FORTITUDINE (COMPLETED)

4) Battle of the Minds

I sat there in the middle of the stone table with my legs swinging over the edge. I didn't realize it until I had stopped humming that the forest had grown quiet.

The moon was just setting and you could see the slightest sign of sunshine.

I was very tired now. I hadn't gotten any sleep last night for I was just at the edge of the woods with my yarn running from tree branch to tree branch, forming a nearly invisible wall of wool. It wouldn't keep anything bigger than a wolf out but with pieces of stone and ice laying in the branches waiting to be knocked over as soon as something or someone hits the yarn, I had a nearly perfect alarm system.

The only problem was the lake. If Thanatos decided to go by water there  would be no chance of my survival. So I sat with my back to the forest and my face to the lake waiting.

Waiting to either be killed by my very own brother, somehow kill Thanatos before he kills me, or...is that even allowed?

I tried to think of something else so Thanatos didn't understand what I might do.

Thanatos was excited, I could feel it. He was actually happy! My face felt cold and my eyes were dry.

"He must be in the mountains." I said to myself. "Think again!" A voice shouted from behind me.

Of course he came by sky. That was the only thing I hadn't thought of.

I jumped and whispered "Make the world not see, the structure that it has before thee, make it clear as glass, and with the power it has, will come and go as a thing of the past."

As I became invisible only then did I look up at Thanatos. It wasn't Thanatos! It couldn't be, for what I saw was a dragon!

Thanatos landed on the ground with a thud. "I'll give you credit sister. I did not see that coming." He let out a quick, cold laugh.

"But you made one mistake...I can still hear you!"

He turned around and sent a flare of fire right at me. I yelped and moved out of the way.

Obviously my plan of staying hidden wasn't working. My arm was badly burnt and I had lost my cloak due to Thanatos setting it aflame.

I was panting hard and tears fell down my cheeks due to pain and the cold hard reality that my brother truly cared nothing about me.

I took a deep breath and in the midst of trying to run away from Thanatos I chanted silently "I yearn to be free yet not alone, so bind our bodies bone by bone, let this last until we both pass."

Thanatos let out a yelp as I finished the chant. "Alexa, what did you do?"

I turned around to look at him and let out a small sigh of relief. He was back to his normal figure of straight dark brown hair, blue-green eyes, and a tall, slim build.

I said my invisibility chant so he could see me again. My eyes were so welled up with tears that I didn't see him lift something from his belt and before I could say a word I felt a sharp pain in my gut.

I grabbed something cold and hard then held my hands to my face. My fingertips were stained with blood.

Thanatos let out a cry of pain and I jerked my head up to see him fall to his knees, blood gushing from his abdomen.

"W-what did you d-do?" He whispered barely audible.

I pulled the knife from my gut and dropped it to the ground.

"If I'm going to die in this battle, it will be to save my clan from you." And with that I fell to the ground staring at my brother's cold face with the bright orange sun reflecting off his pupils.

I'm going to be updating quickly so you can read enough of the book to decide if you like it or not. Although it would be preferred that you like it. 😅

Anywhooo...I hope this chapter was at least a little better than the rest.

Au revoir mes amis!