Chapter 65: Battle

Isabell's eyes glowed orange. Fireballs lit in her hands. She combined them until it was four feet in diameter the pushed it with her hands at me. The Lanie in me jumped to the side swiftly, while the Kira in me was amazed. I dodged another two fireballs, flipping through the air and landing gracefully about the circle.

My mind worked. It was Kira's brilliant mind and this time the Lanie side of me was amazed. I could feel the power thrumming through me. I pictured runes in my mind, clicking them into place as I realized what they meant. With Lanie's knowledge and Kira's intelligence, I formed a wall of pink light. It caught the next fireball and reflected it back at Isabell.

Isabell's hair flew back as she absorbed her own spell. The glow in her eyes reddened with anger. Her lips started moving. The trees around the circle swayed. Their branches moved like arms as the unrooted themselves from the soil. They stomped towards me.

I darted in between them, trying to gain some distance. "Angie," I breathed out as I ran, then I remembered, he was gone. My mind flickered through the runes I knew as I flipped and darted between the trees as they smashed their branches down at me. I used the pink light to form wings on my back. I flew through the branches and leaves as they smashed towards me. I spun and twisted in the air, dodging them with some trouble. It was hard getting used to this new appendage so quickly. I finally made it up above the forest. My wings glowed in the setting sun.

Isabell rose above the trees. A dark cloud carried her towards me. Her hands came at me with clawed fingers. Lighting shot from her hands. I dipped and dived as I tried to avoid it, but failed. The lightning struck me in the shoulder. I went tumbling down. Runes spun about in my mind. It was the way Kira thought, with pictures. Lanie was way more straight-forward, but the two parts of me worked together until it felt like instinct. I lifted my hands to my sides and pressed pink light out of them. My descent slowed until I soared upward as I remade my pink wings. The lighting through my shoulder ached. I laced it with pink light, tying to stich the tissue you back together.

I turned to Isabell. She shrieked with rage as she soared at me. Her darkness melted into a sword. The dark blade grew huge. It seemed to suck in the light as I stared at it. It looked familiar. Memories flooded my brain. This was the sword Kira had liberated. This was the Night Sword. And now Isabell had it.

I whipped my hand to the side. The aurora sword climbed up my skin and snapped to my hand. It grew to three times the size as me, yet it still felt lightweight like a blown up toy sword. It was far from that though. I could feel the power of it surging through me. I sent my own power into it until I couldn't feel were it ended and I began. The silver blade flickered with rainbow color as I leveled it at Isabell.

The Lanie inside of me surfaced. I swopped in clashing weapons with our mother. The hatred in her eyes shocked me. I slashed and parried as all that rage came full force against my weapon. She pressed me back. The trees below thrashed their branches in my direction as I flew through the air. We clashed and parted again and again, neither of us giving ground, or air for that matter.

"Remi!" Isabell shrieked.

Remi's shadow coalesced in the setting sun. He hovered to the side of her, a darkened cloud beneath his own feet kept him aloft.

"Aid me!"

I saw him squeezed his eyes shut as I blocked a hammering blow from Isabell.

"Remi..."

"You're under contract!"

Remi's body jerked like he was being pulled by an invisible force. He flew at me from the side as Isabell lunged forward with the dark blade. I sent a bullet of pink light at him, knocking him askew. Isabell and I clashed once more, throwing each other away and diving back again.

Remi came up again. I held my hand out in his direction, but instead of me diving towards me, he shot towards her. Lightning burst from Isabell's hand at him along with a scream of rage. I took the moment to slice at her arm with my sword. She flew backward. Remi's scream filled the air as he tumbled down towards the angry trees. My eyes watched him disappear in horror.

After my momentary lapse of concentration, an arm came about my middle. I yanked against the pull, but I couldn't get away from the strong arm. Isabell came at me, sword aloft in both hands. She came down hard, like she would slice me in two. The edge of the sword cut into my shoulder. Ice cold pain lanced down through me, ripping that warm happiness away like a poison. Power burst from me like a nova, pushing both of them away. I watched them tumble as they lost their control.

My left arm hung limp. The black and white spiral on my arms pulsed. This was it, this was my chance. My wings carried me forward. I lowered the tip of my blade as I plunged forward into the tumbling Isabell. I drove it down into her chest. It pushed her down. I let gravity take over as we plummeted through the trees. The fingers on my injured arm spread out, pushing the trees back with pink light.

We landed at the center of the Gemini circle. Dust clouded up around us as we hit the ground. My sword drove through her shoulder into the dirt, pinning her in place. My knees landed hard on the ground. Black blood oozed up through her white shirt.

"Ungrateful daughter. You never were good enough," she spat. Black blood leaked from the corner of her mouth.

I knew she thought that about me, but hearing her say it was still a blow. It brought that warm happiness down even lower.

Isabell twisted her fingers. Icy dark pain lanced through my shoulder again, forcing it to move. Just like a poison, it had infected me, giving her control over my limb. I watched as my hand drew the sword from her chest. She rose as I was pushed backward. The warm pink light died within me as the darkness took over.

She snatched the white sword from my hand and lowered it to my chest as she moved my limbs like a puppet with her power. I hung just above the ground unable to move, chest puffed out. The tip of the sword slit a hole in my skin. Bright pink blood trickled forth.

"How could you do this to me, Mother? I always did my best. I always tried to be a good daughter."

"You were always part of spell. You are only a means to an end. Like a vegetable in a garden, and now you are ripe for the picking."

The sword slid deeper. The cold pain chased all the warmth away. It hurt like hell, but I couldn't move. I couldn't even scream. All I could do was watch as she scarified me.