A fight to the death

Saira stood beside me, she was completely focused on the sword and the magic she was trying to infuse the blade with. Gasps from the crowd drew my attention to Lycus on the balcony. He was hunched over with smoke rolling off his body! He was using his curse. Shit. The once white flesh had turned to red and started to burn off leaving a smoking blackness in its place.

Pink lips started to turn into a deep grey smoking pit lined with jagged black spikes for teeth. His eyes warped into large, freakish yellow ones that glistened in the fire light. He was a hideous sight to behold. One that could very well haunt my nightmares.

He was darkness on the outside. I was darkness on the inside. He was pure evil. I was the light.

“Get out of here now!” I ordered Saira. “Take Kairios and go. Get away from us while I win this fight against this thing!”

I grabbed the sword roughly and shoved her into the already waiting hands of kairios. I winced at the hurt look in her eyes, but I had to do it. With them out of the immediate danger I would be able to focus on fighting him. One last look at the ones I loved and I turned back to face a demon.

He was finished changing into whatever that thing was called. He threw his head back and screeched horror into the night sky.

Quick as lightning he was off the balcony and down on the ground, and started attacking anyone that happened to stand near him. His black claws ripped the flesh and metal of his guards without remorse. Bodies fell in piles at his beast like feet. Some tried to fight back, only to have their weapons pass through him and leaving no harm in their wake. The yard started to reek of fear and piss.

I ran towards him with my blade ready and glowing. Charging head on was a mistake, he threw a dead soldier at me. The force of it knocked the air out of me and when I hit the ground with its weight on me, I saw stars. He was unnaturally strong; and I couldn’t move.

“Get up!” Someone in the crowd yelled at me.

I looked over the dead body on top of me. A dark blur was charging at me with glowing eyes that sent a chill through me. I only had enough time to pull the body off me and roll away from the swiping claws that screeched through the metal of the dead guard’s armor.

My feet found purchase in the ground and I pushed hard against it to launch myself again at him. This time he was closer and still caught in the swing of his original attack. He turned his body to block and my sword cut through the blackness of his demon flesh. White smoke curled away the gash that didn’t bleed on his shoulder.

We both stared at it in shock for a moment. Saira’s spell had worked! Big, grotesque yellow eyes stared at me in anger and my blood ran cold for the first time. I had to kill this abomination, and quickly. I went to strike again but the beast had moved.

It needed to be satiated with more death and I was no longer an easy target. He was so fast my human legs couldn't keep up. Each time I got close he would slip away quick as a shadow. If I changed, I wouldn’t be able to hold my sword. What could I do?

Fire, I needed to use my fire. I got close again, not close enough for my sword but enough that my flames would reach him. I planted my feet, reared my head back, felt the shift inside and called forth my dragons' breath. A strike of reds, oranges and yellows flew at Lycus. He screamed at the heat but when the flames died, I saw he was unharmed. His deep dark mouth formed a sick smile. My mind raced through what I could do.

I would have to get closer then. My flames could distract him enough that I could then use my sword. I needed to be faster and in the air. I needed my wings. I hoped my human body would be strong enough to hold the weight of them. The change was painful, my back screaming in protest against the added weight. I was so weak and tired already. I wouldn’t be able to hold this for long.

While I called my wings forth, Lycus was across the yard, a bloody wake of death behind him. I needed momentum to get air born. I flapped my wings as my feet pounded across the yard. When I felt like I had enough speed I launched into the air. My wings beat at the air, sending up plumes of dust and dirt.

I climbed higher and higher trying to build up the speed I needed. I could feel his yellow eyes on me as I slowly climbed through the air. A flash in my periphery alerted me to his charge. His black claws dung into the castle walls as he climbed as well. I held my sword out in front of me, ready for the strike I could tell was coming.

I noted the tensing of what I assumed were his muscles and he launched off the wall at me. We collided in the air! I had swung out my sword and felt it go through his dark flesh. His black claws dug into my skin, leaving deep gashes where he raked them across me. Hot blood dripped down my flesh.

We fell to the ground, him clawing, and me yanking on my sword to widen the cut. I yelped at the thud on the ground, my back protesting against the impact again. Stars swirled in front of my eyes. Every muscle hurt and my wings were limp under me.

I pulled on my sword and felt the white smoke that came out along with it burn my skin. My flesh turned red where it scorched me. The pain of it started to pump adrenaline through me. I hauled his weight of me and got to my feet. The impact of blade and ground had left its mark on him as well and I watched as he too had a hard time getting to his feet.

This was it, my chance! Sword at the ready I charged at him. My throat shifted to allow the fire to blast out of me. I put all my strength into it. The wave of fire that erupted from me was staggering. I had to push my feet harder into the ground to stop it from pushing me back!

I fought hard for every step and only lost a small fraction of the momentum that I had gained. I pulled my sword arm back and thrust it through with the last of my strength. Die! I screamed in my mind. My sword went through his chest with a blinding light! It began to sear away his dark flesh, leaving a gaping hole that poured out white smoke. His massive yellow eyes showed fear for the first time this night.

The white smoke began to engulfed us. It was so painful that we both fell to the ground and my wings returned to their dormant state. I thought I was going to die; I had given my all to the fight. I had no more strength to go on if he survived...

Could I be at peace finally? There would be no more fights, no more people to depend on me. I could just exist in this dream state, floating in the nothingness of death. Though I could tell something was preventing me from fully giving over to that state. What was left behind that still mattered?

“Aurelia, wake up.” An unfamiliar voice whispered in my ear.

Was it truly unfamiliar?

Maybe from a dream...

“You must wake up.” The voice begged.

“Let me rest!” I cried, tears burning my cheeks.

“You are still needed.” The male voice was soft, a hint of tender care hidden beneath the seriousness of his words.

Who needed me? People that I never met before, that I may never meet! Why should I wake to that? Who else needed me?

Saira? Kairios? Their faces flashed behind my close eyes. I longed to see them again.

Even Galorian waited somewhere. Were they worth it, worth the pain?

I wanted to - to see her again.

She waited for me. I had to wake up!

I opened my eyes but I couldn’t see anything clearly, my eyes were all a haze. The sun had started to rise and everything burned under its morning heat, my skin felt red and raw. I must have been burned badly by the vapor that was his blood. Was he dead? Was that part at least over?

“What happened?” Hopefully someone was there to answer me. Someone had to be left alive.

“It’s dead, his head was burned clean off. That sword of yours left a gross hole in his chest to. There was so much smoke no one could come close; it has been almost an hour since you struck him down.” A woman’s voice. I looked to when the distorted image of the woman was. Panic washed clear through me.

“I can’t see.” A terrifying fact to say.

“Your face was badly burned. We have a place to move you to. I sent some men to get a cot to carry you.”

A quick assessment of my body told me I was in bad shape. A cloak had been laid over me to cover the nakedness that had been a side thought through the fight. Every inch of my skin that it touched cried out against it.

“No, I am not don’t yet. Where is my aunt?” I wasn’t going anywhere until I knew what happened to her.

She hesitated before answering me, each second that passed brought back some of the strength that comes from anger. “She has surrendered and locked herself in her chambers. We were waiting for your judgement.”

“Take me there now.” A weak demand as my strength was all but gone.

“My Queen please, see a healer first.” A voice I recognized.

“Jaxson?”

“Yes.” A warm hand rested on top of mine. I searched for him but only saw the same blur of this figure in my wreaked eyes.

“Take me to my aunt now. Saira can heal me after. I have waited long enough.” The final piece of my revenge was within my grasp. There were no more obstacles in my way, pain wouldn’t stop me from this.

He helped me up without another word. For that I was thankful. I didn’t have the strength to argue any longer. It was excruciating to stand. My muscles were weak and my skin burned. The woman tied that cape around me in a makeshift dress. I tried not to react to the pain of her touch, but I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Each step was torture but the reward at the end of this walk was worth it. There was no real healing that could be done unless Saira had her crystal in hand once more.

I don’t know how long it took us to cross the yard and enter the castle. All I could think of was putting one foot in front of the other. Finally, we stopped before a large door and Jaxson told a man standing guard to open the doors for his True Queen. He moved quickly thank to the fear he had of us. The doors were creaky and loud, making me painfully aware of the throbbing in my head.

When the door was open; an evil, disgusting chuckle met me.