Chapter Eight: Red on You

Flynn walked. It was all he could do, but he had to move frustratingly slow. He had no sense of time in the dark, wet cave, but his legs had grown weary. He had to perform an awkward high-stepping march or drag them against the flowing water. The water only reached just above his ankles, but after a while it grew tiring and in the silence of the cave, every splashing footstep sounded like thunder. The closest he could come to vision was varying shades of black and the moist air made his whole body feel cold and damp.

How was he going to find a skeleton down here? This was a stupid idea. She had probably been pushed to the back of the cave, but he had no way to be sure. He didn't even know for sure that finding her body would fix everything. What if all they found was a pile of bones, and no ghost to be seen? What if they did find her ghost, but she couldn't get Yuri back? All their hopes rode on this goose chase into the dark and he had no idea what they'd do if it didn't pan out.

A long, shrill screech jolted him out of his thoughts. It was so sharp it set his teeth on edge and made him clap his hands over his ears. It was like scraping a fork against the bottom of a pot, but drawn out and amplified by the cave. The only image he could put to it was Bram dragging the knife against the wall, sparks flying as metal screamed against rock. The sound bounced around the passages, seeming to come from every direction at once.

Flynn hastily moved on, praying it hadn't originated from in front of him. The screech had rejuvenated his desperation, and he started to run. It was stupid, because going fast would make it almost impossible to find Karina, but he couldn't bring himself to slow down. There was a murderer lurking in these caves trying to kill him, and he could be closing in on him as he thought. Panic forced him forward and water splashed up his legs.

Splash! Splash! Splash! Running quietly was impossible. He just wanted out of these awful tunnels! His footsteps splashed, and then he stumbled on a rock hidden under the water. The lack of friction caused his entire body to twist and he dropped to his knees with a crash of water. The cold stabbed his hands and soaked through his knees while the echo of the splash continued to bounce down the tunnel.

Was that an echo of his own splashing, or was it someone else not too far away? His chest froze, but it had nothing to do with the icy water drenching his sleeves and lower legs. He wanted desperately to leap to his feet, but he stayed perfectly still and analyzed the sounds.

That… was definitely footsteps. Someone was walking slowly through the water, but was it Bram or Estelle?

Flynn rose to his feet, moving slowly. The sound was coming from behind him, but he had no way to know if it was Bram coming to kill him, or Estelle who'd looped around to his path. It was too late to hope that whoever it was didn't know he was here, because he'd already risen a ruckus crashing around. Hesitantly, he called out, "Lady Estellise? Is that you?"

His heart hammered as he waited for a response. What he got instead another earsplitting grind of metal. That was not Estelle.

He fought the urge to bolt. There would be turns and branches further ahead, but if he ran, Bram would hear his footsteps easily and be able to follow. He'd have to go as slowly as he could to make his steps discreet. Slowly, cautiously, he pulled his foot from the water and slipped it back in. Water plopped but it didn't make an obvious splash. He swallowed a nervous lump and moved again. His focus on silence made every drip of water from his soaking clothes sound like a cymbal.

Flynn's fingers brushed the frozen rock wall. In the absence of reliable sight, he needed touch to find a branching path. The wall provided support as he wobbled on one foot from taking slow, lengthy strides. He had to move slow, so he tried to make every step count. Every instinct screamed at him to run, run, run, but he held fast to his reasoning and refused to give in. Stealth was the key, so his trembling legs slowly slipped into the water one at a time. He just hoped Bram couldn't hear his loud drags for air. The tunnel curved, but he hadn't come to a fork yet. There had to be one soon. Forcing himself to walk slowly made every second seem like a century and he was certain that any second now, Bram would appear right behind him.

Light reached across the rocky walls and made the incoming tide glimmer. Flynn jerked his head around and saw pale orange light spreading around the bend. Bram, at least, had thought to grab the lantern. His splashing steps were so close now. Any second Bram would come around the curve and make a run for Flynn. If only he could come to a fork and slip away, but there was nowhere to run. Unless - there!

Light from behind reached a patch of shadow darker than the rest. It was a tunnel meandering off the one he was following, and maybe it would be his salvation. Flynn rushed to it as quick as he dared. Making noise was unavoidable, but he tried to make every splash as quiet as possible.

Then a torrent of splashes surged toward him. Flynn whipped his head around and then took off when he saw Bram sprinting toward him. The light bounced chaotically around the walls, making Flynn dizzy. The water felt like quicksand as it sucked at his feet and tried to drag him down. The mild resistance offered by the water might as well have been anvils strapped to his feet now that his life depended on it.

Flynn made it to the fork and kept running. He hadn't wanted to engage in a fight, because with his sword he had no way to guarantee he wouldn't fatally wound Yuri. He could practically feel Bram's breath on the back of his neck and he knew he wasn't going to outrun him. He reached for the sword as he ran and then something thudded against his back, just below his shoulder. He whipped his sword out and managed to spin around.

The flat of the sword smashed into Bram and knocked him away. "Get back!" Then he noticed the blood coating Bram's knife and the dull throb settling into his right shoulder. His arm shook as the throb began to grow in intensity.

Bram smirked at him in a disturbingly Yuri-like way. "You wouldn't stab your buddy, would you?"

"Yuri can take a beating. I'm sure he won't be too upset if his body's been kicked around a bit when he wakes up." His breathing started to quicken. The throbbing grew fiercer and fire shot down his right arm and raced through the back. The sword wavered and he struggled to focus on the enemy in front of him when the wound in his back was screaming for his attention.

Then Bram struck. His knife swished through the air and water splattered around his feet. Flynn tried to swing his sword to block, but the sudden movement caused the pain to skyrocket and the sword slipped from his hand with a gasp. Flynn dropped to his knees and barely avoided the knife whizzing over his head. Shaking hands swept through the icy water as he struggled to find his sword. Bram set his lantern on a boulder and Flynn grasped for the shimmer of steel underwater. He had almost reached it when Bram punched him in the face and kicked him in the gut.

Flynn hit the water with a splash. Salt burned the already fiery wound and then Bram leapt at him. Water stung his eyes but Flynn's foot lashed out and landed with a satisfying thump. Bram fell to the ground beside him and Flynn started getting up. Based on how much of Bram's knife had been coated, the wound must be deep. His heart thudded and his whole body felt electrified. Adrenaline was keeping him going now, but it wouldn't be able to hold back the effects of blood loss for too much longer and he needed to get out of here before he lost his strength.

Pain slashed across his calf and he cried out. His leg collapsed and he fell back down. This wound was long but not deep, but the salty water amplified the burning. Water churned as Bram threw himself at Flynn. The knife sank beneath Flynn's ribs and Bram kept pushing it in to pin Flynn to the ground as he brought his leg up and straddled him.

"Well, well, looks like the mighty commandant isn't so mighty after all."

"Bram," Flynn panted, "listen to me. I don't know what your grievance with me is, but I'm sure we can work it out."

"I don't think so." With his free hand, he grabbed Flynn's hair and twisted his head to the side.

Flynn didn't have a chance to hold his breath before his face was forced under water. Only his ear was still above the water line, but only just. Ripples from his thrashing sent a trickle of water to his ear. His right arm was too painful to move, so he grabbed Bram's wrist with his left and tried to pull it away so he could breathe.

"You're the one who destroyed the Adephagos. Why did you do it then!? That thing was in the sky for weeks! And then you finally got rid of it that night. It's all your fault! Why did you wait so long!?"

Flynn's lungs begged for air. He'd already swallowed some seawater in his thrashing and the salt burned his eyes. He was going to drown in less than half a foot of water. His hand clenched around Bram's wrist and he jerked, just hard enough to give him the strength to pull his head out of the water. Flynn gasped for air and tried to ignore the agony in his back and ribs. "I'm sorry!" he panted. "I did… the best… I could…." He wasn't even the one who'd taken care of the Adephagos, but Bram neither knew nor cared.

"This could all have been avoided!" There were tears in Bram's eyes now but Flynn couldn't spare any sympathy when he twisted the knife while pulling it out.

Flynn screamed and struggled to throw him off. "Yuri… Yuri, I know you're still there… you can fight this." He was losing too much blood. It wouldn't be more than a minute or two before he lacked the strength to fight back at all.

The tip of Bram's knife poked Flynn's throat. Flynn tried to remain completely motionless while still catching his breath from near-drowning. The already-bloody knife poked his skin, so mildly he couldn't feel the pain over the agony in his other wounds. Bram tightened his grip on the knife and squeezed his eyes so hatred oozed out. He pulled back the knife and Flynn turned his head away, bracing himself for the slash to his throat.

Instead, the knife sank into the side of his chest. It must have just barely missed his lung because he could still breathe, but the shock unleashed another scream.

"I'm not going to kill you so easily, Commandant," the title came out filled with derision. "Not until you've suffered like your inaction made me suffer."

Flynn ground his teeth and scrapped his fingers against the rocky ground. He'd lost too much blood to mount a counter-attack, but he could still sneer. "You suffer? W-what about your f-f-family? How much did you m-make them suffer!?"

With a cry of rage, Bram slammed Flynn's head against the ground. If the water hadn't broken the impact, it probably would have cracked his skull. As it was, Flynn's vision blurred and his head throbbed.

"You don't don't understand anything! It wasn't my fault!"

Sure, it wasn't his fault he'd murdered his family. Flynn was just certain his reasons were totally justifiable. Through the haze of pain, all he managed to spit out was, "You child-murdering piece of shit."

When the knife came to rest in his stomach, even Bram's wail of rage didn't drown out Flynn's scream.

Estelle took her time moving through the cave. She needed to move slowly and carefully to properly scan for any sign of Karina's remains, as well as to not alert Bram to her location. It was frustrating to walk so carefully, but after a childhood spent trying to sneak around overseers on squeaky floors, she was quite good at walking silently.

She carefully placed one foot in front of the other, using the wall as a guide through the darkness. She was so focused on her task that when someone behind her spoke, she jumped.

"Estelle!"

Estelle whipped around with a splash. "Lucy! What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't find Yuri so I came back to apologize and then followed you down here. What are you doing?"

Estelle struggled to explain. The good news was that Lucy faintly glowed, enabling Estelle to see better than before. "We think we can find your mommy down here. But, your daddy is also down here and he's very angry so we need to be quiet. I think the reason you couldn't find Yuri is because your dad took over his body."

"Oh no." Lucy covered her face. "I didn't know he could do that. I'm really sorry, Estelle."

"It's ok." It wasn't, but now wasn't the time to get mad at her. "Do you want to help me find Mommy?"

She dropped her hands and grinned. "Oh, yes!"

"Ok, now stay close to me and be very quite."

Lucy nodded and then splashed onward. "Where do you think she is?"

Estelle winced at how loud her voice was. Sound carried well in these tunnels, and she didn't fancy meeting Bram. "I don't know, but we're going to play a game, ok? We have to see who can be the sneakiest."

"Sneakiest?"

Estelle nodded. "Like a ninja. You know, from stories? I don't know if you'll be able to be as quiet as me, but you can try."

"Oh, I can! I-" she gasped and covered her mouth, then nodded quickly and smiled. She took another step, and this time her foot didn't even sink into the water. Tiny ripples spread from her feet with every weightless step. Good, at least she was quiet.

With Lucy to light up the tunnel, Estelle could move faster. She didn't have to worry about tripping or hurting herself, and she was confident she wasn't missing any sign of Karina. When they reached a branch in the path, Estelle started to go one way but Lucy grabbed her skirt and tugged.

"We should go this way."

"Hm? Why do you say that?"

"She's this way."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Estelle had no other sense of direction down here but random guesses, so following Lucy was as good as taking a stab in the dark. They crossed to the other branch and continued their journey. The water was steadily getting higher. When they arrived, it had been as high as her ankles but now it was creeping up her calves. The good news was that even though they couldn't rely on footprints to follow out, the constant influx of waves told her what direction the entrance was in. When it came time to leave, they could just follow the tide. They'd only be in trouble if they stayed here long enough that the tide went out again and left nothing but sandy ground with no trace of footprints.

"When we find Mommy, is everything going to be ok?"

Estelle nodded. "Yes. We're going to make everything all right."

"And… Mommy isn't going to hurt me, is she?"

Estelle glanced down at her with a frown. He heart ached to think that her father's betrayal had damaged her trust in her parents so badly. "No, of course not."

"Ok, good. Because… because I really want to see her again. Even though it's scary, she - she's my mommy. And I miss her."

"Of course you do. That makes complete sense." Estelle stroked the back of Lucy's head and they came to another turn.

"I'm afraid she might be mad at me 'cause I didn't do what I was told that night."

"Don't be ridiculous. Your mother loves you very much and she would never be mad at you for what happened. Which way now?"

"Uh…" Lucy thought for a moment, then grabbed Estelle's hand and hurried to the right.

Estelle let Lucy guide her through the darkness. It was comforting to feel like she had some semblance of a guide, even if Lucy was just going off her gut instincts. The buzz of intangible energy in her hand reminded her that Lucy was definitely not restricted to normal human abilities. Perhaps she could sense Karina's energy somehow.

They'd been walking for about ten minutes when a blood-curdling scream echoed through the tunnels. It bounced off the walls and Lucy pressed against Estelle's leg. Estelle's throat tightened and she whispered, "Flynn."

"W-what was that?"

Estelle took a slow breath. Panicking wouldn't help anybody. It would just set Lucy off, and she needed Lucy calm and rational to guide her. Besides, running toward the scream in a desperate rage wouldn't help Flynn or Yuri. She needed to stay focused on her mission. "I… I think your daddy caught up with Flynn."

Lucy gasped and tugged Estelle's hand. "We hafta save him! He's your family, you said. You hafta help your family."

"The best way we can help him is to find Mommy. She's the only one who can stop your Daddy now. Can you find her really fast?" Stay calm for Lucy. Stay collected for Flynn. If Bram had caught him, saving both him and Yuri was up to her. She just prayed Flynn was still alive by the time they found Karina.

"We can't go fast, though, 'cause the quiet game."

Now that she knew Bram was with Flynn, staying quiet was useless. "You already won. You were so quiet and I was so impressed. Now we need to play the speed game and go as fast as we can."

"Ok! I can win that one, too!"

"You have to keep holding my hand, though." Just to make sure she didn't teleport far ahead.

Lucy bobbed her head and they took off. Estelle's skirt was soaked with water, but all she could focus on was the echo of that scream. Flynn must be in so much pain. They careened around corners, following some path that only Lucy could detect. They went as fast as they could, but every time Estelle thought about Flynn she felt like they were wading through pudding.

"There! She's right ahead!"

Estelle didn't see anything but a stone wall. As they ran closer, the light radiating from Lucy glinted off a mountain of glass bottles half buried in sand. The tunnel floor slope upward to a beach of damp sand, though that was hardly visible under the debris. They must have reached the back of the cave, where the majority of the flotsam ended up. When they got closer, Estelle realized that one of the bottles wasn't a bottle at all, but the back of a smooth skull. Karina.

"Lucy, stay back." She didn't need to see her mom's remains up close. Lucy obliged and hovered a few yards away while Estelle closed in on the pile of debris. She pushed some sand and bits of driftwood away and exposed the skull, washed clean by the sea. Now what? They'd counted on her appearing when they found the skeleton, but what was their plan if that didn't work? How would she ever save Flynn and Yuri? Please, Karina, we need you. Her hand rested on the smooth dome of the skull.

A shock raced through her hand and then light flashed in the dark tunnel. Estelle whirled around and came face to face with a glowing woman standing on the water. She had a heart-shaped face and long, chestnut hair, and she smiled when she looked at Estelle. "Thank you for bringing my daughter to me."

"Mommy!" Lucy shouted, but she held back. Estelle had assumed the girl would bolt to her mom's side the moment she appeared, but she was still frightened that her mother was mad at her. Estelle could see the nervous fear in her eyes and it broke her heart.

"Karina, we need your help. Your husband has possessed my friend Yuri and he's trying to kill my other friend. Can you do anything to stop him? Please?"

Karina tilted her head curiously. "Who are you?"

Estelle squeezed her fists together, trying not to grow impatient. Flynn could by dying right now. "My name is Estellise Sidos Heurassein. I'm here with my friends Yuri Lowell and Flynn Scifo. They're in trouble!"

Karina's eyes widened in recognition. "Flynn Scifo? The commandant?"

"That's right!"

"He's her family," Lucy put in proudly. "That's why we hafta save him."

"If Bram is possessing a human host, there is little I can do in this form. I can force his spirit into the afterlife, but I will need a physical vessel to hold him still. Estellise, will you lend me your body?"

She hesitated, but only for a moment. Another distant scream echoed through the cave and her decision was made. Anything to help her boys. "Yes."

Karina smiled. "Good. Then clear your mind and relax. This will not be painful."

Estelle closed her eyes and tried to calm down. It was hard to calm her mind when it kept trying to worry about Flynn and Yuri, but she took a deep breath and forced herself to relax. A cold hand, tingly with unearthly energy, brushed her chest. The energy swelled and then she felt cold rush into her body. She gasped, and then her vision blacked out.

Estelle blinked a few times, and when she came to her senses, she found herself sitting on a couch. Wait, what? Where was the cave? Where was Flynn? She tried to look around, but her head wouldn't move. Her eyes were locked on a needlepoint project in her hands, and her fingers carefully fed the thread through the cloth. Except, those weren't her fingers and she wasn't consciously controlling them.

There was a thud, and her body moved beyond her control to look in its direction. She was in the living room of the house, and a very alive Bram Caverly stomped through the door. "You're home late," her mouth said with a voice that wasn't her own.

And then she understand. This must be Karina's memory, one so powerful and hot on her mind that when her spirit merged into Estelle's body, Estelle's mind shared a piece of it.

"We were drinking," Bram grumbled.

"I figured as much." Karina set her needlepoint down and walked to the foyer. "What were the boys at the bar going on about this time?"

Bram snorted and crossed his arms. "What else? That blasted mess is still in the sky. What else is there to worry about?"

"Hm…" Karina turned around to gaze at the view out the back windows. The sky was dark, but she could faintly see the warbling tubes across the sky.

She stared, clearly in deep thought. Estelle didn't know what about, but she had become very nervous about what she was going to witness in this memory. This must be the night they died. If only there was a way to skip through it, because the thought of watching the night through Karina's eyes was too horrible. To have to witness her own daughter murdered by her husband…

"Bram, I've been thinking."

"What about?"

"Do you remember what I said about the catastrophe this morning?" She turned back around.

Bram nodded slowly. "You said it looked like the end of days."

"You agree with me, don't you?"

He frowned, and then heaved a sigh. "It's what everybody's saying. I don't know what to believe. The Knights keep saying to stay calm."

"They've been saying that for weeks and it isn't getting better, and there are those reports of people growing sickly and ill. That massive building appeared in the ocean, Aspio was destroyed, the commandant went berserk, giant bird monsters sighted in Dahngrest, whole new land masses formed out of crystal… the world is going to hell, Bram."

He nodded. "It's certainly looking that way."

Karina took a deep breath. "I've made my decision. I'm not going to wait around for some cataclysmic disaster to destroy us. I won't have Lucy suffer that way. The world ending, Bram, and it's only going to get worse from here. We cannot allow our daughter to suffer the end of days."

Bram frowned in confusion. "What?"

"Kill her gently, and then kill ourselves before the apocalypse begins in earnest."

"What?!"

Estelle shared his shock. What?

"You can't be serious!" Bram shouted.

"It's the only logical thing. It's like killing a dying pet to save them from further suffering.

Bram gaped at her. "A pet? You're talking about our daughter!"

"If you do it out of love for the pet, then you should be even more willing to do it out of love for your child! I don't want her to suffer the end of the world. I don't want to suffer the end of the world. We should die in peace before it gets any worse."

"I can't believe you're even suggesting this, Karina. The answer is no. There's that new commandant kid who's trying to fix this."

"Something Scifo, yes, I know." Karina crossed her arms and stood her ground. "So far he hasn't done anything. The last commandant was no good so I wouldn't be surprised if this one is just as bad. How do we know he isn't responsible for keeping it in the sky?"

Bram rubbed the side of his head. "I don't believe it. It doesn't matter. We'll make it through this as a family, together."

Karina glared at him for a tense moment, and then turned her head away. "Fine. I'm going to go put Lucy to bed."

Every stomping steps up the stairs was a testament to how furious she was at Bram's decision, but Estelle didn't share an ounce of that fury. She didn't know what was going on. Why was Bram the one advocating for not killing Lucy?

Karina entered Lucy's room, which was the same room Estelle was currently staying in. Lucy sat on the floor, pushing toy carts around wooden figurines. "Lucy, it's time for bed."

"One sec," Lucy said, eyes fixed on her game.

Karina knelt before her end brushed hair out of her eyes. "It's already past your bedtime."

Lucy looked up. "Is Daddy going to tuck me in?"

Karina smiled. "Not tonight. Now get to bed."

Lucy heaved a sigh. She was already in her night gown and ready for bed, so she crawled under her blanket. Karina sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her hair. "I love you, Lucy."

"I love you, too, Mommy."

Karina smiled, but her eyes were sad. She reached out for the extra pillow, and Estelle silently screamed. No, no, no, this isn't right, don't do it, NO.

The reassuring smile didn't leave Karina's lips as she pressed the pillow over Lucy's face. Lucy squirmed and kicked, but the pillow muffled her screams. Not enough that Estelle couldn't hear them at all, though. Estelle couldn't feel her own body, but she knew her heart would be racing. This wasn't supposed to be happening. Bram killed Lucy and Karina, didn't he? Her mind raced as she tried to remember if Lucy had ever explicitly said her dad was the one who killed her.

"Karina." The door pushed open. "Do you want to talk about - what are you doing!?"

"Go away," Karina said calmly.

Bram's feet pounded across the floor and then he grabbed Karina and ripped her away from Lucy. "Get off her!" His voice thundered with fury.

"Stay out of this!" Karina shrieked. "I'm doing what's best for her!"

Lucy, gasping for air and panic in her eyes, leapt of the bed and dashed for the door.

"Lucy!" Karina shouted. "You stay right here!" She got to her feet and ran after Lucy, but Bram wrenched her arm back.

"Lucy, go hide!"

Estelle tried to block out the events and get out of the memory. This wasn't what she expected and the idea that this awful woman who'd tried to kill Lucy was now possessing her body terrified her. What had she gotten herself into? Karina and Bram were still yelling, their voices rising with every exchange. Estelle didn't need to hear the exact words. What could be gained from listening to two people argue the relative merits of child murder?

Then Karina was running down the stairs. She'd managed to trip Bram, leaving him sprawled on the floor, and she dashed across the foyer to the kitchen. "Lucy?! Lucy, where are you?!" She glanced around but there was no sign of the girl. Then her eyes landed on the carving knife left on the counter and she snatched it up.

Footsteps pounded down the stairs. Karina ran back to the foyer and slipped into the front room just as Bram reach the base of the stairs. She shoved a heavy table in front of the doors and then turned to face the room. Bram's weight crashed against the door with a flurry of fists.

"Karina! Karina, think this over! You don't have to do it! Please!" His bellowing voice was hoarse with a painful edge of desperation.

"Lucy?" Karina called softly. "Are you in here, darling?"

"Lucy!" Bram pounded the door. "Lucy, get out of there! Come out, Lucy! Go out the window! Please, darling, run!"

Karina crossed the room like cat hunting a mouse.

Please, no, Estelle silently cried. She couldn't even close her eyes.

A blanket draped over the back of the couch. Karina walked up to it and yanked it away. Lucy yelped and curled into a tighter ball, her eyes screwed shut.

Karina smiled down at her. "Don't be afraid. I'm doing this to help you. I love you, darling."

She grabbed Lucy's arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Ah! Mommy, let go, that hurts!"

Karina raised the knife and Bram's pounding on the door became increasingly frantic. The wood splintered and the table threatened to fall over.

"Karina! No! Stay away from my daughter! STOP!"

The knife flashed on its way toward Lucy. A voiceless scream echoed through Estelle's mind, joined by Lucy's high-pitched wail and Bram's agonized bellow. Blood splattered everywhere - on Lucy, on Karina, on the wall and the couch and all over the floor. Lucy's hands flailed in a useless effort to stop it. All Estelle could see was red, and her ears rang with the horrific screams of a dying child until those turned into chokes and gasps.

When Lucy stopped moving, Estelle had never felt a silence so heavy. Her eyes filled with tears she couldn't shed and even though the memory had moved on and Karina was now walking slowly to the door, the image of Lucy's small body covered in blood remained burned in Estelle's mind.

Karina moved the table and Bram burst into the room. He took one look at the tiny, blood-covered hand visible behind the couch and screamed.

"What have you done?!"

"It's for the best. I wanted to do it more gently but you interrupted."

"HOW COULD YOU?" Bram's face was red and glistened with streaks of tears.

Karina calmly ignored him and pushed past him. Bram ran across the room, probably to see if there was any chance Lucy was still alive. In the kitchen, Karina washed the knife and her hands in the sink. Then, moving by rote, she fetched a length of rope from the pantry. She probably planned to kill herself.

Estelle couldn't stop a vile, hateful voice whispering, good.

Bram appeared in the doorway, shoulders shaking with either rage or despair, or perhaps a bit of both. His fury had turned into an icy whisper. "How could you?"

"I spared her from future misery. We should do the same. I have no interest in waiting around for the end of the world.

Bram just stared at her, and then an unintelligible roar escaped his throat as he stampeded toward her.

Karina gasped, "Bram!" and then ran away. She dashed across the living room and out the back porch, Bram right behind her. A few steps across the lawn, Bram grabbed the ribbon around the waist of her skirt and ripped it off. He tossed it aside and kept running. Karina screamed as he grabbed her and kicked to escape his bear-like arms. "Let go of me!"

"You witch! You detestable witch! How could you do that to our daughter!?"

Karina screamed and smashed her heel into his instep. This gave her a chance to break free and she ran forward. She ran straight up the outcrop and stopped at the tip. Below her, the ocean raged against the cliff while in front of her, a Bram so full of primal rage it caused his muscles to shake stalked toward her. Estelle really couldn't tell which of those was a more powerful force of nature.

"Are you going to kill me?" Karina said.

Bram didn't answer. Estelle doubted he even knew. Rational thought had left his mind, so it wouldn't be forced to coherently deal with the tragedy he'd witnessed.

"I love you, Bram. All I wanted was to meet death on my own terms. I can't force you to, but I recommend you follow suit." She turned, took a long look at the black sea below, and jumped.

Karina marched through the cave. It took Estelle almost a full minute to fully realize where she was and what had happened. The memory had played itself out and now Karina was controlling her body. After what Estelle had just seen, the idea of letting Karina control her seemed far from preferable.

Stop! she mentally shouted. Go away!

If Karina heard her, she didn't pay any heed. Lucy followed at a safe distance, while Karina followed the sounds of shouts and moans toward Flynn.

Maybe this would be ok. After all, Karina had clearly shown she was willing to take drastic measures to achieve her goal. Except that Estelle could feel Karina's intentions boiling over her mind and flowing into Estelle's, and what she felt was hatred. Hatred for Flynn, the commandant who let the Adephagos reign for weeks and failed to protect his people. The man who drove her to kill her daughter. He needed to pay for his sins.

No. This couldn't be happening. Estelle heard Flynn and Yuri's voices getting louder but the thought of reaching them now filled her with fear. Karina planned to kill Flynn and then take Lucy to the afterlife, but Estelle had no idea if Yuri was expected to survive. She tried to stop her feet from moving until her mind strained, but Karina had full control and moved ruthlessly forward.

And what about Lucy? Estelle had no idea what the afterlife was like, but she could tell that Karina believed she and Lucy would be together forever there. If Karina was the one who took Lucy into the afterlife, Lucy would be forced to spend eternity with the woman who'd so violently murdered her. Estelle's despair at how helpless she was to protect the people she cared about physically pained her.

Light glowed ahead and Estelle heard splashes. They were getting close. She fought hard to regain control of her body and she thought she felt herself shake her head, but then Karina regained control. Estelle took this as a positive sign, though, and kept trying to force her way to the front. She needed to get Karina out before she could hurt Flynn and Yuri.

A shadow grew on the wall in front of them, and then the caster crawled into view. Flynn slowly reached his shaking arms forward, reaching for something under the water. His sword, perhaps. Blood streaked down his face and his whole body heaved for breath. Bram strolled beside him with a cunning smirk that looked both familiar and terrifyingly foreign on Yuri's face. That was the look Yuri should be giving to en enemy, not Flynn. Bram's foot slammed into Flynn's ribs with a crunch and Flynn collapsed on his side.

When Karina approached, Bram looked up. "Oh, so the princess has decided to join us. How nice. You're just in time to see me gut this knight like a fish. Don't worry, sweetheart, I'll get to you next."

Flynn heaved himself up so he leaned against the wall. He was so thoroughly soaked it was hard to tell what was water and water was blood, but he was clearly hanging on by a thread. "No…" he groaned. "Don't… hurt… Estelle…."

Karina ignored him. "Not now, Bram."

The tone of her voice stopped him. Bram wasn't worried about Flynn getting up and took a moment to pass his eyes over her, taking in her expression and posture, and then asked, "Karina?"

"For now."

"Daddy!" Lucy shoved Karina out of the way and toward Flynn. "You hafta stop, Daddy!" She stood in front of Flynn and spread her arms. "He's Estelle's family and I don't want her to be sad!"

Bram scowled at her. "Get out of the way, Lucy. You don't understand what's going on."

"No, I don't!" her voice rose in volume and pitch. "You and Mommy have been so mean! Mommy hurt me and then you were really scary and yelly and then you tried to hurt Estelle. Estelle's the only one who's been nice to me at all! I love her and I love you but she's nicer and you need to stop!"

"This isn't the time, Lucy." Karina strode forward.

"You stay away from her!" Bram left Flynn bleeding out and rushed toward Karina. "You already harmed her once and I won't let you hurt her again."

Karina dodged the knife and stuck out her foot. Helped by the water, Bram stumbled and fell forward. The knife fell from his wet hand and disappeared under the tide.

"You're a coward," Karina spat and then kicked him in the face. Bram clutched his nose with a shout and then Karina spotted the glint of metal under the water. She grabbed the knife before Bram could reach it. "I was willing to do whatever necessary to give us a peaceful ending, but you chickened out. You betrayed us!"

"Me?!" Bram glared at over the hand clutching his nose. "You killed our daughter!"

Karina spun around and faced Lucy, cowering next to Flynn. It looked like Flynn had been talking to her, but his voice was too weak for Estelle to hear. As another surge of tide rushed forward, Karina approached Flynn and crouched. Her dress swirled in the water like smoke. "You let us down."

Flynn's face had been slammed against the wall, making blood flow from from his hairline. It clung to his bangs and glued them to his forehead, while he struggled to keep his eyes open through his exhaustion and the sticky blood dripping around his eyelids. "Estelle," his whispered. "Please…"

From this close, Estelle could see all the rips in his clothes and the blood pooling up. The tip of the knife trailed down his chest as Karina considered her options. "On my way to the sea, I looked up at the sky. Do you know what I saw?"

"Mommy," Lucy tugged her arm, "Mommy, stop, we need to help him. He's hurt real bad."

"Not now, Lucy!" Her eyes never left Flynn's face. "I saw thousands of lights fill the sky, and I realized that the calamity was ending. In that one second before I hit the rocks, I realized that it was all… pointless. I did what I had to do to save my family, but you rendered that sacrifice useless."

"Es…telle," he choked out. "C-come back…"

She was trying. Every fibre of her being focused on her arm and willed it to pull the knife away from Flynn, but Karina was too strong. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Bram, hanging back. Apparently he was willing to let Karina finish Flynn off for him, or perhaps he was too hesitant to get near her while holding the knife.

Karina pulled the knife back and readied to finish Flynn off. NO! Estelle fought to regain control and she felt resistance as Karina brought the knife forward, but it wasn't enough. A scream rattled through her mind as the knife slammed into Flynn's chest. She was still screaming when Karina pulled her hand away, stood up, and turned to Lucy. She was going to take her out of this world now, to a place where they could be together in death forever.

Lucy's eyes bulged and she stumbled backward. Her eyes darted between Karina and Flynn, who was gasping for breath and trying to quell the blood with his already-coated hands. "M-Mommy, why? He was her friend!"

Karina didn't speak, but it was then that Estelle realized the scream wasn't only in her mind. Her shriek echoed off the walls while Karina reached for Lucy. The girl panted in fear while Bram started moving again. Estelle couldn't control her body but for this moment she had recaptured her voice.

"Lucy! Stay away!" she screamed, immediately followed by, "Bram! Bram, you have to protect Lucy! Karina is going to take her away!"

Understanding snapped across his face and Bram charged. Water turned white around his flurried steps and Karina had one second to raise the knife to defend herself. Estelle snapped her mind to that arm and managed to slow it down enough for Bram to grab her wrist and wrench the knife from her hand. He embraced her as Karina kicked and punched to escape his grip.

"Not this time," Bram hissed. "I won't let you harm Lucy ever again."

"Let go!" Karina screamed. "Why must you interfere!? I thought you loved me!"

His grip tightened and he whispered, "I thought I did."

Estelle felt the energy leave her like a weight lifting from her chest. Blinding light filled the tunnel and Karina screamed again, but this time Estelle's voice wasn't forced to contain it. The light faded, and Estelle took a few long breaths. She wiggled her fingers and delighted in the control, and then felt the arms around her stiffen. She looked up to see pure horror consume Yuri's face for about one second before his grip slackened and he fainted, hitting the water with a crash.

A wheezing gasp for air kicked her into motion and she ran to Flynn's side, dropping to her knees so quickly they hurt. She didn't even stop to speak before flooding the tunnel with healing light. She spent at least five minutes carefully tending to each of Flynn's wounds and making sure they were all closed. His face was ashen and his grip on consciousness was tenuous, but by the end of the five minutes, she was satisfied that he was alive and would stay that way.

Estelle turned and leaned against the wall next to Flynn. She didn't even care that the cold water soaked her to the waist. Lucy sat on top of the water, her face unreadable as she curled into a ball. Yuri lay in the water, his face an inch above the surface. His chest moved in slow breaths, alive but utterly exhausted.

That described all of them, really. They had survived. Bram and Karina had moved on. Lucy was safe. Despite the victory, all Estelle could manage to do was grip her knees and sob.