Villainous [Wattys 2021 Shortlist]

48: The Last Stand

Something dark and ancient flickered inside.

"It's real," Dante breathed.

"What -?"

Then everything happened at once.

Dante barked in pain and hit the ground on all fours. Delilah spotted an arrow protruding from his back as men raced onto the plateau.

And the Black Phoenix of Vale burst out of the portal in a flurry of black, smoke-like feathers. Each one was lit with blue flame. Its terrible dark eyes scanned the living world as it tore free of the Spectral Realm - which must have been its cage - and let out a piercing shriek that sent needles of fire stabbing into Delilah's skull.

"Dante!" she screamed as the bird unfurled its burning wings and flapped them, rising higher into the air. A wave of unbearable cold swept over the plateau, and the soldiers nearby were yelling.

Dante coughed up blood as Delilah dropped to his side. "Dante -"

He was pressing something small into her hand. "Take - this," he coughed.

"What - what is it?" Delilah saw everything as a blur. She'd never felt so much terror in her life.

A battered, tarnished silver ring lay in her palm.

She forgot about the soldiers. Forgot about the Black Phoenix.

"A promise, Delilah Coppin," Dante breathed.

She stared at him, stricken. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. It was a brief, fierce kiss with the metallic tang of blood, that melted her insides, sent fire and lightning racing through her veins, and she reached out to him –

But Dante was pulling back, staggering to his feet as the Opals flickered feebly.

"Your reign of terror has ended, Night Bringer!" a soldier roared, and fired the next arrow. This one struck Dante's forearm, sending him stumbling away from her.

"No!" Delilah screamed.

The soldiers converged on Dante just as a pulse of cold blasted the mountain again - the phoenix's coldfire. Her legs buckled and she tried to crawl towards the fight. Her bones pulsed with agony.

Dante was using Hergest, fighting against the men even with the two arrows sticking out of him. Blood streaked his face, but the struggle was a whirl of deadly speed despite Dante being hopelessly outnumbered.

He was keeping them away from her. He was using the remains of his strength to... to protect her.

Delilah forced herself to her feet as they neared the cliff edge. She realised what was about to happen and decided to damn fate.

She spun around and screamed at the Black Phoenix, "I released you from your Spectral prison! I command you now - I am your master! You answer to me, the Fire Princess!"

To her astonishment, the phoenix dropped to the plateau floor in front of her, cocking its head.

Delilah ran at it, at Death itself, and grabbed hold of its feathers. She scrambled onto its back as if it was a crow, her legs instantly turning numb from pain and the cold it gave off. She settled herself and grabbed the feathers on the back of its neck - just as Dante dragged the soldiers off the edge of the mountain.

They vanished into empty air but Delilah squeezed the phoenix.

It surged forwards, giving another piercing cry, and lifted into flight.

Delilah tried to scream, but words were frozen in her throat. Air billowed past them, warm compared to the cold flames that licked the phoenix's wings.