Blood Tithe

Chapter Thirty-Four

Han suddenly woke to Kibo's prodding, the raven jumping up and down on his face and flapping his wings in a fashion that would slap him with them. His body jerked with a pained grunt, his body fighting him. He blinked his vision clear, at first perplexed when he was greeted with darkness. Then he realized...

He had over slept. The sun had gone down without him.

He shuddered and forced himself to his feet.

Am I already too late?

And he ran, clearing the pass and stepping out into the lower reaches of the steppe to the east. His body ached, resisted the sudden burst of frantic motion, but he bit it back. He was so close, he had to make it back to the colony. He had to warn them if there was still time.

(-)

Anxiety gripped her, Fang feeling the heightened beating of her own heart. Keeping it under control she still searched for Vanille, knowing that the last place she had been was around the Resource Center with Hope and Gurthang. That was the first place she checked and had not found them. She continued on, her fingertips rubbing against the pads of her thumbs as her nerves frazzled.

Where the hell were they?

Gurthang barked and Fang sharply turned her head towards the sound. There was the dog, Hope and Vanille standing on either side of him.

"There you are," she grumbled in slight relief to herself.

Vanille saw her first, and even in the dwindling light she could see something was wrong. Immediately, without even saying hello, she asked Fang what was wrong.

"Go on back inside." the older Oerban said.

"What is it?" she asked, sounding a little worried already.

"I'll explain, just go on. And find Shilo, keep him close to you. Go on." Fang urged again.

With a hint of hesitance her younger sister relented. When Hope began to follow, Fang grabbed his shoulder, turning him towards her. Gurthang looked up, tongue wagging and curious.

"What's the matter?" he wasn't blind or deaf. He could tell something wasn't right.

"Tell me, how do those lights work?"

"There are two switches, but only one of them is hooked up. It's beside the utility closet behind Bradley's desk."

"Why don't you go ahead and turn them on." she nodded.

"What's going on, Fang?"

"Just a bad, bad feeling." she looked away, out into the growing darkness of twilight. "Like somethin' big is hanging over my head and about to come down on it."

Perhaps his mind just couldn't compute that at the moment, as he looked back at her with a puzzled expression. He wasn't feeling whatever it was that had her so uncomfortable.

"Just trust me, would ya?"

"Okay," Hope eventually nodded and moved on.

Fang watched him walk away, and then her eyes fell to the ground. Gurthang was staring right back at her, his red and yellow eyes glowing.

"Stay with me a while, pooch." and she pat his head. "I might need the extra hand."

He barked.

(-)

Sabine watched from the pass, the last of the Nighthawks stirring into awareness as light dwindled in the valley below. She was tense, a steady, minor vibration humming through her body. Soon, any minute now. Phantom was feeling it as well, pawing the earth and huffing and puffing with anticipation.

Amala was perched beside her, teetering on a tiny outcropping of rock and resembling some bird of prey in her posture. The slits of her eyes were glistening, her vision razor sharp in the dark.

"I see much movement." she said. "Many humans are going inside."

"To sleep." Sabine said. "This may be easier than we thought." Though there was no honor in death while sleeping, she remembered there was no honor in her lord's death either. Vengeance itself was not an honorable thing, but she refused to let that stop her.

Although she was restless. Where was the one who had killed him? Where was Tezzim's murderer?

Then the cannon lights atop the center came on. A low growl resounded through the company of vampires.

"What magic is that?" Amala's lips flared back in a snarl.

Sabin frowned hard, her brow knitted tightly enough to almost hurt. "Any light can be extinguished." she huffed and stood up, striding confidently, with anxiousness in her steps towards Phantom. "Once the first one goes out," she said. "Bring them."

Amala eased away from the edge, watching as the mortal pulled herself astride the horse.

"What makes you think you can do it?"

"It isn't a question of thought. I know I must." it had always been that way. Don't think about it, don't contemplate if you can or can't. Do it. "I will give you the darkness you need." and then she kicked Phantom's ribs so he lurched into a steady gallop, down the slope of the pass and into the steppe. There he picked up speed, his hooves near silent as they pulverized the grass.

A few minutes passed before Sabine felt she was close enough. She stayed to the shadows as she circled the colony. Then she drew her bow.

(-)

Fang stalked through the camp, between the dwellings and around the center, keeping watch as she moved from one spotlight to the next. That uneasy feeling had yet to leave her, the tightness in her shoulders and chest lingering. Gurthang was even starting to feel it, sniffing the air and looking about.

Crickets had started chirping.

And maybe that is why she didn't hear the distant drum of hooves.

What she did hear was the brief and shrill whistle of something cutting the air, and then the crash of shattered glass overhead. The light around her blinked out, surrounding her in darkness. There was no shock aside from the small shudder of the loud noises, even as bits of glass came raining down. Damn it all, she knew something wasn't right!

In the distance Lightning had noticed the glow of the cannon lights come to life, which made her finally decide to return to the colony. And this casual occurrence quickly morphed into something more urgent when she saw one of them suddenly go out. But that wasn't entirely what made her kick Valkyrie into a gallop. It was the shadow. Something was moving around the settlement, something large that stayed out of the light and therefore out of sight.

As she drew closer, more shapes appeared, darting about only half seen. Lightning drew her gunblade, feeling her stomach suddenly twist. The hawks had come after all.

(-)

From inside the center, a crash erupted loud enough for everyone to hear. It rippled through the whole building. Something was going on outside.

"Oh dear." Raul was looking up, perhaps tracking the sound as it faded.

Bradley looked at the vampires, pushing his glasses up nose. "What is it?"

"We have company." Francisco said. "Perhaps I should step out, Raul?"

"Mayhaps. Surely there is someone who could use your help." and he grinned to his partner.

"Am I missing something?" the clerk was puzzled, to say the least.

"We talked this over once before, Mr. Bradley, those other vampires I told you about. You remember?"

"Oh." he felt his body tighten, his spine shiver.

"I don't suppose you have any weapons stored around here somewhere?" it was amazing how calm Raul was. Almost ridiculous how little he appeared to be bothered.

"Why, you need one?"

"Oh saints, no. I was just making sure you were prepared." and he smirked.

"Of course I am." and Bradley ducked beneath his desk, going through drawers as well as a lock box he had hidden under there. He produced two revolvers, a semi-automatic pistol, and a shot gun alongside a pile of ammunition.

Raul's slitted eyes shimmered. "Those are fancy."

"Quite. Wanna borrow one?"

"Not for myself, but perhaps one of the others might. If you don't mind."

"I get ya," Bradley picked up the shot gun and started shoving shells into the chamber. "I worry about that goat fellow."

"As do I." Raul stroked a revolver with his claw before picking it up. "How does it work? Just...point and click I suppose?"

"Yup. You'll want to flip the safety off first, then you're ready to go."

There was another loud bang, Bradley jumping but trying his damnedest to hide it. In truth, he was terrified. He didn't know what to expect.

"Thank you again. And good luck." Raul started on down the hall, knowing Shilo and the others would be there.

"Same to you."

And then another bang of something heavy crashing against metal.

(-)

Gurthang lunged at a Nighthawk as it drew too close, Fang's lance sang through the air and the blades swept through vampiric flesh. Blood splashed to the ground, and commotion rose as some colonists emerged from their homes. Some joined the fight against the twenty or more invaders, others drew back to hide. Snow was one of the few who came into the fray, unable to simply sit back while his family was threatened. It was a much welcomed pair of hands as the hawks seemed to come out of the word work, one after the other. And with only two cannon lights left working. Hope was also doing his best to bank the tide, his razor rings shimmering through the dark as they tagged a target, ripping through it.

"There's so many!" Snow growled as he laid one out flat, having greeted the vampire with his customary fist-to-face maneuver.

"Quit your whining!" Fang snarled, ripping the head of her spear free from a fresh body. She was able to only take one step back before a vampire fell on her, jaws open and claws gripping. Gurthang leaped to her aid, tearing into the back of the vampire's neck, biting and tugging until it let go.

On the other side of the colony, where vampires had yet to trespass, Han came into the dim glow of the lights, sweat glistening all over him, his skin reddened from running all this way. He had seen what unfolded as he drew closer and closer, his heart wrenching tighter with every step. He had prayed he hadn't been too late, and it was answered. But the gods certainly couldn't have cut it any closer. The vampires were here, ripping the place to hell in search of revenge.

He'd be damned is he would allow them to have it.

Never again, he chanted in his head, the fury building. Never again. They had destroyed his home once before. They would not do the same here.

With a guttural cry he jumped into the first Nighthawk he came across, his claws sweeping downward. His silver eyes widened with frenzy as the vampire fell, blood gushing from the roughly hewn slits going down its chest. Thrill shot through him, but it wasn't enough. His head jerked back and forth in search of the next one, not having to wait long to choose the a new target. Ravenous, maddened, Han tore into the next vampire, and the next, he decimated every single one that crossed him.

And there was no fear in him, not a trace of it.

Never again. Never again.

The chant chimed in his head even as he roared at the top of his lungs with rage. He would stop it this time, he would not run while others fought to protect him. He would force these fuckers back with his own hand.

(-)

The Nighthawks broke down the door of the Resource Center, piling into the newly opened passage in a teeming, thrashing mass. Six...seven...eight of them came clambering inside.

And Bradley was waiting, as was Shilo should they get passed him. The Leonin had seen to it that Vanille and Bard had hidden themselves away, knowing they were in no shape to fight back such a threat.

Bradley emerged from behind his desk, shotgun pointed towards the oncoming horde. A fresh wave of terror washed over him when he saw them, finally accepted they were real. He held the butt of the weapon tight to his shoulder, pulling the lever with one hand to chamber a round.

The lot of them clawed and howled towards him.

Then he pulled the trigger.

One vampire was struck with a steel slug, flying back with arms and legs in the air. The others surrounding him broke away in unison, like the wave of sound put off by an explosion, and then ducked low to the floor to continue on. Bradley was mechanical in his movements. Pump-pull-BLAM-pump-pull-BLAM, and so on, in a rhythm that was second nature. He killed three of them, wounded another, and missed before the shot gun was empty. He dropped it without a second thought and reached for the smaller handguns he had tucked into the waist of his pants.

More started to climb through the open door, and Shilo thought it time to lend his claws to the battle. Mindful of the loud blasting of Bradley's guns, he lunged for the first vampire he saw, talons outstretched.

Down the corridor, passed the infirmary, tucked away in a closet, Bard and Vanille stayed quiet, not moving in the dark, but listening carefully to the hell going on just outside. The ring of gunshots, the rumble of a Leonin's roar, and other sounds they didn't even want to identify.

Vanille had found the nearest corner and curled into it, otherwise paralyzed with terror. She didn't want to believe this was happening. She thought she was free! Her entire body shook, tense, the itch to bite her knuckle near impossible to overlook. Bard stood across from her, his ear to the door. If anyone happened to come down this way, he would know about it. Raul had given him the revolver, per his concern, and the satyr gripped it gently in one hand.

For some reason he didn't like the idea of being stuffed in here. Sure, he was scared stiff and knew there was no safer place for him right now, but he felt so powerless at the same time. This was something he was not comfortable with. Staying out of danger had never been a conflict of interest for him. Why had that changed?

Maybe it was for the thought that if shit really hit the fan, worst case scenario, he didn't want to die in a broom closet. That was no way to go. However, if you had mentioned this to him a day ago, he would've thought it just fine.

For several minutes they were perfectly still, perfectly silent, perhaps wincing at the resounding of a particularly loud noise. Bard's fingers rippled as he held the weapon, his mind at war with what he should do.

No such thing as cowards, just men who don't know how brave they can be.

He almost believed it. In fact...

Bard turned slowly, quietly in the crowded space and knelt down. "Here, you hang on to this, lass."

"W-where are you going?" she looked him, eyes wide, her voice breaking. She almost didn't take the gun as he pressed it into her trembling hands. Last thing she wanted was to be alone.

"I'm goin' to have a look about, maybe I'll find your sister. Dinnae ya be worrin' now, you'll be fine." Iffin' I dinnae get myself killed.

"Please don't leave me, please," came as a breathy, desperate plea, one hand gripping his wrist and tears falling from her eyes.

"It's all right, I promise. No one will find ya. Just stay quiet, aye?"

Vanille took a breath, holding in a choking sob before she spoke. "A-aye."

With a nod that hid his insecurities he straightened, reaching for one of his crutches before hesitantly poking his head out of the door. He found the corridor empty and stepped out, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Vanille had never felt more alone in her life.

Bard crept down the stretch of hallway, limping close to the wall to the end. He leaned forward to have a look around the corner, towards the sounds of gunfire and snarling. He saw the still, outstretched and bloodied arm of a vampire's corpse on the floor, the sight forcing him to recoil. Bard fought to breathe, his cowardice threatening to overwhelming.

You're out here now, Shamus McBardigan, and there's no retreatin'. So you'd best suck it the fook up and get movin'.

As if it would help him, Bard limped quietly forward once more, leaving the cover of the bend in the hall. What was he supposed to be accomplishing here, he wondered?

Find Fang. Yes, that's what ya said you'd do. So do it.

Maybe she was somewhere inside?

A body flew across the corridor crossing ahead, a massive, furry form that stole Bard's breath. Shilo struck the wall hard, the aluminum giving in a dimple under his weight. The Leonin hit the ground and fell onto his side, still. Bard couldn't tell if he was still breathing. He found himself unable to move.

He wanted to scream as Amala stalked into view, blood streaked up and down her body. Terror had stolen his voice. The bondswoman's black eyes fell on him, her visage fierce yet collected in a predator's composure. She didn't chase him, didn't have to, she didn't even hurry her contemplative pace as she approached the petrified satyr. His breath quickened, loud pants leaving him as the vampire stood before him, looking down with a pressing gaze. Somehow he managed his eyes to meet hers, forcing a drip-drop of the fear down.

The vampire towered over him, an impending doom that breathed on him chilling exhales through flared nostrils.

His newly discovered instincts won out over his fear, and he swung his crutch at her without even thinking. If he had, maybe he would've considered the idea that Amala might have been around the block before, as she caught the impromptu weapon before it could strike her head. With just a twist and pull of her powerful arm she ripped it from his grip, tossing it to the floor.

He gaped. "Sweet teat of Am-ack!"

Amala clapped her clawed hand around his throat and slammed him into the wall.

"Where's the girl?" she inquired with startling composure, squeezing just a little.

Bard gripped at her arm, pushing, lifting himself to ease the sensation of choking. He couldn't speak, words leaving him as his breath was no longer allowed to move freely. His feet tucked up beneath him, his terror making him want to shrink until he disappeared.

"Where?" she snarled.

The loud noise startled him in the same way Hope's touch had in the marsh, and his reaction was identical as well. His legs kicked without him thinking, forcing his hooves into the vampire's midsection, connecting with pelvic bones and ribs. Amala stumbled back, hitting the opposite wall, dropping him. The vampire rolled on the floor, clearly in intense pain. Something had been broken. Still she stood, now furious and unable to hide it. She was slightly surprised to find the satyr already back on his feet.

Bard put up his fists, his back still against the wall for support. Fear was threatening to buckle his knees.

You've started it now, ya stupid nanny, now you'd best finish it.

And he would, no matter what it took.

(-)

Lightning charged in on Valkyrie, blade swinging as she passed by a vampire. The Nighthawk dropped, his chest and chin split open. But they were not her target. She had her sights set firmly on whoever it was that had the bow, having spotted the arrows in the backs of bodies since she was close enough to see. It was that shadow, the one that circled the settlement just out of sight. Lightning was dead set on finding them, stopping them.

And she would have her wish.

Sabine had been biding her time, saving her energy in waiting for the one on the white horse. When she saw the mare and its rider her heart leaped, her jaw tightening with her grip on the bow. She tore a number of arrows from the quiver on her back, putting one to the string and another between her teeth. The rest she gripped in the other hand, using them steady the one she had notched. Sabine clenched her thighs, rising in the saddle and allowing the movement caused by Phantom's gallop not to reach her torso, keeping her aim steady.

She let one-two-three fly.

Lightning just heard the air whistling before she turned her head, feeling the wind pushing against the side of her face. Her skin blossomed with warmth, blood seeping from the paper-thin split left by the arrow that just missed. It had even run through her ear, leaving a gaping space where cartilage and skin had once been. She went onward unfazed, changing the blade to a gun and raising it to take aim.

Sabine heard the ballistics leave the barrel, loud bangs preambled by flashes of light in bursts of threes. She ducked low against Phantom, removing herself as an easy target, bullets passing over her by millimeters.

The two riders drew closer to pass one another. In a sudden change of strategy, Lightning made the gun shift back into the blade and swiped at Sabine. Yes, she had ducked away, but Light hadn't been aiming for her. She quickly wheeled Valkyrie around.

Sabine straightened, knowing she wasn't wounded. But she looked to her bow and found the string cut. No longer useful, she tossed it and the quiver away, not needing the extra weight. Phantom turned without her prompting, beginning his charge anew as his rider drew her own sword. It was a wickedly curved amalgamation between a sword and a scythe, and as she drew close enough to strike, it split in two and she lashed out.

Lightning was just able to perry the attack, surprised when one sword had become a pair. She wheeled once more, prepared this time to watch for two attacks at once. But when she looked, Sabine was not coming back for her, she had veered away and was riding into the colony. Naturally she followed.

Sabine needed to take the advantage away from her, knowing any fool could ride a horse on open ground. Only a seasoned rider could weave between moving bodies and buildings with any potency. Phantom plowed his way through the warring throngs, jumping the corpses and ducking around corners like he was turning on a dime. She knew the other rider was following, but only just so close behind. With a light tug on Phantom's mane the stallion slowed, just so, allowing his mistress to jump safely from his back. He would continue on as Sabine waited, giving off the illusion that she was still riding him.

Lightning pulled on Valkyrie's reigns to make her turn, sure as hell not expecting for her to shy just as she cleared it. The mare whinnied, rearing up and throwing Light from the saddle. She struck the ground hard, her back snapping straight and her head bouncing. Valkyrie bolted. She shook her head to clear her blurred vision, doing so just fast enough to see two blades on a crash course with her face. She rolled away.

Sabine had jumped in front of Lightning's horse, receiving the desired result. Now both were on foot. When she rolled out of the path of her swords, it didn't deter her from the offensive. She kept coming, swinging again and again, refusing to stop even as the three blades collided.

Lightning felt a modicum of shock pass through her. It was the one from the racetrack that beat her in the lap race, the one who had tried to force her out of the saddle.

What the hell was she doing here?

Light forced her away, pushing with both feet to knock Sabine on her backside. Lightning hurried to her feet, ready for when Sabine would come for her again.

Sabine was fast, knew she was fast, and she struck in a flurry of conjoined sword strikes aiming to eviscerate the former soldier. The rage was starting to show, her once composed features twisting into a savage grimace. She struck harder, putting all of her weight behind every attack. It was a trance like state where everything was red, her foe shining the brightest crimson.

Light almost couldn't believe how this woman moved, every technique connected to the next, moving in circular patterns to maintain momentum. She'd never seen anything like it and did her best to keep up. It was not easy. There was no room for retaliation, all she was able to do was turtle up and hope for an opening.

Sabine could feel the fire in her veins, the force behind her strikes growing. She was going to kill this bitch if it took her last breath. She went for the ankles, the knees, her blades swiping in arcs and scissor-like motions but cutting only air. In a surge of effort she jumped, lunging forward in a somersault, bringing her blades downward from high above. Lightning raised her blade to stop them, only to have the weapon shattered by the impact. Where the blade and the hilt met it came apart, bolts, screws, and shards of steel flying through the air.

How in the gods' names did that happen?

Lightning stumbled back, feeling a pair of strong arms wrap around her as she retreated too closely to a Nighthawk.

"No, she's mine!" Sabine cried, hurling one of her curved blades to cleave into the vampire's face. "I will kill her!"

Not understanding what the hell had gotten this woman so bat shit mad, Lightning pulled the sword from the body, refusing to be unarmed any longer than was necessary. This did not stop Sabine. Nothing could stop her.

The weapon was unwieldy for the former soldier, the weight distributed in a manner she was not accustomed to. But she didn't have time to grow comfortable with it. Sabine was on the offensive once more, pressing her back still with heavy, continuous attacks.

Then there it was, an opening. With only one sword that she could easily use with one hand, Sabine had left her right arm idle. Lightning made a full turn, away from Sabine's swing, and struck out towards her unprotected shoulder.

The blade struck, but did not cut into flesh. It bounced, the impact vibrating back through it and into Lightning's arms, painful. Sabine actually paused, half laughing.

"How stupid do you think I am?" was all she said, a bitter rhetorical question. She shrugged her shoulder, revealing what had protected her from beneath the blood stained stretch of her sari. It was black and shiny, naturally bent to fit her shoulder. It was a plate of skin from a Royal, one of the large desert scorpions that Light had only heard about. Had Sabine actually killed one those in order to wear its hide?

But the pause was brief, and she began her attack anew, tireless. Lightning drew back, her mind abuzz with what to do. Maybe change the battlefield. Maybe closer quarters would hinder her, take away her ability to use that circular technique that clearly gave her the advantage.

Sabine gave chase.

(-)

The vampires' numbers were dwindling. Their bodies littered the ground, right beside the small handful of humans they had killed. Some had even turned tail and run, or limped away.

Fang was on her knees in the blood sodden grass, holding on to her lance to keep herself up as she struggled to catch her breath. She stank of blood and gore, droplets of it still running over her skin once having commingled with sweat. She wasn't hurt, just weary. It was a hard fight, one of the hardest she had ever been a part of.

Hope came over, looking just as tired, stained red just like her. As did Snow, who seemed a little scraped up, but free of any serious injuries.

"You all right?" the bruiser asked, breathless.

Fang could only nod, pressing her forehead against the support of her weapon once the motion was complete.

"I think...I think we stopped them." Hope was bent over, his hands on his knees as if he were about to throw up.

Gurthang started to bark, the three of them lifting their heads to see why. There was Han, his movements stiff and tired, blood dripping from his hand, covering his face and legs as he had trodden through the carnage. Gurthang circled his master's feet, delighted to have him back.

Fang found it in her to stand, almost unable to believe it. Staggering she went to him, holding out her arms once she was close enough to embrace him.

"You're alive," she breathed against him. "By the gods, how?"

"Just lucky, I guess." he panted. He would've hugged her back, wanted to, but wanted just as much not to share the mess on his hand. "I wanted to warn you, I tried to make it...sorry I was so late."

"Never mind, we made it." she tightened her hold about his neck. "Damn it's good to see you."

Han gave pause, stunned. No one had every said anything like that to him before.

"I'm so tired." he confessed after a long moment.

"Well met, ladies and gents," Raul greeted as he and Francisco appeared. "Looks like we've pushed them back once again."

"Where the hell have you been?" Fang lifted an eyebrow to them after having stepped back from Han.

"Those hawks were coming from everywhere." Francisco made sure they were aware. "We were just on the far side keeping them from ganging up on you."

She just then realized that they, too, were smeared with blood.

Gurthang continued barking, though, and he was no longer giving his undivided attention to his human. Once again they all looked, seeing a massive black shape standing some distance away.

"Who's horse is that?" Hope wondered aloud.

Han felt his heart sink, all fatigue leaving him as he tore away from his friends in a mad dash.

(-)

Somehow the two had taken their fight into the Resource Center, Lightning jumping over a pile of bodies that blocked the damaged entryway. Bradley was not at his his desk, and the center was otherwise quiet. This gave Light a small consolation: no one to get in her way.

Sabine came in right behind her, sword swinging with a hoarse cry. Lightning blocked the blow with her pilfered weapon, but earned a firm kick to the chest in return. She hit the floor, scrambling to get back on her feet. Sabine just kept coming, unrelenting, unforgiving.

Lightning waited for her to thrust the weapon, and hooked the end of it with the bend of the other, ripping the weapon from Sabine's grasp with a firm jerk. You think that stopped her? Not a chance in hell. Sabine quickly slipped in close, resorting to unarmed combat. She hurled her fists into Light's ribs at blinding speeds, suddenly spinning to connect her heel with Lightning's cheekbone. The force was enough to send Lightning twisting back to the floor, blood spilling from her split lip, the sword tumbling from her hands.

Before she could grab it, Sabine kicked it away, then reached down and gripped her hard by the hair to pull her up. Blows to the face, one after another, then she hurled Lightning against the wall before delivering a hard drop-kick to her midsection. Lightning was beginning to severely second guess her plan to come in here. The restricted space, though she would've swore this hallway was narrower, didn't seem to hamper her at all. And Light had only seemed to trap herself. If only this bitch didn't move so damn fast.

"I will kill you!" Sabine screamed. "I will destroy you, just as you destroyed me!"

"I don't even know who the fuck you are!" Lightning protested, just dodging a punch that dented the wall beside her head. She then took a page from Fang's book, seeing the opportunity, and threw her head into Sabine's face. It was a blow hard enough to split the skin on the bridge of her nose and draw blood heavily from it. Sabine smeared it away, barely fazed.

Lightning kept pressing, having only a shred of leeway against her. She pushed, throwing punches, kicks, anything to lay the hurt on her. She harassed Sabine into the nearest wall, simply refusing to believe she could move so fast as to not be touched by a single attempt.

Sabine saw the next punch coming, straight on, and raised her hands to catch it at the wrist. With a turning step she twisted it around to Light's back, but she didn't stop there. She thrust her knee into Light's tailbone, hard, a slamming motion that forced the other woman off the ground. She hit the floor face first, her arm still twisted. Again Sabine didn't stop. She twisted the limb in such a way, slowly, like wringing out a wet rag, until Lightning screamed at the same moment that the bones snapped in several places. Then she stomped hard on the crease of her shoulder, feeling another bone give.

Only then did she step away. She wanted to watch the bitch squirm, to watch her suffer.

Shocking, stabbing agony crackled through her, her right arm flopping uselessly beside her. Tears filled her eyes, hot and stinging, a natural reaction to the intense pain. She screamed into the floor, unable to keep it back.

"Get up!" Sabine roared. "I'm not finished. GET UP!"

"Sweet Christ," she muttered pitifully. "Who the hell are you?"

"Who am I?" Sabine sounded insulted, disgusted. "I was to be the bride of the man you murdered!"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You killed my lord in cold blood!" she sobbed, unable to keep it in any longer. "And all over some slave whore!"

So this is what it was all about? For fuck's sake.

Lightning somehow managed to force it down, the throbbing pain, and stand. She turned to Sabine, holding her shattered arm.

"Maybe," she breathed, trying to reign in her composure. "Maybe if he hadn't been such a pig...I wouldn't have had to kill him. He had his chance."

Sabine's fury broke, her savage grimace dissolving into a rigid frown. She wept into her hands, falling to her knees. This allowed Lightning to rest against the wall, no longer feeling threatened by the diminished, vindictive warrior. She let her head fall back, eyes closed as she still tried to cope with the horrendous throbbing in her arm and shoulder.

After a brief moment, the crying stopped, and Sabine stood, half turning away from her crippled opponent.

"How could you?" she whimpered.

Lightning contemplated the question, forcing herself to straighten, taking a half step closer. "There are some things in life you just do. Never mind how."

Sabine nodded slowly, her fist shaking. "I guess...yes, you're right. Some things you just do."

Lightning suddenly had a funny feeling. Why had she so abruptly drawn back. Had the trapped emotions of grief and fury finally broken lose, sucked the fight out of her? Or had she simply...changed her strategy?

Sabine twisted, bringing her far side around and stretching out her arm. She wasn't close enough to Lightning to hit her, but she was more than close enough for something else to do it for her. Lightning didn't even see what happened, only stumbled back against the wall once more when she felt a sharp pinch at her throat. What the fuck was that? Once the initial shock passed, she could see what had happened.

And now is when I think it best to tell you what Sabine's Kes'shian name means.

Meh'Hana. Charmer.

It was more of a title than a name, one that was rarely ever used in all the corners of Gran Pulse. It was something else the people of the desert had found special about her. She had been able to break Phantom when their most skilled beast masters could not, and many of the animals domesticated by the clan would follow her around. Those in the wild would also shadow her from time to time, even the most sacred of creatures to the Kes'shi...

Serpents.

It had been hiding in the satchel Sabine had strapped about her waist, and while she had her side turned away from Lightning, she had reached out to it, calling in her mind for it to slither out of its hiding place and coil about her arm. Then she turned, giving it the silent order to strike. And now it sat in Sabine's palm, nearly three feet long, its head raised and fangs flared.

The serpent was a dusky, sandy color with electric blue eyes and black spots all down its back. Within the dark splotches were neon blue rings, and out from its neck flared a pair of fleshy - what resembled - wings, bright red and dotted with yellow. It hissed, its slitted eyes fixed on Lightning.

The Kes'shi had taught her how to hunt, they taught her how to fight, but it was the desert that had taught her how to kill. As mother nature could be the cruelest bitch there is.

Lightning began to feel panic crawling up her back. What was that thing? Was it poisonous? She didn't feel sick, in fact the tiny pinpricks on her neck barely hurt. With that being said, she still had to wonder the consequences of being bitten. Sabine wouldn't have bothered for a snake that couldn't kill someone. Or would she?

Sabine lurched her arm forward once more, giving the snake enough momentum to hurl itself across the some foot wide gap between it and Lightning. She saw it coming this time, sweeping the reptile away with her good arm. What she didn't see was Sabine's true intention. Hidden beneath the plate of Royal skin she pulled a dagger, and forced Lightning up against the wall as she shoved it forward.

Lightning felt the blood rush out of her face, her breath leave her lungs in a burst of air as Sabine's shoulder drove into her chest. Her eyes widened and her mouth gaped in a silent scream. She shuddered, the tip of the dagger scraping against the metal wall behind her. She felt the vibration through her stomach. And I mean through it.

"Farron!"

Sabine was the only one of the two that reacted to the voice, her head twisting to see Bradley standing beside his toppled desk. Just as she yanked the knife free, motioning to throw it at him, he raised the other, still loaded revolver and pulled the trigger.

The two of them fell at the same time, both weapons having hit their mark.

Then Lightning slumped to the floor, sliding down the wall and leaving bloody streaks as she went. Blood began to darken her lips, and she fell onto her side.

Then Han and the others came stumbling through the entryway, horrified.

Author's Note: Another cliff hanger, ha-ha! Everybody having fun yet? Hope so, because I cranked this out in one day, ONE DAY. Hopefully it isn't written in a way that you can tell. Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the Favorite Story +'s, and all that. I deeply appreciate it. Heavy drama a comin' next chapter, so hold on to your butts. Gonna have to face the music.