W.I.T.C.H.: The Bloody Throne

Part 31

               For the briefest of moments, time seemed to stand still. It was one of those moments where all sound seemed to end, the sense of smell muted, and the color of the scene appeared oversaturated. The first thing Will noticed, wasn't Cedric holding the handle of the ceremonial sword, the look of horror or surprise on her husband's face, the shout of a woman somewhere in the background, or the sensation of her heart skipping several beats; The first thing she noticed was the crimson pool of blood forming around the blade piercing her husband's chest. Like a flashbulb going off behind her mental eye, Will was back at the gazebo where she found him dying. However, this lay in the past and this was now, they were married, they were at a party, they were going to be parents soon; what had changed?

As though her body was taken over by another woman, without thinking, without planning, and without registering her surroundings or the danger that Cedric posed, Will rushed over to her husband. Before she even managed to get halfway to his side, Cedric pulled the blade from Phobos's chest and turned his fury, along with his sword, gleaming red with his friend's blood, towards Will. Before he could swing his sword down on the woman who didn't seem to notice him, his swing was interrupted by Pagan's cane, which was made of sturdy silver and inlaid with white crystals, giving the cane a sword-like gleam and stopping Cedric's blade like a shield with a sharp clang. Pagan, unlike the rest of his family and guests, was able to react immediately since he was well trained in combat and had fought in several conflicts. The sound of the sword striking the cane rang through the festive hall like a bell signaling the end of peace and tranquility.

With Cedric facing away from him and the sword no longer in his chest, Phobos fell to the ground, unable to hold himself on his own legs; his legs feeling as weak as air. He never felt any pain outside of a slight stinging sensation in his chest. Back when he was attacked at the gazebo, he could feel every cut of the blade and could feel his heartbeat ringing through his chest and pounding in his ears; all that was missing this time. All he could feel was the stinging sensation, the weakness in his limbs, and the warm sensation of blood pouring from his chest. Everything happened so fast, that he wasn't even able to register that he had been stabbed or notice that a fight had broken out; he didn't even notice that he had fallen to the ground and lay bleeding out while his wife was rushing to his side. However, what he had noticed was that the edges of his vision began to blur and grow dark.

After what felt like an eternity, Will reached her husband and automatically pressed her hand against his chest in a vain attempt to stop the bleeding, but the crimson liquid simply poured out between her fingers like they were cracks in a dam.

"No." was all she managed to choke out barely above a whisper, her mind still refusing to accept what had just transpired. Her husband, the love of her life, and father to her unborn child took another breath or two, tried to open his mouth, and then grew cold without another word. Will knelt beside him, her hands still pressed to his chest; still not registering the chaos breaking out around her. She gasped, choked, and tried to speak to him as her world crumbled around her. Everything had been fine a few seconds ago; her husband was alive a few seconds ago, they had made love just the previous night, everything was perfect. She was just about to reach out and touch his face, the lips that had kissed her dozens of times when someone tore her away from her love and forced her to run.

It was Myra. Myra, a little like her father, quickly reanimated herself from her frozen shock and rushed to Will's aid. The servants had begun to draw out hidden weapons from their robes. Isabella was taking their mother and ran, so it was up to her to save the other expecting mother while her father dealt with the main antagonist, Cedric, and her brother-in-law fought the attacking servants. Little Elizabeth was in her mother's arms and Korinthia was somewhere with Elyon, the only one needing saving was Will. With a great burst of energy and speed that could only come at a time like this, fed by pure desperation and adrenaline, Myra moved as fast and as quick as water in a stream, scooped up Will, and rushed to the doors of the great hall. Outside, drunken guards were rushing to gather their weapons; stumbling over each other and their own feet, all the while traitorous servants ran at them with daggers and mowed them down in their path. Dragging her friend more than leading, Myra followed her mother and sister just a few feet behind them. Seras had taken charge and was leading them down one hallway after another, closing and locking the doors behind them as they went. By now, some of the servants had caught on to the women's escape and had started to pursue them.