Folly & Agendas & Talulah

[Chapter 66]

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I kept on running, hoping to find shelter from the war that burst during the night. Clutching my daughter in my arms hoping to save her from her fright. Bones cracked in my legs left and right, but I cannot stop till I escape this plight. The bombs painted the ground red with the blood of my comrades. Those still alive hid under domes of ice summoned by Yelena, and domes of white summoned by Kaiser Rye. Those who couldn't reach them succumbed to a painful death.

"Marzanna had gashes all over her arms," The Talulah of the present uttered those words with shallow breaths; she could vividly remember every second of that night. "She became so weak; so light. It was like carrying a basket full of bones. She could disappear at any second if I don't take her away from the city. It was a perilous fight for many. It was a horrific night for me. Celebrations turned sour, ruined by the chaos. Marzanna did not deserve any of this."

I pushed on without hesitation. I was running away from the shelter, from battle. Shells shook the ground so hard, that it was as if the world was rising and falling from every hit. My ankles twisted and turned on the uneven ground. The sound of bones grinding against each other screeched in the night. A cry in pain will alert everyone.

"She hasn't even recovered from the Emperor's Blades attack on the city when the Imperial Army attacked again. Her legs were limp and flaccid. She started coughing up blood. And the missiles kept on crashing down on us. Cold, sick, injured, and torn. We still had nowhere to run."

My back was cold with fear, a fear I haven't felt before; a fear that crept from below. A dark shadow grew larger and larger. As it grew, Talulah ran faster, as if she was running from two enemies. A cackle echoed through the night unbeknownst to her.

"I kept on telling Marzanna that everything was going to be alright. That she will be safe." A lump grew in Talulah's throat. She swallowed her sorrow but allowed it to show in long breaths. "It happened so suddenly. It happened on the worst possible night. My last gift for my baby ignited a war."

As I ran, flames rose from the ground. Trails of fire illuminated the path behind me. Scorching heat followed me even as I ran. But the light of my flames created a light in the sky, one that revealed the possibility of shelter: a tower, the one we inhabited when we first came to our city. I needed to get there quickly.

"Marzanna continued to cough, hacking her lungs away. While we were running, Haley, was busy shining. Shining while we tried to escape. Whether it was Arts or my eyes seeing things, she was undoubtedly shining. Before long, she stopped coughing. She stopped crying. Then she stopped breathing, and... and my heart sank."

When we reached the tower, I set the entire building ablaze. We were safe inside. We were safe at last. I wiped off the blood from my daughter's mouth and held her close to my chest. The sounds of war pounding from the outside were dulled by the flames engulfing the tower. But she wasn't breathing. She wasn't breathing. Then my ears rang violently, rendering me deaf. Marzanna's eyes started to turn red.

"Marzanna looked at me. Her golden eyes still shining despite her ailments. She had a smile on her face. The biggest smile she could ever give. Whether it was fear that consumed her or that her senses became damaged, she told one thing. She said: 'I love you Mamee.'"

I love you, Mamee...

I love you, Mamee...

I love you, Mamee

"And then... she... she.. she..."

Then a stream of white came out of her heart. It soared to the top of the tower, spiraled around it, blasted a hole through the tower, and exploded. The entire building came crashing down. A white light touched the clouds above, consuming them, and it brightened the night sky as if it was day all along. The crashes of war ceased. The cries of our comrades stopped, replaced by laughter. And while the life in Marzanna's eyes faded away, she continued to smile in my arms...