Chapter 66: Sacrifice

A dark blur coalesced in front of me. Another of brilliant white light landed behind Isabell. Remi pushed me backwards off the invisible string. His eyes flared with pain as the sword drove through him. I screamed as I fell backwards.

Angie pulled Isabell back, pulling the sword out of Remi. Remi fell to his hands in knees in front of me as Isabell fought against Angie's hold. His wings spread out as he fought her struggling body.

I scrambled forward then leaned over Remi. His breath was ragged. The hole in his back oozed with black blood. The same blood dripped out of his mouth as he fought to breathe. I lay a hand on his back.

"Remi," I whispered, "Remi." Tears leaked from my eyes.

He words came out in wispy breaths. "Watch... out..."

I spun. Isabell stood before me with my sword over her head. She came down at me. I jumped out of the way, leaving Remi on his hands and knees. I rolled and plucked up her dark blade in my hand. Angie lay on the ground, holding his side. His feathers were blackened with traces of lightening marks. Gold blood dripped from his fingers.

"Why do you take everything from me!" I shouted. "I gave you everything I had. I loved you, Mother!"

She cackled. "You are not a person. Don't play those games with me. You are power. That is all!" She twirled my sword in her hands, as she lined up her killing blow.

"I AM A PERSON!" I said each word with emphasis as I ran at her, lining up my own final strike. Our swords clashed, white against black, good against evil, love against hate. The ground shook between us. The dark blade quivered against the light. Power surged up through my arms and into it, morphing the black into white. Pink power exploded, knocking Isabell back. I swung, slicing her arm then kicked her down on her ass.

She looked up at me with raging ember eyes. "I hate you!"

I lifted my sword above my head and pointed it down at her heart. I looked down at her. I wanted to hate her. I wanted to be angry at her, but somehow, I couldn't. I felt only sadness for this sad pathetic creature. She let hatred and jealousy control her actions. She destroyed her own life and everyone around her. Matei, my father, Mila, Anton, even my brother. She destroyed everyone because she couldn't see past the greed.

My sword lowered. Isabell's eyes narrowed as she watched me.

"You are too weak," she growled. She reached for the Aurora sword where it had fallen. I snapped my fingers and the Aurora Sword jumped to my free hand. I held them both at her heart.

I knew that look in her eye. She was going to kill me, just as she had killed countless others in front of me. I started to move the blades downward.

"I'll kill him," Isabell said. Her eyes darted to Remi kneeling over a pool of his own black blood. "It will only take a snap of my fingers now. You kill me and he dies."

My swords stopped again.

"Give me your power, its mine. I created it. Give me what is rightfully mine."

I couldn't. Juno entrusted me with this power. I thought back to all the evil things she made me do as Lanie. All the creatures she made me kill. And it was all for this, to gain power for her. She needed to be gone from the world, no matter the cost.

I stabbed the swords towards her heart. The blades slid into her chest like butter. She screamed. Dark and Light shot from her mouth. Blood oozed out of the openings the swords had made. Power surged up the swords into me. I could feel all of my mother's power inside me, just beneath my skin. The swords locked and cemented them there. The swords shrank into two daggers. I slid them between my jeans and my skin. The flatten and folded against me, once again one with their master.

When the light show finished, my body sagged against the swords. Angie lay holding his side. His singed feathers were scattered around him. Remi held himself up on hands and knees. Blood leaked form his mouth and open wounds. I attempted to limp towards him.

I heard a snap from behind me. His form disintegrated into shadows. I turned to find Mila grinning a too big smile with too many teeth at me. She said nothing then burst into a dark cloud that slipped back through the trees.

I turned to Angie. He lay holding his side. I went and knelt to him, pressing my hands to his wound. I used some of my pink light to knit together the deeper parts of the wound.

"How did you get here?" I asked.

"I'm in trouble," he said.

I nodded. "I'll get you back, I promise."

He held my cheek in his hand. I could feel the blood on it stick to my face. "I'll be waiting."

His form slipped through my fingers as he turned into purple smoke. I looked up to find Karma's disapproving eyes staring down on me. She turned and disappeared in a puff of smoke.

I turned to the rosebushes at marking the Gemini circle spell. This was the merging spell that created me. This was like my birth place. The trees stiffened as time stopped. Juno appeared out of thin air.

Her musical voice sounded ominous in a minor tone as she spoke. "You did well, daughter."

I couldn't say anything.

"Why did you hesitate?"

"I was trying to decide if she could change."

Juno frowned. "What did you conclude?"

"If she isn't stopped, she will continue to spread evil in the world."

Juno laughed. "That may be true, but I am not concerned with good and evil. But if she did not die she would continue to create another Gemini soul. I do not wish to be bothered by such things. And I was not interested in her contract." She turned to me. "However, I am interested in yours."

"What do you mean?"

"Work for me, daughter of Gemini. I will keep your contract safe."

"But I am not dead yet."

"I can still safe guard it when it comes up to bid. We are talking about your everlasting soul."

I stayed quiet. For now, I was a free agent. I didn't want to commit to a contract before I was even dead.

She saw my indecision. "Think about it." She turned away from me.

"Juno?" I asked.

Her delicate features looked back at me.

"Who am I? Am I Kira or am I Lanie?" I looked down at the black and white spirals on my arms. I had Lanie's tattoos on the inside of my right arm. I looked back up at her.

She shook her head. "You are neither and you are both."

Before she could turn away, I blurted out, "Will you name me?"

Her smile was warm and rich. "Daughter of Gemini, it is the right of the goddess to name herself."

My mouth worked seeking words I did not have. My mind caught on the word "goddess".

"Use your new power wisely," she said as she faded from view.

I stood in the middle of the nexus point in the dark all alone. I finally felt whole, but I had lost everything to gain it.