It was Tony, Michael and Ellie that set to work on breaking the charms around the cave entrance, the rest of them setting up a makeshift camp. Aubrey had decided to busy herself with sorting through the weapons they had brought with them, Warren, Kate and Jesse lending a hand, while Rachel, Abigail, Beca and Chloe helped to set out the medical supplies with the others. Their preparations were made in a quiet and tense hum of mumbled conversation, none of them quite knowing what lay waiting for them in the caves, but certain that whatever it was would pose a great trial for them all.
"Can I ask you to do something for me?" Olivia whispered to her sister, Rachel's attention turning from the poultices she was sorting with an expression full of concern.
"Yeah, of course you can." She nodded, "Anything for you Liv, you know that."
"Watch Mike for me?" Olivia smiled sadly, "He's… he's taking this a lot harder than he's letting on. Between Sam, and Thea, and Stacie, and… the baby…" Her hand rested on her stomach as tears welled in her eyes, "I'm scared he's going to go in angry and vengeful, and he's going to get himself really hurt or-"
Olivia shook her head a little as Rachel gently wound her arm around her shoulders, squeezing them softly, "I got him. I promise, I won't let anything happen to him. But he's not an idiot Liv, he loves you way too much to do something stupid like not come back to you."
"You really think so?" A small smile crept onto Olivia's face as she leant against Rachel a little.
"Oh yeah." Rachel grinned, "That guy is smitten, he'll come back to you."
"Good." Olivia nodded a little, "Make sure you do too. You. Lilly and Mike… you're all the family I have. I hate that you're all going in there. Especially without me."
"I know." Rachel sighed, hugging her twin a little tighter, "But hey, this isn't the first time we've gone up against immeasurable odds, and we did win last time."
"That's true." Olivia giggled, "Just be careful okay?"
"Always." Rachel nodded firmly.
Leo and Thea were sorting through the vials that had been brought with them, Thea gently directing him as he tried his best to understand what they were for. Leo liked that he could help out, liked that he wasn't just sat around waiting for Tony while he put his life on the line to defeat… witches? Vampires? An ancient goddess? Leo still had so many questions…
"So… this is just what he does?" Leo turned to Thea as he continued to lie up a row of burn salves, "Goes off fights supernatural beings and ultimate evils or whatever?"
"Kind of." Thea grinned, shrugging, "It's not all he does, Tony does a lot of outreach work, helps struggling communities piece things back together after people like Gail tear them apart, offers classes in magic to disadvantaged witches that wouldn't be able to learn otherwise. But he does have to fight like this sometimes, as much as I hate it."
"Um…" Leo could feel a lump forming in his throat as he focused on the bottles in front of him with laser like precision, "Has… has he ever gotten really hurt?"
Thea looked over at Leo with a soft frown, resting against the table they had set up, "Do you really want to know? Because I don't know if it's going to make it any easier to watch him go if you do."
"Please." Leo whispered, tears in his eyes as he looked up from his task at last, "Just be honest with me. I don't want to be kept in the dark about any of this anymore."
"Okay." Thea nodded, resting a gentle hand on Leo's shoulder, "But I can't promise you're going to like what you hear…"
Kate had finished sorting through the weapons they had brought fairly quickly and moved to help Abigail with her tasks, gently bumping her hip against hers as Abigail turned her head for a moment to grin at her.
"You okay?" She asked, watching as Kate shrugged a little, gently pushing the vials around on the table.
"Yeah… just- I dunno, this isn't the first time we've gone into a fight together, but it's the first time I'm actually… scared y'know?"
Abigail frowned deeply setting down the items in her hands as she turned Kate to face her, brushing her hair from her face. Katie was never scared, not openly anyway, so the idea that she was now made Abigail's stomach churn.
"What's scaring you?"
"You mean besides evil incarnate and a pending apocalypse?" Kate chuckled dryly, biting her lip a little, "Losing you… it was different when you went up against Gail, I was in Bangkok still and I couldn't do anything to protect you, but now I'm here and… I'm scared because what if I can't protect you? Or I do protect you and someone else gets hurt or killed?"
"Kate…" Abigail sighed softly, cupping her face in her hands as she smiled softly at her, "Whatever happens in there, I know you're going to make the best choices, I know you're going to do your job, I know… I know that if you have to choose between me and the whole world then you'll make the right call."
"I don't want to make the right call…" Kate whispered, tears in her eyes as she rested her hands on Abigail's wrists, "We always have to make the right call. I just want to make the you call."
"I know." Abigail grinned tearfully, resting her forehead against hers, "Me too. I love you."
"I love you too." Kate sniffed, pressing her lips softly into Abigail's, "Just be careful okay?"
"I will. And for the record? I'm scared too…"
"Yeah?" Kate huffed a little, "Is it bad that makes me feel better?"
"No." Abigail shook her head, wrapping Kate in a warm embrace, "We can be scared together, it's okay."
It took a good hour for the charms to be broken around the caves, all three witches a little exhausted but ready to push it aside; they weren't done yet, far from it, and they'd need all the strength they could find for what was to come. Tony grabbed a bottle of water as he ran his hand through his hair, frowning a little as he watched Leo stride towards him, expression unreadable.
"When were you going to tell me that the last time you went up against someone like this, you almost died?!" There were tears in Leo's eyes as he approached Tony, shaking a little as Tony opened and shut his mouth a few times.
"I- I- how did you know?" Tony mumbled.
"Your mom told me when I asked her." Leo pursed his lips a little, "You almost lost your arm, your knee was crushed and it took you months to recover even with magic, and that's not even considering the fact that you almost got your throat ripped out!"
"Leo…" Tony ran his hands through his hair again, "I… look that was last time, it doesn't mean that it will happen this time, I've been training and getting better, stronger, at the non-magic stuff, but this is my job Leo, it's my family-"
"I know!" Leo cried, tears starting to roll down his cheeks as his tone softened, "I know… but I don't have to like this Tony, I'm not going to throw a party because the man I love is about to run into actual a life threatening danger! I know this isn't just about your job, that it's personal too, but I'm not going to stand here and be happy about it. Whether you were a soldier, or a firefighter, or a witch, it doesn't matter, you're putting your life risk and I hate that…"
"You… you love me?" A small grin tugged at Tony's lips, his eyes glittering with emotion as he cupped Leo's face in his hands.
"Yeah." Leo nodded, sniffing softly as a matching grin pulled at his own lips, "Yeah I do. Is that okay?"
"It is." Tony chuckled softly, "I love you too. And I swear, I'm going to be as careful as I can okay? But I can't promise you anything, you know that right?"
"I do…" Leo sighed, letting his forehead rest against Tony's, "Just try and come back to me."
"I will, I promise." Tony kissed him softly, "I'm going to fight like hell to get back to you."
Ellie was starting to slot stakes into her weapon belt when Michael joined her, frowning deeply as he put his hand over the blade she went to pick up.
"Ellie, what're you doing?"
"Getting ready to fight." Ellie shrugged, face set in a hard line, "Why?"
"You don't have to fight this time, you're just a kid-" Michael started, his tone gentle and kind.
"God, I wish you would stop saying that!" Ellie slammed her hands down onto the table, "I wish you'd all stop saying that! I'm not a kid, I can fight, I can win, I'm graduating in two months, stop treating me like I can't handle myself!"
"No-one's saying that." Tony had joined them, "El, you saved my life last time, but that doesn't mean we want you to go running into danger whenever it comes knocking."
"Why do you even care?!" Ellie's eyes were bright with tears as her head whipped around to face him, "It's not like we're actually family, I know I don't have any right to be mad or upset about Sam, but goddammit he was the closest thing I have ever had to a dad and I'm going in there to fight for him whether you like it or not!"
"Whoa, what?" Tony's frown deepened as he gently pulled Ellie away from the table, resting his hands on her shoulders, "Ellie have we been making you feel like that?"
Ellie looked away from him, sniffing hard as she shuffled her feet, her hands clenched tight by her sides. Tony sighed heavily as he gently moved her hair from her face.
"Ellie, listen to me. You are family, and you have every right to be as mad and as upset as we are, okay? The reason we don't want you to have to fight is because you're family. You think I want Mike to come in with us? Or Aubrey? Or anyone here? El… we love you kid, dad loved you so much, we don't want you getting hurt too…"
Everyone's attention had turned to Ellie now, concerned looks shared by all as Ellie tried to push her tears back. They had to think she was strong, that she wasn't a child, crying wasn't going to help that.
"I won't…" Ellie shook her head, "I don't want to wait out here, I'm going to be in the field in two months, this is what I want to do with my life, I can do this."
"You really want to do this?" Chloe ran her fingers softly through Ellie's hair, smiling warmly at her, "Because it's going to be so much more dangerous than last time, none of us would think any less of you if you did end up wanting to sit this out. We don't really want to do it, we're terrified Ellie…"
"I do." Ellie nodded, eyes burning with determination, "I can do this. Let me fight."
"Okay." Aubrey nodded, smile tight as she rested her hand on Ellie's shoulder, "But you stay close, and you don't let yourself get separated."
"Got it." Ellie nodded, "Thanks."
"Time to get ready." Aubrey addressed all of them, "We go in five."
Tony stayed with Ellie, going through her weapons with her and reassuring her again, Ellie smiling softly as she leant into the arm he wrapped around her shoulders. They were all really quiet as they triple checked the weapons that they had, stocked up on potions, comforted each other silently. Chloe stood with her arms around Beca's waist, chin resting on her head as Beca tucked her face into her neck.
"I love you." Beca mumbled against her skin, Cloe's arms tightening around her a little more, "I love you so much Chlo."
"I love you too Becs." Chloe smiled softly, pressing soft kisses into the crown of her head, "Let's go kick some ass and then we can go and sleep."
"Sleep sounds great." Beca hummed, "I like sleep… a lot…"
"I know." Chloe giggled, "We'll be okay Becs. We always are."
"Yeah." Chloe could hear Beca's voice crack a little, stroking her hair as she tried to reassure her, "I know."
"You ready?" Aubrey cleared her throat a little, giving them both a tight smile as they reluctantly untangled themselves from each other.
"Yeah, we're good to go Bree." Chloe smiled warmly, giving Aubrey's arm a gentle squeeze, "What about you?"
"Yeah." Aubrey nodded a little, "Ready to kick some ass."
"Hell yeah." Beca agreed, adjusting the fastening for the sheath on her back one last time, "Let's go rescue our girl and kick some ass on the way."
"What…" Aubrey swallowed thickly as she looked back at the caves again, "What if she's… not there anymore? What then?"
"We'll figure it out." Chloe wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "But don't get in thinking that Bree. No doom and gloom, no glass half empty… until we know otherwise, our girl is in there and we're bringing her home."
Aubrey managed a small nod, hands resting on the hilts of her blades, "I couldn't do this without the two of you."
"You don't have to." Beca shook her head, "We got you. We're family, remember?"
"I do." Aubrey turned her head to look at Beca, guilt in her eyes as Beca shrugged a little, "I'm sorry Beca, what I said earlier…"
"It's fine." Beca shook her head, "Seriously Bree, we're good. You've been through a lot lately, I know you didn't mean it."
"I didn't." Aubrey smiled tightly, resting her hand on Beca's arm, "I'm really glad you're here."
"Me too." Beca smirked, "C'mon. Ass kicking time."
Aubrey snorted softly as she rolled her shoulders back, turning from the caves to the people assembled behind her, hands clenching and unclenching to try and stop them trembling, jaw clenched.
"Alright. God knows what's waiting for us in there, what magic they've stolen from the Council or our office, but the likelihood is there's going to be some very real danger waiting for us in there. So like last time, everyone partner up. No-one gets left on their own, no matter what. Got it?"
There were noises of assent around her, people quickly pairing off: Beca and Chloe, Abigail, Warren and Kate (because there was an uneven number of them), Michael and Rachel. Tony slung his arm around Ellie's shoulders, grinning as he made a flip comment about needing her by his side again just in case, Ellie giving him a grateful smile as she hugged his waist. That left Jesse and Aubrey, him grinning at her as he bumped his shoulder against hers.
"Just like old times huh Posen?"
"I mean…" Aubrey raised her eyebrow a little, "I don't feel like we've ever faced a potential apocalypse together, but sure, old times."
"Shut up." He rolled his eyes a little, "You know what I mean. It's been too long since we kicked ass together."
Aubrey simply shook her head a little, a small smile tugging at her lips, watching as Rachel released Lilly from her locket. It made her think of Stacie again, of how hard she'd worked to make sure that Lilly could stay with her family, of their night at the circus together as a family for the very first time. Tears pricked in the corner of eyes but she pushed back against them. Now wasn't the time.
"Everyone ready?"
The group around her nodded, Aubrey squaring her shoulders a little, a glance to Beca and Chloe who gave a reassuring smile each enough to temporarily dissuade her anxieties.
"Then let's go. Thea…" Aubrey's eyes met Thea's, smiling sadly at her, "If we're not back by sun up, take Leo and Liv back to the Academy and call Helena."
"Okay." Thea nodded, tears welling at the thought of them not coming back, "Good luck guys."
Olivia quickly ran forward, throwing her arms around Michael's neck, him hugging her back just as tightly, "Come back okay? I love you."
"I love you too." Michael kissed the side of her head, cupping her face in his hands as she pulled away, "I'll see you soon."
Thea, Leo and Olivia watched as the rest of them headed into the caves, a palpable sense of tension in the air as they retreated into the darkness. Thea gently put her arm around both of their waists, pulling them close as she pursed her lips a little.
"They'll be okay. They're always okay."
"Stay close." Aubrey mumbled, a torch in one hand, one of her blades in the other, "God knows what's waiting in here."
They moved in silent single file, every nerve on a knife edge as they waited for whatever it was that was waiting for them in the dark. The tunnels were narrow and pitch black if not for the torches in their hands, Beca grateful for the way that Chloe gently stroked her fingers up and down her spine. She was getting really sick of being reminded of her days at Gail's hands, it's not like she'd been a huge fan of claustrophobic spaces to begin with but after Gail, Beca would be quite happy to never be in another tunnel ever again.
"You okay?" Chloe whispered.
"Mhm." Beca looked over her shoulder for a second, smiling tightly, "Never better."
Chloe gave her a small grin, her hand still resting on the small of her back as they continued to move forwards. None of them really wanted to be here, but they couldn't imagine how difficult it must be for Beca after everything she had been through. It was as they walked into a large chamber that someone spoke again, an icy chill in the air.
"You guys hear that?" Tony mumbled, the group freezing in their tracks, each of them listening intently, "It sounds like growling…"
"Clever boy."
Heads whipped around as Calamity's voice echoed around them, light flooding the chamber as they winced against it. Calamity, Charity and Veracity stood on narrow ridges above their heads, each of them smirking cruelly at the group below them that pressed together tighter at their sudden appearance.
"And who says all Conrad's are duds?" She pouted, Tony's eyes narrowing a little.
"No Alice." Beca mumbled, "I hate to say it, but I'm almost relieved. It means she's probably with Stacie, which means our girl is hanging in there…"
"I don't want her with that bitch any longer." Aubrey's lip curled a little, "There's only three of them, let's do this."
"Think again Blondie." Veracity sneered, the eyes of the group falling from the hybrids above their heads to the glowing red ones starting to come towards them from out of the dark, the growling and snarling getting louder, "We found some little friends to help us."
"What the hell are those things?" Beca frowned, reaching behind her as she unsheathed the sword Helena had given her, not taking her eyes off the snarling beasts starting to circle them, their teeth sharp and mouths drooling heavily.
"Hellhounds." Ellie breathed, "Demonic minions, single minded killing machines, it takes a lot of magic to compel them like this."
"Nerd." Tony teased, Ellie rolling her eyes a little.
"What can I say?" Ellie grinned, "I was top of my Mythical Beasts class."
"Cute." Veracity sneered, "Maybe we should sic them on the kid first…"
"Try it." Tony's demeanour flipped instantly, hands flexing as he stepped in front of Ellie, "Come on bitch, you've got a lot to pay for…"
"Conrads…" Charity sighed heavily, "Always so dramatic. At least your sister was a bit more interesting… for a little while at least."
Aubrey's frame stiffened as she gripped the blades in her hands tighter. What had they been doing to Stacie while she had taken her time to get to her? She should have gotten here faster…
There was a fluttering noise from above their heads, eyes snapping up to find clawed and winged humanoid demons, a swarm of them starting to swoop lower and lower.
"Oh, and there's these friends of ours." Calamity shrugged, "Does the Poindexter know what these are too? Hm?"
"F-furies." Ellie had gone a little pale, the group pressed tightly together, "Um… they're agents of evil, easily compelled but hard to control… their claws are poisonous, it's supposed to be excruciating…"
"Ding ding!" Calamity clapped, "Give the girl an A! Well… we hope you guys have fun. It is going to be the last thing you ever do after all…"
The world exploded into violence, hellhounds set forward, furies screeching and circling overhead. They had to act quickly, this amount of claws and teeth and nothing but animal instincts, they'd be overwhelmed in seconds.
"Pair up!" Aubrey yelled over the cacophony of noise around them, "One above, one below!"
It was a good system, and thank god Aubrey had thought of it so quickly because the swarming mass of hellhounds pushed in between them and started to force them apart as tried to defend themselves. Weapons blocked claws and teeth, but no matter how many they slashed and stabbed at, no matter how many they felled, the numbers seemed to keep swelling.
"Rach, watch your left." Michael grunted as he threw the hellhound that had launched itself at them back into the fray, sparking magic between his fingers to try and keep them back long enough so that Rachel could focus on the furies above them.
"Got it." Rachel threw one of the knives from her belt into the swooping fury, "Any idea how we actually kill these things rather than just fighting an endless stream of them?"
"Nope." Michael managed a half smile, "Some of us got a D in Mythical Beasts…"
"And they still let you graduate?" Rachel smirked, ducking out of the way of lashing claws as she dragged the fury they belonged to to the ground, a knife buried deep in its back, "What's that about?"
"It was one class!" Michael scoffed, purple lightning flying forth and sending hellhounds scampering out of the way, "Besides, my magic skills speak for themselves, this is what research books are for."
"That's… actually a good point." Rachel mused, knives flying from her hands, "So you skirted by on your good looks then? The jock of the Conrad siblings?"
"Something like that." Michael chuckled, going to reply with something just as amusingly glib but instead grabbing Rachel around the waist and pulling her into him turning them both out of the way of the screeching fury, Lilly swiping at it and knocking it away from them as she put herself in the way. Furies could kill them, but they were no danger to the already dead (the ethereal kind at least).
"You good?" He mumbled, a shield springing up around them as he dropped the potion to the floor, steadying Rachel.
"Yeah." Rachel swallowed thickly, "That was close… thanks."
"Course." He nodded, watching Rachel carefully as she pulled more knives from her belt, hands shaking a little, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Certain." Rachel grinned, "What kind of lunatic would I be if I wasn't a little freaked right now?"
"Fair enough." Michael snorted, watching as the shield around them started to falter, "Alright Rach, Lil, let's do this."
To their left, Abigail swung her axe into a hellhound's head, Kate behind her with a crossbow that she was using to take out furies as Warren fought by his daughters side. Warren could see out of the corner of his eye the way that Kate and Abigail worked together so succinctly, feeling his heart swell a little in his chest. They might be facing a near impossible task, but knowing that his daughter had found someone that she worked so perfectly in tandem with, that if the worst was to happen and he didn't make it out of these caves alive, Abigail would still have someone that her back unconditionally.
Kate took a knee for a moment, reloading the bolts for her crossbow, watching the hellhounds around them as Warren turned his attention to the furies.
"You know how I said we should get a dog?" Kate raised her eyebrow, looking up at Abigail, "Forget it."
Abigail giggled softly as she kept swinging her axe, extra attention going into making sure that nothing set upon Kate while she was vulnerable.
"You mean these demonic snarling dogs aren't making you want one of our very own?" She feigned shock, grunting a little with the force that she swung at the hellhound that tried to dart for Kate, "If anything I just want one more."
Kate pushed back onto her feet, immediately dispatching the fury that screeched towards Warren, her attentions back on the threat from above as Warren joined his daughter again. It was all going well, as well as not being able to actually kill the ongoing threat could go, until a hellhound broke free from the pack and leapt onto Kate's back.
She cried out as claws dug into her shoulders, trying to shake it off her as its teeth sank into the side of her neck. Abigail's head whipped around, quickly grabbing the hellhound by the scruff and dragging it off, sending it back into the throngs around them. Kate dropped panting to her knees, wounds bleeding heavily as Warren dropped a shield potion at their feet and squatted next to her.
"Kate, are you okay?"
"Fine." Kate grunted through gritted teeth, "Never better…"
"They're so deep… we need to get you out of here." Abigail pursed her lips a little, trying to push her tears away at seeing Kate so badly hurt.
"No." Kate shook her head a little, "I'm good. Just get the potion from my belt, pour it on my wounds, and I'll be good to go."
"Kate-" Abigail started with a deep frown, Kate's determined stare silencing her immediately.
"I'm not leaving you." Kate was shaking a little, grey with pain, "I'm good. Just get the potion, then I can get up again."
Abigail slid the potion in question from her belt, gently brushing Kate's her from her face as she smiled softly, forehead resting against hers for a moment.
"I love you." She mumbled, pressing a kiss to her forehead, "Don't be mad at me, okay?"
Before Kate could protest, Abigail smashed the green vial in front of her, Kate consumed in a plume of purple smoke as they waited for her to disappear out of harm's way. Instead, when the smoke cleared, Kate was still there, Abigail feeling her stomach swoop as the shield around them started to falter.
"What the hell?! Why didn't that work?!"
"Who cares." Kate grunted, "I'm not going anywhere Abi…"
"Dad, what do we do?" Abigail looked up at him, Warren's jaw set as he looked around them.
"Get the healing potion." Warren's hand tightened around the blade in his hand, "Do what you can to patch her up now, and we'll try and get her out ourselves when the numbers are thinning."
"I'll be okay." Kate shook her head, biting her lip as the potion Abigail was applying made her wounds burn even as they sealed, trying to hide how much pain she was in, "Once they're healed I can fight again."
"You'll reopen them." Abigail frowned, "Baby you need to stay down, we'll keep you safe."
"I'm okay…" Katie mumbled, her head falling against Abigail's shoulder, "Just a minute…"
Abigail kissed the top of her head, pushing to her feet as she swallowed thickly, her and Warren stood protectively around Kate as they tried to make sure that the demons around them couldn't hurt her when she was vulnerable like this.
"We'll get her out of here." Warren gently bumped his shoulder against Abigail's seeking to reassure his daughter as the shield started to fail, "I'll take furies, you take hellhounds. If we can join up with some of the others then we can fight our way to the exit."
"Okay." Abigail nodded, eyes flicking to Kate who was shaking on the floor at her feet. The potion could heal her wounds but it didn't account for the blood loss or the pain, Abigail feeling her heart break a little knowing there was nothing more that she could do right now, nothing other than try and keep her safe.
They had to find the others…
"Did you see that plume of purple smoke?" Beca frowned, turning to Chloe momentarily.
"Yeah." Chloe nodded, ducking out of the way of swiping claws overhead, spear burying into the fury that had swung at her, "I think it was from Warren, Kate, and Abi… I hope they're okay."
"Wanna try and get over there?" Beca's sword swung through the hellhounds swarming them, the shield on her wrist that sprung from the bracelet around it defending both of them.
"We can do that." Chloe smiled warmly, sensing Beca's need to check that her family were alright, even if it was a few generations removed, "I've got your back, let's go."
"Go where Red?"
Chloe's head snapped around as she saw Charity stepping through the snarling hellhounds towards them, hands tightening around the spear in her hands as Beca pressed closer to her back. As Charity approached them, the furies and hellhounds seemed to fall back a little, circling but not attacking.
"Decided to face us rather than hiding like a coward behind your little minions?" Beca raised her eyebrow, lip curling as Charity tilted her head at them.
"I came to fetch something we need…" Charity grinned, "And dispose of the excess. So… feel like coming quietly Red? I only need one of you, and god knows you're the one we all want to hear scream."
"Over my dead body." Beca snarled, stepping between Chloe and Charity with her sword held tight in her hand.
"I was so hoping you'd say that…" Charity sneered, "Watch this Chloe, I think you might enjoy it."
Charity clicked her fingers, Chloe yelping and struggling as a fury launched towards her from behind, arms tight around her waist as it plucked her from the ground. She dropped the spear with a clatter, writhing and lashing out at as she tried to get back to Beca.
"Getting a weird sense of déjà vu are you pint size?" Charity sneered, Beca looking up at where Chloe was struggling against the fury before looking back to Charity. She wanted to try and rescue Chloe, but if she took her eyes off Charity any longer then she was most likely dead.
"Powerless to help the woman you love, why does she stay with you?"
Beca growled, fangs prominent as she glared at Charity. She wasn't powerless, not this time. She just had to take care of this bitch first.
"Come on then." Beca held her sword tightly, jaw clenched tight, "Let's see if you're really capable of carrying your mother's legacy or if you're just a cheap copy."
Charity darted forward, shoulder dropping as she drove it into Beca's chest. Beca oomph-ed as she hit her but stood her ground, dropping her sword in favour of sinking her claws into Charity's back instead as she tried to pull her off her. It worked, Charity tossed into the pack around them as Beca looked at the struggling Chloe, a look exchanged between them. Chloe was okay right now, she could handle this, Beca just had to worry about Charity.
Charity was already back on her feet, fist swinging for Beca as she side stepped it, driving her elbow into Charity's back. She went to grab her sword again, but Charity's foot snaked out, hitting her square in the chest and causing Beca to stagger away from it, grunting a little as she tried to find her balance again. She did, poised and ready as Charity swung at her again, Beca blocking it before swinging her own fist hard into her ribs. Charity snarled but didn't break stride, grabbing Beca's hair and wrenching her head back, throwing her forwards. Beca hissed as she fell onto her hands and knees, scrambling to get up again but Charity had expected that, bringing her knee up into her ribs with such ferocity that it flipped Beca onto her back with a grunt, eyes finding Chloe again as she started to try and get up, Chloe's full of fearful concern as Beca shook her head a little. She was good, it was fine, she-
A strangled cry emitted Beca's lips as Charity buried the sword she had dropped deep into her stomach, and with such force that it pierced the stone beneath her. Tears sprang into her eyes as Beca reached for the hilt, trying to tug it from her even as she felt her strength leaving her.
"BECS!" Chloe fought harder, legs kicking and swinging as she reached back and drove her clawed fingers into the face of the fury holding her. She had to get to Beca, she needed her.
Charity tutted as Beca struggled feebly on the floor at her feet, glaring daggers at Charity as she tried to dislodge the sword, panting with the pain that was rolling through her.
"I know… it won't kill you like that." Charity pouted, taking a knee as she stroked the side of Beca's face patronizingly, "But I've got plenty of pets that are going to really enjoy tearing you apart."
Beca grunted as she struggled as hard as she could, watching the circling hellhounds getting closer and closer to her. Shit… shit, she was screwed, she was pinned and helpless, those things would tear her apart… Beca looked up at Chloe who was still trying to dislodge the fury wrapped around her, tears in her eyes as she saw the distress and abject fear in her face. She should have seen Charity's move coming, or gotten up quicker… it had only taken a split second for things to go terribly wrong, but that was all it took.
Beca's gaze was dragged to the growling hellhounds again, able to feel their hot breath on her face as they taunted her, Beca crying out as a set of jaws clamped down around her right ankle, desperately trying to kick it away but another latched onto her left thigh. This was how immortality would end for her, not in the arms of the woman she loved when they had decided that they had lived long enough, but being torn apart by a pack of vicious demons as Chloe could do nothing to help her.
There was a sudden blinding light, Beca wincing against it, eyes screwed shut as she felt pain radiate through her. She couldn't tell where it was coming from, couldn't tell how many sets of teeth were buried into her anymore, all she knew was that she just wanted Chloe to hold her one more time, to tell her everything was going to be okay… she wanted to go home, screw Gail's daughters, screw Armageddon, screw all of it, Beca just wanted out of here so she could be with Chloe in peace.
And then… the pain eased, Beca's eyes opening blearily as she watched hellhounds be tossed through the air away from her. She felt odd, like she was underwater, vaguely aware of Charity's annoyed screech as she tried to piece together what had just happened. There was a flash of red above her, a glimmer of gold, a muffled scream and a thud before…
"Becs?"
Chloe cupped her face, Beca swallowing hard as her eyes met the piercing blue ones of the woman she loved. Chloe… of course it had been Chloe.
"Chlo?" Beca mumbled, "Are- are you okay?"
"Look who's talking…" Chloe giggled tearfully, thumb stroking her cheek, "I'm going to pull this out Beca, okay? It's probably going to hurt, I'm sorry…"
"It's okay…" Beca smiled softly. "Sounds better than being skewered like a kebab…"
Chloe giggled again, shaking her head a little as she pushed to her feet, hands around the hilt as Beca looked around them, noticing the haze of orange that surrounded them. Well that explained the lack of attacking demons at least…
Beca couldn't help the strangled cry that came from her lips as Chloe wrenched the sword free of her gut, quickly back by Beca's side again as she shushed her gently, wiping away the tears on Beca's cheeks.
"I'm sorry, it's done now." Chloe promised, smiling softly at Beca as she gently eased her into a sitting position, Beca's head resting in the crook of her neck.
"Thanks." Beca murmured, a thin sheen of sweat covering her face as willed the healing process to hurry up, "I really didn't feel like being a demonic dog chew toy…"
"Are you okay?" Chloe slowly ran her fingers through Beca's hair, "Are you healing?"
"Slowly…" Beca could feel unconsciousness starting to claw at her, but she knew she had to stay awake. She still had to fight, this was far from over yet, "What happened? Where's Charity?"
"One of Stacie's flash potions and a little brute strength, and I came to rescue you. As for Charity… I took care of her." Chloe shrugged a little, Beca's gaze lifting to find Charity speared through the chest, pinned into the rock wall from the force in which Chloe had thrown it.
"Damn Beale." Beca smirked a little, "Two for two… it's kinda hot that you can take down the spawn of evil single handed…"
Chloe giggled softly, pressing a soft kiss into the crown of Beca's head, "We need to get you somewhere you can sit and heal Becs, I've got some spare blood bags but this shield won't hold for much longer."
"Okay." Beca swallowed thickly as Chloe's arm slid as gently as she could manage around her waist, leaning heavily against her, "Let's go."
Chloe mumbled soft apologies into Beca's hair as she whimpered in pain, bottom lip tugged between her teeth as she stumbled to her feet. They slowly limped forward, Chloe still holding Beca's sword as she swung it through the hellhounds trying to pick them off. Chloe could feel Beca trembling against her, heart breaking a little as she heard Beca's soft little cries of pain that she was trying so hard to keep inside. They had to find somewhere for her to heal properly, Beca was in a really bad way… Chloe knew there was no sense in trying to get her to leave, it would just be a waste of energy and time that none of them had, but Chloe could at least make her take a breath.
"There's a tunnel we can duck into just over there Beca." Chloe mumbled in her ear, "Almost there baby."
Beca simply nodded a little, exhausted and in pain as she leant into Chloe, wishing she could help but having absolutely no strength left in her. The hellhounds were packing in around them tighter, Beca watching as they snarled and pushed them both back against the wall. Dammit… they were pinned, now what? Chloe couldn't even fight properly while she was supporting Beca like this, it was going to bring them both down.
"Leave me." Beca tried to push Chloe away, shaking her head a little, "I'm slowing you down, you have to find Stacie and put an end to this…"
"No." Chloe frowned, tightening her grip on Beca as she swung the sword again, "We always find a way out Becs, this time is no different. Now shut up and let me figure out how to-"
Before Chloe could finish a fury swiped for her head, forcing her to duck as she pushed Beca down with her. Damn… she'd forgotten about the furies…
"Need some help?"
Chloe had never been as glad to see anyone in her life as she was to see Warren Mitchell as he cut his way through the hellhounds circling her and Beca. Chloe grinned as he helped her to her feet, standing protectively in front of Beca as Abigail and a weak, limping Kate joined them, collapsing in a heap next to Beca.
"Thanks." Chloe still had tight hold of Beca's weapon as she turned its attention to the furies above them, "What happened to you guys?"
"Hellhounds." Abigail grunted as she swung her axe, gaze flicking over Beca and Kate, "Damn thing came out of nowhere and jumped Kate… I tried to get her out of here using one of those transport potions but it didn't work."
"What do you mean it didn't work?" Chloe frowned, feeling her stomach swoop. There went her plan b…
"There was purple smoke, Kate was inside it but… it cleared and she was still here." Abigail could hear her voice cracking and clenched her jaw a little. She was trying so hard to keep it all together until this was over, but seeing Kate in so much pain and struggling to stay conscious made her heart ache.
"Okay… there's a tunnel back there." Chloe forced her mind to focus rather than spiral out about their lack of options, "If we can get to it, it'll buy Beca some time to heal and we can find one of the Conrads to help Kate."
"Great idea." Warren nodded, looking back at Beca whose head was lolling a little, "You okay there Beca?"
"Mhm…" Beca nodded, "I'll be fine, I just need a sec…"
"We should move quickly." Warren turned back to Chloe, seeing the worry glittering in her eyes, "Ready to go?"
Chloe nodded wordlessly, gently but insistently helping Beca to her feet again, wrapping Beca's arm around her shoulders as Abigail did the same with Kate. Between the three of them that could fight, they managed to hack their way through to the tunnel Chloe had spotted, Warren throwing a shield potion down at the entrance as they ducked down a passage to the right and arrived in a small chamber. Chloe gently lowered Beca onto the floor, shrugging the small satchel off her shoulder and pulling out the bags of blood that she had brought with her in case of such an emergency.
"Here." Chloe smiled softly, brushing Beca's hair from her face as she pressed one insistently into her hand, "Have as many of these as you need Becs."
"Thanks." Beca let her forehead rest against Chloe's for a moment, "I'm okay Chlo…"
"I know." Chloe grinned, kissing her cheek softly, "I was there when I saved your life, remember?"
Beca snorted a little as she sank her teeth into the blood bag in her hands, draining it quickly and discarding it for another one. Chloe kissed her forehead as she got up, joining Warren and Abigail again as the latter sat next to Kate on the ground, concern in every line of her face.
"Alright, how about you and I head back out and find a Conrad or two to help, Abi can stay with Beca and Kate." Chloe addressed Warren who nodded in agreement.
"Be careful." Abigail smiled softly, Kate's head resting in the crook of her neck as she stroked her hair, "I'll keep these guys safe, I promise."
"We'll be back as soon as we can." Chloe promised, eyes meeting Beca's again for a moment as she gave her a soft smile, setting Beca's sword down next to her as Warren passed her a spare blade that he had brought.
"Take it." Beca frowned, "You might need it."
"It's yours." Chloe shrugged, "Besides, I should probably retrieve my spear anyway, it doesn't feel like the sort of thing that Helena would have spares lying around to replace."
Beca chuckled softly, already feeling a little better as her wounds healed faster, but acutely aware of how exhausted the whole ordeal had left her. There was no amount of blood in the world that could cure that, but Beca could push through it. There was an apocalypse to stop, and they had to rescue Stacie from Gail's daughters before destroying them too. Then she could rest.
"I'll be back." Chloe kissed the top of her head.
Beca watched Chloe and Warren leave the small chamber, her heart heavy. They were putting themselves in so much danger, and she couldn't help them. Chloe had just saved her life, and now here she sat, waiting for her wounds to heal. She should have been more on the ball with Charity, Chloe should never have been in that position and neither should she… she couldn't believe how close that had been.
"You okay?" Abigail frowned softly, giving Beca's shoulder a soft squeeze as she and Katie moved to join her.
"It was a dumbass move…" Beca mumbled, shaking her head, "I should've seen it coming but Chloe was struggling with that fury and I- I took my eye off the ball for a moment and I almost died."
"Chloe was in trouble." Abigail shrugged a little, "I get it. Of course you got distracted for a moment… and it's all good, you're healing up, Chloe's gone to get help, it's all going to be okay."
Beca sighed heavily, letting her head rest on the wall behind them as she finished one final blood bag, wincing a little as her stomach throbbed despite the healing wounds.
"I just hope they'll be okay…"
Ellie ducked as fury claws swung at her, firing lightning from her fingers after it as Tony fired flames forward into the hellhounds around them.
"So Einstein…" Tony raised his eyebrow a little as he rocked back on his heels out of the way of a swiping paw, "How exactly do we get rid of these things then?"
"Well…" Ellie flexed her fingers again, furies screeching out of the way of her magic, "You either rebuild the seal that was broken to release them, or you kill the witch that's controlling them."
"I'm in favour of that second one." Tony mumbled, expression dark as his magic swept through another wave of hellhounds, "They've done enough damage."
"I didn't know you got angry…" Ellie frowned a little, feeling concern start to knot her insides. Tony was usually the happy-go-lucky one, the professed pacifist unless he had no other choice, but this? It was so far from that, "Are you okay?"
"Fine." Tony shrugged, "Y'know, except the fact that these assholes and their mother are responsible for the deaths of my dad, one of my sisters, and my unborn nephew, tore holes in my family that might never be repaired, kidnapped mom and Stacie, are doing god only knows what to my little sister, forced us into a situation where you yet again have to fight against impossible odds and risk your life, and hurt the man that I love. So if I'm not exactly in a forgiving mood, I think you might have to just let me have it this time."
"Fair enough…" Ellie smiled softly, "As long as it's just the once. I'd hate to think that they changed who you are."
Tony glanced at Ellie, shaking his head a little as he scoffed, "You're way too young to be this wise y'know?"
"Yeah." Ellie grinned, "But you'd be lost without me, so it's all good."
Tony laughed as he pressed a little closer to Ellie, "Sure El. I really would."
There was a scuffling noise from behind them, Tony spinning on his heel with lightning flickering between his fingers, finding not a hellhound or a fury, but Veracity sneering at them. His chest tightened as his lip curled, glaring her down as he put himself between Ellie and Veracity.
"Aw c'mon…" Veracity pouted a little, "I got to play with Stacie, can't I just have a little turn with your other sister? It's like you're even related!"
"Piss off." Tony snarled, "Seriously, unless you want me to rip your smug head off your shoulders I suggest you get the hell away from me and my family."
"You're so cute…" Veracity hummed, "Your brother's far more intimidating than you, and even he couldn't stop me playing with that little whore he's dating. Do you really think you can keep me away from her?"
"I know I'm damn well going to try." Tony's fingers flexed outwards, Veracity waving her hand to bat away the flames sent her way.
"Don't be boring…" She sighed heavily, "I hate when they're boring."
Veracity waved her hand again, a ball of red light flying forth. It took everything Tony had to divert it in time, having to work faster than he ever had in his life in order to protect both himself and Ellie from the energy balls flying their way. The last knocked him off his feet, oomph-ing as he hit the floor next to Ellie but throwing a shield potion between them and Veracity as he got back to his feet. Ellie looked at him, eyes full of concern as she fought single handily to keep both hellhounds and furies at bay, but Tony shook his head. He had this, he'd protect both of them, she didn't scare him. Okay, she did a little, but Tony could ignore that.
"You can't keep this up…" Veracity scoffed, "Just let me play with the little bitch, and I might even let you go if I have enough fun. Gotta leave your mom with one kid right?"
Tony's hands clenched tightly, eyes blazing angrily at the thought that they wouldn't just be hurting Ellie, but they'd go after Michael too. He had to stop her here and now, this ended before it spiralled out of control.
He flexed his hands out again, swirling them together in a circular motion until a portal appeared under Veracity, smirking as she fell into it and appeared again several feet away in the air, watching as she fell hard into the pack of hellhounds around her.
"You little bastard." She spat as she dragged herself to her feet, a bolt of lightning flying Tony's way so fast that he didn't have time to dodge or deflect it.
It hit his side, leaving a long burn along his ribs that caused him to cry out and fall to his knees, Ellie quickly turning on her heel and firing an electricity ball from each hand at Veracity before another shield potion was dropped, Ellie kneeling next to Tony to check on him.
"Are you okay?!"
"Yeah." Tony nodded quickly, gritting his teeth as he pushed back onto his feet, clutching his side, "I'm ready for that bitch, where is she?"
"Oh I'm coming for you Antonio, don't you worry." Veracity sneered, "I'm going to enjoy this… maybe I'll drag you out of here and make your pathetic sister watch."
Tony snarled as he flicked his hand at Veracity again, powerful magic fired haphazardly , Tony far too angry to care what else it hit as long as it hit Veracity too. The fury of his magic swirled around him, Ellie ducking down to try and avoid the force of it as it swirled and buffeted around them, Tony's hands flicking and firing as Veracity struggled to fight back the speeding swirls of energy that fired her way. Ellie heard a rumbling noise, looking up at the ceiling above them as she watched it begin to shake. Tony's magic was too powerful now, it was going to bring the cave down on top of all of them…
"Tony!" Ellie had to yell over the noise of the magical wind that buffeted them, "You have to stop, you'll bring the place down on top of us!"
"Not until she's dead!" Tony growled, watching Veracity stumble and fall as his magic kept firing towards her.
"Tony, please…" Ellie tried to get to her feet but his magic kept knocking her down, "You gotta stop man, she's down, we can take her out without bringing down a whole cave system!"
"No." Tony snarled, magic still pouring out of him, "It has to be now if I stop she gets up again she's going to kill all of you!"
Ellie opened her mouth again, trying to plead with him once more but stopped as a strong pair of arms wrapped around Tony's waist, pinning his arms to his side as he writhed against them. The magic around them ceased, Ellie watching as Rachel leapt into Veracity before she could get up again, burying a stake deep into her chest, lip curled as she watched her go limp.
"That was for my sister, and my unborn nephew." She growled, leaving the stake buried in place as she moved over to Ellie, hand resting on her shoulder as she smiled at her softly, "You good?"
"Yeah." Ellie nodded, looking over to where Tony was still wrestling against Michael, still furious and desperate to protect his family, far too deep in it to notice that Veracity was gone, "Nice timing."
Rachel helped Ellie to her feet with a grin, Tony grunting as he tried to get free of his older brother's grip. Michael didn't relinquish his grip even a little, seeking to try and calm him down first.
"Tony, we're done, she's gone." He mumbled, "You need to take a deep breath man, it's over. It's alright."
"No." Tony shook his head furiously, "She's going to kill all of us, I have to stop her, I need to make sure she can't hurt any of us anymore, before she hurts our family any more!"
"She can't Tony." Ellie smiled softly, "Rachel finished her, the bitch is dead…"
"I- I-" There were tears in Tony's eyes as he sagged a little, struggling less as his teeth tugged at his bottom lip, "I just want her to stop hurting you guys…"
"She has." Michael reassured him, letting his grip slacken as Tony turned into him and rested his head on his shoulder, sobbing softly, "We're good Tony, I promise."
"Y'know…" Ellie smirked, gently rubbing Tony's back, "It was kinda badass that you cared about us so much you almost brought down a cave…"
Tony scoffed tearfully, shaking his head a little as he pulled back from Michael, looking around him, "Hey… anyone else notice there's no more hellhounds?"
They looked around them, the orange shield protecting them from the swirling furies, but Tony was right, no more snarling and growling hellhounds nipping and clawing at them.
"Well that's good news right?" Rachel cocked her eyebrow, "Means we're winning?"
"Yeah… I guess it does." Michael grinned, "It's about time."
"Hey, where did the hellhounds go?"
They turned on their heels to find Chloe and Warren had joined them, still fighting with the furies but struggling far less now they weren't being attacked from below too.
"Oh y'know…" Tony shrugged, "Took out a spawn of evil and cancelled out her magic demon pals too, no biggie."
Chloe glanced from the furies to where Veracity lay vanquished, nodding approvingly as she spun the spear she had retrieved in her hands to bury it into the fury aiming at her from behind.
"Two down, two to go, nice going guys!"
"Two?" Ellie echoed.
"Charity's down too. Just that tattooed bitch and Alice left." Warren swung his blades, the Conrad's and Rachel joining them as the shield around them fell, "But we need your help."
"What's up?" Michael frowned, "Wait, where are Beca, Kate and Abi?"
"That's the help bit." Chloe grimaced, "A hellhound attacked Kate, she's not in a good way and Beca… Charity really did a number on her before I could get to her, she should have healed by now but…"
"Alright, let's just-"
Michael was cut off by a screech, heads whipping towards the direction where Jesse and Aubrey presumably were. No-one had seen them since the fight had broken out, and considering Calamity was nowhere to be seen either, it didn't bode well at all.
"Tony, take Ellie and go and check on Kate and Beca." Chloe frowned a little, "We'll go check on Bree and Jesse, regroup at the tunnel when we're done?"
"You got it." Tony nodded, summoning a small portal for him and Ellie to duck into as Chloe lead the rest of them in the direction of the scream.
Her stomach twisted in knots as she tore through the furies in her way. Was Aubrey okay? They should have all regrouped sooner than this, especially with Aubrey feeling so off her game and vulnerable. What if she had made a reckless move and gotten hurt or-
"Hey." Chloe turned her head, shock in her expression as Beca smirked at her, shrugging a little, "What? Tony and Ellie turned up and I figured they could protect Abi and Kate, so I got to leave the portal open long enough for me to come help you now I'm all healed up."
"I'm glad you're okay." Chloe grinned tearfully, attention turned back to the furies around them, still trying to get to Aubrey and Jesse, "More than you'll ever know."
"You're so weird."
Beca shook her head a little, hacking through furies at Chloe's side until they found Jesse crumpled in a heap, desperately trying to kick and punch at the furies bombarding him, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side.
"Hey, dude, you okay?!" Beca frowned deeply, swatting away furies as she threw down a shield potion around them.
Jesse was covered in a sheen of sweat, his left forearm clearly broken as he held it against him, but what concerned Beca more was the deep slash marks to his back and the way she could see his veins through his paper thin skin, his body trembling furiously.
"F-fine…" He mumbled, trying to push to his feet.
"Fury or hellhound?" Beca pushed gently, softly but insistently pushing him back down again.
"Fury." Jesse grunted, "Not important… Bree…"
"Where is she?" Beca looked around them, watching as everyone struggled to keep the furies at bay, her heart sinking as she realised there was no sign of Aubrey anywhere.
"Calamity." Jesse spat out the mouthful of blood that had been pooling as they spoke, Beca feeling her heart sink at the fact that it had turned black, "Bitch… broke my arm… grabbed her… took off down that tunnel."
Beca's head turned to Chloe who looked equally as concerned, Charity's exchange with them ringing in their heads. They needed one of them… one vampire with a soul, did that mean they 'needed' Aubrey too?
Their attention was quickly drawn from their thoughts as the cave around them shook and rumbled, loose rocks falling around them as Beca quickly covered the vulnerable Jesse with her body. What the hell was happening now?
"Warren, get Jesse up, grab the others and get out of here." Beca got to her feet as the rumbling stopped, face set determinedly, "Chloe and I are going after Calamity and Alice."
"No way." Michael shook his head, "What about Stacie, what happens if you need magic?"
The cave shook again as they tried to both fight furies and steady themselves, Beca shaking her head as it stopped again.
"Whatever is happening, it might bring this whole place down, and there's no way in hell that I'm letting you guys stay here in danger as well. We'll figure it out, we'll be fine, but the rest of you have to go. Now. Get Jesse an antidote, help Kate get healed up, you guys have done more than enough."
"Are you sure?" Warren frowned a little, Beca nodding firmly.
"Yeah. We're good, we've got them."
"Alright. C'mon guys." Warren nodded in the direction of the tunnel where he had left Kate and Abigail, "Let's move. Be careful ladies… please."
"We will." Chloe grinned, "Tell Thea we'll be right out."
Warren chuckled softly, watching Beca and Chloe push through the furies to where Aubrey had apparently been dragged away by Calamity. If anyone stood a chance against them, it was Beca, Chloe, and the rest of their team, but that didn't make him any less apprehensive about what potentially awaited them deeper in the cave system.
Thea was pacing when she saw movement coming from the cave entrance, swallowing hard as she tried not let her fear and apprehension show on her face.
"Hey, there's movement."
Olivia got to her feet, Leo close by as Helena, Jessica and Amy grouped around Thea. They had turned up a little over an hour ago, Helena tracking down the fortune teller and the witch to provide them with back up and healing powers that they didn't have enough of right now.
"Is that all of them?" Leo frowned, "There looks like less…"
"I need some help!" Warren called, supporting a barely conscious Jesse against him as Leo ran forward to do so, winding his arm around his waist as they carried him towards their makeshift camp, lying him on his front.
"Holy crap…" Thea mumbled, eyebrows shooting into her hairline as she saw the deep and oozing wounds on Jesse's back, and the dark green colour that was starting to spread through his veins, "What the hell happened in there?"
"Furies…" Ellie shook her head a little as she sank into a nearby chair, suddenly exhausted, "A lot of them. Hellhounds too."
"God…" Thea bit her lip a little, "We need an antidote, and quick."
"Yeah I tried healing him myself on the way out…" Tony frowned, "But nothing, I couldn't do anything."
"Well, I mean you did expend a lot of magic going all Dark Willow on Veracity's ass…" Michael chuckled, Olivia wrapping her arms around him tightly, relief washing over her in waves.
"Oh?" Leo raised his eyebrow as he leant against Tony, passing him a bottle of water, "That sounds kinda hot…"
"It was." Tony shrugged, pressing a kiss to Leo's cheek.
"Not that I'm not glad that you're all okay…" Helena frowned deeply as she looked around her, releasing Leo was right, there were people missing, "But where are Aubrey, Beca and Chloe?"
"They're still inside." Warren clenched his jaw a little, "The cave kept shaking and rumbling, like some kind of earth tremor so they sent us out. Beca and Chloe have gone after the others, to stop them raising Khalida."
"And Aubrey?" Helena's heart was in her mouth as Warren looked away from her.
"Calamity grabbed her." Michael sighed heavily, "We took down Charity and Veracity but… they went after her, insisted that we clear out in case the cave system collapsed on us."
"Dammit." Helena bit her lip, running her hands through her hair, "Dammit… you should've stayed with them, they'll need backup-"
"Have you tried arguing with Beca?" Warren raised his eyebrow, chuckling softly, "Helena, I know you're worried about them, we all are but… it was the right call. No-one else stands a chance at stopping Khalida, we'd do nothing but get in the way. They can do this."
"I hope you're right…" Helena mumbled, pulling her arms tighter around herself as she looked back at the cave, "I really hope you're right…"