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Winter

Winter stumbled over her own feet, falling just short of the failing red barrier. The wolves closest to her immediately leapt into a frenzy, pouncing at the barrier in an attempt to tear her apart and reduce her to meat, marrow and bone. All their attempts to break through the wall failed as they fell back, howling in pain with smoke rising from their fur. But the hunger never faded from their wild eyes as they stared at Winter through the faint red light. Winter met their gazes impassively. She made no attempt to move away from the barrier. Why should she? She'd chosen this, hadn't she? Didn't she say that she would rather be torn apart by the bloodthirsty creatures mere feet away from her than live in company of the man waiting patiently for the barrier to fail? Now, she had to honour that decision.

"Winter, what the heck are you doing?"

Startled, Winter looked around for the source of the angry words. The wolves looked too, and immediately bounded towards the tree and began clumsily climbing it to reach the blond-haired teenage boy sitting on one of the lower branches, just above where Aimery's barrier reached.

Jacin cast an annoyed glare at the animals before carefully standing on his branch. Winter watched, hardly daring to breathe for fear he will fall as he slowly inched his way across. Finally, he jumped off the branch, over the barrier, and landed heavily beside Winter before gently but firmly pulling her to her feet.

"What were you thinking, lying there like that?" Jacin scolded her, his blue eyes flashing with disapproval. "That wall's not going to hold out for much longer. Do you want to get eaten alive by a pack of werewolves?"

Winter didn't reply, she didn't even look him in the face. She just let herself be held in his arms, her head resting against his chest, eyes closed. The furious baying of the wolves faded away to a whisper, and the force of Aimery's cold gaze became nothing more than a gentle breeze. All of it faded away, the danger, the fear, the pain, all of it became nothing more than the slightest hints of what they used to be. For the first time that night, Winter actually felt safe.

"Well, I suppose I should've guessed that the lady's shadow would arrive." A voice, arrogant and menacing as a snake's hiss, shattered the walls Winter had only just taken refuge behind. Her eyes snapped open, and she looked at Aimery as he stalked forward, his cloak rustling with his movements like crimson flames. Winter wondered why they weren't burning him.

Jacin let go of Winter and moved in front of her, nearly blocking her view of Aimery, and drew his wand. Aimery's only response was a cold, mocking laugh. "And just what do you think you're going to do with that? Freeze me? Knock me out? Set my cloak on fire?"
"It's already on fire." Winter murmured.

Aimery rolled his eyes and scoffed. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you think you could win a fight against me, if you think that broken creature is worth saving."

"That's funny, I seem to recall you trying over and over again to get her into your bed." Jacin snarled back, never taking his eyes of the man in front of him.

Aimery shrugged, completely unfazed. "You can't deny that she is very beautiful, despite the undeniably hideous state of her mind."
"Her mind's a lot prettier than yours." Jacin told him, "I can only imagine what horrors float around that giant skull of yours every second. It must be like a sewer in there."
Aimery's smile hardened and his eyes flashed with contained rage. "Mock all you like, Clay, but it won't change the fact that the odds are heavily in my favour. Let's see who I'm up against: a teenage boy who calls himself a Lunar despite not even being able to manipulate a muggle toddler, and a girl with a steadily breaking mind with a habit of crying about blood." He chuckled to himself, "Yes, I'm truly terrified."

"You forgot about all the werewolves." Jacin reminded him.

Aimery cast a disinterested glance at the crowd of animals outside the red barrier. "Oh, they'll be easily dealt with. Really, they are only a threat to you. Assuming you live long enough for them to actually reach you."

Suddenly, Jacin turned around, pointing his wand so that it was aiming squarely at Winter.

"Jacin?" she whispered, forcing herself not to look at the wooden rod.

Jacin's blue eyes were wide with shock, and he kept looking at his wand, then at Winter, then back to his wand, as if trying to comprehend why it would be pointing in her direction.

He was scared. The realization hit Winter like a troll's club, knocking all the breath out of her. Jacin was never scared, never. It was impossible for him to be scared. Yet the panicky light in his eyes was unmistakeable as he continued to look between his wand and Winter.

Aimery laughed, a cruel, grating sound. "Did you honestly think you stood a chance against me? Me, one of the most powerful Lunars alive? I don't even need a wand to end you both. I can make you set your precious lady's hair on fire, have you reopen those scars on her face, or even add new ones to match on the other side of her face."

Jacin's wand gently stroked Winter's unblemished cheek, while its owner scowled and grit his teeth, clearly trying desperately to fight against what Aimery was forcing him to do. But it was not use. Aimery was too strong, and Jacin's mind too weak. He couldn't fight it, not matter how much he tried.

Aimery smiled, obviously knowing the same thing. "But we can't leave our little princess out now, can we? What shall I make her do? I can have her stab her fingers into your eyes, I can make her break your neck, or I can make her wrap those pretty little hands of hers around your throat and strangle you to death."

Winter watched, her skin growing cold with horror as her hands slowly rose up of their own accord.

"I rather like that idea." Aimery said.

Tears ran down her cheeks as her hands slowly made their way to Jacin's neck, her fingers already twitching in their eagerness to cut of his breath. She felt his skin brush against her palms and a sob tore from her throat.

Jacin didn't move to stop her as her fingers tightened around his neck. Maybe Aimery wasn't letting him. Maybe he was afraid of hurting her. Either way, he didn't do anything to defend himself as his breaths, once steady and even, turned into choked gasps as his lungs fought for air.

Winter wept, a feeble wail escaping her lips with every gasp Jacin made as he struggled to breathe. And all the while she could feel Aimery's cruel smile like a sharp spike made of ice, stabbing into her flesh, her heart, her very soul as Jacin's face slowly turned blue.

The barrier Aimery had put up finally gave way, and the werewolves surged forward. Aimery looked at them unconcernedly and reached for his wand. But his hand stopped before he could even touch it. He frowned in confusion, staring at the rebellious hand. Only now, it wasn't just his hand that was rebelling.

His feet suddenly broke into a clumsy yet fast run heading straight for the werewolves. A cry of pure terror escaped his mouth as he ran for them, and they bounded toward him as well. Taking a flying leap, he jumped on the wolves, and could only lie still, his screams of agony and pain tearing through the cool night air as the beasts greedily tore him apart.

Finally, Winter's hands fell away from Jacin's neck and she fell to her knees, unable to tear her eyes away as Aimery's blood splattered all over the trees. It seeped out from the soil and dripped from the branches. Winter could feel it lapping at her hands and weighing down her clothes.

A pair of hands gripped her shoulders, and a voice spoke, but she was too far away, much too far away to hear them.

A/N: Finally, Aimery's dead!

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