Xander vol.1 Transmutation (23 page)

Loni leaned towards the
spill to get a better whiff of it, sniffing about as she would a
feline. And almost immediately as she did, she flinched away from
it in appall. Her eyes widened in horror as the backside of her
hand rose to cover her nose and mouth. Her eyes darted around the
room with new and horrific understanding.

“
No …” she breathed,
reaching for her communicator.

Back at the Hive, Xander’s
began to ring. The group turned to look at him as he answered
it.

“
Loni?” Xander asked,
wondering why she was taking the time to contact him in the mists
of the mission instead of getting back to Whitestone and
Theodore.

“
Xander,” Loni urged with
a shaky voice. “We have to stop him. We – We no longer have a
choice. The option to fail.”

“
What are you talking
about? Where are you? Did you find the serum?”

“
This changes everything.
We have to stop him. We can’t – If this gets off this planet
–“

Loni’s voice shook in
desperation, jarring the normally easy-going Xander. He glanced up
at the approaching Elba with a furrowed brow as he listened to his
guardian speak.

“
Loni. Explain. What are
you talking about?”

“
Xander, he’s … It’s
Saphora. This man is using an Ekechi’s blood to make this
serum.”

Xander’s scrunched face
paled as it fell in blunt realization, his eyes slowly shifting
from the communicator’s screen to Nora and Eleanor. Looking at them
with a new set of eyes – and a new underlining of fear. Elba
stepped closer, his expression clearly showing distress.

“
What
did she just say?” he demanded.

But before he could get an
answer, the sound of a gunshot, having come from the projected
screen, drew their attention. The camera, momentarily blocked,
began to show a recognizable body – that had been blocking it.
Whitestone grunted as she pushed Stephanie’s still body from atop
hers, coughing as she rolled to the side. Her free hand reached up
to rub her neck where Stephanie’s hands had been, scowling as she
looked at the gradually aging woman.

“
Sorry, Nora,” she
wheezed.

“
Stephanie,” Richard
growled, arms still locked with Theodore’s as Stephanie’s body
immediately began to deteriorate, revealing its true
age.

Her skin blotted and
wrinkled, her hair thinned and greyed, and her weight and posture
fell significantly as she bled out in a whispering silence.
Whitestone got to her feet, holstering her gun as she looked on
warily at Richard and his worsening temper. He glared in her
direction, jerking Theodore from him in a rough shove. Whitestone
took an instinctive step back, ready to pull her gun back
out.

“
Loni,” she called in
question, feeling that they’d overstayed their welcome, and also
wondering where the lioness had gone.

Richard glanced at them
both, now feeling increasingly outnumbered. He scowled, thrusting
one of his metal tentacles against the tiled floor with enough
momentum to start a spark. The spark leapt onto the gasoline,
igniting it on contact and unleashing its flames. Theodore scurried
away from the flames, while Whitestone rushed to her right,
allowing Richard to dart past her towards the exit. She turned back
around as Theodore got to his feet, backing up near her.

“
Loni!” she screamed
again.

“
Loni, the fire. Get out
of there!” Xander ordered into the communicator.

Loni looked behind her,
listening to the approaching flames. She looked around swiftly,
looking for some way to collect the liquid. It was then she saw a
standing case of open shelves, home to two small dented cases, and
one open and damaged one, reveal remnants of the pink serum. She
grabbed one of the dented cases, stuffing it in her pouch as the
fire began crawling into the room. Shutting her communicator and
doing the same, she made a mad dash on all fours out of the room,
and back towards the group.

“
She’s going. They’ll make
it,” Xander assured when the communicator’s screen went
black.

“
The serum?” Nora
asked.

“
She grabbed something.
Most likely.”

“
What did she say about
the serum?” Elba asked again, staring Xander down. Xander looked up
at him at a loss of what to say. He knew he had heard what Loni
said, but the gravitation that the situation now provided. He had
no idea how to proceed, or how to even combat something like this.
Elba frowned, seeing the look of despair on Xander’s
face.

“
I’m going to ask you
again. Where is Saphora?”

Thank you so much for
reading!

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Saphora vol.3 Redemption is
the next in the timeline, followed by Xander vol.2
Revolution.

And now, a sneak peak to
Saphora vol.3!

Saphora vs Nessa

Saphora's body flinched
every few moments at the sound of weapons clashing and various
parts of the castle being under attack. The sound of men and women
screaming. Guardians colliding with one another with snarls,
growls, and roars of anger. The sound of pain -- death. Saphora's
eyes bounced around the walls of the throne room, her chest rising
and falling with anxiety. With distinguished fear. And finally, her
face a canvas of despair, Saphora turned around to face her mother,
who was sitting still on her throne -- eyes fixed forward, full of
what looked like sorrow.

"Mom," Saphora practically
wept. "What do we do?"

Vida held her expression,
not meeting her daughter's pained eyes.

"What we are doing
now."

Saphora's chest heaved in
disbelief and refusal.

"We can't just sit here!
Will we not help them?"

"I do not have the
strength …" Vida solemnly admitted.

"And me? All that training
for me to idly stand?"

"Mere weeks of what should
have been years."

"Listen to them!" Saphora
begged.

She was growing beside
herself, shocking both her and Vida. She would have thought she
would be happiest tucked away during the hours of war. But standing
in the lavishly decorated surroundings of the throne room while
listening to her friends and family fight and be killed was tearing
her apart. Even if it were solely to die, she wanted -- she needed
to get to the battlefield. She needed to contribute. She cringed as
her mother's eyes met hers.

"
Listen to them
," she begged. "We
have to help them."

Vida frowned, but said
nothing in response. What could she do? She had no doubt that
either of them would be the target of many once leaving the safety
of the castle. And while she'd be able to defend against a handful,
she could not against the masses of Ares' army. And for that
reason, she had chosen to stay hidden. For if her people were to
see her fall, all hope would be lost to Ares.

And as for Saphora … if
Vida were to see her fall, all her hope would be lost. Keeping her
in the throne room with her was selfish attempt to keep her alive.
After moments of silence, Saphora turned from her. Vida winced,
calling out to her forgiveness.

"Saphora?"

Saphora began her
quickstep to the throne room's large double doors. Vida's eyes
narrowed as she went.

"Saphora, stop
this."

"I can't just stand here.
I have to do something -- anything," she insisted, reaching the
doors.

But when she pulled on
them, they did not move. They were not locked mechanically, but
rather magically. Saphora paused, staring at the doors in question
before roughly tugging on them again.

"Saphora," Vida warned,
having been the one to enchant them.

"Open them," Saphora
demanded, continuously pulling on them with growing determination.
"Open them!"

"I need you to understand
what is happening here," Vida beckoned, beginning to stand. "Come
here."

"Open them!" Saphora
continued to demand.

She groaned after failing
to pry them open and pushed back from them. Her eyes were dark and
tearing as she stared at the thing stopping her from helping her
friends. The echoes of the screaming people and clashing fire rang
in her ears -- drowning out her mother as her chest heaved. She
wouldn't stand by for more death. Slowly, her hands rose and aimed
towards the doors. Vida's eyes widened as she watched in
realization.

"Saphora!"

With a thrust of her hands
to her sides, the doors cracked open. Vida winced, stumbling back
into her throne as the enchantment was violently broken. The left
door smacked against the inner all of the room, while the other was
torn in half, the pieces sliding along the floor -- splinters
flying.

Vida's arm rose to protect
her face. When it lowered, she was burdened with the sight of
Saphora running down the empty hall. Her hand reached out to her,
her face pained as she pushed off the throne and haphazardly rushed
down its steps.

"No!" Vida winced, rushing
forward. But a voice all too familiar stopped her from going any
further.

"Let the girl go, Vida,"
Ares encouraged with a taunting voice as she came to stand in
another -- less noticeable -- doorway in the side of the room. Vida
stood still as Ares walked further into the side of the room. Head
high, smirk present. "Don't you want her to meet the rest of her
relatives?" Slowly, Vida turned to face her sister. Eyes both grave
and wary. Ares smiled, almost giggling. "Or must we all be
secrets?"

********

Turning hall after hall,
Saphora finally reached a stretch of hallway with multiple bare
windows. She skid to a stop in front of one of them, giving a quick
glance behind her for her mother or any guards before turning
towards the window. Her intention was to jump and fly down to the
battlefield. But upon seeing it, Saphora was stopped in her
tracks.

She stood frozen, the
breeze of war blowing her hair to her left. And there it was -- the
image everyone had been telling her about for some time finally in
front of her. Everyone was fighting. She saw every man, woman and
guardian fighting without so much as a momentary hesitation. Hydra
and Enya, Dakota and Hades, Avani and Ardea. Saphora heard her
heart in her ears as it thudded against her chest. Her breathing,
in comparison, was short and strained, though panting.

Her ruby eyes darted about
the scene, her hands constantly gripping and releasing the stone
windows, her body hesitating to carry out its initial plans. When
suddenly there was a tremor in the castle's walls, making Saphora
flinch and adjust her attention.

********

"I've kept a secret for
quite some time now," Ares said, venom in her tone as she snaked
closer to Vida, who stood still. A smile slithered across Ares'
lips. "You're not the only one with a secret weapon
anymore."

Vida's brows furrowed at
the information, momentarily confused before her eyes went wide in
dismay and sheer horror.

"Ares," she breathed,
shaking her head. "You didn't."

"Oh, but I
did."

********

Saphora took several steps
back as she peered into a mirror image of her ruby eyes. She felt
strange -- her body tense -- as her eyes stared at her from a girl
far younger than she. And somehow she knew who she was looking at
-- what was stepping off the enlarged black widow. And it terrified
her.

And Nessa knew what she
was looking at -- who was standing but a few yards away. And as she
planted her feet down on the floor, facing her, she knew that the
moment her mother had been sculpting her her entire life for was
finally here.

Hydra vs Enya

Landing in a pillow of
flaming dust, Enya touched down on two legs, smirking at the sound
of the innocent creatures that went scurrying away. She spread her
finger tips, her hair igniting and sending flames traveling down
her arms into her hands to fling fire forward onto the ground,
aimed at the creature’s feet. She’d dropped Hades off for his
battle with Dakota, and had gone off to do her own thing. Not
knowing that that thing would involve Hydra.

The sound of a landing
mass evoked Enya to turn around, her brow raising in curiosity as
Hydra landed a short distance away, shrinking back down to a woman,
a wave crawling from her feet to sooth the fires that had spread
around them. The smirk Enya held flashed into a smile as she turned
complete to face her opponent.

“
I was hoping you’d be
here.”

“
Likewise,” replied Hydra,
stepping forward.

Enya raised her arms,
almost giving a shrug as she matched Hydra’s steps, gradually
closing the distance between them until they stood a mere yard away
from one another. The tension between them could be cut with a
knife. Hydra wanting noting more than to exact vengeance for
Artemis, and Enya wanting Hydra to give her her all, and shoot it
down and prove her power. Enya, still ignited, let her head give
way to a tilt.