novelxo Chapter 20 - The Fight In Violet
…DREA…
Violet and I sat atop Sudryl, I could feel the anxiety rolling off him and he could sense the threatening atmosphere. Nic to my left, atop his valiant Arabian steed Marcos and Hunter in wolf form to my right. His gigantic white wolf stood ready, his hind legs soft and in pouncing stance with his shoulders raised, the other wolves surrounding us.
Sparks rose high into the sky, like wayward embers of flame, they were attacking the barrier with everything they had. The silence that surrounded us was both suffocating and deafening as we waiting for the seal to break. Electrically charged adrenalin pumping through the veins in our bodies, I could feel everything through the bond to our pack, the full weight of their anxiety bearing down hard, on my shoulders which meant Hunter wore the brunt of their panic too.
“Hunter, is your block up on the pack?”
His big furry wolf’s head shook side to side to indicate no, ...ah, I understand what you are hinting at… his deep husky voice invaded my mind, thank god, he understood. I needed him focused and concentrating, not occupied by thoughts and fears that were not his own.
“I’m afraid Mum,” Violet whispered.
“There is nothing to be afraid of my beautiful precious, do you remember what we’ve learnt?”
“Yes, but what if I’m too scared to sing?”
“Ryka and Max are your personal protectors…” massive lightning cracks at the barrier, the sound piercing our eardrums, “…If we somehow get separated, you go to them.” I ordered her. She looked down at Ryka’s sandy coloured wolf by Sudryl’s left hoof and then over to Max’s grey and orange wolf by Sudryl’s right, “you are the blood child of an Alpha and a Phoenix, you are the first ever of your kind. Violet, do not be afraid, it is them that should fear you.”
With an offensively loud shatter, as if millions of mirrors had been thrown to the ground at once, the protection grid gave way, falling to the ground like shooting stars, the blast’s energy pushed us back a bit, the force was that strong. They had indeed found a powerful witch, one that looked very old and brimming with magical promise, but we too had an ethereal sorcerer, one that not only expelled power but also harnessed the energy of her wolf spirit, “leave the witch to me!” She bellowed across the throngs of animals. Alamiera looked as though she had a personal vendetta against the encroaching enemy, good, we need that hatred harnessed.
The tortured wolf pack were the first to jump forward, sprinting as fast as they could toward us, their claws digging up the soft grassy field under them as they snarled and gnashed their impressive jaws, desperately in need to implant their canines in Mountain Storm flesh.
Nic and I aimed, the point of our steel trained in the direction of the moonstone bombs, we had placed 400 metres past the barrier that hundreds of wolves were now crossing over. With a little magic whispered on the wind, we released our arrows high into the air, hitting their targets with impeccable precision. The dust exploded, immobilising close to a hundred wolves in their wake, their tortured and marred human bodies unable to move as the Vampires ran straight past them, slicing their jugulars on the way through with their disfigured claws. If they were unable to move then they were of no use to them.
The first wave of tarnished wolves hit us in a flurry of teeth and claws, I dismounted Sudryl, my flail being spun around in my right hand as Violet - situated atop my steed - tightly grasping his mane while Max and Ryka’s wolves fought off any attack from the sides and behind.
I unleashed my flail as a wolf pounced for my horse, the arrowhead hooks exiting through the wolf’s skull, gripping my blade with my left hand, I threw it at one of the first vampire’s on the scene. Yes, he was fast but he clearly didn’t look where he was going because my sharp silver blade sliced straight through his neck, decapitating him. His body still running forward as his head hit the ground.
I chanced a glance at Hunter, fighting fiercely against two damaged wolves and three vampires. I jumped up on Sudryl, pulling an arrow from the side holster, arming my bow as I kicked off and released the arrow, the steel slicing straight through the head of one of the vampires that surrounded him. In the midst of all the chaos, no one had noticed the Lycan heading straight for Violet.
All of us were engaged in combat when both Ryka and Max leapt at him but he batted them both off like he was merely swatting flies. Violet screamed as I unleashed my sword down the front of a vampire, splitting him in two. Re-enforced silver blade carved by dwarves, the best in the land - take that you murderous assholes.
I sheathed my sword and ran as fast as I could, collecting my flail on the way, spinning it in a circle above my head as Ryka and Max continued to attack the Lycan, only to be knocked away easily. I released the tendril, watching them embed in his upper body, his growl ferocious and unhinged. His massive claws swung around and collected the whole side of my body, his claws shredding my flesh, shit. Violet screamed in pain and the sheer sound of it knocked the Lycan into the ground, he pushed himself back up just as my body began to shake. I could feel my Phoenix rising within me but I couldn’t let it take over just yet.
Attempting to control it with everything I had in me, I pushed forward as the entities surrounding me were all battled fiercely with each other. Again, the Lycan charged for Sudryl and I ran, leaping onto his back with two knives - one in each hand - and plunged them deeply into each shoulder blades, spraying myself with black sludgy splatters of Lycan blood. His paws swiping at me and I dropped down, my blades slicing down his back. I felt his claws grab my waist and he pulled me to his front.
I was in his palm, upside down, as he impaled his nails straight through my stomach. I could feel the blood gathering in the back of my throat and felt the hard blood-soaked ground as my limp body hit it. I gargled on the blood, trying to scream, just as a clawed foot struck my chest with unimaginable force and sent me flying backwards. Violet screamed in horror, the pain waves from her chest knocking him to the ground again, only this time, he had trouble getting up.
I looked up to see a very human and very vulnerable Hunter standing over me with tears streaming down his face. Violet was on the other side of me as I struggled to breathe, tiny pants only escaping through my bloodied mouth. “You… know… what… to… do,” I managed to get out the strained and almost inaudible words, nodding at Violet for confirmation.
My eyes fluttered, sleep pulling me under as Hunter shook me violently. I could not hear what he was screaming, I could only hear a high pitched buzzing, just as Violet arrived back with a burning torch and dropped it onto my body. Within seconds I was engulfed in destructive fire, the heat of the red, orange and yellow flames licked at my flesh as my soul rose through the fiery mass and hovered above my melting body.
I could see everything, the sight of my burning shell was horrendous but the torturous pain that raged upon Hunter’s features was excruciating.
Hunter grabbed Violet, through loss, anger and misunderstanding he tossed her away from me, screaming at her as if she was nothing to him. My poor precious Violet curled up into a ball, letting out a lament wail. Anger rose from deep inside my ghostly apparition, how could he do that to her? She is his daughter.
A majestic and ancient roar shredded the sky from behind the fighting and the unmistakable sound of a wing-flapping penetrated through the battleground. It shook the air and raised the energy in hope and astonishment.
“Surprise!” Nic screamed as the vampires turned to see the night lit with metallic coloured, firebreathing dragons. Their scales shimmered with untold magic, from the tip of their massive tails to the very end of their smoking snouts. The last of the legendary beasts had come to our rescue, to aid in a fight that was not their own. They dropped down from the sky as fire thundered from within them, scorching the blood-sucking leeches to a crisp as satisfying screams of terror filling my burning ears.
Hunter, consumed by hurt, curled into a ball at the burning fire pit that was my body. His nakedness, convulsing, in the dirt as unrestrained tears flowed from his weakened form. The Lycan grabbed Violet in her saddened state and began to walk away with her. Hunter was simply too trapped within grief to fight for his daughter. He had watched with his own eyes as she set ablaze her mother and his mate - he had lost the will to carry on and fight - he had lost me.
An incandescent light illuminated the sky from inside the flaming pit. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was rising from the ash that surrounded my now, previously charcoaled body. It was as the scroll predicted - fire saves my life. Only this time, the film in the form of red was not all I could see - the Pheonix and I had become one.
I looked to my left noticing Hunter’s pale face staring back at me, I hovered above the ash pile feeling strangely weightless. Bright orange and red flamed wings protruded from my back, strong and secure as if I had always worn them, it was time to get back my child. Like flamed lightning streaking across the sky, I shot off in the direction of Violet and the Lycan.
My claws extended on my hands as I latched on and dragged them down his grotesque back, his previous wounds I inflicted had already healed, much to my disappointment. He roared ferociously and dropped Violet, who shivered and sobbed inconsolably, panic and loss crashing over her tiny soul. His claws swiping at me, only this time - I could fight back.
I blocked and kicked, ducking under his onslaught of savage and brutal attacks to grab violet. Her mind, in so much hurt and turmoil, she did not recognise my Phoenix, especially with its majestic, ancient, fiery wings, and fought against my grip. I dropped her body halfway back to Hunter, I bent down desperately trying to get her attention. A gigantic hand grasped my back, the claws piercing through the flesh and I was torn away and thrown straight into the middle of the fight.
Nic released another handful of moonstone pellets, only this time he hit some of our pack members. He ran his blade straight through the necks of the abusively tortured wolves and tipped water on our pack members, apologising profusely about rendering them incapacitated for a moment.
Hunter somehow had finally awoken from his lost haze and was now fighting the Lycan. His form was impeccable, the way he moved, weaved, thrust all like an angelic dance. I could see how he managed to maintain the fearful reputation, there was no hesitation in his attacks, his mighty jaws shredding Lycan flesh.
With one gigantic wallop, the Lycan evaded Hunter’s precision strike and saw Hunter thrown back, landing on the ground in a furry pile. Violet struggled to her feet, looking around in utter dismay at the explosive massacre, just as the Lycan disembowelled a gold shimmery dragon that was being attacked ferociously by the last of the evil vampires and murderous wolves.
Her tears flowed like the river, the sky darkened almost instantly, like she had switched off the stars in the sky. Tremendous black clouds covered the moon’s light as the air grew dense and thick - the way it did before a thunderstorm. The clouds clapped as the thunder rumbled away, in sync with the suffering of our Sirens heart.
Megalithic raindrops hurtled toward the blood saturated ground, the unmistakable taste of iron swirled as the rain pelted down on us. This was no ordinary rain and this rain was called here by her magic - this rain was death. Violets chest rose and fell, at first, uncontrollably, then she quickened her pace sucking in enormous gulps of air - just as I had taught her.
“Nnnnniiiiccccc,” I screamed in blinding panic, my eyes still shielded by the red glaze. “Get the pack to their Alpha!” I flew as quickly as I could, Violets breathing was creating a tornado inside of her, drawing in from the surrounding air, the gust was hard to fight against as I sought out our pack wolves. Quickening her breath to an almost hyperventilating state, I knew I was running out of time.
I grasped wolf after pack wolf and threw them with an inhuman strength towards Hunter, who was having trouble getting up from the ground. The dragons had taken up attacking the Lycan in retribution for their fallen kin, all vampires now just dust in the wind. Nic hurtled wolf after wolf too, “what are we doing?” he screamed mid-toss.
“Trust me, just get everyone to the Alpha!” We grabbed more pack wolves and catapulted them in Hunter’s direction, telling them to ‘get to the Alpha’ before each one was launched. The howling wind Violet was creating blew harder, thrashing our bodies and hair wildly, Nic was now running at full speed to my Ononi-nar as I pushed into his mind, ...Nic, get the dragons away...
He spoke directly to the dragon’s soul and they all pushed off the ground, rising high up into the air. Dragging the last pack wolf with my Phoenix strength, I flew toward Hunter with difficulty, the torrential wind tossing me and the wolf, carelessly about. “Drea… Violet?” He panicked, looking out as I clambered in the opposite direction to her.
The Lycan seizing his opportunity, despite being batted and shredded, was sprinting to get to Violet - just as her eyes flicked open. Purple beams shot from her sockets and she threw her arms open, releasing a monstrous wave of sound.
I jumped into Hunter’s arms planting my lips on his, releasing a dome of energy surrounding us, protecting the pack and Nic, borrowing his Alpha etheric threads to every member, and beaming them up and out around us, blocking the Brobdingnagian onslaught of sound waves about to be emitted from our Siren. My kiss distracting him from his natural instinct to resist me as I tapped into his auric field.
Violets scream of tortured pain sent out gargantuan tidal wave upon malignant tidal wave of powerful sound, it pushed the Lycan to the ground. Then began to tear away his fur, his skin and his muscle. With each new energy pulse being unleashed from her throat and from deep within Violet, it stripped the Lycan of another layer, until finally, only his skeleton remained and with one last powerful pulse, as she fell to her knees, it rippled over the skeleton - turning it to dust.
Violet slumped, unconscious, into the now shattered and torn apart earth.