Epilogue

Epilogue 0.04

     And then draws her hand back, just narrowly avoiding a spinning blade. The weapon that nearly claimed her hand lands in the snow. A jagged blade, made out of blood-stained bone. And there's more where that came from. The bone-blades assault us from all directions. Comma lets go of me and gets to work with her chakram, fending off the blades with lightning speed.

     "Someone else help him out," Comma orders. "Leave this to me."

     "Please..." Eloise begs.

     "I'm on it." Topher nods and grabs my hand. I close my eyes and try to pass on the rip's location to Topher, just as I did to Comma. But the connection isn't as strong; it takes a little longer to transmit the message. When I pass on the location to Topher, he seizes the rip. "Got it!"

     "No!" Eloise whimpers. "Don't leave me..."

     "We'd never leave you," says Gail. "You're coming with us."

     Eloise growls. "You-will-not-leave-ME!" She flickers out of sight. When she reappears, she's wielding a bone-sword that's almost as big as she is. I stand there, frozen, waiting for her to swing. I don't realize that she already has.

     Topher's arm lies severed on the ground. A fountain of blood spurts from his stump.

     "What the hell...?" Crawford groans—apparently he's still alive.

     "No one was going to leave you, you little brat," Comma snaps. "Now, on the other hand..." She glances at Topher. "Poor choice of words, huh?"

     "You were going to leave this world," says Eloise, her voice fluctuating between octaves, as if she's possessed by some sort of demon. "Don't you get it, you imbecile? I am this world! YOU. WILL. NOT. LEAVE. ME!"

     "I beg to differ." Comma dashes forth. Her chakram clashes with Eloise's sword.

     "Quick!" Crawford grabs my hand. "While she's distracted."

     I'm not exactly raring to attempt the rip a third time, but what choice do I have? Transmitting the location is somewhat easier this time. Maybe I'm getting used to it. Or maybe the adrenaline's finally kicking in. Crawford hesitates, his hand lingering at his side.

     "What are you doing? Peel through!"

     "I... I can't..." Crawford swallows.

     Eloise howls. Crawford isn't sticking around to find out what she's summoned this time—he turns tail and flees back down the slope, running faster than I've ever seen him run. I'm not as smart. The ground rumbles and splits open beneath me. I stagger backwards and fall flat on my back. A giant spire of ice shoots up from the crevice, encasing the rip.

     Comma deflects one of Eloise's blows and then kicks her in the gut. Eloise skids backwards. Comma uses the opening to dash over to the spire. She hacks away at it with her chakram, trying to slice through to the rip. "It's no use," she says, shaking her head. "We'll have to use the other rip."

     "But I thought you said—"

     "I know what I said," says Comma. "But we haven't got a choice, have we?"

     Eloise shrieks, summoning the beast. The beast thunders across the sky. Eloise lunges at Comma, but she's too slow—Comma intercepts the blow and, with a hiss, shatters the bone-blade. Eloise hovers in the air and allows the wind to blow her away before Comma can finish her off. The beast growls ominously above us.

     "C'mon." Comma tears her sleeve and wraps it around Topher's arm to slow the bleeding. Then she slings him onto her back. "Before he bleeds to death, preferably."