Chapter 120: Visions of Death

Adolph turned into the blast of light with his shield and dug in his heels, trying to resist the pressure behind the blast. When it let up, he darted forward toward Eden, slamming the shield into his chest and knocking him from his horse. He hissed and turned, slamming his fist into Adolph’s shield before darting around to try and punch him in the gut.
Adolph dodged with a quick twist of his body before slamming his shield into Eden’s shoulder. Eden tumbled back with a hiss and cast a bolt of light that disintegrated his shield. Eden charged forward too fast for his sword to be of use, so Adolph dropped the blade and caught his arm, flipping him over his shoulder.
Eden was fast and stronger than any vampire Adolph had ever faced. His use of magic was troublesome, but Adolph had years of practical combat experience. Eden had some training, but it had not been honed on a battlefield. It was an advantage Adolph would use to the fullest.
Eden lunged forward, his eyes glowing golden and wild as he attacked. Adolph tried to read his movements, but there was something off about them as if Eden wasn’t moving his body on his own. He fought like a possessed man full of power and drive but no will behind it. He knocked Eden back with a hard shove into a tree.
Eden slammed into it with a sharp crack and rolled to one side. He stood again before stumbling and reaching for his head. He shook his head as if trying to free himself from something, before darting forward again. His movements grew stilted and shaky as he swiped at Adolph and stumbled.
“Eden!” Someone called. “Focus! We should retreat! We’re outnumbered.”
Eden twisted sharply, stumbling before Adolph ran forward and slammed Eden into the ground. Eden screeched at him, tossing Adolph off before he stood and rushed towards him. Adolph dodged him and spun to grab his sword. The light was filling the sky to the east where the clouds had gathered behind Adolph, painting his expression in darkness as he poised himself to strike.
Eden wanted to pull back, but his body ran forward headlong into a dream from his childhood. It was the fate of many Wiccans to dream of their death. He remembered it as if it were yesterday. 

The clouds parted, setting a burning glow in Adolph’s hair like a glowing crown, an avatar of Helios, the sun god. The light burned his eyes and made him dizzy. He stumbled and turned his head just for a moment. He knew that if he just moved, just a little he could avoid it, but his body wouldn’t respond, sluggish and fighting the rising power with the oncoming death of the turn he’d been holding off since he’d drained Morrigan of blood.
Laurel ran forward, through the lines of soldiers of both sides who had parted to watch the two leaders fight.
“Eden!” Someone cried out in horror.
“Adolph!” Laurel yelled as he lunged forward and drove his sword through Eden’s chest with a vicious growl. “No!”
The gasp was near deafening as Eden bent forward and his soldiers stared in horror.
“Eden!”
Adolph glared at Eden as he choked. Blood came from his mouth, but his expression was almost resigned. He slumped forward a bit and stumbled back and off the end of Adolph’s blade. Laurel rushed around Adolph, changing back into her human form as Eden stumbled and collapsed.
He chuckled softly, “I… should have known… I should have run when I saw you… that night.”
“What?”
“The white wolf… always defends the werewolf kingdom….” Eden took her hand, “As unrelenting as moonlight… Behind her, the darkness will follow.”
He chuckled, “Like father… like son… falling in love with a woman who would get him killed.”
Laurel’s eyes widened, horrified at the thought of Eden’s father loving Morrigan. How could he love a woman so cruel? Had she always been that way or had something happened to her to change her?
Eden choked as he met her gaze, “I thought… I thought of… living out my days with you…Annwn’s queen… If you had just… come with me…”
Laurel’s heart clenched in grief as he stroked her face tenderly. His fingers were tacky with blood and his eyes grew hazy.
“I thought… I could… avoid this... If I could just get you away from him. If I could just love you enough…” His lips twitched, “Fate and destiny… The pantheon can truly be cruel, can’t it, Laurel?”
“Eden… what are you talking about?”
“Annwn… deserves the sun,” Eden said. “The breeze and the clear sky…Just… please… Laurel… they… deserve peace at last. Please… if you ever had any affection for me… Spare them.”
Laurel swallowed, shaken by the request. Laurel’s hand shook as she looked at his wounds. The sword had gone through his chest.
“You’re a vampire,” Laurel said. “Y-You should be fine, right?”
“He’ll… burn my body,” Eden said, looking up at Adolph as he approached. “I… would too…”
Laurel looked up at Adolph as he looked down at Eden, “He’s too dangerous to even consider keeping in our dungeons.”
“No hard feelings,” Eden choked. “You know… the darkness… a long time ago… They called it ash after the remains of a fire?”
Laurel frowned and her eyes widened, “T-The mural?”
“Everyone knows the story of the white and black wolf,” he chuckled, “It’s… not just your story.”
Laurel shook her head, “But you’re a vampire. You shouldn’t even die temporarily from just this.”
Eden shook his head and dragged her hand over his heart. She found it thumping softly, slowing and she gasped. True vampires didn’t have beating hearts.
“Just… a half-breed,” he winced. “It’s… okay…” Eden gasped, reaching for his throat. A necklace shimmered around his neck. He yanked it off with a grunt, breaking the golden chain before placing it in her hands. It felt oddly warm in her grip. She felt a little pulse of power drifting over her skin. “Wiccan envoy will come. Give it… to them. They’ll know… Please…”
She nodded shakily, “E-Eden… do you know who killed Laura Hamilition?” Laurel asked.
Eden frowned briefly and Adolph’s eyes widened as Eden narrowed his gaze at Laurel.
“Laura…?” Eden shook her head, “Accident… right?”
Laurel’s eyes burned, “Don’t lie to me. Please, Eden. Who killed her? And how do I get these cuffs off?”
His gray eyes flickered with amber light. He choked and grit his teeth. Fury and amusement twined in his eyes. His eyes turned hazy before they flashed just once and the cuffs fell from her wrists.
“Eden?” She asked as his body went limp. “Eden!”
Her eyes burned with tears of grief and frustration as his eyes stared out into nothing. She shook him as if it would rouse him from sleep, but Adolph couldn’t hear his heart thumping in his chest.
“Eden, answer me! Eden!”
He didn’t answer and the jeweled necklace in his hand didn’t mean anything to her. A Wiccan envoy? What would they want when they came? She didn’t think the kingdom could handle any more violence. Though she knew that Adolph would rise to defend the kingdom, she didn’t want another war to start.
She sighed, rocking back on her heels and huffing. Eden’s expression had been confused. He didn’t know what his anger and amusement were about, but there was no guilt. She didn’t think that Eden was behind Laura’s death. He could have just as easily tried to take Laura if things had been different.
For a moment, she wondered if had met Eden as Laura would she have gone with him? What sort of fate or destiny would they have had then?
Adolph approached her and placed a hand on her shoulder, “ It’s over now.”
Laurel looked up at him as the sun began to fill the sky, painting the craggy rock and the barren trees with a soft glow that turned the dark bark to a rich brown. The darkness and decay that had painted the land on the other side of the border peeled back as the sunlight advanced.
It felt hopeful. She chuckled.
“Annwn.”
“What?”
“Annwn… from the old stories,” Laurel said. “The other world, the land of delights.”
Her lips twitched. Eden was another place like that. Had he thought his name ironic?
“Morrigan was his mother,” Laurel said.
“What?”
“He hated her,” Laurel said. “He was planning to overthrow her… but the attack on the capital and our wedding wasn’t his doing…”
Adolph had a feeling she would say that. How many other threats to their life and future were lurking in the shadows? How long would it take for the evil of Morrigan to be completely dead?
He looked down at Eden’s corpse before turning back to the rest of the camp.
“We’ll burn the bodies, vampire and werewolves alike, and make preparations to return their things to their families,” he looked down at Laurel, “Then, we’ll go home.”
She smiled and nodded, “Yeah. We’ll go home.”