Chapter 11: Sacrifice
Constance and Ian had been talking for hours the sun was rising. Constance was even able to make Ian laugh. They talked about some of the things that they had done together. Ian had laughed at the time she was helping him train. She was teaching him how to fight with a sword in the park on a rainy morning, and Ian was better than she thought that he would be, he thrusted his sword towards her, knocking her backwards into a mud puddle. She liked making Ian stern face smile. He had been through so much. She was happy to see that he was still able to have feelings, after all that Irons had put him through. Ian leaned against the back of the sofa and winced. His back was sore still. "What's wrong?" Constance leaned toward him with a worried look on her face.
He sat up and erased the look of pain from his face. "Nothing."
She didn't believe him, "Is it your back?" She reached for his back and he pulled away. Constance looked at him sternly. She tried to look again and Ian stood up to move further away from her. "You're face didn't look like it was nothing. I saw pain in your eyes."
He looked at her blankly, "Like I said, NOTHING!" His voice had taken on an angry tone.
Constance looked at him with hurt in her eyes. "You're more connected to HIM than I thought." She stood up and moved closer to him he stepped away. "He made you wear it, didn't he?" Her eyes filled with tears. "You can never be your own man again, unless it's destroyed. You belong...t-to...HIM!!!" She brought a hand up to her mouth and began to weep, falling to her knees. Ian stood, silent, above her. No emotion was on his face. She saw a different man standing in front of her. A man who had been turned into a machine. She turned her eyes from him and lifted herself off of the ground. She felt his arms help her up and she pulled away. "You were probably sent here to kill me, weren't you?" She stepped away from him.
Ian moved towards her, his face was still blank, "You don't understand." His voice was quiet and calm.
"What do I not understand?! You're his! I've lost the boy I knew. He's...he's gone!" She felt faint. "You belong to him..." She started to fall to the floor.
Ian reached out to her and grabbed her, "I don't BELONG to him." Ian pulled her up so she could see into his eyes, "I belong to the Witchblade." His voice had a sorrow in it. Constance saw who he had become then. He wasn't her little boy, but his true self, a good man, was inside of his assassin exterior.
She wrapped her arms around him, "I understand...now." He didn't hold her back. She released him and stepped away again. "Do you belong to HER too?" Her eyes seemed to drill into his very soul. He looked at her blankly and shook his head. She stared at him and asked him a question that had been lingering in the back of her mind since she had come to the city and met Sara, "Are you in love with her?" Her tenderly looked into his.
He turned away and walked to Sara's closet to retrieve his coat. Constance didn't follow him. He turned slowly towards her while putting his coat on, "I don't know what love is, truthfully." He could tell that she knew he was lying. Truthfully he did know that what he felt for her and for Sara were two different thing, yet the same. It was a new sensation for him, he believed it to be love, but he was not sure.
He walked past Constance and towards the window, "Where are you going?" She followed him quickly over to the window.
He turned grabbing her and pulling her close to his giant frame, "To find Sara. That's what I came to do in the first place." He stroked her face with his and nuzzled her neck like a child. "Goodbye...mother." He was gone before she could even answer him. She leaned out of the window and watched his shadow run down the alley.
Constance knew what she needed to do now. She must face Irons alone. She calmly walked over and picked up her coat. She turned off Sara's lights and locked her door. She knew what she was about to do would probably cost her life, but she knew that it had to be done. She would confront Irons; hopefully somehow she still knew how to fight well enough to defeat him. She needed the Witchblade, if she had that she could conquer him for sure, but Sara had it. The Witchblade would come to her if Sara were not anywhere near it; it had always liked Constance. She pulled her coat sleeve up and looked at her scar. It would be painful, no doubt. She sighed as she walked out of Sara's building and hailed a cab, "Vorshlag Industries, please." The taxi driver nodded and they were speeding down the road. She leaned back against the seat closing her eyes. She concentrated on the Witchblade and felt some of the power it had left with her flow through her body. She let it take her; she belonged to the Witchblade as well. Everyone who wore it belonged to it in some way, even Irons. Every night Constance relived her rape at Irons hands, that was one of her "gifts" the Witchblade had left her, yet in some ways she loved it, like a drug addict loves their drug. She saw visions of past wielders fill her mind, she saw Ian, Sara, and even Irons, and then a large image of a man flew through her mind as well. She opened her eyes when the man passed in front of her again; the taxi had pulled up to the building. She paid the taxi driver and exited the vehicle. She looked up at the large building; her fate lied in there. She knew now that this was her destiny. A peace came over her as she walked to the doors they slide open. She felt driven by some unknown force as she entered the elevator. Pushing the button for the top floor, she let the energy of the Witchblade flow over her again. It was making her stronger. She prepared to fight, the elevator *dinged* when she reached the hundredth floor. She felt one tear slide down her cheek, "For you, Ian." The door slid slowly open.
Ian stood in front of the old abandoned subway entrance. Sara had been here; he could feel it. He moved past the subway and headed towards the nearest alley. His heart raced as he neared the wall of the alley. She was in here somewhere, but where? He couldn't see anything but brick wall. Wait, he noticed a difference in the brick pattern about three feet by two feet. He examined it carefully and saw an almost invisible crack that went around the pattern. "Sara?" He yelled at the wall.
Sara jumped at the sound of Ian voice. She had been very drowsy since her vision. She looked around for the man that had helped her, he was gone. She heard her name shouted again. What do I do? Part of her was happy to hear his voice, the other part was afraid because of the dream she had had. Her head whipped around at the movement of the brick door, light started to seep into the dimly lit room. She dragged herself over the farthest corner of the small room. Fingers bent around the corners of the door, gloved fingers. She was prepared to fight, knowing too well that she was too injured to fight. The door slid slowly open. She squinted as the light of early morning hit her eyes. Ian's head appeared in the small opening, then his whole form. Sara huddled in the corner. "Stay away from me!" She yelled at him as he approached her. He gently picked her up and walked out into the alley. Sara couldn't struggle, she felt too weak. Ian sat her on an old trash can. His eyes wore the look of worry, but it was quickly erased from his face. "How...how did you find me?" Her voice sounded foreign to her.
He looked into her eyes, "You have a concussion and broken ribs." He was gently pressing his hands against her ribcage. She pulled his hands off of her. He then noticed the missing jewelry. He grabbed her wrist and looked at her intensely, "Where is it?"
"Some large man attacked me last night, he pinned me down. He was way too strong for me, the Witchblade wouldn't protect me." Her voice was bitter.
Ian face filled with anger, "Was the man's name Mr. Big?"
Sara raised her eyebrow, "He didn't ever say his name, but he sure was big." Ian picked Sara up and carried her out of the alley. "Where are you taking me?" Ian said nothing. She pushed against him trying to make him put her down, but it was impossible, she was too weak. She surrendered herself into his strong arms.
He felt her relax and held her closer to his body. She was so warm. Still looking ahead, he walked down the street in the direction of her apartment, "I'm taking you to your apartment." He spoke softly, Sara could barely hear his words, "Then I'm going to go kill Mr. Big."
Sara found herself forgetting about her nightmare, she felt safe with him. She looked up at his stern face, "Who is this Mr. Big?"
"An old bodyguard of Irons'. He wants me dead." Ian spoke the word, dead, like it meant nothing to him, "I don't know why he took the Witchblade from you, but I intend on finding out." Sara pulled herself closer to him as they continued down the street. She couldn't imagine Ian harming her in any way, but her dream still haunted her. She wouldn't let it slip completely from her memory.
As they neared her apartment, Ian put her down and helped her up her stairs. She could feel some of her strength coming back. As she opened her door, she felt a strange pain rush over her entire body, "Ahh, what is that?" She held her head. Ian groaned behind her. She turned around; he was leaning against the wall holding his head too. He started to slide to the floor; she grabbed him and held him up while supporting herself. Then as soon as it had swept over then it was gone. She looked at Ian; he looked like he had been beaten, from the inside out. "Was that the Witchblade trying to tell us something?" She looked up into his eyes. He pulled away and walked into her apartment, he searched every room and walked back into her living room, where Sara had sat while watching him search. His eyes were glassed over. "What's wrong?"
He stood in the middle of the room. He raised his drooping head slowly to look at her, "C-Constance..."
"What about her?" Sara was completely confused.
"She's..." His voice cracked. "Gone."
"You mean she's not here at my apartment anymore? That doesn't mean anything, she could be out to lunch or..."
Ian cut her off, "NO!" Sara froze, his whole demeanor had changed, "She's dying!!"
