Weaver's Knight ~ A Modern Fantasy Web Serial

Ch. 17.3 - Ekaida

In this episode: Though West still binds part of the Elder Dragon's will, Ekaida is determined to help her rescuers. This gives her a front row seat at Travesty's end game...

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Clara, forgive me, Ekaida mourned. I'll make this right, I swear. She struggled to rise, failed. Somehow. The mighty Elder Dragon fought straps made from her own Anima, a straitjacket and hobble formed from Travis' programming and her own majestas. Trapped in the body of a mere human, the restraints were almost irrelevant. *West!* Ekaida roared through the Vision. *Release me now, and I might not eat your heart!*

*This is foolishness, my beautiful dragon,* Travis replied, one of his black-armored puppets striding towards her. *You bound yourself to forbid harming any incarnation of my Vision, before we sealed our contract. Besides, didn't I give you the bliss you sought? Haven't I struck at the Schism? Isn't that what you wanted?* The Prime used a Vision arrow to point out the crowd of newsies, still reporting excitedly on the battle. Purity West's publicity stunt made that possible, she admitted.

No. Ekaida shook off West's soothing tone. *You betrayed me,* she shot back, thrashing furiously. *You tricked me into betraying myself! I would have given you treasures beyond counting, an empire to satisfy even your hunger! Why?*

The implacable blank stare of the masked puppet matched Travis' merciless Vision perfectly. *Because I can count higher than you think, and empires are for fools. I will have destiny itself. Fate shouldn't exist,* he seethed, and Ekaida shuddered at the raw hate she felt through the link, *but since it does, it will be mine!*

*I will never serve you again,* Ekaida retorted. *No bargain sealed through Vision manipulation can bind the Majestic, and no pleasure is worth your venom.* She relented, giving up on vengeance for the moment, and her body uncoiled into freedom. The Daimani forced West out of her mind using techniques ancient when humanity was young, and sought the Alliance agents' Vision.

Rose's mind leaped to Ekaida's, relief and welcome palpable through the union. *Elder! Are you all right?*

Ekaida nodded, restoring her wings, tail, and armor. *I cannot fight West or his avatars directly, but I can oppose him in other ways.* She scanned Maracanã Stadium with speed born of vast experience. A familiar chaos, the Daimani realized. No one controls this skirmish, but Travis only needs a fraction of it. Seeking the Weaver, she found the little Taylor retreating from the second armored puppet. Ekaida turned to help, but was forced to stop before her body betrayed her again. *Bastion! Your Weaver needs her knight!* she sent, looking for a target to vent her frustration on.

*Thank you, Ekaida,* the Bastion replied. The Weaver's champion flew unsteadily towards West's. He's been through a great deal, Ekaida noted, grimacing. My own efforts not least among them. She turned to devour a Tranquility Sanction agent, only to find West's mind directing that woman as well. Maker! Is he in all of them? Reaching out with a blend of Vision and Anima, Ekaida looked for targets to vent her wrath against, allowing her to train ordinary senses on the Weaver.

The Weave itself tore, an Adaptation of Blaze and Rift carving into Sara's bracelet. Ekaida gasped and took a step to help, only stopping when her own scales fused her legs together. Damn it! A quick hop back freed her, and the Daimani watched with powerless fury. The Weaver gasped and stumbled, forced to one knee by a pulse of Blaze from West's puppet. He grabbed the human by her hair, hauling Taylor back to her feet. "Time to go," he growled, and that would have been the end of it, had Victor's power not blocked his attempted Rift escape.

*Dunn! The Captain needs help,* Ekaida sent desperately, circling the Weaver as closely as she dared. *West has your student.*

*Busy,* Dunn replied. Ekaida saw fragments of Rose's liberation of her in the human warrior's mind, collected from the team's shared Vision. *I know Clara was extraordinary, but she's gone. You need to let her go, and do something.*