Kissed by Fire: Cal Kestis

Chapter 12

"Cal Kestis," said the Second Sister, her arm outstretched in Y/n's direction. The girl closed her eyes tightly as she was slowly strangled, her mouth open as wide as she could get it to grasp any lick of air she could get into her lungs. Still, none came. "How predictable."

"Let her go!" Cal shouted out. He wasn't going to let the Second Sister hurt Y/n, let alone touch her.

The Sister seemed amused by his words, letting out a cackle to match that of a witch. "No, I don't think I will. You see, she is worth nothing to me. Her mother is worth nothing to me. Her desires to bring her precious daughter back home... are worth nothing to me." She seemed to tighten her grip. Cal's fear of her knowledge was evident in his eyes. "Oh, yes, I know who she is. I know who you both are. I know your name... Your past.. And most importantly, about Cordova. Tell me, where did he hide the holocron?" Cal said nothing. Instead, he gave her his answer by igniting his lightsaber, ready to fight. He could almost feel her smirk behind the mask she wore. "Outstanding."

Cal wasn't ready when the Inquisitor threw Y/n through a metal gate, watching as she hit the ground hard before passing out. The action distracted him, and he turned back just in time to see the Sister charging at him with her red lightsaber ignited. Cal was a mere inch away from being sliced in half before he rolled away from her attack, regaining his stance.

It was like the Second Sister was playing with a toy when she fought him. The taunting, the laughing, the sudden attacks. All Cal could think in his mind was Am I going to get out of here alive? Is Y/n even alive? He knew she was. She couldn't be dead. She was stronger than that. But Cal couldn't stop to see her slowly waking, his entire being focused only on his life or death battle with the Second Sister. "A poor show of skill," the Sister cackled, drawing in the dirt with her saber as if in boredom.

Cal could only block and dodge her swipes for so long. He thought he could wear her out, use her harsh battle strategy against her in the long run. Unfortunately for him, she seemed to have turned his plan against him, wearing him down instead. He could only use so many of BD's stims to keep him up and full of energy, the sweat from the heat of the battle starting to drip down his neck. Their lightsabers clashed in the middle, and he struggled to keep her crimson blade away from his eyes. Gathering just enough strength, he pushed her back, causing her to stumble just a little, and allowing him a chance to create his own attack.

When Y/n woke from the ground, the only thing she could take in around her was the sounds of lightsaber clashing nearby. Her eyes were tightly shut, seeing spots behind her black vision before she even attempted to open them. Her throat was sore, like someone had put their foot upon her neck and didn't let up. A sudden cry forced her to slowly open her eyes, attempting to sit up on one elbow as she watched the scene in front of her. Seeing Cal struggle against the Inquisitor ignited something inside Y/n. Taking her blaster from her hip, she managed to stand and aimed her blaster at the helmet of the Sister. Firing, she watched as the Sister struck Cal before turning and deflecting the bolt. Cal took this moment to use the Force and push her down, once more knocking her off balance to bring in his own attack from above.

The two were moving so fast, Y/n couldn't get another clean shot in without risking hitting Cal. She watched as he took another stim from BD-1, keeping his energy up as best he could. Unfortunately, this gave the Sister exactly what she needed to trap him in her web with the Force. He felt himself land hard on the ground beside Y/n, BD falling off of his back. The girl stood as best she could and fired off her bolts at the Sister, but none of them struck true. Both Cal and Y/n closed their eyes as the Second Sister rushed forward, ready to bring her saber down on the both of them. But suddenly... nothing.

Cal opened his eyes to see the Second Sister's lightsaber trapped against a red shield. Looking to his left, he was relieved to see BD on the overcharge port of the ray shield. He let out a breath, relief flooding over his body as he stood up, helping Y/n to keep herself up on her feet. He noticed she was swaying gently, and held her close as the Second Sister grumbled her displeasure. She hit the saber against the ray shield once more, but it simply bounced back to her. Instead, she turned to now face Cal. "You're learning," she claimed, pacing back and forth along the shield. "Not quite as gifted as Cere's last apprentice but not bad."