32. Sacrifice
Sacrifice
Lanias
At present…
L egolas was a demon.
No, he was worse than a demon; his power was overwhelming. She pressed a hand to her side, wincing as she felt it heal. Eliza was currently kneeling behind Lanias, her body barely able to hold up under the violent Magic of Legolas. Lanias herself didn’t know how much longer she could last; her power was strong, but against Legolas, it was like a drop in the bucket.
“This is your way of fighting back?” Legolas scorned as he stared Lanias down. Her body felt like it was being ripped apart. “Just you, a piss ant on the power scale.”
“An ant?” she repeated, shaking her head as she looked back at him. “I thought you were looking for a powerful witch,” she said from within the barbed wire created by her magic that surrounded them.
Scoffing, his grin widened into something filled with arrogance and cruelty. “Powerful to your kind but for me, you’re merely a tool to further my goal.”
“Goal, and what goal is that?” Lanias inquired as she counted backward from twenty. The Jackals should be close if she’d done everything right. Her Magic transport marker should get them here pretty soon. “Killing innocent children and adding misery to an already fucked up world. How exactly is that some great goal?”
He laughed. “Oh, that, my dear, was nothing more than a game. No, my goal has always been one thing, and that is to return home.” His voice grew heavy with disdain: “My own kind tossed me and the others here, imprisoned us in this waste of a realm, and left us to crawl amongst the worms known as humans.”
His Lordship lifted his arm and pointed to a large structure with two large stone wings. An angel sat in the center, holding a staff that was pointed to the sky. “But I refused to bend to their will. I will not spend one more eternity here on this godforsaken planet.”
“It was all a game?” Lanias whispered, her body trembling as she fought against the anti-Magic swirling around her. Her skin started to leak black smoke. The image of dead bodies appeared in her mind’s eyes, stacks of broken witches she’d seen at too young an age.
“A game. You destroyed the lives of so many women and children for amusement!” She screamed; her hands tightening into fists.
“Of course,” Legos said, smirking. “What else was I to do with so much time on my hands,” he said, his voice smooth. “As your god, you ants should be pleased. I gave you purpose.”
“Purpose.” She felt her temper growing. “Is that what you think you gave us?”
Lanias felt herself losing sight of her original goal, as her anger slowly took over her common sense.
Everything she’d endured over the many years felt like nothing now. The times she’d hidden away and the horrible things she’d done to survive were pissed on by this monster. She couldn’t believe that she’d been forced to watch her friends die because some immortals had been bored. And the ones who survived? They’d been forced to endure the hatred of other Beings as if their lore wasn’t one of the oldest. She had to end this here, and now.
Eliza forced herself to stand despite her body feeling heavy. Breathing hard, she pressed her hand to her stomach. The goddess within her was struggling; she could barely feel her energy. “L-Lanias?”
“Give me your hand,” Lanias ordered, holding her hand out. “I don’t have time to explain, you’ll just have to trust me.”
Eliza took it without hesitation, “I trust you.”
“Good,” Lanias smirked, turning her attention back to his Lordship. “I am going to destroy him once and for all.”
“How?” Eliza asked. The black wisp of smoke that curled from Lanias slowly turned lighter and lighter until it was a bright white, as her eyes became darker.
“What is this?”
“Sorry,” Lanias, with a soft smile. “It’s a secret.”
Ruthlessly, she sharply raised her hand, and a large flash of light slammed into Legolas, lifting him up till he shot through the wall behind him. Right after, she released Eliza’s hand.
Elizabeth sucked in a quick breath as memories rushed up, her head felt like it was falling to pieces.
A brown hand pressed against a murky-looking glass. She struggled to open her eyes, only to see the outline of a young woman staring at her. Oddly enough, she was able to make out her sad eyes. “So, you’re me.”
The young woman’s face was blurred, but her voice was clear as day.
“They want to make you like me.” She clearly sounded resistant to this. “I don’t want you to be like me, or any of us. I want you to be free.”
Another memory came, of a young woman staring down at her as rain poured down all around. “Giving you up feels weirder than I expected. Why do I feel like I’m giving up my child? You’re not my kid, you’re nothing more than a left-over experiment that should be gotten rid of, but I can’t bring myself to kill you. So, my clone, I pray you live a happy life with your new family and never, ever remember me. So long, my little copy.”
“You—” The loud exclamation of Legolas pulled Eliza back to the present. She stared at Lanias in both shock and wonder, hardly noticing the fact Lanias's clothes were burning from her skin.
“Yes, me,” Lanias teased, her hair floating all around her as the power that pulsed through her body fully revealed itself. Raising a hand, the shadows erupted once more from the ground this time turning into large hounds. “Now, you.”
The beast lunged forward racing towards the enemy of their master.
“Don’t get so full of yourself,” Legolas screamed, waving a hand violently. A powerful circle of power blasted out. Cutting through the shadow dogs, before being stopped by a pure white shield.
“I am not some lowly being, with barely a puff on the existence scale,” he screamed as he staggered to his feet. Grunting in pain, he let out an animalistic roar. His body was consumed by black light. As his shape grew, so did the black light surrounding him until he stood before them in full demonic form. Large, leathery wings flapped as his soulless eyes honed in on them.
Eliza cringed inside.
He dug his long needle-like fingers into his chest, pulling and tugging on something until, with a crack, a long sword came out. Holding it high, he exclaimed with zealot-like intensity. “You will serve your purpose, numb witch. You will be my sacrifice.”
Feeling the growing surge of power, Lanias’ eyes flickered with weariness and spun around and shouted, “Watch out!”
Just as he made his move, she blocked Eliza's body and wrapped her in a bubble of intersecting white and black ribbons until her magic completely surrounded them.
Eliza shuddered as ribbons slowly started to fall away. Seeing the wounds decorating Lanias's arms and back, her pupils trembled as her eyes turned red. “Lanias.”
Lanias fell back to her bottom; pressing her hand to her side, she coughed up blood. “I’m fine,” she looked around them, “Didn’t think it would come to this.”
Elizabeth frowned, finally taking in where they were. “Where are we?”
Lanias groaned as she forced herself to her feet. “I’ve been trying to prevent this from happening, not that I knew what they were looking for us for. Only that someone had never stopped,” she staggered, and Eliza, who’d also come to her feet, caught her. “Careful.”
“I was trying to protect everyone from the demons in the dark.” Lanias whispered, “Guess I failed.”
Lanias could feel a large aura of power drawing closer. “I can feel him; he’s coming," she said, closing her eyes. We can’t fight him head-on.”
“Then what can we do?” Eliza demanded; she was scared. The wound on Lanias's side looked severe. “Okay, we need to get you help first.”
“Take me to the center,” Lanias ordered.
“What?” Elizabeth looked at her like she was crazy.
“I have your power in me and my own; it’s more than enough to open that.” She weakly pointed to the center. “If I open it, I can reverse the intent of the spell so that he gets sucked in and trapped.”
“But…” Elizabeth shook her head. “It’s too dangerous.”
“It's the only choice I have,” Lanias said; she pulled against Eliza's hold. “If you won’t doit, I’ll do it myself.”
“Okay, okay.” Elizabeth grimaced. “I’ll help you.”
“Thank you,” Lanias whispered.
Together, they made their way to the center of the monolith structure. Lanias couldn’t feel her legs. She moved her hand away from her stomach wound to see it coated in blood. She’d thought she would have more time.
As they reached the column, she heard someone yell.
“Lanias.”
Eliza stopped a few feet away from the large column in the center where the angel sat upon it in stoic silence and looked over.
“Oye.”
The woman ran towards her, along with Castian, Alek, and Malcolm. Eliza almost dropped Lanias in relief, only to be shocked when the woman yanked herself from her hold.
“Lanias, wait—They’re here.”
Lanias ignored her and staggered the rest of the way alone. She fell against the column and slowly turned to face them.
Oye stopped short at Eliza’s side just as Malcolm grabbed her arm and drew her over to stand by him.
“What is that?” Castian’s question drew their attention to a thick black smoke rushing towards them.
“Watch out,” Eliza shouted, using her last bit of Magic to block the wave as it covered everything in its path, turning everything it touched into ash.
Legos’s figure was revealed, where he hung in the air, staring down at them.
“Hello there,” he crooned as he slowly descended, his black wings lazily undulating.
Castian protectively stepped in front of Oye, who brought out two short blades. Her skin prickled in warning at the sight of the creature before them.
Alek wasn’t looking at the demon but at Lanias, who leaned against the column unphased. Sweat beaded her brow, and her eyes weren’t clear. He rushed to her side, only for a line of light to erupt between them, encircling her.
Legolas flew forward, but no one could stop him as he sped past them. Bringing his sword up, he brought it down, slicing through the barrier, and entered. The light rushed up again, separating Lanias and him from the others.
Alek tried to follow and put his hand out. The minute his wrist crossed the light barrier, it fell to the ground. He looked at it in stony silence, then to Lanias; he was too far away.
She was too far away.
“You think this paltry show of power will stop me,” Legos asked as he strolled toward her. “Come, dear. Bleed and be sacrificed for your god.”
Lanias could barely focus; her body was growing weak too fast. She scoffed, “Did you think I was trying to keep you out?”
He narrowed his eyes on her. “What?”
“I was trying to trap you inside,” she said, smiling.
“Oye!” she shouted.
Oye moved to run forward to try and protect her cousin, only to be stopped by Castian. “Don’t. You’ll be shredded the minute you touch it.
She glared at him and slapped at his hand. “Let me go, Castian.”
He shook his head, looking from her worried expression to the ring of light. “It’s too late.”
“No.” She whipped her gaze back to her cousin. “Lanias!” she yelled at the top of her lungs. “Lanias, I’m coming! Castian, let go!”
Alek gritted his teeth before he yelled, “Witch, remove this barrier.”
Lanias laughed weakly, her eyes on the demon across from her. “Sorry, no can do.”
Alek hissed, his eyes losing color. “Remove. The. Barrier,” he commanded, his eyes only on her. “Remove it. I will save you.”
“And ruin my last scene,” Lanias joked before her legs suddenly went out from under her. She hit the ground hard. “No, thanks. Oye, are you listening?”
“Lanias,” Oye screamed, pulling against Castian’s hold, “Don’t you dare do this to me. Don’t you dare,” she cried, as tears ran down her face.
“That’s my Oye, so stubborn,” Lanias said, her voice growing quieter. “I want you to know I don’t regret anything. I love you guys. I’m doing this out of love. I will always love my sisters; remember that,” she finished with a whisper.
“Enough of this.” Legos lifted his sword and brought it down, piercing through Lanias stomach. Her body jerked from the force of the blow.
“Lanias,” Oye wailed her cousin's name as her eyes widened in horror. She pulled violently at Castian’s hold, but he refused to let her go.
Eliza watched from within Malcolm's arms, tears running down her face helplessly. This was her fault; she felt the scream burning in her throat but refused to let it out.
Alek didn’t cry; the vampire didn’t say a word. He just stood there; his stillness more frightening than anything else he could have done.
“C-checkmate.” Lanias coughed as she reached out with her trembling, blood-covered fingers and grabbed Legolas’s sword. “The end.”
The light snapped to life, turning orange as it shot towards the sky like a flame. Everyone was pushed back. Their shouts and screams of surprise wiped out as the orange light bisected the sky, and the wind speed increased so fast the trees lurched back. The ground rumbled at the disturbance.
“No!” The demon's high-pitched scream was followed by black lightning hitting the ground as he fought being absorbed. “No, no, I have not lost,” was his dying cry before it was abruptly cut off.
It was a long time until those who remained could move.
Alek was the first. He headed straight for where Lanias had been, but there was nothing there when he got to the column. He stared at it; nothing remained but her blood.
With shaking fingers, he reached his hand out, only to sharply draw it back and clench it into a fist. Then he fell to his knees and threw his head back, releasing a deep throat scream holding bones-crushing pain
Oye pushed herself up and staggered forward as she shook her head in disbelief, “No, No, this can’t be real,” she said, turning away from the sight to be pulled into Castian’s arms. “Let go, let go. I told you to let go!”
“Shh, I know, I know my love.” Castian pressed his cheek to her head, even as he took her hard slaps to his chest. “Blame me, I’ve got you.”
Eliza stared silently ahead, her restored memories leaving her in numb shock. “It’s my fault,” she said, her words thick in her throat. “I-I should have—” She couldn’t finish. She was the reason Lanias was dead. “If I hadn’t run off.”
“Stop it,” Malcolm said, gathering her into his arms. “You couldn’t know this would happen.”
The silence was thick with mourning.