25. Chapter 25
Camille
Ilooked to my side to see that Josiah had in fact, rifted away from us.
I rolled my eyes at the reckless action.
My heart ached at the realization that everyone else was gone.
Everyone that had been on this journey with us, wiped out in an inconsequential moment.
And I hadn't even been there. I hadn't been able to stop anything or be the savior they all seemed to think I was. I was no ones savior at all.
My feet slammed against the ground below. The sounds around us running seemed distant as my head swam with grief and the reluctant acceptance of everything I knew was coming. Josiah was a fucking idiot. A fucking completely, delusionally, hopeless fucking idiot.
The hot tears flowed on to my face as we kept moving. Everything in my vision was blurred and I tried to blink the death and sadness away. I didn't have time to deal with this. I didn't have time to feel right now. I needed to shut these emotions down and I needed to do it fast.
As we ran into the entrance of the park, I saw an undeniable dark flash in front of my face.
I blinked and in that simple moment, Jerrod was no longer standing next to me.
I looked over to my side, where he had been flanking me just a second before and my eyes locked with a pair of amber eyes, ones I had been dreading to see this entire journey.
She smiled smugly at me—like the Gilarian had already won this war, already succeeded at beating us.
"I think this is the most pathetic I've ever seen you looking, old friend," Athia said contemptuously.
I had to remind myself that she was not my friend anymore.
She was not Amelia. She was just a parasite wearing her face and she hadn't been the girl I grew up with for a long time.
The memories I had with my childhood friend were just memories now, and I needed to let the connection I had to her go. I had to let go.
"Let's skip the villain diatribe, could we? Seriously, isn't that how the villain always loses? Fuck, I am bored to tears of you and this shit. If you're going to kill me, just hurry up and fucking do it," I said mockingly.
I rolled my eyes like I didn't care, but that was so far from the truth. I was having a mini panic attack.
Where the fuck was Jerrod?
"I plan to, actually," she sneered.
"You probably should have dressed more appropriately, dumbass," I laughed at her. "Who the hell comes to a fight in a pencil skirt and stilettos?"
She growled loudly like some kind of beast as she bent down to remove the shoes and threw them behind her arbitrarily.
I didn't give her a second to think any further.
I had been training for this moment. I had prepared for a fight and my time was here.
I took out my daggers, threw caution to the wind and began screaming as I ran toward her like I had been an actual warrior my entire life.
I don't know if it was the adrenaline or if it was just because I had already accepted my fate in this moment, but I ran. Ran like I had nothing to lose. Like I wasn't staring death in the face. Was I scared? Fuck yes I was—But I think that gave me an edge I hadn't expected.
I threw the first dagger straight toward her, quick and precise. I knew my aim was true. I rarely missed anymore. The blade sunk straight into her shoulder and she roared in agony.
"I will fucking kill you!" she screamed and she tore the dagger out, clearly not understanding how the human body works. Blood began seeping from the wound.
"Try me, bitch. It looks like you haven't prepared for this moment at all," I said as my lips curled and I laughed at her hysterically. "And I'm the pathetic one?"
I kept running toward her and threw the next dagger her way.
She actually moved this time, but it barely missed.
I dipped my hand behind my back and gripped on to the hilt of the sword Vina had gifted me.
I felt the weight in my hands and said a silent prayer to whatever god might be listening.
I would avenge Vina. I would avenge all of her people.
I would avenge Hex and Jade and Veshkru and Kresh and Kian and Ansel!
As I thought more about all of the people I had lost, my anger rose and my adrenaline coursed thicker through my veins.
I slid the sword out of the sheath in a fluid movement, bringing it in front of me, still running like a well trained shinobi.
My feet were light and it felt like I could do anything in that moment.
Like I could actually save the world, my world, the galaxy.
I was so close to her, ready to strike my blade straight through her.
I was ready to end this, when I heard it.
I heard him scream, a guttural, agonizing scream.
I heard Jerrod's cry of anguish. He had to be fighting Kyril.
And for that slight moment, I slowed and my head tilted to the side, following the sound of his pain.
That was all it took. It was all that she needed to get the upper hand and as the sharp pain of the dagger I had thrown at her, drove straight into the flesh of my stomach, I knew I had fucked up.
I knew better than this. I knew I needed to keep my eyes on my own battle and all it took was his cries to reveal my weakness.
I shrieked as the pain shot through me. The searing burn had me almost doubling over but I backed away quickly, trying to right my mistake.
But, I knew I would die. I knew Jerrod would die.
I looked around the scene before me and my heart skipped a beat.
We were close to the end. The buildings and rubble were scattered around everywhere.
I was back in the memory, staring into his eyes, one last time, as he made a decision I didn't understand yet.
I blinked and the memory was gone. I had to keep moving.
I had to get rid of her, so I could get to Kyril.
I had to help Jerrod or the vision would definitely play out how we had both seen.
I couldn't accept that—wouldn't accept it.
Amelia came running at me barefoot, blood running down the front of her shirt, now soaked from the stab wound in her shoulder.
I stifled a cry as I gripped the hilt of my sword tightly and found myself screaming as I ran back toward her again.
I looked at her hand and noticed she was holding something in her grasp.
I was too far into this decision to back away now and I lifted my sword into the air, with every intention of slicing into her or through her if I could.
I wanted this to end. I wanted to get to my mate.
I needed to get to him. And as I was about to finally end this moment—finally see the end of this through, my legs went flying out from underneath me.
As I went careening through the air, flailing legs over head like a fucking marionette with no strings—soaring at a speed I couldn't even fathom—I wondered if this was the end.
Was this how I died?
Would I never see those beautiful teal eyes again?
Was I not the one that would save the world?
Maybe everyone got it wrong. Maybe, I wasn't special after all. Maybe I wasn't even Jerrod's soulmate either.
As I hit the ground, I heard snapping and my body bounced on the ground like a skipping stone, gliding effortlessly across the water.
I didn't move at first when I finally stopped bouncing and sliding.
I coughed hard and I could taste the iron of my blood coating my mouth.
I gasped as I let the pain finally take me over and for a moment, I was sure, I was done and this would be my final moment.