~Chapter Forty- Six~
The Second Avalonian War
Cold air roared in Rose's ears and blasted into her face as she and the others flew above the clouds. The sea-salted air from the ocean was pleasant, but the humidity had soaked her leather, leaving her to freeze against the sudden chill in the air.
Shivering, she wished that her steel armor offered more insulation against the wind, but instead, it adjusted to the cold temperature of the night and clung to every inch of her, chilling her even more.
Sighing, she knew that this was going to be a very long and uncomfortable night.
Glancing behind her a few times to make sure the others were keeping up, Rose was relieved to find that Brooklyn had remained on her right side, with Lexington, Akira, Angela, and Broadway following behind in a half-circle formation.
They had only been flying for a few minutes, and she was sure that they would have reached the hills by now. But still, there was no signal from Goliath or mention that the war had started.
Rose opened her mouth to ask Brooklyn what they were waiting for when suddenly the clouds in front of them turned into a midst of darkness and ice.
Demetrius.
"It's a shield," Rose said immediately to the others before they could ask. Tapping on her earpiece that Xanatos lent everyone to use, she then spoke into it. "Goliath- Demetrius has placed a shield of dark magic, going from north to south, and it's coming your way. I would avoid it, if possible, for I doubt that it will be a pleasant experience."
The walkie-talkie staticked, then Goliath's deep voice came back. "Copy that. We are ready for battle. How are the skies?"
"Clear for right now. But, I'm sure we'll run into Draugr or something else soon." She looked down at the thousands of black figures painted along the landscape, making the greenery look like an anthill. "There are thousands of black figures on the ground. They are heading your way."
Another static, then- "Yeah, we see them too. We're almost to the middle of the battlefield."
The radio staticked off, and Rose continued to stare down below. Their Avalonian armies looked tiny compared to what Demetrius had, and her heart sank.
"They need to hurry into their position," Broadway said, gliding up next to her. "It looks like Demetrius picked a hill and has the higher ground."
Rose hadn't realized that, and behind her, Brooklyn cussed, then was instantly on the radio.
"Goliath, from our position up here, Demetrius has higher ground over you guys. You'll be fighting an uphill battle. Position yourselves on a northeastern pattern, if you can."
"Too late-" Angela added, pointing. "Look! There's more of his army on every corner."
"Shit," Brooklyn mumbled.
"They have them surrounded," Rose gasped, horrified. "They won't be able to make it over there in time. Demetrius's armies are already on the move to attack- look- they are running now." She then looked behind at the others. "We have to help them."
"How?" Lexington asked. "We need to wait for our signal."
"By then, it might be too late." Rose thought for a moment, then clicked her radio again. "Xanatos, can you hear me?"
Behind them, flying in a lower atmosphere, Xanatos and his robot troops, including Coldstone and Coldfire, were flying towards the armies just as they were.
"Loud and clear, Rose."
"Are you seeing what we are seeing?"
"Yeah," Xanatos answered from inside his exo-suit. "I'll send in a layer of my robots when Demetrius's armies get closer to ours. Do you copy that, Goliath? I'll try and buy you guys time."
"Copy that," Goliath answered. "We see the hill now, and we have no choice but to stay put and let them come to us. Let's pray that we can keep their armies from pushing straight through our lines."
"That's why you have us," Rose added, watching her father's armies closely. They were now sprinting towards Avalon's line with incredible speed. "Goliath, I'm going to weed their frontline out. They are coming in fast. Xanatos, back me up."
"You got it, kid."
"Wait… what?" Brooklyn asked her when the radio traffic ended. "Rose! What are you going to do?"
Rose glanced back at him briefly. "Giving our side a fighting chance. Besides, I need to see where Demetrius is staging himself."
"Yeah, I got that… but what exactly are you going to do?"
Rose smiled at his question. "I'm going to light them all on fire. Want to come?"
It was like an invitation to the movies or a lazy Sunday evening picnic. Brooklyn smiled mischievously at her, and when she collapsed her wings and took off into a sideways dive away from the oncoming dark shield, he and the others followed after her.
"We're right behind you, Rose!" Broadway called out. "We've got you covered."
When they broke through the cloudline, that's when they heard a change in the night. A thunderous sound of approaching feet, paws, and roars rose from the ground up into the air.
Free-falling, they tore towards the ground and creatures of Hel. The cold air was ripping into their faces, and surprisingly, the upper-atmosphere was warmer than the island was. All of the Draugr had frosted the ground into near ice.
"Jeez, it's freezing!" Broadway yelled.
"Then, let's add some fire!" Rose yelled back. "Hang back, you guys. I don't want any of you getting singed."
Behind her, Brooklyn and the others use their wings to slow them down, while Rose continued to free-fall towards the ground. Closer and closer, she came to it, but she wasn't afraid anymore. Shooting towards the open gap between both armies, she was almost there.
Someone from Demetrius's armies roared out a warning, whether it be an ogre or troll, but by the time anyone paid any attention to her- she had already ignited herself into a flaming fireball.
Then-
Fire and shields exploded out of her.
Spreading her wings, she glided mere feet above the ground and body-slammed herself through the front of Hel's line like a bullet. Roars and cries of shock erupted from the creatures she slammed into. The Draugr's skins lit up like a Roman candle and spread like wildfire to any Draugr close to them. Her flaming wings skimmed across the grass and touched the dark frost on the ground, igniting the grass and vegetation into an inferno explosion.
Draugr screamed as they burned to death, spreading quickly onto anyone near them. When the fire torched the other creature's bodies, more roars erupted into the night.
When she finally made it to the other side of the line, Rose shot up into the sky with a triumphant smile, leaving a burning inferno in her wake. The prophecy verse, speaking about her, made sense- as did her mother's last words.
Promise me that you will burn your father's world to the ground.
Triumphant hoots and hollers erupted from the Avalonian armies, including Brooklyn and the others high above her.
"Oh, yeah! Way to go, Rose!" Lexington was yelling out, pumping his fists into the air.
Brooklyn whooped loudly. "Whoo! Yeah, baby! That's what I'm talking about!"
Rose laughed and beat her wings to climb towards them, feeling quite proud of herself. Then, a line of Xanatos robots blasted past her towards the ground, streaming fire from their hands, and did what she had done—using more firepower and numbers than what she brought.
More screams erupted from the creatures as they lit up in flame, and even more fell to the ground, burning to death. The robots pulled up, following after their red leader, who she knew to be Xanatos.
"YES!" Rose screamed, pumping her fists as they soared past her.
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how that's done," Xanatos's voice said in their ear-radios. "Thanks for the inspiration, Rose. I might not need my full robot army, after all."
Rose laughed at his joke, glanced over at him in his red, gargoyle exo-suit, and spoke into the radio piece.
"No, no, we need you here. Keep doing that, Xanatos. The more we can thin out their armies, the better off we'll be."
Xanatos's robot head nodded. "I agree."
With another blast towards the line of creatures, he led his robots in for another charge.
"That should keep Demetrius busy," Rose said to herself, watching Xanatos attack again.
She was a few hundred feet away from reaching Brooklyn, who was waiting for her to rejoin them with a proud smile when she heard a strange twang from nearby.
Glancing over to the noise, she realized that she had flown near some cliffs, and to her sudden horror, hiding in one of the cliff's caves was a Dark Elf who had just released an arrow at her—grinning wickedly at her.
Gasping, Rose stopped flapping her wings to back up and lose altitude, but it was too late.
Seconds after she heard the bow releasing the arrow, a stinging sensation shot across her shoulder like a bullet, making her cry out in pain.
Blood sprayed across her face, and the wound stung terribly. The arrow luckily didn't pierce her chest or neck, where the Dark Elf had most-likely been aiming for, but she quickly remembered that they were poisonous arrows.
She opened her mouth to cry out Brooklyn's name but found that she couldn't speak or move. Her wings stopped flapping, and the poison was paralyzing her at a horrifyingly quick rate.
Low and manipulated voices cried out her name, and she tried to reach for a red-figure who was shooting towards her, but without warning, she began falling.
Brooklyn heard the arrow the same time Rose had- but he was too far away to push her out of the way. Although she used her wings to back out of its direct line, it still hit her. Blood sprayed out from her shoulder and onto her face as the slim arrow shot past her with record speed. With a startled cry, her body went limp, and then she began to fall.
And his heart sank into his stomach.
"ROSE!" Brooklyn roared, instantly collapsing his wings to dive after her.
They fell through the clouds again, and below them, the line of Hel and Avalon's armies had clashed. The clanging of weapons, ripping of flesh, fires raging from the robots, and the Manticores' roars echoed throughout the land- and only got louder the closer they got to the ground.
Rose was free-falling, head over feet, but he was almost to her.
Brooklyn willed himself to fall faster than Rose, held his arms out, and then quickly scooped her into them. When she was safe in his arms, he spread his long wings and glided them towards a safe place, in the middle of a grove of trees, far from the fight.
Landing on the soft grass, he knelt down and carefully laid Rose on her back in front of him. She was still breathing, and her eyes were open wide, but she was gasping something that sounded a lot like 'poison.'
"I know, I know," Brooklyn answered breathlessly, instantly getting to work. The cut on her shoulder was superficial and wasn't anything he would usually be worried about, but he remembered Rose's warnings about the Dark Elves and the poison in their arrows.
Knowing he had to act fast, he placed his claws on her chest, closed his eyes, and willed their soul-bonds to mesh, unify, and melt into one. Then he took some of her magic and healed her.
His limbs tingled almost painfully as he did so, as the shooting sensation of their healing bond took over their bodies. After a few seconds of pain, her breathing calmed down, her heart-rate slowed into a regular beat, and the wound on her shoulder sealed.
Rose exhaled out a sharp breath, blinked a few times, and then groaned as she started to sit up. Brooklyn opened his eyes, smiled in relief, and then took her hand and helped her into a sitting position.
"Babe, are you alright?"
"Yeah," Rose answered with a sigh, rubbing her head, "I think so." She paused, then smiled at him. "Thank you, my love."
"Hey, it's why I'm here…" he paused, then smiled. "I'm glad you're alright."
Helping her stand now, Rose swayed slightly on her feet for a second, and her hand still was holding onto her head.
Brooklyn's smile fell, caught her arms, and his heart jumped in panic.
"Rose… are you- is our baby…?"
"Our baby is okay," she sighed, holding onto his claw and leaning into him, "I promise. You took care of the wound quickly. I'm just slightly dizzy, is all. Hela wasn't kidding when she warned me that their arrows were poisonous. It took me down so fast. I couldn't move my body or wings a mere few seconds after the arrow hit me, and the pain… it was..." she stopped, then shivered.
"Yeah, I saw and can only imagine." He watched her closely for a few seconds, then added firmly, "Rose, are you sure that you're okay?"
Rose took another breath, then turned to look at him. "I'm sure."
"Positive?"
Rose smiled and gently touched his beaked jaw. "I'm positively sure, my love. Just shaken up a bit, but I promise I'm okay now, thanks to you...
she paused, then exhaled out a breath, "I didn't even see how close we were to the cliffs, but I should have known that the Dark Elves would be there."
Brooklyn exhaled a breath he had been holding in and nodded his head. "It's fine. We'll just have to be a little bit more careful and aware from now on. We gotta watch each other's backs."
Rose nodded in agreement, then both turned as the sounds of wings approached them from behind, and Broadway, Angela, Akira, and Lexington approached them.
"Whoa, Rose! You okay?" Lexington asked frantically. "That arrow came out of nowhere!"
"Yeah, I'm alright," Rose answered. "It was just a scratch… of… poison; it's nothing that our soul-bond can't heal."
"Good," Angela said, sighing in relief and looking around the quiet grove of trees they had landed in. "Well, we best get going. The battle is going crazy now. They've reached our troops, and-"
ZING.
A strange sound of electricity suddenly rang through the night, followed by an explosive BOOM. The ground shook around them, and horrific dread-filled Rose's heart.
It was magic.
Dark magic.
"What was that?" Brooklyn asked flatly.
Running past him to a clearing in the trees, Rose ducked below bushes and peeked through to see what was going on, then gasped.
"It's Demetrius! He's using the Death Curse on our armies."
Broadway and Brooklyn cursed under their breaths as everyone knelt beside her. Rose pointed at the cliffs across from them- a few miles away. "He's on the cliffs there," she continued softly, "we have to get to him quickly and stop him."
"How?" Broadway asked, "he's across the battlefield. If we glide, we're going to get shot down by arrows, and fighting will take too long."
"We'll have to go around on foot," Rose answered softly, "however-"
A roar suddenly interrupted them from behind, and a vicious-looking troll burst through the trees towards them, holding up an ax.
Brooklyn, Rose, Angela, and Akira gasped in unison, but with roars of their own, Broadway and Lexington shot forward instantly and took the Troll down to the ground, fighting with him fiercely.
"We've got him!" Broadway yelled out, grunting with effort as Lexington took away the Troll's ax. "You guys go and stop Demetrius!"
"Be careful with his teeth," Rose warned them. "They are-"
PUNCH.
Broadway's fists suddenly collided with the Troll's jaw and knocked him out cold. Standing over his body, Broadway and Lexington fist-bumped each other with triumphant smiles.
"-poisonous." Rose then smiled at them. "Wow. Good work, guys."
"Eh, it was easy," Broadway said smugly. "These creatures aren't as tough as they appear to be."
"Yeah," Lexington added lightly, "it's nothing we can't handle."
Rose smiled at them, but then another alarming ZING of electricity filled the air, and screams erupted from the battlefield. Turning to see what was happening, her father's figure had pointed the staff at their armies again, unleashing the curse.
"Let's go!" Rose gasped, jumping to her feet. "Now, guys! Now! There's no more time to lose!"
Spreading her wings, she jumped through the brush, sprinting to get momentum to fly, damning the plan for a surprise attack. To her relief, the others and Brooklyn seemed to agree and followed closely behind her as she launched herself into the sky.
There was no time to remain hidden, and there was no more time to attempt to attack Demetrius stealthily. The battle was here, and many innocent lives were being destroyed. Each time Rose heard the fateful zing of the death curse in the distance, followed by horrified screams from unknown people from their side, it felt like someone was punching her in the heart.
She could scarcely allow herself to think about whose life had been destroyed just then. What lives she was going to mourn when this nightmare ended.
Flying through the battlefield was full-blown chaos as both armies had clashed.
Rose remained low to the ground to keep herself from being an easy target for the Dark Elves' arrows and observed quickly what was happening and where their clan was.
Across the field, Goliath, Hudson, and Bronx were fighting six Draugr at one time, two dark elves, and three trolls. Hudson had his trusty sword and was holding his own nicely, and Goliath had a shield and spiked maced ax.
From a distance, he truly looked like the biblical Goliath, a fearsome warrior whose enduring strength kept all the creatures at bay. Each swing he made of his ax, the heads of the creatures he was attacking came clean off their shoulders.
Near him, Elisa was in her exo-suit, shooting at Dark Elves, Dwarves, and the Trolls, using her skills in hand-combat to protect herself. Fighting with her, King Arthur was using expert hand-and sword-combat skills, taking on multiple trolls, dwarves, and dark elves, as well.
Across the way, Coco was ripping heads off right and left, roaring, and Staghart was near her, fighting with incredible sword-fighting agility.
The Ishimura Clan had pushed through the front lines like ninja's, using two katanas simultaneously, beheading the different creatures. Moving quickly and with impressive agility.
Jade and Turquesa were nearest Goliath and Hudson, fighting with grunts and roars with each swing of their weapons. The Asgardians were the prominent soldiers fighting the frontlines, with Odin leading the charges.
Just then, Odin's figure exploded into a massive ball of lightning then shape-shifted into a mighty polar bear. His strong maw of teeth bore down upon fleshy, weaker parts of the creatures' bodies and took them down with ease.
Also thundering across the front-lines, the Manticore beasts were viciously firing flames at the creatures, biting their heads off, before disemboweling them, and were a considerable strength for their armies.
From the sky, Griff and Ophelia were with Xanatos, leading the charge against Draugr and nearby Dark Elves with their guns and archery weapons. The constant fire from the robots and laser guns was lighting the sky up like fireworks.
Everywhere Rose looked and dodged, it was a chaotic blood-bath and didn't seem real. The horrifying imagery was something out of a war movie. Flapping her wings, she forced herself to keep flying towards the cliffs where Demetrius was.
Until she heard someone crying out desperately.
Sora, the Second-in-Command to Kai's Ishimura Clan, was struggling against an entire horde of Draugr, and nearby, Yama was roaring out deafeningly, still fighting against dwarves to get to her, but he was being overrun too.
Akira gasped out, "Sora! Yama!" then dove into helping them out before anyone could stop her.
"'KIRA!" Lexington cried out, diving after her, but she had already reached the ground.
Taking both her katana swords out, Akira landed next to Sora and battled the Draugr all by herself. Despite her small size, she matched their strength and had the best agility out of all the Ishimura warriors.
Flipping in the air like a Jedi master, she used her katana swords with elegance but proficiently to kill. But, still, she was all by herself.
Lexington's eyes were focused solely on Akira, when out of nowhere, an ogre stepped out of nearby trees and smacked him down to the ground, like a fly with a flyswatter.
"LEX!" Brooklyn roared.
Rose glanced behind her once, then looked at the cliffs where Demetrius stood, waiting for her. However, upon hearing Akira scream, Rose whipped her head back and watched in horror as Draugr began to prey upon her by the hordes.
"BROADWAY, ANGELA, HELP HER!" Brooklyn roared above the chaos, and his brightly lit white eyes were on Rose as he bellowed, "GO, ROSE! Keep GOING! KEEP GOING!"
But, when Akira shrieked out again, Rose instantly flipped and turned back, this time in real terror.
Shooting past Brooklyn, who gasped and cried out her name, she lit herself up into another fireball. Shooting like a bullet, she shielded herself and body-slammed her way through the front line of Draugr, Elves, Dwarves, and Trolls and knocked them down like bowling pins, then pushed her way through the line until she blasted through the ball of Draugr trying to feast upon Akira.
Skidding onto her feet, she landed next to Sora and Akira and blasted fire out of her, shielding Akira and Sora from their razor-sharp teeth and claws.
With screams, the Draugr's skin instantly melted, and their body's succumbed to the flames. Rose whipped around to face Akira and Sora and was thankful that they only had scratches on their faces.
"You guys okay?" Rose asked them.
Gasping, Sora placed her claw on Akira's shoulders, looked her over once, and then answered, "yes, I… I think we are alright… thank you."
Rose smiled and nodded at Sora, then looked at Akira.
"Akira?"
"I'm alright," Akira answered, blinking herself back to reality. "Yes, I… I'm alright." At this, she took her claws and rubbed her chest and abdomen once over to be sure.
Broadway and Angela landed then, and both were pale.
"Are you guys okay?" Angela asked frantically, and Akira nodded.
"Yes… but where…" Akira looked around the battlefield suddenly, her eyes going wide, "where is Lexington?"
"He was knocked to the ground by an Ogre. I'll go and tend to him," Broadway answered, looked at Angela, took her claw, then said, "Stay with Akira. I'll be right back."
Angela nodded once, looking terrified as he spread his wings and took off.
"This battle is not over," Sora suddenly said, gathering her katana swords in her grasps again and pointed the tip of one of them at Rose. "You. You must go and stop Lord Demetrius. We can handle these beasts from here. Thank you for giving us a moment to breathe, but now you must go!"
Nodding, Rose exchanged one glance at Angela and Akira once, smiled at them, then spread her wings and blasted from the ground to find Brooklyn; however, as she began to look around- he was nowhere to be seen.
"Brooklyn?" she called out, beating her wings and flying as fast as she could, using her sharp hearing and vision to find her mate through the chaos, smoke, and noises from the battle all around her. "Brooklyn?"
But, there was still no sign of him.
Gasping and forcing hot tears from filling her eyes, she took a deep breath and focused on their bond- feeling every inch of it to see where he was and if he was alright.
With a tingling of her fingers and a burst of light through her chest, she felt him nearby and let the bond guide her to where he was. When she found him, he was fighting Demona in hand-to-hand combat on a nearby cliff, and her heart sank in panic.
"Brooklyn!"
Shooting towards them, she could only watch them fight.
Both of their eyes were lit up fiercely, and with sharp teeth clenched, each had each other in a draw, matching each other's rage and strength. Rose wasn't sure what Demona was playing at, other than she had to have been under Demetrius's mind control, for back in her room, she claimed that she wished to change sides for Angela's sake- but that would have to remain to be seen if it was still true or not.
Whipping a sword out of her hands, Rose charged towards the cliffs, rage filling every inch of her. More twangs of arrows were released, but anticipating them, she flipped, dodged, and rotated through the air as they sped past her.
Demona punched Brooklyn straight on the side of his jaw and knocked him down to the ground. With eyes brightly red, she suddenly raised a gun at his face, and Brooklyn's face fell in fear.
Rose skidded across the cliff with a roar and knocked her gun out of her claws using her sword. Demona cried out in shock, whipped around to face her, but she had already activated a ball of energy in her hands- her eyes flaming red to match hers.
Demona's eyes widened.
"Get your claws off him," Rose snarled, throwing the power straight into her chest, knocking her off her feet and the cliff. Demona slammed into a few rocks below before she landed on a lower landing, unconscious.
"Rose!" Brooklyn cried out, jumping to his feet and staring at her in relief. She turned to face him, smiling gently for a moment, before an unearthly shriek erupted to the side of them.
A Dark Elf jumped from one of the cliff ledges above them, his face demonic and lethal, and body-slammed into Rose, knocking them both off the cliffs towards the ground below.
"NO!" Brooklyn roared, tearing himself after them.
Free-falling, Rose gritted her teeth and tried to fight past the Dark Elf, but he had her wrists tightly held in his hands, and his fanged teeth were open and about to take a bite out of her neck.
Wrapping her legs around his waist, she forced his body to flip around so that she was straddling on top, whipped out a sword, and then stabbed it into his chest with a loud grunt.
The Dark Elf's swirling silver eyes widened at the pain as she twisted the blade deeper, and she bore a fanged smile at him- giving him the death he deserved.
"ROSE! PULL UP! PULL UP!" Brooklyn suddenly roared.
Rose looked up and gasped.
She was much too close to the ground than she realized. Only having time to close her eyes and barely place shields up, she slammed onto the hard ground as the dark elf splattered on the ground.
Like the motorcycle accident she once was in, the impact took her breath away. Rose rolled, flipped, and ricocheted off the ground three times before her momentum slowed down. After dragging along the gravelly ground for a few seconds, she finally came to a stop in a dust-cloud.
Wholly dazed and gasping in the air and lying on her back, she tried to move, but her bones were groaning and screaming in protest. Her wings hurt a great deal, and there was a pain in her stomach which made her want to vomit.
Touching the wetness, she felt oozing on her head. Her fingers were suddenly painted with bright-red blood, and she could taste the strong metallic blood in her mouth.
Groaning, she moved her legs, only to cry out when a stabbing pain shot through her lower stomach.
"Oh…" Rose hoarsely cried out, curling up into a ball as panic shot through her. "Oh no… no, please, no!"
Placing a hand upon her stomach, she shut her eyes and reached out to the small light within her and Brooklyn's bond. Then, with sure will-power, she sent healing magic into her abdomen. Never before had she been able to heal herself- as that was something Brooklyn always had to do for her- but she would heal herself for her child's sake.
The broken bones in her ribcage healed, and the pain in her abdomen subsided as she willed and pulsed the healing powers within her bond into her womb. Seconds went by, and within those seconds, her healing powers faded and her body, though still battered and beat up, was no longer the reason for her child being hurt and in stress.
When she heard the steady and quick beating of her unborn child's heart, Rose cried out in relief. Her child was going to be alright and live, as would she.
But her relief was short-lived.
Just then, shrieks and icy-cold blackness took over her senses and surroundings, and Rose's eyes shot open. Through the dust-cloud that her impact created, a skull face of a Draugr suddenly emerged. His razor-sharp multi-level jaw of teeth was opened wide and going for her throat.
Crying out, she threw a shield up in front of her, still too dazed to wield fire, and stopped the Draugr from feasting upon her.
But, she was still dazed and weak from her fall.
To her horror, more Draugr suddenly came out from all angles and pounced upon her shield in a pile, shrieking, snarling, and clawing at it to get to her.
Roaring through gritted teeth, she pushed against them, but their powers and strength were too much for her. The red-electrified magic pulsing out of her hands was cracking under pressure, and she could only scream out in desperation, thinking of one name.
"BROOKLYN!"
Just then, a flash of light streaked above them, and a powerful light erupted in her chest and soul-bond.
The Draugr looked over their shoulders right as the powerful blade of Excalibur sliced through the necks in one single shot.
Crying out in relief, Rose watched their skull heads roll off her shield, followed by their bodies, and instantly, her strong mate landed from the air on top of her shield, crouching over and protecting her with Excalibur raised.
Seeing her mate alive, well, and protecting her was truly a beautiful thing. With him close to her, she could feel her strength returning.
Stay close to your mate, the Fates had said, and Rose knew why. She was at her strongest with him there.
Brooklyn's sharp teeth were borne viciously, and his enraged bright-white eyes were piercing into the Draugr's empty sockets. He was a fearsomely impressive sight to behold. He then glanced down at her, checking her physical wounds, before she felt him inspecting every inch of her and their child through their soul-bond.
"I'm okay," she told him in a gasp, then added, "we… we are okay."
Brooklyn nodded once and continued to crouch over her with Excalibur raised and ready. Forty Draugr had them surrounded with drool and flesh hanging from their rotten teeth, but he looked unafraid.
Still standing over her, he spun the sword with his wrist once and then growled at them. "If you want her, you gotta get through me first."
Rose swallowed bile and knew they were eager to do such a thing.
Shaking violently, she glanced up into her mate's intense face, afraid for him, but seeing his calm but apparent rage helped her find courage through the fear.
Brooklyn stepped over Rose's body and shield in a merry-go-round dance, facing each Draugr that had surrounded them.
With a scream, they attacked all at once but never once did they touch him. He spun around with amazing speed, using Excalibur at every angle to slice their heads and limbs off. Upon impact with the magical blade, their bones snapped, cracked, and broke off.
Body parts landed on every side of her, and with a deep breath, she felt her strength return and wasn't about to let him fight them alone. Lowering her shield, she crawled out from under his legs and then jumped to her feet, wielding two swords from her magic as she went.
Rose met Brooklyn's gaze for a small moment before they both nodded at each other.
Then standing back-to-back, they took on each side of the Draugr together.
Grunting, roaring, and panting out, Brooklyn took on one side of the swarming Draugr, while Rose took on the other using her swords in a tricky sword-dance. Slicing through their necks, they both beheaded each demon that came their way.
Draugr after Draugr, they took them down and used each other's backs to stabilize themselves. Once or twice, Rose would reach behind her and touch Brooklyn's muscular thigh, and the mere touch was enough to give them even more strength to fight.
Minutes passed, and after the surrounding Draugr were gone, Brooklyn and Rose faced each other.
A fire erupted through their bond upon gazing at each other, and Rose had never seen more passion in her mate's eyes than in this moment. She slowly walked towards him, magnetized by the vibes she was getting from him, but suddenly his eyes shot past her.
Roaring, he jumped in front of her and sliced Excalibur through a Dark Elf's throat, who had come to kill her.
Rose gasped, looked over her shoulder, and watched the life leave the creatures' eyes as he exhaled his last breath and collapsed onto his face at their feet.
Using the creatures' clothing to wipe the blood off Excalibur's blade, Brooklyn let out a heavy sigh, which sounded more like a deep growl, but Rose paid the creature's death no heed. Looking back into his normal dark brown eyes, she walked forward and touched his breastplate.
Chest to chest, they stared into each other's eyes, wanting and needing to touch each other, even if it was for a brief moment.
Brooklyn lowered his mouth to hers but stopped when they both saw threats from either side of them.
Taking Rose's hand in his claw, Brooklyn fought with Excalibur with one hand and took on three more dark elves from behind her, as Rose took on a troll behind Brooklyn with the sword in her other hand.
Never letting go of each other's hands, they spun each other around and used each other to fight. It was like dancing, something Rose didn't think she'd ever get a handle on, but it was easy to do with Brooklyn.
Natural even.
Spinning her around again, they took turns taking on each other's opponents until they were all dead. Brooklyn then spun her around to face him, and his intense gaze said it all.
Dropping her sword to the ground, Rose held her hands out and shot fire and shields into a dome- protecting them from all attackers- right as he pulled her into his arms and crushed his lips ravenously upon hers, kissing her wholly and passionately.
Grappling fistfuls of his white hair with one hand, Rose gasped and moaned into his open-mouthed kiss before jumping and straddling her legs around his waist. He cupped the back of her head and fisted a claw-full of her braided hair, keeping her mouth on his while his other claw ran up and down her back, cupping her backside roughly.
Minutes, hours, or days could have passed by as they kissed, where it was just the two of them and their eternal, passionate love. Their soul-bond was erupting with light and tingling sensations, melding their souls into one. Their lips moved, danced, and claimed each other so intensely, both were barely breathing. But, after a few long seconds, Brooklyn released her legs and began to slow down their kiss.
When Rose's feet touched the ground, she pulled him closer to her with a cry of protest and pushed herself more in-depth into their kiss, wanting and needing him like she needed air, but he pulled away from her.
Gasping, he rested his forehead to hers, and the pain in his eyes told her that he did not want to stop, but seeing as where they were, they had to.
Brooklyn's hot breath panted in her face for a few seconds before he cupped her face and kissed her again, this time more calmly and unhurried. Their lips pulled and moved deeply, his tongue entering her mouth in one quick swipe before he pulled away again.
"Brooklyn, I…" Rose began, her voice breaking, but she didn't get to say what she wanted to as he rested his forehead to hers once again.
"That was just in case," he breathed.
Rose's lips trembled, and she knew what he meant since they never allowed themselves to say good-bye properly.
In case we die.
"We have to get to Demetrius, my love. W-we have to stop him," he finally told her shakily, and Rose nodded, swallowing heavily.
"I know."
Brooklyn didn't look into her eyes again as he nodded, turned away, and held the sword up.
"Alright, here's the plan. I'm going to count down, and when I get to three, lower your shields, fly into the air and lift me with you. Then we're going to fly like hell back to the cliffs. Alright? The height might be the easier path to get to where he is at, and we can also see where Broadway and the rest of them are."
Rose nodded in agreement, gasping shakily, and a few tears trickled down her face. "O-okay."
"Get ready then, Rose. On the count of three, lower your shields and prepare to fly away! One… two-"
"Brooklyn, wait!"
Brooklyn turned to face her, and she dove into his arms again.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, she kissed him soundly, forcing her tongue into his mouth. Their lips pulled and danced passionately again for a few seconds, and their bodies pushed against each other, longing for closeness.
When she broke away, Brooklyn's face was a mask of pain, and tears were streaming down her face.
"I love you," she breathed against his mouth, kissing him deeply again. "I love you. I love you. I love you."
The soft glow from her shields lit his face, like candlelight, and she could see the pure love in his eyes as a gentle smile lined his mouth.
"I love you too, Rose. No matter what happens, I'm yours for all eternity."
Rose choked back a sob and smiled through her tears, her voice shaking."And I'm yours."
Brooklyn nodded at her calming, telling her that everything would be okay, and readied Excalibur in his claws. Knowing they had seconds to escape, Rose shut her teary eyes, lowered her hands, and then broke her shields.
Shooting forward, Brooklyn grabbed onto her, and she instantly shot into the air, pulling him with her- her wings working overtime to hold her and him up. Thankfully, once Brooklyn got enough height, he spread his wings and glided next to her.
Gasping, she touched her stomach and fought against a spell of dizziness. Her world went black for a second, and she lost altitude.
Brooklyn looked over at her and grasped onto her arm. "Whoa, easy, babe. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just… dizzy."
"That fall was bad. I felt you and our child get hurt-"
"I healed part of my injuries," Rose cut in calmly, still trying to breathe. "That was the first time I was ever able to do anything like that, but I somehow did it for our child. I'm just winded from the take-off so suddenly after my injury."
"If you need to hang back, then let me deal with Demetrius. I'm serious, babe. I have no problems beheading that son of a b-"
"I need to be the one to do it," Rose said softly.
"No, you need to be the one to talk to the curse," Brooklyn said firmly, pulling on her arm so that she was right next to him. He then scooped her into his arms, carrying her in a bridal carry like old times, and rested her against his chest. "The rest I can do."
Rose opened her mouth to whine and argue, but being in his arms again made everything alright, and she stopped.
Leaning her head against his neck, she rested her wings and wrapped her arms around his neck. He had sensed her strength fading, and she was glad for him taking control of the situation and taking care of her. But she could feel his concern for her well-being growing.
"Rose, listen to me," he said quietly, after a few seconds, "you're not in any condition to keep fighting like this. I think that-"
"I'm going with you," Rose whispered weakly, kissing the underpart of his neck beneath his jaw. "You heard the Fates, I'm to stay with you, and that's exactly what I plan on doing. We're doing this together."
Brooklyn exhaled out heavily, and she knew how hard this was for him to accept and allow.
"But, you're hurt-"
"I'm much better now. I'm going to just need a very, very long nap after this night with you beside me. How does that sound?"
Brooklyn loosed out another heavy breath, relenting to her will, but held her tighter in his arms. "Sounds... like a date, my love."
"Good." Rose raised her lips to meet his, a notion he instantly succumbed to and kissed him briefly before saying, "for now, let's kill my father and get this war over with."
Brooklyn didn't say anything more to her as they glided and touched down on the tops of the cliffs, where she had taken down Demona. Carefully setting her on her feet, they walked towards the other side and crouched behind a boulder, staying hidden.
Peering down at the bloody battle below, they caught sight of all of their clan members, and Brooklyn exhaled out a breath she knew he'd been holding.
"Looks like Goliath and the others are still alive and okay."
Watching the battle across the way, an ogre was swatting his large, gnarled hand at flying figures, but they were too quick for him.
Rose squinted her eyes and caught sight of Angela flying up the ogre's underbelly, screaming, "AKIRA, NOW!"
Akira, the smaller gargoyle flying below her, threw a katana towards Angela, who caught it and then instantly sunk it into the ogre's chest. The large beast howled in pain, stumbled backward, and then collapsed upon the ground.
"Yes," Rose hissed to herself, pumping a fist as Brooklyn chuckled under his breath. He then pressed the button on his walkie-talkie in his ear and spoke into it.
"Broadway, Lex, Angela, and Akira, I have Rose. We are on the northwestern cliff, directly across from Lord Demetrius. Rendezvous with us here before we take the battle to him."
Rose watched them group together and glide across the battlefield as Lexington's voice chimed in and answered, "copy that, we are on our way."
Closing her eyes, Rose rested her head upon her hands, resting on the boulder for a few seconds, and Brooklyn pulled her close to him. Kissing her head.
"It's okay, babe, it's going to be okay."
Unable to speak, she hoped it was going to be.
But hope alone couldn't win a war.
Just then, in her state of momentary silence, a sickening iciness filled her every being.
Gasping and shuttering as if she were drowning, she tried to call out to Brooklyn to pull her out from certain death, but instead of her body drowning, it was her mind.
Then, she heard his voice.
It's time to put an end to this, Rose. You and your armies have put up an impressive fight, but they are tiring out and growing weak, whereas we are just getting warmed up.
Demetrius.
She couldn't seem to move, couldn't respond, nor talk back. He was holding her mind hostage with his full power, and she was utterly helpless against it.
I do not know where you are at, but I can feel your fear, and I know your deepest thoughts. You are not cut out for this war. It's in the frantic beating of your heart- the pulsing of your blood- you do not have it in you to lose anyone more that you love. You are on a fool's errand, my daughter. Your mother's sacrifice was not part of the prophecy. She was supposed to win this war, not you.
Rose tried to pull away from his hold, but he slid back into her mind like a snake- slithering along every barrier or shield she's ever placed.
You are far too young and inexperienced to defeat the likes of me, so surrender now, come to me, and give up. If you do not, then I will have no other choice but to shed more innocent blood. You have a half-hour to comply with my wishes before I unleash the curse upon the entire world. Choose wisely, my daughter.
Demetrius released her from his mental hold, and it felt like she had surfaced from below-freezing waters.
Trembling, she was still holding onto the boulder in front of her. Brooklyn was shaking her and was saying her name. Whipping around, Rose stared at him with wide eyes, and by now, the other siblings had joined them.
"Babe?" Brooklyn asked again, and it was clear to her that he had been trying to get her attention. "Are you- are you okay?"
Coming out of her shock, she blinked and nodded her head shakily.
"Oh, um… yeah, sorry. I was just, uh…"
"You are white as a sheet." He placed his claw on her face and felt her skin. "And your skin is sweaty and freezing."
Rose opened and shut her mouth, then exhaled profoundly and decided she was too exhausted to lie. Staring numbly into his eyes, she shook her head slowly.
"Demetrius took over my mind. Just now."
Brooklyn's eyes widened even more, but she could only stare at him. Unsure what to say anymore.
"What?" Angela gasped, looking terrified. "Does that mean that he knows where you are?"
"No," Rose replied numbly, "he doesn't know where I am, but he's waiting for me." She tucked some runaway hair from her braid behind her ears and closed her eyes, wanting more than anything to sleep and run away into a dream world.
"What did he say?" Brooklyn whispered.
Rose loosed another heavy sigh. "He said that if I don't come to him within a half-hour, then he's going to release the curse on the entire world."
Silence followed her words.
Minutes passed by, then Akira stepped forward and whispered, "Half-hour?"
Rose nodded, unable to talk anymore. Brooklyn stayed still with her in his arms, and when he spoke next, his voice was low and strangely calm.
"Then we have a half-hour to kill him, and if he wants to play a game, then perhaps... that's what we should do."
Rose blinked in confusion, but before she could ask him what he meant, he had already stood up and was talking to the others.
"Alright, here's the plan. It's a bit… insane, but we may need just a little bit of insanity to make this work. Broadway, Angela, Akira, and Lex, stage yourselves below where Lord Demetrius is but don't let him see you, okay?"
The others nodded, but Lexington asked, "What are you and Rose going to do?"
Brooklyn froze, swallowed nervously, and refused to look in her direction. "I'm uh…" he took another breath, then said firmly, "I'm going to deliver Rose to Lord Demetrius."
An intense silence followed his words until instant chaos erupted from the siblings.
"What in the-?" Broadway gasped.
"Are you crazy!" Lexington yelled, looking at Brooklyn with wide-eyes. "You can't be serious!"
"I know," Brooklyn said, shaking his head mournfully. "I can't believe those words came out of my mouth either, but it's the only chance we have to get remotely close to him, unscathed." He then looked over at Rose and was silently begging for her forgiveness and understanding. "I wouldn't be risking yours or our child's life unless I was absolutely sure I could kill him and end this damn war, once and for all. My love, do you trust me to do this?"
Rose opened her mouth to answer him, but Angela quickly cut in- looking enraged.
"No!" She faced Brooklyn and pointed a talon at his face. "No, I draw the line there, Brooklyn. That is the most insane plan you've ever come up with. Delivering Rose to him will be a death wish for her, your child, and you! You can't be seriously thinking of-"
"No, he's right," Rose suddenly cut in, and everyone froze and stared at her in disbelief. Standing up, she was no longer shaking but was proud of her mate for being so brave and trusting in their power together. "It is an insane plan and is a terrifying risk to take, but it's a very good and crafty one. On the one hand, Demetrius will be pleased when I comply with his wishes, and on the other, it'll be the easiest way we can get close to him with Excalibur. With only a half-hour left before everyone is dead, no matter what we do, I say that it's worth it to try." She looked over at Brooklyn now and smiled. "And if Brooklyn is sure that either he or I can take Demetrius down with Excalibur, then as always, I trust my mate with my life."
Brooklyn smiled sadly at her, but nobody said a word.
Akira slowly stepped up, placed her small claw on Rose's arm, and looked between her and Brooklyn, with eyes wide with tears.
"Are you sure about this?"
Rose smiled sadly at her. "We don't have any other choice, Akira. But yes, I am sure."
"As am I," Brooklyn added softly, then turned to the others. "I know this is crazy, but I need your guys' help. If shit hits the fan, then I need immediate back-up. Rose is amazing with her shields and can protect us from his magic and the other creatures for a short while, but this is our only chance. After this, death will be knocking on our back door, and, well… I believe in the prophecy and know we can win this with her on our side. Anubis and both the Fates seem to believe that Rose will be the one to stop this curse, and I believe that too. Rose is now the Goddess of Death, and I believe in the power that runs deep within her veins." He stopped and stared into her eyes passionately. "I always have."
Rose smiled at him with tears in her eyes, feeling more in love with him.
Stepping forward, she took his claw in her hand, and together, hand-in-claw, they turned to face the others with one intent and goal.
It took the others a few seconds to come around, then Broadway sighed heavily and nodded. "Alright, you two. I know nothing can get in the way of your love, so I believe in this plan, as well."
"As do I," Akira added softly. "There's no greater power or force on this Earth stronger than love."
Angela and Lexington slowly nodded, agreeing, as did Brooklyn- but something clicked into place within Rose's mind. She slowly looked up into Akira's face with realization dawning upon her.
The Prophecy talked about the strongest force on Earth and that it would seal the ending of it.
"Let's go," Brooklyn suddenly said, tearing her thoughts away. He looked down at her and secured Excalibur in its holder behind his back. "You ready, my love?"
Rose squeezed his claw and nodded. "I am if you are."
Brooklyn smiled and nodded, but she could see the fear in his eyes and knew that he was fearful that his plan would fail. But she wouldn't let it.
"We'll be right behind you guys," Angela said, taking Rose's hand in hers briefly, with eyes brimming with tears. "Good luck."
"You too," Rose whispered, "don't follow too closely."
Angela nodded and watched her and Brooklyn intertwine their hands, and together, they broke into a run, heading towards the edge of the cliff. Spreading their wings, they ran faster, gaining momentum to fly, when suddenly, out of nowhere-
SLAP.
A bone-crushing force slapped Rose's face from the side, sending her flying over the edge of the cliff, and her vision blackened into instant unconsciousness.
"ROSE!" The others cried out in unison, watching her fall over the edge, but Akira instantly dove after her, yelling, "I've got her!"
Brooklyn skidded to a stop, gasping, and watched Rose fall over the edge in horror- but trusted Akira to take care of her while he took care of her attacker. His eyes lit up brightly, his teeth snarled viciously, and his fists clenched into balls upon seeing her attacker.
Kevin lowered the spear he used as a baseball bat against Rose's face and was smiling a wicked smile- stretching the four angry claw marks on his tan-skin.
"Kevin!" Brooklyn snarled, instantly hating every inch of him. Kevin, however, chuckled darkly and looked pleased with himself.
"It's so nice to see you again, Brooklyn."
Brooklyn growled viciously, unsheathed Excalibur, and held it in front of him. However, Kevin's smile widened and pointed to it.
"Oh, perfect. That is just the weapon I've come for before I take Rose to her father."
Brooklyn snarled, crouched, and clenched Excalibur tightly in his grasp.
"Come and get it, then!"
Kevin smirked, scoffed, then activated red-power from his hands. The same that Rose and Hela had.
"If you insist…"
"Yeah, except he has us now!" Lexington added as he, Broadway, and Angela joined behind Brooklyn.
Kevin rolled his eyes. "Ooh, four against one. I'm shaking."
Having had enough, Brooklyn roared and shot forward, raising Excalibur high above his head. "Let's see how you handle THIS!"
Landing in front of Kevin, Brooklyn slammed Excalibur down upon him, but his shields caught the blade, and with an explosion of power, sent it flying from Brooklyn's claws- over the same edge where Rose had fallen.
Brooklyn watched the sword fall away and froze as Kevin burst out laughing.
"Well, that was impressive! But now… it's my turn!"
Wielding two swords from his hands, Kevin shot forward, but Brooklyn unsheathed another dagger from his belt and caught his two blades with his one. Head-to-head, their teeth were bared at each other, both growling and hating each other.
Then, when Angela, Lexington, and Broadway unsheathed their weapons and surrounded him, Kevin cackled, his eyes wide with hunger and excitement.
"Oh, I've missed this shit."
Brooklyn pushed against the blades, letting rage fill him up like never before.
"And I've missed the sound of your neck snapping in half."
Kevin's grin widened maddeningly. "And I miss fucking Rose… so, may the best and strongest male win that privilege."
Enraged beyond words, Brooklyn roared and slashed his sword against Kevin's. Then, when the others jumped in, bellowing, a vicious sword fight erupted between the five of them.
Akira landed softly next to Rose's unconscious body, on a lower level ledge, and ran up to her. Before she reached her, a bright red light suddenly flashed in the night, and when she looked up, something flashy clanged and landed loudly on the rocks near them.
"Excalibur!"
Knowing Brooklyn would need it, she ran over, picked it up, sheathed it in her belt, and then ran back over to Rose. Kneeling beside her, she gently began to try and arouse her, inspecting her injuries. She had a small laceration on her head, which was oozing blood, but she was still breathing.
"Rose," Akira whispered, shaking her gently, "honey, can you hear me?"
When Rose still didn't move, she didn't know what to do. With the battles raging around them, time was ticking down.
Then-
POP.
Akira gasped, stood up, and unsheathed Excalibur from her belt as a figure portaled in front of her; however, when she saw who it was, she lowered the blade and stared at him in shock.
"Puck!"
With a face covered in black soot and his purple and gold whimsical outfit torn in random places, Puck looked from Akira to Excalibur, then over to Rose's unconscious body with raised eyebrows.
"It's nasty out there, so I thought I would come and see how the rest of you kids were doing, and well…" he paused and then cocked his head to the side at Rose's limp body. "I would say that things are not going very well for all of you either."
"Kevin jumped us in surprise and knocked Rose unconscious," Akira explained quickly. "The others are fighting him right now, and Excalibur was knocked out of Brooklyn's claws. But, the worst is not that! Demetrius entered Rose's mind and said that we have half an hour to surrender before he activates the curse upon the entire world, but I… I can't wake her up!"
When Akira stopped panicking, Puck considered her words and rubbed his chin. "Hmm, it would seem that you need some help then."
Akira collapsed to her knees again and sighed out heavily- bowing her head.
"Yes."
Puck clapped his hands. "Then, let the Puck help. I have a plan."
Akira glanced up at him with uncertain eyes. "A plan?"
But Puck didn't answer her and had already knelt next to Rose's face, covered her mouth with his hand, and then poofed some green magic in her face.
"Wake up!"
Instantly, Rose jolted awake, screaming and squirming against his hand over her mouth, but when she looked up and saw who it was, she calmed down. He took his hand off her mouth, and when she looked around at him, Akira, and Excalibur, she looked thoroughly confused.
"Wh- what happened?"
"Kevin attacked you," Akira sighed heavily. "Brooklyn and the others are taking him on right now. Excalibur was knocked out of Brooklyn's claws and is with us." Her eyes narrowed in concern suddenly. "But what about you? Are you okay? Kevin smacked your head hard."
Now that she mentioned the injury, her head was pounding insanely hard, and she hissed in a breath. Rose closed her eyes, sat up on her backside, and pressed her hand to her bloody forehead, groaning.
"Ow, I mean… yeah, I am. Unfortunately, that's not the worst injury he's ever given me, but I have to admit he got me pretty good this time." She paused, then looked at Puck. "Um, not to sound rude or ungrateful to see you, but what are you doing here?"
"I decided that I wanted to come and check up on you kids, and it's good timing that I did," Puck said lightly. "It appears that you need my help."
Rose groaned again and nodded slowly. "Most likely."
"Akira here tells me that Demetrius wants you in less than a half-hour," he continued, "to surrender."
"Yeah," Rose said, rubbing at her bleeding head wound, wincing. "Brooklyn and I were going to kill him with Excalibur in a surprise attack. The others were going to hide out as we played a little game with my father. But, ugh, thanks to Kevin and his usual brutal antics of giving me blows to the head, I'll be lucky if I can even walk straight."
Puck, however, smiled widely and clapped his hands, making her wince at the loud noise.
"Oh, leave that to me! I'll heal your wounds, but first, I want to congratulate you on such a brilliant plan!"
Rose raised an eyebrow at him. "Really?"
"You're using tricks to get to Demetrius… and as master of all mischief, that makes me proud!"
Rose chuckled at this. "Well, hang onto your hat because it was actually Brooklyn's idea."
Puck froze, raised an eyebrow at her, and then said slowly, "Brooklyn... your mate…came up with the idea to offer you up as bait to reel Demetrius in?"
Rose smiled at him. "I know, it sounds crazy."
Puck, however, looked suspicious still as he asked, "Are you sure that we are talking about the same gargoyle?"
"Take it or leave it," Rose laughed, "but yes. It was all his idea."
"Wow, I'm impressed!" Puck exclaimed enthusiastically. "Our serious lover has grown up! Oh, I am so proud! To use such trickery and cleverness, it's so beautiful. I could almost kiss him!"
Rose blinked and laughed- feeling slightly awkward, yet amused by the notion. "Uh… well, I'm sure he'll be thrilled by that, but um, it's probably best if you-"
"Well, good on him!" Puck interrupted, speaking as if she had never said anything. "I'm so glad that Brooklyn has come around to the playful side of things. We are going to follow his plan to take old Demetrius down, but I'm going to help you tweak the details, just a tad."
Rose blinked and looked over at him. Seeing the mischief in his eyes, she instantly realized that the master of trickery was exactly who they needed to beat Demetrius at his own game.
"What do you have in mind?"
"Really?" Puck asked her amusingly. "Just like that, you're all in with what I have to say?"
"Tricks are what you do best… and well…" Rose paused and then laughed, despite the situation. "Tricks are what we may need to win this war."
Puck's smile turned positively gleeful, and joy lit up brightly in his vibrant, electrified blue eyes.
"Oh, that is just…" he began jumping up and down and blew raspberries from his lips, "that, my dear, is the most brilliant thing I have ever heard you say before! And you know what? You are exactly right. With Excalibur and you, we have everything we need to win this war. Now, listen very carefully. Do you remember all of the lessons I taught you back at the Eyrie Building?"
Rose nodded. "Portaling, shape-shifting, and shielding."
"Exacto-mudo," Puck said happily. "We are going back to those three basic lessons, but this time you are going to master them all! No pressure, Rose, but if you can pull this off, then you'll have pulled the greatest trick this world has ever known. However, for it to be successful, it needs to remain a secret." He glanced up at Akira now and pointed a finger at her. "I'm serious. No one can know about this plan except the three of us. Especially Brooklyn. Deal?"
Akira looked unsure for a moment but took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, I won't say anything. You can count on me."
"Then, we are in business. Subterfuge is what I do best, and this will probably be the greatest lesson I will ever have taught you, Rosie, oh great Goddess of Death." He clapped, then sighed happily. "Oh, we are going to have so much fun saving the world."
Rose stood up, facing him, and her heart was pounding, but not out of fear. For the first time, she felt hope in his excitement.
"You have a plan to stop Demetrius, once and for all, then?"
Puck smiled widely. "Of course, I do."
A few seconds passed by, and despite the sounds of her mate and the others fighting her ex-husband, it was Rose's turn to smile at her teacher.
"Alright, Puck. You have my full and undivided attention. Lay it on me. What's the plan?"