Kingdom in The Sand

Shooting Stars (20)

"Are you alright?" Zaydan shouted down to her.

Marie-Fey just stared up at him. "Zaydan," she sobbed.

"I know," he called, his voice as gentle as it could. "I know, love."

"We'll be down there as soon as we can," Constantine shouted, his arm around Gharam who was looking faint. "I need to go get rope. We'll be right back. Just hold o—"

A groan behind Marie-Fey turned her blood to ice, clutching Maanah closer to her.

Zahir slowly sat up, hand to his forehead, slowly tiling his head to the left then right, the bones cracking before he looked at them.

His eyes were blazing white, glowing like stars.

"A fine shot," he growled, pushing to his feet, unsteady. "But I have had one set of brothers kill me before. I won't be repeating that death again."

Marie-Fey gaped at him, her eyes fixed on his hands.

Even as he spoke, his golden skin was turning an icy white, a bright glow emitting from them as they started to crack like glass. Splinters crackled up his fingers, sharps falling off.

"I do not have time to die to you mortals today," he snarled. "Zaydan! Come here!"

Zaydan was wrenched from the ledge above, just like Maanah. Some in invisible force hauled him down and slammed him to the ground.

Marie-Fey's widened, his eyes focusing on his hand.

He was carrying the case that held the arrow Beldon had sent her.

Her bow tumbled from his other hand.

Zahir dragged his power back and Zaydan was dragged with it, yanked across the chamber floor as high winds began to whirl around them, ripping at their hair and clothes.

"Zaydan!" Marie-Fey shouted, her voice whipped away in the howl.

"GO!" Zaydan shouted, his fingers dug into the stone, nail tearing as he was dragged towards his brother. "Forget me, just go! You know what to do!"

Zaydan's body was wrenched back another several feet, and something started to drift up from his body, unaffected by the winds. A pale, mist-like aura, a warm blue, studded like a starfield, drained from him and sweep away towards Zahir.

It went straight to his disintegrating hands and they started to reform.

And as they came back to life, Marie-Fey could see Zaydan's draining out of him. His eyes started to fade, the endless black fading to grey.

"Please," he mouthed, strength fading him as his head dropped to the ground.

Marie-Fey dropped Maanah and launched to her feet, racing across the hall, battling through the winds that tried to force her back.

Blazing light started to flash behind her and when she looked over her shoulder, the chain that scarred Zaydan's neck was becoming a physical thing. Glowing blue, it unwound itself from Zaydan's neck, meters and meters of chain, writhing in the air, twisting and stretching until it formed a wall. Then the links started to shrink.

Zahir was creating a barrier between himself and her.

"Quickly, Leigh Legend," that same male voice from behind order, "Before he recovers!"

Marie-Fey snatched the case before the wind knocked her feet out from under her, hooking her arm around the bow and undid the clasps, shoving the lid up and snatched the arrow from its cushioning.

She spun to her feet, steeling herself against the wind, fitting the arrow into place, eyes squinting as they started to water.

Looking up, she looked to the wall, almost complete in its creation, but ho was she going to strike true through the wind?

She could only trust her skill as she lifted her arms, drawing the bow taut, eyes zeroing in on Zahir.

Just as she found him, his eyes found her.

They locked eyes, the line of sight rapidly vanishing behind the wall of chains and Zahir dove to the side.

At the final, split second, Marie-Fey countered the move. She swung to the right, pulling all her strength into the string, the arrowhead burst into raging explosion of white, sparking starlight and she fired.

The arrow shot through one of the last, tiny gaps, the blazing tip parting the wind, and Zahir – in his attempt to avoid – stepped directly into her predicted trajectory.

The head drove in through the right side of his chest, the body of the arrow following suit, grinding past ribs and lungs and finding purchase in his heart.

The world around them shattered.