Emerali: A War Song Tapestry

Chapter 11

Emerali stood locked in battle with the Asmodian Aethertech. Although the fight was difficult, she soon began to feel that this Asmodian was toying with her. She would attack, raining a few hard blows on Emerali, then back down and retreat for some moments.

The ongoing encounter was enervating despite this, and Emerali was beginning to wonder if she would be able seize the slippery Asmodian before fatigue overcame her. Suddenly, she saw a blast of holy light flash through the air and strike the Asmodian. She turned to see the source and saw Thori. Then she felt an unseen presence brush past her at great speed. The next second, she heard the Asmodian shriek. She looked back up at her foe and saw Devaen swaying with magnificent balance aboard the Aethertech's bastion, attacking her.

The Asmodian clutched vainly after Devaen, but he evaded the bastion's enormous pincer-like hands deftly. Emerali seized the opportunity to launch a devastating attack that was certain to render the Asmodian inert.

The attack was successful, and the Asmodian fell, bastion and all to the ground with an earth-trembling crash. The next instant, the spell maintaining the bastion wore off, and the Asmodian lay on the ground, senseless. The three friends advanced to analyze her.

"Finally, she's down," Emerali said, having caught her breath at last. She then turned to Thori and Devaen. "Thanks for the help. But how did you find me?"

"You'll have to give Devaen credit for that. It was his hunch," Thori replied.

"A good hunch," Emerali said, looking up at him.

Devaen smiled wryly. "Chalk it up to clairvoyance--another of my Daevic facets," he joked.

Emerali smiled slight. "I suspect this great invasion has something very dangerous at its heart, and I felt that we should try to bring an Asmodian in for questioning. Etyanah wouldn't bother with it, but I just had to try and capture one of them. The whole group took off at her command."

"I know. Some legion. With the way the Daevic Order operates, it's only a matter of time before the Balaur and the Asmodians take over Atreia," Thori remarked.

"Yeah. Well, I'm out. I've already quit the legion and given Etyanah my greatest respects. I'm done with them all," Devaen declared.

Emerali was silent for several minutes, thinking. "We'd better get this one back to Heiron Gate before she wakes up."

The three friends delivered the Asmodian to Heiron Gate. Having received Emerali's theory, it was agreed that the prisoner should be transferred to Sanctum for holding and questioning.

When this unpleasant chore was completed, Emerali went off by herself, deep in thought. She had just made a difficult decision, and she was in no hurry to declare it to her friends, but presently she heard Thori calling out for her.

"Where're you going, Em?" she asked, trotting behind her. She looked at Emerali's face which was rather gloomy. "Are you okay? What is it?"

Before she could answer, Devaen joined the little group. He, too, noticed Emerali's expression. "What's up?" he asked, brow furrowing.

"I'm quitting," Emerali said, briefly.

"So am I," Thori said. "I don't need a legion--especially this kind."

"Not just the legion--us."

A tense silence fell. "What're you talking about?" Devaen asked, at length.

"I can't lead, I can't follow. The best thing I can do is just cut it on my own. I thought that joining a legion would help me become a better warrior, that I would grow to be a better team player and learn to really lead. This just made things worse. If I go solo, then failure or success, I'll be the only one responsible for it. I'll be the one to deal with the repercussions of the results.