Chapter 185: 185
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"That he will spare your people from his spite and hatred just because he 'promised' you? Well?"
I ask ruthlessly, my voice rising, shaking the stones on the floor around us until at last, the ice encasing my body bursts open with a shower of frozen shards, spraying all over the walls. Even Kal stares wide eyes in a combination of horror and admiration as I stomp forward, the air beginning to shimmer with a bubbling heat, filling our surroundings with a rippling steam that rises off my body in a cascade of fiery warmth. Flames crackle and pop in the air around us.
"N-no. He is good, he would never-"
Angrily, I slam my foot against the ground.
"You are delusional, Areen," I spit, tired with having to put up with bullshit excuses when the evidence is very much clear. My best friend has been captured, my husband locked in silver chains, and no one, no one, is going to stop me from going down there and kicking Azrael's sorry ass straight back to hell.
Where it belongs.
"I am not going to ask you again, Areen," I say, stalking forward, pendant blazing on my chest as the fervent orange glow burns up around me, causing my two companions to back up to avoid the heat of the fires that flicker in and around my form.
Wide eyes and trembling, the Siren's back presses up against the wall, watching in horror as flames coil around my form, splaying behind my back in a pair of twin fiery wings, blazing with a vengeful heat that is enough to evaporate the drops of water from the cave walls themselves.
"You are going to let us go down there, and you are going to let us help you. And if you decide otherwise, then I am afraid your people will be killed. Azrael will not spare them, and that is all on you."
She stammers for a moment, trying in vain to answer my statement, to refute the facts that in her heart she knows are true. When she comes up with no sufficient answers, I stalk forward further, placing my hand around her neck, lightly enough not to strangle her, but hard enough to give her a sufficient warning: if she messes me around, I will not hesitate to hurt her. I am over being weak. Its time to show people I mean business.
Perhaps on any other day, when the lives of my friends are not at risk by some perverted, sick vampire with a lust for blood and sex and a newfound passion for taking over the world, I might have been more generous, less... violent. But it just so happens that I am in an awful mood- courtesy of Azrael, and am in no mood to be messed about- not even by the Siren Queen. Time is ticking, and a vampire with a taste for blood and destruction will certainly not wait for me, not even if I beg.
Leaning in close to Areen- close enough that I can see the apprehension pooling in her eyes, the anger, the frustration, the bitter and twisted expression that wrangles her lips, I whisper lowly:
"Perhaps once upon a time Azrael was a good kid. But those times have long since passed. He will not spare you on the whim of a mere promise. He is a conniving, sneaky little bitch, and I can assure you, once he has extracted mine, or his brother's soul, and has gone after the other two, he will not save you in his endeavours to reshape the world."
The words are as harsh as they are true, and from the rigid shiver that spider walks down her spine, I can tell they certainly aren't the words that she wants to hear. But sometimes in life, that is just how the world works. So I continue on, prodding my icy fingers against her chest, ensuring she see's every emotion that flies across my face, my anger, my rage, and understands that in that minute, I have not been more serious about anything in my life.
"You will be wiped out by his plans just like everyone else, you are not that special, Areen. So, as my dear companion Kal said here, I am going to give you an offer, just one final time," I growl, clenching my jaw to rein in the blazing anger that catches at my insides with an onslaught of fire. Perhaps Soren's blood has a greater effect on me than I thought it would. Not only am I stronger, but it would seem my emotions are slightly more temperamental, tipped to strength rather than submission, more quick to issue threats rather than compromises. Or perhaps that is simply what comes with living with blood thirsty vampires for weeks on end- especially blood thirsty vampires who are looking to end your life. Things like that tend to harden you.
Taking a breath, I state my command.
"You are going to let us go, even Delina if she wishes it," I command, my voice swimming with the soft compelling notes of a glamour, causing Areen's form to slacken under my grip as she listens to each note of my voice as it hits the air. Like in a trance, she nods dizzily, her eyes glazing. "Kal and I are going to leave you with protective wards around your palace, Azrael will not be able to touch you. You will accept our help, and you will be safe" I assure, at last letting go of her neck, allowing her to stumble forward, hand clutched around her throat as she rages into a fit of coughing.
Hazily I watch on as Delina rushes forward to aid her grandmother, clutching her arms as she checks her over, fretting over several scratches and cuts until they at last break into a hug. Perhaps in front of Delina, threatening her grandmother was not the wisest thing to do, but in light of the recent going on's, and the harsh rule that Soren's commands, I doubt such actions would be as appalling to her as they would be someone from my own kind. In such dire situations, there is little else to be done.
Time is running short.
Dusting my hands, I step back, and in one swift snap, free Kal of his bonds, the ice around his wrists shattering onto the ground around us.
Wincing, he rubs his wrists, attempting to soothe the red rawness of his skin that had been brought up under the sharp bite of the ice.
"Thanks," he mutters slowly, giving me a half hearted smile. "I thought for a moment we might not be getting out of here." For a moment Kal stands there, stretching out his fingers, wisps of magic spilling like miniature waterfalls from the tips. He looks breathless, shaken, as though not quite ready to put away the notion that he still might be eaten alive.
Sensing this, nervously, Delina edges round, placing a hand delicately on Kal's shoulder, who stiffens at her touch. She looks like she wants to say something, her mouth moving in silent speech, but no words come out, until at last she reclines into silence, falling besides her grandmother, defeated.
"Kal," I ask quickly, turning to the slender dragon beside me, well aware that time is ever ticking. Who knows how much time has passed since we entered the labyrinth? Perhaps Azrael has already completed his ritual, and is already preparing to extract Soren's soul and take me as his bride. A cold weight drops in my stomach, my gorge rising in my throat as the thought of both those things.
I sure hope that hasn't happened.
But Soren has yet to reappear since his last vanishing up in the surface- a fact which I am not too keen to remember. Hopefully he is just being careful and looking after himself, not risking the self destructive plan of trying to get to me in shadow form. At least, that is what I hope he is doing. The alternatives are certainly not favourable to me. Or to anyone for that matter.
"Yes Serena?" comes Kal's stilted reply, momentary forgetting about the stunned Siren woman pushed up against the wall, his brow raised in a questioning perplexity. Blinking back my daze, I lift my head.
"Since we promised to help Areen, what warding spells do you propose? I was going to suggest a light barrier, I don't think Azrael would even be able to get through that one. But perhaps you have another idea..?" I trail of suggestively, giving him a hopeful look. True, a light barrier would certainly be effective- forming a hard, impermeable shield of light around a designated area, practically unbreakable from any standpoint. At least, that is the hope. It is after all, another spell I glossed over in Soren's book, a powerful incarnation that promises the protection of who ever it encompasses. But that also relies on my capability to cast it, and considering my previous attempts at spells have been volatile at best, I have my doubts over the integrity of it.
Kal deliberates for a moment, resting his hand against his chin.
"A light barrier would be a good idea certainly. I can cast a mirror portal for you, Areen," Kal decides at last, finding his fingers sufficiently less stiff. At this, Delina perks up.
"Mirror portal...?"
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"That he will spare your people from his spite and hatred just because he 'promised' you? Well?"
I ask ruthlessly, my voice rising, shaking the stones on the floor around us until at last, the ice encasing my body bursts open with a shower of frozen shards, spraying all over the walls. Even Kal stares wide eyes in a combination of horror and admiration as I stomp forward, the air beginning to shimmer with a bubbling heat, filling our surroundings with a rippling steam that rises off my body in a cascade of fiery warmth. Flames crackle and pop in the air around us.
"N-no. He is good, he would never-"
Angrily, I slam my foot against the ground.
"You are delusional, Areen," I spit, tired with having to put up with bullshit excuses when the evidence is very much clear. My best friend has been captured, my husband locked in silver chains, and no one, no one, is going to stop me from going down there and kicking Azrael's sorry ass straight back to hell.
Where it belongs.
"I am not going to ask you again, Areen," I say, stalking forward, pendant blazing on my chest as the fervent orange glow burns up around me, causing my two companions to back up to avoid the heat of the fires that flicker in and around my form.
Wide eyes and trembling, the Siren's back presses up against the wall, watching in horror as flames coil around my form, splaying behind my back in a pair of twin fiery wings, blazing with a vengeful heat that is enough to evaporate the drops of water from the cave walls themselves.
"You are going to let us go down there, and you are going to let us help you. And if you decide otherwise, then I am afraid your people will be killed. Azrael will not spare them, and that is all on you."
She stammers for a moment, trying in vain to answer my statement, to refute the facts that in her heart she knows are true. When she comes up with no sufficient answers, I stalk forward further, placing my hand around her neck, lightly enough not to strangle her, but hard enough to give her a sufficient warning: if she messes me around, I will not hesitate to hurt her. I am over being weak. Its time to show people I mean business.
Perhaps on any other day, when the lives of my friends are not at risk by some perverted, sick vampire with a lust for blood and sex and a newfound passion for taking over the world, I might have been more generous, less... violent. But it just so happens that I am in an awful mood- courtesy of Azrael, and am in no mood to be messed about- not even by the Siren Queen. Time is ticking, and a vampire with a taste for blood and destruction will certainly not wait for me, not even if I beg.
Leaning in close to Areen- close enough that I can see the apprehension pooling in her eyes, the anger, the frustration, the bitter and twisted expression that wrangles her lips, I whisper lowly:
"Perhaps once upon a time Azrael was a good kid. But those times have long since passed. He will not spare you on the whim of a mere promise. He is a conniving, sneaky little bitch, and I can assure you, once he has extracted mine, or his brother's soul, and has gone after the other two, he will not save you in his endeavours to reshape the world."
The words are as harsh as they are true, and from the rigid shiver that spider walks down her spine, I can tell they certainly aren't the words that she wants to hear. But sometimes in life, that is just how the world works. So I continue on, prodding my icy fingers against her chest, ensuring she see's every emotion that flies across my face, my anger, my rage, and understands that in that minute, I have not been more serious about anything in my life.
"You will be wiped out by his plans just like everyone else, you are not that special, Areen. So, as my dear companion Kal said here, I am going to give you an offer, just one final time," I growl, clenching my jaw to rein in the blazing anger that catches at my insides with an onslaught of fire. Perhaps Soren's blood has a greater effect on me than I thought it would. Not only am I stronger, but it would seem my emotions are slightly more temperamental, tipped to strength rather than submission, more quick to issue threats rather than compromises. Or perhaps that is simply what comes with living with blood thirsty vampires for weeks on end- especially blood thirsty vampires who are looking to end your life. Things like that tend to harden you.
Taking a breath, I state my command.
"You are going to let us go, even Delina if she wishes it," I command, my voice swimming with the soft compelling notes of a glamour, causing Areen's form to slacken under my grip as she listens to each note of my voice as it hits the air. Like in a trance, she nods dizzily, her eyes glazing. "Kal and I are going to leave you with protective wards around your palace, Azrael will not be able to touch you. You will accept our help, and you will be safe" I assure, at last letting go of her neck, allowing her to stumble forward, hand clutched around her throat as she rages into a fit of coughing.
Hazily I watch on as Delina rushes forward to aid her grandmother, clutching her arms as she checks her over, fretting over several scratches and cuts until they at last break into a hug. Perhaps in front of Delina, threatening her grandmother was not the wisest thing to do, but in light of the recent going on's, and the harsh rule that Soren's commands, I doubt such actions would be as appalling to her as they would be someone from my own kind. In such dire situations, there is little else to be done.
Time is running short.
Dusting my hands, I step back, and in one swift snap, free Kal of his bonds, the ice around his wrists shattering onto the ground around us.
Wincing, he rubs his wrists, attempting to soothe the red rawness of his skin that had been brought up under the sharp bite of the ice.
"Thanks," he mutters slowly, giving me a half hearted smile. "I thought for a moment we might not be getting out of here." For a moment Kal stands there, stretching out his fingers, wisps of magic spilling like miniature waterfalls from the tips. He looks breathless, shaken, as though not quite ready to put away the notion that he still might be eaten alive.
Sensing this, nervously, Delina edges round, placing a hand delicately on Kal's shoulder, who stiffens at her touch. She looks like she wants to say something, her mouth moving in silent speech, but no words come out, until at last she reclines into silence, falling besides her grandmother, defeated.
"Kal," I ask quickly, turning to the slender dragon beside me, well aware that time is ever ticking. Who knows how much time has passed since we entered the labyrinth? Perhaps Azrael has already completed his ritual, and is already preparing to extract Soren's soul and take me as his bride. A cold weight drops in my stomach, my gorge rising in my throat as the thought of both those things.
I sure hope that hasn't happened.
But Soren has yet to reappear since his last vanishing up in the surface- a fact which I am not too keen to remember. Hopefully he is just being careful and looking after himself, not risking the self destructive plan of trying to get to me in shadow form. At least, that is what I hope he is doing. The alternatives are certainly not favourable to me. Or to anyone for that matter.
"Yes Serena?" comes Kal's stilted reply, momentary forgetting about the stunned Siren woman pushed up against the wall, his brow raised in a questioning perplexity. Blinking back my daze, I lift my head.
"Since we promised to help Areen, what warding spells do you propose? I was going to suggest a light barrier, I don't think Azrael would even be able to get through that one. But perhaps you have another idea..?" I trail of suggestively, giving him a hopeful look. True, a light barrier would certainly be effective- forming a hard, impermeable shield of light around a designated area, practically unbreakable from any standpoint. At least, that is the hope. It is after all, another spell I glossed over in Soren's book, a powerful incarnation that promises the protection of who ever it encompasses. But that also relies on my capability to cast it, and considering my previous attempts at spells have been volatile at best, I have my doubts over the integrity of it.
Kal deliberates for a moment, resting his hand against his chin.
"A light barrier would be a good idea certainly. I can cast a mirror portal for you, Areen," Kal decides at last, finding his fingers sufficiently less stiff. At this, Delina perks up.
"Mirror portal...?"
"That he will spare your people from his spite and hatred just because he 'promised' you? Well?"I ask ruthlessly, my voice rising, shaking the stones on the floor around us until at last, the ice encasing my body bursts open with a shower of frozen shards, spraying all over the walls. Even Kal stares wide eyes in a combination of horror and admiration as I stomp forward, the air beginning to shimmer with a bubbling heat, filling our surroundings with a rippling steam that rises off my body in a cascade of fiery warmth. Flames crackle and pop in the air around us. "N-no. He is good, he would never-"Angrily, I slam my foot against the ground."You are delusional, Areen," I spit, tired with having to put up with bullshit excuses when the evidence is very much clear. My best friend has been captured, my husband locked in silver chains, and no one, no one, is going to stop me from going down there and kicking Azrael's sorry ass straight back to hell.Where it belongs."I am not going to ask you again, Areen," I say, stalking forward, pendant blazing on my chest as the fervent orange glow burns up around me, causing my two companions to back up to avoid the heat of the fires that flicker in and around my form.Wide eyes and trembling, the Siren's back presses up against the wall, watching in horror as flames coil around my form, splaying behind my back in a pair of twin fiery wings, blazing with a vengeful heat that is enough to evaporate the drops of water from the cave walls themselves."You are going to let us go down there, and you are going to let us help you. And if you decide otherwise, then I am afraid your people will be killed. Azrael will not spare them, and that is all on you."She stammers for a moment, trying in vain to answer my statement, to refute the facts that in her heart she knows are true. When she comes up with no sufficient answers, I stalk forward further, placing my hand around her neck, lightly enough not to strangle her, but hard enough to give her a sufficient warning: if she messes me around, I will not hesitate to hurt her. I am over being weak. Its time to show people I mean business.Perhaps on any other day, when the lives of my friends are not at risk by some perverted, sick vampire with a lust for blood and sex and a newfound passion for taking over the world, I might have been more generous, less... violent. But it just so happens that I am in an awful mood- courtesy of Azrael, and am in no mood to be messed about- not even by the Siren Queen. Time is ticking, and a vampire with a taste for blood and destruction will certainly not wait for me, not even if I beg.Leaning in close to Areen- close enough that I can see the apprehension pooling in her eyes, the anger, the frustration, the bitter and twisted expression that wrangles her lips, I whisper lowly:"Perhaps once upon a time Azrael was a good kid. But those times have long since passed. He will not spare you on the whim of a mere promise. He is a conniving, sneaky little bitch, and I can assure you, once he has extracted mine, or his brother's soul, and has gone after the other two, he will not save you in his endeavours to reshape the world." The words are as harsh as they are true, and from the rigid shiver that spider walks down her spine, I can tell they certainly aren't the words that she wants to hear. But sometimes in life, that is just how the world works. So I continue on, prodding my icy fingers against her chest, ensuring she see's every emotion that flies across my face, my anger, my rage, and understands that in that minute, I have not been more serious about anything in my life."You will be wiped out by his plans just like everyone else, you are not that special, Areen. So, as my dear companion Kal said here, I am going to give you an offer, just one final time," I growl, clenching my jaw to rein in the blazing anger that catches at my insides with an onslaught of fire. Perhaps Soren's blood has a greater effect on me than I thought it would. Not only am I stronger, but it would seem my emotions are slightly more temperamental, tipped to strength rather than submission, more quick to issue threats rather than compromises. Or perhaps that is simply what comes with living with blood thirsty vampires for weeks on end- especially blood thirsty vampires who are looking to end your life. Things like that tend to harden you.Taking a breath, I state my command."You are going to let us go, even Delina if she wishes it," I command, my voice swimming with the soft compelling notes of a glamour, causing Areen's form to slacken under my grip as she listens to each note of my voice as it hits the air. Like in a trance, she nods dizzily, her eyes glazing. "Kal and I are going to leave you with protective wards around your palace, Azrael will not be able to touch you. You will accept our help, and you will be safe" I assure, at last letting go of her neck, allowing her to stumble forward, hand clutched around her throat as she rages into a fit of coughing.Hazily I watch on as Delina rushes forward to aid her grandmother, clutching her arms as she checks her over, fretting over several scratches and cuts until they at last break into a hug. Perhaps in front of Delina, threatening her grandmother was not the wisest thing to do, but in light of the recent going on's, and the harsh rule that Soren's commands, I doubt such actions would be as appalling to her as they would be someone from my own kind. In such dire situations, there is little else to be done.Time is running short.Dusting my hands, I step back, and in one swift snap, free Kal of his bonds, the ice around his wrists shattering onto the ground around us.Wincing, he rubs his wrists, attempting to soothe the red rawness of his skin that had been brought up under the sharp bite of the ice. "Thanks," he mutters slowly, giving me a half hearted smile. "I thought for a moment we might not be getting out of here." For a moment Kal stands there, stretching out his fingers, wisps of magic spilling like miniature waterfalls from the tips. He looks breathless, shaken, as though not quite ready to put away the notion that he still might be eaten alive. Sensing this, nervously, Delina edges round, placing a hand delicately on Kal's shoulder, who stiffens at her touch. She looks like she wants to say something, her mouth moving in silent speech, but no words come out, until at last she reclines into silence, falling besides her grandmother, defeated. "Kal," I ask quickly, turning to the slender dragon beside me, well aware that time is ever ticking. Who knows how much time has passed since we entered the labyrinth? Perhaps Azrael has already completed his ritual, and is already preparing to extract Soren's soul and take me as his bride. A cold weight drops in my stomach, my gorge rising in my throat as the thought of both those things.I sure hope that hasn't happened.But Soren has yet to reappear since his last vanishing up in the surface- a fact which I am not too keen to remember. Hopefully he is just being careful and looking after himself, not risking the self destructive plan of trying to get to me in shadow form. At least, that is what I hope he is doing. The alternatives are certainly not favourable to me. Or to anyone for that matter."Yes Serena?" comes Kal's stilted reply, momentary forgetting about the stunned Siren woman pushed up against the wall, his brow raised in a questioning perplexity. Blinking back my daze, I lift my head."Since we promised to help Areen, what warding spells do you propose? I was going to suggest a light barrier, I don't think Azrael would even be able to get through that one. But perhaps you have another idea..?" I trail of suggestively, giving him a hopeful look. True, a light barrier would certainly be effective- forming a hard, impermeable shield of light around a designated area, practically unbreakable from any standpoint. At least, that is the hope. It is after all, another spell I glossed over in Soren's book, a powerful incarnation that promises the protection of who ever it encompasses. But that also relies on my capability to cast it, and considering my previous attempts at spells have been volatile at best, I have my doubts over the integrity of it.Kal deliberates for a moment, resting his hand against his chin."A light barrier would be a good idea certainly. I can cast a mirror portal for you, Areen," Kal decides at last, finding his fingers sufficiently less stiff. At this, Delina perks up."Mirror portal...?"
