Jarah could hardly breathe. Her largest feeling was one of shock: Her vision swam and she found it hard to keep upright. Not only because the exhaustion she'd pushed through had returned, but because she couldn't seem to make herself steady. Slumping to one side, she stared at Lillah--Kimhan? No, she was Lillah--and let the tears slide down her cheeks.
"You're back. You're back. How did you…" Before any of the thousand questions could be answered, she felt something hard press against the nape of her neck. "I am sorry for your loss, Jarah," said Honu. "But I can't let you be with your girl." Jarah knew she couldn't move; if she did, Honu would blow a hole through her neck larger than a stone. She swallowed, the tears still fresh. "Why can't you let her be?" "She's the key. I originally thought it was the legend, but when it showed the Blade, I knew there were more pieces. After all, the map showed Kimhan as one of the things I needed." In a flash, Jarah remembered how little Kimhan had wanted the map to work. At first she thought it was because she really was afraid of the Blade. But it also must have shown Honu that Kimhan was important, too. "It's a sorry thing, I know, but it's necessary," said Honu, stepping around and taking the Blade out of Jarah's unresisting fingers. "But we have to stop the madness that reincarnation brings. People never stop to savor their lives, always assuming that they'll be able to make a better life than this one if they could just reincarnate." "People don't throw their lives away, Honu," said Jarah, her heart hammering so hard she almost couldn't hear her own voice. "You're wrong." "No, sadly, I'm not. By getting rid of this madness of Invoking gods and goddesses, of living our one lives and then moving out of the way, we will be restoring order to the way things ought to be. The gods should be in control, not us." Jarah glared at Honu, whose face was a rapture of zeal as she contemplated a hopeless future. How could people be expected to live if they had no hope for more? The smallest child, forced to be an Athakar and retrieve deadly toxins, often died before reaching more than ten or twelve years. Was that to be their entire fate, their whole existence? Fury began to build inside of her at the thought. "She has to go. If Kimhan dies by this--" and Honu raised the still-sheathed Blade "--it will finish the fracture that you began all those years ago. It will close off the return path from the AfterWorld to here; we will at last begin to usher people into a lasting, permanent peace." "No," said Jarah, her hands tightening as she summoned the final dregs of resolve. "It won't happen." "I'm sorry, Jarah," said Honu, shifting the gunbow to her shoulder. "It has to. This madness has gone on long enough." "On that we can agree," said Jarah, and she drove the needle into her leg. She had palmed the vial when scurrying on the ground, thinking to use it against Tenhaim. Now, however, she felt this was the better time to use it. Instantly, the exhaustion fled and rivers of energy began to course through her. With a leap she was off her knees and had already knocked the Blade free of Honu's unexpecting hands by the time the zealot had enough sense to throw a punch and block an attack. The two women didn't pause after that, exchanging blows and kicks with expert alacrity. Honu's training and Jarah's Infused strength were evenly matched, however, and neither woman was able to gain an upper hand. At last, Honu caught a hanging fist and spun Jarah around. She landed flat on her back, the air rushing from her lungs. As she hit the ground, the last of her ichor vials rolled free, bouncing its way free of the fight. Jarah saw stars and she couldn't find the air she needed. Honu dropped down on top of her, the vest she'd been wearing torn from the fight. "I'm done with you," she snarled, eyes alight with a frenzied fury. Fingers scrabbled over Jarah's throat, tearing shallow slices from her cheeks as Jarah desperately tried to fend off the zealot. Then a booted foot cracked against the side of Honu's face, sending her sprawling, semi-conscious, on the dirty cavern floor. "And to think," said Rihn through gritted teeth, "I used to think you were cute." Jarah blinked as she stared at the former fighter. "You…you thought she was attractive?" He gave an embarrassed shrug. "Well, yeah." "Huh." Rolling onto her elbows and knees, Jarah drew some deep breaths. Honu wasn't dead--despite the well-laced kick, Jarah could see Honu's chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm--but she wasn't likely to come at them in the next bit. She could actually catch her breath. "What took you so long?" "I…think Tenhaim broke some ribs," said Rihn, wincing as he spoke. "I'm sorry it took as long as it did. You seemed to be holding out pretty well, you know…" A scuffle and a yelp drew their attention to Lillah, who was still beside the pool. A furious and vindictive looking Tenhaim stood behind her, the Blade held against the girl's neck, breathing heavily. "Enough." And with that, he drew the Blade against Lillah's neck.
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