Hi folks. Sorry for the delay in posting! Hope you enjoy Chapter 9. Thanks to Laura as always and to those reading/reviewing/messaging.
As Regina looked back at her partner, she saw that the block Emma had been attempting to haul now came flying down with renewed speed.
"You're getting the hang of it." Regina shouted to avoid any suspicion, looking out as the crows were now once again drawing their final patterns just before the next attack.
"Come on." The witch muttered under her breath to her replaced amulet. "Just give me a few more bursts."
As each block came into place, more light was lost in the cave and from left and right the crows, breaking into smaller groups of attack, continued their monotonous patterns of swooping and swerving. Now in attack mode, ten approached from the right, successfully still being drawn to Regina as she blasted them backwards. Another ten came immediately after from the left. Emma ducked as two tried to attack her as she moved ahead, Regina barely having time to swing round to get them before three more attacked her. She could feel the impact of her blasts reducing each time until eventually she was barely getting a flicker. The amulet had now returned to the colour it was when they first retrieved them. A clear swirl of nothingness with a grey tint.
Drawing her insurance axe, but now without its flame, she began to use that to get the closest swarm. She had successfully drawn them from Emma who was running far ahead, pulling blocks as fast and furiously as she could with the dulling tint of the light around them.
"Nearly half way I think!" She called over to Regina who was furiously swinging her axe, slicing through the crows. Each she hit evaporated into feathers and disappeared in a smoke with more multiplying from the remains each time. The lack of her power was now overwhelming and she was focussing more on keeping her footing than hitting the crows.
Deciding to try her luck with the local magic, Regina tried to blast with her hand. It successfully blew up three of the crows but the impact was misjudged, exploding in a white blast and sending her to the floor. She clung on, pulling herself back up and swinging the weapon again, taking out two more.
"Come on, Regina." She tried to encourage herself, hoping Emma was too far along to have noticed. As long as she kept the crows there with her, even if just as bait, Emma could make it across. She tried another shot, this time taking out two of the beasts with a creamy glow but the cost was an explosion from the part she had just lifted her foot from. This was enough to draw Emma's attention as the entire bridge shook. Looking backwards, Emma saw her companion struggling to wield off the group and noticed that the purple glow around the axe had gone.
"Regina!" She called as her friend was now almost completely obscured by the flock. There was a large one clawing at her hair and a dozen pulling at her clothing, trying to drag her down. As Regina tried to fight her way out she lost her balance and fell. She dropped to the bridge edge, holding on only by digging her axe into the stone. She tried to fire another blast, this time the purple tint had returned to her magic but the effort from her position caused her to lose her grip further as her hold dropped a little down the handle. At this point Emma got a good enough view of the amulet to see it wasn't just the axe that had lost its glow. She lifted her own necklace and instantly clocked the suddenly renewed vibrance it had.
"She didn't!" She cursed, realising what had happened. Partially infuriated, she swiped her hand at the crows, a blast of white light taking them out but causing some of the blocks to fall away, just as Regina had when she had channelled the cream-coloured local magic. Emma stumbled but jumped forward, running towards where Regina was.
"It's not worth it. Keep going! The crows will stay attacking me as long as you don't provoke them!" Regina yelled, clawing to get back up as Emma ignored her command. Swiping her arm to lift Regina back onto the bridge, she sent another blast to the crows. This time the penalty was sacrificing the latest blocks she had added as they crumbled straight off the end.
"I can't believe you switched them!" She yelled at her mentor, summoning a sword of her own and taking a swipe at the flying demons. They were now attacking her the more that she was responding to them.
"You don't need me to use the well, just go! Get to the well and get out! Worst case come back find me after somehow." Regina ordered, finding her feet again and taking out five of their aggressors. "I am not leaving you!" Emma insisted putting out another blast, shortening the bridge by another three rocks.
"Each time you do that with the light magic you break the rules! It's the same when I use the magic from here. Stop being so stubborn and finish the bridge!" Regina shot again as Emma had a flash of inspiration thinking back to Regina's earlier words.
Trying her hardest to focus, she tried to access something she hadn't done since before the trip to the underworld. She tried to channel that morsel left in her that had allowed her to still hear the dagger. As she chopped her hand outwards, a powerful blast of black smoke took out a good twenty of the crows.
"As you pointed out, you're not the only one with magic!" She shouted over the crowing as she sent out another wave. There was another explosion of feathers, but this time something else started to swirl from the smoke. The two had a brief break in attack for them to pause in awe. The feathers reformed and produced three black swans.
"I think I preferred only my dark magic..." Regina commented, her eyes filling with fear. Thinking quick, Emma began to circle a swirl of black around encasing them from the winged creatures and evaporating those that attempted to penetrate it. The sudden change in colour sparked an idea in Regina's head.
"Wait, you're right. We both have both! Grab my hand!" Regina commanded. Emma did as she said as five more swans grew from the smoke of those that had perished. Regina hooked the working amulet in her hand and, channelling its power, she moved it from around Emma's neck to be wrapped around the wrists of both of them.
"On the count of three, blast them all and then we switch to pull the blocks." Regina shouted across the mix of the turbulence from Emma's forcefield and the persistent screeches of the circling birds.
"1...2...3!" The two of them exploded their free arm out, destroying half the crows and sending the swans hurtling backwards.
"Now get as many blocks as you can with your light." Regina followed up as the two of them began to flail desperately, trying to access as many at once. Their combined power was faster than Emma's alone, but the swans were regrouping and forming a tight V shape that was rocketing towards them.
"Ready for another blast?" Regina shouted as Emma nodded. They paused their block-drawing to get another blast out and as the birds were impeded again they got into a rhythm of the swap between the two forms of power. After the third blast, the bridge was almost complete, but due to the lost bricks of before they were short about 2 yards of stone and now, with the fainter glow of the blocks, they were almost in the pitch black.
"We're going to have to jump." Emma shouted as the two moved back a few paces to take a run. Just as they were about to launch themselves, an extra flock of crows came from below, whipping around them. The combination of the shock and the proximity caused Emma to lose her footing just before reaching the ledge of the well's ground. As she slipped she sent out one obliterating blast, finally destroying the last of the birds but clambering off the edge. She made a violent grab at the chain as it fell from around their wrists. As she slipped, Regina once again dug her axe into the ground, preventing both of them from cannon-balling into the abyss below. While Regina was secured, Emma was only supported by her grip on the magically strong chain as she dangled off the end of it. Regina had a tight clasp on the other side but neither of them had a secure enough handle on it to be able to claim the magic. The amulet connected the two sides of the chain and hung half way between their hands.
"Regina, this may be magically strong but it won't hold for long and you can't pull me up!" Emma shouted up. "Now it's your turn to just go on! Your light magic works too, we just proved it!" She made out through the pain of the pull on her arm. "I'm going to let go!"
"Don't you dare, Swan! If I can't be the martyr, neither can you!" Regina chastised, trying her hardest to hold. She could feel the axe grip slipping with Emma's weight, slowly descending. As she tried to think it over, her eyes glowed with enlightenment.
"But wait, I can let go. It'll be just like the first time at the bridge!"
"What?" Emma exclaimed.
"Just hold on tight, get the amulet on you and materialise. It's a big drop, you have time."
"And what if I can't? Then you lose the amulet too!" Emma pleaded as she felt her grip waning. "You'll be trapped."
"You can do it, Emma, just stay calm. You may not be able to materialise to here but at least get on the bridge. I'm going to let go, are you ready?"
Emma tightened both of her fists and took a deep breath. "OK. Go!" She winced, focussing on the rock.
"And be aware that the birds may come back as soon as you're back on that bridge –" Regina quickly added just before she let go. The sudden release felt like a rush of adrenaline as the sounds around were dulled by a sweeping buzz, much like going through the portal. As her pace quickened, Emma pulled the chain tight to her chest and tried to loop it round her wrist, deducing it was easier than putting it around her neck. She spun around and clasped both hands around the gem for extra assurance and focussed on her movement. After what felt like a never ending plummet, she puffed into a swirl of grey smoke.
Attempting to direct herself to where Regina was, she felt the resistance being thrust backwards and landing, like her partner had, full force to the floor of their original starting point. Knowing there was no time to waste as the caws and calls once again began, she ran full pelt across the bridge. The light around her was faint, making it hard to see at the speed she was running, but she had full focus on each bound. The crows came at her from behind, three of them making a first attack which she blasted, without pause. The feathers scattered as before but in her haste she had chosen the wrong magic and a brick exploded in front of her causing her to leap and stumble.
"Damn this switching!" She cursed angrily, finding her feet and trying not to lose any pace. Pirouetting, she sent a tidal wave of black smoke at the onslaught and obliterated the entire first wave of attacking birds.
"That girl has some skill…" Regina muttered, still unable to believe the power she was sporting, no matter how many times she witnessed it.
Un-phased and determined, Emma continued her run with the time bought by her blast. In a direct response, the crows were now popping into a dark stream of light, reforming as a swan bigger than all the previous ones put together.
Regina's eyes bulged, seeing the elephant sized demon that had been conjured. It was made purely of swirly black beads, but no less deadly than if it were real. Emma leaped over the patches where Regina's failed magic had blown holes in the bridge while trying to cast back another blast. This time it only temporarily moved the swan back but it gave her a moment of time to cover more ground.
Seeing that she had a clean run of bricks almost until the end, she turned backwards to run a few paces, firing at it again. The swan screeched and bucked its neck, giving a great breadth to its wingspan before making one final dive.
"Last push, Emma!" Regina cheered her on as she prepared her final run. She pushed all she had, her head thumping with blood and pressure, and made three striding bounds to the edge, the swan's beak inches behind.
"Finish it off!" She gave a piercing battle cry as Regina got the message and braced herself ready.
Pushing every breath of energy into it, Emma leaped from the bridge, flinging the amulet magically around Regina's neck and landing by her as Regina sent a shockwave of purple crystals into the swan, splitting it into a thousand wisps of black smoke and finally laying it to rest. There was a deafening crash as the bridge fell behind them and an earthquake below began to toss and shake them as they both ducked. There was a searing light that shot up around them as the cave fell away causing a wash of cool air. The damp cold of the wet rock below them sprouted grass and the blinding white light turned into the natural light of the sun.
They had returned to where they had began, but now in the place of the stone, there was the glorious frame of the well.
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"Hey, maybe we need to get the water from the well and sprinkle it over us." Emma's eyes popped with excitement at the story. "Like a baptism or - " she paused, noting Regina's unimpressed expression.
"I nominate Regina." Hook chimed in.
"I'd do it if it means I can also command your silence." The witch threatened as Emma cut her off with another idea, pacing around the well.
