The Lone Knight (Under The Cowl Book #1)

CHAPTER 31

     Alec pointed to the sky, drawing Stephanie's attention towards the woman flying above everyone else with the Mask of Ruin over her face. But at the same time Bruce still wore the mask of Ruin too, different than it was before it sat lifeless on his face. The mask looked as though it's lost all its power.

Bruce had become a man defenseless against the relentless slashing of a single sword. The swordsman move so eloquently, his weapon, the perfect dance partner of death, ripped the Mask of Ruin from Bruce's face with the upswing so fast the plunge his blade through Bruce's chest went almost unseen.

"NO!" Stephanie shouted as she climbed up off the ground.

The man with the sword in his hand turned to look back at the sound of Stephanie's deafening cry as he ripped his sword from Bruce's chest and revealed himself to Stephanie.

Deathstroke.

Though not the same Deathstroke she remembered from her Earth, this Deathstroke worn the exact same uniform but in the colors of green and black.

He wiped the blood from his blade onto his forearm. Like it was normal for him to take a life and wipe it away as if it was an ordinary stain. A trait of the callous-hearted. Stephanie had heard of Deathstroke, the mercenary for hire. Never have they crossed paths on her Earth, couldn't shake the feeling that she'd seen his like before.

Black Mask.

Stephanie froze. Her inaction short lived at the sound of bladed steal on asphalt.

Stephanie's wits return as she watched Deathstorke charge her with his sword in hand.

They met in the middle of the street without the use of words.

A near match in hand to hand combat, Stephanie worked more in order to avoid the sharp blade aimed to slice her in two.

What she could not dodge she blocked with her spiked gauntlets. Getting the better of Deathstroke she stripped him of his sword and kicked him to the ground. Stephanie wasted no time to spin and flip her way towards Bruce. But not before keeping Deathstroke on his back with a couple more one two punches for good measure.

Stephanie hurried and dropped to Bruce's side.

She jammed her hand over his bloody wound. A useless effort she knew. His wound went through to the other side as blood pooled across his back. Stephanie felt her knees become wet. In the corner of her eye she watched the trail spill down towards the curb and into the nearest sewer drain.

Even with her gloves on she could feel the wet and warmth of his blood seeping through her fingers. Nothing else in the world mattered. "Come on, stay with me Bruce." she cried. "This is nothing, you've been through worst- I know it. You're going to survive this too you hear me."

Bruce's eyes flickered into focus where Stephanie watched him turn to look up at her. The tight squeeze of Bruce's hand around her wrist gave Stephanie hope and fear.

"Save your strength."

"Grace?" Bruce said softly with glossy coated eyes. "Is that you?"

Stephanie felt her heart sink and her tears fall down her cheek. Aware of what was happening, she smiled down at Bruce. "Yeah, it's me, your little girl."

"Oh Grace, you've become so beautiful. I'm sorry. The things I've done. I did it in your name. I felt so alone after you died. I wanted to believe I was doing it for you, but I was doing it for me. I let my pain shame your memory. I killed those who once mattered to me, ran away from and pushed away those who care about me. Can you ever forgive me?"

"What are you talking about? You could never disappoint me. We are family-"

Staring down at Bruce, his gaze fixed and body limp in her arms, Stephanie knew.

He was gone.

"No..., no." she said under her breath, fist tightening and muscles flexing harder than she ever allowed to them to flex, turned around with the intention to avenge Bruce.

But quickly knocked in the cheek by the tail end of Deathstroke's katana and jabbed in the throat by his plunged hand quick to wrap around her throat, Stephanie found herself pinned to the ground with no escape.

"I was informed Bruce Wayne killed Batgirl. So who do we have here under that cowl?"

Gasping for air and fighting the slow wring of fingers wrapped around her neck, Stephanie, with the use of both hands grabbed Deathstroke's forearm for dear life. The push from her heels on the pavement did nothing to relieve the pressure she felt mounting against her esophagus. Stephanie could see the look in Deathstroke's one blue eye savoring this moment. The opportunity that came with taking out a member of the bat-family was rare. An almost impossible task given Batman's reputation and of those he trained.

"I suppose it doesn't really matter since we got what we came here for anyway."

Deathstroke raised his blade up over his head pointed down and aimed for the Stephanie's heart.

He drove his blade down.

But stopped short and inches away from Stephanie's chest, Stephanie found standing behind Deathstroke a woman in all black wearing the Mask of Ruin over her face while carrying the actual Mask of Ruin under her arm.

"Are you foolish or that bloodthirsty?" the woman asked.

Deathstroke tried not to show it, but he could barely move his arm held in the grip of this woman. "What does it matter to you?" he yelled.

The Mask of Ruin over the young woman's face slowly faded away, revealing her short spiky black hair, eyes painted with black eyeliner and black lipstick in contrast with her pale colored skin. Right away Stephanie recognized this young woman.

"Let her go." the young woman demanded.

"Are you going to make me?" Deathstroke challenged.

Not like she couldn't, evident by the advantage of strength between them. This girl could take Deathstroke if she wanted. And he knew it.

"No." the girl released her grip on Deathstroke's wrist. "But they will." she referred to the surrounding armed militia revealed from behind the shadows between the buildings around them and from the opposite ends of the street they are on.

Stephanie could finally breathe the second Deathstoke released his hold from around her neck. For a human he's as superhuman as Tim described to her. No wonder he's referred to as the "Terminator".

Stephanie rolled over to her side to catch her breath. 

She could see from where she laid, Deathstroke and the girl by his side begin to back away from her and stand like those in the military would when greeting their superior officer. Who was it that's got their obedience?

"Hello Stephanie."

Stephanie recognized that voice.

She turned to look up as she climbed up off her side.

"Leslie?"