With Leta by her side, Cassandra motioned for the little girl to take cover. "Get behind me," she said worriedly as the two of them watched Narratha hover closer.
The redhead's powers were cooking up as the blue particles around her hands steadily morphed into solid flame. Her vicious glare was upon them, scrutinizing every single micro-movement that they made as she contemplated her next course of action.
Leta took shelter behind Cassandra as ordered, moving with her as they backed away from the approaching threat. The brunette kept her left arm extended with her palm out, attempting to calm Narratha down as she advanced.
The fawn curled her lip as she stared Cassandra down. This woman had broken into her castle, killed Falena, and was now attempting to steal the only chance she had at accomplishing her goals. All this time, she had been nothing but a figure in the background. Now, as it turned out, she was capable enough to threaten it all.
That was a death warrant in her eyes.
With a quick swipe of her arm, Narratha sent a sudden wave of power out that wrapped itself around Cassandra's shoulders. The pale woman jolted as soon as she felt the warmth of the energy course around her. It suddenly minimized and closed in at her center.
What is she doing?
Narratha yanked her arm back, hoping to pull the woman toward her so that she may plunge her sword into her throat. Instead, the only thing that she was able to reel in was a single, large fly.
"What?" The fawn's eyes narrowed as she gazed at the insect that had been pulled in. "How did…" She gave up her questions for the moment and tried again. Another wave of energy came at Cassandra before she could react.
Another fly was pulled toward her.
That was when more of the bugs began to fly around, each one peeling away from various sections of the brunette's body. Cassandra remained intact, but the swath of invertebrates above her would not go unseen.
Narratha curved her brow as she crushed the insect within the grasp of her magic. She lowered her feet onto the ground, keeping her sword in hand with caution, while her face was rife with curiosity. "What are you?"
"Just let us go," she said.
Narratha kept her eyes on the waves of flies in the air. Never before in her life had she ever witnessed something such as this before. It was only through the openings of realm windows that she beheld the unimaginable. Monsters beyond her wildest comprehension. It seemed as though true nightmares existed outside the confines of those walls – and this woman was one of them.
"You're not from this world, are you?" Narratha asked as she stood there.
Cassandra turned another eye to Leta, ensuring that the child was safe where she was. Her amber eyes moved to the murderous redhead, just as she gulped and exhaled her unsteadiness. "No. I am not."
"Did Lia bring you here?" Narratha waved her sword around by her side as she began to pace toward her left. She was circling Cassandra and Leta like she did when she circled Milo when Lia was protecting him. Her predatory instincts knew no bounds. She was just waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Small talk was only a diversion.
Cassandra shuffled Leta as she rotated her body to face Narratha. She could not afford to allow the woman to find an angle to attack as she went along. "She did not." The redhead continued to pace around them. "I was brought here through my death in my world."
"Oh?" Narratha squinted her eyes. "How so?"
"What is it that you want?" Cassandra did not want to play into her game. This was the only shot that she had at ending this. If Narratha could be reached, then now was the time. "You wish to go to my world, don't you?"
Narratha paused her walking for but a second before she moved on. She spoke so calmly, as if this was any other normal day, "If must be so."
"Is that what all this has been about? You just want to leave this world for another?" Cassandra kept her hand behind her back, where she held Leta by the shoulder.
"This is about much more than you know." Narratha's scowl was still pressed along her cheeks. Her sword vibrated as her hand underwent another tremor. She closed her eyes with a brief curl of her lip before they opened and shined at the pair. "What fawns like Lia fail to understand is that this world will only devour us from the outside if we cling to our old ways."
The redhead chuckled as she waved her arms around, still circling Cassandra. "Take a look around you. This is our history. We tried in the past to coexist, but all we saw was ruin. Foolishly, we continued to try."
Narratha sighed as she recalled the darkest of hours that she was cursed to always remember. "And we still paid the price. Foolish, we were."
She eyed the bloodied sickle in Cassandra's hand. "I rescued a fawn from such a fate." The killer pointed to the weapon with her sword. "You ended her life."
The brunette's lips parted as she confessed to her actions, "I did not want to. I tried to find reasoning within her."
Narratha tsked as she shook her head. "Then I taught her well. Falena knew better than to believe you. Sadly, you still took her life. At least she knew the truth."
Cassandra took a stand, hoping that there was still some way that she could reach this insane woman. "What truth involves all this violence? You attacked Acomb for no reason."
"Ah…" Narratha's glare glinted at her as she turned her green orbs to Leta. "Did I? When the most powerful fawn in the world resides there, did you think that I would not one day find her? If Lia had stood by my side, just as Falena had, then everything I've searched for would have already been obtained. We would change this world for the better. If we failed, then we would find a new one where fawns could live in peace."
Cassandra was about to turn her head to Leta, but as soon as her eyes drifted, she could see Narratha positioning herself for an attack. She had to keep looking at her. That would hopefully buy her some more time. "And my world is where you want to live? You don't know what you will be walking into. This world is a beautiful one – as long as you allow it to be."
The fawn scoffed at such an idea, "This world is stained with centuries of blood. How can yours be any worse?"
She thinks anywhere but here is better. She's so narrow-minded. I'm not going to get anywhere with convincing her.
"There is a great amount of evil in my world," Cassandra stated. "Fawns will not be safe there and neither will you. You seek all this power, but it will not bring you what you want."
There was a slight grimace in the fawn's face. She looked almost offended to have heard that. With a low growl beneath her words, Narratha confirmed Cassandra's suspicions, "You think you know me? Are you really that naïve?"
"No," she answered. "But, it doesn't have to be this way."
Narratha raised her shoulders as she breathed in. "I agree." They lowered upon exhale. "Yet, this is the way it is."
With a sudden dash, she darted forward with her right arm cocked to the side. The sword in her hand was ready to swing and just before she could connect it with Cassandra, the brunette dispersed into a massive cloud of flies. Narratha halted as soon as she saw the explosion in action, stumbling back with shock in response to a move she never saw coming.
I need to place distance between us!
"Run Leta!" Cassandra's voice shouted from the horde of buzzards, which kickstarted the girl's adrenaline. Leta took off toward the opposite end of the room, leaving the two women to engage each other.
Narratha's hesitation did not last for long. As soon as she heard her adversary direct Leta to escape, the fawn's fury went into full gear. Powered by pure rage, the redhead screamed as her hands ignited and encapsulated the blade in a sea of fire.
A series of slashes went out, each failing to destroy the insects. A few fell dead on the floor with every attempt, but it was just scratches in place of evisceration. She needed to inflict damage and this wasn't going to be the way. With another shout, she extended her left hand forward and unleashed a hail of fire upon the bugs.
Argh! It burns!
Cassandra could feel the searing heat upon every fly that was caught in its path. Thankfully, the insects were faster than Narratha's flame. As soon as she had used it, the brunette immediately began to avoid the blue blast. Flies circled all around as she dispersed further around the room – all with their eyes upon the vicious fawn.
Narratha could only direct her magic on such few at a time. With Cassandra now completely transformed into an ocean of winged pests, she was no longer pitted against one, singular foe.
Instead, she was now up against thousands.
And it was their time to strike.
In separate groups, the flies all banded together and barreled toward Narratha like organic torpedoes. The fawn was not prepared for the onslaught that awaited her. The first wave ended in a successful deflection as she swung her arms across her chest and funneled a wave of energy toward them. But, expecting a constant series of direct assaults, she was not ready for the waves that targeted her from behind.
A colony of insects besieged the back of her head, re-directing her attention as she tried to fight them off. Swinging her arms wildly, Narratha dished out spurts of blue flame in all directions. Her hands clawed at the back of her hair and at her cape as she spun around over and over, screaming like a madwoman.
"What is this?!" Roared the killer. Cassandra would not let up. The more she took away Narratha's focus, the more her waves of insects were able to strike her. One after the other, the groups of flies bombarded the fawn's body, causing her to stumble back before eventually falling to the ground.
I got her!
"Get off!" Narratha flailed around before her body suddenly flashed blue and expelled a sphere of energy, knocking every single bug away from her. With her consciousness collectively amassed through each one, Cassandra found herself disoriented in the wake of the magic. Her flies tumbled around as they tried to regain their stability.
As soon as they got back on their path of travel, she realized that Narratha was now gone.
Where did she go?
Another bright flash ignited from behind the bugs as Narratha reappeared from the side and hurled a massive string of fire at them. Cassandra felt the insects frying under the intense heat, which forced her to retreat so that her horde would not be completely incinerated.
Still on the offensive, Narratha tried to follow them with her fire, hoping that she could kill this woman as quickly as possible. Cassandra, however, was well onto her plan. She could see the way the redhead was tailing her. Using the fawn's unhinged aggression against her, the brunette split her horde into two and allowed the new half to hang back as the redhead pressed forward.
Narratha's eyes turned as soon as she caught wind of what was going on. She would not allow herself to get flanked a second time. She flipped around and threw a burst of fire at the second cloud of flies, but as soon as she did, her senses picked up on an advancing threat.
Just as she turned back, the top half of Cassandra was already speeding toward her – sickle in hand.
The brunette threw her arm across, which allowed the blade to connect with the outer edge of Narratha's right arm. The tip pierced her skin and dragged along the side before it split through the rest of her tissue. A swift cut in its place immediately began to run red with blood, just as she pulled away with a shout.
Another burst of fire was all she could counter with, and the top half of Cassandra sacrificed some more of her flies as she dispersed into assortments of individual insects. Narratha was left standing there as she looked around the room in awe.
Huffing each breath out of her lungs, the fawn bared her teeth as she clutched her sword tightly. It was impossible to concentrate on all of these insects. Her senses were only good for one or two organisms at a time. There was no way that she would remain on top of this fight.
"Fine!" Narratha shouted out. "Let's talk! That's what you want, right?"
Finally!
Clutching her arm, Narratha watched as Cassandra re-formed in front of her. Her eyes studied her from top to bottom, perplexed as to how such a creature could exist. When the brunette was back to her complete self, the two were left in a staring contest.
Cassandra's face with loose with a raised brow. She did not look like she had a single violent bone in her body. Narratha's, on the other hand, was still adorned with the venomous glare of displeasure. It was no secret how volatile she had been made following the short scuffle.
It left Cassandra on edge, but she would not give up on this chance to end everything peacefully.
The fawn growled some more as she spoke, "What are you? Tell me…now."
Cassandra rolled her lips before she sighed. Her unarmed hand rose to point to the scar upon her temple. "I was once a normal woman. One day, a lady, who I trusted, took me away from everything that I had ever known and made me into what you see now. She killed me with her experiment and this new life became mine."
She pointed to the scar on her chest as well. "I did not ask for any of this. But, here I am."
Narratha glanced down to check the blood that was still draining out of the wound on her arm. She could not believe how someone could have so easily landed such a blow. That was when she realized that she had not fortified her body at all. It was only someone like Lia who would have compelled such thoughts, but alas, her anger had misguided her.
The redhead closed her lips as she huffed another breath. "Are there others like you in your world?"
She's still asking about my world…
"Yes," Cassandra answered truthfully. "There are others indued with powers, but we did not ask for them."
The redhead pressed her brow at Cassandra. "You would prefer to remain weak? Why?"
Cassandra bowed her head as she stared down at her bloody sickle. "I was weak when I had my powers. When I came here, I lost them. That was when I found myself."
Narratha only laughed, "Then you do not deserve those powers."
"Have you ever been forced to serve someone?"
The fawn tilted her head. "No."
Cassandra's gaze was firm. She wanted Narratha to understand the cost of the 'gift' she had been given. "That was a consequence of being what I was made into. I was a slave in my own home. I had no choice in the end. I knew nothing more than confinement and while I basked in the lifestyle that I was given, I was always torn from what I truly wanted. Your world broke my chains and gave me the chance to have a choice. Narratha – you have a choice."
"That I do…" She returned her attention to her arm.
"I do not want to hurt you," Cassandra told her. "Why do you want to hurt me?"
"Because you threaten everything that I've worked so hard for." Narratha raised her voice to a scream as she swung her sword near her hip, "Have I not told you this?!"
She's not going to stay calm.
"My name is Cassandra."
"I do not care!"
"I need you to," she said. "Locwitary needs you to care. We can stop all of this, but it all depends on you."
The redhead grumbled a chuckle under her breath as she stretched out her neck and rotated her ankles. "This world did not need me when I was powerless. Now, it cries for my mercy? Pitiful."
"You're so angry, just as I was," Cassandra spoke with a softness in her voice.
"You know only a fraction of my wrath," Narratha replied. "Care to witness it in full?"
"When will you ever be happy?"
Narratha's grin subsided into a sharp frown. She pointed her sword at Cassandra with a tremoring hand. "How dare you act like you have the right to dictate how I feel? I will not partake in this little game of yours. You're a byproduct of madness, just as you describe. You're nothing but insects pretending to be someone. I am amazed by what I see, but disappointed in what it is. Even in your world, it seems that power is given to those underserving to wield it."
Cassandra could barely stand the sheer arrogance that escaped her tongue. "I will not be defined by what I was made to be. I was not happy. No amount of power over others could have ever changed that!"
Narratha took a breath as she closed her eyes and allowed her senses to take hold. All she could feel was the soul of a woman split into so many pieces. It cluttered her mind so much that she had to ditch the attempt and rely on her sight instead. "I do not know what exactly brought you here. Some would call it fate, but fate can be changed."
"A lot can be changed, Narratha."
"Hmm…" She smiled with a grim glare. "I strive for fairness in my world, did you know? It is not fair that you know my name, but I do not know yours."
The brunette shuffled her hair to the side as she stared the redhead down. "Cassandra."
The fawn's grin widened. "Formality is always appropriate in these situations, Cassandra. Narratha, as you already know." She sheathed her sword – a move that surprised the woman in front of her. "I'm going to ask you one question, Cassandra: Do you believe that fate is moldable?"
Her amber eyes wanted to turn toward Leta, who she could still hear somewhere in the background. While Narratha had shown a degree of reasonability, the air was still thick with uncertainty. She'd have to keep her gaze ahead. "I do now."
"Very well." Narratha's hands were beginning to undergo another round of tremors. Her lips quivered with the onset of involuntary spasms, which she fought to suppress through further talking. "Perhaps, I have misjudged you. I do not count myself as all-knowing. I make mistakes. I've made a lot of them. It is best that we learn from them when our goal is to strive and thrive."
Is she…is she going to listen?
"I've made mistakes too, Narratha," Cassandra opened up to her. "I have killed many people. Their souls shall cast judgment upon me when my time comes. I have lost my sisters, whom I have also hurt with my selfish ways. Believe me when I tell you that I have cost myself so many things, but I have grown to understand that my mistakes cannot be undone – nor can I regain what was lost."
Her words did indeed reach the fawn, who raised an eyebrow to the pale woman with the marking on her forehead. "Have you, now? Huh…my, my…I was wrong about you. To think that I once imagined you to be a worthless poil. Foolish I am to this very hour."
Cassandra wanted to level with her. "I'd like to believe that I was wrong about you, too."
"What did you believe me to be?" The redhead squinted her eyelids again.
"A killer without a soul, but everyone has one."
Narratha giggled with a smile, "Oh, no. You would be correct."
Within a blink, she dispersed into a field of blue particles, disappearing before Cassandra's very eyes. The brunette lunged forward in a futile push to prevent the inevitable. She stopped herself as soon as she started, re-focusing her priorities on where Narratha could have gone.
That was when she heard the sound of Leta screaming.
Leta!
Cassandra craned her neck over her shoulder, only to have her heart fill with horror.
There Narratha was, in the back of the armory with Leta entangled in her arms – and a sword at her throat.
The young fawn's eyes were tearful with fear. She buckled under the tight grip of the strong woman, whose forearm was wrapped around her chest. The edge of the blade frolicked along the highest layer of her skin, which was only made more tense with how shaky Narratha's hands were. Leta could not hold back her whimpers, but they were only drowned out by the booming, ferocious screams of the crazed killer.
"Shut up, you pathetic little wretch!" Narratha scolded the child.
"Narratha, stop it!" Cassandra rushed to close in on them, taking the form of a horde of flies as she did so. It was only when the redhead raised her blade higher against Leta's neck that she stopped and re-formed just a dozen feet away from them.
Cassandra's heart was racing. Narratha had Leta at the tip of death's hand now. The stakes couldn't have been greater. All it would take would be one single swipe, then the girl's life would be over. The brunette's anxiety was at a level that it had never reached before. She felt so powerless in this moment and feared that this would all end in blood.
Narratha grunted as she dragged Leta a few feet back. "Move, useless child!" When Cassandra took another step forward, she aimed her sword at her. "Do not approach me! I will kill her!"
I have to do something! I can't let this happen!
Cassandra could see how desperate Narratha was. This was her endgame. Her last move on the chess board. A game of give-all, lose-all. She knew that Cassandra stood a chance at fighting her and she would not allow herself to be placed at a disadvantage. Leta was the last thing she could use to stay on top.
This stranger from a different world would not be the one to stop her.
"Narratha," Cassandra spoke before breathing a bit to calm her pulsating nerves, "please, wait. Whatever you do, do not hurt her, please."
The fawn's green eyes turned to the girl she held hostage. Leta's face was red with terror. She knew that she could never escape this on her own and that her only source of salvation was just as powerless as she was. Things weren't looking good. This may as well have been her final minutes of living.
Narratha was more unhinged than ever. The woman's eyes cast their glare like a cornered animal. Her bushy, red hair loomed over her freckled face and onto Leta's as she towered over her. The bottom of her sword was still poised at the fawn's throat, ready to carve a deep valley into it at a second's notice.
"You underestimate me, Cassandra," Narratha cackled as she stared back at her. "You think I would lay down my goals in the face of regret? Regret drives me! I will bear every regret I can, as long as I change things. I am willing to make the sacrifices necessary to accomplish that. If Leta will not stand by my side, then I will have her blood, just as I have with every other fawn who has damned our people!"
Leta cried out to her only friend left in this world, "Cassandra!"
Narratha shook her around. "I told you to shut up! Why can't you listen?! Over and over, you defy me at every turn!"
"Narratha!" Cassandra screamed. The fawn only snarled at her with her rising anger. "You say you wish to save the rest of the fawns, but look what you're doing!"
"I am doing what I must!" Narratha turned her attention to Cassandra.
"What if Balia was in your arms? What would you do, then?" Those were the words that finally got to her. Cassandra listened to the sudden silence that came out from the redheaded fawn, which left only Leta's restrained sobs to fill the air.
Narratha's eyes were wide and her lips remained parted. Those green irises shifted away from Cassandra and into the abyss beyond her. She was staring at nothing, lost only in her thoughts. The brunette tried to break her away from all of this madness.
"Think about that," she said. "I know you remember –"
Narratha pointed her sword back at Cassandra; her face brimming with fury. "Do not say her name!"
The brunette would not relent. This was a conversation that needed to be had. It may be the only shot she had at getting through to this monstrous woman. "Think about it! What would she say if she saw you right now?"
Leta let out a whimper as Narratha's grip around her chest tightened.
The redhead turned to the child and roared into her ear, "Shut up!"
Cassandra continued to shout to her, "Olisha told me about how you used to be!"
The fawn's green eyes stared the woman down. Narratha's lips curled at the mere mention of the elder's name. "That frail coward knew nothing about me…"
"She told me that you were the most loving of all her sisters," Cassandra said. "That no one worked as hard as you. You took Balia in and gave her the older sister that she wanted. You taught her –"
"Enough!" Narratha returned her sword to Leta's throat. It was another show of will – that if Cassandra kept pressing her buttons, she would act.
Yet, Cassandra would not back down.
"I heard what happened to you and Balia," she added, her voice softened with a somber empathy as she spoke about that tragedy. "I heard about what you did to protect the others and what the poils did to her. They took so much from you that day."
Narratha kept still. "They took everything from me that day…"
Cassandra nodded, pressing her lips and breaking the seal with a swipe of her tongue. She felt like she was on the right track. This was getting somewhere. Narratha's tone had simmered down, if only momentarily. Either way, this opportunity was narrow. "Olisha said the same thing. She told me that she made a terrible mistake by trying to move past what they did. You never got the help you needed and were left to yourself. Narratha, I am sorry that you had to experience that. You must have been so scared."
The redhead's arms shook with a tremor outside of her bloodlust. Her brows raised as her throat contracted, flashing her jugulars for a split second. "I put my own pain away when I think about what that child went through that day. I watched that man drag her around as he undressed himself. Her last moments in this world were spent enduring a horrendous act that she didn't even understand."
Narratha's voice trembled as she relived that moment in her head, "At least I knew what was in store for me. But, I should have been there with her. I was supposed to protect her…and I didn't."
"None of what happened that day was your fault," Cassandra reminded her. "You did what you believed you had to do to save the others."
The fawn's moment of sadness gave way to more anger. Her brows tensed up with aggression, hovering above the fire that burned in her eyes. "I was born with no powers. Had I been given them, I could have stopped it. What I do now, I do for Balia. No fawn will ever go through what she suffered, not as long as they stand ready to do what they must!"
"And Leta must die to save the fawns?" Cassandra asked as she pointed to the fearful child in the woman's arms. "Leta may not be your Balia, but she is mine. How can you justify killing her?"
Narratha glanced at the crying girl in her arms, the edge of the blade caressing her skin. Leta's lips buckled as streams of terror trailed down them. She had never been frightened, and the redhead could see it. The killer only peeked at her for a second before she averted her gaze and clenched her jaw.
It's working!
"Narratha, she's just a kid." Cassandra held her unarmed hand up to make peace with the distraught woman. "She hasn't done anything to hurt you. Balia would not have wanted you to hurt these innocent people. I promise that if you do, it isn't going to bring her back. All it will do is destroy more lives, as well as the woman that she looked up to."
The brunette pointed to herself as she took a step closer. "I have lost many people throughout my life, just as I have killed many others. Everyone I murdered was just a way for me to try and escape the torment I felt every day, but no matter what: It never went away. But, all is not lost."
Cassandra set down her sickle and opened up her arms. "Nobody has to die. Put down your sword and let her go, and we can all walk out of here together. I can help you find peace, just as others have helped me. Celebrate Balia's life and be the kind fawn that she saw you as. There is still time, but only you can make that choice."
Tears were beginning to fall down Narratha's cheeks as she listened to Cassandra's words. Something in her heart was swirling. An impulse, perhaps. She couldn't be too certain. Her mind had slimmed down to just a simple collection of thoughts – all focused on both the child she lost and the one she held now.
The redhead used her forearm to wipe away some of the sorrow she had drained out, clearing her throat with a cough as she stared at the ground. "I just want her back. She was my entire world." Her eyes turned to Cassandra. "It isn't fair."
"Life is not fair," she said. "It can be cruel and hateful, but we can do better by helping others, not by hurting them. We can't change yesterday, but we can still change tomorrow. This has to end, Narratha."
She looked at Leta again. "Tell me, Cassandra, how can one be forgiven after killing so many?"
The brunette furrowed her brow as she spoke directly from the heart, "It starts with yourself. You have to let go."
Narratha repeated her words, "Let go." She nodded right after. "Do you forgive me?"
"Only if you make the right choice."
She gave another nod. "Everything that I have done was done to build a future where young fawns did not need to suffer. I've tested my sisters at every turn, but yet, most have remained faithful to our ways." Narratha sighed as she stood there, Leta still firmly in her grasp. "They would rather perish than use their powers for justice. Justice is an elusive creature. I feel like I am a huntress forever cursed to scour the forests in search of it. It will always be one step ahead of me and so it shall be until the end of my days."
Cassandra took another step closer. "I am still fighting to accept what I have lost, but it is a fight that I shall win. It takes time. The dead cannot be brought back to us."
Narratha repeated Cassandra's words again, "The dead cannot be brought back." Her floating glare went back to Leta. "Balia was just like you, dear child. So young. So full of a life that awaited her."
The redhead huffed a somber breath as she shut her eyes. "But, Cassandra is right: We live in a world where even fawns as young as you unjustly meet a violent end. I have not accepted the truth because I was afraid to believe that such a world could exist. I am certain that it is the same world that Lia tried to protect you from."
Her eyes then opened and met Cassandra, who stood there with her arm extended. "But, I will stop running. Young fawns die…and I must accept that."
She then ran her sword across Leta's throat.
Cassandra's face lit up with horror as she witnessed the blade come loose and the girl's neck split in the center. Blood was already beginning to drain by the time the child processed what had just happened to her. Leta's eyes shot open with a surge of shock, but she could only let out a gurgle in response to the wound that had been inflicted upon her.
"No!" Cassandra shrieked as she stumbled back. It was a sight that she hoped she would never see, but now, it was right in front of her.
Narratha's face was expressionless as she let go of Leta and allowed the girl to collapse on the floor. As soon as her green eyes returned to the brunette – she saw Cassandra pick up her sickle and head straight for her.
Narratha! How could you?!
"Argh!" Cassandra shouted as she barreled ahead, her body already dispersing into a horde of insects by the time her feet left the ground. Narratha's hands became enveloped in their blue fire, right before she began to levitate and lean forward.
In perfect sequence – the two women took flight and headed straight for one another.
Cassandra's upper half was still intact, while the rest of her was a total swarm of vengeful insects who now sought to destroy the redhead. Narratha was fast in her flight and as soon as the women collided, the fawn unleashed a wave of fire from her left hand. The quick burst of flame toasted dozens of flies instantly, but it was pennies in the jar compared to the tsunami of bugs that awaited her.
Having not learned from her previous mistakes, Narratha was unprepared for the ravenous onslaught that Cassandra would unleash. Multitudes of buzzards would come her way, biting into her skin as soon as they landed.
Narratha threw additional fire at Cassandra, hoping to burn more of them. However, the pain from the bites was immediate and she could not mentally set it aside. Her offensive actions gave way to defense as she desperately used her magic to shield her skin. With the bugs already attached, some managed to circumvent her impenetrable fields by already being under them.
The biting continued and Narratha was forced to dispel waves of energy throughout her body to cook them off. The cost of her resources was great and she could feel her muscles straining under the exhaustion. With her shields down and her mind preoccupied, the killer had forgotten that Cassandra was still in the air with her.
That was when the slashing of the brunette's sickle across the fawn's fur cape brought her back to reality.
A river of pain erupted behind her shoulders, causing Narratha to scream as she flew back and tossed more fire at Cassandra. Groups of flies fell to the ground below, but the pale woman kept swinging at her. The fawn dissipated her body as soon as her adversary got close enough, reappearing on the other side for an attempt at a flanking maneuver.
The only thing that awaited her was just more bugs.
"Monster!" Narratha roared as she tried to use her magic to entangle Cassandra in another hold, but only returned with another result of just a single fly being in her grasp. In an act of spite, the redhead crushed the insect and threw another blast of fire, which seared the side of Cassandra's arm as she came swinging for her.
There was no compromising at this point for Cassandra. Narratha had crossed the line and proven herself to be unwilling to change. Leta had already paid the ultimate price and the woman's reign of terror would not end unless she was stopped.
Death did not matter to Cassandra at this point anymore. She would fight until the very end and give it everything that she had.
Even if it was with her dying breath, she was going to kill this fawn.
"You're the monster!" Cassandra slashed at Narratha, causing the two of them to lock weapons in mid-air. The redhead fought as hard as she could, but the brunette had an unforeseen amount of strength behind her weapon. She was too strong to push away and succeeded at repelling her back.
Narratha turned her arms to the right and both weapons broke free from each other. Cassandra quickly followed up with another slash, which tore up the skin along the fawn's right forearm. Flies ejected from her body and bombarded the woman as she dissipated again and re-formed on the other side of the room.
As soon as she did, Cassandra was still right there. "You keep the evil alive!" The brunette screamed as their blades connected. "Peaceful worlds will never be safe from animals like you!"
In the face of all her anguish, Narratha still found the chance to smile back at her. "Animals like us?"
Cassandra did not even answer. Instead, she pushed Narratha back and sent two swarms of bugs at her. Narratha could barely stand the attack, which caused her to expel another round of energy to burn the insects away. As soon as the blue particles around her cleared, the woman's shields were back up against her skin.
You're not going to escape this!
Cassandra's flies dived toward the redhead's body, only to be stopped by the layer of magic between them and their target. Despite this, she would not give up. Fawn magic was not perfect and there had to be cracks in Narratha's defenses. More and more insects converged on her, each searching for an avenue to where they could enter and do damage.
As this went on, Narratha kept her eyes on Cassandra, who grew smaller and smaller by the second as the flies trickled off her. The redhead raised a brow to her actions, wondering why she wasn't attacking her directly. Her focus then drifted toward the bugs that were swarming on her full-body shield. Confident that it was a futile effort, the redhead remained in place as she awaited the moment when all of the insects would be upon her.
Cassandra – on the other hand – was already aware of the cracks in a fawn's shield. Gibbin had made mention of it during their travels, which only substantiated what she witnessed when Lia battled this vile woman. It never seemed relevant, until now.
Now, she had her own powers.
And her flies could smell the scent of her blood underneath the barriers. When enough of the openings had been discovered, that was when the horde came pouring in. One by one, the insects crawled through the slivers of magic and descended onto Narratha's skin.
Their pinchers clamped down on and tore the tissue as soon as they could. Amid her dark cloud of buzzing wings and speeding jaws, Cassandra could hear the sound of Narratha screaming wildly. The fawn kicked and buckled around as she tried to shake the vicious pests that chewed her apart. Spinning around in circles as she hovered around, the fawn could not rid herself of the invertebrate army.
I got her!
Cassandra's flies could soon feel an intense heat boiling under the blood that pooled into their mouths. Groups of them soon began to fry under the flashing rays, which prompted her to back off and funnel out. Narratha's shields were already faltering, allowing greater paths of escape before the fawn's body suddenly sparked a powerful sphere of energy that catapulted every single one that remained off of her.
Those caught up in the blast did not fare too well; roasting to a crisp under the powerful pressure. Cassandra could feel more of her body chipping away. Narratha's flames were still too great of a threat to mess with and the more the fawn took damage, the more desperate that she became. The decision was made to reform and go in for another swipe of her sickle.
She's going to burn me alive! I need to cut her down!
With steam coming off her arms and back, Narratha floated down to the ground as she tried to regain her strength. This fight had taken a lot out of her. This wasn't like Acomb where she was at the top of her game. The fight with Lia had seen her use up everything that she had, and the recovery process was still ongoing. It did not help that her abundance of food was in short supply. Had she devoured a fresh fawn before this battle, then her flames would have seared the brunette out of existence.
The more she had to disperse and unleash her magic, the less of it that her body had. It would soon come to the point where she would soon be at zero – with her enemy still at full potential. It was impossible to concentrate with all these bugs scattered around her. She had to narrow in on Cassandra fast.
Luckily, the brunette was already back together by the time she turned to look at her. Cassandra came out swinging, ready to send the tip of her weapon into the fawn's chest. Narratha threw her sword up and blocked the impact before it could reach her, using some of her magic to aid her strength and repel the pale woman's might for just a moment.
The two were locked in a ferocious staring contest, both baring their teeth at one another as they fought for dominance. Cassandra grunted as she tried to push forward, but Narratha's magic amplified to keep her balanced.
The redhead snarled as her brow tightened, "You asked me to forgive those who killed my Balia." Their weapons dislodged and the fawn swung her blade through Cassandra's stomach, but to no effect. "Then do you forgive me for killing Leta?"
Cassandra screamed as she swiped her sickle across and nearly caught Narratha's jaw in it. A close hit, but not close enough. "No one made that choice but you! This isn't about the poils anymore!"
Narratha fired a blast of fire at Cassandra, which burnt the flies that collected along her stomach and forced her to move back and out of its path. "You ask me to do what you cannot! I kill because every fawn allows me to do so with their inaction!"
She fired another blast at Cassandra. "You preach forgiveness, only to abandon it when the moment of truth comes." Scores of blue flames vanished in the air as the redhead prepared her sword for a thrust. "You and I are alike in that regard."
Narratha lunged forward and tried to pierce Cassandra's chest with it, but the blade only fell through an open cavity created by the fleeing insects. Her gaze fixated on the incredible defense before the fawn stepped back to place further distance between them.
She grinned with a sinister gleam as she spoke again, "I've been searching for someone like you for so long. Pity that you are not a fawn. You understand what must be done to save lives."
Cassandra was still as angry as ever. She wanted to destroy Narratha for all she had done, but deep in her heart, she believed her. This was what the woman wanted. Leta's throat had been cut to prove a final point – to both of them.
There was no winning in that regard. Narratha would have found her weak for forgiving her and attempted to slaughter the brunette all the same. Revoking forgiveness and fighting back meant that she was right all along. In that split second, before she did anything else, she thought back to the way Olisha had described the remorse that she felt over what transpired in that commune.
The elder had denied Narratha's ambitions for revenge in part of the cruelty that she wished to inflict, which itself would never repair the damage that had been done. However, Olisha regretted that she had not fought harder to see a peaceful means to justice. Narratha wanted to break the fawn tradition by becoming a person so destructive that they would have to be stopped, otherwise, she would just continue killing.
Narratha needed someone of virtue who would stand up to the wicked, willing to slaughter them if the need arose. Cassandra had proven herself to be that person.
And now – it was the wicked who must be destroyed.
Cassandra charged forward with her blade reared back for an uppercut that would hopefully skewer the redhead's abdomen. She would keep going until she landed a clean hit, but the fawn was as evasive as ever. The brunette's arm was thrown upward, where the sickle clanged against the sword her opponent wielded.
Following the impact, Cassandra's arm exploded into a mass of winged carnivores. As soon as Narratha observed the insects escaping, she sent a large torrent of fire straight at her. The cylindrical blast hurtled at the woman at break-neck speed and she was unable to dodge it.
The fawn's wrath collided with Cassandra's chest and side, ripping her apart with a hellish inferno.
Argh! I can't –
She fell to the ground and tried to crawl away as soon as she could. Her left side was left in smoke, while colonies of flies lay dead on the ground. Narratha's flames were more lethal than the cold itself. At least the brisk touch of winter put the insects into hibernation. The redhead's attacks outright killed them and there would only be so many bugs left to spare if this continued.
I need…to stop her…
With more flies swirling above her, Cassandra pushed herself onto her knee and cradled her sickle in her hand as she glared at Narratha. The killer appeared heavily expended from the move and unbeknownst to the brunette, she was at the edge of her abilities.
Another fire attack or two would end up elevating her body heat to dangerous levels. She needed more fawn blood to repair the damage in the heat of the moment, but none would come around until this fight was won. If she pushed herself too hard, then her skin with start to burn and rupture, just as it did when she battled Lia.
Too much energy – and it would be a burnout.
That was when a gurgle caught the attention of both women. Both their eyes turned to see a still-alive Leta crawling around on the ground, clutching her bleeding throat. Narratha's sword had not cut into her arteries, but the leakage of crimson was still great. She was coated in the substance and the dwindling amount of energy that she had left was the tail-end of a young fawn's short-lived life.
Yet, she was still alive.
Narratha could still feed.
Cassandra shambled over in the girl's direction, desperate to be close to her, as if there was anything that she could do to stop her from dying. It was impossible, she believed, but the impulse drove her to do so. Narratha looked on as the two got closer, now only just yards away from one another.
That was when she came up with one final strategy that would hopefully end this threat, once and for all. If Cassandra had abilities of her own, brought forth by the taste of fawn blood, then she would fall to a move that was reserved for fawns only.
The redhead dashed forward, sprinting toward her with everything that she had. Cassandra's gaze shifted as she craned her neck to glimpse the incoming woman. The brunette's lips parted with shock, right as her arm began to cock back to deliver another strike with her sickle.
Narratha took her by complete surprise as she allowed their bodies to collide – an explosion of blue following her plan's completion.
The powerful shockwave of energy rocked every fiber of Cassandra's being. She had never felt so light, yet, so dense. It was like every cell in her body had turned into a stone, weighing her down and then morphing into particles that faded in the air. She suddenly endured a blunt force of pain as Narratha took her to the ground, and that was when she knew what had just transpired.
My powers…they're gone!
There was not a single fly to be found, as Narratha's act had forced an assembly of everything that she had been composed of. The left side of Cassandra's head tingled with the sensation of a diminished cadou that was useless against the charge of the redhead's emergency switch. Whatever it was had successfully shut off her unique qualities and now, she was as human as she was before.
Human enough to die.
"Got you!" Narratha struck her in the face with a strong fist, splitting Cassandra's lip as her head recoiled to the left. She crashed back down onto the floor, but the fawn used her build to hoist her back up as soon as her hand managed to clutch the brunette's throat.
"I don't need my powers to kill you." Narratha struck her in the gut, knocking the wind clean out of her. "I was always strong," she ended with a cackle, reveling in the triumph she felt as she prevailed over this woman.
I'm not going to win this!
"Argh!" Cassandra screamed as soon as her lungs inflated and gave one last try at hitting the fawn with her blade. Narratha was so close that it should have been an easy blow, but the killer was fast and wrapped her left arm around Cassandra's elbow, uppercutting her with her fist – which still clenched her sword.
Blood ejected from Cassandra's nose as she stumbled back, allowing the tip of the sickle to dig into Narratha's shoulder blade. "Bitch!" The redhead shouted as she released the brunette and unleashed another punch.
Fighting everything that had been thrown her way, Cassandra took the pain that had been given to her and charged back at Narratha. She wasn't going to let herself get knocked unconscious. If this fight meant her end, then she would go down swinging.
The two women locked blades again, but Narratha's physical strength overwhelmed the slim woman. With both hands on her sword, the fawn pressed forward, taking Cassandra with her as she was pushed toward the wall nearby. There was nothing that she could do to resist. Narratha was a bull – and she was a wounded goat.
This fight was already over.
As soon as Narratha had her pinned to the wall, she reared back and struck her in the face once more. The taste of iron filled Cassandra's mouth, right as she heard the sound of her sickle falling at her feet. She had not even realized that she had dropped her weapon. Unarmed and with nothing to shield her from the violence that awaited, she could only watch as Narratha descended into an unhinged fury.
The woman's face was as wild as the devil. Her teeth were flared with the furious pull of a bloodthirsty demon. With eyes as wide as the hatred in her heart, she stared Cassandra down, grunting viciously as her sword slashed the brunette all across her body. The edged steel peeled her muscles, from her shoulders, down to her forearms.
Cassandra froze from the paralyzing sting of the lacerations that were carved into her flesh. She grit her teeth in agony; brows furrowed in weakness. This was what every victim of hers had suffered and now, she was the one on the other end of the blade. Each slash crippled her strength, negating her efforts to withstand the welcoming hand of death.
She lifted her arms to cover her face, but the sword continued to whip her tissues apart. With her gown covered in rips and seeping blood, Cassandra looked past Narratha and at the dying girl whom she had failed to save.
Leta!
Narratha's sword slashed Cassandra's left hip, which caused her to collapse onto the ground below her. The redhead stood and roared as she angled the tip of the weapon down at her and cocked her arm back. The brunette could not even move away by the time it came down – stabbing her in the gut.
Ah!
Cassandra's mouth shot open with a gasp as her eyes met those of the fawn above. The implement skewered her insides with an indomitable force. The onset of internal bleeding was instant and it weighed her down even more.
Narratha's irises burned brighter than any flame that she could muster. As her victim groaned in pain, she twisted the sword out and plunged it back in, piercing more of Cassandra's abdomen and unleashing streams of blood down her sides.
Narratha grinned with a sadistic glee – for she had won.
Cassandra's head tilted to her left, where she saw Leta on her hands and knees, still holding onto her throat. Blood trailed down from between her fingers, but as she glanced up at the two, her expression became one of utter determination.
With a shrill cry, the girl removed her hand from her throat and extended it their way. A blue aura broke forth from her skin and lit up her palm like the Spector Moons in the sky.
Narratha's sword fell from her grasp as her body suddenly contracted. It was like she was being electrified with a force that she had never experienced. Every muscle was as tense as ever, mirroring the strain portrayed through her eyes and mouth. With a scream, the redhead buckled under the pressure as she struggled to stand up. Blue particles could be seen flowing from her arms and back.
As soon as her scream ended, she fell to the ground beside Cassandra – exhausted and weak.
Breathing heavily, the fawn turned herself onto her stomach as her attention was drawn to the child with the slit throat. Narratha's lips curled as she bared her teeth at Leta, knowing that she was the one who had done this. "You…"
Narratha rose to a knee as she prepared to stand and move toward her. She would finish the job and end this child's life, taking whatever blood she could salvage for the future that still lay ahead. Her drive to persevere kept her eyes on the girl as she stood up on both her feet.
That was when the tip of her sword found itself tunneling through her right calf.
With a shout, Narratha collapsed back down onto her knee. Her gaze shifted to the neck of the blade which now penetrated past her shin. Shocked at what had happened, there could only be one explanation, and the answer was solidified the moment Cassandra's sickle pierced her right shoulder. She could feel the weight of someone pulling themselves up from the ground behind her.
The curved blade hooked into her bone as it yanked her back and spun her around.
And there she was, Cassandra Dimitrescu, standing tall and bloody as she glared mercilessly at the injured killer. Narratha's face was rattled with pain as crimson leaked from her wound down onto her chest, burying her freckled skin under an arterial ocean. The brunette tore the sickle out at that moment and the two were left staring at one another.
As she breathed in, Narratha's mouth fell to a pause in her anguish. Her mind could only be set on the amber orbs of the woman who had bested her. This was it. There would be no second chances. Locwitary's greatest predator had fallen to a huntress from another universe.
And as history would be written, blood would stain the metal of the sickle in Cassandra's hand. Neither said a word as the brunette reared her arm back. There was no time to consider anything else. No time to devise and disrupt. It all happened so quickly.
Narratha's eyes turned to the left – where she saw the glint of the steel as it rotated in the air and came closer.
For Milo, Vasan, and the rest of Acomb.
For the fawns who had been tortured down below.
For those who would never be found.
For Lia.
Cassandra swung the sickle into the side of Narratha's head.
The fawn's body fell over as it went limp, taking Cassandra's weapon and arm down to the ground with it. She hesitated for a second as she mustered the strength needed to wrench the sickle out of Narratha's skull. The crunch of bone and brain stirred in the air as the half-moon blade released itself and the woman who wielded it was allowed to stand up.
Cassandra turned her eyes down to the bloody mess of red, bushy hair along the side of the large, white fur cape. There was no war cry to be shouted. No final words to cap off the end of a war. Narratha was another dead body in a castle of corpses.
There was nothing to celebrate here.
Leta…I need Leta…
With her fixation moving away from the fallen fawn, Cassandra turned her eyes up to Leta, who was now lying on her side, fighting to stay alive. Blood was still draining out from her throat, which had pooled along into puddles bridged by streaks left from her crawling. The girl wasn't going to last another minute at this rate.
I must…get to her.
Shambling along the stone floor, Cassandra could feel the injuries that she had sustained taking a profound toll on her body. Her legs grew weaker the more her gown became soddened with blood. She peered down and saw the ongoing draining of sanguine fluid from her stomach. This was a wound that she was not going to bounce back from on her own. It was only a miracle that she had managed to channel what was left in her to finish Narratha.
Now, she was at her end as well.
Dropping her sickle to the ground, Cassandra fought on for a couple more steps before she stumbled and collapsed onto her stomach. Grunting and coughing, she could only look at Leta with a looming dread. The girl was just twenty feet away from her, but she felt as far away as ever.
I can't let her be alone.
With bloody hands, Cassandra threw her arms forward and used them to crawl toward the girl. Inch by inch, she pulled her dying body closer with everything she had left. Smears of red were left in her wake as she moved ahead. There was only so much that she had left. Her skin was paler than it had ever been before and she could feel her legs and stomach going numb.
She couldn't let it end here. She would be with Leta.
Just a little more!
"Leta…" Cassandra finally got close enough to where she could grab her by the hand. The child was just as weaker than she was. "Leta…I'm here now. You're going to be okay."
The child's fleeting eyes stared back at her through her half-closed eyelids. With her gurgling breath, all she could offer in response was a faint escape of air. That broke Cassandra's heart into pieces.
She had failed her.
"We're…going to…go home, Leta." Cassandra's breathing grew shallow. "Just like…I promised."
As their hands stayed locked together, there was a slight blooming of warmth that could be felt through Cassandra's glove. Through the dark hair that covered the right side of her face, the brunette gazed at their palms.
I've felt this before. It's just like when Lia healed my injuries.
The radiant energy between Leta and Cassandra's hand manifested itself into a pool of repairment. Lia had not been so forthcoming about a fawn's healing qualities, only that she had used hers to mend the wounds of many throughout the years.
Cassandra could feel the shifting of the magic going from one direction and the other, between both her arms – and Leta's. Was it the fawn blood that she had ingested that allowed her to control it? Or, could fawns naturally take the energy from others to heal themselves?
The more Cassandra thought about undoing the damage that Narratha had created, the more the energy from her body flowed into the child's. Perhaps, she thought, it could only be done by someone who chose to allow it. If so, then hopefully, all was not done for.
That was when she admitted to herself that the severity of both of their injuries would not allow both of them to fully heal. Not even close, at that. These two were at the cusps of the end of their lives, but there may have been just enough life force between them for one to make it out.
The choice was clearer than ever.
It's okay, Leta. It's…going to be okay.
Cassandra drew breath as she concentrated as hard as she could. The energy inside her body began to travel out from her arm, into Leta's hand. As the blue aura inside their palms grew brighter, the brunette could feel a cold chill growing inside of her. While the frost of death expanded throughout her veins, she saw the color in the girl's skin return to form.
Leta's throat was starting to repair itself within a string of bright, blue particles that flickered all around it.
I'm not going to let you die here.
Cassandra pushed harder, forcing more of her power through.
I have killed so many people. Even today…I still took lives. That's all that I ever did.
The pale woman grew even weaker as the chill reached up to her neck. She could hardly even twitch anything below her shoulder. The beating of her heart was dimming out. Her lungs settled on the shallowest slivers of air that she could pull in. After a few rounds, it seemed like they didn't demand any more.
Whoever is listening…please…just let me save one life. I will not leave this world as a…as a monster.
Cassandra's peripherals fell dark. Her vision narrowed. All she could see now was the faint glow of the magic around Leta's closing laceration.
Leta…I am sorry that I…must leave you here…alone. You never…deserved this horror.
The last drops that circled the drain fell through. Cassandra's thoughts slowed down at that very moment.
Take my life…and live…the one you… deserve.
Blurriness gave way to shadows.
Live…
Shadows gave way to endless darkness.
And then there was nothing else.
Leta opened her eyes as the flaring pain from her slashed throat suddenly vanished. In its place was a warmth far beyond that of the blood that covered the area. The girl coughed up whatever crimson was still inside her esophagus as she rolled to her side. Shaking from the harrowing ordeal, she found everything around her to be in a haze.
Her vision was slowly returning to normal, withdrawing from the shadows. The beating of her heart steadily rose to a natural pace, while the tingling feeling in her fingers and toes began to vanish. Everything was flowing the way it was supposed to. Her thoughts began to get back on track, allowing her to become more aware of her surroundings. Within seconds, it all came together, as if the last few minutes of her life had never taken place.
But, when she turned her head forward to the source of the hand that held her, that was when she saw Cassandra – motionless and blank.
"Cassandra?" Leta's voice crept up with an impending sense of sadness. She had a grave feeling at what she was looking at. The girl pushed herself up from the ground and scampered over to cradle the head of the woman in her lap. "Cassandra! Wake up!"
Those once vibrant amber eyes were loose within their sockets, floating around as they gazed into nothing. She was cold to the touch. Not a single pulse to be felt. Leta's bloody hands cupped Cassandra's cheeks as she tried to force a smile on her. Those lips only fell back into a loose hang as soon as her thumbs left them.
The young fawn sobbed over her friend, tears landing on her half-shaven head as the child she saved realized that she was gone. "Cassandra," her voice cracked, "please, wake up!"
Leta's wails echoed around the armory, but her audience was nothing but skeletons and dead women.
"Cassandra!" Leta shook her by the shoulders. The brunette's body remained still as it lay on top of the fawn's legs. There was so much blood around the two of them. The assortment of wounds across her body was too much to count. It was nothing short of incredible that her savior had crawled this far. "I'm scared of the dark."
Another stream of whimpers rumbled under her distraught breath. She was now alone – the only light of everything she had held dear snuffed out in a final act of love.
"Wake up…"
NOTES:
Where one life ends – another begins.
Cassandra's road to redemption was a long one that forked into so many paths. In the end, it was in this castle that she found her purpose. It was never about the dagger or the implication of what lay ahead if she returned home.
The past cannot be changed, but the future leaves us ground in which we can define ourselves.
Does saving one life undo the many that she has ended?
As Lia once said, "Only the dead can forgive."
This story always preached the destination, but it was the journey that its heart lied in. Cassandra's final act was brought forward with a love forged through so many chapters before it. It was always going to end here.
From a monster to a hero – this was her story.
The epilogue will be released next week on the 21st.
I'll save the rest of my chapter notes for that, as there is still some story left to be told. I've been waiting a year to get to this point. It feels so surreal. Guess it really is the journey, instead of the destination.
Thank you for supporting me through all of this. Stay safe out there and I will see you all very soon 😉