The Expedition, Chapter 17

 She didn't even feel like herself anymore.

Was this what it felt like to go to war? To turn into a killer? To step onto a battlefield with a weapon, knowing you will not step off unless carried, or the last enemy breathes their last breath? She ran her hand along the scales of Sapphire, her love Fayla following close behind.

The Goddess Kayala blessed her with a warrior's spirit, and she felt the power surge within her. For a moment, she felt she did nothing to deserve such power, but a gentle touch of the Goddess' grace told her all she needed to know.

Every sacrifice she made built to this point.

Her finding the Genie, running from the Death Cult, meeting the tribe, choosing her new life, and rejecting her father were all footsteps laid for her in this path walked by the Goddess.

One she was meant to follow.

She saw the entire war in her mind's eye, and her heart raced at the thought of battle. Her mind whirled with visions of all she would do to her father's men if they ever came near her.

They would die.

She leaped onto the dragon's back, and Falya jumped behind her and hugged her tight.

The dragon beat her wings and launched into the air, leaving the tribe far below. They flew over the desert, the dry river, and the mercenaries' camp. She saw the soldiers gathered there, waiting for the death to begin.

Fayla readied herself, her spear on the other side from Amelia's, as the two watched the mercenaries line up to assault the fortress from the long road which wove its way up the mountain. A phalanx of mages would provide magical covering fire and protection for the soldiers. the Death Cult and their army lined up behind her father's men, smoky shadows concealing them against the bright sand.

They were ready.

But she was ready for them.

Sapphire descended quickly, flying over the mercenaries and the Death Cult. She saw her father at the back of the mercenary army, watching his men from afar. He stood on a high platform made of wood, a seat, and a canopy to protect him from the sun.

He was dressed in full armor and wielded a sword.

Her father turned to see the dragon flying toward him and laughed. "You can't win, dragon! You will die today."

"And you will die too," Sapphire roared. "For what you have done."

"His sword is a dragon slayer," Amelia said, knowing her father's tales. "Do not take the bait."

Sapphire snorted and swerved out of the way of the blade, soaring to the side as they passed over the Death Cult. She felt the same icy chill she felt when they chased her earlier. The same cold anger she felt before.

But it wasn't directed at the men behind them. It was directed at her father.

Amelia smiled. "Two can play at that game. Sapphire! Follow my lead!"

Amelia jumped off the dragon's back, followed by Fayla, and she felt the warrior spirit inside her surge and felt like she was walking on air. The two fell fifty feet and landed with a thud before the black magic-shrouded Death Cult army.

The Death Cult stared at her and her spear, but they were frozen in fear.

Her father's mercenaries were shocked, staring at the two women who fell from the sky.

Amelia held her weapon high. "I am Amelia Von Zinzer. You know my father. I have come to stop him from destroying the temple."

"Foolish girl," the lead Death Cultist hissed. "You will pay for your ignorance."

He drew his sword and charged.

"It's time," Fayla whispered.

Amelia looked into her eyes, seeing the love shining within them, and she smiled.

"For the Goddess!"

Amelia spun, extending her spear with the magic of the warrior spirit, creating a magic lash that whipped from the end of the spear in a circle twenty feet around. Her move sent the first row of charging death cultists flying into the air from the magic whip of blue energy of the Goddess.

The remaining cultists charged, and Amelia stood ready, feeling the power of the Goddess Kayala's blessing surging through her. She held her spear with one hand, and with the other, she pulled her braid to one side, showing her disdain for the dark army. Fayla spun into the cultists trying to flank them, her spear cleaving several in half with one blow.

Amelia waited for the cultists to get close, and slammed the end of her spear into the ground, causing a massive shockwave to emanate out in a wave of blue magic. The Death Cult was pushed back by the force, and they fell over onto the ground from the magic, causing many to scream out in pain as the Goddess Kayala's magic attacked them.

Fayla ran forward and began to strike, stabbing and slashing with her spear, killing the cultists easily. Amelia did the same, killing the cultists who had recovered from the magic blast. The magic of the warrior spirit flowed through her like she was a machine, and she was glad.

For she was a machine.

And she could not be stopped.

The two fought back to back, watching out for one another, and covering for each other as they took down their enemies. The Death Cult had magic of its own, but it was nothing compared to the power of the Goddess. A death mage began to cast a wicked incantation, and Amelia held her spear high and jerked it down suddenly, causing a lightning bolt to shoot from the sky and vaporized the death mage in an explosion of black smoke and blue fire.

Sapphire flew back and forth between them, circling above and watching them, making sure they were okay while keeping her eyes on the Death Cult army. She breathed fire down upon the back ranks, causing them to flee into the desert, their bodies on fire. They made it a few hundred feet before falling dead to the ground.

"Fools," Fayla growled. "They are more afraid of you than they are of me. You're stronger."

"But you're faster," Amelia replied, raising her spear high and shooting a lash of blue magic into the air that exploded in a shower of magical rain, impaling a group of cultists with magical blue knives. They ran screaming into the desert, leaving the remaining death cultists to be killed by Amelia and Fayla's spear thrusts and lightning lashes.

She spun, watching for cultists who were trying to flank them. They had regrouped on the other side of the rocky area and were coming back at them again.

"Amelia! Look out!" Sapphire roared.

The dragon swooped down and landed near her.

Amelia smiled, "Fayla! Let's finish this."

Fayla nodded and charged, catching the first line of cultists by surprise. Amelia charged her spear with Goddess magic, every blow amplified by ten times the force, and lightning shooting from the point of impact and electrocuting the cultists who rushed towards her nearby.

She fought through the crowd of them, spinning, slashing, and stabbing with her spear, the power of the Goddess flowing through her and making her movements sharper than any other. Fayla ran circles around the Death Cultists, slicing through them with her spear and using her speed to catch the death cultists who tried to attack her unawares. The two fought back to back, defending each other as they felled the black magic army.

They were stronger together.

And together, they were invincible.

Amelia spun, whipping the magic lash from the end of her spear and catching a death cultist with the end of the magical whip, sending him flying into the air, but he landed and immediately stood up again, drawing a blade of black energy that looked like it had been carved from a giant rock.

The man was on her in a heartbeat, swinging his black magic sword and slashing at her. She dodged to the side, avoiding the attack, but she stumbled backward from the force of the swing.

Fayla leaped in front of Amelia to defend her, but the black magic blade cleaved through the top half of the spear Fayla carried and then bit into her shoulder. She screamed in pain, dropping to the ground.

"Fayla!" Amelia yelled, falling to her knees, trying to get to her love and stop the blood.

But it was too late.

Fayla lay on the ground, dying.

Amelia looked up at the Death Cultist, who laughed at her as he approached. "You will die next."

Amelia screamed, jumping to her feet and rushing at the cultist, who stepped forward and swung his black magic blade in an arc, aiming for her chest. She held her spear out to one side, catching his swing in the air and spinning to bring it back at him, striking the side of his face. The blade sliced clean through his head and came out the other side.

He collapsed to the ground with a wet thud.

Amelia looked at the body, staring at his headless corpse, and realized that to save her love, she had to kill every one of them.

Even her father.

She felt her hands shaking, and her eyes filled with tears.

"Fayla, please be all right." She sobbed. Hugging her fallen love.

The ground beneath them shook as the mercenaries and mages began their assault.

She prayed to the Goddess to take care of her love.

Sapphire landed behind her. "Warrior Amelia! I shall take her to safety! You need to keep fighting."

Amelia stood, crying, patting the dragon she loved on the nose, and smeared the blood of her lover in a line of red across her eyes.

It was time to finish this.