Ellyne opened her eyes, staring up at rays of sunshine filtering through a canopy of leaves. The familiar, babbling sound of water filled her ears and she sat up, gazing at the familiar sight of the fort she’d built here as a child.
“So,” she muttered, “is this what happens when you die? You get sent back to your childhood hideout for eternity?” She stood and dusted herself off, gazing at the serene beauty of the forest with which she was intimately familiar. “I guess I can live with that. Or, well, not live with that.”
Overhead, a blue wriggler squawked.
“Except for that, of course. I hate that damned bird.”
She reached for her gun, hoping to catch a glimpse of the noisemaker, and possibly put a bullet in it, but her hip was bare. Even the holster was missing.
“I guess, then, no weapons in the afterlife? So, I’m obviously in the bad place—cursed to listen to that little shit weasel for eternity? Brilliant.”
At least Seralune was free. She was free. Though she still harbored hatred for both the Kithrak and the Golgolonar, she was at peace with her sacrifice.
She walked to the stream to get a drink, relishing the cool, refreshing water. She stared at her reflection in a still pool of water and almost saw herself in a younger version—the girl who routinely retreated to the forest to play, make believe and live out various adventures. Such a thing was appealing back then but now, not so much. Adventures were overrated.
The bird screamed again.
“Shut up already,” Ellyne shouted, throwing a rock into the air. She heard it sail through several branches and land somewhere in the distance. Undeterred, the bird yelled in reply.
“Maybe that damned bird’s stuck in the bad place and we’re here to torment each other for all time.”
She sat next to the creek, listening to the water flow, and wondering what to do next. If this truly was the afterlife, it was going to be long, boring, and annoying. She’d never been one to believe in any kind of higher power but then, wasn’t that sort of what flocia was? Or maybe magic was simply technology nobody really understood yet.
She heard the flitting of the blue wriggler’s wings as it landed next to her. If she wanted to end its life, this was the perfect chance. It was within arm’s reach, yet it didn’t flee.
“That’s odd behavior for a bird,” she mused. “I could reach out and snap your neck at any time, and I think you know that but here you are, sitting next to me, fearless.”
The bird looked up at her as she stared at it. The animal was beautiful with plumage that ran through many shades of blue. She’d never seen one this close. For as annoying as its squawks were, it was a lovely sight.
She slowly reached out and gently stroked it. To her surprise, it remained steadfast and unafraid. Even more surprising was the fact that it didn’t yell at her. “I may have found a way to finally get you to shut up,” she laughed. “Is this what ‘kill them with kindness’ means?”
That was when it opened its mouth but, instead of its shrill cry, it uttered one familiar word.
“Unity.”
Acrid smoke filled Ellyne’s lungs as she gasped for air. She choked and coughed, opening her eyes but closing them immediately as dust and dirt dropped on her. At first, she could hear nothing, but that nothing eventually became muffled sounds—shrieks and screams, explosions and screeching metal.
She couldn’t move. She was pinned under something and, though she tried to squirm, it only seemed to shift whatever was on top of her and make things worse.
“Well, this is fun. I guess no afterlife for me. But how am I even alive? I should have died. I wanted to die. Maybe I still will.”
“So, what then?” she shouted, spitting out dirt and chunks of stone, “I’m destined to die here, buried under whatever this shit is? Can I go back to the forest instead?”
She tried connecting with flocia, hoping to blast her way out of whatever was on top of her, but it was difficult to concentrate and impossible to breathe. It appeared she wouldn’t have to worry about being buried alive for long.
She felt the end coming with the insatiable desire to gasp for air that simply wasn’t there as she began to slip into unconsciousness.
“At least I took them with me. I took them all with me, the bastards. I’ll take everyone down if I make it out of here. Whoever’s left—if there is anyone left. I’ll come for them all.”
“I think she’s under here!” a muffled voice shouted. “Hang on, this shouldn’t be a problem.”
Ellyne felt the weight on top of her disappear as the sun tried to penetrate her eyelids. She coughed and gasped for breath, suddenly able to move as she wiped dust from her face and sat up.
Nicole was the first thing she saw which brought glee to her heart. The girl knelt in front of Ellyne, staring at her intently. For the first time in a while, Ellyne felt joy and was happy to be alive.
“Nicole! It’s you!”
“How could you?” the girl asked, sadness painted on her face. “You’re a monster!”
Nicole’s spell was powerful. Ellyne felt her body try to absorb the incoming magic, but it overwhelmed her, and she had only a split second to think about it before she lost consciousness.