Chapter 31

Blak felt the massive impact of Rone's attack vibrate through him, not just physically but on the spiritual plane as well. The one where he'd trapped Niku. But the three-part attack from the Prince, the Savior, and the One Born of Both Worlds, shattered that plane and set the Earth Sentinel free. He felt it when Niku slipped through his control.

Impossible! he shouted inside his corrupt and chaotic mind.

In that moment, he felt only one thing. Fear.

Rone continued to punch him. There was a twisted look of rage on his face. He was screaming "DIE" with each blow.

For the first time since he awakened inside this meat-thing's body, Blak felt weak. His control was starting to slip. He could feel his links to all his puppets start snapping one by one. If he didn't do something, he was going to lose them all.

After another head-rattling blow, Blak gathered his still considerable power and flung it at Rone. He watched as the Prince went flying and his annoying nanos went with him.

Blak shrugged his head to clear it of the pain and got up. He didn't give the Prince time to attack again.

Instead, he vanished.

**

Niku opened his eyes and immediately regretted it. A bright light hit them and caused his already pounding head to explode in more pain. He groaned weakly and tried to get up but quickly realized he couldn't really move. His body felt like a load of heavy bricks. All he could do was lay there.

"Niku?" someone asked. "Are you...you again?"

Niku had trouble understanding that question.

Who else would I be? he thought but didn't say out loud.

His throat felt really dry. He swallowed but winced when it ached and burned.

He carefully opened his eyes again. The pain was still there but he could actually keep them open now. His vision was extremely blurry. He had trouble making things out. There was a fuzzy shape looming over him and for a second he thought he'd woken back up in that hellish nightmare place. The shape was all dark and full of shadows. It reminded him instantly of the darkness he'd spent the last...he didn't know how long...days?...weeks?...months?...he wasn't sure, in.

He jerked slightly in fear.

"It's ok, Niku. It's me. It's just me," the voice responded. "We got you now."

He knew that voice. He recognized it. He was having trouble remembering who it belonged to, though. The name was almost there. It was right on the tip of his tongue.

Key?

Kari?

No, that's not quite right, he thought to himself.

Keiara!

The name brought his memories back entirely.

"Keiara?" he asked. He coughed slightly when the effort to talk hurt his burning throat.

"Don't try to talk," she urged. "We'll get you back to Heari. She'll help you."

"What happened to me?" he asked. But he couldn't hear her answer. A wave of fatigue so intense he felt sick suddenly smacked into him. He tried to fight it off but he lost. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

**

"Niku!" Keiara shouted. Fear made her heart lurch painfully in her chest. For a second, she thought he'd died. But when she looked closer, she saw that he was still breathing. She let out a breath of relief and started to pick him up.

It was incredibly difficult. His dead weight was nearly impossible to lift. She tried again and failed. She didn't know what to do. She couldn't carry him by herself but she was definitely not leaving him in the desert alone.

She looked around to see if anyone was close enough to call for help but there was no one around. The only thing she saw was the Blak Army. They were all starting to come around now. The gavok root that Rone used on them was wearing off.

And they were only a hundred or so yards away.

Several were already turning in her direction and heading toward her.

She got up and stood in front of Niku. She held her arms out to the side with her hands clenched into fists. They suddenly lit up with fire.

She didn't want to have to fight but she knew she was going to do whatever it took to ensure hers and Niku's survival.

The Blak Soldiers kept lurching toward her. Their faces were hollow and gaunt. They looked more like walking skeletons than human beings. The skin around each ones' mouth was red and inflamed. There were also bits of something dry, crusty, and yellow. She didn't even want to think about what that could be.

The fire around her fists intensified and she threw her arms out in front of her. Fire shot forward and smashed into the desert. It raced around in a half-dome shape and blazed to life. It rose to a height of several feet and created a deadly barrier between herself and the Blak Soldiers.

They, however, didn't seem to care. They just kept coming at the wall of fire like it wasn't even there. One of them was faster than the others and just stumbled right into the flames. She didn't even cry out in pain as she died and Keiara couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor woman. She knew it wasn't her fault. The corruption from Blak was too much for her to resist. For them all to resist.

She kept the flames going for as long as possible. She was a lot stronger now but she knew it was only a matter of time before she would get too tired. She hoped she'd be able to last long enough for help to get there.

A huge shadow suddenly fell over her, Niku, and half the Blak Soldiers coming for them. She glanced up and saw Rone flying over her in his roc form. She smiled broadly as a wash of relief filled her.

An enormous wind suddenly came out of nowhere and crashed into the flames Keiara created. They fanned the fires and blew them into the Blak Soldiers. The wind was strong enough to send them all tumbling back across the sand. It cleared a huge path and gave Keiara some much needed breathing room.

She watched Rone glide down to the sand and shift back into his human form. He ran to her and hugged her close to him. Then he took her face in his hands and kissed her deeply.

When he pulled away from him, his bright blue eyes were filled with genuine relief and happiness.

"Did it work?" he asked. "Is he back?"

Keiara nodded and walked over to where Niku was lying on the sand.

"He's back but he's exhausted. He passed out," she explained. "I can't carry him and I didn't want to hurt him trying to carry him as a dragon."

"Good thinking," he told her. "You've got some pretty sharp claws."

He looked down at Niku sleeping, feeling a crap load of emotions. That was his brother lying there. He had a brother.

"It's weird," he said. "I hated him like I've rarely hated anyone in my life but now..."

He stopped when he realized he couldn't think of the words he wanted to say.

"He's your family," Keiara told him. She grabbed his hand. "Family can drive you crazy but also give you the most love. It's natural."

"Somehow that makes perfect sense to me," he laughed.

"Let's get him to Heari before the rest of the Blak Army decides to come after us."

Rone nodded. His mechpaks opened and nanos flew out. They created a large hovercraft, big enough for the three of them. He got Niku inside and Keiara took the passenger seat next to him.

Then the craft sped forward, kicking out a huge plume of sand behind it.