Okay. This chapter is really short, but after last chapter, I figured you guys would like a quick update. And don't thank me yet...
We are in the home stretch though, so there are only a couple more chapters.
Among The Stars
Chapter 10
Jack's chest was burning. The pain of the blaster bolt that had hit just under his heart was like fire in his chest cavity, so intense his brain couldn't form a thought. Everything was eclipsed by the burning, burning, burning pain.
His hands tried to get a grip on the wall he had been leaning against. But the smooth surface offered his hands no traction. His body slid down the wall, blinking to try and clear the haze creeping on the edge of his vision.
"Jack!" Nightlight's voice penetrated the fire, but still sounded worlds away. His friend muttered something that sounded dangerously like a swear. "Tooth! Come on, Jack. You are not getting off this easy."
"Did you just call this easy?" Jack hissed.
"Still Jack," Nightlight muttered.
Black laughed, hands braced on his knees as he tried to regain his balance.
But before he had a chance, Nightlight dove at the man. With his staff he knocked Black's blaster out of his hands.
They were moving too fast, and the fire was too hot for Jack to follow their fight.
He closed his eyes, and pressed a hand against the source of the fire at his side. The reasonable part of his mind pointed out it wouldn't serve any purpose. But still he called on his powers, freezing his hand and his side.
He felt the ice spread over his skin, cooling and soothing... but the heat flared again, eating the ice. A few drops of water trickled down his side... or maybe it was blook.
It didn't really matter, his mind whispered.
The wind, so curious and childish, didn't understand what was happening. It knew something was wrong, and asked. Jack was too tired to explain. It always asked so many question...
And he was so tired...
"Jack!"
He cracked his eyes open. His blurry vision was accosted by lime green, gold, pink, purple, grey... so many, so bright, that they hurt his eyes. He shut his eyes against all the colors.
A gasp, a flutter of wings, a familiar chirp.
"Hey, Baby Tooth," he whispered. He felt the breeze from her tiny wings before her weight settled on his shoulder and she nuzzled his neck.
"Oh, Jack," Toothiana whispered.
He cringed as slender fingers probed the burning at his side.
"J-Jack?"
Rapunzel.
He fought to open his eyes again, ignoring the brightness of the color that were Toothiana and Rapunzel. He searched for her, and found her crouched on his right.
Jack hesitated a moment... then realized there was no point with the last of his strength, he reached a hand up to the back of her neck. She gasped as he pulled her down to him, so her ear was by his mouth.
"I love you," he whispered. "What Black said... it was a lie."
His hand started to slip, but she caught it in her own, holding his palm to her cheek.
"I love you, too," she said.
Jack felt the corners of his mouth twitch in an attempt at a grin. "I know."
Their eyes met, and Jack considered raising his head the few inches to kiss her... but when he tried, he didn't have the strength.
Rapunzel leaned closer. Their noses brushed.
Her presence vanished and he heard her cry out in surprise and pain.
Jack's eyes opened just in time to see Toothiana fly past him. He followed her flight path and growled when he saw Black had grabbed Rapunzel's hair and was dragging her toward him. The man knocked Toothiana aside, sneering at Jack as he tightened his grip on Rapunzel's hair.
"I will make sure you fail," Black hissed.
Grimacing, he ran his hand over the floor in search of his staff, even though he knew he wouldn't be able to create a single snowflake.
"No!"
He forgot about his staff and looked back toward Rapunzel. She had turned and dug her heels into the polished wood floor of the hallway.
"I am not going back!" She grabbed a thick lock of her hair and flung it like a whip. The ends coiled around Black's wrist. The man's eyes went wide, as did Jack's.
Rapunzel flicked her wrist with more strength than Jack had thought she had in her small body, and the general stumbled to the side out.
Jack decided he could die relatively happy if the last thing he saw was Rapunzel defending herself so well. (And he took back every bad thought he had ever had about her hair.)
Black screamed, and Jack's eyes opened. (Again.)
He looked at Black, who screamed as though he were on fire. His gold eyes were dilated, staring at the hand still wrapped in Rapunzel's hair.
The strands of hair had begun to glow, light radiating from Rapunzel's scalp. As they stared, Jack saw Pitch's grey hand begin to change color, returning to a warm, fleshy pink. The color spread from his hand up his arm, over his neck and face.
Black screamed again, just as Jack felt his last ounce of energy drain from him.
His chest was still burning. But the heat had begun to fade. Not because his control over the ice was returning, but because all his senses were fading.
He heard Rapunzel call his name, but she was so far away...
Then, through the darkness that had enveloped him, a golden glow grew brighter, chasing away the darkness until all he knew was the light.
The burning stopped.