Lilith's Blessing 17

17.

Olivia blinked, rubbed her eyes, blinking again. How? Why? What? The fires and explosions lit up the sky. She felt heat from each explosion that sent debris and people flying from the open cannon decks. The Amun-Airen suffered catastrophic failure, forcing Olivia and her followers to run for cover. It groaned as it broke apart. Its bow listed port-side slamming into the spire.

It happened so fast, yet in slow motion at the same time. The marble building cracked, breaking in half, slid with the parts of the Amun Airen into the building below. Olivia watched in horror, realizing she’d failed only once before. Alexia and Trevor caused her first. But Simone gave her a second chance. “Burn Trevor’s body.”

The dust cleared, Alexia and Trevor stood in the middle of what once was the spire courtyard. Olivia blinked, Trevor vanished. She searched for him but settled on Alexia. She raised her left arm as Olivia’s followers prepared for battle. Something was different about her. Her glaring eyes sent a chill up and down her spine.

Xia gathered mana, filling the air with a bright glow. She released the arrow, they split as they scorched through the air. Olivia’s followers attempted to defend themselves but Xia’s arrows hit their marks. Each fell to the ground frustrating Olivia at their lack of competence.

Olivia glared at Aleixa, When did she? Before she could ask, a forearm slipped itself around her neck. Every hair on her body stood on end. She tried to wiggle herself free, her attacker wrapped around her waist, pulled her closer. He pushed her red hair back. “Afternoon. I think we need to have a small chat.”

His voice tickled her ear, but froze her body. “T-Trev-Trevor?”

“Not really.”

Olivia scrunched her face at Xia. “What do you mean? Alexia, what did you do?”

“That is not my name. Nor is Trevor behind you.”

Olivia tried to free herself again, but the arm tightened around her neck, restricting the air. “If you wanted foreplay, all you had to do was say it.” Olivia rubbed her legs against his body, attempting to seduce him, but he squeezed tighter.

Unable to free herself, Olivia tried rolling her hips, swaying in his grasp. “Come on Trev, you know you want to take me. Oh, and she can watch.”

Xia smiled, fueling Olivia to keep going. “Alexia, I didn’t know you were like that. I always thought you were a prude. To think you were a closet freak all along.”

Akor released Olivia, tossing her to the ground. She looked up as she choked for air.

“HOW THE FUCK ARE YOU ALIVE?!”

Akor knelt down, pointing his white sword toward her. His eyes lowered, reminding her of a predator salivating at his catch. “Lilith and…” He stood up looking at Xia. “Xia.”

“Huh? Who?” Nothing made sense. He looked like Trevor, sounded like him. She looked like Alexia, maybe a little different but it was her. The naïve man, the prudish little girl. They seemed inexperienced. What changed? Why now?

“Alexia, I surrender. Don't let this demon kill me.”

Xia looked at Akor, realizing her intent, he forced Olivia to the ground. Xia grasped Olivia’s face, squeezing as she pulled her close. Olivia gazed into Xia’s eyes, lost in their depth. She thought her a prude that never partook in any pleasantries Simone City offered women. Who were they? Why now? Why was Alexia so different?

Olivia looked at Trevor as he raised his right arm parallel to the ground. Mana gathered, seeping its way into the ground like water. Parts of the concrete shook, cracking free from its manufactured prison. It rose to his chest as he forced mana into it. The particles exuded an ominous orange glow as Akor compressed the mana over and over. Fragments of buildings and foreign objects, broken up by battle, lifted from the ground as the object formed its own gravity.

Xia forced Olivia to face the mass of energy. Olivia smiled, but scared of the power emanating from the orb. It had the power to level a city. “What do you plan to do with that?”

Xia, sighed as she rolled her eyes, freeing Olivia’s face. She looked back toward the wreckage of the Amun-Airen; manifested an arrow, stabbing Olivia’s thigh. “Stay here.”

“ALEXXIIIAAAA!!!!”

“You were supposed to go down with your ship! Be a good prince and die.”

Prince Mene, filled with rage, pointed his hammer toward Xia. He raised his hammer, lunging forward. Xia drew her bow, released a single arrow. The thud reverberated like thunder as they zoomed toward Mene.

The prince dodged the first volley, but Xia, laughing, recognized his tactic. Akor charged straight ahead, she was used to it. Sent an overwhelming volley Mene could not weave his way through. Two arrows entered his stomach. one in his right shoulder, forcing him to drop his weapon. His movement slowed as he tried to remove the arrows, but they latched onto his intestines, unwilling to let go. Mene roared as he tugged at the arrows.

“My arrows will stay until you kill me.” Xia withdrew her bow as she walked toward the prince. She manifested a long, curved sword. Her movements, too fast for Prince Mene’s eyes. Before he could reach both legs vanished from underneath him. He looked down, the speed of her blade caused friction that soldered the wound as she sliced through Mene’s legs. Xia looked back at Olivia. “The reason Simone told you to burn Akor’s body. Do you know?” Olivia shook her head.

“The only way to kill an immortal is to destroy their body. Otherwise they will come back. But I think Akor has a plan for him.”

Akor moved his hand in a single motion across his body. Mana followed as a single spike grew from the ground, eviscerating the prince’s spinal column. He looked to the sky, wondering what happened. His body failed him, unwilling to cooperate. A shadow filled the prince's vision. His eyes drifted toward it. “Please, no.”

“Are you crying?” Akor burst out laughing, echoing off the broken building.

“This fucking guy. How tough were you a minute ago? Ohh, you’ve never died before. Well I can tell you from experience. You never get used to it. See you in about 5000 years.”

Akor stepped aside. Xia took a right handed batters stance. She dug in her right heel as she squatted. Mene roared trying to will his body to move, his eyes ablaze with rage. Blood filled his mouth, spilling from his nose and ears. “Goodbye Prince. Say hello to Kaylia for me.” Xia swung through his neck, dropping his head to the ground.

Akor approached the body with the glowing orb hovering just over his left shoulder. It's gravity displacing rocks and dust as it followed. He gathered mana in the palm of his hand as Xia refined it with hers. The purple light turned bright blue as it formed into a small flame. Akor released it, floating down to Prince Mene’s body. It expanded, engulfing his entire body within its flames.

Xia glared at Olivia. “That is how you kill an immortal. But, thank you. Because of that, Akor lives.”

Olivia looked away, her head churning on how to get out of this mess. She tried to remove the arrow. Xia shook her head. “Do you not listen?”

Olivia agonized as she tugged at the arrow. “I don’t want to die here.” Akor appeared in front of her, grasping her face. He pulled it toward him.

“But you will. I just want to do it in front of your father.” He released the orb. It streaked east across the sky.

Emperor Memet? How does he know about him? Alexia snitched. Olivia gave Xia the death stare wishing her death and all the bad things to come to her. “Memet doesn't care about me. He’d rather turn me into one of his slaves than be a father.”

The ground rumbled. Akor released Olivia, standing side by side with Xia, braced themselves. “They’re here.” Xia crouched behind Akor as he built up a defensive barrier interlocking random debris together, forming a shield. Olivia looked at the direction they faced, black dots blotted out the sky. With little time she erected her own barrier, cursing Alexia and Trevor for getting her caught up in their battle. Akor and Xia smiled at Olivia as the barrage devastated the area.

Akor’s arms strained but Xia poured mana into him, keeping their barrier from failing. Once the barrage ended Akor stood up. The dust attempted to settle but a swift breeze swirled it around into dust devils. The battle was over, the city devastated, turned into craters of rubble and smoldering debris.

“This was your answer? So you want us to come to you? Look around Memet, I know you see this. This will happen to Kush. Do you want that? Or do you want me to send the sun your way too?”

Akor turned to Xia. He took her left hand into his right, raising his free hand. Their mana swirled, pulling in more from the atmosphere. Enough to where it blocked out light. Akor condensed the mana into a cylindrical block of piping. The pipe did not want to change, but Akor forced it to mold and accept it's now role. The shell, bright yellow, glowed, filling the voided area with light.

Olivia coughed, pushing debris off her. Fuck. she blinked, her eyes filled with dots, blanking out the background. She feared the worst, but Akor’s light brought relief. “W- What is that?”

She felt its heat and energy. Olivia shook her head, “No, no. What is what?” They looked bigger than the bright orange orb preceding it.

Akor released them. They blurred into lines, zooming across the sky like the smoke trail behind a missile at launch. Olivia watched the objects vanish into the distance, realizing the direction. That’s west. Not East.

She tried tugging at the arrow again, but it remained. She gathered mana trying to force it loose only for it to dig deeper. Her arm racked with pain as Xia twisted it into an unnatural position.

“What do you think you're doing?”

Xia stood over Olivia as she tried to mend her arm. “Who are you?”

“I told you my name. It's Xia.”

She manifested an arrow, it burned with the fury of hell in her hand. “What are you going to do with that?”

Xia looked at the burning flame pointing it toward Olivia’s pelvis. Olivia laughed. “You’re not like me. You hid in the corner during your first orgy. Ha. you're a coward, that’s why you hide behind that damn monster over there.”

Xia looked at Akor, he had a sadistic grin on his face, like he enjoyed the sight. Xia, smirked. “You have no idea, Olivia, the things I’ve done over the centuries. I don't think you could keep up.” Xia returned her gaze to Olivia. Xia’s dark brown eyes glossed in bloodlust, she closed the distance between them. The arrow in her hand, Xia pushed it into Olivia’s stomach, just below her belly button. Her skin sizzled as the arrow burned its way through her body. Olivia kicked and flailed screaming in pain. She tried with all her might to kick Xia off of her and remove it. Xia, manifested another, pointing it at Olivia.

“May Lilith have mercy on you.”

Olivia raised her arm to protect herself as darkness surrounded her, repelling Xia’s attack. Olivia blinked. In the split second Empress Nefer held Olivia in her arms, while a mass of black mana swirled in front of them.