Kai's Memories

As she melts into the shadows, reforms inches away from the lich, she holds her breath. She doesn’t dare to risk alerting him, doesn’t dare to even breathe, not until Dezzy is safely back in her body.

The blue prism shines enticingly where it’s strapped to his side. She can almost see the soul struggling in there. Alistair’s approaching, about to do the trade, so she needs to act now. All she has to do is reach out and take it...

He glances at her as the lich reaches out for his payment, the only warning he gives. Spinning the glaive back into his hands, he swipes it clean across his skeletal chest.

The lich recoils for a mere moment, but she takes her opportunity. They nearly brush fingers as he reaches back for the prism, but in the same moment, she’s already running with it clutched in her hands. Alistair drops Dezzy on her and holds his glaive at the ready.

“You fools,”he hisses, hand lifting to dismiss the binding spell.

Kai is faster. She slings Dezzy unceremoniously onto the ground and smashes the prism without a second thought. Its tiny shards skitter all across the cracked stone of this strange, ruined fortress. Any other time she would have been sad to destroy such a thing. Today, it’s the last thing on her mind.

As the prism shatters, Dezzy’s spirit hangs there in the air, soft greens and desert browns, formless. After a pause, far, far too long, it seeps back into her body. But still she doesn’t open her eyes.

It can’t end here, it won’t. They have the soul. They have the body. Why isn’t it taking?!

“Wake up…” she calls, choking on the words. Dezzy doesn’t respond, and she raises her voice.  “Dezzy… Wake up! Wake up!”

For a few terrifying moments, it seems that she won’t. The spirit will leave her, return to the desert. They’ll never be able to find her again.

And then she stirs. Hazy eyes open, out of focus as they stare through her at the brimming stars above. She makes no move to rise even as she hugs her limp body to her chest.

You promised you wouldn’t leave. Magic screams behind her, Alistair shouts at her to run, but she can’t let go. You promised.

She wants to scream it aloud, but it’s stuck in her head.