Borrowed Time

Chapter 4

They didn't have much time left. She had to hurry. It was all riding on her now. If she failed, she would let everyone down.

She brushed by people in the corridors, ignored their shouts, dodged out of the way when they tried to reach her. They weren't going to stop her, nobody was. She couldn't stop.

Running, running down hallways, past rooms– was she lost? She'd studied the map for hours, but in the rush of things, did she take the wrong path? No, this had to be right, it had to be. She hopped on her staff and darted forward.

The hallways became a blur. She had to make it. She had to.

She found it, then, the stairway, the one she was searching for– she dove down it, relieved she'd found it, but wary of what she would have to face.

As she barreled into the familiar room, it wasn't what she'd expected. There was nobody there, no coven heads, no Belos, no crowds of guards. No one stood there, except a single, lone guard.

A golden guard.

He lifted his artificial staff, glowing an angry red energy, pointing it at her.

"Stay back," he commanded, his voice biting, cold, so unnatural for the person she knew hiding behind the mask.

"I can't," she answered, almost apologetically. She looked at the portal behind him.

"They're holding the ceremony in the Human Realm, aren't they? And they left you standing guard. We have to stop them."

He stated plainly,

"No."

She told him,

"You know what this unification will do. The people it will hurt."

He did not budge. He responded with the same coldness.

"I'm not discussing this. I have my orders."

Luz took a few steps closer and he opened fire with his staff, beams of red energy scattering in the air around her. She ducked and dodged, repelling the shots with a swing of her staff. He shouted again,

"I said stay back!"

Luz continued to walk towards him. He gave an angry cry and fired at her again, but she avoided the shots, each in turn, threading her way through the chaotic patterns of energy. When the magic subsided, she said calmly,

"Hunter."

He raised his staff, barking,

"At least fight back!"

He sent out a large arc of magic, but she easily avoided it. She said,

"I'm not going to fight you."

She continued to walk towards him. He twirled the mechanical staff, summoning a large fireball. She felt the wave of heat as she barely slipped past it. His voice taking on a desperate edge, he commanded,

"You have to."

Luz ignored his warning and continued forward at the same steady pace. He shot wildly, dozens of blasts of red magic raining down on her. She dodged as many of the blasts as she could, but many of them grazed her and several hit her head-on. She looked down at herself, at the singes on her clothing and skin, but they hardly made a mark on her. She looked up at him. She said,

"You're holding back."

His posture rigid, weapon aimed menacingly, he snarled,

"If you keep pushing me, I won't."