Revisiting Old Stories-2

Ahora twirled around the old, mahogany table and pounced on the last human, running her bloody sword through the human’s chest. The human collapsed down on his knees, his shirt blood stained. She could see the drops of sweat trickle down his forehead and before that bead of sweat could touch the gleaming, black marble the human’s eyes closed forever. Ahora sighed. The last human down. The air around her weaved her caramel brown hair in a rough mess of strands. Ahora smelt the victory in the wind as she spun around, eyeing the giant orb which stood in front of her. The orb was about 9 feet high and a blood red aura decorated its outer layer. The aura pirouetted through the circumference of the majestic orb, pouncing like an angered lioness caught in a cage. Ahora smiled savagely and her emerald green eyes twinkled with satisfaction. Her delicate blonde wings lay cut on her back but tiny golden strands of magic knitted their way through the silky wings in tiny sparks and growing them back, giving blinding flashes of light once in a while. Ahora spun her precious gold sword and slashed and struck through the invisible air shedding of the drops of blood that had gathered on the glistening surface of the sword. She watched as every ounce of her blood got the taste of the scene which lay on the marble which was once considered to be the purest of its kind. The corpses of humans scattered the richly decorated floor, the blood spilling on the marble, polluting it. Some of them were alive, breathing in shallow breaths of air suffocating with insult and dread and failure and defeat. After all humankind cannot be destroyed by such a low living kind as the pixies. If it were a pixie they could swallow but a disgusting half-breed they could not even look.

Ahora was exhausted and her body screamed at her to shut down but her mind was lost in the joy of victory. She saw a hint of a glistening silver ring hover aimlessly in the orb waiting for a right owner to come and obtain it. Waiting for someone to bond with it and once that was done the master and the ring would be together till their master stopped reincarnating. She was dazed and mesmerized by its amazing and yet elegant beauty. ‘Why should I give the ring to Queen Viana?’ she thought bitterly as she saw the lifeless blue eyes of the queen piercing through her soul in her mind. ‘I have proved myself worthy of the silverworne, not the Queen’ she snarled. ‘I will get the ring to myself...only to myself.’ she said decisively as her hand grasped at the aura and just as the tip of her fingers touched the furiously moving rosy red aura an iron dagger whizzed past her hands and landed on the floor resonating an echo the rose to a crescendo in the cave. Ahora ’s head swivelled to her right, caught off guard and a slight bit relieved to have avoided such a close call. She saw a young girl crouching on the floor, her hand held readily on the belt of daggers tied loosely around her waist. She had a tanned, bronze coloured complexion and two long blond braids ran along her side. Some of the strands had escaped the tight braids and they now fell carelessly on her twinkling brown eyes. Ahora recognized the expression beneath those attractive pair of eyes. Determination. Thirst. Greed.

When she looked into her eyes she saw her reflection, her personality shining through those eyes. The other hand’s fingers were touching the floor, ready to spring into action. Ahora ’s sharp emerald eyes got drawn to the small tattoo which was etched on the girl’s forearm, a Q and a V. ‘Queen Viana’ Ahora mumbled unaware of the words that fell out of her tongue. ‘Yes Ahora I work for Queen Viana. Just like you.’ the girl said when she caught the faint words that escaped Ahora ’s tongue. ‘I don’t work for anyone except myself.’ Ahora replied keeping her calm and tightening her grip on her sword. She wasn’t going to get frightened by a girl. She had done far worse than battle a human kid. ‘And especially I don’t work for someone who employs a human.’ Ahora continued. ‘Hmmm, you ain’t weak... but her majesty said you were.’ the girl said, rising up and relaxing in her stance. She eyed Ahora, scanning for any hidden tricks or surprises. When she found none, the girl continued, ‘Anyway, I’m here to arrest you on the orders of Queen Viana the Second. Surrender or get duel me And you may call me Kylie. As long as you live that is.’ Kylie said. ‘Thanks but I’ll take the ‘duel me’ one’ Ahora said pulling out her sword. She twirled in an eight deciding whether to do a defence or offence. A small smile played on her lips. She had a game to play here, the ring could wait.

Ahora clumsily scanned her opponent who now settled in a tense stance waiting for the first move. Years of practice and she works for the queen. Surely she is not going to be an easy task. And rule no 1 never underestimate your opponent.’ Ahora thought. ‘Defence it is’ she mumbled and then said aloud, ‘Are you sure you aren’t chicken. Are you scared or what? Bring it on.’ Kylie’s lips spread into a grin as she recognized the very classic trick. ‘Just ask me to make the first move. I respect chickens like you.’ she said and refracted her dagger from the belt and flung it towards Ahora ’s chest and then in a span of a nanosecond the second dagger was whizzing towards Ahora ’s head. She was as graceful as a dancer and showed no sign of effort on her face instead her eyes were dancing with amusement as she anticipated what different moves Ahora would pull up. Ahora dodged the first dagger by a slightly tilting her body towards her left and at the same time blocking the other dagger with a slash of her sword. The dagger fell down on the floor with such a fore that the pierce, sharp force that sound of the metal clanking echoed in her ears. For a moment she lost her concentration and that’s when Kylie sent a dagger flying across towards Ahora. Kylie knew this would happen.

Her first attacks served just as a distraction. She had fought a lot of people too. This was going to be the easiest fight ever won she had thought. Ahora’ s breathing grew shallow. After all she had been through she would not be murdered by an insolent teen. She would not lose the ring. Yet the sound of the dagger still echoed through her ears. The dagger was almost at her neck. “I WILL NOT DIE” she thought as she let out a guttural scream and called out to her magic hidden deep within her soul. The golden sparks burst out of thin air as they reversed the direction of the dagger. Kylie had not seen this. She had forgotten Ahora was magic. Even she was not quick enough to escape the ruthless stab of her dagger. ‘Rest in peace Kylie’ Ahora said as her knees buckled up and fell on the floor. That was the last bit of her magic. She could live without it only for a few minutes. It would not take a lot of time for the queen to send another enemy. She had to get the ring. Seized with determination she staggered towards the misty orb and lunged towards the ring and grasped silverworne in her trembling hands. The gleaming silver urged her to slip it onto her fingers. It coaxed her to take it. They were true master and servant after all. Ahora nodded falling into a mad daze and slipped silverworne onto her fingers. She did that and s if on cue an arrow pierced her stomach and sent a tingling pain to her brain as collapsed on the floor.

Ahora started laughing. Maniacally. Out of pain. Out of madness. Then stopped.“Queen Viana. I know it's you. We are bonded. You cannot separate-’ Ahora’ s eyes closed before she could finish her sentence. ‘May your soul be in peace dear.’ a voice came from the back. There was a woman in a regal black gown which was folded in intricate frills. The woman was beautiful. She had a pale, white face cold as the ice. Her deep blue eyes twinkled with life yet it was incomplete. Her cheeks were the rosiest yet it had something fake in it. Her voice sweeter than honey. A gold tiara which was etched the most beautiful of designs at on her long, thick mane of blonde hair ‘Oh dear...But I relieved you of reincarnation.’ Queen Viana said innocently. ‘Silverworne is mine forever.’ And so began a game of power.