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Chapter Twenty-Three

"Character is forged in the smallest of struggles. Then, when the big challenges come, we're ready."

- Waiter Rant

___

Izzy knew she had to remain calm. No matter how powerful Neve was, she was still a human…and Izzy wasn't. That would hopefully give her an edge against the mage.

"…How did you find us?" she asked quietly.

"Simple," Neve said. Her brown eyes began to shine burgundy again, and Izzy tensed. "This lake you're enjoying so much is harvested from an underground spring connected to a glacier. All I had to do was reach for this glacier, and here you were." She looked like she was ready to laugh at them. "Do you Carpathians take me for a fool? So egotistical you are, to believe this mountain belongs solely to you! You cannot hide from me, no more than these vermin could ever hide from view of Xavier!"

Izzy glanced at Serenity again, and almost wanted to scream in frustration. She was still standing there! "Serenity, go now!" she snapped.

But Serenity shook her head. "I can't leave you here at her mercy!"

"I'm not human anymore, remember? I won't die easily!"

"I'm sure you won't," Neve said, advancing on them once more. She looked at Serenity. "But I can't have you leave here. Unlike your sister, you're very useful to me alive, Serenity."

So Neve had turned her intentions, whatever they may be, onto Serenity. "Go, Serenity!" she shouted. "Get away from here! Marach will come for me shortly!"

"I will be there," Marach said. "Once I get rid of this male mage distracting me."

So it was up to Izzy to keep Neve away from Serenity. "The only way you're getting your scummy hands on my sister is over my dead body!" she shouted.

Neve looked at her again. And smiled. "Then I'm happy to oblige you." A hand disappeared into her white coat and she quickly withdrew a rather large bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and spewed water into the air.

"Heavenly droplets of the Earth/

A frozen form is your rebirth/

Smooth as silk, sharp as a knife/

Sublime weapon set to take life."

The droplets of water solidified as Neve chanted her horrible spell. The little particles began fusing together until they formed long, narrow ice spears.

And they were pointed right at them!

Izzy looked at Serenity again, panic overtaking her. She tried to stand once more, but the ice around her legs held fast. How could she save her sister from this? How could she make her leave?!

Wait…make leave…a compulsion!

"Serenity, run away NOW!" Izzy shouted. She had no idea what she was doing, but she put a great amount of willpower behind her words and directed her voice at Serenity.

"Not so fast!" Neve yelled, and the ice spears were flying at them.

But this time, Serenity didn't put up a protest. She spun on her heel and took off running into the dense forest as fast as she could.

"ISABEL!" Marach shouted.

Izzy turned around in time to see the spears nearly upon her. Not knowing how to create a force shield she threw her arms over herself and curled inward. She felt Marach's power over her as he tried to both stop the spears and to soften their impact.

Most of the spears missed her and shattered against the frozen lake or impaled upon the dirt. But three of them stabbed Izzy's arms, one of them going right through her arm!

Even as a Carpathian, even knowing it wouldn't be easy for Neve to kill her, there was no denying the pain. Izzy screamed loudly, and her arms trembled as her blood splattered all over her, and all over the lake.

Neve was drawing closer to her now. "You shouldn't have tried to stop the spears. You would've had a painless end."

Izzy's breathing was haggard, and she tried to remain merged with Marach. He was absorbing a great deal of her pain so she wouldn't have to shoulder it, but he was having a difficult time against the man who worked with Izzy.

If she could help…she sobered quickly. Oh, why didn't she think of it sooner?!

Neve seemed to sense her intentions. "Not so fast!"

But for once Izzy was quicker than her. Pain wrecked her body, but she concentrated on her power and once more became the form of mist. Her physical body faded, and this caused the ice spears to fall to the ground. The frozen lake had no hold on her legs and she floated skyward, escaping from her binds.

Still, she hadn't fed, and she was injured. She was only able to hold the form of mist long enough to break free, but once she was done she fell hard upon the grass beside the lake.

Neve hadn't attack her during her escape. She almost seemed amused by her newfound Carpathian abilities. "You seem to be a quick learner," she complimented surprisingly. "That's your mage blood, for you."

Izzy ignored her, healing the stab wounds in her arms as best as she could with her saliva. She thought of Serenity, who was probably still running through the forest. Neve seemed to have forgotten about her. Get away, Serenity. Get far away…

___

Serenity faltered, and stumbled. She had no idea what she was doing. Why was she in the middle of the woods?!

Izzy! She frantically looked back the way she came. It frightened her that her short-term memory was full of holes. She'd been standing beside her sister, not willing to abandon her to Neve. And then…

"Run away NOW!"

Serenity shuddered, and she couldn't help but feel hurt. It was difficult to remember that Izzy wasn't human anymore. She was a Carpathian, and she could do things she hadn't been able to do before.

And she probably forced Serenity to run away.

"Dammit!" she cursed aloud. She took off running back towards the lake. "I won't abandon you, Izzy!"

Something fell to the ground in front of her. Serenity screamed and lost her balance, tumbling backwards into the dirt.

"Hello, sora mai mica."

Serenity's head snapped up, and she became afraid very quickly. Cassander merely smiled at her invitingly and walked over so that he was standing over her.

"W-What do you want?!" she snapped, one hand reaching up to cover her neck.

Cassander laughed loudly at the gesture. "I wouldn't mind sampling you, woman, but it would be quite rude to take from my brother's lifemate."

Serenity narrowed her eyes. She knew this man, as he was Parn's brother. But he…"You're a monster!" she hissed, jumping to her feet.

Cassander only laughed again, the sound grating to her ears. "Parn is a monster too, you little tart! He has given up his soul, as did I! Do you think the people he's killed for food don't matter?! Oh, you are a blind one! Women as stupid as you can be ever so amusing!"

"You bastard!" she growled, blinking away tears. She couldn't deny the truth in his words. She knew…she could feel the kills Parn had made. But Parn…"I'll never forgive you!"

Cassander seemed puzzled by her proclamation. "Do you think I care how you feel? You're a means to end at the moment, and it's been made clear you're very useful alive. But!"

In a flash he'd moved quickly, and had pinned Serenity to a tree. "Neve didn't say you had to be delivered in…one piece."

Cassander's eyes blazed dark red, and they pulsated with evil. Fangs extended out of his mouth, but all of his teeth looked mutated and razor sharp! He could rip her apart effortlessly!

"M-My blood hurts you!" she screamed, remembering a glean of something Izzy had said of their blood. She remembered vaguely that a vampire had bitten her, but he couldn't handle the taste of her blood. Cassander must leave her along, knowing this!

Indeed, Cassander did falter when she reminded him of this. "…Perhaps," he said after a moment of silence. His voice sounded mutated, and incredibly sinister. Serenity nearly relaxed then.

But…he grabbed hold of her collar. "But I don't need to drink of you to ravage your body!"

With a simple tug, and claws for fingernails, Cassander ripped Serenity shirt right off. He even tore her bra nearly in half. Serenity panicked, and began to scream.

There was a sudden 'whoosh', and suddenly Cassander's hold on Serenity was gone. She slumped to the ground as Cassander flew violently through the air and slammed hard into a nearby tree.

"I won't tolerate this, Frate!"

Serenity found she could relax, even by a little bit. "Parn…"

Cassander quickly stood, as though he hadn't been assaulted. "Do not misconstrue my intentions, Parn! It was perfectly harmless!"

"Why is her shirt in pieces all over the place?!" Parn idly waved a hand at Serenity, and a dark blanket fell around her shoulders. "You were sent to fetch her, not rape her!"

"Why do you care?!" Cassander snapped, nearly advancing upon his younger brother. "You have no feelings! You only see her as a means to an ends, too! Don't act so indignant when I turn my eyes upon her, lifemate or not! You certainly never cared about any of the other women I claimed!"

"Leave!" Parn hissed, his fists clenching at his sides. "I will handle this, but leave now!"

Cassander stood there, staring at him for a long moment. Then, the fight seemed to leak out of him and he simply shrugged. "See that you do handle it!"

In a flash he was gone. Serenity rose to her feet, hugging the blanket to her even as relief flooded her. "Parn!"

She knew he wasn't safe. She knew he was a vampire and under the command of…no, she wouldn't think of that woman. But none of that mattered to her. She even forgot the current circumstances as she rushed over to him and gave him a quick hug. "Oh…Parn!"

He didn't hug her back. He turned his head towards her, his nose suddenly buried into her hair. "…I warned you, Serenity."

"I know, I know. But you saved me! And now you can—"

He suddenly grabbed her forearms and pushed her back away from him. But, he didn't let her go. "I warned you. But you…" he shook his head furiously. "You're too much of a fool to listen to me!"

Serenity stared at him, the relief fading quickly. "What?"

Parn took a deep breath and let it out shakily. "…You're coming with me. Now."

"Where?" but she knew what he meant. "Wait…Neve?!" Pain erupted from her chest. The feeling of betrayal was suffocating to her. "You're taking me to NEVE?!"

Parn looked her in the eyes, although he winced as he did so. "I warned you, and you wouldn't listen to me. I'm sorry, Serenity, but…I'm taking you in."

___

Izzy knew as a Carpathian she had an edge over Neve. Even with all of Neve's power, she could still be hurt like a regular person.

But…she was still powerful.

"Frozen water of the Earth/

From your depths you shall give birth/

Beautiful crystals that crave blood/

Feast upon this vermin's red flood."

The frozen water began to mutate into more ice spears. They shot skyward and straight at Izzy. She didn't know the first thing about fighting as a Carpathian, but she would have to learn fast to survive.

Still, she only had time to dodge.

"Dragă, I'm coming!" Marach's voice desperately resonated in her mind. "I'm disabling the mage and will be right there!"

Neve seemed to visibly falter all of a sudden, and the dozens of ice spears she'd created fell back upon the frozen surface of the lake, shattering upon impact.

Izzy rushed forward and tackled her upon the ice lake, punching her in the face. "You bitch!" she screamed, throttling Neve furiously. "I'll make you pay for everything you've done!"

"Let me go this INSTANT!" Neve shrieked, blood trickling from her nose.

Izzy heard a loud, horrible 'crack' and suddenly the ice rose up on both sides of her. Her head shot up to see these massive ice 'arms', the tips forming giant human hands. She tried to jump back, but both limbs snatched her and forcibly removed her from Neve.

Neve quickly stood up, holding an ice spear in her fist. "How long will you parasite lover be able to win his battle when you have a stake in your heart?!"

"No!"

Izzy heard the call loud and clear in her head, and it seemed to vibrate into Neve's mind as well. She gasped in pain and reeled, raising a hand to her head.

Izzy knew she had to act, but she knew her mobility had been disabled for the moment. She didn't have the energy to change into mist and hide, but she had an idea. Everyone kept saying she'd had mage blood. And she'd noticed a pattern with Neve's chanting. She spoke in rhyme scheme and with a lot of force behind her words. Izzy wasn't good with word plays, and she certainly hadn't ever casted magic before.

But, she had to try.

"Wind, hear my call!" she shouted, struggling against the ice hands. "Whip up and storm and make her fall/

Rip her body into pieces/

Destroy her and make sure the threat decreases!"

For her credit, she felt a strong wind surge around her. But it only lasted for a couple of seconds. Certainly not strong enough to rip Neve apart.

Neve almost smiled at her. "Nice try." She raised the spear to throw at Izzy. Not knowing what else to do, Izzy screamed and looked at the spear, almost feeling Marach's panic in her head.

Before Neve could throw it though, the ice spear shattered like glass in her hand. She only seemed mildly surprised by this, allowing the broken shards she clutched in her fist to slide through her fingers.

"I got him!" Marach shouted with triumph. "The Carpathians have reached me, and they're coming for you too! Hang on, Isabel, we'll save you!"

Izzy was relieved, especially since she hadn't seen a hair of Serenity since she forced her sister to run. She most likely got away.

Neve looked skyward, suddenly looking surprised. "You vermin…" with a wave of her hand ice spears began bursting violently from the lake and shooting off into the sky like rockets.

Izzy realized she was trying to save her mage comrade. "Neve's going to attack you!"

"We'll be all right, iubita mea."

"I would worry more about yourself," Neve said suddenly. "Than about your bloodsucking friends, you traitor to our race."

Izzy suddenly found herself rising very quickly into the air. She struggled against the ice hands and tried to conjure up the image of mist to transform. But her strength had left her, and hunger gnawed at her. "Marach! MARACH!"

One of the hands let her go, but the other held fast. Suddenly, she found herself being spun around in midair, in a small circle at very quick speeds. The whole world was a blur to her and she thought she might be sick. Her vision and mind swam; she couldn't even formulate a thought.

Then, the hand let her go. Izzy was flying through the air very quickly, unable to properly catch herself. She gained enough awareness to see the forest of trees quickly rising to meet her, and for a moment she was terrified that she would be impaled by one of the branches.

Luck was on her side…somewhat. There was a small clearing in the trees where she knew she would land. It would be a painful landing, but she could survive it.

From what seemed like far away (and it probably was), she could hear Neve openly laughing at her. Her mind flooded with fury and she concentrated on the spot in the lake. "Come here, you bitch!"

She heard Neve cry out in alarm, and she in turn cried out when Neve suddenly flew at her, as though the mage were being pulled. Izzy hadn't yet fallen before the two of them collided. Izzy snaked her arms around Neve's body, intending for the mage to feel the full impact of their landing.

Neve knew her intentions immediately. "Let me go!" she shouted, punching at Izzy.

But Izzy held on, even clutching at Neve's coat to make her hold still. "I hope you're ready to die!" she'd never killed anyone before, but she was grimly prepared to kill this woman in order to protect herself, Serenity, and…even Marach.

But Neve wasn't ready to die. And Izzy had forgotten about those frozen pair of hands. They both flew at them, one of them grabbing Neve and ripping her out of Izzy's arms. The other formed a fist and punched Izzy. Izzy almost didn't feel the massive blow, but her Carpathians instincts allowed her to survey the damage that one punch did to her body. Four broken ribs and several bruised organs.

She slammed into the ground with such a violent force that the pain took her breath away. Bright lights flashed before her vision and her stomach turned. She was only vaguely aware of a small object bouncing off her chest and plopping onto the ground next to her.

"Isabel you will go to ground immediately and allow ME to handle this!" Marach's order vibrated in her head like a stinging pulse. He no longer seemed concentrated on the battle. It was over, and it didn't appear that Neve's spell had hurt him.

"I can't leave Serenity to fend off this woman." Izzy could barely formulate a thought. She had no idea where Serenity was, and she was fearful Neve was hurting her while Izzy lay on the ground like this.

Then something strange happened. As she lay there on her back trying to quickly recuperate, a strange melody floated over the air. It sound vaguely like "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies" from the Nutcracker. Izzy spread out her fingers and felt the object that had struck her earlier. It took a great deal of difficulty to lift it up.

It was a cell phone, and the song was coming from there; a ringtone. Izzy blinked several times, clearing her vision as she looked at the caller-I.D. 'Martha'.

Not knowing what else to do, Izzy flipped the phone open and answered it. "...Hello?"

"I got my belly-button pierced! AND I did it with a fake I.D.!"

Izzy blinked. She didn't recognize the voice on the other line, but it sounded like a teenage girl obviously looking for trouble. This was most likely 'Martha'. Izzy didn't know how to respond to this.

"Hello?" Martha asked on the other line when Izzy didn't respond to her outburst. "Hello, are you there?"

Izzy stared at the phone, not knowing what to do. How did this phone come into her possession anyways? She was attacking Neve, but...wait, was this Neve's? Neve carried around a cell phone?! She seemed too calculating a person to carry something so personal around with her.

"Hello, hello!" the teenager on the other line was obviously getting irritated with Izzy's silence. "Are you still there? Hello?! Mum, are you there?!"

A wave of shock rocked Izzy's system. Mum? Mom?! If this was Neve's phone...she had a child? Someone so horrible actually had children?

There was a loud hiss of anger on the other line. "You know what, Mum?! If you don't want to talk to me, then don't pick up the phone when I call!" The line abruptly disconnected.

Izzy continued to stare at the phone in shock. "...What?"

A foot connected with Izzy's hand, sending the phone flying. "Don't put your filthy hands on something that doesn't belong to you!"

Izzy mutely stared up at Neve. The mage was still nursing her bloody nose with a handkerchief as she walked over and picked up her cell phone. "Y-You…" Izzy swallowed thickly. "Your daughter called." Somehow, just saying it sickened her. She hated that Neve had a child at home, but the teenager was still a child. And Izzy would've left her motherless had she succeeded in killing Neve…

"I don't know what you're talking about," Neve said flatly, shoving the cell phone into her pocket.

"Martha," Izzy snapped. "She thought I was you and talked to me. She's your daughter, right?" She groaned in pain and shifted slightly on the ground. "W-Why…how can you be so…" her anger grew stronger now. "Why are you like this? You have a daughter at home! Why are you doing all of these terrible things when you have family to care for?!"

Neve didn't seem affected by Izzy's outburst. She walked over to stand over her. "Why not worry more about your own problems than dwelling in delusions?" She folded her arms and leaned over her. "Thank you for keeping me entertained. While I was distracting you, your precious sister was spirited away by her…" she chuckled humorlessly. "Lifemate."

"Y-You took her?!" Izzy shrieked. She tried to sit up, but her injuries were still slow in healing. "Give her back now!"

"I can't," Neve said simply. "Serenity's far too important at the moment to be simply…given back."

"You—"

A burst of light erupted from the sky and hit Neve square in the back. She screamed in pain and collapsed to the ground.

"Mage," Marach thundered, landing upon the ground beside Neve. "You will cause harm no more!"

"Marach, WAIT!" Izzy cried, still trying to sit up. "Don't kill her! She's a mother! She has a daughter at home!"

Marach did falter when he heard this, but his face hardened. "I am sorry, iubita mea, but motherhood doesn't excuse her crimes. I know the vampires have taken Serenity, but this is all her plan. They will not be able to act without her."

"But…" Izzy hated it, but she couldn't help but think of Martha. The girl sounded spoiled, but Izzy heard the hurt and loneliness in her voice. How often did she get to see her mother? How old was she? Did she know what her mother did for a living?

Would she ever know how her mother died?

More Carpathians began appearing in the forest, and Neve struggled to sit up. Marach took the opportunity to rush to Izzy's side. "Take my blood, dragă. Take everything that you need of me."

Izzy accepted his blood. From the first taste her body felt alive again, and replenished. It was as though she'd gotten a full night's rest and had eaten a hot meal. It relaxed and rejuvenated her.

And…the taste of him, the smell of him engulfed her senses. Her body clenched with need, and she could feel it within him as well. But she had enough presence of mind to know it was neither the time nor the place, especially with Serenity in Parn's hands.

"You will tell us where you've taken Serenity, or we will put you through horrible pain," Gregori warned her savagely.

Neve laughed hollowly. "Do I look scared, Dark One?!"

"You may be strong," he acknowledged. "But I am older, wiser, and much stronger than you are. You were a fool to continually challenge us, and to align yourself with a monster like Xavier."

"What do you know?!" Neve shouted, this time in rage. "You know nothing!"

"I knew Xavier longer than you did. And it's because of him that my people are nearly extinct."

Neve snorted. "Then he was doing the world a favor."

The warriors hissed and shifted in fury at her words, but Gregori remained calm. "You will pay for your allegiances, and for your own personal crimes against us all!"

"Then you will never find Serenity!" Neve shouted. She was still injured, but she looked at all of them with challenge in her eyes. "I have shielded my mind! You won't find her through looking in it, even after you kill me! And the vampires have orders to kill her if I should die! So unless you want to cause more destruction, you will let me go!"

"We will find her," Gregori said confidently. "We don't need you."

Still…Neve only laughed again. "I never asked for help."

There was a sudden shout from the warriors. Marach suddenly grabbed Izzy in his arms as an army of icicles rained down from the sky. It had to be the two hands that had held Izzy. It wasn't enough to kill the warriors, but it created enough of a distraction for Neve to disappear into the chaos of it all.

"Where is she?!" Izzy cried, reaching out with her mind trying to find her. "She took my sister!"

"Be calm," Gregori said. "Despite her threats, she appeared to have dropped thinly veiled hints of where she took Serenity."

"But where?!"

"Would she go there, though?" Falcon asked. "Ally or not, it's not a safe place for anyone but Xavier!"

"She wants Serenity's regenerative blood. It would be the perfect place to take her."

"Where?!" Izzy shouted once more.

"Draga…" Marach hesitated before he spoke the words to his lifemate. "Neve most likely took Serenity into the ice caves."

___

"It looks like a second-degree burn."

"I don't care what it looks like!" Neve fumed. "Just fix it already!"

The female mage at her back, alias Terre, only sighed as she applied the ointment to her back. "I'll see what I can do, but the both of you look a little worse for wear." She cast her dark green eyes towards Eis, who was flexing the fingers on his right hand, which had been broken just minutes before. "Are you sure the two of you can handle this?"

"We have one," Neve said confidently. "And her blood is untainted for the most part."

"Most part?" Terre asked softly.

"She had one blood exchange with a Carpathian. But does it matter? The influence of his blood has faded already!"

"I'll heal your back now," Terre said, hovering both hands over Neve's bare but reddened and blistering back. She sighed again, mostly to herself. "You both are only so lucky I decided to check on your progress before I went to Siberia…"

Neve gritted her teeth slightly. "And you are only so lucky to be aligned with those with offensive skills, Terre!"

Terre wasn't offended by her words, merely arching a silver-blonde eyebrow. "So my skills are only regulated to healing mammals. It's not so much of a curse. Now, hold still so that I may heal all of your injury."

Neve fisted her hands in her lap, but she sat very still and forced herself to relax. Heat and pain radiated from her back like a pulse, all the cause of that fireball the Carpathian hit her with. She would make sure he paid dearly for it.

Terre's eyes began to blaze amber with her mage power. She closed her eyes and concentrated. "Wounded cells clinging to life/

Yield to the one to ease your strife/

Energy restored and injuries cleansed/

Healthy beings return and others be dispensed."

The horrible ache in her back eased considerably until it was completely gone. Neve let out a slow breath, and pulled her shirt back on. "Thank you, Terre."

"I always help an ally," Terre said simply. She paused before she continued. "Are you all right, Neve?"

Neve knew exactly what Terre was talking about, and didn't want to discuss it. "I'm fine. And I'll be better once we're successful."

"…I have to catch my plane," Terre said finally. She gathered her things and headed for the door. Before she left though, she turned back around to look at Neve and Eis levelly. "I'm not going to tell you two what to do, but please take care. There's too much to be risked if you both die."

"Neither of us will die," Neve said heatedly, standing up. "And we will succeed in this!"

"Just remember," Terre said softly. "What will be left behind if you fail."

Then she was gone. Neve merely waved a dismissive hand. "We have to do it tonight. The vampires are acting up, and tonight proved the Carpathians won't hesitate to kill us." She looked in a corner of the room. Serenity lay curled up in a heap on the floor. "Parn is deluding himself as well. I believe he's starting to think he has a heart. We'll have to dispose of her—and him—before he finally rebels."

"We mustn't rush this," Eis said finally, pulling on his coat. "I agree we must do this soon, but we will meet with failure if we don't tread carefully. There's too much riding on this, and everyone is counting on us."

But Neve shook her head. "We have no choice, Eis. We have to mobilize tonight and enact the plan. Otherwise, we'll be cornered as Xavier was."

"…We failed him in that," Eis said quietly. He walked over to Neve and unexpectedly slid his arms around her. "But we won't fail him this time."

"No…" Neve closed her eyes, distancing herself from the annoying ache in her head…in her heart. "We won't fail him. And with this girl…" she opened her eyes and stared down at Serenity. "With her blood Xavier's magic, he will finally be returned to us."