Starfall (FJ)

Insentive

     Zïâ felt new strength running through her arms. She ran straight at the giant one that had spoken up, and took his outstretched arm in her hands, and flung him into the air, and slammed him into the graound again. The ice cracked. Not good. But, he was knocked out cold, and taken care of. Zïâ glanced over at Aodh, who was clearing out traitors with more grace and speed. She was simply using bursts of wind to pick up blocks of ice and slamming into their heads.  Effective. Zïâ couldn't control wind, so she started electrocuting them with all the energy the magic welled up inside her. She slammed her hands into the traitors' bodies and concentrated her energy into them, so they were temporarily roasted from the inside out. Temporarily. She couldn't actually kill anyone, she was from Glen, not Ash. 

    Was there really no one left? She was certain there were more. She looked over the edge with Aodh, who was having the same thought, and grinned when she saw a group of fleeing traitors. She looked over at Aodh, and stopped grinning when she saw one last traitor behind her. Before she could shout a warning to Aodh, he grabbed her and threw her over the edge, but not after snapping her in half with his huge hands. Zïâ could hear the crack of Aodh's spine. She screamed, and then turned to the traitor, roaring. She didn't feel the strangth Aodh had given her, because she had used it all up, but she did feel fury. She ran at him, and jumped onto his back, pounding his head with her fist, screaming like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Hans looked up from slapping Glaceria and saw the traitor pull Zïâ off of him and wrestle her to the floor, where he pinned her down, and pulled his fist back, working up a punch that was a killer. He wasn't strong enough to fight the guy, and he wasn't heavy enough to launch himself at him, so he picked up Glaceria by her ankles, and swung her like a club, onto the head of the traitor. That did it. He was knocked out cold, and Glaceria woke up, with a moan of pain. Zïâ scrambled up from the ground and ran over to Glaceria.

  "Oh, lord. Are you alright, Your Highness?" At the mention of Glaceria being a queen, Hans looked sheepish.

   "Yes. But, oh! Do I feel weak! They drained me of my magic with the cracked star that gives the river it's magic." Hans and Zïâ traded confused looks.

    "What? What star?"

       "You know..years ago, someone didn't want her star, so she threw it in the river. There, it broke, so it turned reverse. You know how the gift is truth? Well, it only reveals bad truths. And it pulls in magic. What was the girl's name? You know her, she is from your village....Hannah! Thats the name!"

        "Hannah? She's Zïâ's mother!"

         "Well, that's interesting," said Glaceria, not really looking interested, as she looked around frowning,"Where's my loyalest demon? Aodh?" Zïâ started. She had forgotten about Aodh's fate.

       She started trembling, and then she burst into tears. Glaceria and Hans looked shocked.

       "What?! Zïâ, what happenned?!"

        "That man...broke her back and threw her over the edge."

       "Really? It looked to me like she jumped over the edge. I didn't see any man except for the one who attacked you.

        Glaceria's face hardened. She turned to Hans,"Do want to save Aodh?" He nodded weakly, looking pale,"Well, then you want to heal me." Hans nodded, more forcefully.

          He looked down at his hands. His palms were glowing. He took Zïâ's hands in his, "Are my hands hot? I can't feel them anymore." Zïâ nodded, wincing, and pulling, her hands away. Glaceria thrust her hand out, which Hans took, and watched with wide eyes as a golden glow started creeping up her arms, until even her hair was glowing the brightest gold Zïâ had ever seen. Rays of light shot out of her fingernails, and then it faded away, all except for her eyes, that were completely white light, no longer baby blue. She shot down the stairs, and Hans and Zïâ followed, where they approached the body of Aodh. Before Glaceria even reached her, she stood up, and grinned. Glaceria threw her arms around Aodh, and then pulled back, leaving her looking different than before. She wasn't as pale and her hair was jet black. Her eyes were light blue, and her cheeks had color in them. Her hands weren't skeletal anymore-she was human.

       "I tricked you. I made you see a man attack me, he wasn't actually there. Hans saw the truth. Use your gift next time, Glen. I honestly didn't know that man was there, or I would have gotten rid of him and then done it. I wouldn't leave you if I knew." She turned to Hans,"I gave you insentive to cure Glaceria," Aodh related.

     Glaceria smiled,"And she was so loyal, I gave her what she truly wished. Freedom. To be human."

     "You can stay with me. In Glenn." Aodh smiled, and nodded,

      "Thank you."She turned to Glaceria,"But save him first. He has but a few minutes left." Hans was crouching, his hands around his stomach, pale and moaning, sweat covering his face. Time was running out.