The Taste and Price of Victory

The Escape (Part 2)

Amira let the troops stop at a creek they found, letting their horses rest and drink from the stream. Amira observed the troops, eyes scanning them. Kasi had gone down to meet them, laughing at something one of them had said to her.

One of the troops approached her, kneeling before her,"General, thank you for saving us."

She inclined her head,"Of course, Captain. I couldn't leave any of you down there. The entire operation went as planned thanks to Kasi."

The Captain, Kai, stood,"Although, I wonder..." His face went blank,"Exactly what happened to you when you were taken? I've only heard rumors, of course."

Her face went cold,"I was raped, Captain. You'll do well to remember that I saved all of you despite what I went through."

He inclined his head,"My apologies, General. I didn't mean to overstep." When he looked back at her, his eyes were calculating,"I believe when we return, the King and Queen will love to hear about how they raped you. They may even let you retire early."

The dark magic reared it's head as her blood boiled,"You'll stand with the troops and remain silent when we get to the kingdom. I will speak to His and Her Majesty alone with Kasi. You will not question me or my orders again, Captain."

He inclined his head again, hiding his eyes from her view,"Of course, General." His voice was heavy with sarcasm, his body stiff,"Although, you are getting old. Maybe it's for the best."

She drew her sword just in time to block his sword as it arched to her head,"I always knew you wouldn't be satisfied with just being a Captain." She lunged forward, forcing him back,"You always wanted more than you could get."

The soldiers noticed what was happening, charging forward to stop them, until Amira shot them a glare, making them stop in their tracks. She turned back to Kai, her sword coming up to block one of his attacks.

Kai hissed,"You don't deserve to be the General. I do. I risked my life to save the King long ago, and he repaid me by letting a woman become General over me." He lunged forward again, his moves becoming more aggressive,"You don't deserve to even be alive. In fact, it served you right to be raped by them. You're worthless."

Amira's eyes changed to black, her voice echoing,"Enough!" His sword flew out of his hand, landing at Amira's feet on the ground. Dark energy poured out of her, moving towards Kai,"I have worked for everything I have. I deserve to be General because I can beat every single person on this field." 

She watched the dark energy, mind blank from every thought beyond evil. Pure evil consumed her as she watched him, and she wanted to make him suffer. That thought brought her out of whatever stupor she had been in, and she jolted, the darkness leaving as quickly as it had come. 

The voice spoke again,"If only you would just accept this power. You would be so much stronger. Let me help you, and you will have anything you could ever want."

She grit her teeth, thinking back to it,"Never. I fight for the Diamond Army and Astralis against the darkness. I will never accept you or this power."

Before the voice could respond, her troops surrounded her, questions flying everywhere. "How did you do that?" "General, are you ok?" "What happened to you in Darkcost?" 

Amira took a deep breath,"Alright, everyone, it's time to leave. Kai will be put under watch. Mount up." She approached her horse, mounting it. Fear flooded her at what she had almost done, making her shake her head. She took off, leading the troops at the head of their riding formation.

Kasi rode beside her,"Amira, are you alright? You just used magic against him! And, not just any magic, but dark magic! How did you do that?"

Amira sighed,"I don't know. When I killed Riko, I think his magic was transferred to me. There's no end to it. It's just there, and there's this voice that speaks to me..." She ran a frustrated hand through her hair,"I can't tell or trust anyone but you with this, Kasi. Promise me you won't tell any of the troops. Please."

Kasi nodded, smiling gently at her,"I promise, Amira. If it helps, I remember, a long time ago, Riko wasn't able to use his powers properly, either. It took him months of training to completely understand it."

Amira winced,"I have Riko's power, Kasi. Does that mean I have to actually learn how to use it? I mean, does it truly matter if I keep neglecting it?"

Kasi nodded,"It does. That type of magic only grows stronger with neglect. You will have to learn how to control it. As for the voice..." She hesitated,"Riko always told the King and Queen that he had a voice that spoke to him and helped him win every single battle. That's why he was such a renowned General."

The voice spoke again,"Indeed... Perhaps you really should listen to me, and I can help you become just like Riko."

Amira inwardly hissed,"Yeah, end up dead. Thanks, but no thanks." She spoke outwardly to Kasi,"Did he ever say anything about the voice? How he managed it? How often it spoke to him? Who it was?"

Kasi shook her head,"All he said was the voice grew stronger and smarter the more he used his power. That's why he would often go to the dungeons and pick one 'lucky' prisoner. He would bring them to the highest tower in the palace and he would test his powers on them." She shuddered.

Amira dropped the subject, focused on getting back to Astralis. If this voice in her head could be so powerful, why didn't it constantly talk to her and annoy her into doing what it wanted? Who even was the voice?

The voice chuckled in her head,"I would prefer to not annoy you, as you could find ways to annoy me. You and I are bound together until your death, anyway. As for who I am, let's just say I'm a friend of Riko's that a mage 'saved' by putting him in Riko's head."

Amira murmured,"Interesting." She spoke inwardly next,"You're trapped in people's heads forever? That seems a bit cruel on the mage's part."

He laughed, making her wince slightly,"Well, the mage never thought about what I wanted. Riko only wanted to keep his best friend and fuck the consequences. As long as he kept me, he didn't care."

Amira heard a touch of anger and sadness in his voice, making her voice small as she spoke to him,"I'm so sorry. That's not what friends do." She felt some sympathy for this man in her head,"So, you're just trapped in a head forever?"

He spoke softly,"I do not need or want your sympathy, Amira. And, yes, I'm trapped in your head forever. Until someone kills you. Unless you die peacefully, then I get transferred to someone else."

Amira saw the villages around Astralis, hope flooding her as she spoke aloud to the troops,"We're here. When we get to the palace, take the horses and put them safely in the stables. Including mine and Kasi's."

A resounding,"Yes, General," sounded.

Amira murmured back in her head to the voice,"Can I at least know your name?" She wanted him to at least have one friend, even if she could never see him and he could never see her.

He didn't respond, and Amira sighed. She dismounted beside Kasi, giving their horses to the troops as they entered the palace. When they did, River froze like a deer in headlights, seeing a man she had never seen before.

He opened his mouth and spoke, but his voice was only in her head, not outloud,"Amira, my name is Kengi." He gave a crooked grin,"And, it would be my honor to be your friend."

Word Count: 1,286

I'm so glad that this chapter came out like it did. But, did you expect River to be able to see Kengi? Did you even expect him to want to be her friend? But, I wonder... Do they have alternate plans to being each other's friends? Bye, peeps!