Nayantara

Chapter Eleven: End of an Era

My heart is racing. Shar'I doesn't look too happy about me wanting her to leave this planet and take her shit with her. Her body is facing me more towards me than to Shendour. I keep my body tight and my senses high just in case she does something sudden. No one is moving. We're all quiet and calmly breathing. The anticipation for something to happen is making my heart beat faster.

"We don't have to do this," I say to break the tension. "Go back to your world and deal with your mess there."

"You've got to be kidding me," Shar'I says and then nearly jabs her finger into my chest. "I gave you the power to help me, not be my enemy."

"I'm not your enemy."

"Then help me," she says in a calm voice before giving me a stern warning to not interfere if I don't assist in taking down Shendour. I know if I go against her, I might utterly regret the beating that will come from it. I'll probably die trying, but I can't in good faith sit on the sidelines and watch them war with each other for a stupid throne. More people will die. "So," she says. "Have you made your choice?"

"I have," I say, tightening my fists.

Shar'I looks away and sighs for a moment. In a split second, she nearly drives her fist into my face. Nemetoria catches it. She returns a glass-shattering haymaker and sends Shar'I through the wall. Her arm is all of a sudden huge and veiny. When I look up her arm, I notice it isn't the only thing that's muscular. Every inch of her body that's exposed is swole. Her physique resembles a female bodybuilder minus the grotesque lack of water weight. She's a foot taller than me now.

"It's been a while since I've seen that," Shendour says, smirking for a quick second. "You look bigger," he says and reaches for Nemetoria's arm. She slaps it away and chokeslams him. The ground caves in underneath him. "Hey!" He grunts. "Wait a second! Let's make a compromise!"

"Speak fast before your eyes pop," Nemetoria says.

"Help me kill her and we'll leave." She squeezes tighter. "Okay, okay! I won't!"

"Swear it!" Nemetoria says in a deep voice.

"I swear!" She lets go of his neck and lightly shoves me ahead of her.

"Eddie."

"Yeah?" Eddie says.

"Watch these two while Nikki and I deal with Shar'I." I walk with her close behind my back to the hole where Shar'I is standing in the distance. Her eyes are glowing pink, and she's snarling. Her fists open and close as if they are pulsing.

"To be honest, I'm fucking scared right now," I whisper with my hand over my mouth. "There's no way I can fight her."

"I know you can't," she says and puts me behind the right side of her.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Your telekinetic power," she whispers in my ear. "Use it when she's not paying attention to you."

"Figuring out a way to conspire against me, huh?!" Shar'I says. Her loud voice makes me jump. "After all they did, you mark me as an enemy?"

"We're not your enemy!" Nemetoria says. "Your issues have caused harm and death. Nikki is right. You need to get off our planet."

"I'm not the bad guy!"

"Yet you were about to lob off Nikki's head!" Shar'I's squints and goes quiet. "If you say they're the enemy, then why would do such a thing?" Shar'I silence pisses me the fuck off. I clench my fist and bite the inside of my lips to help me cool off. I need to put all my anger into concentrating on surviving this fight. "Go home, or this'll get ugly for you."