, bubbling in her mouth. She had taken in the black smoke, imprisoned it, and seemingly ended herself.
Luella flew off to inspect Rowan. She had simmered down, fire extinguished for the moment. She pecked at the face of the young woman but did not get a response.
“She should be buried in a grave sanctified by the Coven and the Seers. One day, when there is an imbalance, the Ninurta will undoubtedly rise again. It cannot be helped,” she sent me a clear message without even opening her beak.
Our connection had become more potent by the day, with each time I fed on her. The warmth she transferred to me came with something more precious – herself, her essence. I tested this new connection.
“I agree with you. One day, someone has to take on the responsibility to put him down again.”
“Metheus,” she began.
“Yes?”
“Find me something to wear,” she begged.
I was so startled at the request that I chuckled. I knew I was smiling in the middle of the carnage, but I could not help it. However, the heavy burden on my chest remained as my eyes slowly scanned the Hall and saw several dead witches and mortal men.
#
“I wish Razuku were here,” sighed Emir.
“Why?” I asked.
“It is not fair that he is enjoying farming the land while I clean up dead bodies,” he said.
I shook my head in disbelief. However, I knew that Emir simply missed Razuku. Now that everything was over, we could probably return to what the contract stated: six months in Arrowspear and six months in Mogochislenia.
The Great Hall needed massive repairs. I did not want Rowali and Luella here, then. Emir seemed capable enough to monitor the rebuilding. Perhaps we could even have walls built all over the palace. It was not too late to begin keeping the place safer. I wanted it to be safer if I planned to have any children grow up here.
My heart ached at the thought of children. I wondered if Luella and I would content ourselves as aunt and uncle to our siblings’ children. I had not even told her I loved her. Perhaps after we had both rested, I would. I was afraid of how she would react, would not know how I would take it if she did not love me back. Arranged marriages did not often bloom into love, perhaps because they frequently began with resentment. It was challenging to go over the preconceived disappointments and prejudices. Yet, I found myself falling for her despite how vain I thought her to be. I found myself scratching at the surface, discovering that the vanity was only a shield. She was vulnerable inside.
Then, I remembered a loose end -someone who had tried to appeal to her vanity. Ari. Where the hell was the bastard now? True enough, he was my father’s bastard. He could have been the prince in another life, and I would have been nothing. He was a little older. My father could have chosen the safer option, a Prozeus royal, Devorah. Then, my mother came along. If my father had not been so restless to see the rest of the continent, his family would have been here in Prozeus, purebloods. There would not have been a problem with demigods and the Touch. Devorah was, after all, a mortal woman.
I wondered if my mother, Rowali, and I were more trouble than we were worth. Somehow, I could understand Ari’s bitterness. All of this could be his – the title, the properties, and even maybe, my wife. Perhaps Luella would have fallen in love with him. After all, our marriage had started with annoyance and responsibilities.
