Chapter 67
Icould feel every drop of blood as it flowed through me into the portal. A painfully slow process, but I would do it if it meant keeping Nicholas and the others safe. He would be able to close the portal before it was too late. Then he would destroy Dorian. I was ok with the fact I may not survive. That I may not be here to see them succeed. It would be okay, as long as they did.
“Why is this taking so long!?” shouted Dorian as he paced the bottom of the steps.
There was more shouting and the sound of heavy footsteps coming from outside the room and down the corridor. Genu and the others were no doubt on their way. Good. If I could hold off, if I could make this take as long as possible, we’d be fine. Still bound by Panya’s magic as she held my wrist against the portal, I wondered if she would let go when her brother arrived.
“How long will we do this, Panya?” I asked.
She ignored me, keeping her eyes fixed on Dorian and the doorway. The group busted in, swords drawn and ready to fight. Dorian was easily outmatched. Which made this even more pleasurable to watch. I craved his demise.
Genu advanced within a matter of seconds as she took out the two guards who handled Nicholas. Then she and the sisters aimed for Dorian. Karim looked at Panya as they exchanged that same look again.
She shook her head in response and turned away from him, looking at me.
“This is taking too long,” Panya muttered under her breath.
I didn’t think she meant for me to hear. Seconds later, the dagger she’d sliced my wrist open with was plunged deep into my stomach. I let out a choked cry, muffled with pain and shock.
“ORNELLA!!” Nicholas roared my name.
Panya pulled out the dagger, and I heaved over, falling forward onto my front. She kicked me with her foot to turn me over and her eyes darkened as she knelt down next to me. Pushing my bleeding hand into the portal ripples, I screamed out in agony. The blood from my stomach and wrist wounds were pulled from my body.
“When I heard of the ultimate power, I decided rather than allowing a male to rule over me again, I would take it for myself,” she said close to my face as tears dripped from my eyes.
After that, I couldn’t hear anything else aside from the ringing in my ears. The electricity that ran through my body was enough to make me freeze. The darkness, the demons and the creatures behind the door were coming. I could see them as they stepped closer and closer, waiting for the gateway to be open. They couldn”t wait to set their evil against this world.
Trapped, frozen and stuck watching the portal slowly opening, I didn”t see when or how Nicholas broke free of his bounds. Morgana stood over top of me, protecting me as she fought and pushed Panya back. It was magic against magic, sword against sword.
“Ornella!!! Stay with us!” Morgana shouted, sending another wave of light towards Panya.
I was fading fast. I was so dizzy, my vision was darkening around the edges. I could feel the warmth of the Goddess as she held out her hand to me. She was greeting me, welcoming me and wishing to take me home. Home to the plains of beautiful grasslands and sun filled days. I wouldn”t feel any more pain. No more suffering. I would be at peace.
“ORNELLA!! STAY WITH ME! PLEASE!!!”
I could hear his voice in the distance. Nicholas’ voice. He was calling for me. But my eyes were so heavy, it was so hard to keep them open. The blood was no longer gushing out, slowing to a trickle as the pain began to fade away.
“PLEASE, ORNELLA! I NEED YOU! I CANNOT SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU!”
I wanted to shout back to him, tell him how I needed him and how sorry I was that we didn’t get to play out our story. That I didn”t get to tell him how I really felt. That I forgave him. That I love him. But a part of me felt as if he already knew, he knew how I felt.
I was okay with dying.
I have been for a while now.
I hoped they would win. Although they may mourn for me, they would soon come to forget me as I became stardust.