Hidden Heirs and Fallen Crowns (Complete)

Chapter 29

Big dedication to @IvoryStars for making me the banner off on the right! Thanks a lot!

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Chapter 28

I watched it come. My heart had stopped beating. In fact, the whole world stopped working. There was nothing left except the sword.  

My eyes closed and raised my chin, exposing my bare neck. If I was going to die I would at least do so in dignity. At the last moment I wondered what had happened to my reflex Talents.  

I heard the sword thud into something. I tensed, waiting for the pain to reach me. Instead a sharp scream did.  

As my eyes slowly adjusted, I saw Jasmine was sobbing, kneeling on the floor. Her hands were clasped to her mouth, shoulders shaking, and she was looking in my direction. My head moved slowly to look at Blade. He had a shocked look frozen on his face. He, too, was staring in my direction. But not at me. At something in front of me.  

Finally, my head looked down. There was something slumped on the floor. A dark shape, not moving. My knees buckled and I fell to the floor. I lay my hands on the dark shape, and realised it was warm. My brain was slow; I couldn't move properly and everything was in slow motion.  

I pushed the dark shape over, sluggishly noting how heavy it was.  

Blood. That was the first thing I noticed.  

My brain suddenly put two and two together. "No," I whispered, staring at Zed's face. His eyes were closed, but he was still breathing. Just. "No, no, no!"  

I looked up at Blade's sword. It was covered in blood.  

The police sirens were getting louder.  

I shook Zed with trembling hands. "Zed!" His eyes opened slowly. "What have you done?" I asked. "You idiot!" 

A small smile appeared on his lips. "It's fine, Suz. I owe you one, remember?" His eyes closed again, and his body slumped.  

Tears suddenly blurred my vision. "Zed!" I shook him hard. "ZED!" I screamed. "ZED! "  

He didn't answer.  

I broke down, sobs racking my chest. I was shaking him, calling his name over and over again.  

The police sirens were too loud.  

Someone was shaking my shoulder. "The police are here, Suzanne." I ignored the voice. Something had just snapped inside me. This was Blade's fault. Everything was Blade's fault.  

I picked out my sword. He caught my eye, surprised.  

"Suzanne, we don't have time," Jasmine said, her voice strained.  

I ignored her again. First off, though, it had to be just me and him. No cheating. I turned towards his men, and blasted all of them against the wall behind them. It surprised me how little time and effort it took me.  

I looked at Blade, and ran towards him, using my speed Talents at the last second. My sword came up and I bashed it with all my strength at his head. He just managed to bring his sword up to block it, but before he could attack back I swerved my sword towards his side. Still regaining his balance from the previous attack he couldn't stop it. I cut into his side. Blade didn't yell out in pain or anything. He just took another sword from the scabbard on his back, and rubbed the two blades together to make a horrible metallic sound. It would have made me cringe any other day, but today I just stared at him.  

He stopped.  

Suddenly, without any kind of notice, he threw one of the sword right at my head. I instinctively dodged, and grabbed the hilt as it sailed past my head. I threw it on the floor and pushed it away with my shoe.