Elegy for a Star

CHAPTER SUMMARY - SPOILERS

Miri took control once Tess blacked out, finding her mind easy to overtake when it was already unconscious. What followed was violent, bloody and full of death. It was exactly what Miri was made for.

After the fight, Miri collapsed against a tree. She had more cuts than she could count. Her right eye was unable to open with so much blood pouring down it. One of the gorilla creatures, so large that it stuck out of the water’s surface, had one of her horns impaled in its back. So that’s where that blood was coming from. Joyona had long since stopped thrashing, Gwendolyn was torn apart behind one of these trees somewhere and Mairaela’s corpse was carried off sometime during the fight. Tess would live, Miri knew, but she wouldn’t be very happy. In fact, she would be devastated.

Miri wished that there was something that she could do about it. She wasn’t exactly the best at helping people cope. Aside from fucking them, there wasn’t much she knew how to do on the social front, and she didn’t think that Tess would be in the mood.

She brought her hand up to cough, only just then noticing that her little finger was missing. She coughed anyway, blood pouring from her lips. The water around them was crimson and green with bloating bodies all about. A typical day in the Void.

Any moment now, Miri knew.

Her whole body ached. She hadn’t felt this way since the tower. Since Arlen. Since Henry. The dragonfire and the rush of wind. The burning smell of Henry’s flesh. His screaming. The guilt she felt. “I’m sorry, Henry,” Miri spoke aloud, words that she’d said time and time again.

She brought one knee up out of the water; The skin was split, the bone fractured. She wondered how long it would take her to heal this time. Certainly it wasn’t the worst she’d endured. But Tess? This was about as bad as it could get for her. The thought of Tess’ reaction to this put knots in Miri’s stomach. She would have to stay in control until she exited the Void. She couldn’t let Tess see them like this. She was at least grateful that Tess hadn’t yet learned how to stay conscious when Miri took control.

Miri rolled forward to try and stand, but she only succeeded in vomiting more blood into the swamp water. “Not yet, I guess,” Miri groaned, relaxing back against the tree.

Any moment now.

“Little Crow,” the figure whispered, gliding atop the water’s surface. Its whole form was visible now. Androgynous both in form and voice, with two protrusions atop its head that formed some sort of religious symbol or crown. Its eyes, large and white—empty—were opened and gazed inside of Miri. Miri was quite used to it. Eventide didn’t frighten her anymore.

She tried to keep from showing her pain, but it was impossible. She was a bloody and broken mess; why even try? “I’m not going back,” Miri groaned with blood-soaked fangs, her vision growing hazy. No matter how blurred her surroundings became, the figure ahead was always as clear as can be.

“Did I mistreat you?”

“Fuck you.”

“You are upset.”

“Fuck. You.”

The figure looked confused, its eyes growing chaotic, mixing the white and the black in flashing lines that dissipated almost immediately.

“I want to help,” Eventide said.

“Your help isn’t worth shit,” Miri replied.

Eventide continued to talk, “All I want right now is my child back. My Little Crow will return when she’s ready.”

Miri wanted to roll her eyes, but she wasn’t convinced she still had a right eye. “Your children-...” Miri scoffed, “Your bastardized zealots, you mean.”

“Little-...”

“I’m never coming back. I am never coming back. Do you hear me, Eventide? I will never come back. I found my way out and I took it, so fuck you. Fuck you to Gods’ End and back,” Miri spat a bloody mouthful into the water.

“Give me my child and I will return the souls of your friends,” Eventide whispered calmly.

“Gods dammit,” Miri hissed. Unfortunately, she knew this was coming. She knew that Eventide would win again if it decided to show up. “Fine. Arkaid was never as insufferable as the others, anyway,” Miri grunted, “Take your spawn back.”

“I need you to do it,” Eventide responded, “Then I’ll return the souls.”

“All three?”

“Yes.”

Miri struggled to her feet once more. She couldn’t quite do it, but Eventide reached a hand out and lifted Miri out of the water and into the air. Miri put her hand out, one single talon upon her fingertip moving through the air. She hit something palpable within the nothingness in front of her, rending it open. A tear in the fabric of the world. A glowing, yellow portal ripped open, showing the stars behind it and in their center: the Black Sun. Behind it was Thyr, eclipsed, lending a halo of light to the ominous ink.

“There,” Miri said, trying not to sound defeated, “This pocket is reconnected to the Black Sun.” At least she trusted Eventide. She had never known it to go back on a deal.

“See you soon, Little Crow.” Eventide vanished into the mists.

“Yeah, coward,” Miri groaned after it was gone, spitting up blood, “Run away.”

Joyona came up out of the water with a crash, pulling off her helmet and throwing it into the swamp. She was heaving, vomiting swamp water and trying to regain control of herself.

“Help!” Gwendolyn cried out behind the tree upon which Miri rested, “I’m hurt, I need-.. Joyona, I think I need that armor!”

As soon as she was able, Joyona struggled to her feet, gave Miri a confused look, and then wordlessly ran to Gwendolyn’s position.

It was a short while before Gwendolyn was up and moving again, though she was about as bloody as Miri. A bit less openings in her body, though, for which Gwendolyn should be grateful. Mairaela came back in short order, too. Her nose was bleeding and one eye was bloodshot, but she was otherwise unharmed.

“What happened?” Mairaela gasped.

Gwendolyn shook her head.

Joyona gestured to Miri, which gave Mairaela a bit of a fright.

“What are you doing here?” Mairaela asked Miri with a furrowed brow.

“Oh,” Miri said, rocking her head back against the tree and closing her eyes, “You know that ‘good fight’ I mentioned? Think I just had it.”

“That doesn’t answer the question,” Gwendolyn said, though she looked sympathetic to the demoness’ pain.

“I cut some wrong-place-wrong-time fucks to itty bitty shreds,” Miri grunted with a bloody smirk, “Again.” She neglected to mention saving all of them. It wouldn’t be good to raise more questions.

“Are you going to give control back to Tess?” Mairaela asked.

“When our body isn’t falling apart, sure,” Miri replied, “Or would you have her go through this pain instead?”

“No,” Mairaela said, looking remorseful, “No, I didn’t mean it like that.”

She did, Miri knew.

“Joyona,” Miri groaned, “Mind carrying me?”

The giant nodded her head and Miri flashed her cheeky smile.

When the group reached the tower, Miri’s rapid healing had most of her wounds closing and her bones reconnected. Her finger was growing back and she wasn’t bleeding so much anymore. “I want Tess to see this part. It’s special, the first time.”

Miri retreated into the background, shoving Tess’ consciousness forward. She saw what Tess saw, felt the pain that Tess felt, and held onto the part of Tess’ mind that would numb that pain a bit. “There you go,” Miri whispered fondly, “Good girl.”