Wings of Fire: Rise of the RainWing Queen

CHAPTER 3 - Deathbringer

Glory finally sat up, wiping away sick from her face, disgusted with herself. She sees Deathbringer again, and she vomits everywhere instead of kicking the crap out of him? What was wrong with her?!

She turned around, and glares at him furiously, choking on the taste in her mouth. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword, but Deathbringer grabbed it before she could make a move, holding her in place, and quickly covered her mouth before she could scream. He crouched down beside her, and she glared at him hatefully, too weak and shocked to fight back.

"Glory. Hang on a minute. Let me explain," he told her gently. "Look. Please listen to me. I'm sorry for everything. I want to take everything back, all the times I lied to you, everything. I want to fix it - "

Glory bit his hand, shaking him off and swiping at his face with her nails. He gently pushed her back into place and covered her mouth again, but not before she shrieked, "What about how you killed her?!"

Deathbringer's face contorted with pain. "No. Glory, no - "

Fresh fury surged into her like a storm and she shoved him off, unsheathing her sword and pointing it at him, screaming all sorts of curses. "Shut up! Shut up!" she spat, lunging with her sword. "Shut the fricking hell up!"

He backed off. "Glory. Stop. Listen. I didn't - "

"Didn't what?" she snarled. "Didn't mean you meant to murder her? Didn't mean to break me and leave me to lead this stupid tribe alone? Didn't mean to ruin everything? Didn't mean to assassinate everyone? Didn't mean to lie? Didn't mean to keep secrets? Didn't mean that you weren't sorry you killed Grandeur?"

Glory threw herself at him, fighting and swiping with her sword and he dodged each strike. She threw her spear at him wildly, but he ducked, and it embedded itself into a nearby tree, and move Glory immediately regretted. No more venom.

She leapt and brought her sword down on his face, but was met with a hiss of metal and a sharp clanging of steel vs. steel.

Deathbringer had unsheathed his sword.

"Glory. Listen to me," he gasped out. Glory slashed again, ignoring him. She was going to kill him. She was. She was.

He backed away, but not one of his blows hit her. She flinched in pain at the cut that sliced open a small part of her arm. It wasn't deep, but it sure did hurt. She bit her lip, slashing harder. She caught his horrified expression at the blood, but that only made her fight with even more anger.

He hadn't looked that horrified when Grandeur had died. And what did that mean? Him injuring Glory in the slightest horrified him more than killing her grandmother?

She hated him.

Deathbringer blocked her next blow, and her next. His expression was pleading. "I didn't - "

He flicked his sword away as she briefly overpowered him, and it slid and shot down, stabbing her stomach.

Glory gasped. It wasn't deep. Barely at all. But it hurt. Oh three moons, it hurt. She dropped to the ground, holding her stomach. She let out a small moan. It hurts. It hurts. No! He had to stay away! Stay AWAY!

Deathbringer had fallen to his knees beside her and was panicking, pressing his hands against the wound. Was he seriously crying? Or was she just hallucinating? Everything was blurry. Glory sensed him take off his jacket and wrap it around the wound, staining it dark red.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered. "Glory, I'm so sorry."

"Back off," she snarled. "Or I'll kill you."

"I can't do that! You need help!" Deathbringer reached for her - to do what, she didn't know - but Glory fought back, green eyes blazing as she struck out with her nails and hands.