Sorry it's taken so long! But, here it is! The second to last chapter! I've been really busy with life in general, but I can promise that the next -and final- chapter will be up within the next few days. Also, remember: I don't write fight scenes well so I'm not going to make this an extensively long post. Just going to try to get the important stuff in there!
Edit: It came to my attention after re-reading what I had posted that there were quite a few mistakes made. So I went ahead and fixed them, and have posted the 10th chapter again. Sorry!
The field that they landed on was open, surrounded entirely by blackened forest and broken cliffs. Raena landed gently, expecting the fall. Her companions, however, landed roughly, Ben stumbling to his knees as he released the contents of his stomach and doubled over. Gretel leaned over herself, hands on her knees with her weapons strapped her back, Hansel in a similar position as the two tried to stabilize themselves and avoid the wretching in their guts. . The blonde straightened herself out while Ed and Hansel helped Ben to recuperate.
"Gretel…" Raena stepped up close to the brunette, voice lowering. "You haven't forgotten your promise, have you?"
"No…" Gretel's brown eyes shifted as she flashed Raena a glimpse of the dagger she was concealing within her boot. "But I'm not entirely sure that you've thought this plan all the way through-"
"I've thought it through one thousand times throughout the years. Trust me. This is the only way to ensure that Morgana's soul is destroyed." She placed a hand on Gretel's shoulder. "I'm counting on you, Gretel." Honey-colored eyes locked with Gretel's, and Raena knew that Gretel was good for her word.
Heaving a sigh, Gretel grabbed her crossbow from her back and prepped it, cocking an eyebrow as she tilted her head towards her friend. "Doesn't mean that I have to like it." She knew there had to have been another way. Glancing over at her brother, war-hardened and eager to protect his family, Gretel didn't know how she would be able to live with herself after this.
Raena gently patted the dagger sheated under her skirts as she looked between the others before turning to face her fate. Across the field was a large circle of ruins; gray, broken stones with a flat altar in the middle and Delona herself standing just behind it. She was busy at work with a large stone bowl infront of her, grinding who-knows-what into it as she muttered an incantation beneath her breath.
The trek across the field felt like hours as the group of four plus their troll strutted with confidence towards battle. They stopped about thirty yards away, Delona's red hair fluttering gently in the warm wind as she cracked a smile and looked up from under her eyelashes.
"Ah, sister. You're just in time." She straightened herself before leaving her spell and standing just at the edge of the ruins, peering down at her sister. Crossing her arms, she sneered at the others. "And you've brought your friends? Perfect. My ritual involves a blood sacrifice, as you may well know."
Raena felt herself twitch as she moved forward, the others spread out just behind her. "Delona, you know I can't let you do this. I'm asking you as your sister… Please…"
The laugh that escaped her twin's ruby red lips was high pitched and yet darker than usual. Her eyes blackened as she extended her hands to gesture at the broken land surrounding her. "Honestly, Raena! Look at us! We both knew it would come to this." Her hands fell to her hips as the sky above them darkened, black clouds forming in the sky and blocking out whatever miniscule moonlight they had been standing under. "I gave you plenty of chances over the years to join me. Things would be much simpler if you had just done what I asked." With a flick of her wrist her allies came out of their hiding spots, surrounding the humans.
Her eyes didn't break from her sister's gaze as Raena felt the presence of the other witches who moved to surround her and the others. "You have minions. I'm shocked." They both knew by the monotone rhythm of Rae's voice that she wasn't actually shocked. "It isn't too late, Delona." Her own eyes flashed as a few of the witches snickered, swiping at Ed and Ben with their claws and awaiting the order to strike.
Delona's voice darkened as she took another step forward, hands clenching into fists. "You never had a chance, Raena. You're pathetic. Always mother's favorite and yet you can't even manage to control your own powers. I'm finally going to rid you of your half of our Grandmother's soul, and watch as you burn." Her eyes burned with a fire that was foreign to her sister, earning a narrowed glare from the brunette.
"You really are blind, sister. She's using you. And if you think that she's going to allow you to live once you resurrect her, then you're more foolish than I thought."
Gretel stiffened beside Raena, Hansel taking a tiny step forward as he glanced around at the witches.
"I don't think it's smart to taunt her, Raena."
She flashed him a glare before turning her attention back to her sister. "It isn't Delona, now. She's gone." The pale form of her sister was simply a vessel, Morgana's eyes burning with a hungry desire as Raena clasped her hands together. "This is your last chance."
A sharp sneer spread across Delona's lips. "I'm ready when you are, Poppet."
Raena felt the pang of sorrow in her chest as she heard the nickname that her mother had given her. There was a loud hiss from behind her, and Raena looked over her shoulder to see Hansel, Gretel, Ed, and Ben entangled in a battle with Delona's minions. She sighed as she looked back at her sister's form and clenched her hands together, eyes closing. With a deep breath Raena prepared herself for the fight of her life.
It felt like hours as she went head to head with her sister. The two were trapped in a seemingly endless battle of strength, casting spell after spell and testing their physical strengths against each other. Raena didn't have time to look back and check on her humans, knowing that a single second of disctraction could cost her everything. She was bloodied and bruised, her dress tattered as she felt the hot blast of a red spell cast directly at her. Raena was strong, but without harnessing Morgana's powers, she was no match for Delona.
Raena tumbled to the ground, seering pain in her gut as she pushed herself up onto all fours and looked up at her sister. Pale skin shone brightly under in the darkness, eyes glowing as she took a few nonchalant steps forward and gestured around them. With the amount of magic that she'd been using to deter Delona, her honey eyes had long since turned white, her full powers still locked away as she focused solely on suriving. It wasn't time, she had to wait.
"Give up, Raena. You're just too weak."
Her eyes shifted as the brunette looked around. Gretel had lost her crossbow a long time ago, most of her ammunitions were out and she was currently fighting with everything that she had, channeling her inner white witch and protecting herself and the boys with her wand. Hansel looked weathered, but his face was determined as he sliced through the neck of a dark witch, staggering every so slightly and breathing heavily. Ed, who had started the fight roaring and physically tearing witches apart, was now hardly able to stand. The fire in him dwindling as he used his body to protect a beaten Ben. The young boy was barely able to stand, bleeding profusely from multiple wounds across his body.
"I'd love to stay and finish you off, unfortunately I need you alive for the moment." Just as Raena's white marbled gaze moved back to her sister, an aconite blade appeared in Delona's hand and she swiftly sliced aross the brunette's chest.
With a gasp Raena landed on her back, hands covering the dark crimson liquid that slowly started to seep between her fingers. She heard the footsteps of her sister dissipating into the distance and her eyes focused on the clouds above her. They were starting the part, rays of blue light piercing through as the blue moon began to come into view. It was dark and bright all at the same time, the blue pooling and swirling in itself. There were no stars that night, the only thing in the black sky was the piercing round planet gravitating high above.
Her arm pulsated, and Raena held it abover her as the black veins crept from her fingers up her forearm, twisting amongt themselves and heading up to her shoulder. Sitting up, she felt the painful surge creeping up her neck and over her jawline. It felt like a fire seering inside of her as the black reached the corner of her eye and began to swirl with the white. Morgana was itching to be released, clawing at her from her core and screaming.
An icy gaze locked with hers, and her head snapped up. Hansel tore his blade from the heart of a witch, watching Raena in anticipation. His feet moved as he took a step toward her, but she shook her head. They had a plan and she couldn't let him falter from it. With a painful groan, Raena forced herself from the ground and turned. As the clouds had parted and the moon came into view, Delona returned to her spell. She was twisting her hands together, eyes closed as her body swayed. A dark blue aura surrounded her, glowing darkly.
Raena clenched her fists and stumbled across the field to the ruins, landing hard against what was left of the stone wall.
"Delona! Stop this!" Flicking her wrist, a sharp whip of electricity shot out and struck her sister's arm, earning a painful scream from the red-haired woman before she opened her eyes and growled.
"It's over, Raena! Don't be a fool!"
Forcing herself to stand and clenching her right hand into a fist, Raena pushed forward and stopped only a few feet from Delona. She threw her hand out, but before she could unleash her spell Delona was taking her by the throat, clawed fingers digging into the flesh of Raena's neck.
"You really are pitiful." She pulled the other woman close, their face a mere few inches away. "All of that power, and you've been wasting it away for centuries." Clicking her tongue against the back of her teeth, Delona shook her head.
Gretel unleashed a final cry as she sliced through the flesh of the witch in front of her. Her gaze turned to the ruins across the field where Delona had a death grip on Raena. Her chest heaved as she looked over at Hansel, a sadness washing over her. He'd noticed their friend's struggle, but he was overwhelmed by a group of three witches that had him surrounded. He called out to Gretel, but she knew what would happen if she helped him. They only had one chance at this.
One of the witches fell and Hansel kicked another one, giving himself a brief few seconds to lock his eyes with Gretel's and shake his head. "What the hell are you doing?! Help me!"
Taking a deep breath, Gretel tossed him her acanite blade, shaking her head and taking off across the field. "You have to trust me, brother! I'm sorry!" She didn't slow down until she was closer to the ruins, hunching low enough so that Delona wouldn't see her and pulling out the items that she had in a satchel attached to her belt. Her fingers worked tirelessly to pinch them all together and wrap them in a small piece of papyrus.
Raena felt a warmth behind her, and she knew that Gretel was there, only a yard or two away. She had to keep Delona distracted. Grabbing the woman's wrist with her right hand, she felt the darkness slowly taking it's hold.
"Delona…" Tears pulled at the corner of Raena's eyes, her left hand sliding between the slit in her skirts unbenownst to her sister. "Please…" Her voice wavered, quiet and sad as her grip on the woman's wrist tightened. "Don't do this." This only caused the sneer on the other woman's face to widen as she leaned in closer to whisper.
"She'll kill them first… Slowly… And only because you love them so." Her free hand moved to rest over Raena's heart, eyes as black as Morgana's soul and teeth gleaming like fangs. "You've failed, Poppet. Just like I've always said you would. And soon you'll meet your mother in the afterlife, both of you doomed to spend an enternity wallowing in your own self pity while I bring your precious little world to ruin. I see a future for your humans; glorious and blood-ridden. She might even keep your favorites around for a while. Afterall, she'll need someone to feed off of. Though…" her free hand moved up, fingers tracing the black lines on Raena's face. "With you out of the picture I can't imagine they'll last very long. Do you feel it, Raena? Her power within you – the thing that you've been fighting your entire life – it will be your demise. And it will be painful."
Raena's gaze shifted upwards to the moon, before falling back on Delona. She blinked at the woman, shaking her head. "I'm so sorry that I failed you, sister…" The Devil's Blade slid through Delona's flesh easily as Raena thrust it into her heart. Delona's eyes widened, releasing her grip on Raena's throat as she stumbled back a step and looked down. The golden hilt of the blade stuck out from the dark witch's bosom, and she looked back up at her sister before muttering the words that would destroy Delona. "Ethre tera noviles..."
Delona threw her head back as a deafening scream erupted from her lungs. Black tar spewed from her mouth, the bones throughout her body crackling as Morgana's soul fought to survive. Raena felt her own bones beginning to crack, doubling over as the trapped soul within her attempted to take control. She clenched her jaw and let out a cry of pain, barely able to watch as Delona's body began to collapse within itself, her skin blackening and peeling away in charred layers. Lightening struck above, and within moments there was nothing but black cinders wafting in the air where the dark witch had stood. The blade dropped to the ground, clinking against the stones and gleaming in the moonlight.
Gretel stood just inside the barrier that she'd put up, watching as her friend's body contorted itself and low growls escaped the woman's lips. "Rae?" Her voice was quiet, and she paused as Raena's head twitched, cocking to the side before she slowly turned on the hunter. Gretel's fingers gripped the handle of her dagger, hidden behind her back. She came face to face with Raena, both eyes were black as coal and her veins were pulsing, clearly visible through her pale skin. "Raena, I know you're in there."
There was nothing but red behind her eyes as Raena looked at the woman in front of her. There was an anger within her, urging her to kill the woman then and there. She snarled at Gretel, barely recognizing her dark eyes as she moved to grab the woman's throat. Her hand fell short as a sharp pain ricocheted through her chest. A painful scream sounded from behind them, and a loud bang erupted as Hansel slammed his fists against the nearly invisible barrier surrounding the two women.
Her lungs filled quickly, and Raena coughed the thick black substance up just as her fingers reached Gretel's face. A warm tear escaped the corner of her eye. Caged within her own body, she knew what was to come. "T-tell him-" she coughed again, the life-force draining from her body quickly as Raena looked past Gretel and locked her black gaze on Hansel, beating repeatedly against the barrier and shouting at the two women. "Tell him I'm sorry… And I love him…"
Gretel nodded fervently, blinking through her own tears as she prepared herself to repeat the final words of the spell.
Raena closed her eyes, deaf to the final words as she allowed the darkness to finally take over. She would finally be rid of her curse, and hopefully she'd done enough in life to find peace in the afterlife. A warm, orange light surrounded her, enveloping her being before a bright flash and then… nothing.
Gretel slowly lowered her friend's lifeless body to the ground, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand as she finally broke her concentration and the barrier around them fell. She heard Hansel's panicked footsteps come up behind her as he pushed her out of the way and dropped to the ground next to Raena's body. He took her head and shoulders in his hands, ever so carefully lifting her and hugging her against his chest.
"What have you done?!" His voice boomed as one hand travelled down to Raena's neck in desperate search of a pulse.
"She made me promise-" Her voice caught in her throat as she looked at their friend. The other dark witches had either been defeated or fled upon Delona's demise, leaving the hunters there alone with their fallen friend.
Hansel shook his head, dropping it in dismay. "She swore that we would all make it out alive."
Gretel reached out and touched his shoulder. "Hansel-" He pulled back from her touch, narrowing his eyes at her. "Please! I need you to trust me."
He eyed his sister, knowing that she had always had his best interest at heart. But this –killing Raena- he wasn't sure he could forgive her for this. Still, he gave her a curt nod, to which she sighed with relief.
"Come on, we should take her body somewhere safe. I can't leave her here, not after everything that she's done for us." She stood, ushering Hansel aside so that Ed could scoop up Raena's limp body. "I know a place, it's a few miles away. We can make it by morning." She turned, Ben's red, puffy eyes meeting hers as she headed down the steps of the ruins and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She wouldn't want us to stop." There were no other words spoken between the four for the remainder of their journey. After a night of restless sleep, they continued their journey to a small farm that Raena had told Gretel about a few weeks earlier.
Hansel and his sister peered out at the log cabin resting in a field of golden wheat as Ed and Ben escorted their fallen friend a few yards ahead of them.
"This was where her mother raised them when they were children." Gretel's voice was rough, her throat dry and body aching as she peered over at her brother. "She'll be at peace here."
He didn't respond, instead answering with silence as he pushed forward. Hansel had felt the pain of heartbreak before. Unfortunately it was much harder this time. He'd envisioned a future for them all. Together. And now, because of his sister and Raena's stubbornness, he wasn't going to see that future.
Don't hate me! I'm sorry! One more chapter to go. It'll be shorter, but I think it'll be worth it. Hope you enjoyed, please read and review!