Emilia Vos & The Swipers' Tale

Part 13: Rings and Handprints

Emilia took a shuttering breath while trying to snap her fingers. Her body refused to listen to her brain. I'm going to die here. Emilia willed herself not to cry at the thought.

Bres's feet stopped beside her. Emilia's body rose into a standing position with her hand held out. Horrified hazel eyes met gold as Bres held his hand out for the red ring to fly into it.

"For destiny," Bres whispered, slipping the ring onto her right ring finger.

Pain shot up Emilia's right arm causing a scream to leap from her chest. She pressed her eyes closed. Her body wanted to collapse to the floor, but Bres continued to hold it into the air. Emilia opened her eyes to see him smirking at her in a perturbing expression.

"Breathe," Troy whispered into her ear. "Please, breathe and focus on the power. Don't let it overwhelm you."

Emilia gasped for a breath. She could feel her power slowly seeping as the ring glowed brighter. Somehow, Emilia found a way to inhale deeply through her nose. She let the air ease from her mouth, and then she felt it, the power she could take from the ring.

Bres did not appear to notice her revelation as he looked at something behind her. "They are coming."

Emilia inhaled through her nose again and tugged on the power source. The pain ceased, and a lightness filled her heart. She then concentrated on her right hand and felt it begin to warm. Emilia glanced down to see a small energy ball forming. Air rushed through her nose and into her lungs again.

Emilia made a small motion, throwing the ball directly into Bres's mid-section. Golden-eyes widened.

"You just killed the savior.  There is no stopping them now," Bres whispered.  "No more love for humans."

A shuttering breath exhaled from Emilia's mouth as Bres's eyes dulled to black, and his body slowly turned to dust. Emilia turned to see four monsters walking to the arbor.  They ranged from small and cute to large and scary. She ripped the ring from her hand and ran for her sword.

The moment the hilt became secure in her grasp, she ran for the door.  Troy's voice halted her steps.

"Close the portal," Troy yelled at her.

Emilia looked back to see the monsters walking through the arbor and ten or more monsters now walking behind them.

"How?" Emilia panted. "There are more coming through!"

"Destroy the ring! And, control your damn breathing!"

Emilia clutched the ring in her hand for a moment before taking another deep breath through her nose. She placed the ring on the ground.  Emilia adjusted her hold on the hilt, then slammed the blade of her sword on the red stone. Power pushed her into the hallway as the room illuminated in a warm glow for a few seconds causing Emilia to cover her eyes. She dropped her arm while trying to control her breath.

Emilia stumbled to her feet and walked to the doorway. A small fire burned on the tabletop in the empty room. Her eyes scanned the damage of broken furniture and small fires until they fell on a passage she hadn't seen before on the back wall. A bloody paw print dripped on the wall beside the now open passage. Emilia breathed in through her nose and snapped her fingers, the door to the passage snap shut.

She placed her sword on her belt and turned to walk out of the room. "Hey, Troy."

"You good?" He asked.

"Yeah," Emilia sighed. "Somehow survived that."

Troy scoffed. "Of course, you survived that. You're a badass!"