The Zero Hour | #Wattys2016

Chapter 7 - The Showdown (Part 2)

Another pillar of fire slammed into Amadeus' back, and his limp and drained body was flung across the room. He rolled several times due to the large force that had thrown him before coming to a stop a few steps away from Waldo. Enoch was still nowhere to be found. It looked like he would not be riding in to save the day after all.

Seeing that Amadeus was on the brink of death, Waldo stopped waving his hands momentarily and started to taunt him. "You know, you should have just escaped by yourself when you had the chance. If you hadn't come back for these two, you would've escaped by now."

Amadeus rolled onto his back and looked straight into Waldo's eyes. He refused to show a glimpse of fear. He would not give Waldo the satisfaction of seeing him panic in his last moments.

"Oh, what happened to the cowardly commoner Amadeus?" Waldo taunted. "Are you pretending to be brave now?"

"All my life, I have been alone, just looking out for myself. I told myself I'd never risk my life for another. The only time I did it was when your father threatened the camp. I did it out of guilt and obligation." Amadeus paused, winching slightly from the pain. "At first, I thought that this was the same. I thought that I was only trying to save these Exiles out of guilt. But now I realize that this isn't the same. This time it's different, this time I actually wanted to do it."

"Oh how honorable of you," remarked Waldo sarcastically. "Well, it's too late to regret now, are you ready to die? Do you have any last words?" Waldo raised his hands once again; eager to finish what he had started.

"There's nothing honorable about it," replied Amadeus. "When all of you attacked us earlier, the Exile immediately jumped in to save me without having to think twice about it. He took the hit that was meant for me. He was ready and willing to be killed in my place." He wheezed slightly as he tried to take in a breath.

"In my entire life at White Harrow, I had never seen anyone do anything like that. It didn't make sense to me at first, but then I realized why he did that – it was his first instinct to care for others." A renewed look of determination came upon Amadeus' face as he spoke.

"That single selfless act changed something inside of me. That man showed me what it means to care for others. He showed me what it means to have honor. And now, I see the bigger picture. It's not only about me; it's about all of us."

Amadeus raised his hand and pointed at Waldo. "Now, I am going to save those Exiles, not because I have to, but because I want to. No one...... not even you are going to stop me." His voice steeled with determination. Despite the state he was in, his eyes were full of conviction.

As he lay on his back, suddenly Amadeus felt something cold against his chest. Looking down, Amadeus found Rei's belt still slung securely over his body. To his surprise, the icicle was still in its sheath, and appeared to be unaffected by the blazing heat in the room. Rei's words then echoed in his mind – 'able to withstand the greatest heat and pierce the thickest armor.'

Time to put that claim to the test, thought Amadeus as he yanked the icicle out of its sheath with his uninjured hand and pulled his arm back in preparation of launching it at Waldo. He remembered what Old Jarbus had taught him about throwing weapons - always aim with two eyes. He furrowed his brow as he took aim carefully; with both eyes trained on his target.

Waldo saw Amadeus' raised hand and immediately knew what he was thinking of doing. "Do you never learn commoner? There is no way that anything you throw at the Drake will ever hit him. The flames will make sure of that. Now, stop struggling and let the Drake finish you off."