They were getting away.
Makaela zeroed in on the retreating scent of Sebastian, Ajax, and Siren. The trio of magicians was well ahead of them. Judging by the faintness of their scent trails, she figured they had already made it outside the palace. If she and Amora hurried, they might've been able to catch up with them.
She took another whiff of air. This time, she picked up on Thorian and Emile's distinct aromas. They seemed to already be on the sand with Sirus. Closing her eyes and focusing her hearing, she heard them dueling near the ocean.
Sirus was been in his element down there. While Thorian and Emile were brilliant magicians, they didn't stand much of a chance against a master water elementalist who had access to the power of an entire ocean.
Makaela and Amora rushed through the ruined palace corridors. The destruction was extensive. It reached all the way to the entrance. The doors had been blown off and holes riddled the walls. Magic hummed in the air, tickling her skin. Water dripped from the walls and formed puddles on the cracked ground.
Upon exiting the palace, she inhaled the sweet smell of spilled blood. The bodies of the soldiers they had killed earlier remained on the ground, still and lifeless. They teased and taunted her. She ground her teeth and ignored the corpses.
She had a job to do.
Resisting her urges was no easy feat, though. Now that her Nightling had assumed total control, everything from her instincts to her bloodlust was heightened. She had just enough willpower to stay focused on the mission at hand. Once they killed Sirus and took his gauntlet, she could feed for as long as she wanted.
She and Amora made their way to the back of the castle, which gave way to a cliff overlooking the beach. A shoddy looking staircase had been built into the rugged precipice. Amora shot her an apprehensive glance.
"Does this look safe to you?"
"No."
Without even waiting, she leaped onto the staircase and bounded down the narrow steps with the grace of a dancer. Each plant of her foot was calculated and precise. She heard Amora shuffling down the ledges. The girl cursed after she slipped on a pocket of loose gravel.
Makaela laughed while looking over her shoulder. "Need me to carry you down?" she asked, false genuity hiding behind her words.
"Fuck you," Amora yelled against the raging wind whipping around them.
Makaela's braided hair flapped in the salty air. Her black cloak floated behind her like a cape. As she traversed down the cliff, she scanned the beach below. She spotted Sebastian, Ajax, and Siren running along the sand towards the elder magicians fighting near the water. On the other side of the beach, Olivier, Remy, Imogen, and Siren's family were approaching the ocean.
She averted her gaze towards Emile. He directed a wide array of quick blasts of magic at Sirus. None of them made it past the man's water barrier. Thorian twirled his black scythe overhead, the blade shooting curved bolts of dark energy at his adversary. They, too, never made it past the watery shield.
Makaela narrowed her eyes at the gauntlet on Sirus' arm. Its blue gem lit up every time the man performed a water-based spell.
"We need to help my father fight Sirus," Amora said once she caught up with Makaela.
"What about the others?"
"He's our main priority."
Makaela rolled her eyes but nodded. Without another word, she jumped down from the stone staircase and propelled herself across the sand. Amora followed behind the Nightling, struggling to match her speed.
She halfling sped up, steadily gaining on Ajax, who was tailing behind Sebastian and Siren. He wasn't as fast as his companions, due to his height and weight. It made him the perfect prey; slow and dumb.
He glanced at her and cursed loudly. Turning slightly, he pointed a hand at her and yelled, "Fuliminatis!" A crackling stream of electricity sliced through the air on its way toward her.
Her instincts took over and her mind shut off. Tucking her arms close to her sides, she jumped, flattened her body, and spun away from the attack. Without missing a beat, she stuck the landing and continued chasing Ajax.
"For fuck's sake!" Ajax yelled. He faced his friends ahead of him. "We've got a problem!"
You sure do.
She sprang through the air and landed on the tall ginger's back, sending them both into the cool, damp sand. His elbow dug into her stomach. She yelped, her gut flaring with pain, but kept her arms tightened around his thick neck. Her muscles screamed while she held onto him for dear life.
He swung an arm and caught her in the face. She released her hold and rolled away. Snarling, she watched him get to his feet.
Scowling, Ajax pushed his stringy, orange hair out his face. "Telumis vayrir!" His battle axe materialized in his hand. A faint green aura surrounded the weapon. The silver blade glinted under the moonlight. Makaela could vaguely see her reflection in it.
Amora arrived at Makaela's side with her dagger in her hand.
Nearby, Thorian and Emile had reached an impasse with Sirus. They couldn't break through his defenses and the man couldn't direct any meaningful attacks their way. Sebastian and Siren had also joined the lord of House Aegeon, helping to keep the pair of older dark magicians at bay.
Everyone paused, taking a few moments to size each other up. No one said a word. The wind howled around them. The waves lapped up onto the shore, the noise both soothing and ominous.
"I see you've brought back up," Sirus said dryly. He frowned when he saw Makaela. Despite her wearing a mask, she could tell he had recognized her. "Makaela? What have they done to you?"
"They helped me realize my true power."
Thorian released his scythe and the weapon vanished into the mark on his palm. "Surrender now, Sirus. This is your final warning. Hand over the gauntlet and no one else has to die tonight."
Sirus scoffed. "Do you actually expect me to believe if I give you the artifact, you'll let me live?" He shook his head. "Pierre was right. You have totally lost your mind."
Makaela frowned at the mention of her father's name.
Thorian exhaled agitatedly. "I am trying to—"
"Make the world better for magicians," Sirus finished. "Yeah, I've heard your spiel too many times. You know, I once believed in your plan. I thought you had our people's best intentions in mind. But I was wrong. You don't care about your people. You care about power. Control. You're a tyrant."
"Choose your next words carefully."
Makaela watched the two men cautiously. The wind paused, almost as if it were waiting for Sirus to speak. No one said a word. Everyone's attention was on Sirus and Thorian.
"I've been afraid of you for far too long," Sirus continued. "I turned a blind eye while you murdered an entire house, something I'll regret for the rest of my life. I ignored all the signs during your 'just' rule of the council. But I'm done being afraid. It's high time someone stood up to you."
Thorian lifted his chin. "You will die here tonight."
"Maybe I will," Sirus said, "but I'll be damned if I don't go out without a fight." Before Thorian could retort, the man turned to the sea and held his hand out to the water. He closed his fist and yanked his arm upward.
Bubbles rose to the surface of the water. A loud, rushing noise filled the air as something surged to the top. A massive, wooden mast broke through first, followed by two others. Soon, an entire ship had risen through the water. It bobbed atop the waves, its hull wet and dripping. Its sails waved in the wind. House Aegeon's symbol proudly decorated the white canvas.
He faced his daughter. "Take our family and your friends onto the ship."
"Father, please don't leave us," Siren begged. Sebastian had already started to pull her away towards the water. "Please!"
Even though he was smiling, Makaela could see the sadness in his face.
"Everything will be okay. But I need you to get on that ship."
"No, I can't leave you. I won't leave you!"
Sirus looked past her and at Sebastian. "Please, protect them." Sebastian nodded.
Thorian turned to Makaela and Amora. "Do not let them get away." The girls acknowledge the order. "Last chance, Sirus," he continued.
Sirus said nothing.
Thorian sighed. He held out his hand and directed a red blast at the man. Sirus blocked it with a blue shield charm. The two of them charged at each other.
Emile ran after Sebastian, who had tried to escape with Siren.
Makaela turned her attention back to Ajax, who pointed his axe at both her and Amora.
"I don't want to hurt you, Makaela," he told her.
"Good," she replied. "That'll make it easier for me to kill you."
She and Amora engaged in battle with the warrior magician. He swung his double-headed axe at them both. The two girl's broke formation, with Makaela going to Ajax's left and Amora going to his right.
He faced Amora first and drove the long hilt of his weapon into her chest. Coughing, she tumbled over and fell into the sand. Makaela didn't give him a chance to do the same to her. She dropkicked him and followed up with a swipe of her claws. Her nails tore through his flannel and grazed his skin.
Ajax bellowed in pain and backed away from her, holding his arm.
Makaela smirked. She raised her palm. She could feel the dark vitalae filling her veins. "Massacris!" The bolt of red and black magic shot from her hand and raced towards Ajax.
It would never arrive.
A blue shield charm blocked the killing spell. Siren stood at Ajax's side, her expression taut and tense.
Makaela barred her fangs at the girl. Behind the princess and Ajax, Sebastian was running over to where the other fight was happening. He took on Emile, leaving Thorian and Sirus to duel alone.
Spitting up blood, Amora rose to her feet. Ajax and Siren pressed their backs together and spun around slowly, preparing for an attack on both sides.
Makaela and Amora circled the pair like bloodthirsty sharks.
Siren, surprisingly, struck first. "Cervaris aquos!" Two flailing streams of water rose from the ocean and shot forward. "Glacio!" The water froze and sharpened to a point.
Makaela sidestepped the attack while Amora dove onto her shoulder.
"Repellis!" Amora yelled after popping up onto her knee. The knockback spell collided into Siren's newly conjured shield charm. The shield shattered instantly.
Ajax prepared to step in, but Siren pressed a hand to his arm. He arched an orange eyebrow at her.
"Help my family get onto the ship," she told him.
He frowned. "No way."
"I got this," she told him. "I have the ocean on my side."
Amora sneered. "The water won't save you."
Siren tightened her brow. "We'll see about that." She and Ajax shared one last look. The princess grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Go now."
He nodded reluctantly and took off after Siren's family and others, who had created an icy walkway over the ocean leading to the ship in the water. Siren turned to her two attackers, her expression eerily calm.
"Do you really think you stand a chance against the two of us?" Amora asked.
"No, I don't," Siren admitted. "That's why I'm going to level the playing field." She muttered and spell and swiped her hand. A rush of water rose from the sea and collided into Amora, shooting her across the beach.
The girl laid on the ground. She didn't move.
Makaela growled.
"Do you remember me, Makaela?" Siren asked, her voice soft. "We were friends once. Do you remember that?"
Makaela replied by taking a threatening step forward.
"I refuse to believe that you're not in there," Siren continued. She didn't back away from the demon approaching her.
"She's gone," Makaela snapped. "She was weak, so I killed her."
"That's not true," Siren said. "The girl I knew was strong. She was smart and loyal and compassionate. And I know she's still in there somewhere."
Makaela rolled her eyes. "You're boring me." She sprang forward.
Siren dodged and directed a blast of water at the girl. Makaela braced herself for the impact. The force was comparable to a freighter train. She went skidding across the sand, her wet robes sticking to her skin. Her ears rang and water dripped from her face. Ignoring the sharp ache spreading across her body, she quickly got back to her feet.
But Siren was ready for her.
She summoned four more tendrils of ocean water. They lashed out towards Makaela, wrapping around her arms and legs. They strung her up in the air, holding her in place like a puppet on strings.
She fought and yelled, but the binds held fast. Snarling, she glared at the princess standing in front of her.
"This isn't you, Makaela," Siren told her. "You're not the monster they think you are. You're bigger than it. You control it. Fight it."
Makaela squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head vigorously. "Shut up!" She repeated the same words over and over again. But she could already feel the darkness inside beginning to wane.
Her breath hitched. She didn't want to shift back into the pathetic girl she had once been. When she was a Nightling, she was powerful. She was fearless. Siren was trying to take that power away from her by planting false words in her mind.
The demon inside her wouldn't let her win. It needed to be in control.
"You are the Light," Siren continued. She walked forward, now just inches away from her. "Fight the darkness. It doesn't own you. You own it."
Makaela blinked her eyes open. She turned away from the other girl, desperately trying to block out her words.
Siren whispered a spell. The aquamarine mark in her palm burned brightly. She pressed her hand to Makaela's forehead and muttered another incantation.
No. No. No!
"Stop!" she pleaded. Angry tears fell from her abyss-like eyes. "Stop, please! Stop!"
The shadows in her mind faded until they were nothing more than vague memories. Her body went limp. Hanging her head, she stared dejectedly at the ground. She felt her claws slide back into her fingers and her fangs retract. The demon had been pushed back into its cage, wrapped in chains and subdued into tranquility.
The quietness made her want to rip her ears off. She wanted to scream until her throat went raw. But she couldn't. She had gone numb.
She was back to normal.
Siren released the liquid binds around her. Makaela dropped to her knees. She felt—no, was—hollow. Her power was gone. She was back to being the weak and worthless child she had been before she joined the Order of the Black Lotus.
She was nothing.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she fell to her side in the sand and sobbed quietly.