[Book II Chapter 132] SARAH: A Sacrifice
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“Sekken is waiting ahead.” Sarah stated.
“Should we chart a different course?” Commander Varon asked anxiously. They were inside the cabin of his airship, at the front of the huge fleet. Around them spread out the Twisted Lands.
She shook her head. “The wrecks we’re dragging limit the hight we can fly and the widths we can travel. There’s no good detour possible.”
Varon nodded. “I’ll alert the others.”
“And I’m heading outside.” Sarah replied, walking out on deck. She wanted to see the threat with her own eyes.
They traveled around a bend between two massive cliffs. On the other side was open space with an unbroken stretch of plains extending several miles in all directions. Sekken stood in its center, crossed-armed. He knows we’ve no choice but to break through. Behind him was the largest gathering of demonic beasts she’d ever seen. Turok and Saeen were there too, as well as a fourth sovereign, a creepy-looking giant gremlin.
“All four of our immortals will confront Sekken while the saints handle the other revenants.” Varon’s voice boomed through the fleet. “As soon as they create an opening, we’ll move the ships through.”
“There will be no opening.” Sarah whispered with a dry throat. Once, several days ago, she had scried the future to calm her nerves. Could they make it through the twisted lands? She struggled for hours for a positive response to this question. Finally, on the verge of exhaustion, she’d glimpsed a single thread promising success. Since that time, try as she might, she failed to grasp it again. She half-suspected it was never there to begin with.
A furious clash unfolded before her. Their military crafts were lined up at the front of the fleet, blasting threats out of the air with barrages of magical cannon fire. Meanwhile, below, wave after wave of beasts threw themselves against their hastily assembled ground defenses. Further out, their champions confronted Sekken and the other revenants. Even with the additional saints she’d managed to recruited, even after drafting every person with fighting experience, they were barely holding their own.
Sarah gripped Miracle Worker frustrated at being unable to participate. Astra’s curse forbade her entering battle, and the mere desire to do so had already been enough to cause a dull pain in her chest. Or maybe that was from the unease of watching the tide turn against them.
The moment they break through, it’s over. Sarah knew it wasn’t just many of the saints accompanying them who were prepared to flee. Most airships had crew members ready to sever the chains anchoring them to the wrecks. If things went south, all those trapped on the floating husks would be left adrift, a feast for the legions of monsters. We packed nearly two millions souls on them.
And it’d be the end for her. She knew she couldn’t run. Living through her humiliation on the Isle of Dreams had been agonizing enough. Surviving the slaughter of her people was an embarrassment she would spare herself. I’d rather let the curse claim me. Even if Astra took her back, there’d be no hiding from the failure this time.
This left her with one choice. Sighing, she studied Miracle Worker. The staff’s illusory grace, ‘Desperate Prayer’, could rewrite fate in exchange for a suitable sacrifice. Orion, its former wielder, had used it to shift the course of a dark age. If she was to die either way, why not turn the tide of this battle on the way out?
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Doubts still plagued her. Orion had been an immortal who, for centuries, had quietly aided those around him, seeking nothing in return. Compared to that incomprehensible selflessness, how much was her life worth? Would it be enough to make a difference?
Before she could muster her resolve, the ghost of an old man appeared directly in front of her. He drifted in the air, giving her a sad, pitying look. Anger flared at this silent reproach. What else can I do? Finding the right solution might have been easy for you, but I can’t see the world the way you did! She lamented the unfairness with all her heart.
In the midst of this despair, an idea coalesced in her mind. Maybe It’s possible I can… The notion was absurd, but what did she have to lose?
She gripped Miracle Worker and evoked its true power. I offer up my eyes. The last thing she saw before the world went black was the smile on Orion’s lips.
Her ability to distinguish the threads of fate grew by leads and bounds. Thousands around her were discernible and, through them, she understood her surroundings. It was less disorienting than expected, after having lived the experience countless times in her dreams.
She noticed a group of giant grasshoppers about to break through their defenses. No, you won’t. She focused on the threads of their fleet’s cannon fire and identified a dozen which would miss without hitting anything. Grabbing hold of these, she swung her staff. Aims were changed, converging towards the demonic beasts and annihilating them.
Good, but it doesn’t solve the real problem. With her new ability, she might prevent them from being overrun, but the threat of Sekken remained. Their four immortals couldn’t stop him. Contemplating briefly, she understood what she had to do.
“I’ll be right back.” She yelled to Varon before hopping off the ship.
She landed and, as walked past the defenders fighting frantically, the pain in her chest grew to unbearable levels. Right before it claimed her, she swung Miracle Worker at a frenzied hound charging her. The beast collapsed, blood flowing from his mouth.
With the crushing weight on her heart lifted, Sarah took a deep breath of relief. Then she felt them coming, threads which promised certain doom. For each one, she swung her staff and another enemy fell. I must hurry.
She located Turok nearby battling the team of Hearth ninjas and raced over, redirecting her curse once more. The ground below the wendigo turned to quicksand and liquid tendril shot up to drag him under. The sovereign roared and struggled, freezing everything around him.
“Light Skyfell, I need to you to bring me to Sekken immediately.” She pleaded.
Although she couldn’t see the boy’s face, a new thread appeared next to them. Examining it, she realized it was an enormous black wolf. “Get on!” he said.
A primal terror seized her as they galloped the battlefield. With her expanded senses, she could feel it now, the howl of outrage echoing across the Ether. The inviolable had been violated, and blood was due. It was no longer simple deaths that destiny sent her way. They were veritable calamities.
Yet they were deflected. With each swing of her staff, hundreds of demonic beasts met their end. Giant mouths materialized from nowhere to swallow them whole. Meteors descended from the heavens, and explosions wracked the earth. Confused, the hordes surged towards the presence wrecking havoc within their ranks. This only hastened their demise.
“A maelstorm is forming overhead.” Light warned in disbelief.
“I know.” Sarah snapped back. She could feel the fury from Astra’s curse building. Thankfully, she also found the threads of their four immortals facing off with an even larger one. Sekken.
The maelstorm roared, and threads of destruction descended on her. She reached for all of them, praying she didn’t miss any, and flung them at her enemy. To his credit, Sekken dozed most of the lightning, but not all.
“Who dares——” The revenant cried out before the next volley struck down at him. The maelstorm was only growing in intensity, and it was all Sarah could do to redirect its wrath. Soon the burden became too much, and she gave up precision, simply aiming in the general direction of her foe.
“You can stop now.” Light shouted. “Sekken has retreated.”
If only I could… “Get me back to Varon’s ship, as fast as you can.” She commanded desperately.
From there, her memory bled into a haze. Considering the increasing savageness of the maelstorm, she should never have made it back. Yet somehow she found the strength to collapse on the deck before surrendering to unconsciousness.