Demon Child Ch. 18

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Xantu
Xantu
613 Followers

The sensation of the hot blood ripped her from her paralysis, all her terror igniting into a flash of pure rage. Again she shrieked the word, "No!" And she unleashed her fear and her anger, focusing it all at Rhasht.

The wizard staggered back, losing his grip on his knife. His hands lifted to grip his skull as if to keep it from bursting and then fell. As he went down he roared out, "Kill them, kill them all."

Then all was chaos. Aylanna was only dimly aware of the battle raging around her. The guards had drawn their weapons, lunging toward the Khan and then the Twisted Dagger warriors were there. To Aylanna's confused eyes it was unclear who was fighting whom, who was attacking the Khan and who was defending him. It was as if the entire room had exploded into madness. All the pent up emotions had burst forth in a wild surging flood of mindless fear.

Aylanna could see little beyond the legs of those closest. Above her the Khan stood as if frozen, the knife blade still embedded in his palm, his blood still pouring forth. Repeatedly the feet and legs of those battling closest to her jostled her; knocking her back down to her knees as she fought to stand. Finally, she reached up, using the standing form of the Khan to gain her feet and looked about at the confusion filling the room. The warriors and guards were locked in mindless combat. The mass of onlookers fought at the doorway, shoving, fighting with bare hands to escape.

Again, instinctively Aylanna knew this madness was an illusion. The magic of the wizard still lingered in the room. And just as clearly she knew she had to make it stop. Gathering her battered senses together, she poured every ounce of her strength into one last massive surge of magic. Again, a third time she screamed the word, "No!" She could feel her spirit surging forth, filling the room, extinguishing the thoughts and emotions. Suddenly all was still, all was silent. But Aylanna did not hear it as she crumpled to the floor.

"Aylanna?" She could feel him lifting her, shaking her. His voice was strangely distant but the fear in his heart was sharp and clear. "Aylanna!"

When she opened her eyes his face was inches from hers, his eyes filled with fear. Aylanna stared up at him, for an instant bemused by a memory. This was not the first time she had lain thus in his arms, called back to the realm of the living by his voice, by her love for him. She tried to speak and choked and coughed. Her throat was raw and torn by the force of that single word.

She swallowed painfully and smiled a tremulous smile, she croaked a hoarse whisper, "I am here, my Khan." And she reached up, placing her palm over his heart, reveling in the rush of joy and hope she found there.

A hand pushed at Jhardron's shoulder. Jhu'kresh's voice was frantic, "My Khan, my Khan, your father..."

Remembering where she was, looking around in sudden awareness, Aylanna pulled from his arms. She must have been unconscious for some time because the room was empty of spectators. In fact it seemed that the only people standing were the Twisted Dagger warriors. As the reality of that perception sank in, she looked around wildly at the scattered bodies strewn across the floor. Where was the Aga Khan? Where was the wizard?

Jhardron was bent over the form of his father. Nearby the body of the Aga Khan lay twisted, broken. From the moans and sobs, Aylanna knew that many lay wounded. Scrambling on her hands and feet, she reached to touch the still form of the Khan. The spark of his life force was weak but he still lived. Beyond the slashed palm she could find no other wounds, nothing to explain his collapse. The sense of corruption, poison coursing sluggishly through his body was stronger than ever. Aylanna wondered if the knife of the wizard had held even more poison or if the stain of the confrontation with his enemy had finally drained the last vestiges of his strength, if this was truly the end of him.

Jhardron's voice pulled her from her thoughts, "Father, no..."

Jhar'drakon lay in wide pool of his own blood. His own hands holding back the coils of bleeding entrails that threatened to spill out from the massive wound across his midsection. His voice was weak, but fervent with the need to be heard.

"No, you must listen. I don't have much time. There is something you must know before I die."

Jhardron shook his head in hopeless denial, "No, you cannot die."

"No, you must listen. You are not who you think you are. The Khan..."

Again Jhardron tried to hush his father but Jhar'drakon refused to be silenced, "...the Khan, he has a son... a son born in secret... you... you are that son..." His last words were a gasp as a fresh gout of blood boiled up between his fingers. He inhaled sharply and Aylanna thought he would speak again but his head lolled, his eyes becoming unfocused as his last breath rattled in his throat.

Jhardron knelt, motionless, his face a closed mask staring down at the man he had believed to be his father. Slowly his eyes turned to the comatose form of the Aga Khan, "Is he dead?"

Aylanna knew his words were for her. "No, my Khan, he lives but his life force is seriously depleted. I fear his spirit already travels to join Jha'Mak'Tah." His eyes traveled around the room, pausing at the misshapen mound of black that was the wizard.

Aylanna realized she had been avoiding looking at the corpse of the wizard. There was no question in Aylanna's mind that he was dead. Just as clearly she knew it had been her magic that killed him. There was no guilt. She was glad he was dead, but it frightened her to know she held such power. Her voice was low, not entirely her own, "It is dead. It is beyond dead. Its spirit is destroyed." Aylanna did not know where the words had come from but she knew they were true.

Jhardron lunged to his feet, for an instant his pain open and raw for her to sense but then he slammed shut the door on his heart. His voice was grim, "It is unclear how many of the guards have been turned by the wizard or who else was part of this plot. We cannot remain here."

He reached down and pulled Aylanna to her feet. He stared intensely into her eyes, "Will you come with me?"

There was no hesitation or moment of doubt. "Wherever you go, my Khan, I will follow."

Once decided, the group of warriors moved quickly. The slain body of Jhar'drakon was lifted and carried upon the shoulders of several warriors. Aylanna found herself guiding them to quieter, unpatrolled passages, pathways she had haunted in spirit form. Soon they were at the stables, mounted and gone. As they left the mound of stone that was the court of the Aga Khan, Aylanna felt her spirit lighten. She hoped that her destiny would never bring her back.

)===(>>>>>>>>>>>>>> <<<<<<<<<<<<<<)===(

Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

Please take the time to rate it and if the spirit moves you, leave me some feedback. I know I am being frustratingly slow in writing and posting more chapters. I too love this story and have every intention of finishing it. Unfortunately I love all the other projects I am working on and I so sadly lack focus.

I am between editors so if you find any errors; spelling, grammatical or mechanical... bear with me. I do my best but I really don't have an editor's eye for my own writing. If you find you cannot resist letting me know about my errors, be ready for me to respond to your criticism by asking you to help me edit.

I am happy to announce that I do have three novels published and a fourth in the process. If you check out my profile, you can find where to order them.

Keep reading.

xantu

Xantu
Xantu
613 Followers
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21 Comments
icebreadicebreadalmost 9 years ago
*****

very, very good

hakdrakkenhakdrakkenover 11 years ago
I hate titles

But I love this story. You're beyond skilled. This imagining of this story, of this culture, of this people, of this life... It is complete. I don't mean finished, I mean your vision seems more like the memory of one who was there.

Your character became a story teller herself for the sick Khan, and was as enthralling as the story in which she lives and breathes. So now I must wonder, to how many levels could that be taken? :-)

katgoddesskatgoddessover 13 years ago

This is just a terrific story! Keep writing so I can keep reading!

livingescapistlivingescapistover 13 years ago
Great work!

I read through the entire series a while ago, and checked back now in hopes of an update. No such luck, but I figure you'll write when you can. Until then, I'm loving the story, and am particularly taken by how vivid and complete your fantasy world is, as well as the wonderful characters. Thank you for this story, and I hope you get the opportunity to continue it for us soon!

carolyn1998carolyn1998almost 14 years ago
Perfection

Great story, I can not wait to see what happens next. This is publishable work.

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