Ara's Wish

Chapter 5

Ara recognized the room she was in when Cooler called her forth from the amulet with a painful jolt of energy. It was his quarters on his flagship. Her mind went immediately to Turles and could only hope she acted quick enough to save him. When Cooler struck him from behind, Turles had dropped the ruby only giving the arzu seconds to react before the stone called her back. For the first time in her memory, time seemed to crawl while she was in the amulet. Mentally, she ticked off each second until the amulet was supposed to return to him, hoping it did so before Cooler could find a way to interfere. The demon was quietly contemplating something as he turned her amulet in hand. Ara almost regret Turles giving her back the ability to feel as anxiety and fear bubbled within her while she watched and waited to see what Cooler would do.

As their eyes met, she knew she made a mistake. The ice demon backhanded her hard enough it threw her to the floor.

"You forget your place, slave." He snapped. Anger shot through her at that word, the one Turles hated so very much.

"Ara." Cooler paused and looked back at the Arzu who was picking herself up without a mark on her.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Ara." She said quietly.

"I'll call you whatever I like, slave. Unless it's escaped that small mind of yours, I own you." He said hitting her again. Ara cried out this time and glared up at Cooler from the floor, but she stayed down. He could hit her all he wanted; and it wouldn't hurt for more than a few moments, but that didn't mean she wanted to take more punishment than she had to.

"Do whatever you must to come back to me.' Turles had told her when they tested the failsafe. 'If someone steals it and summons you, stall for time. We know it works, just be safe, Ara. Be safe and come back to me."

"A year with that filthy pirate has taught you some very bad habits." Cooler's voice cut through her thoughts. "I think it's time to remind you who is the master and who is the slave." She didn't like the sound of that. Dread settled in the pit of her stomach where she knelt on the floor. "You banished your pirate filth somewhere I can't get to. I command you to destroy whatever world you sent him to. "

Ara felt her heart stop. She couldn't do that, she wouldn't!

"No!"

"You don't have a choice. Now do as I command."

"I can't kill, you know that." Ara's voice shook.

"I'm ordering you to destroy a planet, the same planet a filthy pirate just happens to be residing on, now do it. I know that is within your power."

Cooler was right though, he had made her do so in the past. Ara anxiously waited for her magic to act so she could try to fight it, but to her shock nothing happened. Cooler raised an eyebrow when there was no telltale glow of magic or energy from the stone in his hand.

"Stop stalling and do as I order, slave." Again she felt no compulsion from the amulet to do as he said. Understanding dawned on her then.