The Starling Saviour

Chapter 67

When we got to our destination, two of the guards outside were already down, small, black arrows sunken deep into their chests.

'They're dead,' I stated as I checked for one of the men's pulses. 'She's ruthless.'

'We need to be prepared for the worst,' Oliver thought realistically. 'I'll take the left of the house, you take the right.'

Nodding, I did as Oliver said, searching the ground floor of my part of the house first. It was empty, not a person in sight. Sighing, I took to the staircase, hearing gunshots and the sound of arrows flying through the air. Helena was hunting her father. I could see Oliver fighting Helena down the hallway, so I left him to it, happening upon a man in one of the bedrooms, opening the window behind him, ready to escape.

'Mr Bertinelli?' I guessed, and I was right, he responding to me with shock at my blue-clad, vigilante appearance.

'The Sapphire Saviour,' he breathed. 'Here to kill me, with my daughter?'

'No,' I shook my head quickly in order to gain his trust before it was too late. 'I'm here to save you. The Hood and I will not let her hurt you.'

'It sounds like a war zone out there, I'll be dead before I get outta here,' Bertinelli fretted.

'Okay, then escape through the window, and I'll meet you outside,' I nodded, but as I turned round, Helena was standing right in my path.

'What a pleasant surprise,' she jeered softly, aiming the mighty gun she had taken from one of the guards at my heart. 'I wondered if I was going to see you all dressed up.'

Without hesitation, I lunged at her, knocking the gun from her grasp and defending myself from her kicks as she attacked me, our ability almost too similar for one of us to overpower the other. I could see Helena realise that her father was getting away, so she broke away from our fight and jumped out of the window after him, her mind more focused on vengeance than killing me.

I soon as I made my way outside, Mr Bertinelli was nowhere to be seen, his location a mystery. But Helena was there, fighting Oliver and losing badly.

'Enough!' Oliver yelled, pointing an arrow at her, his bow taut.

I walked to Oliver's side, pointing my gun at Helena too. We were armed, and ready to do what was necessary.

'Freeze!' McKenna interrupted the scene in an unexpected turn of events, slowly edging towards us with her firearm at the three of us. 'Put them down. Turn around, slowly.'

We did as she asked, laying our artillery on the grass beside our feet, but while Oliver and I weren't looking, we heard the sound of Helena loading her gun and shooting in McKenna's direction.

'No!' Oliver yelped as we witnessed McKenna lose her footing and fall to the ground, motionless.

Had Helena murdered McKenna? She couldn't have, she couldn't. I wouldn't except that.

Leaning over McKenna's unconscious body, Oliver and I were speechless, not able to comprehend what had just happened.

'McKenna?' Oliver whispered, tears flooding his eyes.

'No, no,' I muttered, trying to examine her to see where the damage was, but I was too emotional. 'Ring 911, Ollie. Now! I need to try to revive her, before she really is...'