A/N: Hey yo! First of all Happy Birthday to Faithwolves! Thank you for your kind review and I hope you see this in time for your birthday! Second of all, guys I treasure all your kind reviews, just keep in mind that I do write these chapters on dialysis, or in a bed. I am really sick and my hands shake like crazy so there will be some grammar or spelling mistakes. I don't mind you mentioning a big one that really sticks out, but please give me a break on this. I do try really hard to make these as grammar correct as possible but I'm human and there will be some mistakes, please don't leave 9 reviews only pointing out my mistakes. I know you mean well but it can send the wrong message across.
Anyway, thank you to all who left kind words again, they really keep me going with this, and without further ado; Enjoy!
Seth spun around as the flames grew higher and higher. It was quickly becoming uncomfortably warm and smoke was clouding his vision so much that he could barely see two feet in front of him. Seth pulled his shirt over his nose and mouth to help prevent smoke inhalation and tried to see through the smoke and the glare of red and oranges to spot the others. He saw Kendra through the flames, she was coughing and frantically backing away from a growing fire in front of her.
"Kendra! Kendra!" Seth shouted, waving one arm, trying to get her attention. Thankfully she happened to glance at him, eyes widening in recognition and something else he couldn't quite place. "Pull your shirt over your nose and mouth! It will help with the smoke!"
Kendra shook her head and yelled something back, she couldn't hear him. Seth motioned to his own shirt and pointed at her, she seemed to get the message and copied Seth. He never thought he would be thankful for the Sphinx, but it was the Sphinx that taught him to do this, just incase something went wrong in training.
Wait. Training. Training how to put out fires. Seth nearly slapped himself for not thinking of this sooner. He could save them all, except he had never tried it on a fire this large. He couldn't possibly do this. Catching a glimpse of Kendra backing away from another monstrous fire wall, he steeled himself.
'Focus. Work in little spaces. You can do this.' He thought to himself before setting his eyes on the nearest fire and picturing it go out. 'Focus. Focus. Come on, go out.'
Slowly the flame grew smaller and smaller before extinguishing completely. Seth set his eyes on the next target, bigger than the last, trying to work a path to Kendra. Too slow for his liking the flames began to extinguish one by one, his head started to pound and he closed his eyes, continuing to picture the flames going out.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and could faintly hear his sister's voice. He ignored it and focused on the flames. Seth's head felt like it was going to explode, and maybe it was who knows, but he kept going. He sensed two more people join him and Kendra, he briefly opened his eyes and saw Warren and Luca with them.
"You're doing great Seth, Trask is stuck in that corner, get him next okay?" Warren yelled from behind his own shirt, having copied Seth and Kendra. Or maybe he had known to do this from being a Knight. Seth would ask later.
Slowly the group was reformed, Seth nearly fell to his knees once but Kendra caught him and slung his arm around her shoulder to keep him up, for once he accepted her help and leaned on her as is head pounded from overuse.
"Seth, do you think you can make a path to the door? There is only one big fire left in the way and we can leave the rest burning, are you up for it?" Trask asked. Seth nodded firmly and set his eyes on the last fire. He could do this, just this last one.
His head was throbbing like never before and his ears started to ring, but still he focused. Kendra tugged him along as the flames extinguished, pulling him through the next door and into yet another hallway. They walked a few more yards before Kendra helped him sit against the wall.
"Seth, your nose is bleeding." She said, pulling out a bandana from her backpack. "Here."
The others stood around, some coughing, some fanning themselves. Seth took the bandana from his sister, finally getting a good look at her. Her face was slightly dirty from the smoke and her skin was shining from sweat. But he also noticed she looked tired, but then again, he probably looked the same.
Holding the bandana to his nose, he rested against the wall for a few minutes. Thankfully the headache had disappeared but he was now understanding how Kendra felt after healing herself, he was exhausted. The group lingered there for quite some time while Seth rested, Kendra sat next to him with her head on his shoulder holding his hand. Seth knew that she was receiving comfort as much as she was giving it from sitting there with him so he rested his head on top of hers and sat there with her.
His thoughts drifted over to Bracken. Seth couldn't believe the unicorn was gone, Bracken had become a close friend of his and he knew Kendra and him had something between them even though neither would make a move. Seth felt his heart ache for his sister, this was the second time someone she liked had died. Granted, the first one was dodging a bullet, but Bracken was for real and now he was gone.
"We should get moving." Vanessa spoke quietly. The blix had been pretty silent ever since it was revealed she had killed the actual Bracken. Seth knew she hadn't meant it, he just hoped Kendra knew that too.
"She's right." Trask said. "You good to walk, Seth?"
"Yeah, I think so." Seth said and pulled away from Kendra so he could stand. He pulled her up with him, feeling a little lightheaded but nothing he couldn't handle.
"Alright, let's see what else this place can throw at us." Warren joked.
Kendra walked beside Seth as the group made their way to the next, and hopefully last, room. She tried to put a word to how she was feeling but was drawing up empty. Empty. Maybe that is how she felt. She felt proud of Seth for how well he did in the fire room, she felt happy she was alive and she felt an incredible heartache that Bracken was not. But overall she felt numb, she felt like someone had sucked all the energy and light from her and all that remained was an empty shell.
It frustrated Kendra to no end, because it wasn't like Bracken was her whole life. She still had her family, she still had her friends. She had many things that would keep her going and keep her happy. Kendra could fully live without Bracken, she just didn't want to have to. She tried not to think of the vision of him laying there in a pool of blood. Kendra briefly wondered why it had looked like his body was glowing but then shook her head to clear her thoughts away from it. She didn't need to get her hopes up by thinking into a weird vision.
Up ahead loomed a dark blood red door, standing out from the grey rock. It almost seemed like a warning of danger ahead, which, it could be. Warren pulled Kendra and Seth to the side with him and Tanu, the two adults situating themselves in front of the siblings. Vanessa and Luca both grabbed a handle to the double door as Trask and Elin readied a crossbow each, Elin borrowing Tanu's for the moment.
"1...2...3!" Vanessa counted out, her and Lua throwing the door's open on three. They all tensed, waiting for something to come out at them, after nothing happened Trask motioned for Elin to follow him and the two made their way into the room. Vanessa and Luca followed, and after a moment so did Tanu and Warren. Kendra and Seth lingered in the doorway and surveyed the room.
"And once again, it is an empty room...how original." Elin muttered to herself. Kendra refrained from reminding her that the room wouldn't be empty for long if they were sticking to a pattern.
"Stay on guard, this isn't over." Trask warned, slowly walking around the room. Suddenly, Kendra saw something move in the far right corner of the room. She stared at the dark corner, starting to think she was going crazy when a large dark horse appeared from the shadows.
It was as large as a regular horse, perhaps a little bigger. The horse was black as night except for the lines of glowing red running through it's body like rivers of lava. It's hooves were made of the same glowing red, and it's mane and tail seemed to be made of shadow or smoke. But what stood out were the piercing eyes, matching the glowing red of it's hooves.
"Uhm, guys?" Kendra said, pointing out the horse.
"Oh, shit." Warren cursed. "This isn't good."
"What is that thing?" Seth said, staring at the horse in wonder.
"It's a Nightmare." Warren said, drawing his sword. "And they are nasty, nasty creatures. They feed off of dark energy, that being said, Seth, stay back, we don't need this thing drawing off your natural aura. As for the rest of you, think happy thoughts."
"How do we kill it?" Luca asked, backing away with the rest of them.
"That is the problem, if we try to kill it with our swords, it will multiply, becoming two horses. There is really only one way to kill them." Trask said.
"And that is?"
"A unicorn horn." Warren sighed, glancing at Kendra.
"Great, just great. The one time we actually need the damn unicorn, he's dead." Elin said from behind Kendra. Something inside Kendra snapped and she spun around and pinned Elin to the wall, knife at her throat.
"Don't you dare. If you aren't going to talk about him with respect, then don't talk about him at all. Got it?" Kendra said, feeling her fairykind energy swirling in her veins with rage. Warren laid a hand on Kendra's shoulder.
"Kens, dark emotions equal power to this thing, try and calm down." He said in her ear. With one last disgusted look at Elin, Kendra pushed off of her and swung her bag off her shoulder
"Besides, we won't need him." She said, pulling Bracken's first horn out of her bag. "He gave me this before we left for the vault. Said it was 'just in case'." Kendra left her bag on the ground and started towards the Nightmare, which was stalking around the room, seemingly not caring about the group.
"Kendra, wait!" Warren grabbed her arm. "Why don't you let one of us do this?"
"This is Bracken's horn. He gave it to me. He trusted me with it. I'm sorry, but I have to be the one to do this, I want to." She said, pleading him with her eyes to understand. Thankfully, he nodded and backed off.
Kendra slowly, approached the Nightmare, holding the horn at the ready. The Nightmare stared her down and started neighing, scratching it's hooves on the floor like an angry bull. As she drew up to it, it reared on it's hind legs, kicking out in front of it and knocking Kendra to the floor.
She recovered quickly, rolling to the side as the horse rushed to trample her. Scrambling to her feet, she readied herself as the Nightmare turned around to run at her again. Her mind flashed to Patton battling Broadhoof all those years ago and she smirked. As the Nightmare drew near again, she stepped to the side easily.
"I didn't come to dance." She muttered.
She heard Seth bark out a laugh as he realized what she was doing. The Nightmare seemed to sense her plan and walked slowly over, circling her twice before lunging. That's when Kendra made her move, dancing slightly to the side before bringing Bracken's horn swishing down into the Nightmares neck, aiming for it's heart. Black blood spilled from the wound and splashed on her face as the Nightmare fell to the ground, twitching. The horn started to burn and glow but Kendra just pushed it in deeper, holding on even as it burned her hand.
Finally, the Nightmare no longer moved and the horn stopped burning. Kendra yanked Bracken's horn out of the Nightmare, turning to the approaching group.
"Nice moves, sis. Wonder where you learned them." Seth teased her, only receiving an eye roll in response.
Warren opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by the sound of stone moving against stone. They all turned to the middle of the room where a pedestal was rising up from the ground. As it finished rising, the top half of the stone seemed to burn away, revealing a sword that looked like it was crafted out of blue diamonds.
"That certainly doesn't look like one of the original artifacts." Warren said, approaching the pedestal. "Are we sure this is what we came for?"
"We're sure." Kendra said, eyes on the sword.
"How do you figure?" Warren asked.
"Because, that sword was in my vision."
A/N: Okay, I don't think that counts as a cliffhanger...right? Anyway, shoutout to pointlesslypoetic to helping me with this, check out her fics they are all great, especially the one we are writing together called "We Thought It Was Over"! Next chapter: as the group goes back through the vault, will they revisit the Mirror room, will Bracken's fate be confirmed? All will be resolved next episode...or chapter, or Power Of The Mind. xoxo