Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Cinder
Cinder rammed her metal fist into a Lunar's skull, sending him tumbling to the ground, unconscious. She quickly darted away, taking cover behind a stall for a dart game. She reached for her belt, looking for more darts and bullets to load into her hand. She found screwdrivers, hammers, wrenches, but not a single bullet. Perfect, just what she needed. And she hadn't even found Levana yet! Now she had to fight the Queen of the Lunars, one of, if not the most powerful prodigy in the world, with nothing but a couple of tools, a metal arm and leg, a computer brain, and a mind-control power she didn't know how to use. Great, just great.
Huffing, she shut her eyes and concentrated, sensing all the minds within the battle. There were so many of them, with such similar thoughts and emotions, they were nearly indistinguishable from each-other. Which made it a right pain when it came to finding someone specific. Cinder had tried this already a few times, and each time she found nothing. There was too much malevolence, too much hatred, blurring together into something like a single entity, that made it downright impossible to find Levana. There was no way she'd be able to find the Lunar Queen. Absolutely no-
There. A mind that was just a little different. Cold and sharp, and unbearably smug. A triumphant grin spread across Cinder's face. That must be Levana.
Carefully creeping out from behind her stall, Cinder made her way to the mind. She opened the compartment in her leg, taking out the large hammer that was hidden inside. A metal fist would only get her so far.
Running as lightly as she could (a difficult feat due to her metal leg) Cinder darted between the stalls, behind circus tents and across rollercoaster tracks. It wasn't smooth sailing, not in the slightest. The whole carnival was crawling with Lunars. When she least expected it one would suddenly pop out of the shadows. Sometimes it was one of those wolf-soldiers, other times they were just regular prodigies (now those were two words she never thought would go together), but every time they were a nuisance. The wolves would lunge for her neck, teeth bared, hands reaching out to break and twist. The prodigies would fire at her with all manner of energies and elements, trying to vaporize her, burn her, disintegrate her, or just simply trying to blow her up. And each time she would reach for their minds, she would make them stand nice and still so that she could swing her hammer down on their skulls, watching them crumple like sacks of potatoes. It didn't feel right, it felt like cheating. But she was starting to think that, in cases such as these, there was no such thing as cheating.
Finally, Cinder went around the back of a haunted house attraction, relief blooming in her chest at the thought that finally, she had found her, she had found the Queen. Soon, this will all be over, one way or another.
But when she peered around the corner of the building, she didn't see Levana's tall, elegant figure. All she saw was a broad-shouldered man, with cold eyes and an arrogant smile, dragging a limp body behind them. A very familiar limp body…
Cinder bit back a gasp and desperately reached for their minds. There was the man's, as cold as Levana's, but where was-
Finally, she felt the familiar hum of a living brain and she heaved a quiet sigh of relief. Life wouldn't be the same without Thorne's annoying inputs. Only now that meant she had to save his cocky butt.
The man opened an "Employees Only" door and went inside, dragging Thorne behind him. Cinder waited a few moments, drawing on experience of sneaking around behind Adri's back before following behind them.
They walked past control boards for lights and fake ghosts, clothes racks filled with scary costumes, and prop skeletons sitting demurely in corners. Cinder studied the main path of the attraction, wishing that she'd accepted all of Peony's invitations to come to the carnival, if only so she had some idea of where they were going. After today, she vowed to spend nearly every waking moment of her life in the carnival, just so she wouldn't get caught off guard again.
Eventually, they arrived at a long room, with a faded red carpet stretching from the doorway to the base of a set of weathered stone steps at the other side. At the top of the steps was an aesthetically moth-eaten velvet chair. And reclining on the chair as if it were a throne, was the Lunar Queen.
Cinder held her breath as the man stepped into the room and bowed reverently towards the Queen. She scowled at him slightly. She seemed irritated. But by what?
"My Queen, I trust no-one has discovered you?" The man said in a syrupy voice.
"I know how to stay hidden, Aimery." Levana snapped, "Have you found my "niece"?"
"No My Queen, but I have found one of her friends." Aimery smiled sycophantically as he gestured to Thorne, who groaned as his eyes drowsily fluttered open.
He looked around the room, studying the fake-crumbling ceiling, the mechanical rats sitting neglected in the corner, and finally the Queen.
His eyebrows shot up. "Huh. Didn't expect to get taken to your castle. Gotta say Your Majesty, it could really use some maintenance."
"This is not Lunar Headquarters." Levana said coldly, "It is merely a temporary stronghold."
"Could still use some maintenance." Thorne said, frowning slightly as he continued to look around. "Wait a sec-aces, this is the Haunted House at the carnival! You're using this cheap thing as a stronghold?" He barked with laughter, "Oh man, that's perfect! Ha! At least you don't have to worry about redecorating. It already has the "supervillains live here" look."
Levana's eye twitched with annoyance. "Aimery, why have you brought me this low-life?"
"Because then that wretched imposter will come for him." Aimery said smoothly, "All I have to do is send a little whisper out onto the battlefield that The Queen is capturing Rampions to be subjected to torture by Letumosis-"
"Pass." Thorne interrupted, "I saw how ugly that stuff made the Big Bad Wolf. No way am I letting it ruin my face. I could never do that to the ladies."
Aimery's smile tightened as he looked at Thorne while Cinder muffled her sniggers behind her hand. Even in mortal peril the guy fired off wisecracks.
"The imposter will come running," Aimery continued through gritted teeth, "and will be completely at your mercy."
For the first time, Levana smiled. "Very good Aimery. I see you haven't yet lost your skill at scheming."
He bowed low to the ground. "It is my honour to serve you My Queen."
Thorne pretended to gag behind him, and Aimery's eye twitched with irritation.
The door at the far end of the room opened slowly. Cinder grimaced at the painfully loud creak, and soft silver moonlight ventured tentatively onto the carpet. An elegant figure stepped past the doorway, her eyes widening at the sight of Levana. The moonlight highlighted one side of her face, revealing three pale scars running down from her eye like tears.
Levana sneered, her perfect features contorted with hatred as she hissed out a name between her teeth. "Soul Blood."
A/N: Please review!
