A big thank you to forgottenforever and Griffon of the Night for your reveiws and support!
Chapter 13
Raphael found himself standing in soft grass. Katherine was already halfway into the middle of a glowing pool of water. She was up to her waist and then stopped.
Raphael had the impression of a circle of trees and he felt as if he was being watched, but his entire focus was on the two women in the lake. Katherine's cloak and gaunlets were gone, and he couldn't see much of April' but from what he could see she now seemed to be in some sort of white billowing dress.
"Do not enter the pool." Katherine ordered as Casey took a step towards the water.
"Breathe April, just breathe." Katherine said gently as she cried out in pain.
Casey began to pace back and forth around the circular lake's edge. Raphael looked at his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. Casey looked at him with fear filled eyes.
Raphael couldn't even find any words to comfort his friend. Fear choked him as anger blazed through him. "I'm going back to that warehouse and killing the guy who did this to April!" He quietly growled. There was something about this place that inspired the need to talk softly. It felt...sacred. A place where the thoughts, needs and desires of mortals had the ability to actually be heard by whatever power existed out in the universe.
"He pushed her, and she just fell." Casey said miserably. Casey was so scared and worried he didn't have any room to be angry.
"He's already dead." Donatello said as he walked over and sat at the foot of the throne perched on a raised dais Raphael hadn't even noticed. It looked to be made of wood, but more as if a tree had grown into a throne rather than having been carved. He looked at his Not brother. He was a problem they would have to deal with after this was over. But at the moment he couldn't be sorry that his demonic brother had killed the Red Dragon.
April cried out in agony again. "Can't you at least take away the pain?" Casey yelled at her.
"For all things, there is always a price Casey. It will be some time, these things take time." Katherine said as she continued to hold April suspended in the water.
Raphael didn't know how long they waited, but he knew hours had already passed. They paced, they rested, and they gazed helplessly at the two women in the center of the lake.
Raphael could see blood in the water. Suddenly something changed. An electric charge rolled down his skin. Katherine began to sing, or chant perhaps, he wasn't sure, but he couldn't understand the words. Wind began to stir the trees slightly. A golden circle appeared with April and Katherine in the center of it. The water began to swirl around them. Faster and faster the water churned covering up Katherine's voice as well as April's cries of pain. Finally they were both swallowed up by the ring of water obscuring the two women.
The water fell as if suddenly out of the influence of whatever had been controlling it. Both women were gone. Raphael worriedly scanned the lake but could see no sign of them.
"April!" Leonardo shouted as he spotted what his brother had noticed, a limp figure lying in the shallows of the lake.
Casey got to her first. April opened up her eyes. "I'm okay." She said as Casey held her close. "It was so warm." She said softly as she closed her eyes.
Raphael scanned the lake looking for any sign of Katherine and the baby. Finally he spotted a ripple in the water as Katherine's head broke the surface. She looked as if she was walking on the bottom of the lake which meant either the lake had gotten deeper, or Katherine had used some other way to suspend them within the water. Katherine wasn't gasping for air, which meant she didn't need any. Raphael looked to her empty hands as she emerged to walk across the surface of the lake.
"Katherine?" He questioned softly as she stepped onto dry land.
"She is at the bottom of the lake." Katherine said softly.
Raphael turned his head away in sorrow. Katherine touched his shoulder. "She is fine, just waiting until when she was supposed to be born. She is growing stronger."
She walked over to Casey and April and knelt down. "She will not be fully human. We have changed her Fate, which means she now has attracted the attention of Destiny. And if you think Fate is bad, Destiny is a bitch." Katherine said seriously.
"What did you do?" Michelangelo asked softly.
"There is always a price for everything Michelangelo. I gave her to Yggdrasil. She sleeps within a golden womb being fed by the Tree of Life itself. Like I said, she will not be fully human. In two months the tree will give birth to his daughter, and you will be able to take her home. The price, was blood, pain and life. The price for a life is always a life."
"Whose life?" Leonardo whispered.
Katherine's eyes flicked to April and to Casey. "Wishes heard were granted." She said softly.
Raphael's mind reeled with horror.
"Like Donny?"Leonardo questiond.
"She was given some of the life from each of her parents. As well, there is the understanding that when it is time, you must let her go, to fulfill her Destiny." Katherine said solemnly.
"How long?" Leonardo asked.
"How long what?" She asked.
"How long will April and Casey have her for?" Leonardo asked, his voice soft.
Katherine smiled. "There is a formula for this sort of thing."
"16." Michelangelo said suddenly. They looked at Michelangelo in surprise. "What? You have wishes, miraculaous births, the gods. Total fairytale pulp." He said with a shrug.
"Yes, Destiny will call on her 16th birthday.
"Is there anything you can do?" Leonardo pleaded.
"No. Fate is impossible to change, Destiny even more so, because Destiny calls on you, and you must always answer Her call. But don't worry, she'll have a Devil of a godmother watching her back." Katherine said with a gentle smile.
"So, she's fine?" April asked quietly.
"Yes, she's fine." Katherine said with a smile. "Think of it like she is in an incubator."
Determination filled April's face.
"No you can't see her anymore than you could see her growing within you." Katherine said as April opened her mouth.
"Then I'm staying here." April said as she pulled from Casey's grasp to stand.
Katherine looked as if she was going to protest and then shrugged. "If that is what you want."
"You three might as well stay as well." Katherine grumbled. "I'm really too tired to care right now."
"Three?" Raphael questioned. But then looked at his demonic brother. Donatello wouldn't be going back with them. Ever.
Katherine walked over and slumped into the throne. Donatello curled around her feet, head laying on her lap like a loyal pet.
"Donny?" April asked in concern. Donatello looked at her with red-gold glittering eyes.
"This does not concern you at the moment. Rest and sleep is in order. I have healed you and given you strength, but this does not mean you do not need sleep." Katherine waved her hand and April and Casey vanished. "They will be fine." Katherine said as she looked at Leonardo.
"Donny didn't make it."Leonardo said wretchedly.
"The Covenant has been restored." Katherine agreed.
"My binding needs to be reinforced." Donatello said looking up at Katherine. "I am not what I once was, if you do not reinforce the binding I can rage against you and attempt to break it." Donatello said to her.
"You have already begun to reinforced it. You purposely drank of my blood. I find that interesting. Most would not wish to be bound. I would have thought you would have fought the binding."
Donatello looked at her with his glittering reddish-gold eyes. "I could have, but it is my wish to remain bound to you for the rest of eternity. I am yours." He said softly.
"I see." She said as she held out her wrist to him. Donatello leaned over her wrist. Raphael thought at first he was kissing her wrist until he saw the blood drip from around his brother's lips. Donatello pulled back red lips stained with her blood. Katherine had begun to glow, her eyes a bright emerald green. His brother's eyes looked at him and he shivered. They were pitiless. The two predators stared at them as if they were food, and Raphael knew he was, but he didn't show them any fear, because then, he would be food.
"Can Donatello come back out and play?" She questioned as she stopped glowing.
Donatello turned glittering red-golden eyes to her. "He is weak, he will be unable to protect you."
"If he has need of you, he will call, he has always been able to call you." Katherine said gently.
"He has never had need of me." Donatello said almost sullenly.
"He has never dealt with the monsters I do." She said with a quirk of her lips, but her face grew serious. "If you love me, give him back."
"You could have just ordered me to do it. I cannot disobey you in anything." Donatello said.
"I know." Katherine said in all seriousness.
Donatello nodded, lay his head down on her leg and closed his eyes.
Donatello sat bolt upright and gasped. His brown eyes looked around in horror and looked down at his bloodstained clothes.
"Donny?" Leonardo asked as he approached carefully.
Donatello looked around in panicked confusion.
"It's okay Donny." Leonardo said comfortingly.
"Leo?" Donatello said in confusion. "How did I?" He looked around. "I was dead, and then I was..." He said softly. "I felt him, scratching at my mind trying to break free, trying to overpower me." Donatello whispered. He looked at his hands. "He's still there." He said in horror.
"It is hard to get rid of a piece of yourself." Katherine said gently. Donatello looked up at Katherine who was still sitting in the throne. Her skin where Donatello had drank her blood was smooth and unmarred.
"That was not Donatello." Raphael protested.
"Well, not the Donatello you know, but his hidden self, the dark part of him that was buried within his own mind and soul. Everyone has a dark part of themselves. It is that part that lets you do the things that need to be done, when they need to be done. Some dark halfs are close to the surface, others are buried deep. The part of him that is demon now resides with his darker half." Katherine said with a shrug.
"I feel different." Donatello said to Katherine. Donatello looked at how he was curled up at Katherine's feet.
"Can you stand?" Leonardo asked his brother.
Donatello looked as if he was unsure. Donatello looked at Katherine who nodded. Donatello slowly stood.
"You are a demon Donatello. You are no longer mortal in any sense. Mortal weapons can hurt you, but will never be able to kill you, and you are immensley powerful." Katherine said to him.
"I feel...stronger. I can see things, smell things, hear things." Donatello said in fear and awe. "What did my darker self do?" Donatello asked staring at his bloody hands.
"You beat up some Red Dragons, and Hun." Raphael cut it.
Donatello looked at his hands and slowly open and closed them as if he was shocked that he had done it. Raphael wasn't going to say anything about the dead Red Dragon.
"What else did I do?" Donatello asked softly.
"Nothing." Raphael said firmly.
"You drank Katherine's blood. That was gross." Michelangelo put in helpfully.
Donatello looked at Katherine in shock. Red and gold glinted in Donatello's eyes.
"April and Casey are they...?" He began.
"Sleeping at the moment." Katherine said to him.
Donatello nodded and looked relieved.
Donatello's eyes widened as his head swung around. Katherine's lips moved back, exposing her canines. She began to growl low in her throat. It was an inhuman sound. Her eyes bled to red in anger. "So they wish to attack me?" She questioned. Her eyes reverted back to green. "Is it so wrong to want nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep?" She asked. She dragged her clawed hands down her face. "Okay fine. Let's do this." She said as armor flowed over her body. Her gauntlets were again on her hands, but now, she wore black shoulder guards with silver detailing. Her black cape again settled around her shoulders. She wore black boots with metal plating and her clothing had changed. She wore a black leather bra of some osrt and a long white flowing skirt. Raphael swallowed as he recognized the exact clothing that Goddess used to wear.
Donatello walked over to her and curled himself back around her legs. Donatello's bloddy clothing was replaced by black leather pants, a white tunic that exposed his arms. On Donatello's shoulder there was a black butterfly, exactly as Nightmare had under her left eye. A Blood-red cape settled around his choulders, metal arm guards appeared on his arms, shoulder guards and a silver helm appeared on his head.
Raphael looked at Leonardo and Michelangelo, but he could no longer see his brothers. He looked at his own hands and realized he was now invisible. A moment of panic rose within him, but he stomped it down. He was invisible for a reason, just as Donatello was now dressed up as a reject from a D&D game.
"It's making my skin crawl." Donatello growled as he clutched Katherine's legs closer, as if by touching her it was easing whatever effects only they seemed to notice.
"It's pissing me off." Katherine growled. Suddenly a mask of bored indifference fell over Katherine's face. She shifted position so she was negligently sitting in her throne. She now looked every inch the condescending, cold, pitiless goddess. The scenery around them changed. It looked as if they were now in an opulent throne room. Red and black banners covered the walls. Black flags were hung with a red butterfly in the middle.
"Must be Nightmare's colours." Raphael whispered as he rememberd Darkness' colours were purple, blue and black.
Donatello's eye's glinted golden-red from within the darknened helm. His mouth was set into menacing lines as a giant screen flickered to life in front of them. The image of a tall broad warrior in his later years appeared on the screen. His hair was wiry and grey, his left eye was missing and he had a long grey beard. He was dressed in a leather tunic with a wolf skin draped across his shoulder. A shield was strapped to his back, a long sword at his side.
"Hello Odin, to what do I owe the pleasure?" Katherine asked in a silky smooth voice. Her voice had gotten huskier, the full depth of it's sexuality playing along his skin.
"Nightmare." Odin said in disgust, a gleam of pure hatred and lust appearing in his eyes. He seemed to shake himself and rely on his anger to break the hold her vioice had over him. "You are being summoned to Court to answer for your crimes in front of the Council of the gods."
"Hmm, and what crimes would those be?" Katherine questioned without any change of expression. Donatello was growling low in his throat.
"Your charges will be read when you arrive." Odin said to her.
"I see. You realize that attacking my wards has not put me in a trusting mood." Katherien said dangerously.
"We would have taken you by force if we could assail Yggdrasil and break your wards. As it was, we were just knocking." Odin said trying to hold onto his temper.
"Well, I suppose that even though I have not been bored of late, I guess I can spare a moment for you Odin." She said with a sigh.
Katherine stood gracefully stepping out of Donatello's grip on her legs. She reached out her hand to Odin and was gone.
"No!" Donatello shouted at the screen.
On the screen Katherine appeared standing in a circular room. What he supposed were gods were sitting behind desks raised high up off the floor. They looked down at her. She looked around in curiosity. She did not appear to be worried.
Donatello began to pace in front of the screen.
"What's going on?" Michelangelo asked.
Donatello shook his head. 'She left me." He growled. "How am I supposed to protect her if she leaves me behind?"
They looked at their reddish-gold eyed brother. He looked back at them. "It's still me. Well, mostly." Donatello said as he looked back at the screen. Odin had begun talking.
"Nightmare. You have been brought here to answer the charges that are set out before you. How do you plead?" Odin asked her. Odin's desk was bigger then everyone else's.
"Well I have yet to hear what I have been accused of." Katherine said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"You have thwarted Fate. You saved a child's life and created for her a Destiny." Odin said seriously.
"So?" She asked.
"So, you do not know the consequences of your actions!" Odin smashed his fist down on his desk.
"No, I don't. Do you?" She asked.
"We do not know what is going to happen, but the oracles have begun predicting grave things. Universe changing things." Odin said solemnly.
"Oracles work fast." Katherine observed.
"This is not a joke!" He yelled. "The very balance of the universe has been disrupted!" Katherine shrugged. "Kill the child and those charges will be dropped." Odin said to her.
"So what other charges are there?" Katherine asked.
Odin glared but said, "You are also being charged with the theft of Yggdrasil." Odin thundered.
"Tone it down there a little god boy, I don't think everyone on Earth heard you." Katherine said to him.
"You will not make jokes. You have stolen my Tree of Life!"
"Well technically possession is 9 tenths of the law you know." Katherine said with a smile.
Raphael couldn't see what happened next, but Katherine had been cut diagonally from shoulder to hip.
"How do you plead?" Odin asked smugly.
Katherine smiled as her wound closed. "Your Tree chose someone who was not so weak. If you could have held the Tree, it would not have been searching for a new Master. You have Asgard, why should you wish the Tree?" Nightmare asked. "Oh that's right, because it isn't just a Tree. It had become so much more than just a Tree. It binds the Earth, Hell and Heaven together, of course it always did this, but now, it holds Power. Huge amounts of Power, because the Tree has become not just Yggdrasil, which was just one tree, It has become The Tree, and as such, holds all of the magic in the world, and with the magic, all of the belief in the world. And we all know gods are nothing without belief. Without belief you cease to be what you are."
"How do you plead?" Odin growled.
Katherine shrugged. "I will not kill the child, and I did not steal the Tree." She said. "Now if that is all dealt with..." She began.
"You are nothing!" Odin roared as he stood up.
"Does Heaven know you have dragged me here Odin?" She questioned.
"The authority of Heaven means nothing here!" He bellowed.
"I'll take that as a no then." Katherine said with a shake of her head. "Heaven isn't going to be happy."
"You are nothing but a small weak deity, at best. You are no god, and just because you rule Hell does not mean that you have any power over us!" Odin yelled.
"If I am such a powerless, insignificant deity, then why haven't you taken Yggdrasil back?" She asked innocently.
Odin glared down at her. "You have been charged and in my ruling found guilty on all charges." Odin said in a low steady voice.
Raphael hung onto Odin's every word. "You Bastard!" Raphael yelled at the screen.
"As punishment for your crimes, and mockery you have made of our proceedings today. I sentence you to Destruction." He smiled menacingly.
"No!" Raphael screamed at the screen.
"Nightmare I bind you with your name to this place. I hold you here." Odin said as golden chains lashed out restraining her.
The rest of the gods stood as one. "I wondered why you brought out all of your heavy hitters today." Katherine said mockingly.
"Your Destruction will give me great pleasure." All of the god's hands rose as one and the light became blinding. There was silence and then the sound of ripping, tearing, and carnage. The sound of an explosion powerful enough to destroy a god.
Raphael fell to his knees in horror. Donatello let out a cry like a wounded animal. Leonardo and Michelangelo screamed in anguish.
But...Raphael's eyes snapped open. He still existed. He looked at the screen as the smoke cleared.
Katherine stood in the center of the circle that had been created to hold in the power and bind Katherine to the spot. "Well that was interesting. Not very fun, but interesting." She said to the shocked faces of the gods. She smiled then, but it was a menacing smile.
"How are you still alive!" Odin said in horror. "We have cut off your power, bound you within the circle. You should not still exist." He whispered.
"Funny how that seems to happen." Katherine said with a smile. "Now if you will excuse me. Unlike you gods, I actually have things to do." She said brushing off the golden chains and stepping out of the circle as if it were nothing to her.
"It's impossible." Odin said in shock. "We bound you by your name."
Katherine laughed. "It interests me to watch you struggle so. I have always found it amusing."
"You are nothing but a young upstart. You've spent most of your time in Hell. You are nothing but a new blip that has appeared on the radar of Earth."
"Wow, you know what radar is, nice job, keeping up with the times and all, always a good idea." She smiled.
Whatever it was that had cut her before was now twirled around her hands. It looked like a golden whip, wielded by Odin.
Katherine smirked. "One day you may thank me. Perhaps not." Katherine said as she pulled Odin from behind the desk. "But until that day comes," Katherine crouched down and pulled Odin close. "Know this. For me, you have only existed on this planet for an insignificant tiny, blip of time. I was old when the Earth was nothing but a mass of rock flying through space. I was old when life happened to other planets, not this one. Now, I have better things to do with my time than listen to the accusations of gods who care more about themselves than the people they are supposed to rule." With that she let go of Odin and stood. "Oh and by the way. I think I can hear the flapping of angel wings. I think Heaven is not very happy with you. You see, Heaven actually likes me." Katherine said with a cruel smile.
Thoughts, opinions?