SQ: SUCH A LATE UPDATE! Life, as it sometimes does, got in the way. Or rather, I let it. Thanks for the reviews, favorites, and followers thus far. I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
[Chapter 20: Clawing]
Raven only noticed a rush of red hair, brilliant against the stark grayness of her room, before the claw engulfed her. Engulfed them.
No! Raven meant to scream this word, meant to shout it into the oblivion, but no sound came from her mouth. Words were useless in here. Useless against Hoarfrost's power.
The bright light pulsed.
In the dominating white one figure stood out – Starfire. Arms outstretched, hair waving around her like some ethereal being, mouth open. Her body faced the claw, but her eyes focused on something entirely different. Her eyes were on Raven.
Love. Lust. Power. Pain. Loss. All these emotions flickered in Starfire's eyes. Emotions that mirrored Raven's own.
But Starfire didn't move. It seemed she couldn't. Had the claw paralyzed her? No, not just her, it seemed all of time stopped. Even Raven couldn't move.
This wasn't part of Hoarfrost's magic. Something else pulsed in the air. Something else hindered their motions. Something more powerful. And finally it clicked in Raven's mind. The only one stronger than Hoarfrost, resilient enough to fight this and win. Orion.
A figure dropped. Starfire had blocked the body. And Raven did notice that it was a body, not a person. Not a woman. Not a beautiful lady dressed in a long white flowing gown. It was Orion. But not Orion. Orion's form yes, but not her soul.
The body thudded on the floor.
Her soul was someplace very different. Caught in a claw. Caught in an evil magic.
The claw drew back, holding something. Something. It glowed a vibrant yellow, the whips of air caught in Hoarfrost's claw. A yellow so bright it would drown out the sun if it needed to.
The claw drew back into Hoarfrost – had she not seen, had she not noticed what she had done, who's soul she just grabbed? – but no, it seemed Hoarfrost had not. Raven tried to look away from the madness that Hoarfrost had become - the figure cloaked in blue-white, eyes glowing red, ancient words spitting from her lips. Raven tried. Tried and failed.
She could not look away.
Hoarfrost sucked the claw back into the sphere. The sphere glowed white, then yellow. It solidified. Cracked, spider-webbed across the surface, then finally shattered.
Raven did not want to look away any more. She had to know. Did Orion save them? Or did she doom them all?
The shattered pieces drifted to the ground. Before hitting the surface, though, they changed direction and zoomed towards the circle instead. Outward. Hitting flesh. Diving through it only to come out bloody on the other side. Meji crumpled to the side – a hole in his neck. Bal fell backwards – a gaping wound in his abdomen. And Hoarfrost, she leaned forward – a clean cut straight through her forehead.
Raven gagged.
Sagged.
Floated to the ground and touched down with trembling hands.
That answered the question, then.
Raven unleashed her powers one more time and evaporated the three bodies, unable to look at them any longer.
Orion had saved them all. But at what price?
Raven looked away. She inclined her head toward Orion's form and murmured a quiet thanks. But that wasn't enough. Tears sprung unbidden in Raven's eyes.
Beastboy, Robin, and Cyborg gathered around her. They stood close by, but seemed at a loss for words. And of course they would be. They had been under Hoarfrost's spell since the beginning. They didn't know the whole story. Starfire couldn't have possibly let them in on everything. All they must've known was that Raven needed help. Someday Raven would have to thank them for it. For coming to her aid without knowing why. But today was not that day.
Starfire landed beside her and rested a hand on Raven's shoulder. Raven leaned into the touch and sighed. Wrapping her arms around Raven's waist, Starfire pulled her close.
"We shall give her a proper ceremony." Starfire kissed Raven's head. "She deserves the best. For saving us."
Raven nodded. She spun 'round, grasping hold of her love. Her Starfire. Raven sobbed. Not only for Orion, for the grief clutching at her heart. Raven's tears would not stop for just her old friend. They fell, too, for the love she felt at that moment. So much love. Orion's sacrifice. The boys coming to rescue her without knowing why.
Raven cried in Starfire's arms for a very long time.
SQ: Thank you for sticking with me long enough to read this second to last chapter even though I was gone for an extremely long time. And yes, I did just write the second to last chapter. Because of my lack of regular updates and as a treat to my regular readers, I'm going to post the last chapter tomorrow.
As always, please review! Comments help me grow. And also make me feel loved. Until tomorrow.