Sword of Stars

Chapter Thirty Eight. Storm Rise, Storm Fall.

“It is close! I estimate five minutes!” Jon called down from the top of the pit.

The twins looked up at the cyborg, panic plain on their faces. Dezolzen stood and cursed. “I’ll do my part; you just make sure you’re ready for yours. I’m not sure how long I’ll be able to hold this.” He made his way to the centre of the pit and took a deep breath. After spreading his arms wide his red eyes began to glow.

The next five minutes crawled by, stretching out for an eternity. The twin’s eyes were locked onto Dezolzen, their hands clenched by their sides. Garek didn’t envy the responsibility they now held. Aeryn breathed evenly as she looked to the skies, waiting for the oncoming storm.

Jon slid down the side of the pit and his eye met Garek’s. “It is here.”

Everything went silent as everyone held their breath.

Strong winds ripped through the pit, sand cutting through the air. Dezolzen raised his arms with a shout and the winds cut off abruptly. Garek looked up in confusion. All he could see was a faint red film covering the top of the pit. Dezolzen’s Heterochromancy.

The assassin smirked with his arms still high above his head. “How’s that huh?” his voice was strained with the effort of the spell. “Not bad for a cold blooded killer right?”

“How much longer can you hold this?” Garek asked.

Dezolzen frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this before so it’s hard to tell. An hour perhaps.”

“How long will the storm last Jon?”

Jon shook his head. “The sand storms used to last days when we were last here. There is no predicting how long a storm will last now.”

“Stars,” Garek swore. It was much worse than he had originally thought. He turned to Ryn and Dyn. “Can you guys hold out that long?”

Ryn shook her head.

“We have to try,” Dyn said, chest out. “It’s either that or death.”

Garek nodded. “Right, now we wait.” He sat down in the sand and Aeryn sat close.

They waited in silence as the storm raged above them, just outside Dezolzen’s shield. Everyone was fidgety and nervous as the time stretched on. Jon frequently looked up to the sky to make calculations, but by the looks on his face he wasn’t having much luck.

The twins looked the worst. Dyn was pacing back and forth and muttering to himself while Ryn held her stomach, her face as pale as a ghost.

“What if we don’t make it Garek?” Aeryn whispered.

Garek sighed. “We will make it. Trust me Aeryn.”

“I do, but what if we don’t?” Her green eyes met his and he found that he couldn’t evade the question.

“Then we die along with the rest of the world and possibly everything in existence.” Garek said as cool as one could when talking about the end of everything. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”

Aeryn shook her head with a frown.

“I’m sorry Aeryn that’s just the way it is.” Garek made his voice hard. “That’s why we have to make it. Everyone and everything is counting on us and we absolutely cannot afford to fail, no matter what. There is no try, we simply must do.”

Aeryn was silent for a long moment, and then she spoke, softer than before. “When this is all over Garek, do you think that we could be together?”