Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Damned ❯ Battle ( Chapter 12 )

Chapter 12: Battle
I had never seen so much destruction. All of the horrifying images I could think of: zombies, clowns, bloodied limbs, small children with scalpels, none of them compared to what I was seeing here today.
The witches were on the counterattack from the get-go. They knew we were here. They knew it all along. I crouched high on a tree branch, looking down at the scene below: so many fallen comrades, so many fallen witches. I saw Menoch fighting with a witch, he was dodging her binding spells and the more she tried to bind the weaker she became, I could practically feel Menoch gloating.
Medea was busy as well; from what I could tell she was caught in a binding spell and concentrating hard on breaking it. I shook my head, doubting she would succeed without help. The advantage for the vampires lay in the fact that if the witch casting the spell became distracted the spell would break, and the vampire would be free again. This was presuming the vampire realized it was free and was smart enough to attack, or run. Admittedly, not many vampires were that smart. We had a long history of stupid mistakes and egos that got in the way of proper decision making.
Even though the gravitational feeling was gone between me and Cassandra I still looked for her on the battle field. She was doing well avoiding vampires, but I noticed she was not attacking any of them. She was simply avoiding and binding, and then someone else would slay them. She was merely an accomplice. This thought amused me.
As I watched her, her expression calm from this distance, but I could tell she was terrified, I thought of how I had betrayed her. How I had used the one piece of information she had given me by accident to bring about her destruction. A girl I had grown attached to. A girl I loved. I had betrayed her; I would cause her death.
Connor, Menoch had said to me before the battle. When the battle ensues find the girl. Kill her. I do not want her to have time to screw this up for us. She must die. Can you do that son?
Yes sir. I had replied. Consider her dead.
Medea had broken free of her restraint and was now face to face with Cassandra. I focused my hearing on what they were saying.
“You have caused quite a stir for my family.” Medea said. “And it seems you are still alive. That needs to be rectified.”
Cassandra backed up slowly; I could see her hand preparing a binding spell. “You don’t want to kill me.” She said.
“Ha!” Medea barked. “Don’t I?”
“Why? To continue being Menoch’s play thing? He is just using you. Menoch is using all of you for his own benefit, and as soon as you are no longer of use to him he will kill you too. He is vicious.” Wow, she really had Menoch pinned down.
“Shows how much you know! Menoch loves me.” Medea responded.
“No, he doesn’t.” Cassandra spread her arms and looked around, “This isn’t love Medea. Sending your people to slaughter so that you can take over the world. That isn’t love. That is minions and a dictator. You’re just another solider in his army.”
“Your coven is here.”
“We are defending what we stand for. Fighting might not be the answer, but we can’t stand by while vampires like Menoch roam free. Kinder, more subdued vampires may be able to be negotiated with – but not vampires like him. He makes it impossible for the whole race.”
“But he loves me. I’m on his side because I love him back; not because he made me do it.” She rebutted again.
“ But he made you Medea; don’t you see? He created you. You will always belong to him in this way. He doesn’t love you. He loves your loyalty.”
Medea’s lip quivered, if she could cry she would have. She dropped her hands, which had been prepared to attack this whole time, and she turned around, walking in the other direction. Cassandra breathed a sigh of relief.
She had turned one of Menoch’s most loyal against him and yet she was so fragile, so weak. Staring at her now I knew I couldn’t kill her. But she couldn’t live. I dropped to the ground in front of her.
“ Cassandra!” I gasped, I saw a brief relief flash before her eyes before she became terrified again. “Come with me!” I said, extending my hand.
She looked at it briefly and shook her head. “You led them here.” She said, tears brimming at her eyes. “I can’t trust you.”
“You have to.” I said urgently. “They’ll kill you. I saw you earlier; you aren’t fighting you are defending and running. Which is great tactic but let me help you hide.”
She looked at my hand again and off in the distance, the way Medea had gone. “Connor,” her eyes brimmed with tears.
“Trust me.”
She nodded and took my hand. We ran together, to the outskirts of the battlefield. She crouched low next to me.
“I can’t just hide here.” She said, looking at the field. “That’s my family. I have to help; even if it’s just binding.” She looked up at me.
“Stay with me.” I said. “This isn’t our fight.” I took her hands in mine. “It’s you and me right.”
She looked at me and smiled. “It is you and me.” Her gaze turned to the battle, “and us and them.”
“Just be here, with me. They’ll be okay. Your clan is strong.” I stroked her hair gently, in a calming, soothing way.
It was almost fully dark now; the witches would not have an advantage for long. I looked down at Cassandra, her blue eyes twinkling with unshed tears and fright. “Trust me.” I whispered. Claws extending. It was now or never. “This won’t hurt.” Fangs extending. “I promise.” Kill the witch.
I sank my teeth into her neck. Her blood poured from her body into my mouth; the sweet metallic taste coating my throat. I had not drunk human blood in almost fifty years. It was the most delicious substance. Her screams were cut off by the immense relief she was feeling. I could vaguely remember the feeling from my own change. Completely peace as you felt all of your life being drained from your body. It was painful, oh yes, but it was also so welcome. Nothing mattered but the feeling of death surrounding you.
I drank greedily from her, she did not even fight. Frenzy began as I had to have more blood, to drink deeper and deeper from her. I was so distracted by the feeling of ecstasy creeping through my veins that I failed to notice her twitching hand and the shining blue aura emanating from it. It was not until I hit the ground in pain that I realized it was a throwback spell.
She stood above me, weakened and dizzy. I felt a jolt and realized I could not move. She had bound me. I looked up into her eyes, she was terrified and betrayed. I had not succeeded in killing her and now she no longer had reason to trust me. There was a stake lifted in her tiny hand. This was my end.