Chapter 18

Upon learning of Evelyn’s discharge from the infirmary, and subsequently the dragon's release, Benjamin tried to visit his sister in the nursery, sneaking away from his escort, who, to his relief, was not Heba.

Someone new stopped him, though. As the other two in their group left, gossiping about laziness and being unfit, she told him Evelyn and her dragon were resting while they went to train. One of them looked familiar, though their identity slipped his mind.

Waiting until she was out of sight, he snuck into the nursery. There he saw Evelyn sitting on a pile of hay, sleeping soundly with the yellow creature laying its head on her lap, also in a deep slumber. As much as he wanted to remove the creature from her and carry her to the bed, he couldn’t bring himself to do so. She looked relaxed; she looked at peace. It almost made him reconsider his plan to separate the two.

There was also the dragon’s size to consider. It was nearly the size of Heba’s pet. Benjamin had no chance to defend himself or Evelyn if the dragon became agitated and territorial. Not only that, he was still unarmed. Even if he were, the gun would not do anything against the dragon.

Electing to come back in the morning, Benjamin decided to look for his gun. Despite its ineffectiveness against dragons and ichneumon, some protection was better than none.

Evading detection from the training soldiers by weaving through crowds along with the turns in their formations, he returned to the arena he and Heba sparred. That was the last place he knew he had the gun, so it should’ve been there. With any luck, it was still in the corner where no one would notice it.

He slowly opened the door and scanned the room. It was barren. Even the ropes were gone, leaving bare posts. It was apparent someone had thoroughly cleaned the room as every inch of the floor and walls was spotless. If his gun did fall out in here, it was long gone.

Muttering a curse, he left.

With nothing left to do, he returned to his barracks, sneaking past the guard posted in his hall.

He was glad it was not Heba. As much as he hated her, he admitted she was clever and dedicated. Sneaking past her and her beast was improbable. This guard, however, did not seem to have the same drive or devotion. They were snoring when Benjamin initially snuck out and hadn’t moved since. Benjamin imagined the world of trouble the soldier would be in if Fukayna or another commanding officer saw them.

Benjamin closed his door carefully, making sure not to wake them.

Releasing a pent up sigh, he removed his vest and stretched his extremities. It was late afternoon, but he decided to ice his ribs and prepare for bed.

He was cleared by the doctor to return to training, but Fukayna delayed it at Majadon’s request. Allegedly she thought he still looked discomforted by it. She was right, but it irked him how easily she could see through him.

As he sat upon the bed, reaching down to remove his shoes, he heard a piece of paper crumble under his rear. Someone was in my room?! He pulled it out from under him and furiously read the note left for him.

I know what you’re looking for, I have it.

Meet at the cave mouth at midnight.

If you don’t, you will know Fukayna’s wrath.

In anger, he crumbled the note and tossed it at the wall. Someone did find the gun he stole and using it as blackmail.

Majadon would not do this, she was too strict. He’d already be imprisoned if the commander found it. Yahmi was an unlikely candidate as well.

There was only one person who would pull this stunt. Benjamin’s blood began to boil.

Just before midnight, Benjamin stealthily made his way to the cave mouth. The dim light from the street lamps only covered the center of the base, so the edges were coated in darkness. Thankfully, the eerie quiet of the base allowed him to hear the subtle sound of waves.

He followed the sound until the light of the moon tinted his surroundings a gray-blue. The cavern seemed even larger without a ginormous creature in it. Slowly walking forward, he took a moment to marvel at the natural wonder, untouched by humans or the filthy claws of ichneumon. At the very least, they had the decency to not morph this into whatever garbage they desired.

The sound of gravel sliding across the ground caught his attention. Refocusing, he looked around the cave. Luckily, he did not have to look too hard.

Between him and the entrance to the base, Heba emerged from the shadows like a leopard stalking its prey. Behind her slithered her beast.

Half of her face was covered in shadows, the other half glittering in the moonlight. Her long, dark hair glimmered against the reflective waves of the ocean. Her sleek figure contrasted the rigid stones and stalactites. For a brief moment, Benjamin forgot his hatred, forgot his mission, forgot everything. All he could do was admire her.

As quickly as his admiration came, it vanished when she called out to him. Focus, Benjamin. Focus.

“You being here means I was right, you traitorous Aonufaya.” Heba crossed her arms and struck a pompous pose of vindication. Her beast stood next to her, a warped scowl on its face. It bothered Benjamin that these creatures, along with dragons, could express emotions like that. It was unnatural.

His heart thumped hard against his ribs, but he maintained his composure and kept eye contact, determined to show no sign of fear. “You haven’t proven anything. This piqued my curiosity.” He pulled the crumpled note from his pocket and threw it. The ball landed a few feet in front of her, but she paid no mind to it.

“It would not take much to convince General Fukayna. She is already wary of you, as she should be. This alone should be enough.”

Only when Heba grabbed it did Benjamin realize her beast carried a cloth bag in its mouth. Heba unfolded it and revealed the gun.

Benjamin’s chest felt tight. A bead of sweat rolled down his face. It took every ounce of will to keep his face stoic. There was no way she would goad him to lash out again.

It would be her word against his, and there was little he could say to Fukayna to make her believe him over Heba, especially when Heba was telling the truth. It churned his gut knowing he was at Heba’s mercy. He had no choice but to play along. “Where’d you find that?”

“Xire has an astute nose. The scent of sulfur on your vest was prominent. While we fought, he snuck around and grabbed it. Don’t you worry your tiny Aonachan mind, he is masterful at stealth, so not even Commander Majadon noticed.” The beast lifted its head and the spikes on its back vibrated.

“So why not just turn me in?”

“We were tempted, but decided to wait. We could deal with your sister if something happened to you; I’m sure Fukayna would figure something out. But for now…” She paused for a moment, her expression briefly softening. “Tell me your true purpose. I want to hear it directly from you. And do not lie, I will know.”

Benjamin looked at his feet, sinking deep into thought.

Completely lying was pointless now, that much he knew. How much of the truth should he give was the question. Heba was much more clever than he thought, so he had little faith in hiding much from her anymore. With a deep breath, he formulated his thoughts.

“I am not lying when I say my primary goal is to protect Evelyn at all costs. Obviously I can’t do that empty handed. I don’t think she is safe here. So I will admit, I want to separate her from that dragon and this resistance. How I am going to do that… Well, I’m still figuring that part out. Are you satisfied?”

The Faiyan looked him up and down, narrowed her eyes and tossed the gun. Benjamin watched it tumble and slide to his feet, then returned his gaze to Heba, raising an eyebrow.

“Pick it up and fight me properly.”

Benjamin narrowed his eyes and kept his gaze locked on her as he slowly knelt down and grabbed the gun, not that he was following her orders or anything. Despite his suspicion, she did not make a move. As he rose to his feet, he inspected the gun.

Judging by the weight, it was not loaded. Internally, he mocked her inability to tell. Fortunately, he still had the clips he took. It did not seem the gun was tampered with, so he loaded the magazine with the first clip of bullets and chambered the first round.

“So your plan is for me to fall for this ruse and have the entire base descend on me when I shoot you?”

Heba muttered something to her beast and without missing a beat, it stamped its paw on the ground. There was a rumble under Benjamin’s feet as a massive stone wall rose in the tunnel, blocking their return to the base.

“And don’t think any Aonachan vessels will come to your rescue. Nothing comes anywhere near this part of shore at night unless they have a death wish.” Benjamin remembered rocks judging from the waves just beyond the cavemouth. He did not blame the sailors for avoiding this area.

“Good.” When Benjamin pointed the gun at Heba, she did not move, and neither did her beast. It didn’t even snarl like when he took a step out of line during escorts. The only thing either did was Heba slowly unsheathed her curved blade. “Just making this easy for me, huh?”

With a smirk, he aimed the gun at her chest; center of mass, just as he was trained to do. He relaxed into his shooting stance and lightly caressed the trigger, waiting for her to finally dive for cover, but she didn’t. This fight was going to be easy… too easy.

His grip tightened and he placed his second hand on the butt of the grip and tightened his stance. Something felt wrong.

He thought of what the beast would do once its owner died, and there was little he could do, but perhaps it would die when Heba did. That or be too grief stricken to react. It couldn’t have been anything related to the beast itself. Why she was standing there as if she had a death wish, Benjamin couldn’t tell.

Something’s not right… She is way too relaxed. What are you playing at?

He shifted his aim and fired. The bullet struck the stone floor a few inches from her foot. Neither her or the beast moved.

Furrowing his brow, he returned his aim to her chest. When she still did not move, he fired.

Expecting to see her body crumple to the ground, Benjamin’s eyes widened as a stalagmite erected from the ground. With a puff of dust, the bullet struck the rock and created a cloud of dust obscuring Benjamin’s vision of Heba.

His gaze drifted to the beast for information. It stood there as if it were a statue. It stared at him with cold, intense eyes instead of grieving for its slain owner.

His body tensed as his eyes swept the cave. “And you call me a coward? Why don’t you come out of hiding and—” Benjamin caught the ichneumon subtly shifting its eyes to its right.

It was just enough notice for Benjamin to crouch and avoid Heba’s sword. He leapt sideways to avoid a followup attack, skidding to a halt on his toes.

His attempt to lift the gun was thwarted by a barrage of attacks, putting him on the defensive. Trying to attack her in the ring was one thing; she was astounding defensively, never allowing him to put a finger on her. With her using her sword, it changed things.

She moved across the cave like a gazelle, gracefully leaping from point to point, closing the space between them quickly. She did not even make a sound as she attacked, the only noises coming from his own clunky strides backward. Her sword was a blur of silver slashing away at Benjamin.

Each dive, duck and dodge wore him down. It was a miracle he was not struck yet. There were close calls, but nothing landed. He started to wonder if she was toying with him. What worried him more was the sound of water crashing into stone getting louder, telling him he was running out of space.

He tried studying her moves as much as he could while avoiding any contact, but he could not find an opening to shoot. His eyes darted side to side and then he realized: the ground pushed upward against her feet. Is she—

His thought was cut off by crunching pain shooting through his leg. With a twirl, Heba slammed her heel into his thigh while he was mid stride, sending him tumbling a few yards back. He came to a rest against a large boulder and regained his bearings to just see Heba bearing down on him with the face of a triumphant predator who’s cornered their prey.

She leapt in the air, intending to use her full weight to put her heel through his face. It was the opening Benjamin was waiting for.

She stalled in the air just long enough for Benjamin to swing his arm up and take aim. As he squeezed the trigger, a boulder shot from the ground and struck the soul of her foot, pushing her just out of the bullet's path.

Heba clumsily landed a few feet from Benjamin. Using this opportunity, he rose to one knee and fired multiple shots. Each one was true in its aim, but the Faiyan stumbled backwards and conjured a wall of stalagmites to protect herself.

The misses frustrated him, but he took advantage of the distance between them to regain his breath and gain his bearings, using the boulder as cover.

The new formation kept Heba out of sight, but it was out in the open, so she could not sneak around him again.

Risking a glance, he pulled the slide of his pistol back to check his remaining ammunition. “If my count is right, you have one shot left,” the Faiyan girl taunted. She was right; Benjamin had fired eleven of the twelve rounds in the magazine.

What she didn’t realize was she had given him confirmation that she didn’t know he had the second clip. With a slight of hand, he quietly slid a bullet into the chamber. This could cause a jam, but the advantage was worth the risk.

In his peripheral vision, he saw her beast now standing. To Benjamin’s surprise, its shoulders lifted with every breath and its mouth hung open.

It was getting tired.

She must be using its magical energy. Combine making the wall to everything she’s been using, that thing must be exhausted. If I can take it out…

A bullet may not penetrate the beast, but it was affected by the hit. Perhaps enough force or weight could crush it. His eyes drifted to the ceiling and an idea came to him.

Clicking the slide in place, he slid to his right and saw Heba through a tiny gap in the stone. With the bang of a shot, his plan went into motion.

Heba noticed him and another stalagmite rose and blocked the shot. She leapt onto the spike and gracefully pointed her sword at him.

“Do you yield?”

“To you? I’d rather die,” Benjamin spat.

“As you wish.”

Bounding from one peak to another, Heba closed the distance on Benjamin quickly, using her beast’s powers to accelerate herself. As Benjamin predicted, the beast struggled. Now crouched, its tongue hung out of its as it panted.

When Heba was just one leap away from Benjamin, he aimed his gun at her. After a brief moment of hesitation, Heba prepared to lunge. As she did, Benjamin turned his gun to the ceiling and fired. The bang made her flinch as a stalactite shielded her from potential harm. As she gained her airings, she turned to see what Benjamin —who had a wryly grin— shot.

Cracks protruded from the bullet hole he made in the stalactite. They grew larger, spreading along the spikes base until the structure failed and it twirled toward the crouched beast.

“Xire!” Heba screamed.

The beast looked up and croaked a gasp. It tried to dodge, but its knees buckled, and it collapsed.

Heba bounded from spike to spike with break neck speed toward her beast, likely draining its magical reserves. Her speed and leg strength was impressive, but she would not make it in time. Simultaneously with the large rock crashing down, Heba placed her hand on the ground in desperation.

An explosion of rock and dust obscured the scene. Wether he killed the creature or not, Benjamin knew not, but Heba stumbled into the cloud crying out the beasts name.

Benjamin scrambled between some rocks and sat behind one judding out just enough to conceal him from view. His lungs labored to draw air in. His heart pounded and his legs felt as if they would melt into the ground. Reaching into his vest, he pulled out the second clip. To his dismay, there were only a few bullets on it. The rest must have been jarred loose in the fight. With a silent curse, he released the magazine and refilled it with the remaining bullets

Once it was filled and he clicked it back into place, he peaked around his cover. Most of the dust had settled, which allowed Benjamin to see Heba knelt next to her beast, tending to whatever wounds it had.

It was apparent to Benjamin that Heba had used magic to provide it some cover, but a pile of rubble laid on its leg told him the attack still landed. Unfortunately, he could see its chest rise and fall. It was slow and labored, but it was breathing.

Muffled by the distance along with the disorienting echo, Heba’s voice trembled as she muttered in Faiyan. When she paused as if allowing it to talk back, Benjamin rolled his eyes.

Why does everyone think they can talk to animals?

Heba caressed its head before standing. Contrary to her confidently relaxed stance, she was now rigid. She quickly turned with a brutality unbecoming of her, knuckles were white as she gripped her sword.

“Show yourself, coward!” She yelled angrily. There was a growl in her voice, like a wolf intimidating a rival.

Benjamin stayed hidden, leaning out just enough to keep one eye on her. “Your blood will soak the earth to satisfy Ichardi, and even that will not be enough to atone for what you’ve done.”

With the combination of settling debris and the echo of the cavern, he was confident his location remained masked as he taunted her. “Did I strike a nerve? It was your recklessness that left that opening.” She began walking around, threatening him more in her native tongue. Or she could’ve been reciting a barbaric Faiyan ritual for all he knew.

In an attempt to settle his rapidly beating heart, he controlled his breathing with a short meditation. He closed his eyes and went to the peaceful space in his mind.

From his chair on the porch, he saw a fenced in field that stretched as far as the eye could see, the grass rippling with the wind. Twenty yards away, he watched his sister toss a frisbee to their childhood dog, Suzie. His parents next to him on a floating bench, rocking back and forth.

They were happy.

They were at peace.

With his calmed nerves, he opened his eyes. Above him was a cluster of crystals on the wall. Light from the moon bounced off the water and onto the reflective surface. Among that light, he could make out the figure of Heba, slowly walking around with the tip of her sword inches from the ground.

He watched intently, trying to find a good opening to attack. That is when he realized, if I can see her reflection, then… As if he thought it aloud, their eyes locked in the reflection.

In an instant, her reflection disappeared. With a grunt, Benjamin forced himself up and fired two shots in her direction. No stone protruded to block them, but in his haste, his aim was subpar. One shot skipped off the ground to her right, the other grazed her arm Despite the hit, she did not break stride.

Before he could fire the third shot, she was upon him. Crying out, she swung her sword upward. As he took a step back, the point of the blade swung inches away from his face. When he landed, she used her momentum to spin on her pivot foot and slice at him horizontally.

Benjamin ducked in time to keep his head, however, the blade reopened the cut above his eye.

Blood quickly poured from the wound, covering that eye. Grimacing at the pain, he lifted his gun, but her sword came down and struck the barrel of the gun, sending his shot astray. In the same motion, she twirled and put her foot through his chest, sending him tumbling back.

The air in his lungs escaped as he slammed into the stone. Pain returned to his ribs and his body tensed.

That pain was amplified as Heba pinned him to the stone, pressing the blade against his throat, drawing a thin line of blood where it made contact. But she stopped short of slitting his throat as the barrel of Benjamin’s gun pressed against her chest.

With her tangled, disheveled hair creating a tunnel between their faces, their gazes matched. The calm, calculating look in her eyes was gone, replaced by eyes that were bloodshot and rabid. At first, he thought she had gone mad, but looking closer, tears streamed down her cheeks.

He felt a brief pang of guilt for causing such anguish, but the sting of her blade digging into his skin overrode such a fleeting feeling.

Despite being inches from oblivion, he scoffed. “Go ahead, do it. You’ll be dead before you get the satisfaction of watching me die.” He slowly moved the gun up to the bottom of her chin.

They laid in their standoff for what felt like an eternity, both waiting for the other to strike.

Then a familiar, booming voice shattered the tension. “That’s enough.”