Elegy for a Star

Gwen noticed that Tess wasn’t registering the seriousness of Joyona’s statement. Joyona seemed loyal to her team, but Tess’ situation was unique. If it appeared as though Tess were betraying the team, she was an enemy to Joyona, and the juggernaut would respond accordingly. And as it was now? It looked like Tess was betraying the team.

The reaction that Gwen felt was not rage, but panic. “Wait,” Gwendolyn urged, but it didn’t seem like Joyona or Mairaela heard her. “Wait, please!” Gwendolyn said, her voice shaking, “Let’s work this out! I’m sure there’s an explanation, we just need to figure it out.”

“She’s Dark Wyrden, Gwendolyn,” Mairaela said with sorrow on her face, “There’s nothing more to figure out. Nothing else can cast in the Void.” The Fey looked especially disappointed. What was to come next she was going to do with remorse and misery, but she was going to do her duty regardless. She pulled back on her bowstring, but it was still facing the ground.

The situation was dawning on Tess now, and the woman appeared timid, taking a few steps away. She put her hands up in a pleading motion, “Please, I don’t know what’s going on. Why are you all looking at me like that?”

This was bad. Even worse, Gwendolyn wasn’t sure what to do. Was Tess truly evil? Only the worst of the worst could use sorcery within pockets of the Black Sun, but did Tess know that about herself? Plus, there was that demon that Gwendolyn observed: Miri. Could she be doing this? It was unusual for even a demon to be Dark Wyrden. In fact, no, it was impossible. Whatever this was, it was coming from Tess, not the demon within her. Even Tess was strange. Not just the amnesia, but her body wasn’t like most other women that Gwendolyn knew.

Gwendolyn couldn’t tell if she’d been deceived by the innocent act or not. She brought a Dark Wyrden to the college, and unintentional or not, she would face punishment for it. That was something she was willing to accept without hesitation, but her friend being butchered? Cut down into one of those golden orbs? Would she even become a Lost Soul as a Dark Wyrden, or would she just be obliterated? That was something that terrified her.

Mairaela was bringing up that arrow now, aiming it directly at Tess.

Tess screamed, her voice wavering, “Don’t! Mairaela, oh gods dammit! Mairaela, don’t! Don’t kill me!” That was real fear. That was no act. The thought caused Gwendolyn’s eyes to water.

Gwen could even see the sadness in Mairaela’s face. Joyona was emotionless with that metal helmet covering her face, though she appeared intimidating, at least. However, Joyona hadn’t struck yet. Could even she be hesitating?

“I have to,” Mairaela said softly, “I have to.” She was convincing herself, not Tess, Gwen realized.

“Mairaela, please, let’s talk this through,” Gwendolyn replied, her grip on her blade tightening in a way that set her whole body to shaking. “We shouldn’t be has-..!”

Everyone that followed moved slowly. The arrow flew. It burst into a line of light, streaking toward Tess at blinding speed. Metal flashed.

Gwendolyn’s blade struck outward, intercepting the path and deflecting the beam of light up into the sky. “Gods dammit!” Gwendolyn shouted, knowing that this was a point of no return, “Tess, run!” After a pause, her charge took flight past the group and toward the light shining beyond the city border; toward their exit.

Gwen was caught by Joyona swinging a gauntleted fist in her direction. The strike slammed against her shield arm, mangling the metal and making it useless. Gwen herself was sent skidding a few feet away from the force of the strike, loosening the straps of her shield and letting it drop to the ground.. 

Another arrow was fired in Tess’ direction just before she would make it into an alleyway. The shot slipped past Gwen’s reach in an instant. The knight cut her blade through the air, sending a colorless wave of force that formed a jagged line across the cobblestones, connecting to Mairaela’s arrow and splitting it in half.

Joyona’s actions were more obvious. The juggernaut crouched in preparation for a leap before taking a monstrous jump in Tess’ direction. The silver swordswoman whipped her arm and sent her blade flying toward the sky in a wheel of sharp metal. When the rageful giant flew underneath the whirlwind of steel, Gwendolyn pulled her hand in, calling her blade back, which caught Joyona's gorget and pulled the giantess to the ground. 

Gwendolyn had to dodge the falling Joyona, and as her blade was finishing its trajectory into Gwendolyn’s grasp, the slippery archer used that distraction as an opening to act. Mairaela fired arrow after arrow into the blade, each one knocking it further and further off course until it skittered across the ground. Gwen could summon her blade all day and Mairaela would never let her have it, while at the same time riddling the swordswoman with holes.

Gwen took her battle high, fed it to her soul, and forced it through her sword arm. A blade of light and fire burst from her hand, striking out at the Fey. Mairaela whirled away from it with ease. Oh, right, Mairaela had the evasion gift, too. What was she thinking, going against these two? One was nigh impenetrable and the other all but unhittable. But If any Gift could do it, it was Gwen’s. Swordsmanship meant a perfect offense. This sort of thing was right up Gwendolyn’s alley. Or so she told herself.

Joyona got to her feet, charging at Gwendolyn, but the knight slipped under the giantess’ reaching arms, cutting across the back of her knee and burning a deep hole into the metal. Two more arrows from the other side were met with a parry.

“Stop! I don’t want to fight you! She’s innocent!” Gwendolyn shouted.

Neither of her opponents—her friends—replied, instead charging into melee with her. Mairaela was just as dangerous up close, swinging her bow and striking out with kicks and close-range shots. Joyona was even more terrifying, her heavy, mailed fists were like boulders being swung at Gwendolyn, and it took the warrior everything she had to parry from both sides. Gwendolyn was faster, though, moving with speed that left a blurring image in her wake. Phantom images blocked strikes from behind while Gwendolyn retaliated.

Mairaela ducked back and fired another arrow. Gwendolyn brought up her blade for an easy parry, but the shot went wide and slipped just beside Gwendolyn’s hip. There was a moment of confusion. That is, until she felt a piercing through her back and saw a thin beam of light breaking through her midsection. Her head snapped backward and saw the arrow had deflected off of Joyona’s armor.

Gwen must have had a confused expression on her face when Joyona grabbed her by the shoulder and swung her backward. Gwendolyn went sliding through the foundation of the street before coming to rest twenty feet away.

Everything was blurry and dark around the edges. She felt an enormous pressure on her chest, and when her eyes focused, she could see Joyona and her foot keeping Gwen pinned to the ground. “Don’t move,” Joyona commanded, “We don’t want to hurt you, Dame.”

She felt no weight in her hand and knew that the blade she manifested must have been gone. She called her steel sword to her hand, but it struck Joyona’s armor and deflected harmlessly to the ground.

“Stop,” Joyona insisted, pushing her foot down a little harder, “We need to get out of here, and we’re already going to be short handed. We can’t expend our souls on each other.”

“Where’s Mairaela?” Gwendolyn coughed, gripping Joyona’s foot and trying to lift it. There was no chance of that.

Joyona shook her head, “She’s going to take care of Tess. Just rest for now.” Yes, rest, with Joyona’s heavy boot on her chest. “It isn’t your responsibility,” Joyona explained.

“Don’t do this,” Gwendolyn pleaded, “She doesn’t know what’s happening. This is murder!”

“I’m sorry, Dame. I disagree.”

Gwendolyn stopped struggling, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she’d been beaten. She could no longer help Tess.