The Exiled Gem

Change of Leader

I had come looking for freedom for these men. To keep my brother's words. I will do them- with Diana's support, or without it! Alexandra thought to herself, kicking another man right in the face. Diana was sitting there, motionless, her eyes fixed on Alexandra, her hand closed upon the chain, 'AND YOU IDIOTS!' Alexandra added to the men around her, 'WHOM ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?! WHAT ARE YOU FIGHTING FOR?!' She punched another one right on his neck- always a weak spot.

The man she had roared at earlier - meanwhile, regained his wits. He grabbed her foot from behind. She fell. Alexandra sliced at a man's foot from the ground.

Whatever happens, don't stop. Not fighting. Not talking. Her mind said. The man collapsed she'd gashed in the foot, fell. Pushing him aside, Alexandra bent herself and stabbed repeatedly at the other man's hand, around her ankle, until it slackened.

She kicked it and stood up, elbowed someone, punched another, kicked and stabbed.

One more down, but they were distracting her, not letting her speak... the other one was strong. He caught Alexandra's hair, pulled it, she fell and cursed her long hair. The man dragged her by the hair. Her knife arm was useless, Alexandra couldn't reach him with it, but she used that little time for talking, 'I COME FROM VEDESSA, DIANA FANNEL! I KNOW YOUR BROTHER: MARK FANNEL! I KNOW YOU TWO WERE SURROUNDED BY THESE BARBARIANS ON VELLOI HILLS! I KNOW YOU FOUGHT THEM AND LATER - YOU WERE ABDUCTED! I KNOW!' She yelled, everything had happened in a daze- all the fighting. But she was already feeling tired. It then occurred to her that the man was pulling her by the hair, her knife couldn't reach him, it could reach her hair!

Alexandra caught her hair and severed them from the place he was holding. She broke free, because the man was no longer dragging Alexandra, he was just pulling her unattached hair.

'MARK FANNEL CONSIDERS ME HIS SISTER! HE IS ALL GROWN UP AND BRAVE AND - AND - AND HE DOESN'T SHOW HIS PAIN ABOUT YOU, TO EVERYBODY! I CAN'T EXPRESS IN WORDS THE AMOUNT HE ACHES FOR YOU, DIANA! BUT WHEN HE DOES TELL ME, DIANA ... HE TALKS TO ME ABOUT YOU - HIS PAIN IS SO INTENSE: I FEEL IT! HE REGRETS IT EVERY SINGLE DAY! HE REGRETS HE WASN'T ABLE TO HELP YOU- HE THINKS IT WAS HIS FAULT! HE - HE THINKS YOU ARE DEAD - AND HE PUNISHES HIMSELF EACH AND EVERY DAY FOR IT!' She said, stabbing that man too, four more came, she jumped upon a table, danced out of their reach and continued talking, because she knew Diana was listening, Alexandra dared to glance once at her - she was sitting motionless, staring into the distance. Her eyes glittered dangerously. As Alexandra watched, a single, shimmering tear leaked down from her left eye,

'THERE HE IS - RISKING HIS LIFE AT EVERY TURN - HE HAS MADE IT HIS GOAL TO WIPE OUT TERRORISTS FROM VEDESSA!' She cried. Alexandra was really crying now - it was good, her words seemed to have more effect. She just fought in a daze, spoke and tears flew on their own, 'AND YOU ARE SITTING HERE, DIANA?! WITH THESE TERRORISTS?! THE ONES WHO GAVE YOU SO MUCH PAIN - ONES WHO ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KILLING YOUR WHOLE FAMILY!' She yelled, jumping upon a chair, it toppled, she fell down but soon got up, Alexandra kept moving on furniture, slicing around her if she ever felt there were more men approaching her 'TAKE YOUR REAL POSITION! BESIDE YOUR - OUR BROTHER! HELP US IN EXTERMINATING THESE VIOLENT ELEMENTS! AND YES! HE'S MY BROTHER TOO! I HAVE PROOF!' She said, but the boss cut her short by a:

'Celyn! What is this girl sayin-'

'SHHHH!' Alexandra yelled, pointed her knife at the boss, he surprisingly stopped. 'YOU SHUT UP, YOU ROTTEN PIG! LOOK HOW THIS MAN HAD FED YOU RUBBISH, DIANA!' She said, 'LIKE YOU AND THESE MEN ARE NOTHING BUT ANTS! UNITE, YOU PEOPLE! THEN HE WILL BE THE ANT! WHO TOLD YOU HAVE TO SERVE HIM, SUPPORT HIM? LIVE A LIFE OF CRIME?' She spoke again to the men surrounding her. 'I RETURN TO YOU, DIANA - MY SISTER - THE GIFT THAT WAS ALWAYS YOURS!' Alexandra said, she pulled out the Blue Lily pendant and gathered it in her hand, 'I HOPE YOU WILL DECIDE - FOR BOTH OF US - WHATEVER IS THE BEST! FREE YOURSELVES FROM THIS! TAKE IT, DIANA! THIS IS PROOF THAT YOUR BROTHER KNOWS ME! THIS IS PROOF THAT HE TRUSTS ME! HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE KNEW OF THE BLUE LILY PENDANT HE GIFTED YOU IN VELLESMERE?!' She said, throwing the pendant at her, it soared above the heads of everybody and Diana caught it deftly.

The people had even stopped chasing her now, just one dazed man came at her, Alexandra threw her knife at him, it hit him between the eyes, he tumbled, 'NOW I AM UNARMED! KILL ME IF YOU WANT! BUT YOU HAVE MY WORD! I'LL GET YOU FREEDOM! I'LL UNITE YOU WITH YOUR BROTHER...' She stopped, she felt dizzy with all the shouting, she hadn't had a sip of water the whole day, 'I WON'T DISAPPOINT YOU! YOU ARE STRONG MEN, LOYAL MEN! AND YOU, DIANA! YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN THIS-' She pointed at the boss, 'THAN THIS UGLY THING!' finishing, and swaying a bit.

Another man came at her. Alexandra was ready to surrender. She didn't care. She was feeling too dizzy to. At best they'd kill her. She anyhow had to die one day - why not today?

But Diana had had enough. She got up, her face serious and commanding.

'STOP!' She yelled. 

And Alexandra won. Dizzy, unsteady, collapsing and unarmed - but Alexandra won. That evening, in every true sense, it was the only true victory she had known.

Around her, everything, instantly, even the winds around them - obeyed. Everybody stopped. Alexandra swayed and collapsed, she wasn't unconscious - she was just too tired. She needed water.

'NO!' The boss yelled back, throwing his glass away as he got up. He pulled out a lethal dagger and threw it at Diana. She was too dazed looking at the pendant, she would have never survived it... until, another victory arrived. 

This time in the skin of a man - and he was clearly older than the rest. He rushed forward, onto the dais and flung himself in front of Diana. Needless to say, he took the shot - and even in Death, gifted Life to everybody else. A man Alexandra wouldn't know, a man somebody hearing her tale wouldn't think of for more than a few seconds. But in truth, with a single act he perhaps made himself the true protagonist. 

'SHE IS WRONG!' The Boss continued, spraying everything with spit. 'I AM RIGHT!' He added, ignoring the dead man. But this was the mistake he shouldn't have done. He gave live proof that whatever Alexandra had said was true. And he had pushed Diana over.

She let loose a guttural scream that shook the floor worse than Alexandra's own had. Everybody else cowered. Alexandra slightly hoped she was angry at the Boss and not at her. Her hope blossomed.

Diana stepped over the fallen man's lifeless body, charged at the Boss and smacked him square in the face. The boss looked shocked for a second, then he was furious. He tried to tackle Diana, but the woman was too strong. She put a hand on his shoulder and pressed him down - his knees buckled and he fell, Diana then took out her dagger- a jagged blade that shone maliciously - twirled in her hand, held it above her head and brought it straight down onto the man's chest.

Diana's expression was one of utmost fury. Blood sprouted and splashed on her face as the knife killed the man. In her other hand, hanging from between her fingers, was the blue lily pendant. Some demons needed such ends.

She got up, not even shaking. Turned to face the men around Alexandra. 

'ANY OPPOSITION?!' She screamed out at large. And Alexandra surmised that this was the way Terrorists worked. One leader was killed - if somebody wanted to the contest the killer, they could. Otherwise, the killer was the next leader.

All the men cowered. No one spoke, 'YOU ALL THEN - SHALL FOLLOW MY ORDER NOW! LEAVE THE MAZE! ASSEMBLE OUTSIDE!'

Within a minute, the maze was empty. Alexandra's head swam. Diana stepped down, wiping the blood from her face. Her lean, bare arms visible from her sleeveless robes, holding the Dagger and the pendant each.

She stopped right in front of Alexandra. Diana was even taller, in fact, she'd be just an inch shorter than Liam - it made her look terrifying.

'Emma,' She said, sheathing her blade and offering her a hand up. Alexandra took it, she stood up. Diana continued, 'take me to Mark.'