Empress Unveiled

by Jenna Morland

  Medallion chuckled. “You are just like your father, Daylan—loyal to a fault. You don’t know when to surrender. The old Empress is gone. You serve nothing by defending this girl. My offer stills stands, but I will only offer it one more time—join me. Stand beside me.”

  “Never,” Daylan spat.

  Medallion’s eyes burned with indignation. It was clear that he did not hear the word “no” often.

  Medallion turned to the Slayer that stood beside him. “Kill her.”

  The Slayer hesitated for a moment, looking down at the headless Slayer one more time. Then he raised his sword and walked towards me.

  “No!” Daylan called.

  “And kill him,” Medallion said, looking to his other Slayer and pointing his sword at Daylan. The Slayer made for Daylan, who had no weapon, and the two began fighting. Daylan used every part of his body, including his wings. They wrapped around him like shield, protecting him from the Slayer’s sharp sword. He defended himself, kicking at the Slayer’s shins, punching him when there was an opening, and by moving in a way that could only be described as inhuman.

  I tried to run towards Penelope to wake her, but I was jolted backwards by the grip of a Slayer pulling on my braid.

  I cried in frustration, swinging The Alexander Dagger wildly, and nicked him in the shin. He let go with a quiet cry of pain, and my head hit the compact snow. I squeezed my eyes shut to ward off the stinging.

  I rolled into a crouching position, but the Slayer was already standing over me. He lifted his sword to swing at my neck. I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the blow—waiting to die.

  There was a deathly grunt, and when I opened my eyes, I saw the Slayer drop his sword, the heavy iron crashing against the snow. Another sword was lodged in his chest, and standing behind him was Medallion.

  “Come now. You didn’t think I would let you die that easily, did you? Besides, I take pleasure in watching you squirm.”

  I looked at the dead soldier on the ground. Murdered by his own master for following his orders.

  “You’re sick.” My mouth puckered in disgust.

  Daylan and the other Slayer were wrestling on the ground behind Medallion, but I couldn’t tell who was winning. Daylan had spent his entire life training with his father, he was better, but he was injured and weakened by his lack of magic.

  “Why must we treat each other as enemies? We could have more in common than you think,” Medallion quipped lightly.

  “We have nothing in common.”

  “Why, you’ve just met me. How could you know such a thing?”

  The way in which his smooth, deep voice delivered his words was unnerving. He circled me as he spoke, and I turned with him, not wanting to make myself any more vulnerable than I already was.

  Before I could respond, another bright light broke across the sky. The portal to Empress opened once again.

  Medallion used the blinding light to his advantage. When my sight cleared he was already bent over me, his nose almost touching mine.

  I sucked in a breath.

  His cold thin fingers caressed my neck, and he picked up a strand of my hair, sniffing it before, in an almost innocent gesture, tucking the strand securely behind my ear.

  “You could still call yourself Queen—if you joined me,” he said. His breath smelt of burnt putrid weeds. His long claw-like nail scraped against my lips, waiting for me to respond.

  “I would rather die than be your Queen,” I spat.

  My heart fell at the sound of more bodies being dropped into the flames on the dock and the sounds of splashes from them jumping into the water. I didn’t know how many Slayers had arrived from Empress this time, but I knew we were greatly outnumbered. I glared at Medallion, not allowing myself to show any vulnerability.

  Medallion smiled in satisfaction. “You really are your father’s daughter, but…” His eyes grew more menacing. “Who am I to deny a lady’s wish?”

  I shivered at the threat in his voice.

  Either he would die, or I would.

  My knuckles went white from my grip on The Alexander Dagger, waiting for its murderous energy to take over and defend me against Medallion, but it remained still.

  I had to do it myself.

  I swung the dagger, aiming for his kidney, but he was too fast.

  He knocked me backwards and my hands dropped to break my fall, sending The Alexander Dagger tumbling into the snow.

  I frantically searched for it with my hands while my head buzzed from the blow of the fall. Medallion slowly crept up on me like he knew he had all the time in the world.

  He was taking his time, enjoying my struggle.

  I twitched at the sound of a loud BOOM behind me.

  Medallion stumbled back gripping his shoulder, his face betraying his shock. My heart raced with confusion, and I retreated backwards, keeping my eyes on Medallion.

  BOOM. Another shot echoed off the cliffs and Medallion stumbled back again, this time groaning in pain. His braided hair was stained red. He looked down at his blood-soaked hands, the blood dripping down his tattooed arms onto his sword and stained the white snow below.

  BOOM. One more shot thundered across the beach and hit Medallion again—this time in the chest. He dropped his sword and fell to his knees, coughing up blood until it stained his sharp teeth red. His eyes rolled into the back of his head, and he collapsed onto the blood-spattered ground.

  Standing at the top of the cliff behind me was Tyler holding his father’s shotgun, the barrel still smoking.

  “Tyler?” I whispered to myself.

  He slung the shotgun over his shoulder and ran quickly to me.

  The distraction of the shots helped Daylan too. He finally got the advantage and killed his opponent, kneeling over the Slayer and driving his sword into his chest. More Slayers arrived on the beach, though, swarming around Ezra and Fay.

  Penelope began to stir, her eyes opening. She looked relieved to see me still standing. She had a large cut above her eye, and blood dripped down her cheek when she sat up, collecting herself.

  Beltane made a run for the dock still holding The Aura. He was chanting, probably trying to open the portal again. I frantically searched the snow for The Alexander Dagger, but I couldn’t find it anywhere. We needed to get to The Aura.

  Tyler arrived, still huffing from his run.

  “How did you—” I began to ask.

  “Get her out of here,” Daylan called to Tyler as he ran toward Beltane with a sword drawn.

  “Penelope, help him!” I yelled knowing Beltane could easily kill Daylan while he was wounded.

  Penelope rose to her feet and faced her palms to the dark sky. She began to chant, helping Daylan in his pursuit. More black clouds formed in the sky, mixing with the fog and black smoke, concealing the corpses on the ground and the ongoing battle in the distance.

  “Come on, you heard him. Let’s get you out of here,” Tyler said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the boat launch away from the battle.

  “Wait,” I said pulling back. “I’m sorry for what I said. I didn’t mean any of it.” If I was going to die today, I needed Tyler to know I loved him.

  “I know,” he said like he had never questioned me to begin with.

  Despite the danger, I felt whole again. Of course, he knew. He would always know. I looked into his eyes, happy to know we were made for each other.

  Tyler’s face suddenly went white with shock. His hand tightened on my arm and the shotgun he held in the other hand dropped to the ground. I looked down to see a blood-drenched sword sticking out of his chest.

  “No,” I whispered, freezing in absolute horror.

  Tyler coughed small short breaths. His green eyes were far away like he wanted to see me but couldn’t.

  When the sword pulled back, I could hear it tear through every vein around his heart.

  Tyler fell to his knees, pulling me down with him.

  My hands gripped his face. “Tyler, stay with me,” I cried, stum
bling on my own breath. I held either side of his face, my muscles tightening, knowing I wasn’t strong enough to hold him up. I cradled his head in my hands and his eyelids grew heavy as we collapsed the ground together.

  “No,” I said again, refusing to believe that I could lose him. “Tyler—don’t do this. Please, I need you. I need you to stay with me.”

  His mouth went slack, his blood pooling between us. I looked into his eyes, but there was no life in them. I didn’t need to check Tyler’s pulse to know he was gone.

  My world suddenly went dark. A part of my heart had faded into oblivion.

  I looked away from Tyler’s lifeless eyes and through the black smoke swirling around us to find Medallion standing nearby. He was holding the blood-drenched sword. His wounds were crusting over, though still seeping.

  “I will kill you,” I vowed, a single tear falling slowly from my grieving eyes.

  Medallion said nothing but only stepped over Tyler leaving bloody footprints in the snow.

  I stood up.

  I had no weapon, and with all the black smoke, I could only see a few feet in front of me. I was ready to protect myself; my feet were planted, and my hands were up.

  I knew if I screamed for help, Daylan and Penelope would come to my aid, but I also knew I couldn’t risk losing anyone else I loved.

  There were sirens quietly ringing in the distance, emergency response to the smoke that had engulfed the bay. I grew more anxious of the innocent human lives that would be in danger.

  Medallion snickered, his teeth still stained red with blood. Knowing I had no weapon, he dropped his sword and advanced unarmed. He swung first, and to both of our surprise, I was quick enough to block his punch with my forearm. I wasn’t ready for his other arm though. I caught a backhand to my temple with enough force to knock me backward.

  My eyebrow was split open, with fresh blood trickling down my cheek. I stood up, shook my head and brought my hands up again. He stepped forward, and I kicked him hard—my steel-toed hiking boots finding his groin.

  He groaned under his breath.

  His hand shot up and grabbed my neck, squeezing it hard. With his claws puncturing my skin, he lifted me a few inches from the ground until my feet dangled, and I tried but failed to gasp for air.

  The whispers of my necklace were deafening now. The heat of it burned my skin and kept me conscious.

  Medallion’s eyes were aflame. With his hands still closed around my throat, he slammed me into the cold hard ground.

  I blinked to recover, his silhouette blurring into two figures, and I couldn’t stop the throbbing pain that crippled me.

  He took pleasure in my suffering, reveling in watching the life drain slowly from my eyes.

  My throat pulsed against his tight grip, trying to make room for air.

  He knelt over me, his lips close to mine. I feebly clawed at his arm desperately searching for a way to break free. I silently called to The Alexander Dagger wishing I had something to end this torture.

  But I wasn’t strong enough to fight anymore.

  The light from the portal opening was muted through the thick smoke.

  My hands fell slack at my side. My chest pumped with short final breaths.

  When I felt the familiar texture of the jeweled handle of The Alexander Dagger in my hand—I did not hesitate. I plunged the tip of the sharp dagger as hard as I could into Medallion’s head just above his ear and below his horn. I felt it penetrate his skull with a crack and slice through his brain in one swift blow.

  I watched as his eyes drifted. He was no longer monster—he was nothing.

  I enjoyed it far more than I should have.

  Medallion’s heavy body fell limp onto mine and his hands loosened from my neck.

  I gasped for air and, with my tired arms, struggled to push him off me. I got to my knees and caught my breath, then I put one knee on his shoulder, bracing myself as I pulled The Alexander Dagger free from his head.

  “Swayzi?!” Daylan called. He must have seen me from the corner of his eye. Daylan and Penelope along with the twins were fighting off the most recent Slayers that had been dropped into the ocean.

  “I’m fine!” I yelled back. But was I?

  I ran to Tyler.

  I fell to my knees and moved his shoulder, so I could hug him one last time. Even though I knew he was gone, I couldn’t let go. This was all I had left of him.

  I wept into his shoulder like I had so many times before. The familiar smell of chlorine and lotion devastated me, and I tried to imagine my life without him. I couldn’t.

  How could I live without ever seeing that smile again? The perfectly genuine way he laughed. The way he bit his cheek when he was frustrated. Or how he narrowed his eyes at me when he knew something was wrong. He was always moving the hair out of his eyes. I touched my hand to his wrist like he had with me so many times before—our secret gesture. But this time, it was for him and this time, there was no pulse.

  I pulled away and brushed his snow and ash-covered hair from his eyes. This was the same vision the necklace had warned me of. His eyelids were only half closed, and his eyes reflected the pain he felt in his last seconds. I moved my hand over his eyelids to close them and gasped at the finality of it all.

  I nestled my chin into his neck, my hand in his hair, my lips trembling. “I love you,” I whispered into his ear.

  Our entire lives we had prepared for me dying first. Never in my worst nightmare did I considered me outliving him.

  I was supposed to die and he—he was meant to live.

  He saved me.

  The beach grew quiet. For the first time, that morning, I could hear the persistent waves of the ocean over the sounds of battle. The only jarring sounds were that of sirens closing in on us.

  But my cries were louder.

  “Swayzi?” I felt Daylan’s warm hand touch my back and I twitched at the contact.

  “Penelope is opening the portal to Empress. We have to go,” he said gently.

  “No.” I gripped onto Tyler. “I’m not leaving him,” I said finally.

  “Sawyzi, we have to go now. Beltane got away. Humans are on their way. We have The Aura. We have to close the portals to Hell in Empress,” he said urgently.

  “I said no!” I cried in agony.

  “It was supposed to be me. Me…” I stuttered, my lungs starving for a full breath. “It was… me. Not him.”

  Ezra and Fay came walking towards us, their bodies drenched from fighting on the oceans edge and covered in blood, some of it theirs. They both had several gashes, Ezra with a bleeding nose, and Fay was limping like she fractured something. Ezra wiped away the blood dripping from his nose and collapsed next to Tyler. He knelt over him, checking his pulse, and his eyes closed with sadness when he confirmed what I already knew. There was a smear of Ezra’s blood left on Tyler’s neck when he pulled his hand away and gently touched mine. His eyes said more than words ever could.

  “Daylan—The Aura, it’s not working.” Penelope sounded defeated.

  “What do you mean it’s not working?” Fay asked. “Let me see it.” She held her hand out for The Aura. She held it gently like a delicate dragon’s egg. She turned it over, inspecting it closely. “Penelope, this isn’t The Aura,” Fay confirmed.

  “What do you mean it isn’t The Aura?” Daylan asked, alarmed. “That was the crystal around the neck of the Tengu.”

  “Daylan, I have seen The Aura before. This isn’t it,” she said with unwavering certainty.

  “Beltane—” Penelope paused. “He must have had the real one this whole time. This was just a decoy.” She took it from Fay’s open hands and threw it into the ocean in frustration.

  “It was either kill him before he went through the portal or get The Aura—we chose The Aura.” She shook her head. “Daylan.” She looked at him—her new ally—like she was a disappointment. “I let him get away.” She kicked the snow-covered sand. “He is in Empress now with The Angel Aura Crystal!”

 
“We let him get away,” Daylan corrected her.

  “No, this can’t be happening.” Penelope paced. “We need to get to Empress.” The urgency in her tone was panicked. She looked at Tyler and me, her eyes frantic and pained.

  “How?” Daylan asked, his eyes also landing on me.

  I looked down. The necklace that had burned a small scar on my chest began to whisper—it was lightly singing, just like the day at the Empress Tree. I don’t know how I knew to do it, but I touched the goddess, and the once welded shut locket clicked open. Inside was a piece of brilliant white crystal.

  I reluctantly let go of Tyler’s wrist, unclipped the chain and handed the necklace to Penelope. Her eyes went wide with confusion washing over her face.

  “What is that?” Ezra asked.

  “It’s the soul of an angel—a piece of The Aura.” Penelope looked from the necklace to me in disbelief.

  “Use it,” I said, “but I’m staying here with Tyler.”

  “You have to come with us,” Daylan demanded.

  “No,” I said firmly. “I’m not leaving him.”

  “Bring him,” Penelope demanded.

  “Penelope—we shouldn’t,” Daylan wavered.

  “She said she’s not leaving him, and she needs to go to Empress. Trust me, Daylan. Bring him,” she said.

  Penelope didn’t wait for Daylan to respond. She walked towards the water, holding the pendant of the goddess in her hands, the chain swaying while she began chanting a spell to open the portal.

  Daylan lifted me from the ground, and my fingers grasped the collar of Tyler’s shirt one last time. Ezra picked him up and lifted him over his shoulder.

  Penelope continued chanting toward the sky, and next to her was Fay, limping through the blood stained snowy beach over bodies and discarded weapons into the water.

  Ezra held Tyler’s lifeless body, his arms swinging as he carried him into the waist-deep water. I refused to blink, not wanting to take my eyes off of Tyler even for a second.

  We all stood amidst the ruins of the dock waiting for the portal to open. Burnt pieces of the dock washed ashore with each new wave.