Elementally Bound
----- Epilogue: Powers -----
Demitra's emerald eyes peered from behind the turban she wore atop her head and the magical veil she projected over her nose and mouth to protect from the Desolation's toxic wastes. In the distance there was a palace wall of bones, made from Joko's vanquished foes. It was her destination, the reason she traveled in such an inhospitable terrain. She took a deep filtered breath, and while she was glad to have found one of Joko's harems, the purpose of the place made her skin crawl.
Most of his
concubines were loyal to Joko, many thinking like Valandra did: they were there
to appease the monster and avert his attention from their respective
villages. As Ember described it,
however, Valandra had discovered Joko's subterfuge, and over years of enduring
torture Demitra couldn't imagine, the woman had come to see the monster for
what he truly is. The other consorts
within almost assuredly believe as Valandra had: in the illusion that Joko was
their savior, and their sacrifice wasn't in vain. Even worse, some were wed to the egotistical
maniac and Demitra knew voluntary evacuation may be beyond her powers of
persuasion.
"Powers,"
she chuckled a moment and looked at the sparkling azure fingers of her
hand. While she didn't yet fully
understand her newfound lineage, the powers felt within told her the
inescapable truth: As improbable as it was, Demitra Naja Nyimah was a Djinn;
chosen by ancient beings for a destined purpose she also didn't
understand. A year ago, she had been
called upon by those ancient powers and transported to a realm beyond. Try as she might to make sense of her
experience, the details of that time remained clouded. Until, that is, she reached out to Valandra.
The woman had been
on a perilous journey of her own, and had (through, perhaps, an ill-conceived
notion) bound a Djinn into herself.
Ember explained the reasoning behind this, and how Valandra was
attempting to rid herself from the talons of Joko. But, Demitra couldn't help but think the
threads which weaved their tapestry had a different portrait in mind; or
perhaps, it knew all along and none of the weavers could see the entire
picture. Had Valandra not been connected
to the Djinn, Demitra would not have been able to reach out to her, and through
her reach out to Ember.
Ember. A loving smile came to Demitra's thick
lips. Ember was her anchor, her
confidant, her love. After their reunion
it was a difficult parting: Ember had decided to take up arms in the war within
Kourna, striking Joko's army at their very staging grounds. And, while Demitra longed to go with her, she
knew her fate pulled her down a different path.
By Ember's recount,
the Djinn's inner sanctum lay in the heart of the Desolation, and it was this…
'home' which tugged at the fibers of Demitra's being. If she could have ignored it, she would have. Yet, as a matter of practicality, this was a
way she may finally get answers to the riddles which surrounded her
transformation. But there was one stop
she had to make before her journey there: Joko's harem, the very place Valandra
had been imprisoned.
Demitra brought her
arm again to look at the gloves.
"This, I will do for you, Valandra."
As if in response,
an icy frost encased the bracers.
[The End?]
