Chapter Twenty:
Chime came forward, floating. Something was wrong with the way she moved. Her face was dark, scratches decorating her pale cheeks and forehead. Her arm hung limply at her side and there was the faint shadow of a grimace as it swung slowly beside her. Her blue eyes flew to Thea, who was gazing at her with a mixture of joy and sadness. And then her eyes flew to Winnie who stared warily at the scene.
"Selena." Cassandra said, bringing the dragon's attention back to her. She hovered forward, pausing momentarily before Chime. And then she lifted her arms and embraced the dragon, like the old friend she was.
Chime rested her chin on Cassandra's shoulder, closing her eyes and exhaling wearily. She seemed to breathe in Cassandra's strength, her body melting against the witch's and slowly reforming a bit stronger.
Cassandra pulled away a bit to stare the dragon in her eyes. "Selena." She said again. "I have something to ask you. Something to offer you."
Chime gazed at her, eyes weary.
Cassandra pointed down the hall, back the way Chime had come. "Do you see that coffin there?" she asked casually, motioning with long pointed nails.
Chime merely looked at it, body exhaling. "What of it?" she asked quietly, studying the dragon writing. She paused when she caught sight of something, familiar symbols, but then Cassandra pulled her attention back.
"That's where Rayne lies."
Chime stared at it for a long moment. And she felt Thea's eyes on her. Winnie's burning gaze. But she couldn't help it, she had to stare. And she had to imagine that she could see him, standing asleep inside the tomb, waiting for her to waken him. To set him free.
The dragon symbols caught her eyes again. She squinted, trying to decipher it but time had not been kind to the stone. Was that her name there? Written across it..?
'Should her fingers perchance touch upon this cold stone…'
"I can release him from the sleep spell." Cassandra was saying in her ear, sounding for all she was worth like a purring cat. "After so many years you can be with him again-"
Chime swallowed and she could see Rayne's figure again, the dark shadow against a black background. "What would I have to do?" she asked the witch, wishing she could pull her eyes away from the stone, away from her vision of him.
Winnie smirked, shaking her head. As if she knew there was no good in the dragon. Thea's eyes widened and then filled with tears, the crystal drops blurring her irises.
"Join me." Cassandra said simply, one of her arms still hanging off Chime's shoulders. She motioned absentmindedly to the First House all around. "This can be yours again. He can be yours again. All you have to do.." she said and she leaned toward Chime, tilting her head seductively, "is say…yes."
Chime turned her head to gaze the witch in her eyes. And then she nodded slowly. A thoughtful nod. But it was to herself. "You were right, Cassandra." She whispered, so low that Thea barely heard her. "All along you were right."
Cassandra frowned delicately. "How so?"
Chime bowed her head, nearly pressing her forehead to the witch's. "You said one of these days, someone by the name of Devlin would set me free. And it was because of that that I took the name."
Cassandra gazed down at her. They were opposites, the dark wishing to embrace the light. And Thea realized Chime had never looked so small.
"It was the first name that came to mind when I needed to move on." Chime was saying in a soft tone. "And you were right. You are right. Devlin will set me free. I'm going to set myself free from it all." She blinked slowly. "After this, whether I live or die, I'm going to be happy."
Cassandra swayed back a bit, studying her with narrowing eyes. "I don't understand you, Selena."
Chime lifted her head and gazed at the witch blankly. "I left you in the past, Cassandra." She said. And then her face darkened. Just blackened. Her eyes narrowed as well, jaw clenching. "You should have stayed there." She growled menacingly.
Thea broke into a wide smile, reaching over and clasping Winnie's hand and clutching Blaise's unconscious form against her chest.
Cassandra, however, was not happy. She pulled away, a sharp movement that set her hair floating around her. "Is that so?" she asked coldly, dark eyes blazing. "Well, then. Let me just say that it would have been beautiful, Selena."
Chime arched an eyebrow. "My name is Chime." She said simply.
And then all movement was lost because all that was seen were blurs. There was a flurry of movements and colors, bodies flying, growls and hisses rumbling in the halls. The two figures jumped at each other, defending, and landing in crouches and ready stances only to dive forward again in attack. It was a gruesome dance, blood flying and spraying the walls and pillars like wine.
But it was Chime who reared back in pain more and more. Her blood darkened her black clothes and red-streaked bandages were visible through rips and tatters that Cassandra ripped in her shirt. She was hunching slowly, and every time she landed there was a new grimace or a darker gash along her body. Cassandra almost taunted her, smiling through the entire attack, fingers clenched into claws.
"She's too weak." Thea whimpered, gazing at the blurs with tears slipping down her face.
There was the sound of rustling and she looked towards Winnie to see the red-curled witch pull out a folded sheet of paper. "What is that? What are you doing?" she cried.
Winnie smiled at her, a mischievous glance. "We're going to give Chime a fighting chance." She said simply.
Chime slammed backward against a coffin and cried out as purple lights sparked under body. She slipped forward, nearly falling to her knees but then Cassandra was suddenly in front of her, grabbing hold of her shirt and accidentally ripping it even more. "Watch out for those wards." She said with a careless shrug. She lifted Chime slowly against her body, staring the weak dragon down. "You are nothing compared to my power, Selena You can't hurt me. Don't even bother-"
A loud bang echoed in the hall.
Winnie lifted her head from her paper, Thea's eyes widening further.
Cassandra stared at Chime in surprise and Chime opened her eyes, glaring furiously. The witch staggered backward, releasing the dragon and she lifted her hand to a blood stain darkening the black of her gown. She looked down in disbelief, first at her stomach and then to the Sig in Chime's hand.
Chime straightened slowly, fighting to keep from hunching her shoulders.
Cassandra stared for another moment and then suddenly through her head back and laughed. The shriek of humor sent ripples of dread though Chime and she hesitated uncertainly.
Cassandra lowered her head and her eyes were gone. Her eyeballs were solid black, shining with an inner light, reflecting the sunlight. "Did you really think a gun could hurt me?"
Chime swallowed and winced, trying to ignore the blood that ran from her body. But she felt it. She felt it as it seeped out of her gashes and ran warmly along her frame. She opened and her eyes and now she was seeing double, Cassandra's body and a second image superimposed over it.
She was going to faint.
But she looked down, reaching for her second Sig. "How about two?" she asked quietly and she pulled the second out, throwing herself aside. She didn't need to see to hit. She would let her instincts tell her where to fire.
Gunshots rang out in the First House, echoing in the silence. But Thea was shrieking now, shouting unintelligible sentences.
And Chime was aware of nothing but movement. She was aware that Cassandra dodged nearly every single bullet headed her way and those that did hit her only served to slow her down.
She could have continued to shoot. She could have wasted every single clip she had strapped to her belt. But then Cassandra stopped defending. She was just suddenly in front of her, her hand clamping down on Chime's neck with a crushing grip and she hauled the dragon off her feet, shoving her up into the air.
Chime choked for all of a second. Then a single burst of dark witch magic tore from the witch's palm, burning her throat and she was flung backwards, thrown into a pillar. The Sigs flew in separate directions and Chime fell to the floor, collapsing in a heap.
Thea stared, making small noises, almost whimpering in fear. "She's dead. Oh, Goddess, I think she's dead." She said, clutching Blaise tightly.
Beside her Winnie lifted her hand. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She said coldly and she closed her hand into a fist.
Mist began to rise from Chime's figure strewn across the floor, billowing out in puffs. It filtered out slowly as Cassandra came forward with a frown. And then the smoke vanished into the air, gone as quickly as it had begun.
"What was that?" Thierry asked, studying Chime and Cassandra intently.
"The sleep spell. I took it off her." Winnie said faintly, and she leaned forward, willing Chime to get up.
Cassandra paused before Chime warily, watching the dragon's still form on the floor. Then in a sudden movement she bent forward, hefting the unconscious body up. "Go give your soulmate a kiss for me." She whispered against Chime's ear, her cheek pressed to Chime's. "A nice…big…kiss!" and she spun elegantly, flinging Chime as if she weighed nothing more than a pillow.
Chime slammed into the stone tomb, her arms catching around it. And purple sparks fizzed with the contact, forcing her to pull away. She bounced off, slipping to the floor and rolling onto her side.
Cassandra smiled, glancing toward Thea and Winnie. "I think it's time I ended it, don't you?" she asked and her attention was brought back to Chime as the dragon moved slightly, drawing in her knees. "She's been through enough-"
A low growl came from Chime's direction, low at first and then working into a powerful rumble. It echoed, seeming a bit muffled somehow.
And then black power exploded outward, a brief flash from Chime's body. It was like smoke also, swirling up as if she were on fire. She moved again, rolling along her thigh.
"Up for another round?" Cassandra asked and her smile faded away as a second burst ripped from Chime. The growl was becoming louder, echoing about and it was still muffled as if something was blocking Chime from coming through clear.
The dragon lifted her head slowly. "Yeah, sure. Another round…" she sighed wearily, "Why not?" And she sat up, struggling to get to her feet. She inhaled and realized the more she breathed the clearer her surroundings became, the better she could hear. She could hear the sparks of the witch wards holding in the witches and Thierry. The sound of dust and pebbles falling. The sound of the stones scraping all around.
That was not good. She looked up at the ceiling and heard creaking. And a growl. A long, distant growl echoing around her. She frowned, hesitating. And everyone's eyes were on her. But the growl wasn't coming from her.
"What is this? Cassandra demanded as Chime rose to her feet, straightening at last.
"This," Winnie called, holding up her piece of paper, "is the spell to revive dragons!" she shouted and she was jubilant, face beaming.
"And this," Chime said with another gentle burst of black power, "is your day of reckoning."
Cassandra took a step back, eyes flying around the room.
And it was at that moment the lid of Rayne's coffin crashed to the floor.
