Purpose Kills

Chapter Seventeen

  Desarae was woken by a scream that shattered her dreams. She bolted upright, and Oliver did the same beside her. He was drenched in sweat- but she didn't ask. She didn't have time to look after his well-being at the time, and frankly didn't care. She crawled over Oliver and her feet landed on the cold floor. She grabbed her swords from the bedpost as she ran past it, hastily throwing them onto her back. Her short night clothes really weren't the best thing to fight in, but she didn't have time to change. Oliver was right behind her as she threw open the door. 

  The people outside were in a panic. There were women holding their children and cowering from seemingly nothing. But then Desarae understood. The Shades had come, and they'd most likely come for her. A body or two was strewn here or there, but no major damage had been done yet. They must've wanted to keep it quiet- until whoever had screamed. Now it was slowly turning into a massacre. The bright hot coal eyes burned in the wraith-like forms that were the Shades. They stabbed and twisted between the people, bobbing in their shadowy forms. Rage kindled inside Des, they had no purpose here. She didn't understand what they were doing here, their reasoning behind any of this.

  She loosed a snarl as she unsheathed her swords- but remembered something. The Shades didn't like iron, but the old man had said nothing of steel. Her swords would be utterly useless, stabbing them would have no effect. Maybe it would send them back to their realm, but she had no way of knowing whether that would work or not. She hissed through her teeth, then sheathed her swords again. She looked around, then glanced into the small cottage she had been sleeping in. She darted inside, and her eyes lit up as she saw an iron poker leaning against a wall. She snatched it up, then grabbed the other one which was hiding in the shadows. 

  Des ran outside and threw one of the pokers to Oliver, who caught it in the air and threw himself at the nearest Shade. His demeanor changed in an instance, like a feline attacking. He drove the poker through the Shade, and it flinched, the fog of shadow recoiling. He continued to fight it, and she dragged her attention away. A Shade was dancing towards a young girl, bobbing and weaving. She was clutching a doll in her hands, the scene was rather comical. Yet, it didn't feel that way to Des. Her stormy eyes seared as she ran at it, a yell tearing from her throat as she leaped into the air, sailing over its wispy head. It looked up, trying to grab at her, but she tucked in her legs a bit. She slammed into the ground, whipping around to face the Shade. It hissed softly, glaring at her with bloody eyes. She snarled back, then locked into a deadly dance with it. She kept it away from the girl, twisting away from its icy grasp. Anytime it touched her, she felt so cold that it burned like fire. 

  It made another grab for her, so she ducked and slammed the poker into the area that would've been its stomach. It shrieked, then faded into the wind. She glanced around, then grabbed the girl by the arm. Desarae tugged the whimpering child into the horse stalls, where Bijesan stood at the ready. No Shades had bothered to come here just yet. She patted his nose and pushed the cowering girl behind him. "Good boy, stay," she whispered to Bijesan, before running out again. Fire sparked atop one of the roofs, and she swore viciously. She ran back into the fight, more bodies were on the ground, and the number of Shades seemed to have multiplied. She shook her head, but seven Shades were already circling her. Oliver was fighting off two, bobbing and weaving as he tried to protect one of the families in their home. The fire was beginning to ravage the home that it had found a safe place to kindle, burning bright and dancing in the sky victoriously. 

  Des stared at the flame, her eyes brightening a bit as the Shades slowly converged on her. She brandished the poker, and a Shade twisted towards her. She shifted a bit, thrusting the poker into its stomach. It hardly flinched, and she swore to herself. Something frigid laced up her spine, and she gasped in surprise. Her back arched in surprise and chill. She glanced down at her arm, a Shade had its shadowy hand wrapped around it, slowly making her colder. She froze, her mind going numb with the rest of her body. Rage boiled up inside of her, and she yelled in anger, whipping her arm away. She twisted and twirled, taking in the movements she noticed Oliver and the others of the Jade Guild used. She slammed the poker through the Shades, and eventually, after a lot of cutting and slashing and avoiding their grip, the last of them disappeared. She breathed out a small sigh, then looked up to see Oliver batting away four shades, one on each side of him. 

  Desarae's eyes narrowed as she charged at one, slamming the poker through it. It gave a little resistance, but sank into the Shade. It disappeared, leaving Oliver's back free of Shades. She then moved to the one on the right as Oliver killed the one on his left. His movements were a graceful dance of death, his careful demeanor almost shocking her. He seemed much more reckless than this. They both attacked the Shade in front of him, which had backed up when it saw that they were making quick work of the others around Oliver. Des grinned wolfishly at it, and they slammed their pokers through it at the same time. It gave a dying shriek, then faded on the wind, leaving a small trail. Des nodded at Oliver, who nodded back his thanks.

  She moved away, darting behind a house where she had seen a Shade's shadow trail move between the houses and back behind one. She ran after it, her feet softly pounding on the dirt as she skidded around the edge of the house. 

  Twenty Shades, staring at her. She almost choked at the sight, brandishing her poker and quickly backing up a step. They advanced swiftly and gripped her arms, she struggled and yelled, more rage boiling up inside of her than ever before. She was not going to die, she couldn't, right? Not just yet.

Sorry for not updating sooner. My b.

-Nerd.