Legends of Amacia Attack on Tartarus
Chapter 5: Selina Walks

Selina Walks

At roughly 9:30 AM the same morning Hannibal had the bizarre dreams of monsters and ruined cities, a sweet melodious voice in his ear woke him. “Hannibal. Wake up, my lover,” the voice purred in his ear. “Wake up.” Hannibal stirred and opened his eyes to see Selina’s face no more than two inches from his. Her head was lying on his shoulder. Her arms were around him and her left leg was laying over on his. She was nearly lying on top of him. He yawned as he fell into her large bluish-green eyes, promptly getting lost in them. “Good morning, my prince,” she said sweetly.

Hannibal turned his head to her and with a smile and a squeeze, said, “Good morning, princess.” He looked her in the eye for a few moments, and then breathed, “God, how I love you. You gave us a real scare with that wound of yours from the Hydra.”

Puzzlement crossed Selina’s face as she replied, “What are you talking about?”

Hannibal gently pushed the nightgown sleeve up on her left arm and said, “I don’t know how it happened, but the wound you received from the Hydra manifested in the real world. Look at your arm.” She looked at her left arm and gasped. The wound was nearly completely healed, but there was still a bit of a hole there showing that there was a deep penetration of her flesh. Hannibal touched it gently and she flinched a bit. “Does it still hurt?” he asked.

“My arm is terribly sore right there,” Selina replied. “How did it happen? The last thing I clearly remember was running that snake through the head while we were inside Muriel’s mind and being hit by its tooth. Why did it manifest for real like that?”

Hannibal shook his head, saying, “I have no idea. But it did. Do you remember Anastasia?”

Selina thought for a moment, and then said, “Vaguely, like a dream. Did we release Muriel’s imprisoned identity?”

“Yes. Her real name is Anastasia and she, like me and Enoch is descended from the Caverias line through Leila,” Hannibal reported. “It was a hard won fight too. I nearly lost you in there. Anastasia saved your life twice before merging with Muriel. She has some strange healing ability that is far stronger than Amelia’s is. But don’t you worry about that for now. You will get to meet her soon enough. Besides that, how do you feel?”

Selina’s eyes sparkled as she said, “Good, very good as a matter of fact. You know the strange thing about it is I can now feel my legs. They feel like they did before we were captured with the exception of they have little strength in them. But the big thing is that I have feeling in them again.”

This intrigued Hannibal so he reached under the blankets and pinched her gently on the thigh of her leg. “Did you feel that?” he asked.

“Yes, I did. Oh, the Lord is so good,” Selina chimed happily.

Hannibal was overjoyed and latched onto her, saying, “The Lord is indeed good.” At that, he kissed her passionately, holding her close as he could. She immediately responded and they melted each other with their kisses. After the kiss, he breathed deeply, “Oh, Lord how I love you. I burn for you!”

“Me too,” Selina replied ecstatically clinging to him like a tick, laying her head on his chest. “I want you so much. I’m so ready for the consummation of our union. I want it so bad. But it can’t be, not yet. We aren’t done, are we?”

Selina’s words smote Hannibal to his heart, causing it to ache. His passions were on fire for her, but he knew that she was right. They weren’t done. With a sigh, Hannibal said, “You’re right. We aren’t done, not yet. But we are so much closer than we think. I get such pleasure out of sharing with you in all things. Our minds are already mated, but I feel something’s missing. I suspect that when the Lord finally says it’s okay to mate physically, we’re probably going to replace that it is going to be far beyond what we ever wanted. At that point, we will finally be one in mind, body and spirit. I yearn for it, as I know you do. I want that union so much. But we still have work to do. We can’t let this distract us. I almost lost you again with that wound on your arm. I know it was for a reason. But for the moment I can’t see why.”

Selina put her fingers to his mouth and shushed him, saying, “Shhh. It’s all right. The Lord will let us know in His own good time.”

Hannibal smiled and rocked her gently as she lay in his arms. He then happened to look over to Rachel’s bed and saw that she and her prosthesis arm and legs were gone with the wheelchair. Selina’s wheelchair was still sitting next to their bed. “It looks like Rachel is moving around very well with those legs Tal gave her,” he told Selina. “I wonder how she got them on without our help.”

Selina nuzzled him replying, “Momma and Emma came in a few minutes ago while you were still asleep. They helped her dress and put on her prosthetics. I wouldn’t have known had I not woke up while they were helping Rachel put on her prosthetics.”

“Really,” Hannibal answered in a surprised tone at the news, “I didn’t know they’d stepped up to help her like that.”

“It seems they did,” Selina purred. “Momma just adores Rachel. After what happened to us freeing Ana, she took the initiative so we wouldn’t be burdened with Rachel. She loves that child as if she were her own.”

“I see,” Hannibal chimed. “I’m glad. Rachel needs someone she can depend on other than us. It’ll help her become more self-sufficient.”

“It will, but we can’t relinquish our responsibilities concerning Rachel,” Selina insisted. “She’s our daughter and we need to be her primary care givers. She particularly looks up to you, Hannibal. Don’t push her out because you’re too busy fighting the Emperor. Rachel needs her dad.”

Hannibal kissed Selina gently on the lips. “You’re so right,” he agreed, “Thanks for reminding me of my responsibilities to her. She does need her dad, and her mom. Don’t think for a minute she doesn’t adore you, Selina. She’s developed a reporé with you and loves you just a deeply as I, and it isn’t just because of your purr. She loves you because you understand her. Her love for you is nearly as strong as mine is. I can feel it. I see her teaching both of us what it means to be parents.”

“I know,” Selina replied. “I love her too, and will lay down my life for her, but it’s not the love I have for you. That’s far deeper and more intimate. I pray we can truly give her what she needs.”

“Amen to that,” Hannibal concurred enthusiastically. “She, of all people, needs that second chance to live the life she was meant to live. If I have anything to say about it, she’ll have that life, and become a beautiful, caring woman.”

“I pray the same thing,” Selina chimed, cuddling with Hannibal. Thus they laid there, just enjoying being in each other’s company. After nearly ten minutes, a strange feeling came over Hannibal and his countenance fell slightly as a feeling of impending doom descended on him. Selina immediately noticed it and asked, “What’s wrong?” Before he could answer, both of them fell into a vision.

Before their eyes lay the Dune Sea and the watchtower of Ezra Karac loomed in the distance. “What is this?” Selina asked in stupefaction as the vision suddenly lurched forward toward the fortress on the butte.

“That’s the watchtower of Ezra Karac,” Hannibal told her as they zoomed right into the main hall of the keep where Hannibal had retrieved the sword of Ezra Karac when he was still Hanna. The vision stopped at the table where the skeleton of Ezra Karac sat. Everything was as Hannibal had seen it when the Roc deposited them on the tower. All of the ancient dead were lying where they fell before the Kragonar. Hannibal and Selina found themselves standing amidst the bones of the place. Selina latched on to Hannibal fearfully. “Don’t be afraid,” he told her as they looked around. “Look there at the end of the table. There sits the mighty Ezra Karac himself.”

The skeleton of Ezra Karac sat there with his empty eye sockets staring into eternity. Hannibal led Selina toward him when suddenly Ezra Karac’s bony hand moved. The skeleton suddenly straightened up in its seat and the skull rose, looking directly at Hannibal and Selina with red light glowing in the eye sockets. This stopped them cold. Fear rose in both of them as the animated skeleton cocked it’s skull to one side as it looked at them. Selina trembled as they watched the skull move like a live head. It raised it bony left arm and pointed to the wall, saying, “Beware the Leviathan. Samhein moves in the Darkness as Nidhoggr stirs. Destroy the gateway before it’s too late.”

“What?” Hannibal asked fearfully as the bony finger of Ezra Karac pointed to the wall.

“Remember who you are, and fulfill your destiny,” Ezra Karac’s skeleton said. “Fulfill your promise to my beloved before it’s too late. The clock is ticking.” Then as suddenly as it began, the bony arm and finger of Ezra Karac fell and the animated skeleton fell lifeless again, slumping forward, crumbling into dust.

“Okay, I’m officially creeped out now,” Selina declared fearfully.

Then as suddenly as the vision began, it vanished, leaving them still in their bed in each other’s arms. “What was that?” Selina asked, totally freaked by what they saw.

“I...I don’t know,” Hannibal replied hesitantly, not sure what any of it meant. “But it seems to me that we need to go back there and quick. I suspect Leila may be there somewhere in that Tower. Nearly every time I see her, that place is part of the vision or dream. I’ve got to replace out or she’ll keep haunting me forever.” Just then, they heard a knock at the door and Hannibal replied, “Come in.” Selina moved off Hannibal and sat up, as did he when the door opened.

Nathanael, Joshua, and Seras entered, closing the door behind them. “How are you feeling, princess?” Nathanael asked as they came to the bed and stood around it.

“All right, dad. Maybe you can answer a question I have,” Selina replied as she pulled up her left sleeve, showing the healing wound. “How did I get that?”

Nathanael sat on the edge of the bed and examined her arm carefully. “It seems to be healing very well. Is it still sore?” he asked. She nodded and Nathanael said, “We don’t know how it happened, but Nemesis saved your life. We found a fragment of the Hydra’s tooth in the wound after we got you to the Healer. He removed it and cleaned the wound before giving you the antivenin for the Hydra’s venom.”

Selina’s mouth wagged open. “What?” she cried. “There was a piece of the tooth in my arm? How is this possible? How can things of the mind suddenly become real?”

Nathanael shook his head, saying, “I don’t know, but it happened. The only thing we can come up with is that the Cadre had something to do with it. Somehow, their defense mechanisms were able to manifest physically outside the astral plane. We have no idea how they did it. But Nemesis still has the fragment he removed from your arm and is doing tests on it to try to discover why it became real.”

“That’s something we all would like to know,” Hannibal answered.

“And how are you, young man?” Nathanael asked Hannibal.

“Much better,” Hannibal replied. “It seems that I’m pretty much over being crushed by the Hydra. My chest still aches a little, but it isn’t a problem now.”

“Good. Good,” Joshua said in a pleased tone. “Enoch wanted me to update you on the plans for dealing with Kartoom we’ve been working on. You said we needed to take it out, right?”

Hannibal nodded, saying, “That I did. What did you guys come up with?”

“Well,” Joshua began. “Between Horace, Anastasia, Josephine, Nemesis, and Magnus, we’ve come up with a floor plan of the facility. The place is far bigger than we thought. It isn’t going to be easy to reach the core to detonate it.”

Hannibal grasped Selina’s hand and replied, “I figured that. How many have we got for the operation?”

“One hundred fifty for the Kartoom operation,” Joshua stated. “We have two teams of seventy-five. I don’t know whether you remembered, but we also have to take out the Emperor’s fleet too in Stygia. As of the moment, a separate team of eighty is slated to go for the flagship along with some of our people when the time is right. Since Marvin is familiar with the facility at Stygia, he volunteered to lead the assault. Magnus is going with him along with some of our people just to be sure. All three teams are ready to go at your order.”

“Sounds like you guys have been busy,” Hannibal stated, very pleased that someone had initiative. “What about Ana? Has she been able to help?”

Joshua smiled, saying, “She’s incredible. She has knowledge about the Cadre that is astounding. Between her, Nemesis, Horace, and Josephine, we were able to get a very detailed map of the facility and about their defense mechanisms. Anastasia knows their deepest secrets. She knows their machinery, their abilities, and weaknesses. Josephine was able to confirm what Anastasia said. It’s no wonder they locked her up the way she was. She has enough knowledge about them to be able to bring them down single-handedly. She’s part of your team that is going to Kartoom. And even better, she’s more than ready to revenge herself upon them for what they did to her.”

Hannibal glanced at Selina with a smile, saying to Joshua, “I knew she was going to be useful. She has information not just on the Cadre, but on the Emperor as well. I’m sure of this. Are the members of the three teams training so they can be at their peak when they go?” Joshua nodded and Hannibal smiled, saying, “Good.” He then turned his attention to Seras and asked, “So, Seras, son of Hrothgar. Why are you here? Have you seen anything?”

Nathanael nodded, saying, “He has, Hannibal. Tell them, Seras.”

Seras then told them what he saw the evening before while they were in the healing chamber tending to Selina and Hannibal’s wounds from the operation to free Anastasia. Selina’s face fell at it and Hannibal sighed deeply as he looked Selina in the face, saying, “I think someone is trying to tell us something. Here’s the second witness.”

“What’re you talking about?” Nathanael asked and Hannibal told them what they’d seen in a vision just before Nathanael, Joshua, and Seras arrived. Seras became very dismayed at what he heard while the vision intrigued Nathanael.

“What’s the matter, Seras?” Hannibal asked when he noticed Seras’ perturbed reaction.

“I hate this,” Seras replied. “I wish I never had this ability. Nothing good will come from this. I got the distinct impression when I saw it that death awaits anyone who goes there.”

Hannibal nodded solemnly, saying, “I’m not too thrilled to see it either. But it seems we need to go back there and take a closer look. Every time I have a vision or dream concerning Leila, Ezra’s Tower is involved. I suspect Leila lies somewhere deep within the fortress, but I can’t be absolutely sure about it. Whether it’s Leila or something else important there, we can ill afford to keep ignoring it. We can’t let the Emperor replace whatever is there.”

“So we are going back to the tower?” Nathanael asked. “Sounds like you’ve already made up your mind to go.”

“Yes. It seems so,” Hannibal replied. “We’re going on a little side excursion before we sack Kartoom. I have to put this thing about Leila to rest first otherwise it’s going to continue to be a distraction I don’t need.”

Joshua folded his arms across his chest and asked, “Who’s going?”

Hannibal looked Joshua in the eye, saying, “Elle, Nathanael, Andrew, Amelia, Anastasia, Morpheus, Selina, and me.”

Nathanael looked at him and asked, “Are you sure Selina should go? She’s still not able to walk yet.”

Hannibal gripped her hand as he looked into her face, saying, “Yes, she’s coming. As for her not walking, I believe that her time as a cripple is done. She told me her legs felt like they did before she was captured.”

Nathanael looked Selina in the eye. “You can feel your legs again, princess?” he asked.

“Yeah, dad,” Selina replied, “And it’s not a mere tingling like I’ve had for the last week. My legs feel sound. I can feel pain in them, and even more important, I can move them easily now.” To prove her point, she threw the blanket back, uncovering her legs before raising both knees almost to her chest. She then lowered them, and rolled her ankles and wiggled her toes. “I have full control over my legs and feet, dad,” she declared. “Hannibal pinched me on the leg and I felt it. I have yet to try to walk, but with the way my legs feel now, I don’t think it will be a problem. That’s why I’ve been doing the therapy so religiously...for this moment.”

“I’m glad you’ve finally got back use of your legs, Miss Selina,” Joshua congratulated. “I knew you’d eventually beat it.”

“Thank you, Joshua,” Selina chimed. “I appreciate your faith in me.”

“You’re welcome,” Joshua returned, smiling warmly. “We’ve all been praying for this day. I can safely say we’ve seen another prayer answered.”

“That we have,” Nathanael agreed. “But are you sure she should go, Hannibal? Selina may have gotten back the use of her legs, but they may still be weak. Do you want to subject her to such a trial so soon?”

“It’s up to her if she wants to come,” Hannibal admitted. “I’m not going to force her to come if she doesn’t want to. But I know she wants to come. She’s been confined to that wheelchair and this Tower since I rescued her. She’s ready to leave that chair behind and get back to business. Aren’t you, princess?”

“I am,” Selina declared. “I’ve been a fifth wheel for long enough. I want to get back to exploring with Hannibal. But if it will make you feel better dad, I’ll not go with him if I don’t think I can keep up.”

Nathanael smiled warmly at Selina. “I’ll leave it up to you, princess,” he replied. “Besides, you’ve a stubborn streak in you that’s as deep as Hannibal’s. I doubt I could stop you even if I wanted to.”

“I promise not to go if I don’t feel one hundred percent by time he’s ready to go,” Selina insisted. “You have my word on it. But I think it’s only a little thing. Even as I speak, I can feel the life and strength building in my legs. I can’t wait to get back to doing all the things I used to do, especially dancing. I miss dancing with my prince.”

“I know you do,” Nathanael purred, seeing Selina’s faith and confidence surging. “So, when shall we leave?”

“Three hours. That will give us time to get ready and brief the others before we go,” Hannibal stated.

Nathanael got up, saying, “All right, three hours then. We’ll be ready.”

Joshua looked at them and said, “If there’s anything we can do, just let us know.”

Hannibal nodded and Nathanael, Joshua, and Seras left the room. Hannibal looked at Selina after the door was shut and asked, “Well, my queen; are we up for a little walk?”

Selina smiled and kissed his hand, saying, “Absolutely.”

Hannibal promptly got up and went to her side of the bed as she slipped over to the edge of the bed, hanging her legs off the edge. He reached out, offering his hand to her. She grasped it and he pulled her to her feet. For a few seconds, her legs held her up, but then they buckled. Hannibal caught her, wrapping his arms around her waist to keep her up. She was a little dismayed by her legs once again failing her. “Come on, princess. You can do it,” he cooed in her ear as he set her on her feet again. Again, her legs held her up for a few seconds, and then they gave way. Hannibal caught her again saying, “Come on. I’ll help you. Just believe and the Lord will have you walking again in no time. Remember Jo. If she could remember how to walk after over twelve thousand years, then you certainly can.”

Hannibal held Selina close, holding her up as they made a slow dance across the floor trying to get her to replace her feet. At first, her feet and legs didn’t seem to know what to do. They quivered and trembled as she used muscles that hadn’t been used since her capture. She clung to him like a tick as he slowly dragged her around the room, urging her on. Slowly, her feet righted themselves. Before she knew it, she was walking around as he held most of her weight. When he noticed it, he said, “That a girl. Come on. I know you can do it. The Lord is good. He heals the lame, just like you. Now believe. Let your faith in Him operate, honey. You can do it. I believe in you.”

In just a few minutes, Hannibal let more and more weight onto her legs as he led her around the room. Before either of them realized it, they were dancing and Hannibal was not holding her up at all. As they slow danced with each other, Hannibal whispered in her ear, “Don’t look now princess, you are not just walking, but dancing. I’m not supporting you at all.” The dance suddenly stopped and Hannibal let her go, quickly moving a good ten feet away from her, leaving her standing on her own feet.

Selina looked down at her feet in shock and surprise, picking on leg up, and then another, wiggling her toes. She looked at him with the happiest look he’d ever seen on her. “Oh, the Lord is so good!” she cried out happily. “He has finally given my legs back to me!” She wrapped her arms around herself, pirouetting, and then danced all over the room, praising the Almighty nonstop.

Hannibal sat on the bed and watched Selina with great love and satisfaction. Suddenly, she rushed him, tackling him. They fell back on the bed and she lavished kisses all over his face and neck as she lay on top of him. She had a loud purr coming out of her as she kissed him repeatedly. This move rather surprised him because she had never been so physical in her affection before. After a few moments of enjoyment, he said, “All right, Selina. That’s enough for now. We can do more of this later. We have a job to do now.”

Selina rolled off him and laughed pleasantly, “I can’t wait!” Hannibal sat up and she latched on to him, throwing her arms around him, laying her head on his shoulder, saying, “Thank you for believing in me. Without you, I’m not sure that I would have walked again.”

Hannibal put an arm around her, and then kissed her on the lips, saying afterwards, “You’re welcome. You know, you can be quite a handful when you get excited. I like it. It looks like all that physical therapy down at the pool finally paid off.”

“That it did,” Selina agreed, “But I can’t help but think that wasn’t the real reason I can walk now. Remember, I had some spinal damage the Healer never fixed. I wonder if Ana’s healing me from the Hydra’s wound repeatedly while in her mind actually repaired that damage.”

“Hmmm,” Hannibal murmured. “It’s very possible. That would indicate she’s a much stronger healer than Amelia could ever be. I’m not sure any of us truly understand what Ana is. I definitely know she’s as powerful a telepath as I am. She’s as much an enigma as I am. But we can solve that puzzle later when there’s not so much pressure on us. The clock is ticking for Leila, and for the rest of us. We have to get our asses in gear and finish this thing with the Emperor.”

“I fully agree,” Selina concurred. “But still, I must thank her for the extra healing. Maybe the Lord had her fix that problem with my spinal cord?”

“Very possible,” Hannibal replied. “But first, how is your strength level now? Are you fatigued from that dance?”

“Not really,” Selina answered. “If anything, my legs feel stronger than they’ve ever felt before. It’s really strange. I’ve never felt such strength and energy in my legs. In fact, I’m feeling completely energized. Maybe the Lord gave me a jumpstart this morning?”

“Could be,” Hannibal stated, “It wouldn’t be the first time.”

“No, it wouldn’t,” Selina agreed. “I can’t wait to get back to working at your side again.”

“Me too,” Hannibal stated. “We’re a crackerjack team. But first, I must ask you something serious. Because of how long you’ve been down, do you still remember how to fight?”

Selina looked at him with a broad smile, showing her canines fully. Without a word, she retrieved the Caverias sword, unsheathing it. It fascinated her. “Is this the sword you found in Acheron?” she asked as she gripped the handle of the sword, eyeing the blade. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yes, it is,” Hannibal replied. “It’s not nearly as heavy as it looks.”

Selina gripped it firmly and replied, “You’re right. It isn’t.” She moved out into the open and executed some practice moves with it flawlessly. It proved to Hannibal that not she was still a very skilled swordswoman, but also she hadn’t forgotten her martial prowess. “It’s just a little long for my liking. I wish I hadn’t lost my other blade. I liked it,” she said as she sat the sword back on the weapons rack after sheathing it.

“I’m sure we can replace you a replacement,” Hannibal stated. “Enoch has an extensive armory with many strange, exotic weapons. Fact is you can’t get much more exotic than the Bane, or the Hellion. And if there isn’t anything you like in there, we can always get Tal to make you something that will suit you.”

Selina sat on the edge of the bed with him and said, “I’d like that.”

They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Hannibal said, “As much as I’d like to sit here with you and get lost in those eyes of yours, I’m afraid we can’t. We have a lot of work to do so let’s get dressed.”

Selina squeezed him lovingly, saying, “All right, but first, one last kiss.”

Hannibal smirked slightly, and then with a shrug, he kissed her in that special way only he could. Selina melted in it as she embraced him passionately, returning the kiss with her own special kiss. He melted with her response, holding her close as they kissed. They completely forgot about everything as they kissed, sharing their love in the only way they were allowed to do for the time being.

After the kiss, they looked at each other dreamily and Selina said, “Oh, Lord; how I love you when you do that! You can kiss me like that forever!” She embraced him passionately.

“So do I,” Hannibal replied dreamily, “You are my life: more important to me than anything else the Lord has given me: a treasure of treasures. Yet, I can’t help but think of how we are going to end up. I am human; you are Lynxian. I’m going to die long before you do. How is this going to work? It pains me to think that you will see my final days and live on well past my death.”

Selina laid her head on Hannibal’s shoulder with her arms still firmly around him. She could feel the distress he was feeling about it. Purring for him, she replied softly as she looked him in the eye, “Do not fret over such things, my prince. Surely, the Lord knew this when he placed us together. Maybe He has a surprise in store for us. But even if you do die before I, I will love you for all eternity. There’s nothing that can separate us, not even death. Every day I spend with you is a most precious jewel that I treasure above all things of this world. If that day comes, I pray that the Lord will take us together for I don’t believe I could live without you.” She was speaking from the bottom of her soul, from the very core of her being and Hannibal knew it. She was as afraid of that eventuality as he was.

Hannibal kissed her gently again on the mouth, and then said, “Come on, honey. We’ve got work to do.” She nodded and they rose, proceeding to get dressed.