Aliisza struggled onto her knees, then tried to stand. She wanted to rush forward, to join the fray, but her body was betraying her. She dropped back down.
I can't, she thought. The magic has taken everything from me. Just too much. I'm sorry.
No, the defiant part of her thought. Get up. Die trying. Don't lie here regretting. She listened to that defiant part, struggling to rise again. You must help them. Find a way, Aliisza.
She staggered upright once more. She took one tentative step, and then another. Confident she wouldn't tumble over from exhaustion, she moved forward, maddeningly slowly.
She saw Kael take Micus's head from his body and a sense of sadness, but also peace, filled her. Tauran will take it hard, she thought. But Micus's suffering is over, at least.
She was getting nearer to the pair when Pharaun jumped forward, knocking Kael to the ground. A booming crack of lightning erupted from the beast's corpse. The concussive blast stunned Aliisza and she fell to one knee, watching as Pharaun, his back arched in torment, was engulfed in the blast. He toppled.
'No! Pharaun, no!'
Aliisza forced herself to her feet a third time and stumbled down the beach.
By the time she reached him, Kael had recovered and had Pharaun's head cradled in his hands. She dropped down beside the two and saw then that the wizard's form had reverted back to its natural state. Kael held Zasian, whose broken and battered body sported several injuries. 'Is he-?' she asked, her voice a near-whisper.
Kael looked at her. 'It caught him squarely.' His voice cracked. 'I guess the 'imperfect vessel' finally had taken all the punishment it could. He was… interesting.'
Aliisza stroked Kael's hair. 'At least you finally got to meet him,' she said. Then she looked down the beach. 'Kael'-she tried to get to her feet one last time-'Tauran still needs us.'
'I know,' Kael said. He set Zasian down gently and pushed himself up. 'Come.' He took her hand.
The two of them trotted down the beach as fast as Aliisza could move. She could see Kaanyr and Tauran battling furiously. Beside her, Kael was already clenching his sword, and she could see the lines of his jaw working as he clenched his teeth.
She didn't want to tell him to go on ahead. She didn't want to be left behind. I want to be there when Kaanyr goes down, she insisted. But Tauran was in trouble, and Kael wanted to rush to his side.
'Go,' she said. 'Help him.'
Kael looked at her gratefully and took two steps forward.
A black blur flashed in front of Aliisza's vision and plowed into Kael from behind and slightly to one side. The force of the impact took both it and the half-drow over the side.
Aliisza screamed and stumbled to the edge. She peered over and spotted Kael locked in a death grip with one of the demons. It had a hold of the knight's throat with its claws, and Kael was struggling to get his sword into position to stab at it. Both of them plummeted away from her.
'Kael!' she cried out. She wanted so desperately to tip herself over the side, to drop down there with him and aid him. She knew she could not.
You're the only one left, she thought. Go help Tauran.
Sucking in a deep breath, Aliisza struggled to her feet yet again. She trotted unsteadily toward the dueling foes, anger at Kaanyr driving her forward. All of this is your doing, she thought, staring right at the cambion. It all comes down to here and now. And I will make you understand!
Cambion and angel pummeled one another with blade and mace, their blows ringing in the air. Tauran, sporting a number of nicks and scratches that soaked his tunic with blood, swatted Kaanyr's blade away from his head and made an elaborate gesture. A shaft of holy light stabbed downward from the heavens and struck Kaanyr directly.
The cambion grunted and stumbled back a step.
Aliisza closed the distance. She only needed a few more steps. She fumbled her sword out of its sheath.
Kaanyr spied her coming. He gave her a little grin and turned to face Tauran once more.
Before Aliisza could reach them, Kaanyr muttered something and pointed at the angel with his sword. A sickly purple gout of flame burst from the tip and enveloped Tauran.
The angel went rigid and howled in misery.
Frantic to stop him, Aliisza rushed on. Her feet felt like blocks of stone. Her legs screamed for her to stop. She ignored her body's torments and raised her sword.
As the flames from Kaanyr's sword died, he took one lunging step toward the teetering angel and drove his blade deep into Tauran's chest.
'No!' Aliisza screamed. She staggered closer.
Kaanyr grinned at her.
'You bastard, no!' She staggered forward with her blade up. 'I will gut you! I will make you understand!'
Purple energy crackled over Tauran. The angel gasped and dropped his mace. He put both hands on the hilt of the blade, and Aliisza could see him feebly working to remove the weapon. Then his arms dropped, he fell back, slid free of the sword, and flopped onto the sand of the beach.
Tauran, I'm sorry. I wasn't fast enough.
Aliisza reached Kaanyr and swung her sword down with everything she had left. He casually flicked his blade up and deflected it, knocking the weapon from her trembling hands.
All the rage, all the pent-up frustration, drained from her. She dropped to her knees. No more, she thought. I've got no more. But you will understand.
'You were a fool to try to stop me,' he said, looming over her. 'All of them.' He gestured down the beach. 'Fools. When I set out to claim the power of this Lifespring for my own, I vowed that nothing would stand in my way.'
Aliisza snorted. It turned into a chuckle. 'You're the fool,' she said. 'You'll never get what you want from the damned water, but even if you did, you missed the whole point.'
'What are you talking about?' he growled at her, his fury plain on his face. He did not like being laughed at.
'No one cares about you, Kaanyr. No one gives a damn that you succeeded. You have no one to share your victory with.'
'Ah, but knowing how my taking it from under the angels' noses infuriates you so is almost as sweet.'
Aliisza shook her head. 'I'll be dead, remember? When I'm gone, no one will care about that, either.'
'Enough of this drivel,' he said. 'I should have killed you back in that stinking cave. You're as weak as a kitten, just like then, but I will not make the same mistake twice. When I was hanging from chains in a balor's palace, suffering for your betrayal, I vowed to get even.'
'No one cares, Kaanyr. With your power and your glory, you will always be alone.'
'Shut up!'
Kaanyr raised his sword. She knew she had no strength left to fend him off, She could not stop the blade as it came forward, thrusting into her belly. She gasped and fell back, but Kaanyr came with her, driving the blade deeper. The malevolent magic of the weapon crashed into and through her, leeching her life away.
Gods, it hurts, she thought, tears filling her eyes. She heard herself whimper once, the sound very small.
More tears streamed down Aliisza's face. She gazed up into Kaanyr's eyes, which burned with rage. With one trembling hand, she reached up and touched him on the cheek. Then she said, 'Nobody cares about you, Kaanyr.' She gasped for air. It was hard to breathe. I don't want to die! 'But people used to care. I did. I used to love you.'
Kaanyr smirked, but she could see a moment of doubt reflected in his eyes. They unfocused for a moment and he stared at nothing as he contemplated how much he had lost.
That's when she knew he understood.
Feeling a burden lift from her, Aliisza summoned the last remaining reserves of her magic. She poured them all into a final spell. She knew it would consume her utterly, but that was all right.
Nothing can keep me from dying now, she thought.
She uttered a single word, spoke it as loudly and clearly as she could. 'Mortalos,' she said. Her voice rang out clearly and without wavering.
Kaanyr heard her, and his eyes grew wide. He staggered onto his feet, letting go of the hilt of his sword. 'What did you do?' he demanded. 'Aliisza, what did you just-?'
