Hah, fixed this last chapter thing. BAH. Anyway, same disclaimer applies.


And then the storm broke. Not the one from the clouds, that had long since spent itself out, but the other storm; the one her father was causing, the one that would bring the Destroyer together. The one she had decided to stop. She felt Orannis' call to his servants and she followed it, making Zander come with her, but he was actually willing. Mostly, she supposed because it would allow him to be near Nick. But whoever Nick was, he wasn't any more, laying on the stretcher, passed out. Zander laid near him on the barge ride, watching him, whining and licking at his hands every once in a while. Serentitel paid him no heed.

She knew what she had to do now. She would wait until the Destroyer was free and then she would defeat him, with all her talents and all her powers, she was sure to be able to destroy him… or if need be, rebind him. In her mind she went over the spells she needed, putting together chains of free magic and Charter magic, disregarding some, keeping others. Her father was busy with the barges and let her be. For this she was glad, because she didn't need the distraction of him ordering her around.

What she really needed was power. She could feel the power radiating off hemisphere near her, power, she was beginning to think was maybe a little too much for her. Looking at it her eyes were drawn to Nick and Zander and she smiled.

"Zander, come here."

The wolf stood up reluctantly from where he was keeping his vigil and walked over to her. She put her hands in his fur and felt the collar binding his magic, his powers. He was a creature of considerable power, and from what her father had told her, he had been able to laugh at the fragment within Nick, laugh at his power and bidding. And he had been able to shake off the power of the bells too. Except her eighth bell. She would need that then.

Closing her eyes she sought the source of his powers. He shifted under her, trying to pull away, but she held fast to his collar and to him. There, it was like free magic. But not. It roiled around formless, shapeless, not bidding to any spell, but to sheer will power alone. Carefully, she built a channel between those powers and her. She made it strong, but carefully done so that the powers wouldn't overwhelm her. Slowly she opened the channel and felt power rush into her, in the heady rush she almost missed Zander gasping. Too much power though, for now. She didn't want to alert anyone to what she did, so she shut it off. The channel remained however, waiting for her to open it again.

Zander glowered at her when she released his collar. His ears were laid back and he looked like he wanted to bite her. She stroked his head. "Don't worry. This is all for the best. I promise you."

He moved to leave, but she held onto him. "No, stay with me. Talk to me."

He sighed and sat down. "About what do you wish me to talk to you about?"

"Tell me about yourself."

"I'm a chaos embodiment."

"When were you born?"

"A very long time ago."

"Tell me a story. A love story. With a happy ending." She specified a happy ending because the first time she had asked him for a story it had been horrible, ending with lots of death and blood and gore. It had given her nightmares, something that he apparently enjoyed. He sighed again, but began to tell her a story. She leaned against him, listening to his gravely voice, focusing on the sound more than the words.

She kept him with her for the rest of the journey, though he clearly wanted to be with Nick. She needed him more, besides Nick was going to die soon. He practically was dead. Better that Zander stay with her and the living.

Head held high, she crossed the wall with the wolf at her side, ordering him to attack the soldiers that dared try to stop her. She took Dead with her, at her father's request, making way for the hemispheres. When they finally cleared the Wall and Perimeter, Zander was coated with blood and gore, a mad look in his eyes. He growled low at any one approaching them.

"You need a bath," she declared when they reached the port where the hemispheres were going to go into the water and cross to Forwin Mill.

"Now is hardly the time to be thinking about baths," Hedge chided her. An odd sentiment coming from the necromancer who was more Free Magic creature now than man.

"But he's all nasty. I'll only be a few minutes, there is a stream near by and will have him wash in that."

"Very well, but be quick about it."

She tugged on Zander's collar, making him follow her. He kept on glancing backwards towards Nick. Once again unconscious, during the crossing of the Wall he had apparently come awake.

The stream was an easy hop across, but deep enough for her purposes. She sent Zander into the water to clean as she thought deeply, trying to find the perfect moment to reveal herself to the other side and defeat the Destroyer.

"At the joining," She said out loud.

"Mhrh?" Zander asked, tilting his head a little as he came out of the stream bed. He stood near her and shook off the water, sending splatters of gore everywhere, including on her.

"I will stop him after the joining," Serentitel declared.

Zander scratched at an ear, but said nothing to her latest plan. Not even a sarcastic remark. Perhaps he was depressed at the thought of loosing Nick. She would cheer him up later.

"Come on. We've got to get back to the ships. Father is waiting." She stood up, satisfied with her plan and walked back towards the port. Zander followed her thoughtfully.

Time passed slowly for Serentitel. She wanted it to happen now. But time wasn't at her command. Perhaps, and she looked at Zander as she thought this, it would be soon. She had felt that time was definitely under his sway, though how exactly she wasn't exactly sure.

She would have him teach her. When this was done, of course. She waited impatiently at the Mill, watching as the hemispheres started to join. Power built up around the two of them and the other workers had long since fled, but she didn't. She was going to stop this and then join the others in cleaning up the remains of this mess. Zander seemed unworried about what was going to happen. He hadn't spoken to her at all since the stream. Instead he stood, watching the power build up.

And such power it was. Serentitel couldn't help but watch it, desire it. She wavered from her original plan, thinking about taking the power for herself. But she shoved that aside. She was going to stop this.

Or she thought she was. But she found herself completely entranced by the power, staring at it formed around her. She couldn't move or think beyond the power before her. It was so wonderful. Beautiful even.

Then the world went white as Orannis went into his second manifestation.

At ground zero, not even Zander could withstand the destruction.

Serentitel was most certainly wiped out. She didn't even get a final word out.

Beyond the ridge, Nicholas found himself back in life after meeting the Disreputable Dog. Something was on his chest, holding him down. Blinking he pushed at it. It turned out to be a man; a very scruffy looking man with pointed ears who was sound asleep.

"Alexander!" Nick cried out happily as he finally could remember who the man was. The man lifted his head and gave him a weak smile.

"Hullo love. How do you feel?" he asked sleepily, sitting up. Nicholas stood up and saw others walking towards them. He waved to them and then wavered.

"Hurt… but… alive!" he said, collapsing next to Alexander. An arm wrapped around him.

"Works for me."


Sadly there is a sequel comeing.