Desert Wings

I Will Fight

Luck did not have long to wait, for Death is all ways timely. I keep my sword out, wings spread wide, ready to fly at a moment's notice. First, he saw to the snake, then Death turned to me, his pale features thrown into stark contrast by the torch light. I could practically see his skull poking through his thin skin where the light hit it, and for the first time in a long time. I fear him.
"Death." I nod at him, keeping my sword at the ready.
"Kara," he silently notes my fighting stance,"Is that how this is going to be?"
"I'll only fight you if you try dragging me into the Plain."
"I have no intention of dragging you to the Plain, if you do not peacefully accept that you must die I will still subdue you. You will leave this Desert before the next day is out Kara. One way or another you will come with me."
"No I won't." I adjust my stance slightly, preparing for a fight.
"Yes you will Kara, your borrowed time grows short."
"I'll get more."
"How?" Death asks, spreading his arms to indicate the rocky ledge we stood on,"There isn't anyone else here left for you to kill."
In response I dive for Luck, almost impaling her on my sword, almost,"What the.... Death!" She complained after escaping my sword's reach.
"Kara," Death growled, walking towards me, a scabbard on his hip.
"Hey, when did you get a sword?" I start backing away.
Death raises his eyebrow,"It is my weapon, well one of two."
"You can have two weapons?"
Death rolls his eyes,"Is that really your question right now? Yes, you can have two, sometimes."
"Oh, cool." I glance to Luck,"Am I fighting her or you? Or is this going to be two against one?"
"Luck, what do you say?" Death asked her, drawing a sword that was completely black but seemed to reflect light instead of absorbing it, a skull decorated the pommel. Death moved through a few motions before turning back to me,"I guess we can decide that later. We do need to keep you on your toes don't we Kara? Otherwise things just get so boring." Death grinned crookedly at me,"Although this should be anything but boring."
"Glad to be so entertaining." I growl as Death raises his sword to the ready, wary of him pulling his other weapon on me. I spread my wings fully as dread, anxiety, excitement, everything floods me and I almost go numb to the rush of emotion that came with actively fighting against Death. The emotions that came when you ignore the fact you should be dead, not standing here, trying to win a hopeless battle, but silent and dead in a grave on some lonely hill or something. I try to shake the feelings but they continue to rage within me, I almost scream at the inner turmoil that is trying to distract me from saving my own life.
"How shall we play out our little game Kara?" Death asks as he circles me,"Shall we continue with this cat and mouse? Or shall we really fight?" he lifts his head, a crazed look in his eye as the light of the torch casts odd shadows on his face as the flames dance and tremble at our words, our moves. Anticipation charges the air, no night birds call, no wolves howl, the wind almost stops and it seems the entire White Desert waits, looks on our fight to be with bated breath,"Shall we give it everything we have and give this twisted theater the best show to grace the shattered stage? Shall we fight like we are animals with nothing left but our lives to defend? Shall we fight ruthlessly? Lawlessly? How shall it be Kara dearest?"
"Why does everyone in this Desert call me some variation of dear?" I mutter to myself as I pose myself at the ready to fight, to protect myself or to attack my unending opponent,"Everything is a game on this stage Life has created to entertain herself through the millennia!"I shout to Death and the Desert,"Let's give it a show for the ages!" I scream defiantly. I feel a cruel fire ignite within me, in my very core as a similar light ignites in Death.
His face alight, eyes glittering cruelly,"Then let the show begin!" he shouts to the skies. Our swords flash in the torch light as we move towards each other to meet in the middle of the ledge. We meet in the middle and both try to strike at the same time, our swords colliding in mid air, our swords meet again after I spin and try to strike Death's side. He idly flicks his wrist, blocking the edge of my blade once again as I try to hit his other side, his sword moving quickly through the air to try and hit my wrist. I pull my hand out of the path of Death's sword, He is way to causal, this is either easy for him or he has a plan. I think to myself, glancing to where Luck had previously been sitting, Plan, I think when I notice she is no longer sitting there.

I back out of the reach of Death's sword as he thrusts forwards, I feel something cool poke my back,"Treacherous much?" I ask Luck.

"Sometimes yes, you have been running on borrowed time Kara, it is about to run out." She replies smoothly.

I swing my sword behind me, hitting her legs,"Tick tock, tick tock." I whisper as I turn around to face Luck who is now leaning on a rock for support as she tries to balance herself on one leg and with her uneven blades. I knock them easily from her hands and stab just above the knee on her good leg and she falls fully onto the boulder with a hiss as blood starts to pool around her,"Good bye Luck." I sink my sword into her stomach before stabbing it roughly into her chest.
"See you on the other side Kara." she whispers as Death runs over, cursing as he confirms that Luck has entered the Plain.
"Why did you do that Kara? No things will be so much harder."
"Now the playing field is even."
"It never was, never has been Kara, yet you have managed to survive. What did you plan on doing if any of your little plans had worked?"
"I hadn't, I was just running. Living on borrowed time."
Death laughs shortly, as though I actually amused him,"That my dear is an understatement. You can't live on borrowed time eternally, you know that right?"
"I just wanted enough time to escape this prison."
"Oh Kara, more time wouldn't help you escape, it would only lengthen your sentence. I have already told you, there is only one escape, the Plain."
"That doesn't mean I have to come quietly."
"Not complying means fighting your dreams."
"I have been, fighting dreams, mine, those of others. I've been fighting whatever Fate and Chance had laid out for goodness sake. I should know how to fight by now."
"Fight what? Fight change? Nothing stays still Kara."
"And I don't want things to stagnate, to stay the same, that gets old, boring, you lose your edge. No I wanted to fight to win, I am still fighting to win." I reply, glancing at my bloodied sword.
"Why? Why fight to win a battle you have no hope of winning? Of surviving?"
"If you aren't fighting to win you are fighting to loose, you have already given up hope before you have had the chance to actually start anything. If I wasn't willing to fight it would mean acknowledging, accepting that I am probably going to die before the sun rises, it would be giving up. Something I am not willing to do."
Death grins again,"No you haven't ever seemed to keen on giving up on anything have you."
"No, never have, hopefully I never will."
"Hopefully." Death agrees,"Not even tomorrow, with what ever it brings."
"Or we can fight tomorrow." I ask the question in the statement.
"No, I can't let you keep running Kara, not anymore."
"Why not?" I ask as Death draws his sword once again.
"Because that is not how everything ends Kara."
I raise my own sword as Death approaches once again,"Okay, just know I will fight you. Until the end."