ℝ𝔸𝕋𝕀𝕆ℕ𝔸𝕃 ➵ o. kenobi {my only hope; book 1}

【 EIGHTEEN 】

     ɪ ᴡᴀᴛᴄʜᴇᴅ ɪᴛ ᴀʟʟ ꜰʀᴏᴍ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴀᴍᴘ. Anakin and Qui-Gon were off in the distance, running toward the ship. Anakin was lagging behind, out of breath and struggling to keep up. He yelled something I could hear to Qui-Gon, but the moment he did so was the moment I realized why they were running. Behind them was a speeder... and on that speeder, flying straight at Qui-Gon at high speeds, was a hooded figure.

I glanced at Obi-Wan and knew he was thinking the same thing. That figure... whoever it was... they were a great evil.

Qui-Gon seemed to have noticed the speeder as well. He yelled something at Anakin, and the little boy dropped to the ground, covering his head. The second he does so, the speeder flies straight over him, narrowly avoiding Anakin's head. But Anakin wasn't the figure's goal... Qui-Gon was. The figure launched itself off of the speeder, sending it careening into rock fixtures nearby. It exploded with a powerful boom, sending Anakin, who was trying to get back to his feet, off-balance. The figure with the speeder flipped over Qui-Gon and ignited a lightsaber at the same time Qui-Gon did... only it was a color I'd never seen in a saber before.

"Red," I whispered.

"Stars," Obi-Wan breathed.

"Go!" I heard Qui-Gon yell. "Tell them to take off."

Anakin came charging toward us, his little face terrified. I began to run for him at once, but Obi-Wan caught my wrist. The situation was so tense I almost didn't feel the little shiver I got up my arm from it. "Em, what are you doing?!"

"Helping!" I called. "Let me go!"

"No!" Obi-Wan's cried, looking at me like I was out of my mind. "You heard Qui-Gon! We need to take off!"

I shook my head adamantly. "I'm not letting him face that thing alone! It's powerful! Can't you sense it, Obi-Wan? It's-"

"Emeré, please!" Obi-Wan's eyes were desperate, pleading. "I can't lose you!"

Gathering as much strength as I could, I wrenched my arm from his grasp. "You won't."

Before he had a chance to react, I was gone, off the ramp, through the desert. Anakin stumbled into my arms when we met in the middle, looking on the verge of passing out. "Emmy," he cried. "Emmy, what is happening!"

"Go to Obi-Wan!" I instructed calmly, pointing toward the man watching in desperation from the ship. He looked like he wanted to run after me, but couldn't--the ship needed at least one Jedi aboard to help.

Anakin looked confused. "But-"

"Ani, go!" I cried. Without waiting to see if he did, I charged toward Qui-Gon and ignited my own saber, jumping into battle.

"Emeré, what are you doing?!" Qui-Gon demanded as he noticed my blue lightsaber edge into his side vision.

"I'm not... letting you do this... alone!" I cried, grunting with each lightsaber blow the figure struck me with. It was very well trained in the Jedi arts--I had to give them that--but not in the side I knew. This was the dark side of the Force.

In the corner of my vision, I saw Anakin reach the ramp. Obi-Wan touched his back and led him up into the ship, throwing one last desperate look my way before disappearing as well.

"Emeré!" Qui-Gon grunted. "You have to go! Go back to Obi-Wan, now!"

"No!" I screamed over the clashes of our lightsabers. "I'm not leaving you, Qui-Gon! I won't!"

"You must!" He looked at me meaningfully, and I could tell even he was starting to get tired. I knew he knew that if this carried on much longer, one of us would get gravely injured. And he didn't want that person to be me. He'd promised someone he would protect me. Even at the expense of himself.