We're coming in for the big finale here. This had been a hard section for me to write as I've been trying to keep my characters real in the face of adversity. I hope these last two chapters to come, as well as this one, live up to the story before them, and that the ending will leave you satisfied. Be sure to let me know!
As Aega spoke, Rhonwen's mind swirled. This was nothing like she thought it was going to be. They'd found Aega and it was possible for them to stop her, permanently, from causing anyone harm. Yet the longer she went on, the more Rhonwen realized that she couldn't do it. She'd been kidding herself all along, she couldn't have done it if Aega was the incarnation of evil that she had imagined. But to find that she was nothing more than a woman, a human being who'd been abused and forgotten by everyone she'd loved.
Along the journey, Rhonwen had always imagined two things when they met Aega. The first was going into the fire with her friends by her side, daring and courageous, ready for any danger together. The other was how things would be after the fight was over. How maybe Emile's curse would be lifted and he would be human in body as well as mind. How there would be weddings to attend, as all the friends she had were getting married now. How maybe, when this was over and she could focus on it a little more, maybe there would even be something like that in store for her. Maybe even with Emile, since everything was perfect in daydreams and one person can't fall in love while the other doesn't.
She'd never imagined the in between, Rhonwen suddenly realized this. She'd been so caught up in before and after that she'd never even tried to think of what would have to be done about the fight. So really, this wasn't what she thought it would be because she'd never let herself think about it. What had she expected it to be? That it would be simple to end the life of another human being?
By the time Aega finished, she had absolutely no idea what to say or do. Here they were, three feet away from a powerful enchantress who was visibly mentally unsound, and all she could do was crouch with her hands balled up in Emile's fur and watch as Aega completed her story.
"So, now that you know why, as you so eloquently put it," she said, her voice changing like the wind again, "Will one of you do the job you came here for? Or do you need further motivation?"
She could feel Emile's breathing as the room was silent while its occupants thought of their next move. Rhonwen reached for straws within her mind, but there was nothing she could think to say or do that would alter the path Aega had set for them. How did one reason with a centuries old lunatic bent of self-destruction? She looked at Emile, hoping that he would have some sort of idea as he always did when she couldn't think of something, and her heart fell when she saw his face.
His fur was still damp on his face from his tears and his eyes were downcast, looking at the floor. His ears were back and his head was low. Rhonwen could see the pain in his very being. She pulled slightly at his fur to get his attention and his large head swiveled tiredly in her direction. His dark blue eyes stared at her with a sadness that didn't fit them. She could see horror on his features, horror and shame, and she pulled herself closer her him, holding his arm tighter. What were they going to do? Neither of them had that answer.
"Is that it then?" a voice from behind her asked suddenly, and Rhonwen jolted with recognition as she turned to her brother, "You think that telling us your sad story is going to change the choices we make?"
Aega hissed, literally hissed at Rufus as he drew closer, laying his hand on her shoulder and stepping in front of her fluidly. Then she spat a few words in his direction.
"You?!" she said, her wound and her accent making her difficult to understand as her face tightened with a manic rage, "You who I left for dead? Who I watched bleed onto his own floor? You tell me that you will not do what needs to be done? Ilitheos!"
Rhonwen grabbed Rufus' sleeve, trying to pull him back from the furious Aega as the woman got to her feet and began to seethe with a violent energy. But Rufus stood his ground, his brown eyes glaring as she spoke while she stood, waiting for her to finish. Then he spoke again, his tone unchanged despite the fact that Rhonwen could feel his pulse pounding at his wrist.
"You insult me," he said, sounding like the king he would one day be, "Yes, you injured me. And you did nothing to help me while I lay there in pain. But do not assume that your actions can place me in the same class as you. I am Rufus, Prince of Corona, and Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Ringdorn. I am bound to my people to rule as I think wise. I will not be manipulated. I am no executioner. And we will not be used by you."
Rhonwen stared up at her brother, her eyes wide. Was this the same boy that had rolled a wooden carriage full of roman candles across the floor when their parents were in a conference? But before she'd even had the chance to take this new person into account, a strange light began to emit from Aega, drawing her eyes back to her. It was pale and green, like a fire glowing around her. Her face, now half beauty and half hideous injury, was lit with the sickly green glow and Aega began to float as the green fire pushed her upwards. Rhonwen's entire body stiffened again, her fists tightened around Emile's fur until her knuckles went white, and she was terrified to find that once again she could not move. She could hear Rufus draw his sword and some footsteps as the others prepared themselves. But when Aega's arms spread, the fire flaring out around her like a cape, Emile moved suddenly and she found herself off balance, her hands grasping a few strands of fur that he'd left behind in his haste. She looked up and he was standing in front of her brother, who looked unsure being so close to him, physically placing himself between the witch and the rest of the room. Emile didn't even seem to notice Rufus' uncertainty; his fur stood on end and his fingers were curved into animalistic claws, but he stood on two feet and held himself with a very human dignity as he roared.
"HE IS RIGHT!" he screamed with deafening volume, "WE WILL NOT KILL YOU A YOU WISH US TO! BUT WE WON'T IDLY STAND AND BE KILLED EITHER! YOU WILL NOT HARM ANYONE HERE! LEAVE NOW, OR FACE ME!"
Aega laughed insanely, and the horrible sound echoed through the halls. The fire pushed her into the air further and Emile roared loudly. Rhonwen jumped to her feet, drawing the golden knife from where she had it tied to her waist. She couldn't picture herself killing Aega, but she definitely couldn't run from this fight. She looked back to the others and saw Augustine right behind her, jaw clenched and sword in ready position. Ahmed and Akram stood with their swords high, side by side, while their brothers formed behind them. Edward looked like he was right where he belonged for the first time that Rhonwen had seen. He had a hard smile set on his features and a ready guard position that suggested experience in combat. She looked back forward to see Rufus braced for the fight and Emile before them all, roaring terrifyingly as the witch began laughing even harder. And she knew. They were ready.
Emile roared with everything in him, his heart sucking into a coldness he'd never known. He could do one thing well, and that was terrifying things. Animals ran away from him because they considered him a predator. Human beings did the same. And if that was what he had to do to end this, then he would terrify. He would frighten Aega the way he did everyone else. But the louder he roared the louder Aega laughed, and it wasn't long before he realized that roaring alone wouldn't work. Aega had been around hundreds of years and probably seen things ten times worse than him. She made him this way; of course he couldn't scare her. But he continued to roar, reluctant to move beyond that to the unavoidable outcome.
He could lose himself again, lose control and do something terrible. So he roared. He roared in anger and in sorrow. Because he knew that these few seconds were the last that he would have before the fight moved itself along and he had no choice.
His ears were flicked back and he could hear Rhonwen stand, drawing the magic blade. Good, at least she wasn't paralyzed anymore. At least she'd be able to run if he did lose control. The others were forming up, he could hear their footsteps and swords moving in the air. Aega had risen into the air, floating on the unearthly green flame that she'd produced. Her eyes were manic as her laughter. Then there was a moment of silence when she breathed. The silence before the storm.
Emile's fur stood on end when a loud snap sounded from above them. Aega laughed and began swirling her knife-hand in the air, where a dark inky cloud began to appear. He snarled as he heard her rasp out painfully loudly, as she seemed to have lost the ability to scream but tried nonetheless.
"So that's the way you want it, then?"she screeched, the untouched half of her face grinning wildly, "Had we done this my way, you would all have lived! What need have I for more blood?! I've seen every shade! But you need a fight, don't you?! Can't just do what has to be done quietly, everything has to be a fight! Fine then! I'll make it a challenge for you!"
Another snap sounded, but this time Emile saw what it was. A bolt of lightning flew from the cloud and hit the ground before him, missing by barely an inch.
"Retreat!" he heard someone yell, and he wasn't about to question them.
Emile turned and ran sideways, never losing sight of Aega fully but taking glances to check his friends. Lightning bolts blasted everywhere and he could feel the ions in the air. Rhonwen's brother had taken hold of her and pushed them both behind a column for some degree of shelter. The others were doing the same, running here and there and yelling when a lightning bolt got too close. Augustine and Edward were on the far side of the room, pressed behind another pillar. The four brothers were running together, still in a circle but looser now to allow movement. And as Emile glanced at them, the thing he'd feared from the start happened before his eyes. He couldn't protect them.
A lightning bolt met with Akram's chest and he flew out of formation with the others, hitting the wall to the right. Ahmed took one look at his younger brother and his face went pale, his fist tightening to white-knuckle his sword handle. The others quickly ran toward Akram, taking his arms and pulling him behind the pillar beside him. But Ahmed screamed and turned, running the opposite direction of sanity. He leaped like an acrobat toward Aega, his sword bearing down.
Emile turned on his heel and ran to try and intercept the blow that he knew was coming. But he was too late. As he watched, Aega brought up her silver blade through his abdomen, piercing his heart. Ahmed's eyes shot open and he made a terrible gurgling sound, a spasm shaking his body. His body went slack and the sword clattered to the floor. Then Emile was on them.
He roared as he leapt, throwing his weight against Aega with his shoulder and tossing them all to the ground ungracefully. He rolled on the ground, putting out the green flame that had caught on his shoulder. Aega swiveled and brought up her knife-hand, but seemed surprised when she found it empty. Ahmed lay a few feet away, the knife still in him, and its silver handle just visible, jutting sickly from under his ribcage where it was lodged. Aega moved to retrieve it, but Emile was faster, throwing himself between her and Ahmed and snarling viciously. She backed away instinctively, then began to laugh quietly, her face looking very pleased.
"Look at you," she said in a confidential tone that couldn't have been heard by anyone but him, "Look at the Beast. You don't want me around your friends? Fine then."
With that, she rose again on her flame and shot across the room, shooting a blast of green flames before her to open the large doors. Emile turned back to look at Ahmed, guilt overwhelming him for a minute as he saw a large pool of blood already surrounding him. Too much blood for anyone to survive losing. Then his grief turned to rage and he roared, tearing off after Aega at full speed.
Rhonwen screamed when she saw the first lightning bolt hit, terrified that it had struck Emile. But it hadn't, and when her brother shouted the retreat he spun and ran as quickly and chaotically as any of them. She'd almost run after him, but strong hands had grabbed her by the shoulders and almost thrown her behind the nearest pillar. Her brother dove after her, putting himself over her physically. She could hear running and screaming all around her, and with some difficulty she managed to turn around, despite her brother's best efforts to keep her down where she was safer, and look out at what was happening.
Aega was throwing lightning like knifes, bolts flying here and there and striking where they pleased. Rhonwen watched with terrified eyes as she directed them, a frenzied smile on her half face. Somehow even now, after finding out everything that had led to Aega being this way, her insanity defied reason.
Rhonwen saw that she and her brother were not in danger from the bolts now, as they all originated from the small cloud that had formed above Aega. She pushed herself up a little more, despite the protests she heard from her brother. Edward and Augustine had just gotten to shelter themselves, so the only ones left exposed were the brothers and Emile. Her eyes trained on Emile as she saw him run, pleading with any powers that be that he would make it to shelter. She missed the moment when it happened, seeing only the after results.
She heard another crack of lightning and her eyes caught movement to the left of Emile, where they swiftly looked. It was Akram. She caught sight of him just as he hit the wall opposite a pillar, three feet of the ground and the front of his shirt charred black. Her hand shot to her mouth as he crumpled to the floor, tears welling to her eyes. Then she heard a scream and a roar and her eyes were drawn to that.
She saw three things, each equally alarming. The first was a large amount of blood, pooling around a limp form that she recognized as Ahmed. There was a silver handle just visible at the base of his ribs, jutting out of him at an angle that suggested the blade had been shoved upwards to stab his heart. He didn't move and the blood kept pooling, spreading over the white marble like a sick red carpet.
The next was Aega, swirling viciously and finding her hand empty, then turning towards Ahmed with purpose. Rhonwen tried to run out but Rufus held her down, saying into her ear that she couldn't do anything if she died, better to wait for a chance.
The final was Emile. He tore into view, throwing himself in front of Ahmed and snarling like a rabid creature, his fur bristling and his eye wild. Rhonwen saw Aega's mouth move, but she couldn't hear what she was saying. Then Aega lifted into the air on her green flames again and shot like a cannonball out of the room, laughing all the while. Emile took one look back at Ahmed, his face twisted, and he roared, tearing out after the witch furiously.
Rufus' grip loosened and Rhonwen ran towards Ahmed, falling to her knees beside him. His eyes were still open but the irises were slack; he was dead. Restraining her panic, Rhonwen looked over to the pillar where the other brothers were and called out to them.
"Is Akram alive?" she shouted, lifting one of Ahmed's arms as her brother lifted the other, then dragging him towards the other boys.
"He's not breathing!" she heard a panicked voice yell, and Ala' stumbled out, carrying his younger brother's limp form in his arms.
"Bring him here!" she yelled, putting Ahmed down gently, her brother following her example.
Ala' brought Akram quickly as she unwound her hair, laying him gently beside Ahmed. She could see the tears in his eyes and her heart went out to him at seeing his two brothers in such a state, but she continued on, focused on the task at hand. She saw her brother gently pull the knife out of Ahmed's wound and set it on the floor beside them. She shot a thankful glance to him and kept working at the knot. When she'd untied her hair rope from around her body, she wrapped it around Ahmed's right hand and Akram's left and began to sing.
Her hair began to glow and she could immediately see a change in Akram. The char marks on his upper chest and face from the lightning faded, leaving only the blackened shirt and it's burned hole as evidence that he'd been struck. His chest heaved about halfway through the song, a long, deep breath drawn in. But there was something wrong.
She didn't see any change in Ahmed. Even as his brother revived and breathed in again as his wound healed seamlessly, Ahmed lay still and pale, his eyes staring unseeingly at the ceiling above him. She watched in horror as she reached the end of her song and nothing happened to Ahmed. her voice shook on the last word and Rufus reached a hand down to take a pulse, looking at her worriedly. The light of her hair extinguished and Akram sat up, saying something confused sounding in Arabic to Ala'. But Ahmed lay still.
Rufus looked at her questioningly, and she glanced at Akram, trying to understand what had just happened. Her hair could heal anyone who'd been killed by anything, especially someone who'd been killed so short a time previous. It could "change the fates' design." Her mother's tears had been a bit more selective, the few times they'd used them, but her hair had never failed on an injury like this. What just happened?
She heard a pained sound that snapped her violently from her reverie. Akram's face was turned towards Ahmed and he'd let out a small cry of shock. Ala' just stared and Afeef had come out from behind the pillar to look, equally alarmed. Akram looked at her, frantic, and his mouth moved quickly.
"Mezzeh hadesseh?" he said, his voice cracking, and then he corrected himself and repeated in English, "What happened?"
Rhonwen just stared at him for a moment, her eyes tearing, and she heard Rufus answer the question for her.
"Aega stabbed him," he said solemnly, his eyes not leaving Rhonwen as he spoke.
"But…" Akram started, and his face took a frustrated look as it became apparent that English and his grief were straining him, "Lee meszeh lumma…Why didn't you…?"
"She tried," Rufus answered again, this time dropping his head, "It didn't work."
Akram was completely still for a moment. Ala' turned pale. Afeef fell to his knees. Then Akram wailed and pushed her aside, taking Ahmed's body by the shoulders and shaking him, all the while screaming in Arabic.
"DESPRI KOZZA!" he yelled, tears running down his face, "KIMONT MUULK! LEUM KOONAKEE UMEWEHTU!"
Augustine and Edward had emerged, and they were staring at the scene with mourning written on their faces, a look too old for such young men. After a few moments he stopped shaking Ahmed and pulled his limp form close, pressing his face against him.
"Dacheed," he cried softly.
"Dacheed," repeated his brothers in unison, both sounding just as lost as he had.
Rhonwen watched while this was happening. She didn't have to know what they were saying. She knew what it meant anyway. But she still couldn't understand. Why hadn't it worked? Why was he still dead? The cold part of her took over, as the other part was in too much pain to carry on. She hadn't failed. Something had stopped her from succeeding.
She looked around her blankly, looking for any clue but mostly just trying not to stare as the brothers drew closer and closed Ahmed's eyes as Akram laid him back down. Her eyes caught a silver glint and she glance towards it, seeing the silver knife on the ground. She stared at it in shock for a moment, and then pulled the golden match from the tie on her waist. Why had Aega given her this knife, why did she have to have the mate for the silver one? Why not another knife with a stronger magical power, something that would turn the tide of the battle to come?
She knew then what she had to do. Standing, she picked up the silver knife and held the golden one in her hand tightly. Her brother said something that sounded like a question, but she just walked around him and the brothers, resolutely marching towards the door. She walked past Augustine and Edward, who also seemed to ask her something, but she heard them even less than Rufus.
She stepped out into the hallway and followed to scorch and claw marks on the floor and walls. They led towards the balcony, where she and her parents always released the first lantern for the festival. As she drew closer to the room behind the balcony, she could hear two kinds of roaring. One was the familiar tones of Emile's rage, the other sounded larger and more spread out. She could see smoke under the door, so she tested the temperature of the knob, tapping it lightly with her fingertips. It wasn't hot, barely even warm, so she pulled it open resolutely. Inside was a chaotic scene from a nightmare. She stood and watched it for a moment, unable to do anything else.
Aega was throwing fire from her hands now, laughing callously as she did. Emile was hardly even recognizable. His fur was charred and in some place completely burned away. But he was bristling and wild, roaring and lunging towards Aega whenever she misplaced a step. Aega almost seemed to be taking pleasure in baiting him, like a toreador teasing a bull. Flames would sprout around her where she stood and she would throw them at him. He would dodge the flames and tear towards her claws first. But she would dodge to the side at the last minute and he would stumble a few steps, frustrated and trying to regain his footing. Then the process would repeat itself.
Rhonwen stepped forward, locking all the difficult emotions of fear and grief under a blanket of cold determination. The two didn't even notice her as she walked the long way around their fight, coming to the door that led out to the balcony without being touched. She looked back to the fighting pair and found them much unchanged, but caught more movement out of the corner of her eye. In the doorway she'd just entered through were her brother, Augustine, and Edward. Rufus was gesturing frantically to her to come back, while it looked like Augustine and Edward were muttering to each other, trying to form some kind of plan to join the fight.
She smiled a little at Rufus and shook her head, then turned back to the door and opened it without hesitation. The air and light that came through the door drew the quarreling pair's attention, as well as that of the others at the door, and she walked through the doors and to the edge of the balcony as swiftly as she could. She heard the roar of a flame and a pained roar from Emile in return, and then the painful voice of Aega was behind her.
"And what are we up to now?" she rasped, her tone almost friendly despite the fact that she still tried to scream.
"You know as well as I do," Rhonwen replied, looking the maniac in the eye, "I've just seen what these blades do, why Circe gave me this one. They kill permanently don't they? No magic can bring their victim back?"
"None but the undiluted tear of a pure Sun Child," Aega answered, smiling slightly and speaking in a quieter, calmer tone, "So you've come to do it then?"
"I've come to do what needs to be done," Rhonwen answered.
Aega smiled and opened her arms, baring her chest. Rhonwen hesitated for a minute then did what she came to do.
And there's this chapter. Let me give you a quick translation for Akram's Arabic phrases.
"Mezzeh hadesseh?" "What happened?"
"Lee meszeh lumma…" "Why didn't you..."
"DESPRI KOZZA!" "WAKE UP!"
"KIMONT MUULK! LEUM KOONAKEE UMEWEHTU!" "YOU'RE THE KING! YOU CAN'T DIE!"
"Dacheed" "My brother"
I did my best to capture the sound of the language, but I couldn't write the words in Arabic lettering on my computer. And even if I could, none of the people who read this story and don't read Arabic would have been able to picture what he's saying, since the letters are completely different and the sounds they make mean different things. So apologies, if any actual Arabic speakers come across this. It's probably grossly inadequate.
Oh, and Aega's Greek word means "idiot". I almost forgot that one.