Star Wars_ Darth Bane 02_ Rule of Two - Drew Karpyshyn [79]
The body shivered once, and Zannah knew that somewhere in the deepest core of Cyndra’s subconscious a small part of her still existed, silently screaming, trapped forever with the horrors inside her own mind.
Though everyone had borne witness to the Chiss’s gruesome and terrifying end, Zannah was the only one who knew what had really happened. Yet even she was never quite certain just what her victims saw. Based on their reactions she figured it was probably better not to know. She coolly regarded Cyndra’s body on the floor, still trembling occasionally, then glanced up to see Hetton staring at her intently.
She turned away when she heard Paak shouting at her from across the room.
“You did this!” He pointed an accusing finger at her. “Stop her or she’ll kill us all!” he cried.
Several of the guards took a step toward her, only to pull up at a slight shake of the head from Hetton.
“She’s not dead,” Zannah announced. “Though whatever’s left of her mind surely begs for death.”
The answer did nothing to calm Paak’s mounting hysteria. Reaching into his boot, he pulled out a short vibroblade and rushed at Zannah with a scream.
The spell she had unleashed on Cyndra was powerful but exhausting. Zannah doubted she’d be able to effect a similar reaction in Paak before he ran her through with his blade. So instead of sorcery, she turned to more conventional means to dispatch him.
Extending her shackled hands, she used the Force to draw the lightsaber from Hetton’s lap, sending it flying across the room and into her waiting palm. As the blades ignited she casually snapped her restraints with a single thought.
Paak had come in expecting to skewer a helpless prisoner; he wasn’t ready to face an armed foe. She could have slain him right then and there, but she noticed that Hetton was still sitting passively in his seat, observing the action. Zannah decided she’d give him a show.
Instead of decapitating her overmatched opponent, she simply toyed with him, twirling and spinning the lightsaber through intricate, hypnotic patterns as she easily parried his ham-fisted blows. Paak was a brawler, all muscle and no technique, making it ridiculously simple for her to repulse his attacks. He came at her three times, hacking and slashing as he tried to bowl her over. Each time she would nimbly skip to one side and redirect his blade with her own, turning their combat into a dance where she was most definitely taking the lead.
After three failed passes, the tattooed man threw his blade down in frustration and scooped up Cyndra’s fallen blaster. He took aim and fired twice from point-blank range, but Zannah didn’t even flinch.
Using the precognitive awareness of the Force, she was easily able to anticipate the incoming shots and intercept them with the crackling crimson blades of her lightsaber. The first bolt ricocheted harmlessly up into the ceiling; the second she sent back at Paak.
It struck him square between the eyes, leaving a smoking hole in his forehead. His body went rigid, then toppled over backward.
Still twirling her weapon, Zannah turned to face Hetton again. He had not moved from his throne; nor had he made any signal to his guards. As she stared at him he rose slowly to his feet and walked down the stairs of the dais until he was standing only a few meters in front of her. Then he dropped to his knees before her and bowed his head.
In a trembling voice he whispered, “I have been waiting for someone like you my entire life.”
14
Johun walked with long, quick strides down the dormitory corridors of the great Jedi Temple. He passed halls and staircases leading to the various wings that had been constructed to house the Jedi Knights and Padawans who chose to dwell here on Coruscant, making his way toward the base of the Spire of the High Council and the private chambers reserved for the Masters-in-residence.
He nodded curtly to