Diamond Wings

Chapter 4 Judge, Jury and Executioner

   "It wasn't my fault!" yells Ba lin in defense. "I only went to talk, and to tell that ugly creature to stay away from my beautiful sister! He attacked me! I only defended myself!"
   "Is that true?" Sarena asks Arthur, skeptically.
   "No, it's not. He was there in the trees, spying on us, and waiting for you to leave. When you flew away, he revealed himself. The only thing he said, was that I should of stuck to my own kind, before coming at me with his blade. He caught me off guard and got in a good stroke, before I could even begin to defend myself. Even fighting for my life, I was no match for his power, speed and rage," Arthur explains.
   "Liar!" Ba lin yells, moving towards him, putting a hand onto his sword hilt. "I'll kill you again!" He rages, as his siblings begin to hold him back, and restrain his assault. "Let go of me! You're not all going to take one of these heathen's word over mine are you! Sarena? Father?"
   "Ba lin, I pray that you are telling the truth." The Allfather hopes. "But, we must know what really happened."
   He rises from kneeling, and approaches his irate son.
   "Calm your mind, my son. If you are telling the truth, I will see it," he asks, raising his palm to meet Ba lin's forehead.
   "Father! I can't believe that you're even entertaining this farce!" he yells, trying to resist and wriggle free from his siblings.
   The Allfather's palm finds it's mark, both of their heads tilt back, as pupils leave their eyes. Only a moment passes, as they both come to, panting and catching their breath.
   The palm leaves Ba lin's head, as the Allfather steps back in shock and disbelief. Jaw growing wide, a tear rolls down his face. His son, trying to angrily wrestle free from his captors.
   "Ba lin, how could you? I did not want to believe it. I knew that you have been wrestling with your faith in the humans, and in me, but I did not think you were this far gone. I did not want to believe, that you were this far gone, or capable of murder. Capable of slaying someone, that one of your own cared so deeply for."
   Closing his mouth, and turning from
Ba lin, to face Sarena and Arthur, he hangs his head in sadness. "I am sorry you two. What Arthur speaks, is the truth."
   Shock and disbelief fill the hall, everybody taken back by this betrayal, from one of their own.
   "Ba lin? How could you?" she asks, heartbroken. Swollen eyes squeezing out even more tears, as the knife in her heart twists. Raising her head, wild emotions shift to rage, snapping at her closest and once most trusted brother. "How could you!"
   "This is all your fault Sarena! I told you, you should not be getting involved with them! Look at what your ignorance has brought!" Ba lin yelling, and trying to shift blame.
   "Enough!" the Allfather yells. His voice loud, powerful and echoing throughout the chaotic hall. Refusing to let his son's hatred spread anymore, his temperament changing quickly.  
   Turning to Ba lin, he speaks sternly and with great power. "I am sorry my son, for allowing you to stray so far. I have failed you. But, this has been all of your doing. I will not allow you to spread your blame or hatred. Release him my children, and step away," he orders.
   His children, release their traitorous brother. They step back and away.
   Ba lin's anger turning to fright, as his intimidating father stands before him.
   "Kneel!" he bellows.
   Ba lin, knowing he has no other option, fight or flight being impossible, slowly kneels in penitence and fear.  
   The Allfather draws his sword, striking trepidation into his son.
   Ba lin, raises his hands in forgiveness and mercy.
   The blade, rises overhead, charging blue light. Sapphire glow overtaking silver steel. The saber starts to sing an electric cracking and cackling song. Blue sparks dance around the sword to the violent song. Lightning surges around the blade and then releases, as he swings down in an arc to his right. The electric arc grows into a familiar circle, to Ba lin's left.
   "I will not kill you my son. But, I cannot allow you to harm anybody else. I will send you to a lifeless world, with nothing for you to harm," he decrees.
   "But father, you once told us that your blade can only open a door to a world with life, that it was attracted to life?" Sarena asks.
   "That is true of a new portal. But, the sword also remembers where it has been. It can open a way to any place it has been before. The wielder only has to see it in their mind, and I just so happen to know of such a world. My world. Maybe there, you will see what I am trying to avoid from happening here. Maybe there, you can begin to repent and be reborn."
   "Father, please do not do this. I am sorry, I made a mistake. I understand now. You do not have to do this," Ba lin pleads.
   He places a hand onto his son's shoulder.
   "I am truly sorry my son, that you must pay for my failure as a father. I know that you do not understand, but hope that someday you will." He hangs his head, and closes his eyes for only a moment, before throwing his son through the portal and into exile.
   A moment is all Ba lin needed, as he capitalizes on his father's sentiment. Quickly rising and drawing his own blade, severing his father's sword hand, with a rapid flash of steel. Seizing the Allfather's blade from the air, and running it right through his chest. Ba lin's father completely surprised and stunned by the rapid attack. Gasps and screams of horror echo throughout the hall.
   "NOO!" Sarena yells, quickly charging in.
   Not fast enough though, as he jerks the impaling blade to the right, moving his father's skewered body, so that it's back faces the gateway. All over in a blink of an eye, as he plants his foot onto his father's chest, launching him into exile, withdrawing the piercing blade from his body. The portal closes behind the exiled, as the traitor raises the now bloodied and crossed swords, intercepting Sarena's swing.
   Their gaze meets. Eyes like daggers, as she rages and grits her teeth. Ba lin grinning sinisterly, enraging her all the more. Repelling Sarena's blade with one sword, he attacks her with another. Finishing her off with another powerful kick, forcing her back and onto the ground.
   He turns, as she slams into the ground, greeting his other assailants with a flurry of dual-wielded weapons. Like thunderous waves crashing on a breakwall in the sea, his siblings throwing themselves at him, passionatly trying to avenge their slain father. The traitor holds his ground, skillfully pushing back any aggressors. Thriving on his newly gained power, he radiates heat, distorting the air around him like a burning flame.
   "Sarena! Are you OK?" Arthur asks, rushing to her side.
   "I'm OK. But you need to hide," she says, as he helps her up.
   She takes a step towards the heated battle, as Arthur holds her back by the arm.  
   "Wait, take this," he offers, handing her his sword.
   Taking the blade and giving a nod, she turns and rushes the betrayer.
   Charging him as he's distracted fails, as he springs into a backflip over her head, landing behind her and launching an immediate attack. She turns to intercept both slashes, now having the same amount of weapons. But, still having her on power, he pushes steel against steel, shoving her back into an army of siblings.
   "I am done playing games. None of you can best me, not even combining all of your strengths against mine. I do not want to hurt any of you, but I will start to slay you all one by one, if I must. What happened is regrettable, but it was him or me, I was only defending myself. I now wield his blade and his power, I AM the Allfather now! Join me, and together we can do what we always set out to do, protect this world."
   "You say protect, but what you really mean is rule, slaying any and all that refuse to fall in line," she argues.
   "You can not protect what you can not control. There must be order!" he reasons.
   "We will never join you, you killed our father!" she declares, speaking for all.
   "He was an old relic from an old world. This one was never his, it is ours. I only returned him to his world."
   "After you dismembered him and ran him through?" she yells.
   "I told you, I was only defending myself. I am done arguing. You all have a choice and it is simple. Join me and kneel, or face me and die!"
   Not even hesitating for a moment after his threats, Sarena charges again. Shaking his head, he meets her angered scowl with one of his own. Meeting her steel with his own. A shower and squall of blades meet, creating the perfect storm. The silver hurricane rages on, growing ever more ferocious. Steel rings out and echoes throughout the hall. All of their brothers and sisters watching the great spectacle, too afraid to engage themselves, knowing that if their most skilled sister can not defeat him, than none of them can. It becomes hard to tell, who has the edge as they dance back and forth, blades kissing and singing.
   Not wanting to leave this to their skill alone, Ba lin makes his move. He spins, launching a whirlwind of blades, that pushes her back just enough. He makes enough of a gap between them, so that he has the room and time to thrust the magic blade down, connecting with the floor.
   Smashing the sword into the ground creates a shockwave, as it loudly ricochets off the stone tile. The magical shockwave emanates from the point of impact, sparking crimson lightning in a large dome outward. It Launches Sarena across the room, and everyone else back. She smashes into a wall, and collapses down to the floor. Smashed rock from the impact follows her down, covering her in debris.
   Seizing the opportunity to flee, Ba lin takes off, straight up and out of the ceiling, with great force and speed.  
   Everyone begins to rise back onto their feet. The fallen debris covering her vibrates and trembles, before exploding outward, as Sarena rises up to her feet quickly, enraged.
   "Where is he?" she screams, scanning the room angrily with no trace of him.
   "He escaped through the roof. It is over, we lost," someone says.
   "We go after him!" she declares. "He ran because I almost had him. If we attack him together, I think we can beat him. We need to rally."
   "He will surely go for father's artifact room. No way we beat him there now. No way we stop him once he wields some of those artifacts," another says.
   "We have to try, we can not give up. I would rather die than let things end like this," she pleads.
   "We will die, if we do not submit. He won, we just have to accept it, and kneel," another saying shamefully.
   "I can not believe what I am hearing? Do not be cowards!" she scolds.
   "They are not cowards, for not wanting to die, and accepting reality Sarena." Ba lin's words, echoing eerily from the top of the great hall. "You should listen to them. Kneel, and we can rule this world together. This is your last chance, Sarena," he claims, floating down from the hole in the ceiling. His sword sheathed at his side, replaced by a mysterious cube in his hand, still wielding the Allfather's blade in the other.
   As his feet touch the ground, she looks around the room. Her brethren beginning to kneel, and shamefully hang their heads. Her love, far behind him, peering from behind a pillar. She knows that Ba lin will still kill Arthur, even if, she could get him to promise not to. Not being able to live with that, she lowers her swords, and looks down at the ground. Ba lin grins wickedly over what looks like his sister getting ready to concede, making his triumph complete.
   In a blink of an eye, she throws Arthur's sword at Ba lin, trying to catch him off guard, or put him there. Quickly moving to charge him, as the blade continues it's flight in front of her. He effortlessly moves his head to the right, to avoid the flying dagger, maintaining his glare at his sister, intensifying it with anger. The sword flies into Arthur's pillar, landing at his feet.
   Ba lin presses a button on the box's side, opening the lid and releasing a whirlwind emanating from the box. The Cyclone grabs Sarena, as she tries to put on the brakes, her feet still sliding into the funnel. She tries to turn away, driving her sword into the ground, in an attempt to stop the pulling. The sword, leaving a scar in the stone, as it gets dragged across the floor.
   "You should have joined me Sarena. Now you will spend all of eternity trapped inside this box of banishment. Nothing will ever break it's seal. Goodbye my sister, I loved you the most."
   She turns her head to look past him. Both hands keeping force on her sword, as she tries to come to a stop. Both of her feet trying to halt, but only sliding closer to the cube shaped prison. A tear streams down her face, as she takes one last look upon her love Arthur.
   Arthur, witnessing her impending doom, bravely comes from around the pillar he was hiding behind. He reaches down to retrieve his sword. Foolhardely, he rushes towards Ba lin, attempting to rescue his love.
   Terror grips her yet again, as Ba lin slowly turns his head. Catching a glimpse of the foolish attack, he grins maniacally.
   In a last ditch effort, Sarena pulls her sword from the ground, and gives into the black hole like sunction. It propels her rapidly towards the cube and it's holder. She makes one last swing with all of her might. But, it's no use as the blade begins to shrink down, followed by her hands, her arms, and her entire body.
   Sarena's last image, her love and would be rescuer, boldly charging her murderous evil brother. All of her being, getting sucked into the box, with the lid closing behind her.