The Sleeping Girl

Chapter Twenty Three

It works. I'm disgusted, but still definitely relieved when I feel my flesh closing around the wound, healing itself right then and there. The pain is intense, but nothing on what I just felt pulling the blade out. Compared to that, I can deal with anything. And so I sit for some of the longest moments of my life, healing myself. When I pull my arm away, my hand is stained with blood, but I know the wound is gone.

I pick up the discarded dagger from the ground. The blade is wickedly sharp, curving fiercely and sparkling crystal despite the dark blood coloring it. It's a good blade, and I mentally thank whichever dark creature unwittingly gave it to me, even if it did slow me down. Bet they didn't anticipate this result. I'm a problem solver, or at least I like to think that of myself.

Clutching my new dagger firmly in my hand, I emerge from the woods and survey the battle. From my stance, I can't really tell if we're winning or loosing. Most members of society are still facing off one on one, or perhaps a couple, except, of course, our Girl. I can, however see, that the mob around what I presume to be Chloe- I can't see her anymore- hasn't gotten smaller in the slightest. I could take this to be a bad sign that she's struggling, but I try to be positive and take it as a good sign that she isn't dead yet. They haven't won yet. And if I get my way, they never will.

This time, as I run towards her, I keep my eyes peeled. Arms pumping, feet pounding, I'm almost there when something heavy lands on me. The two of us tumble to the ground, rolling. I'm on bottom, then I'm on top, then I'm on bottom, then I'm on top and stop.

Once I'm can be sure that I'm the one of the two of us that's above, I throw my arms down, digging the palm of my left hand into the hard ground to stop the roll, using my heel as well. The wet ground comes up around me with the pressure, but I keep my stance. With my right hand, I'm pressing down on the creature's chest, using all my force and magic to keep it down. Once I've established my role above, I see that I'm on top of a hissing, writhing dark faery, glamour long gone. It's struggling under my weight, red eyes zeroed in on mine, sharp teeth bared.

A couple days ago, I would have been terrified. But now, I'm only mildly irked that I've had to stop in my way to get to Chloe. This thing has nothing on Ebony.

I increase the pressure in my right hand, curling my fingers to my nails can dig into it. With my left, I reach into my bag, finding the iron dagger easily. Once I have that out, it only take a few seconds to cut into the faery's heart, again and again until I'm satisfied that it's really dead. I have a thought and spit on its mauled face before turning away. It's the little pleasures in life. Then, I jump up again and rush towards Chloe.

This time, the third time, I can finally get there without any stops. The crowd is even bigger from here than it seemed from across the glade, and it first nobody notices me. It's really a mass of black, of dark, and I force myself to focus on the light so I don't have to stagger back from the overwhelming auras I'm reading. I'm getting more powerful on projecting myself and my lightness out.

There's dozens upon dozens here. The crowd of them is so thick that there's no way to see Chloe. It's nothing but a writhing mass of darkness, alive yet not all at the same time.

Determined, I grab the stake from my bag and rush on the nearest creature, a vampire. I kick it to the ground, then stake it's heart. Next, I turn to the dark sprite next to it and slash through it with my new dagger, again and again. It dissipates quickly. Cut, slash, hack, this is the rhythm I move to, the dance I'm apart of. At least, until they really realize that I've arrived.

That's when I realize I'm in over my head. One moment I'm cutting a dark faery to pieces, the next I have something sharp poking into my back, not far from where the dagger pierced a few minutes ago. I swing my leg out on reflex, which sends the creature away- it was a faery- but not far, because it's hurtle is stopped by the ring of dark creatures that is now surrounding me. With a sharp intake of breath, I realize that I'm surrounded. Surrounded by a ring of dark creatures, slowly moving in on me, closer and closer and closer.