Mad As A Hatter (Completed 2015) [WATTY AWARD WINNER *Featured Story*]

Chapter thirty-one: THE MESSAGE

I leaped forward and the clang of our swords rang throughout the boat. He swiped downwards and I jumped, being back immediately as his other sword missed my neck. The air was moist and heavy. Lungs dragging to pump air through weightless muscles. White glass against reflecting steel.

A water tornado shot in the sky. My hands burned with the rope tightly clasped around it, feet flying off the ground and landing on the spurting water tower. He wasn't a second behind, blade against blade, one foot after another. Dodge. Strike. My heartbeat matching the clash of swords. Beasts roared as did the water tornado beneath us. Leaping for another bursting tornado, he barely caught on before the water fell back down. The geysers only last a few seconds in the air before they dropped again. Parallel to another, my arm swept up, sliding against his arm. A blade came down and I jumped onto another tornado, a wisp of hair fluttering downwards and losing itself to the sea.

At moments we were in air. Water. Air. Water. Air. On deck. Any creature in our way was swept off the boat—headless. His body was quick, devouring every space with a swipe of a blade, barely giving me room to move. I was a foot behind. There was blood. I didn't feel anything at first. Then red dots flew past my eyes. A sharp sting. I didn't dare touch it. I kicked the water up and he flinched back. Body in the air, heel stepping on his sword, a leap on the shoulders. Both blades took a dig into skin, tear into bone, sliding through skin again then air.

Thump of boots hitting the ground. My boots.

His eyes blue. Black. Grey. Blue. Neck pale like the rest of his skin except for the line across his neck. Black blood slowly leaked like a faucet.

Drip,

drip,

drip. A drop on his shoes. The deck. The deck again. His head followed the trail of blood, sliding off his neck and falling, falling, falling—thud. Foul blood spilled over his shoes, right beside his head.

He had one foot in front of the other before he hit the floor, the crack of glass following after. I stepped over the broken pocket watch. No ticking. A whisper brushed my ear, "It's too late."

There was a clang of swords, and I turned, finding the demons on their knees. Any water bursting in the air suddenly dropped. The beat of wings faltered. The flags stopped violently whipping.

Is it over? Isaac's thought asked.

The moans of sliced meat and the shackles clamping over whimpering demons were left. For now, I answered through our connection. This was only the first wave. Lord Death will send another soon—tomorrow or even tonight.

Our numbers are not too bad, he sent from a few boats away.

I picked up Romane's head and handed it to one of my soldiers. "Put this in the fridge."

Put what? Isaac thoughts asked.

Oh, just McNuggets, I answered.

So they won't get soggy? Isaac asked.

Sure, Isaac. Sure, I answered.

+++

Pins and ink marks covered the map that rested on the ten feet wide desk. I sat in front of it all, finishing up the planning with Isaac, Levi and Cameron.

The ground rocked sideways, the hanging lamps swinging around our heads. The flight creatures had returned to their cages. Beasts were sound asleep and the floor boards creaked from the midnight snackers who couldn't help but nibble on everything to keep the anxiety away. I wouldn't blame anyone if no one got a wink of sleep. Lord Death could attack at any time. Guards were on watch outside, close to the bells and horns.

Earlier that day the men were gathering buckets and rags to scrub the blood off the decks. I had picked up one bucket and shoved it to a passing solider. "We will not clean our boats. Leaving it will show our enemy that we can live on, even with the blood on our hands." No one questioned it. I was their leader.

I snapped my fingers. "Pen!" My men scurried around the deck, a pen reaching my hand seconds later. I rolled my sleeves up, cleared my throat, cracked my neck from one side to the other, and put the ink on paper. With great elegance, I made a thought-provoking note to my fellow friend, Lord Death. People kept questioning what I was doing but I kept silent. This message was for Lord Death only.

My pen finally lifting off, I took the polished paper in my hands and folded it neatly into a tiny square.

"Head!" I called. The men ran around again, searching for it until Romane's head was in my hands. I held him from the blond hair, blood dripping from his neck and all over my shoes. Annoyed, I plonked the head on the desk, cracked open his jaw with my two hands and shoved the paper message into his mouth.

Satisfied, a smirk was left on my lips as I grabbed Romane's head, and carried him by the hair as we went back upstairs. The prisoner chains were loud, the demons still trying to resist against the tightening metal. All lined in a row, I walked past the spitting, shrieking and crying creatures and stopped at the very end. There sat a hunched demon, its wings covering its body to stay warm. Its head hung down, and for a second I thought it was dead.

"Hello," I spoke in their language. Their eyes flew open and I bent down, lowering to their two feet height. "I need you to do me a favour, little one."

+++

Lord Death received mail.

He had never received mail before so this was the first.

Realizing it had been from Alice, he assumed it to be a surrender note and read it aloud,

"Suck my dick."

He smacked the paper with the back of his hand and roared in confusion, "What is this?!"

The demon lowered his head. "It seems to be a drawing of a penis sir."

"And why is she telling me to suck it?"

"I think it's a human way to threaten someone."

+++

Another update tomorrow :) Trust me, the action gets MUCH better and there is more gore in the next few chapters :) I give it my all in the following chapters so prepare yourself. 

This action and gore is NOTHING compared to what I have ready for you guys :) 

Two updates in a day because I took so long--yikes. 

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