Summary: Katrina wants revenge.
Chapter 3 – Water
The sun was setting on an empty ruin of a stone temple, an ominous choir sang a hymn of dread. Abbie stood alone barefoot on the cold cracked marble tiles. She saw a throne with a hooded figure sitting on it, she pensively approached the throne afraid of who could it be. As Abbie got closer, the figure removed the hood covering her face revealing a woman. Abbie gasped and Pandora smiled sweetly at the reaction.
"Hello sleepyhead."
"Where am I?" Abbie asked mostly to herself. Her mind searched for answers she remembered encountering Katrina and being knocked unconscious.
"You are still in the underworld, but I am appearing to you in your dreams. Sweet Abbie, you did a very foolish thing getting trapped here made things very bad for all parties involved."
"Go away."
"That eye you stole is far more powerful than you realise. Pledge your allegiance to me and to the Hidden One and I shall show you how to leave the underworld using it." Pandora said. Abbie frowned and looked at her hand she was holding crystal shard, she had almost forgotten that she had it. The Anubis eye was the very reason why she was here. "This place was a temple of the unwilling Queen of the underworld's mountain that you now reside in. I could show you how to contact her." Abbie shook her head, she needed to protect everyone staying in hell was a small price to pay.
"No."
"I understand it is not an easy decision to make and seeing as you are in danger at the moment I shall leave you with this." Pandora opened her box and pulled out a red and gold dagger and handed it to Abbie. "A gift for the potential I see in you. I'm sure you will make the right choice. Keep in mind that it has only been two days since we last saw one another how long does it feel there? Until we meet again." With that Pandora along with the ruins dissipated in a thick blue haze.
The smell of hot sulphur jolted Abbie awake, she was still in chains and being dragged by Katrina's familiar. She could also hear something that sounded like large boulders being crushed. Abbie braced herself as she was dragged through another thicket of stinging trees and bushes. She lifted her head and noticed that the forest was thinning out, they would be leaving the forest at any moment and reaching the shoreline.
"Here we are." Katrina sang and clapped her hands. Her familiar yanked hard on the chain pulling Abbie upright and held her up so she was uncomfortably dangling in the air. Abbie craned her neck and could see that they were all on a cliff and below them was the murky sea and shoreline. Her eyes widened and her body went cold at the sight before her, massive demonic giants scattered in the sands. A large hairy creature that was more mouth and teeth than anything else trudge along the sand with a cudgel in hand. Two monsters made from glittering geode were fighting each other, the sounds of large boulders being crushed finally made sense. There was one that was extremely terrifying, a hideous demon whose body was all bones. It possessed three arms and three legs with a chest full of deformed eyes and lay on a flat rock, it feasted on a stockpile of severed heads first it sucked out the eyeball and chewed loudly and gleeful.
Katrina inhaled deeply breathing in the air. "Here we are Abigail," the witch stroked Abbie's cheek and roughly took hold of her jaw to look at the horrifying bone demon. "Take a look at that one, his name is Asag and he loves beautiful women like you. Do put on a good show for us dear." Katrina whispered and gave Abbie a small kiss on the face before cupping it in her hands. Her eyes turned a hauntingly cloudy white as she began to work her magic, her hands gripped her face, she pulled at the magic, and frowned. The spell was different hard and strong sealed tightly, Katrina pulled at it harder the edges of magic started to come loose and Abbie's soul was peeking through the seams.
"Just as I suspect a witness soul would burn brightest." Katrina said. Abbie gritted her teeth Katrina was hurting her, she didn't want to die like this. She shook her head and struggled against violently trying hard to get out of Katrina's grasp and felt the dagger in her hand. The dream was real, Abbie made several attempts to cut move her arm up to cut at either Katrina or the chain, she jerked her body back and forth and managed to swipe at Katrina's familiar chain link. The blade of the dagger sent a red Shockwave into the familiar's mouth, causing the creature to drop Abbie and retract the chain back in its beak. Once free of its chain Abbie slashed at Katrina's arm, the witch cried out as the blade left a glowing wound in her arm Katrina staggered back in pain.
"Kill her, kill the witness!" Katrina ordered her familiar. The Birdman squawked and charged at Abbie, she dodged it, but also managed to swipe at the creature's knee. Abbie then jumped on its back then proceeded to repeatedly stab the familiar creating dozens of glowing wounds that emitted white smoke. The creature cried in agony and threw Abbie off of it in flailed in pain eventually collapsing on the floor and body disintegrate into ash.
Abbie panted, and rose to her feet she turned to face Katrina who was now scowling, she raised her hand to uproot a tree instead a multiple branches fell off. Katrina looked at her hand confused her glowing wound also had smoke coming from it, it suddenly dawned on her what the wound was doing to her and what the dagger was. Abbie approached Katrina, she gripped the dagger tightly with determination.
"No, not this time!" Katrina screamed. Katrina gathered her magical energy, the veins on her face became more prominent an turned black, her eyes were bloodshot and blood dripped from her nose. She managed to telekinetically push Abbie backwards. Katrina moved forward and kept pushing Abbie. The witness struggled her heels digging into dirt as she fought against the invisible force. Katrina forced Abbie back causing her to stumble to the ground, Katrina smiled she was winning she pushed Abbie backwards nearing the edge of the cliff Abbie clawed at the floor trying desperately to find anything to hold on to. "After I watch the demons feast on you I shall return to mortal world and make sure Ichabod suffers just as much as you. Even in death you witnesses shall share a bon-" Katrina coughed up blood and looked down at white crossbow bolt imbedded in her chest.
Abbie looked up and saw it, too behind Katrina coming out the forest crossbow in hand. Katrina still looked at the bolt in her chest mortified Abbie took her distraction as an opportunity to jump to her feet, she lunged forward and stabbed Katrina in the stomach and pushed towards the edge of the cliff. Katrina screamed in pain and clutched at the air as she fell she hit the jagged rocks on the way down eventually rolling onto the sand stopping a few feet away from usage. The towering behemoth stood tall and unleashed a demonic guttural roar that chilled Abbie to the bone, he snatched Katrina breaking her spine in the process and Katrina screamed loud and long.
"Oh God, what have I done." Abbie muttered as she looked on. She dropped the dagger once the blade hit the floor it instantly shattered into a million pieces of glass.
"Nightlight, I am so glad to see you." Reynard said, rushing to her side. I saw found your crossbow and then followed a trail." Reynard grimaced when he saw what Asag was doing to Katrina. "We should leave before they see us." Abbie nodded and followed him back into the woods. They continued walking for some time, Reynard told Abbie what happened to him, he was knocked unconscious, hanging from a tree and had to play dead so the flock of harpies wouldn't eat him. Abbie remained silent, as she replayed the events in her mind over and over of Katrina's face and her screams echoing in her head and the beast Asag. They eventually stopped and found a clearing that was safe enough for Reynard to summon the sanctuary. Once inside Abbie sat at the altar and pulled out the Anubis eye from her pocket and looked at the crystal. Abbie heaved a heavy sigh and closed her eyes, trying to think. She didn't know how to feel, guilty? Katrina tried to kill her again, Crane stopped her the first time, but this time it was all her she made sure that Katrina endured the suffering that she sought to inflict upon her. She felt her arm sting, the sting became a burn as if something was being seared into her skin, she rolled up her sleeve to see a an array of markings in ancient Sumerian branded onto her wrist the same symbol that was on the blade of the dagger.
"It means a debt is owed, I helped you and in turn you must help me. Give me the eye Abbie." Abbie sat up and saw Pandora standing in front of her. "Just give me the eye and I'll show you the way out." Pandora outstretched her hand expectantly waiting for the eye of Anubis. Abbie gripped the eye in her hand and dropped it to the floor, she picked up a nearby candlestick and crushed the eye. Pandora's face faltered and she sneered at Abbie. "You stupid little child! Do you have any idea what you've done?" Pandora's eyes flashed a reptilian yellow that startled Abbie.
"I've stopped you, now leave!"
"Nightlight?" Reynard furrowed his brow confused, he stopped relighting the candles to look at what Abbie was doing and who or what she was screaming at.
"Enjoy rotting in here for all eternity." Pandora flickered and disappeared once more. Abbie dropped to her knees fighting back tears.
"What's wrong?" Reynard asked concerned he could see the bruises and scratches on her face and her clothes were ripped. He scratched he felt bad that they were separated and that she was close to being killed. During their two weeks together she was mostly quiet about herself and they only left the sanctuary when imps were burrowing in nearby grounds. They avoided bigger threats by hiding, but today was the first time that they set out to traverse the mountain and get closer to the castle.
"I knew her." Abbie said quietly. "She was my friend's wife and she decided to go completely evil and then tried to kill us so we stopped her. I felt bad for her when it happened, I felt bad for him but..." Abbie paused to collect herself. "I wanted her to suffer."
"Don't tell me you feel bad about that, she was going to let you be torn apart by giant demons. Asag for fuck sake!" Reynard said.
"I don't feel bad. When I stabbed her I liked it, I really, really liked it. Then when she fell down I was proud of what I did and that's what scares me. I got joy from causing someone else's suffering. It was sadistic and that's not me."
"This place can bring out some of the darkness in you that you never knew you had. It's scary to think about it, but that is what we will need if we are going to make it out of here."
"It's sick."
"It is." They sat in silence for awhile. Reynard raised his hand to touch Abbie but she recoiled from him. "There is a poisonous nettle stuck in your hair." Abbie stayed still and let him remove the twig and leaves entangled in her hair.
"Thanks."
"So you're a one half of the prophesied witness meant to stand watch during the end of days. I heard the witch and it makes sense why your soul shines so intensely down here. One of the two lampstands, guess my nickname for you wasn't so far off. Even with my cloaking spell disturbed I can see it."
"The secret is out." Abbie shrugged.
"A woman descended from a powerful witch line, it makes sense. I just need to know something how did you take out Moloch? Did you summon lightning, send out a plague or breathe fire. I always assumed the witnesses would be dragons in human form or something."
"We didn't actually kill Moloch someone else did and we haven't done any of the stuff like turn water into blood. We found an ancient sword and walked on water once but had more to do with the place than us. "
"Oh cool, that's... cool." Reynard said sounding a little disappointed. "Then you and the other one must have a psychic bond or something. Telepathy?"
"Nope."
"Then what the hell can you do? I mean my father made sure my ass was in Sunday school every week as a kid and they told us that the witnesses could do all sorts of shit."
"I don't know what to tell you." Abbie said growing annoyed at Reynard pestering. "You went to Sunday school?"
"I mean have you even tried? You said you only did witchcraft when you had to but never practiced it maybe there are things you can do as a witness but never attempted."
Abbie curiosity was piqued, as much as Crane went on and on about their duty as witness they never really researched what being a witness entailed there wasn't enough time when demon after demon came after them. Orion hinted at something, but she didn't pay him any mind when that sentence was followed by his speech of becoming the new angel of death and purging the earth of sin. Was her role as a witness to become well versed in magic? After all it was in her blood, Grace Dixon's journal was in her nightstand back home and she never performed any spells from it, not even a protection charm just a small potion to make medicine. She had said that the most important pages were the blank ones there to continue their family's legacy.
"Where do I even start, do I turn blood into water or vice versa?" Reynard smiled at Abbie's willingness to explore the possibilities. He clapped his hands and stood up to go to the dry fountain at the altar.
"When I first got here the fountain had already stopped working but there was enough water in there for me to use. This is a godspring the water has healing properties. Maybe you can get it working again." Abbie stood up to look at the fountain the basin was dry and the stone griffin's mouth where the water would have flowed from was closed. "Focus on the Griffin." Abbie swallowed hard and stepped to the fountain she stared at the stone griffin and placed her hands above it hovering. "Clear your mind of all distractions everything and focus on the task at hand."
"You talking is a distraction."
"Just trying to help this is how my mother taught me." Reynard rolled his eyes and kept quiet. He watched Abbie trying to focus. Her fingertips emitted gold specs that danced around that sent a jolt of power surging around her. Reynard cautiously took a step away from her. "Concentrate."
"Be quiet." The head of the stone griffin trembled until it cracked Abbie gasped and pulled her hands back. A large chunk fell off revealing a shiny layer underneath. More pieces of stone cracked and crumbled off until the griffin was now a brightly array of pearls clumped together. The pearl griffin opened its mouth and crystal clear water poured out. Abbie smiled speechless at what she accomplished
"You did it Nightlight." Reynard laughed and smiled at Abbie. "Go on try it." Abbie ran her hand underneath the cool water and let it run over the cuts and scrapes on her arm as well as the burn on her wrist. She held up her arm and it a matter of seconds all the injuries had disappeared.
"Oh my god that's incredible." Abbie gathered some water in the palm of her hand and splashed it on her face paying attention to the gash above her right eye it stung as bleeding hole closed up and didn't even leave a scar. "That's incredible. We should really bottle this." Abbie gathered some more water and applied it to her chest. Reynard averted his gaze and turned his back to give her some privacy when she was finished Abbie went to the makeshift bed that Reynard had insisted she sleep on to rest. "Your turn to heal up."
"I'm a fast healer already." Reynard pointed at his neck where the claw marks made from the harpies had disappeared. He went to sit down in a pew next to Abbie's bed. He stretched out his long limbs and yawned it had been a long day and if it wasn't for the fountain the whole day would've felt like a big waste. "Nightlight, it's bad back home right? If the witnesses have been awakened then that means the four horsemen are too."
"I won't lie to you Reynard it has been bad, but we have stopped two of them."
"They'll be more. I just hope my dad is safe." Reynard closed his eyes and sighed. Abbie gazed as he sat there quietly, his long black tousled hair fell over his face. Reynard caught Abbie staring at him through hooded lids and smiled. They sat in silence the only sounds were their breathing and the small creaks of the old wooden bench before they drifted off into a dreamless sleep.