The Celestial Way

Chapter 9.4 - Clash of Ways

Veralla tried to grab Airo as he flew past her, but it was as if she tried to stop a falling meteorite. He slammed into the door in an explosion of composites, and disappeared outside. Veralla rawr–ed in dread at the sound of impact.

"Airo!" she yelled and jumped after him.

She hit the cold ground in a huff of breath. Pain flared in her tail and left wing. She hissed and curled up, enduring the hurt. She rolled wildly, completely disoriented, and finally stopped. Everything hurt. She stretched slowly and cried out, the cry collapsing to a whimper as something inside her nearly gave out. She rose gingerly, and saw an unmoving armor-clad form nearby.

"Airo!" she yelled again, torn, and hobbled next to him. She nudged his shoulder with her snout. "Airo, wake up!" He didn't move. She hrrr-ed desperately, and nudged him again. She sensed a presence, and turned sharply to see who was behind her.

The man called Ferrtau stood a few paces away. His red-gold armor glinted, light reflected from the great energy pillar on the horizon, and his hair waved as the blizzard gusted across the plain. Veralla was seeing his aura radiating like a brilliant halo, its intensity so very great, like a blazing sun. His power frightened her.

Ferrtau gazed at her with his deep, luminous eyes, and she shuddered when she looked into the vortex that was his soul. "Veralla, I will not harm you," he said softly, and moved closer.

She took a step back, her wings spread out, her tail quivering. Ferrtau moved very slowly toward her, gauntleted hand partly outstretched in a longing gesture. "Veralla, please, come with me," he said, the words strangled and subdued.

She took another step back, and her hind leg bumped into Airo. She was very afraid. She was alone against this terrible man, who killed her friends and other people. And hurt Airo. As the thought came, she felt her throat rumble. Strength rose within her. She would not let this man hurt Airo or anyone else further. Veralla stared defiantly at Ferrtau, and growled.

He froze in place. For one long moment he stood there, motionless as a statue. Then his hand fell limply to his side, and his eyes became dark as the cosmic void. "Now I truly must continue," he whispered, his voice almost lost in the wind. He raised his hand again, this time in a dooming gesture, and Veralla braced herself for the attack.

Suddenly, the air shimmered. Ferrtau turned to look at the disturbance, and a blast of force knocked him off his feet. He flew over a dozen paces away, and landed with a grunt.

Veralla turned to see where the attack came from. Walking through the blizzard was another human, a tall, broad-shouldered man. He wore a heavy, regal-looking robe in the same red-gold colors like Ferrtau's armor. He seemed to be of great age, his aquiline features weathered, his hair and beard completely bleached of color. Veralla sensed his vast inner power, yet it was a restrained and disciplined presence in contrast to Ferrtau's wildly surging aura.

The old man stood at a respectable distance, waiting. Ferrtau rose to his feet, and sneered. "Magus," he said in contempt. "Is the Order so desperate they recalled you from your self-exile?"

"I am not apprised of the current situation," the other man said calmly. "However, I have traveled to the Shard and have seen that something terrible has transpired there. And now I find you here, your soul twisted and you acting the villain against a helpless man and a fledgling dragon. The facts are not with you, Ferrtau."

"I do not need your interference, old man," Ferrtau said. "You already plunged the galaxy into darkness once. I will not give you the chance to do it twice." He disappeared into a blur.

Magus reacted, also winking out of existence. An instant later Ferrtau surged in his place, a turbulent vortex tearing the air in the wake of the attack. Magus reappeared at another location. Ferrtau turned, and narrowed his eyes.