Loved and Lost

The final Step

"Ready?" He asks me.

My blood runs silent as I nod my head. I've stopped hearing those around me as I think about just moments before when he was boasting about himself, something about me not laying a scratch on him. All the hairs on the back of my neck are standing up-right as I see Malek. He's charging at me with his long sword drawn. His free hand is balled into a fist as he leaves his chest wide open. All I can do is watch him with pure panic as I figure out how I'm going to defend myself, because if I don't, then it's all over for me. "No pulling punches." Senne told us, to which Kida agreed. I would have hoped that she would have turned the idea down but for some reason, it's a fantastic idea. Kida and Senne are standing aside, watching all of this go down.

He's only a foot away when Malek strikes down his sword over my head. Letting out this ground shaking roar, I begin seeing bits and pieces of that night. As I'm back facing that giant, I begin to raise Achak. Our swords collide with each other and I'm sure that mine will break any second. But it doesn't. My body's still in so much pain, but it's manageable. The giant somehow gets his sword under mine and tosses ours out of the way, just like Senne did yesterday to him. Leaving my chest open, he then kicks his steel boot at my chest.

With the force of the boot and the force of my body hitting the grass, my head takes a beating as well. I'm lucky my teeth were clenched shut because I would have bitten off my own tongue. I'm defenseless, I've lost Achak when I was kicked. I can barely breathe and I have a feeling that this will be my last battle.

With my body still on the ground and this giant towering over me. I shift between glances of him and Kida. I need help. I know I'm not a telepath but for some reason I try to reach out to her. I can see it in her eyes and body language that she's getting anxious. I can see that she's trying to do the same the same thing with Malek as she scowls at him.

This giant's shadow is covering my whole body now, and with his sword completely raised in the air, he swings it down. I can't watch, I have to close my eyes.

I can feel the air hitting my face and bangs. My bangs are tickling my ears, and I'm trying to think of happy thoughts but it's the hardest thing right now. I'm thinking of my dad. Of my mom. Of Kida. They're standing right in front of me, in the dark. But that's when my old neighbors, friends, would begin to circle me, crowding me. The village hall of Litsurburge would appear in the background. My home. I'm going back home, with a sunset coming down on all of us.

A gust of wind rushes past my face, and a clash of metals is all I hear until something hits the ground right beside me. I snap my eyes open to see Malek's indefensible hand. Both of us snap our gazes to the only person that could snipe away someone's weapon like that.

We're both horrified, me because of Malek. But Malek I can tell is afraid of something - someone else. "W-what the Hel?" Is all that comes out of his quivering mouth, making his words almost stutter.

"Did I say you were to kill her?" Kida's voice is low - deep. She's unnaturally calm, it's almost scary. Her stretched jaw is clenched, not hiding the fact that she threw the knives.

"But what the hel, Kida?" Malek continues, fear and shock still instilled in him. "I wasn't actually going to kill her!" He finally lets out in a yell. He's infuriated that she would attack him off guard. How could he think that Kida would let this slide? "I was thinking to stick my sword into the ground beside her." Malek starts stomping towards Kida as he tries to become intimidating but it's clear that she's got the upper hand here.

"Did I stutter, Malek?" Her tone threatens him.  His demeanor changes and It's obvious he's not anxious to confront her anymore. Where Kida hadn't moved a muscle, Malek shed every bone in his body when challenged back. You could visibly see the shudder going through his body.