Rise Above

Chapter Thirteen

Getting through the next three areas was far easier with two vampires by her side. Amira tried not to think about one of them being her sister, because that was almost too much for her to cope with. When they were standing in front of the door that would lead them out she turned to the vampire. "You know how I'm going to bring an end to this?"
"All you need to do is destroy one of the crystals. If you do that the magic they used won't be able to hold this shape."
"How is there magic on this world?"
"There isn't, Mira." Savanna's voice made Amira jump. "Sorry. I saw it when Aidan turned me. The Battle Lords and Ladies brought it with them. This place shouldn't exist on this world."
"We shouldn't exist on this world. Most of the creatures trapped here will have to learn how to make new lives for themselves."
"What about the pixies?" Amira looked over at Savanna. "You read a book about them." Amira shook her head. "Was it a book from their world?"
"I believe so."
Nodding, Amira reached out to take Savanna's hand. "Let's get this done then."
As they both stepped through the door Amira wasn't certain was there it seemed like they were trapped. Eventually they managed to complete the rest of the journey and found themselves facing Lady Kahina and Eugene. "That wasn't meant to happen." Eugene looked between the two of them. "How did you make the door let you both through?"
"That's for us to know and you to find out." Savanna smiled. "Give us the crystal. Then we won't have to take it from you."
"You're not having the crystal."
Amira didn't see Savanna move, but she was behind Lady Kahina. "You always have it on you, so I know you're going to have it now, and I want it. First I want to know who you were planning on marrying Mira too, because that will help me to make the decision of what to do to you after this."
"What to do with me?" Lady Kahina stood. "I raised the two of you. You owe me a debt me a gratitude."
Laughing, Amira shook her head. "No, we don't, because you raised us to put us into the Tunnels. Sam died in there. My brother died, for your games, for your breeding program, and I will never stop hating you for that."
"Do you want me to bring him back?" Savanna and Amira looked at each other. "I can do that, you know. I can give you Sam back in return for you walking away now. The three of you can grow old together."
"How do I know he's not going to be a zombie?"
"That's not the way the magic works."
"You're not answering my question."
"You have to take my word for it."
"Find the crystal, Sav. I want this over. I want to save the other people who've found themselves in there and I know the only reason you're offering me Sam back is because you're scared of what I'm going to do."
"Of course she's scared." Amira felt a knife pressed to her throat. "You have no idea what might happen if you destroy that crystal. Savanna, if you touch it I'm going to kill your sister. Do you think you can move fast enough to save her when she's had her throat slit."
Savanna looked at Amira, then at Eugene. "You don't understand us at all, do you? This is what we believe is the best thing for us to do, because you're using us, so the only logical thing I can do is give up my sister for what we believe in. I already lost my brother."
Moments later Savanna had dropped the crystal on the ground, where it shattered into a million pieces, and Amira moved far too fast for Eugene to be able to touch her with the knife, so he found himself slicing thin air. With that the two sisters swapped. Savanna, feeling most betrayed by Eugene, buried her newfound fangs into his neck and drained him of his life. Moments later Aidan stepped into the room. It was the very same time Amira was sticking Samuel's sword it Lady Kahina's chest. When Amira turned she saw someone she knew shouldn't be there. Samuel was standing next to Aidan. Their eyes met and Amira threw herself into her brother's arms.
"You were dead."
"Magically dead. Aidan found me when he knew the end was coming and he managed to get me out of the cairn before you brought an end to the Tunnels. If he hadn't they would have suffocated me, so I would have been truly dead. Other people aren't going to be as lucky as me, but we, apparently, deserved a happy ending."
"It's not every person who'd do what needed to be done."Aidan smiled at Amira. "Plus I'm going to have to take your sister away with me for a little while and I wanted you to have a companion. Other people will be coming back to this world, other creatures, and the next few years aren't going to be easy for anyone."
"No, they aren't." Samuel tightened his arms around Amira. "We could travel to the other side of the world and wait for all this to be over."
"Of course we couldn't." She kissed his cheek. "We're going to stay here and deal with this, no matter how hard it is, because we were a part of that." She glanced at where she'd stepped through into the room. "Now we've changed the world for the better I want to be able to watch how it all works out."