October 19th: Kevin

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Leah is asleep now. I fear the stress of this experience has been harder on her than I imagined it would be. Neither of us expected to find that Sam was Sanat. It is clear from her behaviour that she cares deeply for him, adding to her stress. I do not believe being in this, more emotional, state of hers is helping her either.

I have seen her writing in this diary several times since we arrived and I feel she will not be too upset if I write on the last page. I have left my diary in her world. It had not occurred to me to bring it with me.

We wait now for the guards to change before attempting to free Sanat. I worry that she will throw herself into the middle with no care for her own safety. She has done so in the past and I am not certain I will be able to stop her. She must survive this. Both of them must. I have sworn to do everything in my power to ensure that it does come to pass.

            Kedem watched Leah and Sanat until the darkness had swallowed them. He wished them speed and favourable winds before he turned his attention to what lay behind. He could feel the approach of the Ehesh, their movement through the falling water clear to him thanks to his power’s form.

There were a great many of them, more than he had thought remained in the mountain. He supposed that they had been held in reserve in case the battle between his clan and theirs had gone poorly. He felt a small surge of contentment knowing that these dreigun would not have the chance to harm his family.

He inhaled deeply, tasting the water laden air and enjoyed the feeling of it in his lungs, so much better than the dry air of Leah’s world. He shook the thought from himself, aware that he was prolonging things unnecessarily. He had known what he would have to do as soon as he’d sensed the Ehesh following them. He had allowed his own selfishness and thin hope of help to lead their pursuers this close to Sanat and Leah.

Kedem released his breath all at once, turning his face up to the sky. It was a perfect day for this spell. He had memorized it all those years ago, never thinking he would use it. It had always been his last resort, a spell whose effects horrified even him. But he could not afford the luxury of ethics. Not when they were this close.

He reached for his power, feeling it unwind itself from that well inside him and rush to fill his veins. It always made him feel so much more alive with it singing in his veins. Kedem angled his head downwards, lining his body straight and allowing it to fall.

He gathered speed and then snapped himself up so he rushed upwards, slowing in a much lower position than he had started in. He twisted around and flew forward then clawed for height. He continued the twists, turns, falls, and loops, feeling his power trickle out into the pattern he was creating in the air.

Kedem reached the halfway point, hovering high in the air, only just below the clouds. He inhaled sharply and began a hissing hum. Down he dropped again, almost able to see his power flow out behind him, the stream of it thickened by the addition of the rhythmic chant.

The points where the lines of the spot crossed were so thick with power they were almost visible to the naked eye. All around him he could feel the comforting presence of his own power wrapping around him as it left his body, the massive symbol of the spell taking almost a cubed kilometre of space.

But he could feel his power flickering, no longer a surge in his blood, only a thin trickle left. He ignored it, continuing with the spell. Not finishing the spell was a thought he couldn’t stand. The backlash…he turned his concentration back to the spell. There was no time for hesitation, second thoughts, or what-might-be’s. He was already committed.

He struggled for height, body slowing as the last of his magic left him. He closed his eyes for a moment, allowed himself that one moment of weakness before he tapped into the only other source of power available to him. He had known it would come to this. It was written into the spell itself.

It was harder now, forcing his body beyond its limits as he fed more and more power into the spell. His muscles shivered against the strain as he executed another tight turn. He ignored the distant roar as one of the Ehesh sighted him, earlier than he’d thought. But it wasn’t such a surprise, with his power exhausted he couldn’t sense them through the rain anymore. Not that it mattered.

Kedem turned his face up to the sky, fighting his way upwards for the last time. One last line to connect to the rest and he would be done, the spell would be complete. He panted, his eyes blurring as his tail swung weakly, only the force of his will keeping him going. He barely reached the place and twisted the last bit of it closed, feeling the symbol blaze once then disappear as its power began to take effect.

He heard more roars as his pursuers closed in, not knowing what was about to happen to them. He already regretted that it had come to this, but couldn’t see any other way it could have ended. With that last thought, Kedem closed his eyes and let his body fall.

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