Calamity Falls | Wattys 2019

LXIV

Determination. Courage. Fear. Common emotions for war, really.

Although Calamity normally flipped the off switch on her emotions, she would hone in on them today. Today was the day that she would kill her father and become the monster of his nightmares.

Annoyance at their current predicament prickled Leopold. They had spent the night in the enemy's castle. A fae king followed Calamity like a lost puppy. To top it all off, Calamity decided that instigating her father by wearing her mother's elastic ninja suit was a fan-flipping-tastic idea. Not only did it cut into a deep v-neck that made Leopold wary of all males in the vicinity, but she had also changed into it in front of Caius without any warning. Although, Caius had averted his eyes immediately when her shirt lifted from her torso.

So to say that Leopold was already a little agitated would be the understatement of the year.

Calamity kicked open the door to Avarice's personal chambers. She groaned into her hands. "Where could he be hiding?"

They had already checked his office, the library he frequented, the kitchen, the dining hall, and even Calamity's old bedroom--which Leopold had a difficult time leaving until he recognized it as the site for her assault.

It all seemed too easy. How could they move around the castle uninterrupted and undetected with the ruckus they made?

Calamity gasped as she realized that Reinard had to conduct the entirety of the army without her. He wouldn't know where she was, and--after what she told him--he would be worried sick. She crouched to the ground and sent him one of her blinding messages, barely warning the men to cover their eyes.

She stood and continued her way to search for her missing father. It was a trap. It had to be. She just couldn't figure it out. In fact, she hadn't seen much of anyone. They were in the middle of a war, yet they seemed to have abandoned their homebase. There was no way it was that easy. She narrowed her eyes at her father's devious plot.

She stepped onto the landing atop the marble stairs of the foyer. Her descent quickened as she felt the presence of her father. She could feel him, but she couldn't see him. Her feet touched the floor and a surge of power erupted like a wall behind her. She whipped around, sensing the magic barrier she had inadvertently activated.

"Stay back!" She screamed at Leopold, who remained unaware of their separation. Caius, though, could immediately note the handiwork of one of his kinsmen. Only fae could put up such a wall.

Leopold stopped in his tracks, examining the cautious expression on Calamity's face. She timidly reached out to test the strength of the magic. Her middle finger merely grazed the repellent before a blast sent her flying against the hard stone wall of the entryway.

Leopold reacted instantaneously. He leapt forward, only to get knocked back by the same explosive force that launched Calamity. Caius caught him, preventing maximum damage.

The barrier shimmered, now visible like waves of magical heat. Hordes of demons swarmed onto Leopold's side of the barrier. Avarice stepped from the shadows on Calamity's side. She understood immediately.

"Caius!" She shouted, capturing his attention. "Can you disable it?"

He nodded quickly, determination flashing briefly in his eyes. His hands rose to the wall. He would have to focus on decoding the spell. He couldn't protect himself at the same time. His hands moved rapidly as he swiped sections of enchanted code to work in his advantage instead of its creator's.

"Leo!" Calamity called, eyeing her father warily. "Protect him."

The bond surged with emotions she didn't have time to interpret. She had to deal with the demon in front of her. They circled each other until Avarice stood in front of the glimmering wall. He smirked before stepping backwards through the magic. He approached Leo, who was too busy fending off masses of demons to pay Avarice any attention.

Leo felt her panic through the bond and slashed one of the few demons he had yet to tear down. He turned to assess the coming enemy only to be met with a hand on his forehead and a surge of pain shooting through his brain. He grunted at the sudden pain.

Avarice focused his power into Leopold. He would dominate his mind and show his impertinent daughter true agony. "I will break your mind and take control of your very soul. Everyone has doubt in their minds. I will find it and latch on. When I do, I will make you kill the very woman you bonded to." He leaned in close, warm breath creating perspiration on Leo's forehead. He whispered, "And the best part is that she won't even try to stop you."

Leo bucked in a sore attempt of escaping Avarice's cruel grasp. "No! I would never harm her! There is not a smidge of doubt in me about how I feel about her!"

Avarice finally located it. The doubt he needed. "But you doubt yourself, and that is all I need," he rasped. He took hold of the doubt in his mind, mere wisps and tendrils of insecurity and self-doubt. "You're afraid you can't protect the woman you love, and that is your undoing." He pulled the strings of control.

Leo's eyes went blank, all expression fading as he became Avarice's puppet.

"No!" Calamity screamed just as Caius finished disabling the barrier. She lunged for her father, stopping short when Leopold came in front of her. "Leo," she choked on a sob.

"Kill her," Avarice ordered.

Leopold charged, fist swinging. Calamity narrowly dodged his attack. He kept vying for her, barely missing her every time.

"Kill her!" Avarice commanded, irritated at Leo's halfhearted attempt at delaying the inevitable.

Nails became claws. Teeth became fangs. Eyes became primal and hungry. He rushed Calamity faster than she had anticipated; he nicked her arm instead of her neck when she dodged again.

"You can't dodge him forever, Calamity!" Avarice taunted from his spot against the banister. "Either fight back or die!"

Calamity shoved her palm against Leopold's chest, launching him twenty feet from her position. She watched him slowly rise from the floor. His eyes flicked to her. His expression held menace, but his eyes held pain and guilt. She felt through the bond that he knew what he was doing. He couldn't force his body to stop. He would hate himself for this. "If you want to kill me, then do it!" She shouted.

Leopold moved in a flash, tackling Calamity to the ground unceremoniously. One hand gripped her throat, the other poised to ripped out her jugular. Something wet and hot landed on her face. Leopold's tears fell uncontrollably. Her hands reached his face, cupping it lovingly.

"It's okay. I understand," she assured. She pulled his face down to hers tensely. Her lips pressed to his gingerly. His sob broke against her lips.

Despite what he was trying to do to her, Calamity still loved him. He didn't deserve her. He continued to sob. His fist propelled down to the floor, cracking the marble floor. His forehead pressed heavily against hers. He grunted in obvious pain as he tried to fight Avarice's hold on him.

Calamity gently pried him off of her. She stood to confront her father. "This is the end of the line father! One of us dies today, and I have no intention of doing so just yet."

Avarice narrowed his eyes at her insolence. "You are weak. You will lose," he insulted.

Calamity ignored his words. She approached him slowly. He would pay for everything he'd done. She would show him the monster he'd bred. They were nothing more than a pair of warring monsters in that moment.

Their hands latched onto each other's head as power seeped from them. "Dolor," she muttered. His eyes widened. She was using her pain spell, the one she couldn't control.

A battle of wills was ensuing, one that would only end when one was dead.