The Fifth Element

Part 2 Chapter 24

He pulled away from me and met my eyes, which were probably wider than a mine that any dwarf could dig. He turned from me, his cloak billowing in the soft breeze stirring the grass, "Wait for my return in this exact spot!" he said loudly.

I think I might have checked out for a second because the next thing I knew Henry was shaking my shoulders in a desperate attempt to get my attention. I had forgotten that he had been standing there with Neeva and me.

"Violet! Violet! Violet!" he yelled into my face

I shook my head in and attempt to clear it "Stop it!" I said angrily batting Henry away.

Henry took a half step back step from me, and looked me up and down like he was assessing me for damage, "Are you..." he paused and stopped himself from the asking the question that the answer would have been no to, "...able to do what we need to do now?" he asked, his electric blue eyes burning into me.

"Yes," I answered, "What do we-" before I could finish he had pulled me against his chest and I didn't even hesitate for a second. I hugged him back and pressed my cheek against his chest and inhaled his bonfire scent. I could hear his pounding heart through the fabric of his black t-shirt.

"I just need you to wait here for your father to come get you when it is time," I felt him take in a deep shaky breath, "I had to kill my parents," he said abruptly in a voice that was full of something that I rarely heard in it, sadness. I felt a jolt of shock go through me at his words. I didn't know what I had expected him to say but it wasn't that!

"Our house was burning down and they both got to a window but they couldn't get out and I tried but I couldn't help them," he explained, "Rather than let them burn to death slowly and painfully, I slit their throats with my hunting knife. I was only ten. Amber doesn't know, and I don't think that she would understand. I might be just afraid she wouldn't under, I don't know, but you and John are the only ones who know this. Your little sister might not understand and your mom might not either. I want you to know it happens and sometimes the death of someone we love is necessary even if it doesn't feel like its.

He let me go and I took my arms from around his middle only to wrap them around his neck and pull his mouth down to mine and kissed him before I pulled away and looked into his eyes, "Thank you for telling me that," I said before I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against his.

"Yeah I'm not sure if it helps you but I'm glad I told you," Henry replied

"Me too and it did," I said.

"I have to get back to camp and get my squadron ready, we're one of the leading forces on the front lines."

"Don't die," I told him.

"You don't either."

A small smile pulled at my lips, I let my hands fall from him "How can I die if I'm death itself?" I joked like I hadn't been asked by my father to kill him and Henry hadn't just told me he had been forced to kill his parents just minutes ago. These might be my last moments with him and I was going to enjoy them, no matter what.

Henry shook his head, "You would probably manage it with your dumb self," then he added, "If we both survive this I'm marrying you. I'm the only one smart enough to keep you alive."

I tilt my head to the side, "Are you asking me to marry you while insulting me in the same sentence?" I asked in amusement.

He bent down and picked a long piece of wild grass from the ground. After fiddling with it for a second he managed to make it into a circle. He took my hand and slipped it onto my finger.

"Does that answer your question?"

I looked down at the makeshift grass ring on my finger and back at him. I smiled probably the biggest smile I could manage under these circumstances, "It does and yes I will."

He nodded and turned and ran. The smile dropped from my face while I watched him go. I had a feeling, no a premonition, that I was going to lose more than just my father today. Already the feeling or impending death was in the air, and it was making it hard to breathe.

I took my hair out of its ponytail and Deception crawled over to me and I sank down to the grass beside me. I let him curl his hot body around me. He unfurled his wings and wrapped them around us creating a living tent and blocking out most of the chaos outside and the cold wind. I looked down at the grass ring around my fingers and opened my ears to the little voice inside my head.

"If you bear him any children they will kill, and kill and kill just like you will today," the voice whispered gleefully.

"I know that's why I will never have any," I said aloud.

"Your father brought another one into the world after you. How reckless of him! He couldn't even wait a year to replace you!"

"I'm sure that there will be a purpose for her someday in our world and if I didn't come back, it would have been in this fight maybe not this battle, though," I replied out loud and realized just how insane hat I was doing was. I having aa conversation with the homicidal voice inside my head. But at this point, I didn't even care. These were crazy times so I was allowed to be a little unscrewed in the head."

"And you will take your father's life and raise the dead and paint the ground in hues of crimson."

"I will take my father's life use it for what has to be done."

"You take fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers, and send them to purgatory."

"Those people are trying to kill the ones I love yeah why wouldn't I kill them!?" I protested to the voice.

"That's right you are a god of death, you judge who lives and who dies, and they're worthy to die, those who want to do harm to the people you love. They will send them to their graves."

"That's right I am a death god I control who lives and who dies."

"Daughter I said to lend it your ear sometimes, not lend it your mind and sanity."

I tapped gently on the webbing of Deceptions wings and the small black dragon opened them and released me from my warm cocoon, exposing me to the cool air again. My father standing in front of me. I felt a twinge of dread in my stomach.

"What is it?" I asked him, referring to the voice I had just had a full out conversation with and if it wasn't for Neeva, would have had me convinced I was a death god and could kill whoever I pleased. This was the last chance I probably I had to ask him something about myself. There was so much I still didn't know about the fifth element and I was going to have to figure it out by myself now.

"That voice that speaks loudly in your mind is your powers and who you truly are under your outer skin,'" Neeva slowly, "That voice started out soft, barely spoke words, but as your powers grew it did too like mine did. It will just grow stronger with each time you grow stronger. It tells you what must and what you can do, truths and inner desires. You must pick out the must do and the truths and since all else. You will be able to do this in time daughter, but not at this time so be careful of yourself. What is it telling you to do might I ask?"

"It is telling me to take your hands and use your life to raise the army, our true army."

"Yes indeed daughter so do it," Neeva said.

Feeling oddly at peace with what I was about to do I stepped forward and did what he asked me and took his hands in mine, just as I felt the first life being taken by the swing of an enemy's weapon.

"The battle has started," I said with the feeling of more souls slipping out of this world. Just then there was the distinct sound of horns. Not our horns, though, but ours soon joined in and sounded against the other horns, like two great beasts roaring at one another and trying to drown the other one out. I couldn't see what was going on from where I stood. There was a small hill that obscured my view of some of what was happening in the direction of camp

"Yes, it has, I find singular comfort that I will not have to view the aftermath of this battle."

"I love you," I said looking into his dark purple eyes that mirrored my own one last time.

"And I too, carry no guilt from this," was the last things my father ever said to me before I took his life.