Suzanne, thrust into a situation she had never encountered before, felt a simmering fire rising within her. This could be a promising development: Diva exhibited no inclination to betray her, and if her friends were to attack him simultaneously, she might stand a chance of escaping death.
But deep down, she knew she was deceiving herself. It was evident that even ten of her and ten Shahabs could not have...
“Now!”
The chain of her thoughts was abruptly severed by a scream from the top of the rock. Before that voice was silenced, Suzanne found herself in the arms of Parisa, who had moved with incredible speed, her pitch-black wings enveloping Suzanne tightly. At that moment, she could only catch a glimpse of the ground beneath the rock, thanks to her perch atop Parisa's head.
It was a scene to behold: where she and Parisa had been moments ago, two serpentine arms – Arjang’s arms – had emerged from the man's side, coiling tightly around him—or so it appeared, as the intense firefall cascading from the top of the rock and the flames conjured by Shahab, enshrouded the man and his strange pet so completely that no details were discernible. Simultaneously, with astonishing swiftness, Tizpa hurled small rubble fragments one after another towards the inferno, and Tufan manipulated them through the air to strike the man's body from every conceivable angle.
For a brief moment, Suzanne may have entertained the notion that not only could they survive, but they might also add a defeated Doshnas to their list of accomplishments. Yet, just as quickly, her gaze landed on Rubina, who stood at a distance, merely observing the unfolding spectacle. When Rubina shook her head in a futile gesture and turned her face towards Suzanne, her pragmatic side reasserted itself. She yelled from the shelter of Parisa's wings:
"Get away, you fools!"
Before anyone could react to Suzanne's cry, Arjang was suddenly drawn towards the flames. Shahab shouted "No!" and withdrew his fiery assault. Tizpa and Tufan halted their stone-projecting attacks. In a matter of moments, before the stunned eyes of the Ashubanies, Arjang Mar-Chap was held by the man, a dagger poised beneath his throat. The Jangari hostage-taker appeared uninjured by their previous assault, while Arjang, his arms now restored to their normal size, seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness due to the pain, barely able to stay on his feet. The creature Ozhen was conspicuously absent.
"You know, my other brother always says that I'm too patient. I concur with his assessment, though I don't perceive this trait as a weakness. I prefer to preserve a memento of my adversaries in my memory before I dispatch them Unlike the rest of my family, I'm not a swift killer, but like them all, I am a resolute one," the man commented.
During this exchange, the man's gaze flitted across the group, ultimately settling on Suzanne. He continued, "Upon reflection, I find myself disinclined to acquire seven new mementos. If it suits you, I'll take the Azarpeik as your representative. And now, in exchange for granting me a few minutes of conversation, I shall impart one final lesson..."
The dagger in the man's hand ascended, and the collective held breath of those present was released in the form of a unified scream that stirred all the creatures in the vicinity. The image of the gleeful lightning shimmering in the man's eyes, along with his mocking grin, would forever be etched in Suzanne's memory.
“... Either deem it a game, or a life. It can’t be both.”
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Even in the darkness of the night, the color of the liquid gushing from Arjang's neck artery was unmistakable. Suzanne, for the first time, felt the weight of responsibility heavy in her heart, and her voice, which she thought should have deafened the ears of the world, escaped her: "Diva! Flames of hell!" This time, Parisa was there to shield her from being thrown back by the intensity of the crimson flame with a core that seemed to burn black. None of the other group members remained idle.
Shahab, engulfed in azure flames from head to toe, emitted a silent scream lost within the heart of those flames. He hurled himself downward towards the man, creating a circular wave of air as he descended. The man, whose body shattered the sharp stones thrown at him upon impact, deflected Suzanne's attack, propelling it towards Rubina with a swift, slap-like motion that caused Rubina to dive to the ground. Then he turned his attention to Shahab, who was rapidly approaching him, and for a brief moment, they locked eyes. No one else witnessed this exchange, but a smile graced the man's face while he lowered his dagger that was directed towards Shahab's face until a moment ago. As Shahab neared him, the man calmly placed his hands on Shahab's shoulders and pushed him towards the nearby rock.
To the onlookers, it appeared as though a blue fireball was launched at the man but abruptly altered its course, colliding with the rock. The impact created a deafening sound, splitting the rock in two. Shahab, who fell unconscious onto the ground just below it, lay near Arjang's lifeless body. Smoke rose from the shattered rock, and the flames that had surrounded Shahab gradually dwindled.
Suzanne found herself at a loss, utterly unprepared for the turn of events in Parsin's mission. She was convinced that none of the kazhamuzes had anticipated such occurrences, or they wouldn't have ventured southward. The gravity of the situation had blindsided her, leaving her mentally paralyzed. Before her very eyes, the young man she despised, yet was entrusted to protect, lay lifeless, while her long-standing rival lay unconscious on the ground. Contrary to her wildest dreams, Suzanne had never felt more despondent.
She resented the insidious voice inside her, however faint and subtle, that tempted her to wield her powers and escape from this dire predicament. Against this formidable foe, she stood no chance, and the fate of Shahab and the others seemed equally grim. Perhaps, if she managed to survive this catastrophe, she could find her way to the sea and ultimately return to Ashuban, striving to fulfill her family and Tarikan’s obligations at a later date.
Like moments before when she had come to her senses with a shout of “now!”, the battle that had begun just moments before, although it felt as if it had stretched on for hours, reached an abrupt and thunderous conclusion. The collective perspiration on their brows, the uncertainty etched on their faces, and the labored breathing of the combatants all solidified the surreal sense that time had indeed warped. It all came to a halt with a piercing, whistle-like sound.
Every onlooker, including the Jangari man, involuntarily swiveled their gaze towards the obscurity from which the enigmatic sound had emanated. Yet, save for the lone man, none among them discerned anything unusual in that direction. It was the man who should have witnessed something uncanny and did so with a mix of frustration and recognition.
"Ah, not you again, you wretched piece of..." he muttered.
The Ashubanies pivoted their attention to the man, keenly aware that he was engaged in an encounter, and whatever it entailed, he was far from thrilled. With a silvery dagger whirling deftly in his grip, he continued his tirade.
"Allow me to guess: you've come to play the hero once more!"
Gritting his teeth, he turned to Suzanne, who bore the visible scars of the recent conflagration, her soot-smudged visage, singed hair, and parched lips. Raising a finger towards the unseen presence, he declared,
"He won't let me end you—not while he's breathing. So, we'll meet another time, undoubtedly, before you can relay your report to your superiors. Farewell!"
In the blink of an eye, the man disappeared from their view. For a fleeting moment, they heard colossal roars reverberating into the distance, shaking the very ground beneath their feet, before gradually receding into silence. The wolf-cat, or Verkanae, had long since disappeared. And so, they lay sprawled upon the frigid earth, under the amused gaze of the stars, which had witnessed their blood-soaked spectacle this fateful night, alongside a bifurcated rock and shattered spirits.
End of Chapter