CHAPTER 21

Edax Animae

It was growing stronger with every chant and muttered word that spilled from the Six's lips. It was not yet a solid form but still a shadow like figure still not belonging to this realm. It stayed close to its prize knowing that the Queen could now see it with her wide dark eyes and it fed with gusto from the fear that it drew from within her.

Her screams of agony were as delicious as the chanting that was slowly bringing it back to life. No longer would it reside alone in the darkness unable to extinguish the light that it repelled against. No! very soon it would reign supreme and they would all bow at its feet and do its bidding or suffer the endless consequence.

It cared for nothing except for the soul of the child that very soon it would consume. It cared little for its mother that writhed around the floor beneath it but it did want her, the darkness buried deep inside of her called to it and it looked forward to the time that she would become its Queen.

When flesh and blood it would take her with or without her consent and fill her with its dark seed, she would bare its heir to continue the bloodline and seal the future of all mankind or at least what would be left of it. The world would soon start a new.

"Ok take as many out as you can and then get my sister the fuck out of here. Leave that bitch Helena to me"

Emma raised an eyebrow sure she had seen a flash of hurt beneath stormy blue eyes but now wasn't the time for questions.

Zelena straightened up and flexed her fingers and was pleased to feel her magic spark. She had managed a numbing spell for Swans dislocation but hadn't been strong enough to heal her but at least she would be free of pain for the final battle.

"We leave here together! No one gets left behind"

The determination in Swan's voice was back as she squeezed her sister in laws hand and they both took a deep breath.

"Let's get your Queen back"

And with those words said they came out of hiding one with magic crackling around her fingers the other with her gun firmly in her hand ready to fire at the first thing that moved in their direction.

Time had ceased for Regina she had no idea how long she had been laying on the floor surrounded by six monsters whose insipid chanting was driving her insane. The pain was so intense that she wished that somehow she could escape her own body, it was fight or flight but she knew there was no flight for her or the child that insisted that it too wanted out.

She had thought she was hallucinating when she first saw it swirl around her getting as close to her as it dared. But the ear piercing screech that it liked to emit as the ritual proceeded confirmed her worst fears.

She wanted her wife, needed her more than she had ever before but the truth was she had no idea how badly hurt she was, she had been forced to watch as she had been so viciously beaten by those cowardly bastards that hid behind their hoods then thrown against the wall like she was nothing but trash.

Regina's once hell bent desire to murder Snow White paled in comparison to how she felt about these unsuspecting strangers that had invaded their lives and brought nothing but pain and sorrow.

Some time ago the torches that hung crudely on the damp stone walls had burst into life and the chanting had increased as had her pain. To the Queen's horror she had started to feel like she wanted to push, it was as if they knew that her beautiful innocent daughter was preparing herself to be delivered.

She screamed arching her back and trying desperately to escape the pain feeling as though someone was pushing forcefully from the inside against her spine and twisting it at the same time.

"Emmmmaaaa!"

A screech of delight from the shadow creature was all that she received in reply.

The first two hooded assholes to notice Swan step out from behind the bookcase were both shot in the head before either of them had a chance to utter a word.

The next two run at Zelena having seen their companions gunned down who with little or no effort at all hit them with a blast of magic which sent them flying into a twisted heap of limbs over the other side of the chamber.

"Noooooooo!"

Helena screamed ripping the hood from her face to glare at the redhead whilst Adley did what he was good at and made a run for it and just about managed to dodge another two bullets that had his name on them.

Emma cursed as she watched him flee but he wasn't her priority her wife was, he would keep. An ear piercing screech suddenly came from the shadow getting everyone's attention as a blast of white light imploded from within its form then faded into nothingness.

"Regina!"

Swan cried out as it froze above her soulmate before throwing back its head and roared with fury close to her face.

She took aim and fired but as expected the bullets passed through it and instead shattered the mirror that hung on the wall, she fired until the click of an empty chamber was all that could be heard.

The shadow turned sharply and for the first time it had formed empty eye sockets and a crooked mouth that gaped open and it's malevolent glare was set right on the Saviour.

"Get the fuck away from my wife asshole!"

Swan dropped the gun and both her hands flew out in front of her and a blast of white magic left her fingers like lightning and slammed into the shadow sending it crashing into what remained of the mirror that now hung precariously from its fitting.

She didn't waste a second and ran to Regina falling to her knees besides her worryingly limp form.

"Regina? Baby can you hear me? We need to get out of here before it comes back!"

Wide eyed and now panic stricken she brushed damp dark hair from out of her wife's closed eyes and for the first time really took in her deathly white colour.

Her heart was in her throat realising that something was seriously fucking wrong as she gently attempted to pull her up. It was then that she saw the blood thick and congealed between her legs and a strangled cry left her throat.

So preoccupied with her love she didn't see the shadow hurtle towards her until it was too late but she did feel the claws that dug deeply into her shoulders as it lifted her effortlessly from the ground before throwing her hard into the bookcases.

Hearing her Saviours cry of pain brought Regina back around along with the panic that rose up within her throat. Then a burst of inhuman laughter from above her turned her blood to ice.

"YOUR MINE!"

She gasped in shock as suddenly it's terrifying face was nose to nose with hers, she tried desperately to move but her limbs were paralysed and she was indeed fighting a losing battle.

In those last few seconds it all become so very clear to the Queen as to what was about to happen as it reached up a clawed hand and in its own twisted way smiled down at her.

"Emmmmmmaaaa!"

She screamed her wife's name just as it plunged both hands inside her chest laughing maniacally the entire time. Regina was too weak to fight the darkness as it ripped her very being from herself, her last thoughts was of her soulmates beautiful face as her eyes lost the battle and slowly closed.

"Really Helena this is all very fifty shades of tacky!"

Zelena mocked and rolled her eyes as the manic looking blonde pulled a rather long ceremonial dagger out from within the robe she wore and held it out shakily in front of her, in her other hand she still gripped the black leather bound book.

"You have no idea what you have done! We could of had it all Zelena. We would have been unstoppable"

Helena flinched suddenly as a flame burst out of the book forcing her to drop it as it quickly withered into dust before her.

Zelena shook her head and chuckled throatily whilst slowly closing the gap between them.

"You really think that one rather quite forgettable romp in the hay with you that I would turn my back on the people I love the most? You really are quite insane and besides that unlike my sister and Swan meat I don't u-haul after the first date bitch!"

Helena lashed out with the dagger her face a mask of fury but Zelena was already prepared for her and had her in a magic choke hold before she got too close.

"You messed with the wrong witches blondie and now you will join your master for eternity"

Her grip on her throat slackened briefly on hearing a gut wrenching cry from somewhere behind her but then her focus returned and she snapped the leader of the Six's neck like a twig beneath her shoe and without an ounce of regret.

Adley felt his thudding heart begin to slow down to its normal pace when reaching the top of the stone steps that led out of the vault. He knew he wasn't being followed and guessed that by now he was the only one left alive.

He had heard the sound of gunfire as he fled and assumed that Helena had been the Saviours next victim and if the Queen was now dead along with the child as was planned it wouldn't be long before she came for him and he had every intention on being long gone from Storybrooke before that happened.

It was almost dark as he bolted out of the vault removing the robe as he went, after all he would stick out like a sore thumb if he continued to wear it and now that the Six was no more he certainly wouldn't be needing it.

"Hey"

The sudden and unexpected female voice made the witch hunter stop in his tracks and turn his head and in doing so the whistling arrow that had already been released from its bow struck him with such a force that he was dead before his face hit the ground.

"Still got it!"

Snow said with a satisfied smirk as Charming came up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I never doubted it. Now let's go get our family"

Zelena's face paled as she rushed over to Swan who had her unmoving wife cradled against her chest her expression one of utter shell shock.

Trying to hold it together she knelt between her sisters parted legs and bit back a gasp at the sight of so much blood. For a second she feared that the birth had already taken place but was relieved to find it hadn't.

Placing her hand gently on Regina's swollen stomach she closed her eyes until a green haze of magic filtered out of her fingers and dissipated quickly into the Queen's body.

"She's alive Emma the baby is moving!"

Tears slipped down her cheeks as she opened her eyes again to focus on Swan who was still yet to say a word. She looked destroyed.

"For fuck sake Emma! We need to get her to the hospital NOW!"

With a quick and precise wave of her hand Zelena used what was left of her magic to transport them all to Storybrooke General.

Snow and Charming stood in silence taking in the unmoving bodies that were scattered around the eerily quiet chamber. The whole place stank of death.

A particular large pool of fresh blood had both of their attention. There wasn't any corpses in the vicinity and there were no visible drag marks so the unfortunate victim hadn't fled and that could only mean one thing.

"David I think we need to get to the hospital"

Snow suggested quietly too terrified to voice the terrible thoughts that were currently running through her head. Someone was hurt..really hurt and it didn't bare thinking about.