"Are you ready?" I asked Kate, a bow and arrow in my shaking hands.
She let out a shaky breath, both her palms facing the shaft of my arrow, "As ready as I'll ever be,"
"Let us declare war then, the northern way," I whispered, positioning the point of my arrow to the indigo midnight skies.
"Light this arrow the light of a thousand suns, and show the people that war has begun," She chanted, fire blazing from her hands onto my arrow.
My face warmed immediately as my fingertips blackened at the contact.
Without a second thought, I let the arrow fly. I let the arrow carry my fears and burdens with it as it's wings pushed it further into the atmosphere of the rotten outskirts. I let the arrow flee with my worry in it's heart.
I fired two more arrows, each one strengthening in the distance it travelled, before falling on both knees - palms facing the night skies.
"Oh goddess of the moon, I will do everything in me to fulfil this wretched destiny you have put upon me. I will be your undying slave, just as much as I am your undying warrior. Whether I live or die is unimportant, all that is of matter is that the 4 kingdoms rise once more - as with their king," I prayed, "I beg that your moonshine blesses my battlefield, I beg that your full moon works in my favour,"
Before I could reinforce any doubt within me, I got on both feet and turned around to face the army I had been raising for almost 3 weeks now.
Over 600 beasts stood side by side, lining the outskirts like a wall of guards. They were under my command - my spell. They would act by me, fight as I say, and die for me. I would be sure to bury every single one that passes. Not a single body will be left withering away in the rot of the outskirts.
They were soldiers just as much as they were beasts.
"Is my plan clear?" I asked Kate, evoking a nod out of her, "then the war has officially begun,"
Kate took a deep breath, whispering a lull of words before swaying her arms in circular motions - the wind following her every movement. She shut her eyes, power oozing off of her in waves before slamming both of her fists together. The dirt beneath her jumped just as her eyes flew open - amber in colour and shining as bright as the full moon above us - and spoke, "Mille lupum pariter virtute benedicite, et virtute feris insculpite,"
My breath was slammed out of me, forcing my bow and arrow to fall onto the ground. I collapsed, feeling my bones weigh a thousand tonnes more than they were supposed to. I was cold, shivering in fact, but I was also sweating. It felt as though boulders of ice were positioned to the right of me, and to my left, the sun. None of it felt right, but Kate warned me what a spell like this could do.
I was ready to face the consequences.
My beasts screeched at the sight of my fall, ready to lunge, but I held my quivering hand out - ushering them not to.
My heart was beating with the force of a thousand armies marching into battle, almost breaking out of the shell of my ribcage and all I could do was withstand the throbbing of my body. All until it became too much.
So I screamed. I screamed so loud that the great trees shook in their cemented soil. I screamed so loud that my beasts tensed. I screamed so loud that the moon was forced to move on it's axes.
And then suddenly, the pain dissipated.
Suddenly, my body felt light.
Suddenly, my bones and muscles glided against one another as though they were algae dancing in their home of water.
Suddenly, I felt strength. In my body, my mind, my heart and soul.
I let out a deep breath, my fingers digging into the soil beneath me as I attempted to regain my composure.
My wolf tried to be let out, but I reigned her in, telling her it was not her time.
Everything around me was multiplied in clarity. My smelling, my hearing, my instincts. It felt as though I was one with nature. It felt as though the leaves on the trees surrounding me moved to my own accord.
Kate was silent as she watched me stand with my bow and arrow in hand, her eyes fearful before I connected my own with hers.
"How do you feel?"
I swallowed, eyeing my beasts one last time before facing her.
"Like I'm ready for war,"
She let out a breath she had been holding for a while, "Oh thank the goddess. Run along now. I will portal the beasts into the centre of the forest. The witches will meet us once the queens beasts have been obliterated. There, they will hold her fortress captive with their magic - as with mine, and remember, Leila. Please, please remember to look out for Fai. You will never know if you are truly alive unless you see her, or any other bird for goddess' sake. Birds are the only creatures a witch cannot recreate,"
I replied with a nod, taking one last deep breath before sprinting as though my life counted on it. As I reached the end of the mountain we were on, I shut my eyes and called to my wolf.
She answered immediately, forcing the hairs on my arms to rise and the bones in my body to glide with her command. The process was painless, and I relished in it's peace - for it may have been my last time ever facing it.
Just as my shift completed, I jumped - flying with the wind for a while before landing on the ground on all fours.
My blood bond with Kate would ensure that, no matter how far away I was from her, I would continue to face the benefits of her magic. And I was eternally grateful for it.
A half hour passed before I reached the horizon of the queens border, forcing me to halt in my steps. A circular line of salt stood in front of me. If I was right, it covered over 20 acres of land.
I heard my beasts growls all the way from her borders. I heard their screams echo through the vast forests of the outskirts - I just didn't know if that was the sound of victory or the sound of loss.
My heart accelerated in it's beats.
If I were to break that line, the queen would know that I've arrived. There was a reason the beasts were portal-led into the heart of the queens cocoon - had they passed through my journey the would have face 10 times the casualties we were already facing.
My mask was strapped to my boots. My swords were hidden everywhere beneath my armour. My bow and arrow laid tied to my back.
I was ready, and it was now, or never.
So I blew onto the salt line, consulting the queen of monsters that I was here.
Without a second thought, I ran with the force of a thousand wolves and growled like a dragon.
The bodies of my beasts began nearing my vision as I watched them ravage the queen's army, their 6 headed bodies biting the arms of their enemies - but there was a problem.
Her army had multiplied. There seemed to have been over a thousands of hers, while there was only 600 of mine.
Do you see why I wanted to attack now? I linked to Kate.
I see. Fear not. The witches and I will help as much as we can. We cannot afford a death. 1 death is 1 man down for your guard spell, She replied.
My heart squeezed painfully as I lengthened the distance of my lunges.
I was officially in the battle field, navigating through several beasts dead bodies and dodging the beasts who's attention even dared to divert to me.
Kate told me that the queen lived in the trees, the tallest tree of the outskirts, in fact. So when I neared a tree so tall it's leaves blurred through the skies, I knew I had found her.
And then came another problem.
How in the world was I going to climb this tree?
That problem soon dissipated when I heard a growl echo from right behind me.
The hairs on my wolfs body rose.
Fuck.
I turned around, only to find a 10 foot tall beast with its 7 fingered fist lunging at me. Instantaneously, I jumped out it's way, forcing it's fist to collide with the ground. Not giving it time to recover, I sunk my fangs into its leg, pulling at it with so much vigour I managed to make it slip on it's back.
I forced myself to shift back into my human form, my armour accommodating my human body immediately, and slid my sword from my boot.
"Die you son of a bitch," I growled, sinking my sword into its head and sliding it down his body, cutting his unruly form in half.
Kate, I need to get to the top of that tree, I linked.
There's too many beasts, Leila, She replied.
Where are you? I asked, unable to see her through the sea of beasts circulating the entire tree.
Just as I asked, another beast was sprinting towards me.
I snarled, sprinting just as fast as it was with my sword angled to it's head.
Before my sword could make it's way into it's brain, another beast slammed into it, clawing at it's head before fisting it's chest. The beast that wanted to attack me seized before falling still, it's head disconnected from it's body and it's chest open - oozing indigo blood.
Just as I was about to thank my beast, a maroon hand slammed through it's chest, forcing my beast to collapse on both legs - un-breathing and unmoving.
I stilled, rage boiling in my blood as my eyes took in the maroon beast that just killed my soldier.
Now's not the time to get emotional, Leila, I told myself, kill that mother fucker.
I growled with the force of a thousand groundbreaking earthquakes before lunging onto my red faced enemy - sword in my hand and hope in my heart.
Before my enemies fist could land on me, I kneeled out of the way and jumped onto it's back.
"Oh Goddess, make this all my enemies fate's," I prayed before slicing that maroon mother fuckers head off.
I rolled onto the ground afterwards, grabbing my bow and arrow in the process, and aimed at it's heart. Just as my poison laced arrow pierced the enemies heart, the ground beneath me shook - forcing me to stumble out of balance.
A beat passed and the rumbling of the dirt turned stronger.
It couldn't be?
Did the queen's reinforcements sent from the west arrive? Was the queen already in my head?
Fai flying above my battlefield disproved that theory.
My army was not prepared for such a war. I had lost over half of my beasts, and my witches were hidden somewhere in the forests trying to keep my mind intact.
With every thought that passed through my had, the shaking worsened - it got so bad that even the beasts of my enemy cowered.
I refused to cower.
Whatever it was, no matter how tall or great it was, I wasn't going to hide from it. I was going to face it like the warrior mother raised me to be.
I was going to flash it with the green eyes mother had blessed me with and strike it with my swords even if it meant I died.
They're here, Leila! All of them! Kate linked.
So I stood my ground.
I stood as my enemies cowered with my sword in one hand and my bow on my back.
The strings of my heart pulled painfully as the sound of their stomps loudened, but I refused to show them my fear.
Whoever they were, they were chanting.
It wasn't until they neared that I heard their battle songs.
"Leila Haddad, we follow your command!"
My lips parted as the unknown army passed through the fog of the outskirts.
Hundreds, if not thousands of soldiers of all colours striding into the battlefield riding beasts of all kinds from all sides of the queens circular cocoon - all holding up flags of their kingdoms.
I spun to my left, the east.
I spun to my right, the south.
I looked right in front of me, the north.
My heart bloomed.
So I howled, eyes facing the shining moon.
They all howled right back.
Just as I was about to run to the tree, I smelt him.
I smelt Luca.
My heart shattered.
He couldn't be here. He could not be here. I was not going to be responsible for his death.
A screech echoed from above me, forcing me to look up, only to find a broad shoulder man flying high above me on a 4 winged beast - arrows and ammo strapped to his back.
The beast flew down at unimaginable speed, revealing it's rider.
"Luca," I let out, heart bursting out of my chest.
"Get on my beast. We have to get to the tree," He ordered.
And so I followed.
I straddled his beast and wrapped my arms around his waist, his warmth radiating onto me and filling my blood with vigour like never before. I tightened my grip on his waist, laying a chaste kiss on his shoulder.
"Whatever you do, Leila, don't die," He begged, "Am I understood?"
I nodded, "I will try my best not to, hobbi,"
I felt his heart squeeze through our bond.
Luca tapped his beasts neck, "Rise!"
And the beast did just that.
The beast jumped upward, catching the wind with it's wings and bringing us to the skies.
I did not know how Luca was able to catch such a beast, and I did not want to know. I was just glad I could hold him one last time.
"Luca, please command your beast to catch you no matter what," I asked, my lips grazing his ears.
"He is already commanded to do so,"
"Good," I replied, "Very good,"
The battlefield beneath us only got louder as we rose, but with my arms wrapped around Luca, the battlefield felt like home.
I looked down, watching as fires erupted and as guns were shot.
Pride filled my being.
We were going to win the war.
We had to.
"There," Luca pointed to a window that was craved into the tree, "That's our entrance,"
Our.
He said our.
"Then let's get to it," I said, a smirk making it's way to my lips, "Let's kill the bitch,"
"Let's kill the bitch," He repeated, a snarky chuckle escaping his throat.
Luca's beast rested on the branch right next to the window.
We wasted no time and stretched our way into the window. The window was just as tall as Luca, as though it were a trap made just for him to enter.
All their laid was a circular staircase that would lead me higher into the tree.
My chest hollowed as I prepared myself for what I was about to do.
I faced Luca who stood at the entrance of the window, in all his glory. I appreciated him for everything he head done. I made sure he felt it all through our bond. He furrowed his brows at the way I was looking at him, at the feelings I was making him feel using our bond.
"Luca," I began, eyes welling up with unimaginable tears, "I love you. I love you so much that the only reason I am breathing is you. I love you so much I would die for you,"
I sounded insane, but Luca made me insane.
He would be the rise of me, just as much as he would be the fall of me.
"Leila- So do I. But you're not dying for me. You will never die for-" I interrupted him by slamming my lips onto his one last time.
He met me with just as much strength, his hand fisting my hair and pulling me inexplicable closer to him.
Everything about him felt right. His hands, his skin, his eyes and soul.
He was my match made from moonshine.
He was my soulmate now until forever.
I was the first to pull away.
For fucks sake, I was always the first to pull away.
"Leila, what's wrong?" He asked, hands cupping my cheeks - forcing his heat into my body, "Talk to me, we don't have time,"
"I'm sorry Luca, but I'm not having you risk you life for me," I croaked, "Not now, not ever,"
"Well I am. Now and forever,"
I let out a shaky breath, laying a kiss on his thumb before removing his hands from me.
"What- What's going on-"
"I'm so sorry, Luca," I sobbed, all before pushing him out of the window and watching as his beast flew back down for him.
Kate, close the window I'm looking at. Close it so that nobody other than me can enter it and leave it, I linked.
On it, she replied.
The real war has begun.
_____________________________
IUSAJOJDAHSUZ89ISOJKNQAHS
THIS WAS SO FUCKING FUN TO WRITE?
What do you guys think of Leila pushing Luca out of the window??? This girl REFUSES help from ANYONE. What is WRONG with her?? Ugh, anyways, stand Luca forever <3
Don't forget to vote and comment!!