Chapter twenty.

Manøvie.

I wanted the people to see that what they were doing was unfair but lord Lucaí had them far taken up, even the older leaders had this unfathomable act at heart.

Now I had to serve a punishment for trying to be realistic about things. When the guards took both my arms, something within my being snapped. My eyes dilated strangely and I suddenly felt powerful.

"No!!" I whisked them off me, getting angry as my mind hazed.

My body reacted in unison with the mountain amidst the ocean that begun to rumble loudly, shaking the earth and vibrating underneath the water.

I felt my powers manifest within me, growing out of my skin and pervading my whole body. I swiveled on my heel, briskly knocking off the guard who still held Sobêiski onto the guillotine and thrusting his chains off telepathically.

"Huh.... Härshänoäh!!!" I caught glimpse of Tõrontõ's father kneeling at the distance before he was dragged away. "Härshänoäh!!!" He kept shouting

Right then, I could hear the volcano sizzling in fury; magnifying it's exuberance within my frail body and wafting me into the air,waving my hair about. My eyes hurt as the emerald in them begun to throb while they grew brighter.

"NOW!!!!" I heard Lord Lucaí command from a distance.

The people started to scream, spreading away from the miniature square into safety as the clouds gathered together darkly with searing lines of lightning germinating from within the rumbles.

The sparks slapped the ground like a hungry whip, leaving  deathly marks on the soil as it kept on moving and wiggling in the air. A green and orange light emanated the atmosphere, wholly fluctuating the weather and my body.

My sense of intuition widened, I could feel the volcano speaking to me- leading me on anonymously. A string of white light jabbed at the topaz stone on the Temple then down and in a snap, it located Sobêiski who was still trying to come to my side.

"Sobêiski!!" I screamed for him to watch out right before the line grabbed him and thrust him over to the ground where he fell unconscious.

I jumped off the stage and ran to him, the sparks still dancing about his breast plate when I got to him. I tugged at its straps to try and remove it when the small spark caught my hand then another whipped my back and brought me into the air.

My body was hurting. Something was drinking from my soul, holding me upside down and cutting my throat open so all my blood would ooze out. My chest ossified with the robust strike of lightning feeding on me.

My throat ran dry and hoarse making me thirsty, I slowly but weakly rose my hand up towards the ocean- trying to conjure my powers for a little sip when I saw my green flare suffuse the empty cell on Lord Lucaí's breast plate.

Understanding dawned on me. He had taunted me with his flouting look so that I would challenge him! He knew that I would fight for Sobêiski and he used my defense as a way of getting the emerald stone attached to my being!!

This event reminded me of the night it first rained as Tõrontõ walked me back to the Temple, the lightning from the topaz struck me...It was meant to drain me of my powers that night but he failed.

He might have beaten me with his intelligence but I'd retaliate with my muscle. I started to fight against the power of the lightning from the topaz stone. I fought hard to gain my strength until I now stood on my feet, letting the white lines of fire mingle with my flare as one.

I briskly lifted Sobêiski out of the plate, wafted him over to the nearest shade I could locate then stood firm to face my opponents. From my peripheral view, I could see four men standing behind the thick attic wall of the Temple, steering the colossal topaz stone.

I grabbed the chalcedony from the plate and thrust it their way in one whiff, making sure it penetrated the wall without any damage but stricking beyond it with great intensity they didn't survive.

"No!!" Lord Lucaí emerged from beneath the podium when the lightning seized and the weather reverted to normal.

"No!! You've killed them!! You cannot live, you defied our laws, you must die- darn you, you volcano spit creature!!" He cursed at me as I stood becalmed and out of breath.

"I'll kill you! I'll kill every last one of you who refuses to serve me! I am your leader- your only leader. I'll kill you!!"

"Argh!!" I screamed, falling to the ground when he lunged at me with a dagger, gnashing through my arm as he tried to jab it into me.

I managed to push him away and regaining my posture, ready to strike him when an arrow split right through the middle of his eyes- a bloodcurdling scream erupting from my chest as Lord Lucaí fell to the soil abreast of me.

I rose my eyes to meet Tõrontõ still holding his bow out in full length. He quickly tossed them to the side and came to where I sat.

"Manøvie!! Oh no, your hurt." he held onto my wound to stop it from bleeding

"I'm fine. Sobêiski... where's he?" I crawled  searching around for him, feeling my limbs tremble

Tõrontõ availed me to my feet and gently led me to where he still lay stun- almost out of life.

"No no no! Please don't die!" I fell beside him, bringing him to my lap "Sobêiski..." I whispered in tears

"Manny?" I gasped and looked down at him when he coughed heavily

"You're alive!!" I cried blissfully, hugging more.

The elders and the rest of the people came to where he and I sat. I swallowed hard, wondering whether they would still pass on a punishment for our named act of betrayal to the laws governing Modëus.

"Is he alive?" Dihané joined my side in tears as well, prudently examining her son for critical injuries. "Thank-you!" She threw her arms around me and sobbed more.

"Lord Thesårus, what shall we now?" LeoNaidus spoke up for the first time today.

My eyes darted over to the speculating old man, feeling my heart pulsating in nipping anxiety and worry. I hoped he still didn't have to put Sobêiski to death...

"Well, the only thing I can think of right now is that Sobêiski must be coronated at high priest,"

"What?!" Dihané and I snapped

"Yes, he might have gone against the law but Lord Lucaí's intentions for power were not authentic and we cannot have such leaders. And since Sobêiski is the only studied priest from the first daughter, he will be High priest for the mean time because Modëus cannot be without a high priest,"

My heart fell.

I was sad this time. I had contemplated that perhaps they would forbid him from taking on the role of high priest and just maybe we would be together but my hopes have been stuttered all over again Infront of my eyes.

"Then that shall be done," Lord Malachi nodded in acceptance. "Let this be heard-all of you! Citizens of Modëus, Levi Maritús Sobêiski will be ordained as high priest for the mean time," he announced to the startled crowd.

The people murmured incoherently to each other, making comments and sayings things I couldn't hear because of the agony that filled my heart and hazed my mind.

I sat Sobêiski up as he slowly gained his stable back. The elders took him from me, leading him back to the middle of the quadrangle. They avoided the stage, his throne was brought before the trembling audience and dusted urgently.

I let the people walk past me,nudging me and standing in front of me- blocking my view from Levi Maritús- now High priest.  The chanting went on and on through my ears as I kept standing transfixed to my position while my heart dimmed behind my ribcage.

So much for happily ever after.