Empyrean Iris Story Collection

Together

The entire square had gone absolutely silent. Captain Vir lay in the circle at the feet of General Cosma, who stood looming over him with her massive, war-staff in hand. Sunny stood just outside of the circle across from her mother. That vacant, cold expression that had dominated her demeanor not hours earlier had blossomed into an expression of proud defiance as she stood against the fiery gaze of her mother.

"Don't be a fool," The general snapped harshly as the light of the sun pulled behind a thick cloud of ash.

"No mother, I will not be ignored this time, not be brushed off. I WILL be taken seriously." She stepped forward, "My entire life, I have been degraded, brought down, and humiliated by your embarrassment, and all for what?! Because I'm not tall enough? Because I can't fight like you want me to? No matter what I did, I was never good enough. You ignored me until you NEEDED me, and like the narcissistic, hateful, thoughtless person you are, you thought I would run out to do your bidding like a good little soldier." She was closer now, almost within arm's reach, and she laughed in her mother's face, "I'm not your soldier. A general remains a general from the respect of their soldiers, and you lost my respect a long time ago."

General Cosma had turned her attention away from the fallen human completely and now loomed over Sunny like a merciless god. She had almost three feet on her daughter. Looking at it from any angle, there was truly no hope for Sunny to win this fight, there would never be.

Cosma's chest rose and fell with the heat of her anger. "Insolent whelp." Cosma hissed.

"Don't like that do you, don't like that I outsmarted you, General Cosma the great and wise, outstripped by her crippled, pathetic excuse for a daughter. I've been planning this since the beginning." She pointed to the glittering carapace of Vir's leg, "I retrieved that form the battlefield after the humans left, used my own body to modify it...." She paused, "I used some of father's armor too, I wanted to make it strong. A good gift."

Cosma snarled in rage.

"I planted those ideas in your head, made you think they were a product of your own brilliance.... That was the easy part. I wanted to get to the humans... and you know why, mother." When no answer came, Sunny took a step forward, "Because the humans beat you." The glee in Sunny's eyes flashed, "They beat you at your own game, and they beat you hard. They killed father, crippled your favorite son, and left your useless daughter unscathed, and they spared your unworthy life....." Her voice dropped low, "I knew, if anyone could teach me how to beat you, it was the humans... the same humans that spared my life."

Cosma was practically trembling with rage, "You are a traitor." She spat voice quavering, "A traitor to your own race. You are a disgrace to your entire species! AND YOU WILL DIE LIKE A TRAITOR. She lowered her voice dangerously just then, "And once you are dead, I will leave your body to dry under the heat of the sun, and your soul will never see the ascending fires."

A gasp rocked itself around the clearing.

Sunny glowered forward, "I would rather face the immortal abyss than meet you in the afterlife, besides." She taunted sarcastically, "Maybe the human gods will adopt me seeing as I have granted the favor in return."

The square went silent as if the entirety of life had held its collective breath. Even the wind refused to blow. The only sound was came from the distant, heaving breath of the mountain taking over respiration for the silent world around it. Sun broke through the cloud of ash, and as if by some divine providence illuminated the center of the square and the circle within. Light crossed in a diagonal across Sunny's carapace illuminating her like the brilliant blue of shallow ocean water.

General Cosma stood in the direct rays of light her dark purple carapace burning with dark cosmic light. Like staring into a deep space nebulae.

Neither of them moved.