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It was all just a blur.
Screaming echoed down the hallways, muffled by the sound of frantic feet striking the ground in all directions. Utter, utter chaos.
A moment ago, she had been out on the training grounds with Brighid. Her morning military training regimen had ended and she had decided to spend some extra time training with her Blade while she waited for Niall to be done with his literary lessons for the day. There was nothing special about the morning. It was routine. It was comfortable.
Until the shots rang out.
They had only just made their way inside the palace when they heard the enraged shouting and bullets flying. Brighid grabbed her and nearly threw her into a corridor. Everything was happening so quickly. Before Mὸrag could even truly get her bearings, she saw her Blade race back into the crowd. A quick patting at her hips confirmed her fears instantly – her whip-swords were gone.
“Armored Veil!”
She heard the bullets ricochet.
Her mind raced – it begged her to stay hidden, to let the others and Brighid fend for themselves – but her heart drew her around the corner. She pushed past Senators and nobility who were all frantically searching for a way out. A soldier tried to pull her back, but she swiftly knocked him aside and kept moving. Blue flames were in her line of sight.
Brighid stood in the distance, arms outstretched with a flaming whip-sword in each hand. A wall of fire separated the screaming denizens from whomever was wielding the gun. She could still hear bullets blasting from the barrel, but they were easily deflected by the shield her Blade had erected around herself. It was an awe-inspiring sight to see the woman staring down Death with an unwavering will to protect her people. She was buying them time to escape.
A familiar shout caught her ear. Turning away from Brighid, she saw Niall and his tutor gripping one another in terror. Her feet acted on instinct. She raced toward them, dodging anyone who stepped in her path. She had to get to him, no matter what. She had to be sure he was safe.
The moment he saw her, Niall reached out and clutched his small hands around the front of her uniform. Her strong arms around his back brought a wave of comfort that dulled the sounds of the gunfire. He didn’t understand… why would someone be shooting at them? What had they done?
Mὸrag heard the click and her blood ran cold. She clutched Niall tighter against her chest as she turned just enough to peer over her shoulder and come face-to-face with the barrel of a gun. It was a soldier. His uniform was burning as he stepped through Brighid’s flames, but his arm never faltered. The gun was pointed directly at them as he moved his finger to the trigger.
A warm body collided with her back just as she heard the deafening blast. Golden honeycomb shapes erected around them, but it was a moment too late. She heard the cry of pain in her ear and felt the body shielding them shudder in agony.
Mὸrag spun, still keeping Niall firmly in the grasp of one arm, and she caught Brighid against her chest as she collapsed. Blood spilled from the wound on her exposed back and the sight of it made something in the Ardainian snap. Without a word, she moved her brother into the injured woman’s arms and grabbed the fallen whip-swords from the ground. She jumped to her feet and darted out of the protective barrier.
With a twist of her wrist, the whips unfurled and she lashed them forward. The gun was smacked aside and the soldier cried out as sharpened metal sliced through the front of his uniform. He stumbled back as Mὸrag pushed forward. The flames engulfed him once more, but they spilled over the Driver without leaving a mark. Another stroke of her arm and he was slammed to the ground.
There were more of them. Two more. Their guns turned toward her, but Brighid’s fire was faster than their instincts. Flames burst forth from the whips, circling their wrists until the burns sank deep enough beneath their skin that they dropped their weapons. One of the guns discharged when it struck the ground, but Mὸrag didn’t even flinch as the bullet passed over her shoulder. It only took one more strike to knock them both down.
She retracted the whips and extinguished the fire wall Brighid had built. Immediately, a group of Ardainian soldiers rushed forth and secured the traitors. With a sigh, Mὸrag holstered her weapons and rushed back to her family. Brighid was still holding Niall tightly, little care being given to the blood spilling down her back.
“Mὸrag!” Niall’s terror was painfully clear in the shake of his voice.
“It’s alright. They’ve stopped.” She ran a hand over his hair. “They can’t hurt anyone anymore.”
The Blade turned her gaze to her Driver. “Lady Mὸrag…”
“Let’s get you to the infirmary.”
She nodded in gratitude and accepted the hand Mὸrag offered her. Together, with Niall pressed against them, they slowly made their way through the carnage.
---
Niall had been silent the entire walk and simply stared ahead as Mὸrag instructed the healing Blades to care for their injured companion. He hardly moved when is sister returned.
“Why, Mὸrag? Why would someone do this?”
The soldier sighed and got down on one knee, placing a gentle hand on her brother’s shoulder. “There are a number of reasons that can drive someone to blind rage. None of them are justifiable.”
Niall nodded, his eyes still clouded with uncertainty. “But why shoot us? He was a soldier, wasn’t he?”
“He was.”
“He attacked his own people… innocent people, the people he took an oath to protect. I… I don’t even know who he was and he tried to…”
“It didn’t matter to him who he hurt, Niall.”
His small hands clenched into tight fists. “He aimed a gun at you. You’re a solider, too, and he tried to hurt you. He hurt Brighid!”
“I know.”
“What makes someone do that?”
Mὸrag shook her head. “I don’t know, Niall. Even if we do find out his reason, nothing can excuse taking the lives of so many people.”
The boy moved closer and wrapped his arms around her neck. “W-when you ran after him… I thought… why did you do that, Mὸrag?”
She pulled him to her chest, pressing his ear against her heart. “Don’t you know, Niall? I will always protect you.”
“Because I’m going to be Emperor?”
She tightened her grip. “No. Because you’re my brother.”
“He could have hurt you, Mὸrag.”
“I know. He and those men defending him… they turned their guns on my family and I couldn’t…”
“They hurt Brighid.”
She nodded. “They hurt Brighid.”
He burrowed deeper into her chest as they both watched the healing Blades tend to their protector. Mὸrag clutched at him almost desperately. His utter confusion broke her heart. Just this morning, he was a young, innocent child, but in a matter of seconds, he had witnessed the unimaginable darkness of humanity. That innocence was gone. It was a reality that stung nearly as much as the pain of watching her fellow countrymen be felled by an enraged soldier.
Once Mὸrag was sure Brighid's wound had been fully mended, she patted her brother’s shoulder lightly.
“Niall? Why don’t you go find Father and reassure him that we’re all safe?”
Blue eyes gazed at her curiously. “He knows we’re here.”
“I know, but don’t you think he would rather see you’re well with his own eyes?”
Realization stretched across his face - the boy was honestly too perceptive for one so young. He nodded and squeezed her tight before scurrying down the hallway.
Once he had rounded the corner, Mὸrag stood and made her way over to her Blade who still sat on the infirmary bed. Her gaze lingered on the exposed skin of her back, taking in the fact that not even the slightest blemish had been left by the bullet. The Empire’s healing Blades truly were remarkable. She stood before Brighid, close enough that they could keep their voices low.
“Word is spreading that the man was a member of your unit.”
Mὸrag nodded her head. “I’m aware.”
“You recognized him?”
“Yes.”
Brighid’s brow furrowed. “He was being relieved of his command. Apparently, the Grand Marshall was not pleased with his latest performance review.”
“I should think not… I was one of the many soldiers who filed reports of his misconduct.”
The Blade nodded. “I suppose the Grand Marshall was too slow to act.”
“Was this all a plot for revenge?”
“It appears so. He found a couple of sympathizers to back him up.” Brighid wrapped a warm hand around her Driver’s wrist. “He’s dead.”
Mὸrag’s eye widened. “Did I…?”
“No. The soldiers tried to restrain him after we left… a gun went off in the struggle. That's all I know of it.”
“I’m not sure I can feel sorry for him after what he did.”
“You shouldn’t… the Grand Marshall is dead, as well.”
Her heart plummeted. Alban had been a dear friend of the Emperor’s and a man who had spent considerable time with her when she had first voiced an interest in joining the military. He had guided her, mentored her… to realize he was gone so quickly… it was hard to swallow.
“Special Inquisitor Robalt?”
Brighid shook her head. “He’s fine. I’m sure he’ll be assuming Alban’s post.”
And the Emperor would be without a Special Inquisitor. All because of one man’s actions.
“Brighid…”
“I’m alright, Lady Mὸrag.”
The Driver shook her head and clenched her fists tightly. “A part of me wants to thank you for protecting us, but there’s another part that wants to scream at you for being so reckless.”
“Reckless?” A blazing hand reached up and pressed against her core crystal.
“Alban is dead, countless other innocents are either dead or wounded… and you ran toward the gun fire.”
Brighid pushed the woman back just enough so she could rise from the bed and stand at her full height. “I did what I was awakened to do, Lady Mὸrag. That man and his followers were threatening the lives of my countrymen… and my Driver. It is my sworn duty to protect you, to protect His Majesty, and to protect the people of the Ardainian Empire.”
“No.” Mὸrag’s eye bent in frustration. “We are meant to protect the Empire. I awoke you so that we could fight together.”
“Not when a man is firing bullets into a crowd. I’m immortal. If anyone is going to risk their life to stop someone like that, it will always be me.”
The Ardainian grabbed her Blade by the arm and swiftly pulled her out of the infirmary. She ignored Brighid’s indignant shout and she continued dragging her along until they reached her room. Quickly she opened the door and pushed Brighid inside before slamming it shut behind them. With a firm yank, the Blade freed herself and immediately stepped into her Driver’s space, their faces so close they were breathing the same air.
“How dare you! What gives you the right to handle me that way?”
“What gives you the right to get yourself killed!?”
Brighid took a step back as the rage oozed from the woman before her. “Lady Mὸrag… I had to protect you.”
“No, you could have taken me with you. We could have stopped that man together.”
“It wasn’t worth the risk.” Brighid sighed. “If I die, you can simply reawaken me. You… losing you is permanent. Losing me is of little consequence so long as you survive.”
A hand reached up and cupped her warm cheek. “Don’t ever say that. Your immortality means nothing. You still die, Brighid.”
“Lady Mὸrag…”
“Just because you are a Blade and can be brought back to life… that doesn’t make you expendable. You are not a tool to be used and sacrificed.”
She shook her head. “But…”
“No. I don’t care what your other Drivers might have thought or how they treated you. I’m your Driver now. You are my Blade… my friend… you’re the woman I… you are so much more than my weapon, Brighid. Don’t ever think you’re not.”
“I’m sorry, Lady Mὸrag.”
“Just promise me you will never rush into danger without me again.”
Brighid took a moment to absorb the determination in the woman's eyes. Mὸrag was truly unlike any Driver she had ever known. Her steadfast dedication to protecting her Blade, to treating her Blade as an equal... it was admirable to say the least. Moments like these were when Brighid felt fortunate that someone of her fortitude had touched her core crystal.
“We go together… always.”
“Good.”
Mὸrag reached forward and wrapped her arms tightly around her Blade. A hand buried in her amethyst hair while the other sought purchase against the exposed skin of her back. She could feel Brighid stiffen in surprise, but her entire body seemed to melt into the embrace after only a few seconds. They stood like that, locked in each other’s arms, for a time that seemingly had no end.
The senseless violence had wounded them all. It had taken something from each of them that they could never get back… and Mὸrag felt herself crack beneath the weight of that reality. Her entire body shook as the tears streamed down her face. She pressed her nose against the crook of Brighid’s neck and tried to draw every ounce of comfort she could from the warmth her Blade emanated. Brighid said nothing. She simply tightened her arms around her treasured Driver, blanketing her with whatever safety she could offer.
There were no words that could be said to make any of it make sense. Nothing could erase the mark just a few, violent seconds had left on all of them. All they could do was cling to their loved ones and cry.