Assassin (A Star Wars Fan-Fiction) Book 2

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen

'I'm alright, Ani. Don't....don't worry about me.' Denali thought to him.

'Why aren't you replying to Obi-Wan's thoughts?'

'I didn't know he was doing that. I haven't heard any of his thoughts. All I've heard are yours. I'm sorry about your mother, by the way. If I had known about it, I would've said something sooner.'

'Don't worry about it. Where are you? Are you hurt?'

'No....not exactly. Look, I'm....' Denali was silent for a long time as she glared at the monster sitting in the prisoner's cell on his own ship, his hands tightly stuck together with thick metal binders. Dooku glared right back, not enjoying the fact that he was the one on the opposite side of the force-field, instead of her. Her arms were crossed and she looked away. The more time she spent with the dark lord, the more hesitant she became when she thought about going back.

She had done something that no good jedi ever would. She had cut off Dooku's arm, caused him harm when he had been defensless. Denali had done something only a sith, a dark jedi, would've done. She had hurt a defensless enemy. She had caused him permanent harm. But in a way, wasn't it alright? Dooku had harmed her friends, nearly killed them, infact. So in a way, had it been alright to choose that choice of action?

She could feel something coming over her, like a wave. She had felt it earlier, when the six hour journey had just started. But she had just assumed that maybe it was her imagination. Turns out, it wasn't. It started at her hands, next it worked its way up her arms, and then her neck. She could feel it strangling her, sufficating her. Denali had no idea what it was, but she could tell it was evil. She looked at Dooku and saw that he was looking back at her strangly, as if she was a puzzle he was trying to solve. Did he know about the uneasiness in her mind? Was he the one causing it?

Was he the source of the darkness?

'I have to kill him....' she thought after summoning her barriers around her mind, so that Anakin couldn't hear what she was thinking. She had to kill Dooku.... It was the only way. She had to. Her fingers inched towards her lightsaber, but she wasn't the one controlling her movements. The darkness snaked its way around the joints in her hand, moving it without her blessing. Small beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as she struggled to stop herself.

"No." she spoke out loud, fighting hard enough to lift her lightsaber and throw it across the room, away from her. Denali couldn't do it. She had already cut off his arm, she couldn't kill him like this. No, she knew she couldn't kill Dooku. Otherwise it would all be too late.

'What is it?' Anakin asked. He wasn't just thinking, the apprentice was speaking out loud so that his master and Padme, Boba, and the other clones that had gathered could here his half of the conversation. They all watched intently, wanting to know every detail as to what was going on.

Denali opened up her mind and thought back to Anakin.

'I have Dooku.'

"She has Dooku." Anakin reported. The clones cheered and high-fived eachother while Padme, Obi-Wan, and Boba just continued to listen. Worried looks were already on their faces, and they were certain they wouldn't disappear untill their friend was back on the planet with them, right beside them, close enough to touch. Safe enough to hug and be happy that she was alive.

"Bring him back down and we'll get the heck out of here." Anakin said with a smile. The group suddenly stopped rejoicing as a grave expression appeared on Anakin's lips. Obi-Wan felt his heart jump into his throat, nearly strangling him. What was wrong?

"Wait....what do you-?" Anakin asked and began to pace back and forth. They continued to watch, fear layering their hearts. Boba grabbed Padme's hand and she gave him a side-ways hug, knowing how hard everything was for such a young child. Anakin's eyes widened even more and he looked over at Obi-Wan.

"She isn't coming back." Anakin said.

"What do you mean? She....she has to come back!" Boba said, nearly shouting.

"Denali, listen- No, listen to me. I don't care what's wrong- wait, NOTHING is wrong with you. You have to come back, Ali. The only way we can help you is if...." Anakin trailed off as he listened to what Denali was thinking back to him.

"What's wrong with her?" Padme asked.Obi-Wan closed his eyes, desperately trying to reach his wife's mind. But it wasn't working, not one bit. Why was it working for Anakin, and not him? Why couldn't he comunicate with his wife? It was enraging him, but he tried his hardest to hide it. Even though he knew that Anakin could tell he was getting angry.

'I can't come back! I...I don't know what's happening to me! I've harmed an unarmed man, I can't control myself. The darkness....it's...I can't do it, Ani. I can't do it.' Anakin could tell she was on the brink of tears. They were tears of panic. He could feel his face turning white and the shock echoing throughout the room.

"Yes you can, Denali. You can do this. We're all here for you, you can't just leave us behind." Anakin said, he begged her. Everyone could feel the tension in the air, how much power was flowing through Ani's words. But that only encouraged Denali to stay away even more. She knew how much her friends loved her, how much her husband adored her. And for that, she was going to have to stay away. Denali couldn't risk hurting them.

'I promise I'll come back....it just may take awhile.' Denali thought back to him. 'But with all this new power I have.... All this new power that's supposed to belong to Sith, and not Jedi. Untill I can control this without becoming evil, I won't be going back to Geonosis. Take care of Boba for me. He's a good kid, just a little misunderstood.'

"No, Denali...please." Anakin begged.

'Good bye, Ani.'

"Denali, wait!"

Silence.

Nothing but pure, absolute silence.