“But, but...,” stammered Shen, “Stop! Listen! You need him! Stop!”
“No, old man,” said Nira, “We don’t need either of you!”
“No?! No?!” screeched Shen suddenly and boiled to red, “Don’t say no to me! You can’t say no to me!”
Fuming, he suddenly glared straight at Onnd, the fire of his wrath blazing into her eyes. Onnd simply stared back, smothering his flames and quietly crushing his hidden soul. Shen turned his eyes away and looked around the sea of faces.
“But it’s the Shield, you lothals,” he cried, “The Shield! He knows! It’s N’van! You need the Shield. Don’t you see?! You need him to win!”
Nira turned away in disgust. Shen suddenly leapt forward and grabbed her arm. Nira spun round immediately, flicked her arm up and twisted Shen’s down — his face smacked hard against the floor.
“Never,” spat Nira down at him, “Never touch me. It’s that simple.”
Shen’s fury broke; he wrenched his arm from Nira’s grip and leapt up in a blaze of scarlet, but before he was back on his feet, Onnd and Sann flicked their staffs towards his throat — one staff grazed the other, and a sudden a burst of lightning gleam cracked into the room. Kai lifted his left hand instinctively to protect himself, and the light imploded back in around his fingers. The inspissating spark glinted off Onnd’s wide eyes, and Sann looked on in awe as Kai drew in the diamond glister and stepped cautiously forward, putting his other hand up in capitulation. The warriors tightened in around him.
“Wait,” cried Shen and Sann as one, then Sann continued, “I think he wants....”
“Sann!” boomed Onnd in warning.
“He wants to show us!” blurted out Shen.
“Master,” said Sann nervously to Onnd, “Please, I mean no disrespect, but you sensed something different about this boy too, I know you did. He bears the light. Perhaps fate has brought him here to help us.”
“You trust too easily, Sann,” sighed Nira shaking her head.
“And that will be your undoing,” muttered Jhor.
“Yes, he bears the light, Sann,” said Onnd carefully, “But he is just a boy, and we have already chosen our path. Nira is right — this is no longer the time.”
“Yes, master, but you have taught me far too well,” said Sann, curling her thin lips into a nervous smile, “We I’sta fight tirelessly to defend the truth, even when its form is not our own, even should it prove inconvenient to our current situation. Our truth must always remain balanced and considered, otherwise we are no better than the Sucthul.”
Onnd was silent. She turned her eyes back to Kai and studied him. Finally, as everyone in the room watched her anxiously, she turned her gaze back to her student with an almost imperceptible glint of pride, and gave a single nod. Kai looked nervously around the ominous circle of Truth Warriors. Holographic colour glistened off his apprehensive eyes — the galaxy, the branch map, the planetary system, the spherical temple. The Tree.
unfolding tall
He brought his left hand down before him and allowed it to flow from side to side.
shining hand outstretched
The light drifted along with his movements leaving a gauzy, glistering tail.
“Yes, it’s very pretty,” said Nira impatiently, and folded her arms.
Kai looked up and into Nira’s diamond eyes. He smiled in endless quiet, then turned his shining palm upwards, closed his eyes, and crumpled his brow into deep furrows of concentration.
Next chapter — Integration
Sunday 19 June 2011
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