WINDOWS: A BROKEN FAIRY TALE (30 page)

CHAPTER
28: DARKNESS FALLS

           
The girl wasn’t paying attention.
 
She was wounded but none of them seemed to be
life threatening.
 
She watched as one of
the portraits, the one named Mandy, slowly slid across the walls of the
room.
 
Other portraits moved out of its
way and back into position.
 
Another
portrait was following the same general path as Mandy’s but she paid it no
mind.
 
A tear fell from the girl’s eye
when the pictures ceased their migration and settled under a sign that had just
appeared.
 
The sign read, “Enemies”.

           
The girl wasn’t paying
attention.
 
She was wounded and watching
something on the wall.
 
That’s why she
never saw the shadow close the shutters.
 
That’s why she never turned until the last possible second and the
darkness washed over her like a wave.

Malleus raised her
head and stared at the two mortals.
 

At the top of the
castle, Sarah stopped to rest for a second then cursed under her breath.
 
The torches along the wall turned a sickening
shade.
 
Elspeth looked around and asked
in a weak voice why everything was blue.

“Because things
just got a lot worse.”
 
Sarah explained
cryptically, before kicking open the battlement door and screaming for Stephen

           
Malleus
barely acknowledged the gaping hole in its shoulder.
 
Fire bled from the wound, along with the others
that covered the vassal, instantly healing them.
 

Something caught
the demon’s attention and she turned her head slightly to the right, facing
Vestavia.
 
She could sense it, even from
this great distance.
 
The Fallen was
running amok in this realm.

           
Malleus
stood.
 
When she whispered, “I’m free.”
the world roared in protest.
 

Outside, near the
ruins of the city fountain, Rebekah and Felicity stood triumphant.
 
Things looked grim at the beginning of the
battle but Bryson, who was currently circling overhead shooting flame at the
retreating invading army, took down the airships with ease.
 
Dozens of dead men lay scattered before them
with hundreds more they couldn’t see littering the city streets.
 

           
“We
sure showed them, didn’t we?”
 
Rebekah
hooted.

           
Felicity
smiled, “Good thing Bryson showed up when he did or it could’ve been much
worse.”
   

           
Rebekah
answer was drowned in a rumble of thunder.
 
She turned to look at the sky but something wasn’t right.
 
It took her a second to realize what it was, disbelieve
showing on her face.
 
The sun seemed to
have disappeared though it couldn’t be later than four in the afternoon.
 
Black, heavy clouds rolled tumultuously
across the sky, darkening the day.
 
Lightening streaked over the fat underbelly of the storm, meeting in the
center before dissipating in another crash of thunder.

Felicity screamed
Bryson’s name and the dragon veered back over the battlefield, racing towards
the two sisters, a swift shadow darting through the gloom. Rebekah grabbed the
nearest Valentria soldier and ordered him to get all the survivors who could
walk to the castle.
 
The man hurried to
obey as she and Felicity were swooped up by the dragon’s powerful talons and
carried to the top of the walls where Stephen waited.

Bryson sat the
girls down and they rushed to Stephen who was working with Daniel on someone
they couldn’t see.
 
Sarah stood a few
feet away, wringing her hands anxiously.

           
Felicity
and Rebekah cried when they saw their mother lying on the cold stone
ground.
 
Blood still seeped from a wound
in her stomach, soaking through the expensive silk shirt she wore, turning the
white fabric black in the waning light.
 
They both dropped to their knees, tears springing from their eyes.

           
“Mom?”
Rebekah whispered as she reached out and held Elspeth’s hand.

           
“Mom?”
Felicity echoed as she brushed a strand of hair off her mother’s forehead.
 

           
Elspeth
managed a wry smile.
 
“I’ll be
fine.”
 
She whispered weakly.
 
“Sarah and Raven got there just in time.”

           
Felicity
and Rebekah looked up as Daniel gave their wounded matriarch a shot for the
pain she was obviously in.
 
Liz wanted to
know what happened but Sarah was already running for the door.
 
A fireball sped through the darkness and
exploded a few yards in front of her.
 
The blonde skidded to an abrupt halt.

           
“Tell
us exactly what happened, Sarah.”
 
Rebekah spoke in a soft tone but her words were as threatening as the
storm laden atmosphere.

           
Sarah
didn’t know what to say.
 
How could she
tell them their sister was responsible for the attempt on their mother’s
life?
 
“It was Amanda and Brian,” She
started, “they tried to kill your mother but Raven attacked them.
 
She told me to bring Elspeth to Stephen.”

           
Felicity
started to ask something but Sarah cut her off and continued, staring intently
at Rebekah.
 
“I’ve got to go back.
 
Bekah, she’s free.”

           
Bekah
started to ask exactly what she was talking about when a realization
struck.
 
Dawning terror etched itself on
her blood stained features as she watched the fire from her attack turn slowly
from bright orange to blue.
 
‘NO!’ was
all she could think of as Sarah raced back into the castle.
 
Bekah meant to give chase but Daniel grabbed
her by the arm, demanding that he would need her help if they were going to
save Elspeth.
 

“It won’t matter”
she whispered under her breath, “there’s nothing anybody can do.”

           
Five
stories below, in a stone chamber buried beneath the mountains, Brian and
Amanda took defensive postures, their swords pointed at the creature.
 
The thing that looked like Raven tried to
smile, lips twisting into a gross mockery of human expression.
 
Black lines crawled beneath alabaster skin,
moving up and towards the face.
 
Amanda
didn’t notice any of that.
 
Her attention
was drawn to its eyes.
 
Blood, she
thought at first, but that was stupid.
 
There
was no way possible for someone’s eyes to be made of blood.
 
Whatever passed for this thing’s eyes showed
no emotion, no feeling, no anything.
 
It
was as if she was looking into a hungry, bottomless pool.
 
The girl suppressed a shudder.

           
Brian
chose that moment to leap forward and attack.
 
“Raven!” He screamed, as his blade traced a deadly arch through the
air.
 
The creature gracefully sidestepped
the sword, grabbed him by the collar and slung him across the room where he
landed with a bone jarring thud.

           
“I
am not Branwyen.”
 
The creature spoke
with a raspy voice as it walked unhurriedly around the room, running its
fingers over the rough stone pillars.
 
It
had only seen the same tiny cell for years.

           
“Who,
or what, are you?”
 
Amanda dropped her
weapon.
 
It was obvious that strength or
skill with a sword wouldn’t be enough to beat this thing.
 
She would need magic.

           
The
monster, for that is what the young would-be murderer knew it to be now,
stopped pacing.
 
“I am called Malleus
Maleficarum-- the Witches’ Hammer-- in your language.”

           
Amanda
swore silently, knowing there had been the slightest chance of Raven being the
vassal.
 
Surely she could figure out a
spell to stop this thing.
 
Trying to buy
some time, she asked what Malleus wanted.

 
“To fight; to kill.”
 
The demon flittered easily through the
shadows.
 
Amanda threw a fireball,
thinking to catch the creature off guard.
 
Malleus simply raised her hand and swatted it away.
 
It burst on the floor but she paid no
attention.
 
Mandy attacked again with the
same results.
 
With calm measured steps
the monster began to advance on the girl.

           
Amanda
pressed her hands together, the middle fingers extended and pressed between her
eyes, thumbs under her chin, knowing this was her only chance.
 
It would take all of her strength but this
was one of the most powerful entrapment spells known and she had been planning
to use it on Branwyen if needed.
 
The
witch threw her hands out and bands of light erupted in the small cavern.
 
The energy coiled around Malleus, turning to
iron and ensnaring her arms and legs.
 
Stones from the cavern floor flew into the air, circling like a swarm of
bees before colliding together with a crunching noise, completely surrounding
the demon.
 
More coils of iron looped
around the rock pile, fastening securely to the ground.

           
Mandy
laughed; a high pitched, nervous peal that echoed from the walls.
 
“Guess you’re not as tough as the legends
say.”
 
She took five steps towards her
husband, who was moving weakly, when a soft noise stopped her.
 

A stone tumbled
from Malleus’s prison, skittering and cracking on the way down.
 
An arm shot out of the pile.
 
Rocks and bits of iron chain exploded into
the air, making Amanda duck for safety.
 
When she looked up, the eyes of death were staring back.
  

Slowly the monster
raised its left hand, allowing the girl to see the black, dagger like talons
that extended three inches from the finger tips.
 
Before Mandy could speak, Malleus raked her
nails across her chest.
 
Blood sprayed in
a fine mist, coating the demon’s face, as the victim hurtled backwards.
 
With a satisfied look, Malleus licked a drop
of crimson liquid from her lips.
 
Human was
tastier than she remembered.

Seemingly
unnoticed, Brian managed to stand up.
 
He
lowered his shoulder and rushed forward, crashing into Malleus and knocking her
sideways.

           
“You
killed her!” He raged, holding his wife’s limp form tightly.
 
Tears were flowing down his cheeks.

“Not yet.
 
I like my food to scream while I eat it.” The
calm surety of that voice sent chills down Brian’s spine.
 
Gently lying Amanda’s head on the ground he
stood, his sword glinting wickedly in the blue light.

           
“I’m
going to kill you.”
 
He promised.
 
Brian was a master swordsman who never met an
enemy he could not defeat and that record gave him a level of calmness in
battle that was almost as important as his fighting skills.
 

A noise like ice
cracking on a frozen pond came from Malleus.
 
A sharp and ominous should that filled all who heard it with instinctive
fear.
 
Brian realized the creature was
laughing.
 
He steeled his nerves.
 
This thing could heal wounds in an instant,
which meant he would simply have to kill it quick.

           
“What
is it that makes you so confident Brian?”

           
“I’m
the best.”

           
Another
of the icy attempts at laughter, “Yes, I can tell from Branwyen’s memories that
you are held in high regard as a warrior.
 
Too bad I prefer the more tender morsels.”

           
Brian
sliced at her with his blade, so fast that a normal human eye couldn’t
follow.
 
Malleus parried with a twist of
her wrist.
 
Brian kept the momentum of
the attack and lashed out with his left boot, trying to knock the demon off its
feet.
 
She easily leapt over the kick,
clawed hands swinging down to the area his chest had been a split second
before.
 
The two spun and danced around
each other, the demon enjoying the exercise and building up an appetite.