Carmine

Janilla paced on the other side of the bed. I was taken here by Canus, for he assumed I had not taken his future marriage very well. He gave me a convenient excuse not to go.

To think, the one time I forgot my Sector Bloom, she entered my mind and infested it with those dreadful scenes.

"We need to tell Acomn," Janilla said.

I shifted on the bed, for I did not have the energy to scream much less care then. What was I supposed to do? She was literally outside the infernal keep!

Five was sitting on a chair looking at us. He was rather calm.

"Acomn will probably not care. Actually, we tell him that and he will send us away," I replied.

"Canus might help," Janilla stopped to say.

"Then I anger her and she goes on a killing spree? Not a good idea."

"Here is the thing, we have no good ideas."

I groaned. In the back of my mind, I knew the right decision. I really should have gone alone and accepted the guillotine that was Corona. My goal was not to die, yet.

I watched Janilla. She was full of life as she paced. Janilla stopped and stared. I followed her gaze towards Five. "Why can't you do something? Go out there and stop her!"

I cringed at Janilla's noise. "Janilla, not so loud," I said.

Five spoke, "Corona is hiding her presence. I cannot detect her or anyone else for that matter. Also to be clear any attempt for me to battle Corona will almost certainly result in my loss. I am built for the assassination of Shyia targets, not Elam ones.

"She can easily change her shell. If I am right, she will choose a destroyer shell."

Janilla said, "One built for large-scale battles."

"You have all those abilities," I said.

"I can only use warp, empathy, and construct, all the others are not coded in my glyph," Five replied. That was the tattoo on his wrist.

As far as I knew coding those arcane abilities were important to use them safely. If he warped, the olongoy did all the processing of location, time, speed, direction, pressure, all these different things to make sure he was not a mass of bones and flesh after every spatial warp.

The olongoy could not do what it did not know, or what was not coded into memory. It was only a virus, a simple and powerful one.

I sighed and laid upright. Guess she was not looking to kill—hold on. "You said she would prefer killing me without making a scene."

Five replied, "Hence why she called you out."

"What if she is bluffing?"

Five looked down and stared at me. "It's possible, but Corona lacks restraint. She will most likely do it if you disobey."

"How much time left Janilla?" I asked.

Janilla checked the sundial. "Less than half, almost a quarter I guess."

I closed my eyes and steadied the tremor the raised from my legs. "Who will she anger if she kills Canus and his family?"

"God Benedict, if she harms Canus. If she touches Bi Go Mu and her family, God Amishcor, but that is the aftermath. That will not help us now," Five replied.

Damnation to this wretched fate. Why had I become this important person? So Important, that I warranted this much attention? All those years I was in Eathen I was fine. At least until my father died.

I tilted my brows in wonder at the prospect. Was that why I was banished? Had my father known? "One must die for the other to live—I hate this. I can't believe I am saying this. We stay here."

Janilla looked back at me with concern.

I said, "Five get me a pill."

Five replied, "You took a pill recently."

"I feel horrible."

"You—"

"Are you disobeying my orders now?" I snapped.

Five looked down. "No mother. I was just saying you are physically fine. Taking the pills for psychological problems is not recommended." He got up.

"I can barely stop shaking. Get the pill. I need my mind working for what is about to happen."

"But we can't make a stance here," Janilla said.

"I walk into that forest I am a dead woman. We will use everyone here as a distraction for our escape."

"Wh-What? Carmine, what are you saying?"

"That I don't want to die."

"Bu—everyone, you are willing to risk everyone's lives to save your own? Even Canus?"

I growled aloud and motioned with my frustrated hands at her. "Then what do you expect me to do?"

Five gave me a quarter of one pill. He averted his eyes. I gave him a frown, but still took it. After swallowing it, I tensed my body and I breathed out. I opened my eyes and a swelling of rebirth traveled through me.

This was good. I looked at my arms and felt pumped. Janilla was giving me a sour stare. I gestured at her. "What?"

"This is not right."

"Again, I ask, do you have any better ideas?"

"Leaving?" Janilla said.

Five rocked his head. "She might just chase us and easily corner us in the process, but we might get a head start if we are lucky."

I groaned. "Corona might expect that. It would have to be something she would not expect."

Janilla slapped Five on his arm. "Is there any way to combat her, any at all? You are one of us, give us something."

Five opened his mouth then closed it. He shook his head. Janilla threw her arms up in dismay.

Five spoke, "We would have to kill her instantly."

Janilla and I looked up.

Five looked between us then he cut his eyes away. He nodded his head inconsistently looking down from our gazes. "A body, even Elamnite bodies are as fragile as a Shyia in the skin. A simple slice at the neck can kill an Elamnite just as easily as any of you."

"So we strike first?" I said.

He shook his head. "She will see you coming, plus we cannot find her. We can only plan for her when she comes to us."

I sighed. "A trap is our best option and we can't even set one up unless we see her. But she can see us though."

Five eyes widen. "No, she cannot see you. You have on the Sector Bloom."

I looked down at my chest and it dangled.

Five nodded at Janilla. "I need your help, for I have an idea."