Cassandra watched in shock as the stray fly buzzed around the dimly lit dungeon. Her mind struggled to comprehend what had just transpired. There was no way that insect could have come out of her. After all this time, did her powers finally begin to manifest?
If so, what could the cause have been, she thought?
That was when her eyes glanced down at the pool of blood that had formed around the head of Falena's corpse.
The blood…
That had to have been the only explanation. If fawn blood was able to trigger the dormant powers that resided inside Narratha's body, then would the substance be the key to her own? Milo's vials utilized the same compound, which allowed it to temporarily disable the magic within them. Olisha had spoken about the effects that it had, though not every fawn who consumed it would have found anything else besides delirium.
Cassandra also knew that she was a special case. Lia had said it herself: The realms filtered enhanced qualities between universes. The brunette's passage through death had cleansed her of everything she had once had, yet, the cadou inside her head was also dormant. Surrounded by piles of frozen and fused flies, there was no way her body was completely back to normal.
While she was human again, the parasite would always be a part of her. If it had been removed, so would half of her brain. That could only mean that the creature was also still alive – just without power.
After everything that she had been through, Cassandra did not want to have anything to do with the qualities of her old life. The blood drinking, the murder; it was all in the past. However, with the pressing matters at hand, she started to believe that the only reasonable choice would be to dive back into it. If the blood of a fawn could reawaken her powers, then she could face Narratha without certain death being the outcome.
I…I don't want to do this. I can't!
She could hear the sound of her breath as it traveled around the sparse dungeon square. The room of darkness enshrouded her in the familiar setting of a life in the past. This wasn't Milo's castle. People were dying here. Leta was still upstairs, somewhere, and if the girl was to be rescued, a fight would inevitably have to go down.
Cassandra lowered herself onto her knees as she gazed down at the dead fawn below her. She could smell the crimson in the air. It was as strong as ever.
What other option do I have? Argh! What will I become?
She stewed in her thoughts, allowing precious seconds to pass by her. The silence was as deafening as the loudest cries imaginable. The fight with Falena was nearly fatal. Someone like Narratha would be a much greater threat. If that killer won the fight, then Leta would suffer for as long as she pleased.
Every good memory that had been built in this new world painted the picture of a reformed woman, but not a woman without love.
Leta was a little sister to Cassandra, and she could not afford to see her die.
I have to do this. I'll do it for her. Lia, please forgive me.
Her fingers graced the edge of the red puddle. The glob of liquid mushed against the rim of their tips, detailing how potent this all was. She'd have to go for it. Cassandra scooped up as much of it as she could and opened her mouth.
When the first drop touched her tongue, she felt the numbness creeping in.
This blood…it isn't normal…
.
Narratha fought to ignore the tremors in her hands as she wandered around the dark hallway near her room. Her need for blood was beginning to gain control. It presented in the form of jitteriness and insomnia on most days. The occasional headache was not uncommon, either. Nothing that a quick bite couldn't cure, she thought.
The fawns she kept down below served as a prevalent source of nutrition whenever locating strays in the wild grew challenging. As hopeful as she was that those women would one day see things the way she did, the redhead also banked upon the decision to end their lives when the time to feed arose. She hoped to never feel these needs when her powers reached their peak, but until then, it was all part of the process.
She was nearly there. The strength of her magic had proven itself capable of tearing open the barriers of realms, but the one-sided nature of it was not enough. If a fawn could hop realms all on their own, then they were stronger than what that dagger could ever have been. Having been born with no powers to display, Narratha found it fitting that she would be the one to transcend such boundaries.
The drive to excel and rise above what she used to see herself as kept her hunger for progress unsatiated. To her – it was a brutal necessity.
If she was willing to kill to reach a fawn's full potential, then so be it. The greater good called, and she would answer.
A safer world for fawns who understood such reasons was another step closer to being a reality.
Her hand cradled the handle of the sword she kept on her. It was always one of her favorite possessions, though she typically considered possessions to be a prison. A relic from an earlier age, having withstood the test of time as the castle around it rotted away – just like the corpse of the man who wielded it back then.
Finding it upon her arrival signaled the start of her new chapter in life. How ironic it was to butcher poils with the same weapon once used against her own sisters. Her powers could eviscerate individuals with ease, but ever since the midnight killing spree that birthed her bloodthirsty soul, running edged metal against flesh was always a tantalizing feeling for the deranged fawn.
It would stay with her until the end.
Narratha paused by the edge of the corridor that led into the kitchen. She could smell the food that she and Falena had kept stored away for the season, but her stomach did not demand such relief. It was her muscles and veins that cried for more fluids. The blood and bodies of her victims electrified the very epicenter of what powered her.
Warmth radiated everywhere her nerves carried, which amplified her receptors even further. The blue particles would condense, which formed dazzling flames from her palms. Her body became one with the world – able to shift around and ensnare whatever she chose to grab.
As her might grew, she felt like an amalgam of every fawn that she had ever eaten. All of them had combined into one and she was in control, taking the reins of what they once had. Their powers would live on through her.
It was almost as if they had never died at all.
Narratha combed through the spare sections of meat that she had wrapped up, but as soon as she brought it to her nose, it was promptly tossed away. The fawn grimaced with an angered flare in her lips and nostrils.
It was not going to help, she thought. Her body needed something fresh. Tonight's cravings were just too much.
Her mind thought about how much unharnessed power must be coursing through Leta's veins. She juggled with her needs versus her consideration to the youngest of fawns. Killing her may or may not prove detrimental in the long run, as the girl could one day help her. Narratha tried to look past the here and now in that aspect. She knew Leta was scared, and with good reason.
If time could change Falena, then a more moldable child surely would one day come around.
Patience was the key to their new world. Killing the girl was not in the plan.
Killing one of the fawns downstairs, however…
.
Blood was all over Cassandra's mouth. It seeped down her chin and onto her chest as she stood over Falena. It felt like she was back at home, crawling in the dark and feeding off the dead. The crackle of the torch was the only thing her ears would listen to, as the rest of her mind was a blur. She could feel the scores of insects swarming inside her body. They existed in every inch of her skin, wings fluttering as they sought to escape and take flight.
She hunched over, allowing strings of crimson to dangle from her dark lips as she bellowed at the ground. More flies began to emerge from the corners of her mouth, where they buzzed around her head in a display of decay. Her amber eyes turned to the carnivorous creatures as they traveled around. She could sense more breaking off from her back and legs.
A quick wave of her hand revealed more disembarking from the body that held them close. The brunette's fingers dissipated in front of her as the horde of bugs multiplied. That was when she felt her senses growing stronger. She could smell the blood with greater clarity. The ambient noise of the torch was like the beating of a drum. More and more as the blood traveled throughout her body and freed the flies, she found herself returning to the superhuman state of her previous self.
The only thing that she hoped to retain would be her old mind.
Please, don't let me regress. I am in control. I am in control…
Cassandra took a breath as she fought to wrangle in every insect that came out of her. Her lungs felt weightless as they opened up into a speeding swarm that flew in every direction. She realized that she had no chest anymore. No ribs or heart.
All flies.
You listen to me. You all will listen to me.
The bugs stayed close. As she concentrated on a certain section of the waves, so would they follow the patterns she set. Her vision briefly faded to black, right before a flash of thousands of viewpoints lit up - only to immediately join together.
She was now a swarm herself.
I'm…I'm still here…alright…
Cassandra sent a wave of flies down toward the ground so that she could retrieve her sickle and torch. Her hands had to come together to pick them back up, but once she regained possession of the items, it all became second nature to her once again. As she re-formed back to where she stood, the brunette paused as she reassessed her mind.
Was the cadou calling the shots?
Look at Falena's body. What do you see?
She gazed at the mutilated remains of the fawn.
Regret. That's not what Alcina or Miranda would have wanted you to see. I am still me.
She licked the droplets of blood that still coated her lips before a swipe of her forearm cleared most of it off her skin. Scores of bugs began to drift all around her, each searching for the next signal that they could pick up. That was when her ears detected the faint whimpers from so far away.
Let's do this.
Huddled together in the darkness, Yiverria and the women around her heard the sound of approaching footsteps as they closed in. Fear took over as they believed it to be Narratha, who had come to inflict more harm. It wasn't until they saw the glow of the torch creeping up against the wall that they realized the truth.
With all her flies retained together, Cassandra appeared normal as she stepped out from the corner. However, it was the blood on her gown that told a different story, though neither of the fawns addressed it directly. They only spoke in subtle gasps and whimpers, while Yiverria remained the only one brave enough to voice her mind.
"Have you found her?" The short-haired fawn whispered. Cassandra's expression was that of a disheartened soul, both in her situation and in herself.
"No," she replied. "But, please, I need you all to stay still."
One of the other fawns cried with a shaky voice as she stared at the bloodied woman. "Please! Free us!"
Cassandra gulped as she gave a quiet nod. "Stay still."
Yiverria would not take her eyes off her. It was like her senses had begun to go off. Something was different about Cassandra, and it was not just the gory appearance. The brunette took hold of the chains that were connected to the wall behind the fawns. With all her might, she began to pull. The endued strength of the monster she had been transformed into came into play as the flies pulled together to sheer the metal from the stone.
To the amazement of the fawns around her, Cassandra tore the chain off and held it in her hand, where she carefully set it down before she pointed to their shackles. "Hold your hands and feet apart."
Yiverria did just as she was told and extended her arms so that the bindings around her wrists were on full display in front of the brunette. Cassandra reached down and gripped the ends of the metal, prying them apart as hard as she could. The fawn's green eyes widened as she watched the cuffs warp and slowly weaken. It was a gradual turn, but the more the woman pulled, the further apart they became.
Snap!
Yiverria and the other fawns were left speechless as they watched the shackles disband. Cassandra went on to separate the bindings around the first captive's ankles before she moved on to those of the others. One by one, each was freed from their chains as the brunette went to work. Never before had they witnessed such considerable strength in one person. While it took a great amount of effort that strained her to no end, the pale woman kept on fighting to undo everything that Narratha had set up.
Each of the ladies could not hold back their tears as they found themselves able to move around without restraint. The soreness in their legs and backs was immediately apparent, as neither had been able to stand in weeks. Some of them wobbled as they tried to rise, having to resort to holding on to each other along the way. As Cassandra took the time to catch her breath and regain herself, she saw Yiverria slowly approach her.
"Thank you!" The fawn held out her broken hands so that Cassandra could embrace them. With a careful grasp, she did just that, and the two women's eyes were locked onto one another in a moment pulled away from time.
Cassandra could feel the fawn's fingers moving around inside her palm. Her knuckles and bones may have been shattered by Narratha's cruelty, but the redhead had not succeeded in taking away all their function. Despite the waves of pain that Yiverria had to be going through, she would not allow her gratitude to go unshown.
Before Cassandra could even reply to her, Yiverria's eyes winced. It would have been easily chalked up to the agony of injury, had the brunette not witnessed the same expression in Lia's eyes the day they first held hands. It was the same look Leta had also carried when she inadvertently bore witness to the atrocities of her friend's darkest years.
She can sense my flies. There is no use hiding –
Yiverria ceased her painful cringing and slowly breathed in. The rush of air soothed her nerves and sent her posture at ease. Her eyes calmly opened and cast a look of friendliness to the troubled young woman in front of her. "It's okay," she said. "It's going to be okay, Cassandra."
The brunette's fingers caressed the edges of the fawn's hands. A bloom of warmth was beginning to grow inside. Yiverria still retained a fraction of her powers. How could she ignore everything she had seen from a stranger such as her?
"This is not –" Cassandra could not find the correct words to explain herself. She instead locked up, ashamed to be the demon she once was. The fact that Yiverria had not run away after all this was a mystery. In her mind – she was no different than Narratha.
"Who you are?" Yiverria finished Cassandra's sentence as if she already knew the words that were about to spill out.
A sigh broke out from her crimson lips.
Yiverria bowed her head as she pulled a faint smile, alongside a glance at the other women who Cassandra had just set free. "There are things in this world that we will never understand, Cassandra. But what I have learned is that we are never destined to learn everything. What I know about you is that your heart is clear and kind. It is a light that shines brighter than any other in this darkness. Who you are is up to you to decide and your path of love is what makes you a fawn."
What?
"But, I'm not a fawn," Cassandra stated, as she bore none of the abilities that they possessed.
"Yes, you are!" A tear broke from Yiverria's eye. "You were a fawn the moment you came here to save Leta… and us."
Cassandra remained silent as she glanced at the other women, who were all watching her with confidence. Yiverria brought her hands closer to her heart, the warmth between them growing stronger. It was a connection that the brunette had never felt before. The flies inside her body remained tame under it all. It was like they were all amassed in the same feeling of content as she was.
All of them had become one at that very moment – in more ways than she had ever known.
Yiverria turned her eyes to the others before they set on the amber irises of their savior. "Fawns aren't defined by our magic. It is the love and care we show to others that makes us who we are. Narratha never understood that and that is why she seeks only power."
She smiled at Cassandra. "Anyone can be a fawn. If you feel like you are alone, just know that you are among sisters."
Mirroring Yiverria's face, Cassandra also found a set of tears releasing from her eyes as she stepped closer to her. She replied with a soft voice, "Thank you."
Yiverria nodded.
"You all must get out of here," Cassandra stated. "Take the torch and go. Run as fast as you can until this castle is out of your sight. I must stay and finish what I came here to do." She handed Yiverria the torch.
"But…" The fawn shifted her stare between the brunette and the flame. "Don't you need this?"
Several groups of flies emerged from the back of Cassandra's shoulders. The fawns beside her stepped back at the sight of it, but Yiverria remained steady. "Not anymore." She handed her the map. "This is backward. The room with the X's is down that way…do not go there."
Yiverria only nodded again before she directed her fellow sisters to go with her. "Follow me. We must hurry!" As she and the others began to leave the room, the short-haired fawn turned to her one last time.
"We'll see each other again," she said.
Cassandra smiled back, her soft voice still in full swing, "We will."
The fawns departed and the torch's glow faded away into the darkness as they moved further down the halls and toward the exit. Cassandra stood there by herself as she listened in, her senses picking up on the slightest of movements around her. She could feel the dormant energy in the air. It took the environment and spun it around, over and over. Fawn blood was stronger than anything she had ever known – and this castle was teeming with it.
Through the vast ocean of sanguine violence, her senses locked onto the familiar cries of a distressed child just up ahead. Cassandra would navigate the rest of the halls alone in the dark with her keen eye. The shadows meant nothing now to her, as she could barrel through the void with the eyes of her flies guiding her way.
What was once out of reach was now at her grasp – and she would make it there.
I'm coming, Leta…
.
With her magic illuminating the way, Narratha descended the stairs as she headed to the dungeon below. The clapping of her sandals against the stone steps transmitted across the vast channels, bouncing off the walls in the telltale signal of her arrival. She fantasized about the next helping of food that was to come.
The deceased fawns that had been left in the hallway of corpses were a total waste. The decay of their bodies diminished any chance of powers being reaped from their flesh. Filling an empty stomach would not be enough to satisfy the redhead. Her tremors were still kicking off and she needed the relaxation that fawn blood offered to alleviate her shakiness.
The fluid inside the dead was coagulated and filthy. Rigor mortis had set in long ago in the most recent of the murdered. Her wasteful ways had compelled her to needlessly slaughter captives from time to time when she should have kept them alive as a sustainable source.
She had grown too reckless in the recent months. If she did not conserve what she had now, it would only pave the way for greater challenges in the times ahead.
Times that she did not need to endure if they could be avoided.
Her hand continued to brush against the handle of her sword as her feet moved off the final step and touched the ground. It was tempting to run it across one of their throats. The shower of life would have been a marvelous display, but it was that very impulse that had created this complication.
Draw blood – yes – but leave them alive.
As Narratha walked further down into the dungeon, she detected the presence of a familiar body. "Falena?"
The blonde often came down to this area, for whatever cause. As long as she did not kill any of the chained-up fawns, Narratha paid no mind to it. She could have her privacy, for all she cared. Yet, the essence that the redhead picked up was unusual.
Falena had been here, but the trail of particles in the air had dwindled out. Normally, such a trail would have been easy for her to follow. She could connect to it in her head, as all gifted fawns could. It felt like there was a large explosion of power, then nothing.
Even death did not bring about such anomalies.
Narratha called out to her again, but louder, "Falena?"
There was no response.
Her patience was growing thin. The cravings demanded the release of blood and any minor inconvenience would not be taken lightly. She grew more irritable by the second, furious that her calls had gone unanswered. "Falena!" Narratha shouted but to no avail.
She spoke under her breath with a scornful tone, "Where is she?"
Narratha walked through the center of the dungeon in her search for the blonde. Her feet kicked over stray bones that littered the ground along the way. Others that had not been sent spinning into the abyss were crushed under her heel. A room full of death was her domain.
The queen would never sit until her throne of corpses was high enough.
Narratha channeled more of her magic throughout the room, hoping that any recent trace of Falena could be picked up. The fawn was not anywhere on the upper levels. The highest points of the castle that led to the roof were only filled with more remains of poils from the great conflict, sealed off from any outside air. The blonde could hardly stomach the immense pressure of rot up there. Even the dusty skeletons reeked of an odor that she would never bear.
With the dungeon being her preferred stomping ground, Falena had to have been close by. The essence that brought Narratha here told her so. Where could she have gone?
With her light shining ahead, the columns that lined the middle of the room could be seen all around her. Narratha gazed at the structures as she walked along the center. The hallways ahead led to the captive fawns. If Falena could not be located down here, then she must have passed by them.
The prospect of a fruitless search only compelled her to bypass this section and head straight for the prisoners. She would have a reasonable excuse to torture and maim them in pursuit of more blood. Them detailing Falena's whereabouts would only be another positive addition to what she came here for.
Narratha shouted one more time, "Falena! You answer me…right now!"
Silence.
"Argh! Damn it!" Narratha's hands expelled a burst of fire that illuminated the entire area in a flash of blue. Her furious glare was fixed onto the flames – until she caught a glimpse of something close by that did not belong there. As soon as her magic extinguished itself, she re-ignited it.
"Falena?" Narratha raised an eyebrow as she paced up toward the shape in question. As soon as she got within a few yards, she realized that this was a freshly killed body. The idea that Falena would have decided to murder one of the prisoners without authorization was the first thought that came into her head – until she saw the long, blonde hair under all the blood.
With parted lips, Narratha put all her thoughts aside as she gazed down at Falena's corpse. The fawn had sustained critical wounds to her throat and forehead. The copious amount of blood over her face obscured most of her features, but the hair was enough to answer the question of who this was.
The redhead's hand hovered over the remains as she allowed her magic to light up. The blue particles highlighted everything that she needed to see. The fatal wound to the forehead was thin but deep. It could only have come from a blade – something which neither of the prisoners could have wielded effectively.
The punctures to Falena's throat were also the most peculiar. Narratha pressed her fingers on top of it, where she felt the essence of a different individual – someone that she did not know.
Yet, despite her lack of knowledge, the essence itself was one that she had felt before.
In the fields of Deas.
In Acomb.
Upon Lia as they fought.
Narratha already knew who it was that had done this. Her face was pressed with rage as she snarled and clenched her fist. "How…did you…argh!"
She stood up at that very moment and unsheathed her sword.
As hard as it was to pick up the essence of the intruder elsewhere in the castle, she relied on the essence of the only other person in here that she could track.
The one that the pale woman with the marking on her forehead would have come here for – Leta.
.
Funneling through the pitch-black halls was nothing for the skilled huntress. Her senses brought to light everything that was once in the dark. She could navigate each bend and turn without worry, traveling at a fast speed as she propelled herself across the way.
The upper levels of the castle were just as old and rotted as the dungeons themselves. Time had not shown this structure any grace. Its walls were rotted with cracks and grime. The tinge of dull brown blurred the once shining, grey stones. Dust coated every inch of the rooms that she found herself in. This was not the kind of luxurious palace that she had grown up in.
It was a relic of a darker age – whose legacy of torment was kept alive by Locwitary's greatest evil.
She followed the scent that guided her. Leta had to be in one of the rooms nearby. This place was never meant to be a home to anyone. The quarters where Falena and Narratha likely frequented were decrepit and tattered. Pots and pans of old food littered the corners of the rooms. There was no sustainability here. The brunette could only imagine that these two women scavenged what they could to survive.
Cassandra re-formed as she stood near the entrance to what appeared to be an old armory inside the castle. It was another great big room, filled with piles of bones and rusted weapons alike. Just how many poils perished here back then, she would never know. The fact that Narratha still allowed these bones to rest here was a testament to the way her mind worked.
There are so many skeletons here. Is this what she wants to remind herself of?
Cassandra closed her eyes as her flies circled her. She was trying to push through the overwhelming scent of the old bodies and move toward what she had been following. It was growing increasingly difficult to lock onto what she perceived to be Leta. The echoes of sound around her were dull. The absence of noise concerned the brunette. How far away could she be?
The armory was lit with several sets of torches that were aligned across the walls. There was no doubt in her mind that this was a room in common use, which Narratha must have frequented quite often. When Cassandra moved further down the armory and made her way to the next exit, she saw the entrance to what appeared to be a small kitchen.
The room was filled with clutter. Piles upon piles of baskets and boxes had been strewn about, shoved into the corners with no intention of ever being removed. There was a small table that was placed in the center, alongside two chairs.
This is where those two must eat…
Cassandra noticed multiple dried droplets of blood that were scattered across the floor. The way it was condensed told her that someone must have laid on the floor bleeding, but for only a short while. Given Narratha's track record of senseless murder, a slaughter in this kitchen would have coated the ground in red. Someone had to have been injured here, but the injury was recent.
She kneeled to touch the stains. The essence of the girl was hot on her fingers. She could smell her.
Leta! Where are you?!
The brunette turned her head in all directions as she listened for any sound that she could pick up. Back in Castle Dimitrescu, the noise of Ethan's footsteps and heavy breathing could be heard by her across multiple walls. She always had the drop on him, no matter where she went. She relied on those senses to hunt him down, and now, they were her best resource to save this child.
Why can't I hear her? She must be close.
Cassandra moved around the room as her ears scoured for anything that they could utilize to guide her. The scent of Leta's body had dissipated by the time she arrived here. It could have been Narratha's doing, for all she knew. The complexity of a fawn's powers was something that she had never encountered before. The waves of energy threw her instincts off balance, sending them in all directions when there was nothing there in front of her.
I can't even hear Narratha. I don't know where she is either. I must be careful.
Cassandra exited the kitchen with her sickle raised to her chest. She wasn't sure what would happen as soon as the next section came into view. Narratha could have been there waiting. It was a gamble that needed to be taken. She had already made it this far and there was no turning back.
The next two rooms were more empty husks, filled with nothing but tarnished stone and crumbled bricks. Another skeleton, likely that of a poil, was found beside the wall. Cassandra eyed the burnt axe that his fingers had broken apart over.
Another kill that exemplified just how dangerous a fawn could be. Narratha would likely unleash the same fury upon her the moment the two met.
As her eyes moved from the axe, Cassandra noticed that there were more dried droplets of blood along the ground. They formed yet another small collection before they began to trail off out of the doorway. This had to be the lead that she was looking for, she thought. It was like tracking a wounded deer through the forests. A quick slash to the side would open up their ribcages and cause the animals to dart away at breakneck speed.
She'd casually stroll about the foliage, glimpsing the crimson coatings atop the green leaves. The blood would start thick, then thin out, before thickening once more – leading to the dead deer.
She moved deeper through the castle hall, where the blood trail continued. Her horde of flies barreled through the next entryway without a single thought besides the urgency to locate her. If Narratha emerged, then it would be a fight. Otherwise, she'd have to keep searching. As soon as Cassandra stopped and scanned around the next room, she saw the blood doing just what she expected it to do.
It was piled up along the corner of the next door.
Please…please…
She flew over to the end of the room and as soon as she got there, Cassandra was met face-to-face with a slumped-over Leta. The girl's arms and legs were bound to a tall chair. Bruises were ringed around her skin, just like those of the fawns down below. Her face had subtle reminders of past beatings, but the skin had mostly healed up. Splotches of dried blood could be seen on her dress, which was also dirtied. The girl must have been put through hell.
With a shaky voice, Cassandra leaned in as she removed her gloves and touched the child's cheek, "Leta?"
In defiance of all expectations, Leta's eyes shot open as she scrambled back into her confines. For a split second, she must have believed that Narratha was the one who awoke her. When she saw that it was her best friend, her green orbs filled with tears.
She whimpered as her face broke apart in sadness, "Cassandra! Cassandra!"
The brunette took her in and hugged her. "Shh…it's okay. I'm here now, Leta. I'm going to get you out of this place."
"Please!" The girl's voice was halfway above a whisper, but the sheer terror behind it was heartbreaking. Cassandra did not need to be told how traumatized her friend was. Leta had been put through things that she should never have experienced. To see this once innocent girl thrust into a nightmare like this was the worst feeling that she had ever felt.
"I promise." Cassandra used her sickle to cut through the bindings that secured the fawn to her chair. As soon as she was able to come off, she fell into the woman's arms, collapsing from weakness. Leta's gentle sobbing was buried in the crook of the brunette's arm as she held her tight. "You're with me, Leta. You're safe now."
"I want to go home…"
"We're going home." Cassandra had to do her best to keep herself from crying. It never should have come to this. Everything about their lives was on its way to going right, but one woman's lust for violence had destroyed it all.
This was the cost of gleeful sadism – and now, she understood it.
Flies began to circle Cassandra's shoulders as she helped the girl onto her feet. With her senses going in all directions, more and more bugs began to emerge from her shoulders and arms. Leta shuddered as soon as she saw them.
"Cassandra…"
The brunette already knew why the child was trying to retreat. "It's okay, Leta."
"What…what happened to you?"
With a sorrowful glance, Cassandra's eyes drifted to the floor before they closed. "I am not a monster."
Leta stood there with an uncertain expression. She had seen the visions of Cassandra's old life. The woman composed of bugs used to be a horrible beast. The number of corpses left in her wake rivaled that of the redheaded fawn herself. After all the girl had been through, she wanted to be free of a world from such killers.
But, she understood that Cassandra had changed. The way the woman wrapped her arms around her was the same way Lia did when they reconciled their differences. She could almost hear her sister's voice in her head.
"Go with her."
Leta gulped as more tears fell from her eyes. "Promise?"
Cassandra nodded, "I promise." Her hand opened up as she beckoned for Leta to take hold of it. The girl abided without further question. "Let's go home."
With the exit to the castle that she knew of down below, Cassandra had inquired about whether or not Leta knew a different route that they could take. Unfortunately, the only thing that the girl could tell her was that Narratha had teleported back here. As soon as they arrived, she had been tied to a chair in the kitchen and until just recently, had spent the majority of her time there. That left the brunette with the only other option at her disposal.
The two of them would need to find the closest exit themselves.
"Stay quiet and stay with me," Cassandra instructed her as they moved through the kitchen and into the adjacent rooms. The air was still exhibiting an eerie draw that she could not explain. The atmosphere was beginning to thicken with a dense pressure. It felt like the deeper they went, the closer to danger they were.
It had to have been the bodies, she thought. This castle was a mass grave and they were standing right on it. Leta stumbled around as she accompanied her through the dark rooms. Cassandra had to hold her close, ensuring that she did not trip or fall. The girl looked so weak from everything that she had been through. It was a miracle that she wasn't dead by now.
"It's going to get dark where we're going to go," Cassandra remarked as they approached the entrance to the armory. The plan was for her to divert down one of the other doorways and hopefully find a way out through the opposite side of the castle. Narratha would remain a threat, but as soon as she had found the girl, her priority changed to just getting her out. The future was doomed to be uncertain as long as the redhead continued her ways, but keeping Leta in this castle for another minute was not something that she wanted to do.
She could feel the girl's hand tightening around hers like a daughter to their mother. She didn't want to be an inch away from her.
Please, just let us make it out of here…
Cassandra quietly stepped ahead as the two crossed the threshold into the moderately lit gallery. Leta tried to steer her attention away from all the bones around them. Her nose drew in the shallowest of breaths, as the stench of death was too much to take in full. She had been kept in the shadows for so long that the idea that she would breathe fresh air seemed almost too good to be true.
They were almost at the center of the armory before Cassandra suddenly stopped and motioned for her to halt. Leta pulled on the sleeve of her gown, beckoning her to carry forward, but the brunette would not budge.
"Cassandra?" Leta's frightened voice spoke out.
The woman did not answer, as her eyes were far too focused on scanning the room. Her senses were going off – and she didn't like what she was feeling.
Something wasn't right.
The danger was near.
She turned to Leta with the utmost urgency. "We need to turn back."
Leta's eyes opened wide with fear as she understood what was going on. The girl's neck craned over to the doorway from where they had come, second-guessing herself if that indeed was the safest place to go. She could feel the threat in the air as well.
Just as soon as the two rotated their bodies and headed toward the kitchen, a bright flash of blue overtook the path in front of them. Cassandra's instincts kicked in and she pulled Leta as far away as she could. When the sea of particles that floated around began to fade, the form of a tall, strong woman appeared before them.
Narratha's green eyes were lit with fire as she calmly approached them, her sword drawn out to her side. An intense scowl was twisted along her lips and nose as she stared them down. The woman would not allow her prey to slip by and the time for games was over.
Cassandra's heart raced at the sight of her. She had no idea how either of them was going to make it out alive now.
The redhead's feet lifted from the ground as she hovered three feet in the air.
"When this is done, you will live forever," she said. "Because your death will be the center of legends told until the end of time itself."
NOTES:
Hope you all have enjoyed this newest release!
So, here we are. Cassandra and Narratha are now face-to-face and Leta's life hangs in the balance.
Every choice. Every death – has led to this moment.
Cassandra, the once-feared daughter of Castle Dimitrescu, now finds herself pitted against a merciless serial killer from another universe. It was always going to come down to this from the very beginning. Will her powers be able to save her and Leta from the fury of Narratha? Expect the unexpected as every outcome is on the table in the most intense chapter that this story has to offer.
Her road to redemption will come to its final stop here, in this castle. After everything that has come before, in this world, and her own, will she have what it takes to save a life?
The next chapter will be released on October 14th, and then the epilogue chapter on the 21st to bring this story to a close.
Thank you all once again for sticking with me through this entire adventure! I cannot wait to see you all here when it is over.! Bring your tissues – for one reason, or the other.
Stay safe! 😊