Z26
The Ghost Walks Again
By Marzena
Chapter 7: Massacre
"What do you mean, it didn't work?" Hadea asked, sounding irritated. "It has to work, doesn't it? You are the Phantom now. The power is yours."
Yes, that's how it was supposed to be. The phantom died, the heir took over – and that included the power. But Jedda hadn't felt anything after speaking the words. She didn't feel stronger, faster, more agile. She still felt like young Jedda Walker, the Phantom's daughter.
"It did not work!" she exclaimed again. "I don't feel any different!"
"Well, maybe you're not supposed to," Hadea argued. "You never used those powers. Maybe it doesn't feel different. Maybe you just have to act and they'll work."
"That's a bit of a risk, isn't it?" the chief interrupted. "If she doesn't have the powers and she runs straight into battle, she could be killed and then we'll have no Phantom at all!"
That got him one of Hadea's famous icy glares for practically putting having a Phantom here to protect them over Jedda just being safe. But Jedda didn't mind. The chief only met her a few days ago for the very first time. Why should be care about her more than about protecting his people, his tribe, his tribe's legacy?
And Jedda wasn't stupid enough to take Hadea's advice. Although she probably would have if she hadn't been told by her father quite a few times how using the powers felt.
"I'm supposed to feel them," she said between gritted teeth.
"Then why don't you?" the chief's son asked, now catching up with them as well.
"Because she's still hurting and still not accepting what has happened," Hadea quietly said, turning around and holding up her staff, deflecting some of the laser blasts that were fired at them with the power of Netherworld while trying to explain and use her mind-control on the attackers at the same time, which didn't work too well. Only one of them was under Hadea's control, dropping his weapon.
"That is not true, I ..."
"It is. That, and the fact that maybe you have to believe in those powers before they are any use to you. Remember the countless times Amy's powers got out of control when she felt upset? It's the same with every power in the world, Jedda. They won't work until you fully embrace them, become one with them, feel in balance with them."
The words You're not ready weren't said but it was clear what Hadea meant anyway. And sadly, Jedda had to agree with her this time. She wasn't ready.
"I need that power! Now!"
"You used to be capable without any mighty powers. You're a born jungle princess, Jedda. And that's something that hasn't changed and never will."
Well, Hadea was right with that one. Maybe there had been a good reason for the others – Sheila, most likely – to send Hadea to accompany her. But whatever, this wasn't the time to think. It was the time to act.
"Jungle princess it is, then," she muttered, turning around and disappearing in the thick jungle that surrounded them. It confused their attackers but since they were primary after the Falou and their chief in particular, they didn't try to follow Jedda. Instead they were faced with Hadea's mind-control powers again. This time she had more time to concentrate and bring another few of them to their knees. Some of the Falou resorted to fighting as well.
Then Jedda jumped down from the tree she had quickly climbed, surprising the attack leader by dropping right on top of him, rolling around in the dirt with an agility that every gymnast in the world would have envied her for, kicking the weapon out of his hands and then raising her foot in a swift motion, kicking him in his face so he fell backwards with a broken, bloody nose. She heard someone behind her and whirled around, kicked another man, sending another weapon flying. So this wasn't the Phantom power and surely, her father would have been quicker to defeat those men. But right now, she knew she was doing a fine job, too.
But then the machines appeared seemingly out of nowhere, large metal things that stomped down everything that had the misfortune of standing in their way. What the …!
"Scatter!" she heard Hadea cry out and then the chief yelled something in his own language that she didn't even understand with all the horrible noise those machines made.
And scatter they did, in each and every direction, some followed by a machine, some fortunate enough to disappear into the jungle without being followed. But the jungle didn't stop these large things. They just stomped every tree and bush and rock right into the ground, leaving them crushed.
"I've got to find a way to stop these machines!" Jedda muttered to herself while running for her life.
The chief's son was pursued too. Frantically, he tried to climb onto a high rock, but the machine had already reached him. He fell, and Jedda reached him right before the machine could stomp him into the ground, racing him across the ground when suddenly, the sky was full of purple roboships, shooting down at them. Roboships! That only meant one thing – Ming the Merciless!
"Of course he had to be involved!" Hadea grumbled, now appearing out of the jungle and running towards Jedda. Her dress was slightly torn and her left shoulder was badly scratched, but otherwise she seemed alright.
Hell was breaking lose right now. The machines had startled the women and children of the tribe too as well as some elders and more young men. Everyone was running, trying not to get hit by the shots coming from above, but some were already dead on the ground. It was a massacre. The only fortunate thing was that some of the machines got hit as well, but not all of them.
Did I bring this on, Jedda wondered. Did Ming somehow follow me here? Or did Hadea sell us out? Or did … And then it hit her, her thoughts going back to her very first conversation with Partha, the chief's son, the day she and her father had visited the Falou first.
"It was you!" she yelled at the young man, her eyes blazing with anger. "You brought that Madden guy here, and maybe even Ming!"
The young man blanched but stood his ground, shaking his head. "No! No, I swear I didn't!"
"Yes, you did! It was you! When we first talked, you mentioned television! You've been in contact with the outside world!"
Which was the one thing none of the Falou were allowed to in order to guard the secret of the elixir and the legacy of their tribe.
"You betrayed your people for your own selfish reasons! And with that you caused my father's tragic end!" she spat at him, disgusted by the choices the young man made and the results of them. Like him, she'd been raised to take over a legacy. Unlike him, she had never strayed from her destiny.
"Jedda, I swear I didn't ..."
"Enough with your lies! For your sake, help us to fight them back!"
But how she was to fight without the Phantom powers she didn't know. It was one thing to go up against armed men chasing them. That she had done countless times before with Ming's ice robots. But fighting against large machines and roboships … now that was an entirely different story!
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