“Wait,” Ellyne growled, “he did what?” She paced her living room, trying with all her might not to break anything out of rage.
“He … kind of ran away.”
“What the hell?” Ellyne clenched her fists at her sides and kicked at a bit of fuzz on the carpet. “That coward!”
“He said he couldn’t be seen with us. I tried to get him to stick around, but he teleported away before I could even try to convince him.”
“He’s a damned coward and if I ever see him again, I’ll—”
“Ellyne, he was scared. I mean, he was really scared. I’ve never seen him rattled like that. He’s usually just a confident, pompous jerk.”
Ellyne laughed, staring out the window. “Good! I want him to be scared—of the Golgolonar, the Kithrak, the Ilserate, and … me. Mostly of me.”
“Well, he saw what happened between you and the Golgolonar, so I guess there’s a good chance he is.”
Ellyne moved to the kitchen and searched the cupboards for snacks, grabbing the first bag of chips she saw.
“He’s been helping us, Ellyne. I couldn’t have come to rescue you if he hadn’t been part of it. You wouldn’t be here without him.”
“And thank you for once again reminding me I owe him.” Ellyne ripped open the bag, sending a shower of salty snacks into the air. “Damn it! I blame Marik for this, too.”
Nicole quietly snickered and flourished her hand once in front of her as the chips rose off the carpet and deposited themselves back into the bag. “I know you hate magic, but it is good for some things!” she giggled.
“Well, if I ever need to lob salty snacks at my enemies, you’ll be the first person I think of.” A smile briefly broke through Ellyne’s scowl as she shoved a handful of chips in her mouth. “Okay, maybe,” she said, her words muffled as she ate, “but magicking some chips into a bag is a tiny justification for all the harm magic has done.”
“Magic has done more than feed your face,” Nicole laughed.
Elyne sat on the couch, spewing chip crumbs from her mouth. “Need I remind you of the grika?”
“That blame is misplaced, though. The grika are strictly human and Kithrak creations.”
“The grika are a byproduct of not using a T-helm which, before I liberated everyone from the burden of magic, was a requirement for every human … except you, of course. And, now, nobody need wear one.”
“Yeah, because magic is all messed up and wonky. People don’t need to use T-Helms because there’s barely any flow of magic to begin with. I’m not sure that’s a really great trade.”
“It is for me,” Ellyne beamed.
“Says the cranky gunslinger who can’t use magic at all.”
“And never wants to.”
“Yeah, that too. My point is magic isn’t itself inherently bad. It’s been twisted by those who wish to control it. Whether the T-Helms are evil remains to be seen. We know what happens without them though. Magic is just a tool—Magic isn’t fallible, but humans and Kithrak are.”
“And golgarglenor.”
“Yes,” Nicole laughed, “the Golgolonar too. My point is a wrench is also just a tool—not evil or good. It can be used to help build things or, well, you can hit someone with it.”
“The world is filling up with people and aliens who still want to control magic,” Ellyne groused. “I thought I’d solved that problem by taking it away, but I apparently didn’t do a good enough job.”
“What if you can’t though? What if you can’t take away magic? What if magic is as natural as the air we breathe and you simply … I don’t know … concealed it?”
Ellyne scowled but she knew the girl might be right. She was trying not to feel anger toward everything and everyone, but Marik’s actions coupled with feeling helpless to enact any kind of meaningful change left her feeling empty.
She had to admit, however, that having a nice, rational conversation with Nicole was refreshing. The girl was usually so bubbly and vivacious, Ellyne had trouble getting a word in at all. She wondered what had happened to her during the two years Ellyne was absent. She thought about asking but, instead, munched on some more chips, unsure how to approach the subject. If Nicole wished to divulge that information, Ellyne knew she would—and probably wouldn’t shut up about it.
The two sat in silence for a spell, Ellyne crunching loudly and Nicole appearing lost in thought. Perhaps their conversation had given them each something to think about, or perhaps they were both processing the events that had transpired earlier. Ellyne figured she would be thinking about that for a long time to come.
“So,” Ellyne finally said, “you said I was … glowing?”
Nicole’s eyes instantly lit up and she shifted to face Ellyne on the couch. “Oh goodness, yes! I’ve never seen anything like it! It was like you were on fire, but you weren’t actually on fire, of course. At least, I don’t think you were.”
“How is that possible? What happened?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it. You know how you can sometimes see flocia—like, actual flocia?”
“I vaguely remember that, yes.”
“Well, I think you were harnessing so much power that I, too, was finally able to see it like you can. Ellyne, it was radiant and beautiful! I swear I could actually feel it! To produce effects like that … well, you might be the most powerful creature anywhere!”
“But … how? I didn’t try to channel it. In fact, I tried earlier, and it didn’t work. If it had, then I would’ve avoided being that high up in the first place.”
“I think you … you are flocia. You’re the source now! You didn’t actually take it away from us; you merely became the Teranyne, and you simply don’t know how to share.” Nicole pretended to pout but eventually laughed. “This is, I think, why magic is so unreliable—because you’re unreliable!”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Oh, sorry! I didn’t mean to—”
“Kidding. I’m kidding, Nicole.”
“Anyway, if you knew how to control the power within you, then mages could draw their power directly from you. You’d be like a mobile flocia power source!”
“That sounds … kind of creepy and a bit disgusting.”
“It’s wonderful!”
“No, it’s not!” Ellyne jumped from the couch, throwing the bag of chips to the floor. “You’re telling me I’m the source now. I’m the Teranyne—me! I’m having a difficult time understanding what’s wonderful about this. I don’t want to use flocia. I certainly don’t want to be flocia! This isn’t great. This is the exact opposite of great.”
The chips inside the bag crunched under her foot as Ellyne nervously moved about the room, unsure of where to go or even what to do. She punched the couch, unable to think of a solution. This wasn’t an enemy she could simply shoot.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” she continued. “Wait, no, I’ve got it!”
“Got what? Ellyne, you’re all over the place.”
“Says the girl who’s always all over the place,” Ellyne smirked. “No, I’ve got a solution. We go back to the Sistix and climb that damned hill and put flocia back where we found it! Surely, I can just return it to its home and it’ll be all happy and it’ll leave me alone.”
“I don’t know, Ellyne.”
Nicole nearly bounced off the couch from the force of Ellyne dropping back onto it. “Why not? It’s perfect! I took flocia from the source, right? I can put it back!”
“This is new territory, and something tells me it’s not going to work. Besides, we’d have to get back into the Sistix, which is a problem in and of itself.”
“We got in once before; we can do it again. It’ll be easy!”
Ellyne was certain this idea would work. It made complete sense to her, and her spirits lifted to a height they hadn’t reached in a long time. She could finally rid herself of this power she never wanted.
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“We’ll just pay Iksillix another visit and—”
“Ellyne, I don’t think he’s going to help us. In fact, I’d be surprised if he didn’t try to kill us instead.”
“Okay, okay. So, we’ll have to convince him.”
“I’m pretty sure he’ll never speak to you again. How on Seralune do you think you’ll convince him?”
Ellyne fluttered her eyelashes and grinned. “I can be charming.”
Nicole laughed but Ellyne got the sarcasm loud and clear. “Oh really?”
“Absolutely. I can turn on the charm and be persuasive. Trust me.”
“You dug out one of his eyeballs with a spoon last time, Ellyne. I don’t think he’s going to cooperate. No amount of charm is going to make him come around.”
“It ultimately worked, though, didn’t it? That was just one way I can be persuasive!”
Nicole sighed. It was her turn to get off the couch and pace nervously. “I don’t think you can just put flocia back, Ellyne. I already pondered this option, should the need arise.”
“You said this is new territory. It’s worth a shot, right?”
Ellyne felt hope fading. Nicole may not have been the utmost scholar on flocia and magic, but she had more intuition and natural talent than probably everyone on Seralune combined. She knew things nobody else could glean from books and Ellyne trusted her opinion over other people’s facts.
Nicole stared at the carpet, her hands fussing with her pantlegs. “I’m sorry, Ellyne. It’s really not worth a shot. I’m almost certain it won’t work. Flocia … flocia chose you. You don’t think just anyone could’ve simply waltzed into the Teranyne and absorbed it, do you? That would be certain death.”
“Then what?” Ellye shrieked. “What the hell am I supposed to do? I’m a walking bomb that could go off randomly. I have this power and I don’t know how to use it or what to do with it. And I sure as hell don’t even want it!”
“I’m sorry.”
“And you tell me I’m the source and mages can draw power from me so, what does that mean? Do I just hang around Seralune, providing them with power like a damned battery?”
“No,” Marik said, appearing out of nowhere.
“You damned coward!” Ellyne roared, lunging at the man, and wrapping her hands around his throat.
Marik gagged and sputtered, struggling to free himself from her grasp but all attempts failed as she pinned him against the wall, her rage fully in control. Whatever the man was trying to say came out only as grunts.
“Ellyne, no!” Nicole yelled, rushing to his aid, and trying to pry her hands free of his neck. “Let him go!”
“Why should I? He abandoned us. I told you, he’s only looking out for himself, and it was only a matter of time before he betrayed us.”
“Ellyne, if he betrayed us, then why did he come back?”
A moment passed when nobody moved. Ellyne stared at both Nicole and Marik, frozen by indecision, rage, and fear. She needed answers and nobody could give her any. But killing Marik would at least accomplish something.
Her hands around Marik’s throat felt wonderful, and she wasn’t going to let that go.
“Ellyne!” Nicole shouted, her voice seemingly muted—a mere backdrop to Ellyne’s overwhelming rage and frustration.
She persisted, resolute in Marik’s punishment. Her grip around his neck tightened and she clenched her jaw, growling, and channeling her rage through her fingertips.
Nicole continued pleading but Ellyne paid her no attention. The girl’s lips moved, and she continued trying to loosen Ellyne’s hands until something snapped.
Ellyne was thrust violently backward. She collided with the couch, tumbled over the back, and hit the wall, just inches from the window, staring up at the ceiling.
Without hesitation, she was on her feet and about to lunge at Marik who collapsed on the floor, but something stopped her. She couldn’t advance.
“Let me go, Nicole,” Ellyne spat, struggling against an intangible force produced by the girl’s outstretched palm.”
“No. You don’t want to kill him. That’s not like you.”
Ellyne pushed against the spell, taking a labored step forward. “How do you know what I want?”
“He didn’t betray us. He came back to help! He’s not our enemy, Ellyne!”
“I’d forgotten you’re powerful enough to affect me with magic, but things are different than before, aren’t they? And you can’t stop me now! You’ve seen what I can do.”
Ellyne felt the spell against her. She could almost taste it. It was powerful—far more powerful than any other spell she felt. She couldn’t fight Nicole’s magic—it was too strong—so she needed a different method to circumvent the girl’s power. Instead of struggling against it, she embraced the magic and let it soak into her—seeping into every pore.
And then she forced it back out.
Nicole slammed into the wall and slumped to the carpet, moaning.
“I told you, you can’t stop me. Nobody can! And I’ll do whatever the hell I want. If that means killing this piece of shit traitor, then so be it.”
“Ellyne, don’t do this.” Nicole pleaded meekly. She tried to move but slumped back against the wall.
Ellyne looked at Marik who still breathed but lay motionless, also slumped against the wall. She wasn’t sure how long she stood, staring at them, growling and balling her fists. Her anger urged her to act—to kill the man once and for all. He deserved nothing less.
They didn’t understand. Nobody did. How could they? She was on her own again, fighting alone with undisputed, incomprehensible power but without control. It was power she didn’t ask for and was now burdened with, crushed under its immense weight. She was the source and everyone relied on her for their magic.
And she wanted nobody to have it.
What good were her friends who stood in her way? They had no solutions yet they diminished her potential. If she couldn’t be rid of flocia then she would embrace it. She would set everything right, no matter what the consequences. The world would burn if it was necessary.
Whatever it took.
She suddenly snapped to as her thumb slowly pulled back her revolver’s hammer, her gun pointed squarely at Nicole.
Then she pulled the trigger.