Elementally Bound: Part 16
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It had been easy for Valandra to blame Demitra; easy for the line of love and hate to become blurred. Their initial infatuation became something exciting and overwhelming to her and she hadn't expected a love to spring from her rescuing the wounded woman. A wondrously blissful year was had with the exotic Elonian. Even when battling foes, both women had smiles on their faces. That, however, changed when Valandra told her lover about her upcoming sacrifice: She was to be given to Joko. Demitra, took the revelation as a heartbreaking cry for help. Valandra, having been told throughout her childhood of her ultimate fate, was resigned to it - she even saw it as an honor to secure her village's freedom at that time.
Demitra took matters into her own hands, decidedly whisking away Valandra under the cover of darkness the final night of her freedom. The terror-filled cries and the destruction Joko caused, having been denied his prize, awoke Valandra. She returned to the village, giving herself freely to the monster to stop his slaughter.
Within the bone palace, she served the god-king; let him take her body and spirit, believing her sacrifice had secured peace for her village. Yet, Joko, in his twisted humor, revealed to her it had been in vain: every member of her village had been turned to Awakened - even the very foster family that had raised her! She rebelled after that, striking out at the god-king, attempting to end the torments he caused. She had tried to poison him, stab him, and when her ice magic manifested, she attempted freezing the monster. The undead lich lived up to his reputation, however, and did not die. Instead, he seemed to relish in the challenge, getting off on the woman's defiance.
Valandra found herself in a hopeless situation, and she began to long for Demitra and those joyous times. Yet, as the years passed, her hopefulness waned and dissolved, with the realization her former lover would never come to rescue her. The circle's line was crossed, and Valandra began to look upon Demitra with bitterness.
This bitterness and hatred combined with that for Joko and it fueled the woman with the desire to break free of the god-king and destroy his hold upon Elona. Having learned to control her ice powers, she was taken from the harem and admitted onto the battlefield where she decimated Joko's usurpers, becoming the very thing she hated. Yet, it was this opportunity that created the strategizing mind Valandra had come to be, and it was that very same mind that formulated a plan against her oppressor: she would fry every fiber of his being and electrify him.
Several years thereafter were spent on her goal: whenever possible the woman was researching and studying. She learned where her powers came from, and how magic had varying degrees of power; how those which could innately contain the raw power could wield it. It was within these ancient tomes of knowledge that she discovered the Djinn.
A race of powerful magic users, the Djinn's very make-up was of elementally raw power, spurring from the very power of the elder dragons, themselves. It was the very power she sought to wield to finally end her owner's reign. Further study showed a flaw of their race: the Djinn could be bound to objects and areas… and other beings. With efforts that almost took her life, Valandra finally bound an elder air Djinn into her and promptly returned to the bone palace to destroy Joko. The undead lich, however, was unphased and laughed at the woman's attempt, but he was curious as to how the power was acquired and began to deconstruct what Valandra had done. Months of torture finally explained her discovery and he dispatched her to obtain more.
Valandra's subterfuge of Joko's goal was simple: gain such raw elemental fire, return and blaze him to ash.
Yet nothing thereafter had been simple about her attempts. Valandra had tracked the raw elemental power and was shocked to find it in another mortal, much like herself; a girl called Ember. The woman was a conundrum: She held the fires of Primordus inside her, yet she was completely undisciplined and seemed to let her emotions control her power. Further still, Valandra marveled at how the woman could use such a degree of primal fire, but went about her pursuits almost frivolously. It had been an easy decision to drain her. Yet, even that process was wrought with failure, and lasting consequences. Valandra wasn't sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, she had become connected to Ember, and not just due to the effects of the backfired experiment. She genuinely cared about her. And, while it may have bothered her, the animosity for Ember had crossed the line into something else… something she hadn't felt in a long time. Whether it was her closeness to Ember or the unwavering optimism the woman seemed to have, Valandra found herself reevaluating both her plan against Joko, and her feelings toward Demitra, and their turbulent relationship.
Demitra had, by all accounts, been on a similar quest to reach Valandra and rid the world of Joko. In so doing, she had become trapped… bound, and had been reaching out for help. Blinded by hatred, revenge, and anger, Valandra had failed to see it, and it took the very elemental being she had pursued - both Ember and the Djinn - to finally open her eyes. This epiphany shook her very foundation, and dissolved and traversed the line of resentment she had felt for so long toward Demitra.
It was this vulnerability that finally allowed Joko to take hold…
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Had they not been in her fundamental element, Valandra would have thrown up again. As it was, she breathed in the cold high-altitude air, feeling refreshed. With a quick glance around, she knew exactly where they were: the highlands of the northern desert.
Ember didn't share her enthusiasm, immediately melting the snow in which she appeared, splashing into a pool. "Oh great!" she exclaimed disapprovingly.
"It appears we are in the tundra of the Desert Highlands. Apparently the legends I researched are correct: Djinn truly can travel the world upon the backs of elements." Valandra mused.
Ember sloshed about as she tried to stand in her puddle. "Yeah, that's terrific. I'm thrilled," she said sarcastically. "Okay, so now what? Is there lava down there? Should we go down there?" She was already headed down the slope of the roof in which they stood.
"Wait! For once in your life, don't be so impetuous! Let us work this out. Tell me of your vision. Did it show only the lava below us?"
"No; I saw ice, then I went down into the lava!" Ember recalled.
"And the word you heard was 'combine'?"
Ember nodded anxiously, "Yeah, and unlock. So come on! We'll jump down there and combine our magic to bring her back!" She continued down her path a moment, but a moan from Valandra stopped her.
The ice queen had fallen to on her knees in the snow, grasping her shoulder. The previous wound bubbled under the woman's skin, turning it into a localized ink-like black ooze. She cried out in pain.
"Valandra? Valandra! Are you okay?" Ember came quickly to her side, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Valandra looked at Ember with worried, sorrowful eyes. "I… I'm not able to…"
Ember put her arm around the woman, concern etched on her face. "You're not able to what? We're… We're so close! Just a little bit further!" Ember urged the woman to stand.
"I can no longer… fight him," Valandra muttered through gritting teeth. Joko's scratching claws suddenly dove in, penetrating the woman. She writhed in pain, screaming, "Joko!"
Ember's hair burst into flames. "Joko? Where? Is he doing something to you? Fight him, Valandra! Just a little longer, until we can save Demitra!"
Valandra began to pant frosty breaths. "He… He's stronger since we got here, in Elona. His leash… it is tightening! He… He won't stop until he… gets what he wants!"
The first instinct Ember had was to knock the woman out, find a way to release her from Joko's grip, yet, if her time with the ice queen had taught her anything, it was that sometimes thinking things through worked better than acting on impulse. "What does he want?" she asked, already knowing she would hate the response.
The ice queen's glowing blue eyes were a torrential blizzard. "He wants this power… I have to… bring him this power…" She struggled against it, but she slid her hand into one of Demitra's bracers. At once, Valandra was snowfall landing into the lava below, an echo of what Ember had described. The words of Demitra came to her mind, 'combine' and 'unlock'.
"No!" Ember screamed, attempting to pull the glove off Valandra, tumbling in the snow from the effort. She recalled the Djinn's words, came to the realization she couldn't take it off herself, then finally fell back on the impulsiveness that was Ember's decision-making: she unwaveringly shoved her hand into the other glove.
"You… You know I can't do that! These… Somehow… These are Demitra. Don't you care about her?" Tears ran down Ember's cheeks. "Don't you care about me? Fight this!" She reluctantly drew the ice sword which intermixed with the earth from the gauntlet creating a jagged ice blade. "I… I don't want to hurt you, but… you know I have to stop you!"
"Don't… Don't fight me then. Just…" Valandra's snowy eyes glazed over. "Just give him what he wants! You know I can beat you; I bested you with ice and wind. Now, with the power these contain… you won't stand a chance!" Frozen tears came from the woman. "Please?" she implored. "I… I don't want to hurt you… I… I care for you!"
"I… I care for you too and I won't give him anything if he's going to take either you or Demitra away from me!" Ember planted her feet, flames around her beginning to rise, as she channeled her power and gathered her magic. She could feel it weaving with the earth from Demitra's bracer. She glanced at the glove and felt comforted in the moment. Demitra was with her, and she felt whole. "This time… I'm not alone!"
Valandra squeezed her shoulder for a moment as Joko wiggled his talons. The pain on her face was replaced with a look of vexed determination. "You say you're not alone? Neither of us are!" She slammed her sword into the ground, forming a quake which rippled through the snow and caused an avalanche crashing onto her opponent.
Both women stumbled backward, slid down the slope with Valandra forced deep into the snow, Ember on top. The ice queen's face was singed and scorched from Ember's blast, but in the darkness of the crater of snow, her sapphire eyes glowed with the fury of an ice shower. "You… You don't get it. If you won't give it to me, then… he'll make me take it by killing you!" Her words were followed by a subzero breath that blasted Ember's face.
She pulled back in agony, coughing at the mist she inhaled and stinging from the cold. Without warning, Valandra's gloved hand clasped Ember's throat. She choked, gasped for air. Valandra sent a shockwave to her neck, the impact propelling Ember backward. She landed heavily in the snow, close to the edge of the rooftop.
The ice queen was instantly on top of her, staring down. "For what it's worth… I have enjoyed… us," she said. The words were forced out, but Ember knew they were genuine.
Her brow furrowed as she implored, "Then stop this; there's still time!"
Valandra shot a blast of air in the opposite direction, forcing them both further down the slope. They slid, pushing a large portion of snow over and into the chasm. In one motion, Valandra stood upright, pulled Ember along with her, and stood with her back to the edge of the precipice. "There is no more time; his grasp on me… I can't hold him back much longer…" she said her voice filled with desperation.
"I… don't want to do this," Ember wept as she brought her sword up, pointed to the woman's shoulder. "I… I think I love you."
A genuinely soft smile came to the ice queen. She stepped forward, accepting the point of the ice sword sliding it into her own shoulder. Without a word she pulled Ember toward her, burying the blade to its hilt.
"W-what are you doing?" Ember cried, horrified.
"I… I love you, too," Valandra whispered as she pressed her icy lips to Ember's, who returned the kiss, tears sorrowfully running down her cheeks. "I won't let him win," Valandra said, pulling back. Her hand glided to Ember's gloved hand still holding the sword. "I shall bring Demitra back to you… Don't let him win." She held onto Ember's glove and pulled it off as she stepped backward, off the ledge.
"No!" Ember cried out, reached after the woman, and without hesitation dove from the overlook after her.
Below her, Valandra plummeted rapidly. She fell into the cavern below the structure and past the corridors of rock, finally slamming into the lava below. It sent a spherical explosion of ice, snow, waves, and wind with various arcs of lightning throughout. The lava was instantly cooled, forming a porous bed of lava rock, completely covering the ice queen.
Ember fought through the tears, landed as quickly as her magic allowed onto the bed of solidified lava. "Valandra! No! Please!" Ember's hair ignited and her fists were fire. She began to pound on the rock, trying to melt it, break it, whatever she could to it. The rock only hissed at her efforts. "Are you in there? Valandra?" She stood and frantically stomped her feet, blasting as much fire as she could conjure.
A slightly weak and muffled voice came from under the rock.
"Gods! Valandra! You're… You're okay? I'll get you out… I'll…" Ember took in a deep breath. She knelt, pressed both hands to the rock, gripped it, and channeled her magic. Valandra's lessons on conjuring her mount, how she compressed her fires to create a solid core came to her mind. She attempted to reverse the process: breaking the solid apart. The rock slightly rumbled, and Ember channeled more into it. She let out a visceral scream as the rock began to crack and break apart, causing her nose to bleed. Ember cried again, dove her hands into the crack, forcing it apart trying to dig the woman out. Another channeled push into the rock caused a shockwave, which exploded it and exposed Demitra's glove. "Valandra!" Ember screamed excitedly. She grabbed onto the woman's hand, still using her magic to push the rocks with her other. "I got you… I got you…"
A large final piece of rock was removed, exposing a woman with emerald eyes and the thick lips of a warm smile. "I've got you too," Demitra said.
Ember's eyes were wider than they'd ever been. "D-Demitra?" Her moment of shock turned into tears of joy. "Demitra!"
Demitra pulled herself from the rubble, wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman. She kissed her forehead softly. "You saved me."
An emotional wreck, Ember was elated, worried, scared, exhausted and happy, all at once. She buried herself into Demitra's breasts, sobbing.
"Shhh. It's okay. You did it. You both saved me."
Ember jumped up. "Valandra! Where… Where is she? She… Is she okay? Where did she…"
Demitra looked at her gloves, to the piles of rubble, then back to Ember, who looked like a nervous child at a parent. "I am unsure of what happened to her… But, I do not believe she…"
Ember continued sobbing, returned back to Demitra's embrace. "She… She sacrificed herself," Ember mumbled. She reached around Demitra, then confusedly looked at the woman. "You… You have two arms?"
Demitra softly giggled. "For now, it seems." Her emerald eyes looked distantly for a moment.
Ember tilted her head. "W-why didn't you tell me that you were a Djinn? That… Valandra was a Djinn?"
"This was not something to which I knew. While I was trained by a Djinn, I… I did not know I was to become one. And, it was only after Valandra had begun her quest and bound a Djinn within her that I was able to reach out from my prison."
"Why were you stuck in that prison?" Ember blinked.
"This is something I wish to discover as well. Regardless, Valandra's raw ice along with the primal fires have unlocked my confinement," Demitra said with a slight grin. "I knew you could; I believed in you both."
"Yeah, I…" Ember paused, looked at the broken apart rock. "I… I moved the rock. It felt like I could command it, like I do fire… I don't know how I…"
Demitra considered. "Perhaps some of that which you borrowed from me when you donned my bracer has remained within? I felt you, when you wore them; it was as if you were… whole."
"I did feel whole! When I had you with me!"
"And you still do, Emily; you still do," Demitra squeezed the woman.
Ember looked surprised and confounded. "Wh-what? You… called me… my real name!"
Demitra whispered softly. "I did." She pulled the woman up to meet her lips and the two melted into a passionate, long-deserved kiss.
To Be Continued...
