The Gathering (88 page)

Anne was dragging her bags out of the room and towards the stairs when she looked up and saw Rona.
 
The look on Rona's face was different.
 
She was confident and fierce.
 
Anne dropped her bags, ran back into the room and grabbed the two daggers from the bed.
 
She looked over her shoulder and walked back out into the hall.

Her eyes were sad as a tear rolled down her cheek.
 
She no longer sought to hide her sorrow or pain.

"Albion was the only thing I had that was any good.
 
Now he's dead, I have nothing."

"It's not personal, Annie."

Rona smiled and Anne stared at Rona in such a way that for a brief moment, Rona felt cold.
 
Anne Merganser had nothing left.
 
She smiled at Rona.
 

"You know, Precious, I've never liked you very much."

Anne blew along the edge of each dagger and a pink flame grew and danced along the surface.

Rona walked towards Anne and as she did, she slammed the edges of her weapons together and they began to glow orange.
 
Rona raised her swords and smiled.
 
Anne raised her arms and pointed the daggers at Rona.
 
Pink fire and purple lightning flew from the tips of the knives as Rona crossed her steel.
 
As the fire hit Rona's blades, it turned orange and a fireball flew from the center.
 
It consumed the lightning and flew at Anne's head.
 
She ducked and the fireball hit the wall and flew off in several pieces, crashing into the walls and setting fire to the fabrics around them.
 

Rona smiled and clanked her swords together.
 
Anne stood up and lunged at her.
 
They matched metal to metal as their weapons sparked with each contact.
 
The sparks from Rona's blade fell on Anne’s skin and burned in little fires that turned Anne’s skin black.
 
She blew blue air against her skin and the flames were extinguished, then she turned and countered all of Rona's moves, but Rona was a better fighter.
 
Rona struck at Anne and cut her chest.
 
A trickle of blood ran into her cleavage.
 
Anne looked at her wound and then at the smiling Rona and spit at her.
 
Rona lifted her arm to shield her face.

"You bitch!"

Anne smiled as Rona frowned and looked at the spittle on her arm and wrist.
 
They continued to fight and initially Rona was unaware of Anne's magic until the saliva moved slowly up Rona's arm and wrapped itself like a snake around Rona’s wrist and turned pink, then red and finally white.
 
Before she could react, the spit had turned into acid and burned through Rona’s wrist, severing her hand.
 
The limb fell to the floor with a deafening crash as the metal from the blade clattered onto the stone.
 
Rona screamed in pain and frustration as she fought off Anne’s advancing blows.

Rona's face was wet with tears, as Anne laughed and struck.
 
Rona's rage consumed her and she struck hard and fast at Anne.
 
Anne stepped lively, but hadn't anticipated Rona's speed and strength.
 
Anne yelled at Rona.

"All this talent and you just watched as they butchered your Tommy… you are pathetic."

Rona snarled at Anne and even without the use of her other hand Rona disarmed Anne within a matter of moments.
      

Anne spit at Rona again, but Rona moved aside, letting the spittle rest on a wall.
 
It slid down and slithered along the stone and eating its way through the rock.

Anne began to panic and throw charms at Rona, but she blocked all of them.
 
Rona's eyes were now steely and focused as she chased Anne down the stairs.

Rona tried to grab the banister as she moved down the stairs, smacking her stump on the wood.
 
The dull ache was a painful reminder of her new condition, pushing her on faster after her prey.

As Anne ran through the main hall, she grabbed several swords.
 
She looked for an alternative way out, but the only access to the outside was through the main doors and into the thick of the fighting outside.
 
She pressed on through the room, although the air was thick with smoke and the metallic twinge of blood.
 
Her nose twitched as she stepped lightly over bodies and made her way through the hall towards the exit.
 

She could hear the battle raging outside, but she knew they would all be so engrossed with each other they wouldn't notice one more concubine fleeing the melee.
 
As she approached the far side of the room, she saw the lifeless body of Thomas Blaylock slumped against the wall.
 

She stopped and stared at him with disgust.
 
She saw his eyes, the icy blue under a cloudy haze.
 
There was nothing left.
 
She heard Rona behind her and she ran to the doors.

The darkness of night met her as she ran through the castle entrance.
 
The clash of swords came from all sides.
 
Anne moved quickly through the crowd, dodging the thrashing weapons.
 
Fire and ash flew softly through the air as she saw her destination, the forest.

A soldier slammed against her and she struck with her sword.
 
The Horde soldier fell and she withdrew.
 
She had reached the edge of the fighting when Sam saw her.
 
He raised his hand and a great blue light flew towards her.
 
It was like a rope and it coiled itself around her neck and pulled her back.

She struggled as the magical rope dragged her from the forest edge and back into the fighting.
 
When the light was almost back in Sam's hand, he tossed his arm back and Anne Merganser was thrown through the air and into the middle of the fight.
 
Sam was about to go after her, but several of the Hordesmen advanced and he was momentarily distracted.

Anne seized the moment and stood up, ready to run to the other side of the castle.
 
A Fail soldier came at her and she spit in her face.
 
The soldier tried desperately to wipe away the spittle, but the snake had begun to move and turn white, and the soldier’s screams were lost in the battle as the acid burned through her face and Anne turned to run.

As she took her first step, she felt cool metal against her neck.
 
Rona was standing in front of her and had just drawn back her blade.
 
The sword the Master had given her was dripping with fresh blood.
 
Anne stared at Rona, her heart beating, her lungs expanding and retracting.
 
Rona could see that Anne Merganser now understood.
 
Those blue eyes, like a Caribbean lagoon, stared at Rona with relief.
 
Then as one tear rolled down her face, Anne's head lolled to the left and fell from her body, which collapsed moments later.

Rona smiled at Anne's now lifeless body.
 
She walked over and kicked her head like a soccer ball.
 
She laughed as it rolled off into the distance.
 
Rona spun around, ready to run back into the castle, but found Tanner standing before her, barring her way.

"Going somewhere?"

His eyes were shining in the dim light, reflecting the dancing fire around them.
 
Rona felt her stomach drop.
 
He had the same look in his eyes that Alia had when she fought Thomas.

"They made me, Tanner!
 
They made me do it!"

A Horde soldier moved behind Tanner, but he felt him and spun around.
 
As the Hordesman struck, Tanner countered and ran him through.
 
He turned back to Rona, who held her sword aloft and slowly circled him, as he calmly watched her.
 
She looked frightened.

"I didn't want to, but they said they would kill me!
 
You have to believe me!"

"Spare me the theatrics, Rona.
 
You killed my sister, possibly my brother, and now I'm gonna kill you!"

He lunged at her and she sneered, countering his strike.
 
The frightened woman, pleading for her life had disappeared and been replaced by the liar and murderess.
 
She stumbled and tripped, forgetting that she was missing a hand.
 
He grinned at her.

"Oh, what happened?
 
Do you need a hand?"

She snarled at him and struck again.
 
From her stump she sent out red flames, which turned into hooks.
 
The hooks tried to grab Tanner, but he raised his arm and from the palm of his hand came a blue shield. When the hooks hit the magic shield they withered and disappeared.

She frowned and screamed wildly as they exchanged magic and blows and she came towards him.
 
Tanner threw his hand up and a bright orange flash pushed Rona back and through the soldiers fighting around them.
 
She landed hard on the ground, her head slamming into the earth.
 
She shook the cobwebs out her eyes and stood up.
 
She walked, then ran back to Tanner, leaping at him and bringing the sword down on him as hard as she could.
 
He countered, but her blade cut through his metal and the sword sliced through his shoulder.
 

He rolled over and scrambled to get out of her way, but she struck at him again and caught him on the back, cutting him deeply.
 
Blood flowed from the new wound as he rolled back over.
 
She struck again and caught him across the chest.

He blocked her attacks with his dagger, but her blows were too powerful and she knocked the dagger from his grasp.
 
He was breathing heavily and staring at her.

She held the sword to his throat, glancing over her shoulder towards Alia, who was distracted with several of the Horde soldiers.
 
She smiled and pulled back the sword, pointed at Tanner's chest.
 

"Maybe it's you who needs a hand?"

She laughed and pushed the sword forward, but it stopped mid-air and her laughter ceased as her face turned crimson.
 
Around her neck was a blue light that looked like a rope.
 
She was being pulled backwards.
 
She looked at Tanner as she grabbed at the rope with her stump and then noticed that a purple glow was coming from his body.
 
Then she stopped and the rope disappeared.
 
She took long raspy breaths that suddenly stopped.
 
Rona then looked down at her chest.
 
Sticking out of her left breast was the point of a dagger.
 
The point withdrew and she dropped to her knees.
 
She grabbed her breast as blood streamed from the wound.
 
Behind her stood Vance and Sam.
 
Sam grabbed Vance's shoulder, nodded and then ran to help Alia fight off more of the Hordesmen.

Vance walked past Rona to Tanner and helped him up.
 
Tanner held tightly to Vance's hand and Vance nodded.
 
They began to move towards Alia and Sam.
 
Rona had her hand in front of her and was looking at the blood and started to laugh.
 
They stopped and watched her.

"He chose me… he chose me over Anne.
 
I was better… a better fighter, a better follower… Alisha suffered, didn't she?”

She laughed.
 
Vance watched her.