~Chapter 28~

Anna

Marcus and my sister were just the distraction I needed, not that I was sure of what I was doing. I was kind of just winging this. My gut told me to trust that woman from before who led me to Elsa's palace and now my gut told me to trust this weapon. I wasn't even sure if it would work or would be enough to take Kuva and his fire creature down, but I had to try. I felt guilty heading for the climb without a word, but my sister probably would have protested and this was not the time.

Kristoff had offered me some useful climbing tricks and tips since I'd known him especially regarding the best notches and places to put my feet. The air was thinner up here so I had to be careful. I didn't know what the endgame was, but my first task was to take down this creature from the volcano. I think I heard James call it Vasuli. No matter, I kept reaching up the side of the cliff and got higher and higher. I didn't dare look below me, not that I had a fear of heights. Elsa and Marcus were making a ruckus below me and James wasn't making it easy. Maybe Vasuli was his source of power? Take one down and it inadvertently takes out the other? Unlikely, that would be too easy. The magma creature bellowed suddenly as James tried to lunge to attack my sister and Marcus. In my distraction, my footing was nearly lost, but corrected quickly taking firm hold of the cliffside again. I wanted to try to stab this thing from the back in a surprise attack. I was steadily approaching the summit and the tail or something swinging overhead nearly knocked me off the cliff. I ducked several times as I made my way up and around. The other side was a bit smoother to climb. Vasuli was even more intimidating up close and the globs of boiling hot magma didn't improve on his friendly exterior either. Its feet stomped almost as if feeling impatient. I ducked again almost being flicked off the rocky surface. I quickly lost my footing and couldn't regain my balance. As I began to tip, I leapt onto the nearest ledge just below where Vasuli was. I misjudged the distance and only managed to grab the edge hanging on for dear life. My boots were scrambling to get traction and footing, but I kept slipping. Suddenly out of nowhere two strong arms came out of nowhere gripping me tight and pulling me up. After coming down from panic mode, I was shocked to see Kristoff, Olaf, and Sven. I sat up brushing myself off a bit in sheer disbelief that they were even up here.

"What are you all doing here?" I asked.

Though if I was being honest with myself, I was happy to see them. I couldn't deny that fact. As I caught my breath, Kristoff helped me back onto my feet pulling me into his arms. My body immediately relaxed at being in the comfort of my fiance's arms.

"Shortly after you ditched down there, it didn't take long before-" Kristoff smiled,

"I didn't ditch you." I protested interrupting him.

Kristoff smirked with an obvious eye roll.

"It didn't take me long to decide to come after you."

"This is stupid and dangerous." I insisted.

"Well, we're in it together regardless. So I'm here, what do you need?"

I opened my mouth to argue, but this wasn't the time or place. Honestly, I couldn't deny how pleased I was to see him, ignoring my wishes for his safety, but still secretly right where I wanted him to be. Right by my side. I showed Kristoff the obsidian weapon and he raised a curious brow.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I think it's the key to taking down this creature and potentially James himself."

"Are you sure?"

"No, but it's all I have to go on."

"Can you stab that thing anywhere?" Kristoff asked.

"I don't know, but I'd rather go for the head. If only I could dive bomb it somehow."

"There are no cliffs above him. We're on the summit after all, Anna."

"I know, I know. Give me a minute." I snapped.

Vasuli's tail swung nearby again and I felt a surge of heat that swept passed with it. I couldn't climb this creatures back to get to its head. It was too hot. I looked down below at my sister who made a pillar of ice and shot ice projectiles off it toward James. Then an idea hit me, it was a long shot, but it might just work. I glanced at Olaf and Sven quickly.

"Can you go ask Elsa to give me a lift?" I asked Olaf, "I need a tall platform of ice if I'm going to have a chance to hit the head."

Olaf curiously glanced in her direction and it wasn't looking too good. We had to hurry.

"I'm on it." Olaf saluted as Sven scooped him up on his back hopping down the cliff ledges to where my sister and Marcus were doing their best to hold off James. Sven hopped down the various ledges with ease, which was obviously much easier than climbing up. They made it down to them quickly as Marcus kept distracting James with blasts of fire. It didn't look like Marcus was doing damage from what I could tell, but it was a distraction at least. Olaf whispered to Elsa in a matter of seconds as Olaf pointed my direction. Elsa looked up at me and suddenly I was shot up in the air on an ice platform. I wasn't directly over Vasuli's head, but if I dove down, it would be fine. There was no time for a pep talk for myself. Gripping the obsidian weapon, I leapt off the platform and a gust of wind threw off my trajectory just slightly, but enough as I was heading for his body now. Elsa was watching because I hit a slide of ice in midair. It corrected the aim and I headed straight for that monster's head. I raised the weapon ready to strike and it slid in like butter. The creature roared as yanked out the weapon. The heat was intense as I already felt blisters forming at being so close to this thing.

Kristoff urged me to jump away and I quickly did so. He caught me with ease as we watched Vasuli in seconds turn to stone before our eyes. James looked over in surprise as Elsa shattered the now humongous statue with a blast of ice magic. He cried out in anger that Kristoff and I heard up here so easily. Suddenly the tables were turned. Before it was James was only acting defensively at first, but he picked up Marcus by the front of his shirt lifting him off the ground with one arm. Desperately wanting to help, I called down to Marcus and he glanced up at me as I threw the obsidian weapon to him. He caught it, but he had no second to even attempt to use it against James. I watched helplessly as the counter effect from the weapon made Marcus drop it quickly as James threw my brother in law, with tremendous force, hard against the closest wall of rock. Marcus hit his head and landed not moving after that. Elsa screeched and charged him though her efforts were in vain. James erected some type of barrier around himself for defense, which Elsa flew back from as she tried to strike him with her ice magic.

"You're weak," James growled.

I watched helplessly as James went after my sister and Marcus. Kristoff and I began climbing down as quickly and safely as we could manage. The obsidian weapon was sitting down there right by where Marcus lay unconscious. The decision to throw the weapon to Marcus was a long shot and unfortunately backfired. The final blow was up to me and I had to get that weapon back.