The Prodigies: The Return of Equinox

Chapter Fifty-Four: Ordered - Costs

Simultaneously, they all attacked. The four of them. Gaping maws that could devour their boat whole. Ellondra was only just rising. Seilana was frozen in horror. Voleria couldn't react fast enough. The only one who rose to action was Celesta.

"This is going to hurt." Her last words. Not a single person's last words were better. Each of the heads were pounded into the sand like they were snakes being hit with a hammer. Shrill cries pierced her ears and made them bleed.

Seilana didn't know what to think when she saw what happened. But once she looked towards the front of the boat she understood what took place. Blood in a steady flow. Deep crimson. Missing fingers.

The heads rose again, bloodied and mangled but very much still potent killers. Two heads charged from the front and two from the back. They got no closer than ten yards. The two pairs of heads were smacked into each other. Mandibles splintered and snapped. Nothing beyond the wrists.

They were, of course, Druidic creatures. And they displayed their tenacity again and again. Each time Celesta was less and less. Seilana screamed at Celesta to stop, but to no avail. Ellondra watched in awe as the queen, with grace, stood strong no matter the cost. Voleria did nothing, exactly what it thought it could accomplish at the moment.

They were finally dead when Celesta lied at the deck. She had no more limbs, and she couldn't stop the bleeding. She grew cold and tired. Voleria worked to see what it could do about all the blood loss.

After what seemed like an hour, the environment around them dissipated. They found themselves in the middle of a field of grass next to a small pond. Not much else beyond that. Not even a single hill in sight.

"Why have you come here?" Asked a small voice.

"It doesn't matter anymore." Said Ellondra.

"Why not?"

"Because. A people have lost their Queen."

"Would you say it was a fair trade?"

"No. Who are you? Where are you?"

"I'm here, in the grass. I'm only a snake."

"What's your name?"

"Little One."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm waiting for a friend."

"For how long."

"Just over a few centuries." Ellondra took her eyes off Celesta and turned to the little voice. It was a small snake, just like the voice said. It was a beautiful red and gold color, and like nothing she had seen before. She then knew who this snake was. This was Calorns companion.

"Did you control The Six?"

"Yes." Ellondra, very casually, grabbed a knife that was near her. She turned to the snake. Her mind was blank. There were no thoughts for what she wanted.

"You can try, but it won't work. It won't bring her back. Or, keep her alive. Whichever one that you wanted."

"I don't care about that." She drove her knife right into the snakes body, just an inch from the head. Ellondra heard a whimper and labored breathing.

"What is this?"

"What you deserve."

"What are you? A Druid?"

"Just angry. Huven, if that's what you meant."

"Never would have guessed." Ellondra stabbed the snake once more. Through the head this time. There was only a shudder from the voice.

Ellondra carried Celesta down to the pond. No one said anything for quite a while. There wasn't even a chirp or a buzz that came from Voleria. It was Celesta that broke the silence.

"Do you really care? About me?"

"I do, at least." Seilana's voice wavered just a bit. Ellondra sniffles and sobbed a bit before her answer.

"I do."

"We did."

"I never did tell you about how you came to be, Seilana." She was taken aback by the timing. Why not before? Why now?

"That doesn't matter right now."

"You were supposed to be a demon, maybe. The intent isn't clear when I look at you, but that's what most summoned humans were supposed to be. Demons. You don't know until they turn five years old or so. Whether or not it worked."

"Thank you." Seilana felt a sort of catharsis. She really wasn't a demon. That was all that mattered. She felt so sure of herself at that moment. She felt complete. And in control. She shape-shifted into Celesta.

"What are you doing?" Ellondra took Seilana's new shape as an insult. "Now is not the time."

"Let me try something." Seilana ran to the boat and came back with a rope, a knife, and some extra clothing.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't done this before." She tied the rope around both of her shoulders and both of her legs. She handed the knife to Ellondra. "I'm going to need you to cut my limbs off."

"What!" Ellondra yelled. "Do you know if this is going to work?"

"No, but I have to try. We can't lose her. We still need to fight Equinox. Remember?"

"It might work." Squeaked Celesta. "I've heard of stranger things."

"Do it." Commanded Seilana.

The whole process of just severing her limbs took half an hour. A combination of struggling from Seilana and unsteadiness from Ellondra made the ordeal more than unpleasant. Seilana even dulled her senses with her newfound control of her body, but it still hurt beyond anything she felt before. After it was done Seilana shaped into a small child. It was all that she could do with what little of herself that remained.

Ellondra took the limbs and placed them by their proper place. She employed the help of Voleria. It lent Ellondra several wasps, spiders, and ants. She made use of them like needles, stitching, and clamps of sorts to hold the flesh together. The whole operation took about an hour.

Celesta laid there for a moment. Looking at what Ellondra had done. It would suffice. Celesta had never tried the cosmetic magic that was rampant in certain royal circles of the magi. Anxiety riddled her thoughts.

She weaved spell after spell, only breaking to ask for food or some kind of energy source. The flesh molded and fused to her body. Each fiber of muscle carefully placed where it needed to be. After a few painful hiccups, Celesta got exponentially better and better at the process. The limbs felt strange to her. There was a static sensation to them, they didn't respond correctly or on time, but they were there. They were her limbs now, the exact same size, shape and look as they were before she lost them.

"I never expected you to actually still go ahead with it. Well done."