The Faerie Curses

Chapter Twenty-One: Cursed Heart

Rushing to Glen's side, I slung his arm over my shoulder and slowly hoisted him up. His wings were twitching weakly, and his breaths were ragged against my hair. I grunted with effort until he was standing, and he was leaning against me with a crooked smile. I was suddenly aware that his arms were around me, and below us the city sparkled like hundreds of diamonds.

"If we weren't about to die," Glen remarked. "I would have called this romantic."

I snorted, even though on the inside I was praying that it was too dark for Glen to see my pink expression.

The female knight met my gaze with a twisted grin. The blood on her face was a sickening background to her flashing white teeth.

"It looks like it's just us girls left," she observed. "This ought to be interesting. Can a novice defeat a skilled warrior? Will you be able to save your beloved sprite?"

"I wouldn't exactly call Diandre my beloved." I replied.

"You know I can still hear you!" Diandre shouted from the ledge of the building.

"Just hang on a while longer!" I called out to him. "This battle shouldn't take long." I added acidly.

I glanced upwards at Glen's face that was contorted with pain. "Will you be alright?"

He gave me a reassuring smile, but it looked more like a wince. "I've been through worse, partner. I'm just sad I can't have some more fun."

Satisfied, I lowered Glen to the steel floor.

"Try and get Diandre," I murmured in his ear so I wouldn't be overheard. "Once you do, leave as fast as you can. Don't wait for me. Just get yourselves out of here."

Glen opened his mouth to protest, but I had already turned away from him. I reached into my bag, my fingers grasping a holed object made of wood. I discarded it, reaching for a dagger instead.

"Let's end this."

I sprang into the air, my wings popping open. The female knight followed suit, her ice sword glittering in the moonlight. I flew into the sky, hovering next to the enormous spire that stretched above my head. The thin air was starting to effect my lungs, they were taking short and raspy breaths as I stayed in the air. Then, the female knight was upon me. With a clash of metal, her sword grated against my dagger, and I desperately wished for armor of my own. All I had was a cotton shirt and some leather pants, which offered little protection from a blade.

I dodged her as she viscously sliced at me, my wings propelling me in every direction. The female knight was a blur of ruthless blonde,
her blue eyes narrowed into cruel slits. I zoomed straight at her, my wings beating frantically. Her shoulder still had my arrow imbedded in it's flesh, and I brought my dagger down as hard as I could. It didn't hit its mark exactly, but was able to graze her vulnerable skin and stab right next to it.

The female knight erupted into a loud howl, and a flicker of triumph ignited in my stomach. I was winning. With her mutilated face and hurt shoulder, she shouldn't be able to fight for much longer.

I can finish this, I told myself. I can-

In a split second, the female knight reached into a sheath on her side that I hadn't noticed before. Unsheathing a small knife, she screamed and drove it straight into my chest. Straight into my heart. I could feel the blade pierce and rupture it, filling my entire mind with searing pain that made my vision fade into a blinding white. I felt myself lose altitude, my wings going limp as my body dropped. I slammed against the spire of the Empire State Building, crashing down onto a nearby ledge. My body felt consumed in flaring pain, as if fire was eating and knawing at my insides while my entire chest was slowly being torn apart into shreds. I couldn't scream, I couldn't cry, I couldn't even breathe.