“We have to get out of here.” Kriss stated, the whole group now kneeling together. Even fewer bolts flew now, only two or three every few seconds. It seemed Vallerian was right, they were running out of bolts quickly. “Rekiak, what’s the best way?”

Rekiak shook his head and pointed towards a pile of rubble behind them. “My front door is currently in ruins, so it doesn’t seem like there’s any other way than that.” He shifted his finger towards the large hole from which they were all hiding.

“Of course.” Vallerian groaned. “We might need to fight our way out.”

“How many are there?” Kriss asked. Vallerian rose slightly, then ducked as a ball of flame came hurtling by where his head had once been. The burst of fire singed a wooden beam nearby, but blessedly didn’t catch. Celeste felt her skin crawl at the feel of the air that trailed behind those flames. Chaos.

“Too many.” Vallerian shook his head. “At least three dozen of the bastards. Anybody else have any other plans?”

“I can dig out the door with time, I think.” Rekiak cut in, reaching over and pulling at some of the collapsed doorway. “If you two can keep them preoccupied.”

“Three.” Valleresa stated, rising. “Just cause I’m not a big man like you three doesn’t mean I can’t hold my own.” She grabbed a rock and tossed it between her hands. “I am a Fereni after all. It’s in my blood.”

“Reesa.” Vallerian began but was cut off with a finger to his chest.

“Don’t you start with me brother.” They stared at each other for a moment, before Vallerian finally relented.

“Why is it so silent?” Arabella eventually asked, having pulled herself up to a kneeling position lower than the taller men sitting. They all looked around, no more bolts. Celeste’s heart quickened.

“If you get hurt, get to me.” She told them. She would heal until she couldn’t breathe anymore if that’s what it took.

“Radiance, you look exhausted.” Valleresa said warningly, but Celeste shrugged her off.

“I will do my part sister. Same as you.” She would not be a damsel from the songs, waiting for a brave knight to come and save her. She would help, she would be a part of the solution. These men were here for her. If anyone died today, their blood was on her.

Then they came, robed men shouting as they charged into the room. Daggers and spears glinting in the light. Kriss, Vallerian, and Valleresa rose quickly to face the threat head on as Rekiak got to work on the front entrance.

Kriss fought bravely, wrestling a spear from one of the men, and breaking off the head to use it as a staff. Striking legs and heads he became a whirlwind of force, doing his best to keep their attackers at bay.

Vallerian on the other hand deftly dodged through the men that came at him, their blades swinging always were he had just been, not where he was.

Valleresa struggled more, she was a sister of the Ethinian faith, not a warrior. Even then, as a Fereni she held her own against a Khazimi man who came at her with a dagger. Careful as she was though, a thin slice of red already stretched across her cheek.

“We’re going to die here.” Thelyra whimpered next to Celeste, holding her knees to her chest. “We’re all going to die. I have a baby! Please, I can’t die…”

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“We’re going to get out of this.” Celeste whispered, moving over to the woman and grabbing her hand. “Thelyra, you and your baby will be safe. I promise you.” Celeste trusted her guardians; they wouldn’t let anything happen.

Looking back at the brawl above her, Celeste felt her confidence waning. Her friends fought valiantly, bravely striking down their enemies in non-lethal ways. A strike to the leg, a broken arm. Anything that would keep the robed men from coming back at them. But more kept coming. Even Arabella had joined the fray, skirting the edge of the melee and tossing rocks at attackers not too close to their friends.

With a glance back, Celeste saw that Rekiak was moving as quickly as he could. But with every large chunk of plaster he shoved aside, it seemed two more fell in its place.

“WATCH OUT!” Kriss shouted. Celeste swung her head around to catch a man rushing past Kriss and towards Thelyra and herself. Celeste stepped in front of the pregnant woman and tried to pull on her light, tried to make herself strong like her father. He could restrain people with the Mother’s light for their own protection, why couldn’t she?

Celeste opened the gates within her heart, and a trickle came forth. She was so tired. She fell to her knees once more, exhausted at what she had done. The robed figure neared, with an elbow strike he knocked Celeste to the ground, then moved towards… Thelyra? His dagger swept violently towards her. No, Celeste thought. No, she can’t…

Someone roared. Rekiak? A chunk of plaster struck the attacker in the head before he could reach the Fershya woman. The man’s skull caved in at the strike, and Rekiak stood above the dying man.

“NO!” Celeste screamed. Her voice hoarse from the effort. No, no, no. Her lips quivered in panic. She was so tired, so weak. Could she heal the man before he died? Oh what would become of Rekiak’s soul should the man die? A soul already so strained by his dance with the Chaos.

It didn’t matter how tired she was. This man, tempted by the Chaos he may be, was a child of Ethinia.

Crawling over, dragging her body over debris, Celeste reached out a desperate hand and grasped the quickly dying man’s arm. She opened her soul, and let the light pour forth.

Not enough.

“Please…” She begged, a tear streaming down her face. “Please… just one more…” Celeste pleaded with the Mother above. Beseeching Her for the mercy Celeste so longed to impart. She had to save this man’s soul, save Rekiak’s soul, all of them. Celeste pushed, even a trickle could be enough if she pushed hard enough. As exhausted as she felt, she saw the dying man’s face slowly reknit. Where bone and flesh had been crushed, began to rise back out, teal-silver light molding everything back into place. Mother bless, Celeste thought with near ecstasy, it was working.

With one last push, the man began to break out into a coughing fit. He looked down at her, wide eyed. He was just a youth, maybe only a year or two older than herself. The man scrambled to his feet and ran away.

Celeste just lay there. She was so tired, so weak. But she had done it. She had saved his life. Go, she thought, be better. Celeste felt her eyelids grow heavy, and she began to glance at her friends. Rekiak was growing close to digging out the entry, Kriss was handling his attackers well. Even Vallerian and Valleresa were keeping men at bay.

Celeste, smiled, they were going to be alright, everything was going to be alright. The world was growing so blurry, so tired. Where was Arabella? Celeste looked over and saw the Jöln handmaiden looking back at her. Concern on the small woman’s face.

A spear burst through Arabella’s stomach. The woman screamed in pain, her face contorted in pain. Celeste’s eyes shot open. Nobody was near to help Arabella. Everyone was struggling. They were all going to die. Everyone was going to die.

And it was her fault. Celeste tried to open her soul, but she was so drained. So empty. She was weak. Too weak. Celeste looked to her friend and watched as Arabella fell to her knees. That light was flickering, the light within Arabella beginning to fade. No, Celeste thought.

“No…” She gasped.

Then, Celeste felt something she had never felt before. Something deep within. In the very recesses of her soul. She had felt the Mother’s light pressing against her every day of her life, had felt the pulsing radiance of the Most Merciful in every action. This was not that. This was not the gift she had wielded since she was a child. This deep kernel, this slow glowing light that she found within, when everything else had been spent was something new. Celeste saw it, saw it in her own soul as though it floated in front of her.

She saw it and grabbed it.