Elegy for a Star

 

EXTREME SPOILER (for those that don't like descriptions of violence):

 

It was difficult to hear anything over the sound of wind and rain beating against Joyona’s armor. She could only take one step at a time. Her armor dug hooks from her heels, piercing into the ground to stabilize her body and keep from being picked up by the rush. Still, with the soil so damp, it was never a guarantee. “Yerthwerk!” Joyona called out, “Can you see Miren? Aku?”

Her pauldrons flapped, her gorget rattled. Yerthwerk was speaking to her and Joyona could understand. No

, he replied in a series of coded fidgets of her armor, But I will tell you when I can sense them. Joyona made a slow advance toward what she thought was the eye of the hurricane. The way out must be there. It must. Joyona wasn’t afraid for herself, but she was afraid for Miren.

Mairaela hated her and for that reason alone, Joyona wished that she could muster up the anger to defend the Summer Fey from Miren’s jabs. She couldn’t, though. Miren had done nothing wrong. She was from the Winter Court and for that she was hated. She was different, that’s all. She knew the same could have been the case for her own people. Perhaps it was because they were more imposing it became difficult to hate them too openly. Winter Fey, while alone, were not as much of a threat. Then again, Joyona had seen Miren fight. Perhaps she was more of a threat than any of them thought.

There was a series of clicks and snaps in her armor that Joyona could only hear as an echo within her helmet. It was too loud outside to hear the typical sounds that Yerthwerk would make. One of them, he told her, To your left.

One of them? Aku was protecting Miren. Whether it was Miren or Aku, them being separated was extremely dangerous.

Joyona pivoted and trudged, following the sound of Yerthwerk’s clicking to guide her in the proper direction. The faster the clicks, the closer she was. It kept her on the proper course.

It took some time to peer through the debris, but Joyona spotted the great, white wolf trying to balance himself, desperately searching around. Aku turned and snapped his jaws at Joyona, growling, “Have you found her?!” His fur was soaking wet and he struggled to look at Joyona through the pouring rain.

Joyona shook her head and called over the noise, “What happened?!”

“Does it matter? She’s not here! We need to find her!” Aku snarled.

Joyona could see that the wolf was struggling to balance itself. It wouldn’t be carried away by the wind, but it could be toppled and rolled across the dirt. “Stay here, I’ll look for her!” Joyona called out. Aku growled something, but Joyona couldn’t hear him. She was too socially anxious to risk asking him to repeat himself, so she risked the chance that it wasn’t important, but hated herself for letting her anxiety control her in such a dangerous situation.

“Let’s go, Yerthwerk,” Joyona spoke within her helmet, feeling the acknowledging squeeze of her metal companion around her body. She trudged her way as hastily as she could in the direction the wind traveled. It was difficult to see past the cloud of dirt picked up by the wind, the pouring rain and dripped from her visor, the stones and branches carried around in whipping circles, clattering against her armor. Joyona was struck in the back with a firm force—a larger than usual stone, perhaps—and knocked forward. Yerthwerk threw bracing rods of armored metal from Joyona’s shoulders and knees, digging them into the ground and keeping the giantess from falling forward more than a foot.

“Thanks,” Joyona grunted, once more acknowledged by a squeeze of her armor. Every time he did that, it felt like a hug. It was the hug that Joyona had wanted since departing from her Cairn. She had missed him during her time at Kravana. She hadn’t spoken to Yerthwerk since that morning in the Void Exercise when Gwen caught her speaking to, well, seemingly nothing. He was a friend. A construct, sure, but a friend nevertheless. There was sapience within his metal frame.

To your left again, Yerthwerk stated with a rattle of the helmet and a metallic snap of the left pauldron, I believe it’s Miren.

Joyona hurried in that direction, stumbling for a moment in her haste, but pressing onward with Yerthwerk’s aiding support. Miren was huddled against a short, wide tree stump, the rest of it having been ripped from its base. She hugged it desperately, arms and legs both. Joyona could see blood running down her cheek from a deep cut upon her temple. She didn’t seem to notice Joyona’s approach.

The giantess knelt down next to Miren, pulling the Winter Fey into her arms. Yerthwerk’s metal plates shifted, breaking away from the front side of Joyona’s body to envelop Miren within him as well. It was a tight squeeze, certainly uncomfortable, but Miren was pulled into the suit of armor beside Joyona.

“Joyona?” Miren asked, looking dizzy and worn; completely out of breath, “Where am I?”

“You’re in my armor,” Joyona replied, already turned around and hiking her body slowly against the wind back toward Aku. This was even more difficult with the weight of the hurricane trying to throw her in the opposite direction.

Miren squirmed inside the metal, grunting, “You can’t make it a little more comfortable, can you?”

“Not without exposing ourselves more than we already are,” Joyona replied. The armor on her right flank was spread thin, revealing part of her body to the wind and rain. Blowing rocks and branches struck her exposed side, the winds and rain chilling her to the bone. She was their rock, though. She would bear that for her team and Miren was a part of the team.

When Joyona returned, Aku was still huddled down, trying his best to keep from losing his balance. “Aku!” Miren called out, forming an echo that rang in Joyona’s ears.

The wolf looked up, eyes peering through the rain and wind, “Miren?!”

“She’s in the armor,” Joyona replied loudly but calmly, “Let’s get out of here.”

Aku rose to his feet, but the winds threatened to roll him anyway. Joyona braced the giant wolf against his flank, “Let’s move.”

“Which way is the eye?” Aku shouted, using Joyona’s weight as a support to keep from being taken by the wind.

Yerthwerk clicked and whirred, flapping and squeezing in different intervals across Joyona’s body. Forty-five degrees right, he said.

Joyona followed his instructions, “This way!”

It was a long and treacherous journey, but with Miren safe upon her left and Aku steadied upon her right, Joyona carried the team through the hurricane and into its calmer eye.

Not all of the wind was gone. There was the occasional gust that whipped through the eye, but the rain was over with and for the most part they could stand in relative peace. Joyona released her hold on Miren, letting her fall from the embrace of her armor. She steadied herself against Joyona’s flank, adjusting her windswept hair to its relatively proper place, tied behind her back. Joyona wondered why she bothered, considering how wet it was in the first place.

Joyona’s helmet folded off of her face, merging into her gorget. She turned to look at Miren, “All set? I think you lost your rapier.”

“I should have it when we get back out. I still have a dagger, anyway,” Miren replied. There was something about her face that looked sad. Perhaps she was ashamed that she needed the giantess’ help. Miren was a proud woman. It wouldn’t be easy to say thank you, but Joyona knew she didn’t need to. She knew Miren was grateful.

Ahead of them was a glowing, white gate. They’d made it. Joyona felt some relief, beginning a slow march toward it. She’d saved everyone. She felt proud. She felt confident for once in her life. She did well. She was a hero.

Joyona turned and began to move toward it.

Yerthwerk spasmed across her body just before there was a punch in the side of her neck. A sting. A burn. Joyona could feel blood welling in her mouth in an instant, and it became difficult to breathe. She felt like she was drowning. A hand whipped up to the wound, pulling a dagger out of her throat and throwing it to the ground. The giantess was confused. What hit her? What danger had she not seen?

Her helmet formed around her head just as she fell to one knee. She heard Miren say something, but not what. “Run,” she tried to say, only managing a gurgle, spitting blood onto the inside of her helmet. There was a white light. A warmth. Yerthwerk was healing her.

Before she could breathe again, she felt herself squeezed around the torso and legs. She looked down to see Aku’s jaws wrapped around her body. He was crushing her. Why? Did she offend them, somehow? Did she mess up? What did she do wrong?

She was on her back, feeling Aku’s jaws begin to pierce Yerthwerk’s metallic skin. Miren was standing over her, covering her mouth with her hand, sobbing.

“What-..” Joyona managed to cough out.

“I’m sorry,” Miren said, “I’m so sorry, Joyona.”

Joyona felt Yerthwerk crumple under Aku’s bite, and Joyona’s ribs exploded as she heard the wrenching snap of her armor.