Alright so since its been so long... like a month or two... I've made this chapter much longer than the others. Most of the fight scene is in here so there's lots of action!

Stay tuned for original story news afterwards!

I am by no means exaggerating when I say all hell broke loose. It seemed, simultaneously, a fire rose up in the distance just like it did nine years ago at the last execution I sat at, and a hell storm of bullets rained down on the valley. From where I lay on my side I could see the men starting to run around in chaos, unsure at what to shoot at.

Lay on my side was all I could do however as my hands were still tightly bound behind my back and I was having some difficulty getting up. I could only stare wide eyed at the action around me and hope that I remained as lifeless and as unnoticeable as a dead slug.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I felt someone grab my hands and immediately tried to roll away.

"It's alright sweetheart. It's only me."

"Basta." I breathed. "Oh Thank God."

"Hold still." He said. I heard the sound of his knife flicking open and he sawed quickly through the rope that bound my hands. A few moments later my hands were freed and I quickly sat up.

"Thanks."

He nodded and pressed a pistol into my hand. "Take this but try to stay out of the cross fire. I know you're not good with a gun."

I flushed. "Yeah, guess that's true."

There was a gunshot and a bullet drove a crater into the ground a few inches from my hand. I jumped away.

"Shit!"

"Try to get used to the gunfire too." Basta smirked. "If you can, make it to the woods unless you're so stubborn that you want to stay behind and help."

"I am feeling pretty stubborn." I mused.

"Fine then. Don't die. Your friend wouldn't be too happy with you if you did that, especially when she went to all the trouble to save your life."

"She shot the rope down?" I asked. "I'm not surprised. She had to wait till the last minute didn't she?"

"Stop getting kidnapped and you won't have to worry about almost dying." Basta said. "I'm going to help the others."

"Alright. Thank you, again." I said.

He nodded and then darted back onto the confused battle ground.

I crawled out from under the gallows and shakily cocked the pistol. I wasn't sure if I was going to have to shoot someone or if I did have to if I would be able to pull the trigger. Basta didn't think I was capable of killing someone. I wasn't sure whether or not he was right.

The power to take a life is a scary thing. Thinking about completely ending someone's existence made me shiver but I just couldn't afford to think like that. I might have to kill some people if I myself was going to live.

Some of my friends must have been shooting from above because I saw men dropping with no discernable murderer. At least we had the higher ground if not the numbers.

Twice a man almost shot me and twice and barely managed to move out of the way and shoot them in the shoulder or the side, wounding but not killing. It was enough to allow me time to get away of course.

It was then that I saw Cockerel in the crowd, not fighting but moving slowly away. Maybe he was worried Basta might find him, I don't know, but it looked like he was about to start running.

No. I would not allow him to run. He killed my friend and almost killed my other friend. He had shot too many people close to me for me to let him get off. If I let him get away then the book would remain open. He could come back. The book needed to close forever. There could be no loose ends.

I had to kill him.

For the first time I found myself truly and seriously contemplating killing someone and I cocked my pistol. I had four bullets left. Then I ran after him as he backed into the woods.

Kat didn't know what exactly possessed Callypso to run after Cockerel. After all, Callypso knew well that she couldn't fight. Was she really so rage driven that all common sense flew out the window? Maybe.

But she couldn't let that happen. She couldn't let her best friend, the only thing she had left, be killed just like Jo. She would not let that happen.

Unfortunately she was very preoccupied at the moment, trying to keep about five of Capricorn's men off of her tail. Instead she turned to the nearest available person for help.

"Basta!" She called. "Hey!"

"What?" He asked, kicking one of the black jackets in the face.

"Callypso just ran after Cockerel. I think she's trying to kill him." Kat said.

"God damn it that girl is stubborn. Has she lost her mind?" Basta cursed.

"He killed Jo. I might've done the same thing." Kat muttered. "But there is a huge difference between me and Callypso." She jumped back out of a punch from a black jacket. "Shit!"

"Keep on your group." Basta said. "I'll get her."

"Thanks." Kat smacked her hand across one's face and kicked another between the legs. He crumpled. "Basta… don't let her die." She managed to catch his eye. "Don't you dare let her die."

"I won't." Then he was gone, running through the crowd and towards the woods.

Kat lost sight of them and went back to her own fight.

"Damn it" she thought. "This probably means I have to take out Capricorn."

Cockerel must have heard me coming because he was waiting for me when I turned the corner. I barely managed to duck behind the trunk of a tree to avoid getting shot.

"Don't tell me you're actually going to try and kill me princess." Cockerel called. "You don't stand a chance against me!"

I swallowed hard and cocked by gun. I needed to get some sort of high ground. I looked up at the tree I was hiding behind. I could climb that. The dark was my friend as I scrambled up the tree as quickly and quietly as possible. It masked me from Cockerel's gaze.

"None of your friends stand a chance." He continued. "They never did. You're still just a child. You can't even shoot a gun properly." I was climbing out onto one of the thick branches that stretched over Cockerel's head when my restraint broke at his next words. "Your friend couldn't do much either. She was so easy to kill because she wouldn't use her gift to defend herself. She was weak."

I did the stupid thing. I grabbed onto the branch and swung down, nailing Cockerel right in the face with both of my feet. He staggered back and I aimed my gun at him. But I was off balance. Only one of my shots grazed his shoulder. The other hit only darkness.

"Bitch." Cockerel swung his arm and caught me across the face. I fell to the ground, my head spinning. Before I could regain myself Cockerel seized me by the hair and yanked me up. My back hit a thick tree trunk hard. I would have just slid back to the ground but Cockerel caught me by the throat and pinned me to the trunk. His gun was level with my temple.

"I'm glad your execution was interrupted princess." He hissed, leaning his face close to mind. "That means I get to kill you myself." I opened my mouth to scream but he clamped a hand over my jaw. "No one is going to hear you scream sweetheart. Your friends are all fighting in the square. None of them will be able to get here fast enough. You shouldn't have followed me." He laughed and clicked back the safety on his gun. "Not that I'm complaining." He leaned forward so that his lips were right next to my ear. "Good bye little writer."

I shuddered and closed my eyes.

Then suddenly Cockerel was knocked away from me. The gun fired harmlessly into the air. Slowly I slid to the ground, drawing in deep gulps of air.

"You!" Cockerel snarled. "You always have the worst timing!"

"Or the best."

My eyes widened. It was Basta! I had never been so glad to see him in my life. Basta stood a little ways in front of me, two blades in his hands. He glanced sideways at me. "You alright sweetheart?"

I nodded wordlessly.

"I can't believe you of all people would protect that girl." Cockerel growled.

Basta shrugged. "That doesn't matter now. If you want to kill her you'll just have to kill me first." He raised his knives. "But I it's doubtful that you'll be able to manage that."

Cockerel let out a snarl and lunged at Basta.

Kat wasn't sure how, but she managed to make her way to the foot of Capricorn's throne. Beside him stood Drake, his green eyes glowing with un-tempered malice.

"I'll take care of this one sir." Drake said, descending from the platform. "She won't be too hard to handle."

"I might surprise you." Kat growled, taking a step back and readying her gun.

"I doubt it." Drake grinned.

Pain shot through Kat's body and she fell to her knees, gasping.

Drake walked closer to her and knelt down and front of her. "No one ever surprises me sweetheart. People are predictable and weak. You cannot contend with me." Kat felt a hand on her head. Fingers twisted themselves in her hair and her face was yanked up. She was staring right into his eyes now. He cupped her cheek in his hand and she shivered. "Do you know how easy it is to kill someone with my gift? Very easy. All I have to do is make your mind go dead." Kat shut her eyes tightly.

"Get the Hell away from her!" Kat opened her eyes in time to see William slam into Drake with a force that sent them both rolling. William came up standing and Drake in a crouch opposite him. Kat was struck by the similarity of their appearance. The eyes were the only difference. Otherwise they were identical.

"Oh yes, you." Drake grinned. "My dear brother. You always had an empty head didn't you? Not like me. You were the foolish one of the family. You got all the brawn and none of the intelligence."

"Yeah?" William growled. "Well you know the good thing about an empty head? It means there's not many thoughts for you to latch onto. It gives you less control over me because I'm really good at making my mind go blank." He raised his hand. "So burn."

He shot a jet of fire at Drake who staggered out of the way. His face twisted into a snarl as he tried to invade William's mind. But William wasn't letting him in.

"Burn." William shot another blast of fire at him and Drake staggered out of the way again. This time his sleeve was singed.

The blasts of flame continued and Drake continued to stumble away from the fire. Until at last, William rushed forward at him, taking him by surprised. He twisted Drake's arm behind his back and brought him to his knees. And though he struggled Drake could not break away from his twin's grasp.

"Kat!" William called. "Kill Capricorn! Kill the bastard who started all of this!"

Kat stared at him for a minute, wide eyed then looked to Capricorn who was still seated on his throne. He was smiling.

"You can't do it can you girl?" Capricorn said. "I saw you that night. I saw you kill Flatnose. But since then you've been having a lot more trouble with killing. You're too weak to kill."

"Do it Kat!" William said. "It's not like that this time! You have to! Or else this will all start over again."

For a moment Kat heard Jo's voice in her head, clear as day. "You aren't like them Kat. I promise you. You made a mistake. But next time I know you'll do the right thing. Next time, if you kill, it will be out of necessity not revenge."

"It's true." Kat murmured. "I've been afraid to kill since that day. Because I didn't want to become like one of you devils." Her hands were shaking around her gun. "But if I can't… you'll never leave us alone. You'll never leave Callypso alone and I could lose her too. I can't lose anyone again." She looked at Capricorn. "I'm not doing this out of revenge. I'm doing this to protect the people I care about. This has nothing to do with you. Only them." The smile was fading from Capricorn's face. Kat clicked back the safety on her gun.

"I'm doing it for the right reasons this time Jo." She whispered.

Then she lunged. Capricorn tried to flee from his throne but Kat was in front of him before he could even raise himself fully from his seat. She leveled her gun with his forehead and pulled the trigger.

Capricorn toppled from his chair, never to speak again.

I watched the fight with wide eyes. They moved quickly on the makeshift battlefield. The shadows often obscured them. It was only from the gleam of the knife and gun that I could make them out some times. Cockerel was furious and Basta was surprisingly calm. They were both quick. They were both good. I was holding my breath the entire time.

With a well-practiced slash Basta sent Cockerel's gun spinning up into the darkness. He caught it before it hit the ground and leveled it with Cockerel's temple.

Cockerel was breathing heavily. His eyes were filled with hate. "So this is where it ends huh? With you, the treacherous dog gunning down the loyal one."

Basta smirked and shook his head. "A dog? No. For the first time in a very long time I feel as if I'm far more than a dog."

"Huh." Cockerel ducked under the gun shot and jammed his fist into Basta's stomach. Basta staggered back out of the way as Cockerel pulled another gun from his belt and tried to shoot him. Basta rolled out of the way and ended up behind Cockerel.

He shot him in the back before he could even turn around.

Cockerel pitched forward and into the dark. I didn't see where he fell. I stared straight ahead for a long time until Basta sighed and came over to me.

"That was stupid sweetheart."

I looked up at him sheepishly. "Yeah, I know."

He smirked and shook his head. "You are stubborn." He took me by the arm and helped me to my feet. "Even if you were good with a gun, I still don't think you would have killed him."

"Guess I'll never know." I said. "Uh... thanks alot. I… well I thought he was going to kill me. I really did."

"You're lucky your friend saw you run after him or he would have." Basta said. "So you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." I nodded. "Just a little shaken."

"Yes, I can tell. You're trembling." Basta smirked.

I flushed and looked down. "We should go back."

Basta nodded. Suddenly a voice cut through the air.

"You shouldn't take your eyes off your opponent Basta."

I didn't even have time to think. I thought I saw the gleam of a gun in the darkness. Just as a shot rang out I felt Basta shove me to the ground. I hit the dirt with a force that drove the air from my lungs.

I looked up in time to see Basta fall back and land beside me on the ground, a bloody rose sprouting over the front of his white shirt.

Yeah... I definetly just did that. I shot Basta...

MWAHAHA!

Original Story News: So the fight scene is actually much longer in the other book. It spans over several chapters because there are more characters. Basically, Kat and Lana go up against Kronehelm who actually fights, unlike Capricorn. William, Jack and Molly go up against Drake who is also far more bad ass and evil and you definetly get satisfaction from watching him die. Crow actually grabs Callypso, she doesn't seek him out because that's out of character for her in the stories and Jake fights Crow first but then Roten steps in. And yes, Roten does die. Even though he is my favorite I end up killing him off. It makes me very sad but I had to. Consequently Lana ends up dying as well.

So yeah, lots of fun. I'm 314 pages into book 3 right now! Twenty three more chapters to write...Ugh... this is going to be a long one.

There are two chapters and an epilouge after this so REVIEW!