Cosmo Prison - Book 1: The Edge of Earth

Chapter 45

Chapter 45 

*Chris Velis*

With Suchet down and out, the tide of the battle slowly turns. I wade through the enemy, slashing here and stabbing there, ignoring the prickle of pain from my arm wound reopening.

As my friends advance towards the Cosmo Prison, the battleground grows narrower and I find myself fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with Ramya Joshi. Her face is pale, but not from blood loss. The whole battle had paused to watch the phlogiston of Suchet’s death; it must’ve been horrible for her.

“I have the key,” she tells me. “I took it when Suchet... you know.”

I swallow. “The problem is, we can only use it when Christy and Sid are inside the Prison.”

“Yeah, that might be a problem,” Ramya mutters. “Any suggestions?”

“Let’s focus on getting to the Prison first, shall we?”

She dodges a spiked club. “We’re so close -- only one more hill to go.”

I slice the earth warrior in front of me, cutting it in half. “Sid’s getting weaker. He’s not replacing his monsters anymore, see?”

“Christy is still going strong, though,” Ramya observes.

I glance over at the center of the battle. Sid and Christy are both fighting like demons, but Sid’s movements are slowing. The shield of earth that had previously surrounded him is weakening as well. As I watch, a blow from Leo’s knife shatters it completely.

Unlike her ally, Christy’s defense hasn’t wavered yet. She’s encompassed by a shield of blinding light; weapons that get too close disintegrate upon contact.

“Take that, Sid!” Leo yells from across the battlefield. “Come on, guys, let’s go!”

My friends cheer and, with renewed energy, make one last charge at our two main enemies. Only seconds later, I hear Sam Chen’s shout of triumph and realize that Sid has finally been defeated. With a howl of pain, he turns and attempts escape. Another Asphodel throws three knives in quick succession; each finds its mark, and Sid goes down under the mass of fighters. The last of the earth warriors crumble, leaving Christy as our only remaining adversary.

We surge forward, driving Christy to make her last stand on the doorstep of her own prison. For a beautiful, shining moment, it seems as if victory is guaranteed -- that we’d all be relieved of the war once and for all.

And then something goes wrong.

 

*Ramya Joshi*

“STOP!” Christy commands, allowing her shield to die down.

Every single person slowly turns to look at her, including me. A collective gasp travels through the crowd, and I can see why everyone has frozen.

Christy’s standing just in front of the great gates of the Cosmo Prison, but she’s not alone. Choking slightly, but otherwise lifeless as a rag doll, Leo sways under her grip. His face is angled away from us, but we can all tell that he’s in a bad way.

“There has been only one casualty on your side,” Christy says, addressing all of us. “You have fatally injured one of my allies and killed the other. You have achieved partial victory. Retreat now, and I’ll let you keep it. Attempt a further advance, and this one dies.” She gestures at Leo with her free hand.

But I’m not listening to her. Instead, I’m watching Leo intently. His head is slightly raised and I can see his face now. His eyes flicker open and lock with mine.