Spacial Illusions

Chapter Ten

NOT PROPERLY EDITED

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Time seemed to always slow down when something tragic happens, like a travesty was the lovely entertainment of the universe and they were lingering long enough to snap some pictures or laugh at a stunned idiot watching it all come apart at the seams. And it seemed that the universe loved the trainwreck that has become Callisto's world. The Mors Magna had lain waste to the village, nothing was left unscathed- some were blackened and burning shells as they collapsed to the forest floor far below. Callisto pushed frantically through the rushing crowd in search of Deimos, Europa, and Ursa to ensure they were alright after being slung around like ragdolls and playtoys.

"Deimos? Europa? Ursa?" The flash of brilliant red caught her eye and she pushed through the last line of citizens to see the boy and girl together searching through the remnants of a hut looking for survivors under the rubble, Ursa bounding happily up to her when she arrived. She sighed in relief before joining them in their search.

"You're alright! You had us worried you know, streaking through the village with the Mors Magna snapping at your tail!" They lifted a splintered bit of wood that used to be a wall and beneath was a huddled couple, one a feathery white and the other a mousy brown.

"Helix! Mishal! Are you two alright?" Asks Callisto as she helped the two boys our from beneath the ruins. Once they were freed, the female noticed how they shied from her touch and that everyone was leaving a wide berth around them.

"It was you who brought the Mors Magna to the village." This was the tiny voice of Mishal from the safety of the crowd surrounding him and Helix who still held the boy close.

"What?" A voice shouted a few huts away, shutting down any remarks to Callisto's question.

"Come quick! The Tribunal Hut is burning and Cordal is inside!" Everyone moved in an instant, each running to find a way to put out the fire. Callisto ignored the sheep herd mentality of the crowd and sprinted straight into the inferno to find Cordal himself before he burned to death inside.

"Cordal! Where are you?" She dodged a smoldering rainfall of charred wood and covered her mouth and nose with her shirt as she blinked away the tears and smoke. A second string of coughs joined her own and she used the sound to track Cordal to the furthest corner of the Tribunal Hut. Blood pooled around his hooves and stained his snowy fur shades varying from pinks to crimson and maroon. A huge pike of a support beam had splintered off and ran him through to stab into the trunk behind him to pin the dying leader to the wall that burned ever closer.

"Callisto, child, you shouldn't be in here. It's not safe." Cordal's voice was harsh and gravelly from the smoke and pain. She ignored his scolding and began to try and push the pike upwards and free of his torso but she was growing weary and the wooden beam was thick and heavy. "Get out while you can, child."

"Not without you, Cordal. I just need to get this beam out of the way." The brown and cream streaked birch wood was coated in shiny crimson as the white stag male began to cough up more blood.

"It's too late for me, just get out while you can." Callisto viciously shook her head no and pushed on the beam with greater fervor, earning the same fruitless result and a frustrating cry of smoky rage.

"It'll be okay, Cordal. Just stay with me, they'll put out the fire and Hydra will help you in no time." The leader reached out and gently held her sooty hands with his own shaky ones slick with his own blood.

"It's okay, Callisto, my time here is over." She shook her head no once again.

"You can't go. Cordal, they need you to guide them. To protect them." He took a shaky breath and coughed up more blood before gasping out his last few words to the blue female.