The Claim

Chapter Fifteen - The Final Battle

Merek grunted as he pulled on his chains, they were too tight, but he realised something, something so small, he would normally have overlooked it. The straw, dried out or dead, it was technically a plant. He aimed his bound hands at it, hoping it was just enough, Mirabelle looked at him like he had two heads, but he kept trying. He breathed a sigh of relief as it turned to green, bits at first, then whole shoots. He smiled as they began to pick the locks on the chains, letting them fall to the ground before working on Mirabelle's. She threw a smile his way as they worked on the locks, springing their prison open. 

He grabbed her, pointing out two guards ahead. She sighed and walked towards them, banging their heads together. "Sorted", she snapped. "Nice work with the straw."

"We need to get to the palace, before they realise we are missing."

"Tell me something I do not know, Merek."

He walked towards the exit, sneaking up the stairs with her tailing him, in case of any problems. He broke the lock, the spell ricocheted, unlocking every prison cell, releasing everyone suddenly. Mirabelle rolled her eyes at him as she dragged the guards, locking them in to give them a taste of their own medicine.

They made their way upstairs slowly, creeping up at first but there were no guards, there was no one waiting for them, just the two young guards, guarding the whole downstairs area. Everything seemed off, strange, nothing made sense, Merek could not work out why they would only have two guards and not more, many more, especially with two enchanters around.

"Careful" Merek whispered as he cast a reveal spell, to see if anyone was hidden from sight. He sighed and muttered, "damn, nothing."

"What did you expect? The guy is not an enchanter, no one would do that to their own people."

Merek shrugged his shoulders to avoid arguing. All of it just seemed too easy and he quickly saw why as a young boy dangled on the second floor, held by the king regent, over the balcony. At that height, he would have died, there was no way he would survive. Merek raised his hand, catching him with his magic as the king regent let go. Merek lowered him as Mirabelle threw a spell at the king regent. She grunted furiously as she missed, making a large scorch mark in the pillar.

"Come and face me!" Mirabelle ordered as a distraction while Merek lowered the boy onto the ground, cloaking him with a spell. "Merek, watch out!", she shouted as an arrow barely missed.

"Can you destroy it?!", he shouted as he cartwheeled out the way. 

"I do not know!" she warned as she deflected one. "I think it is an enchanted bow!"

Merek stepped forward, stripping off his cloak. He stood fiercely, smirking as the door flew open, the archer aimed for the wolf that charged but Merek deflected it quickly, watching as the wolf dealt with the bothersome bow, biting it, snapping it in half, quickly.

"Watch out" Merek whispered hauntingly as he grunted, his hands burning brightly with embers as he looked at the king regent. "If you want to kill him, you have to get through us, there is no escape"

"I was going to blame his death on you both. Two enchanters arrived here to plot to kill their father, only to find him dead and their baby brother set to inherit, with an uncle, warming the seat. Everyone will believe that I tragically tried to save him, yet of course, I could not... because you both are enchanters, that were murdered soon after your assassination attempt."

"Sweet story but no one will buy it when we kill you and the boy talks!". Mirabelle snapped.

The king regent walked down the stairs, his weapon of choice, a large steel blade, sturdy and beautiful, the type Merek knew he had seen before, he just could not remember where... or when. 

He threw a ball of flame at it, but it just bounced right off. Enchanted items, he had prepared, he had prepared himself well, almost as if he knew the attack was going to happen. Merek threw more fire balls, a distraction as Mirabelle tried to sneak behind him. 

"Your spells are useless, boy."

"I know, I just cannot stop!", Merek snapped as he threw a long blast of fire.

"Fool!" the king regent spat as he kicked Merek, forcing him onto his back.

The wolf growled ferociously, jumping, it sunk its teeth into the king regent's leg, causing a nasty bleed. The king regent stumbled but ran the poor thing through.

"NO!", Merek screamed.

 "One down, the next one is your sister" the king regent promised as he aimed. Mirabelle positioned a crippling spell, bringing him to his knees. Merek kicked the blade away from him as he forced a vine to grow around the king regent, gripping onto him, choking him slowly.

It was over, they had won, Mirabelle had won... but at great cost, it cost him his friend, the trembling animal, drawings its last few breaths. He could not heal a wound made from an enchanted sword, no one could. He was going to give his friend a decent burial in the woods, he was going to have a statue to honour him by, whatever he wanted and needed, he would give him.

Mirabelle hugged him, yet he still stared at the near lifeless body of the king regent, his anger as he choked. He moved his hand with a smile, his blade glowed, aiming at Mirabelle's back. Merek did not have time to push her out the way, if he was controlling it, he could kill her in seconds, just by making it chase her. He spun her around as it darted, he grunted painfully as it ran him through, barely touching her. She pulled it out, ramming it through the king regent's back, through his heart as she cradled her brother.

"It... is finished."

"No, come on, you can find a way to heal... you are smart, you have devoured every spell book there is, there must be something!", she cried.

"Promise me... you will take care of the people, that you will care for them... equally, and not hate them for their... phobia."

"No, I do not need to because you will be right there with me, to help me."

"This was my... last fight. I am proud... I got to... fight by... your side", he whispered as he held her hand. He shut his eyes, letting life leave him, his hand fell suddenly, leaving a tearful Mirabelle.

She shook her head, carrying the white wolf to his side. "You are not dying, brother!"

She put her hands on both of them, crying as she transferred the wolf's spirit into his body, allowing him to become enchanted, allowing him to have the power to heal them both, to keep them both alive. Although he would never be a full enchanter again, she did not care, it was better than seeing him die. He woke up, his eyes a deep blue, unnaturally.

He looked at her in disbelief as his wound healed. "What did you do?", he demanded.

"I used the black arts, to save you. I bound you both together, man and wolf."

Merek did not say anything, he just nodded a thank you and held his tongue. Forever a wolf, man and wolf... a different species, one that had never previously been created. Many would come for him, if they knew, many would point the finger at her, as 'its' creator, he had to leave, but he could not just go, he had one more step to make.

He stopped at the apothecary, waiting as she turned around, gasping. He smiled wickedly as he looked at her. "I have a message for you, Cristiana"

"For me, from who?"

"They have given me permission to give you a... different gift", he explained as he grabbed her arm. "You and I, we were the same, blood-relatives, cousins, apparently, you betrayed blood, now it is what you will crave. You will never meet your ancestors, for you will never age, nor die and the sunlight, will never touch you again, a mark of your sin."

"No!", she snapped, pulling her wrist away but it was too late to stop it, she looked up with red eyes filled with hate. "He should have killed you!", she snapped.

"He failed, so will you, if you try." Merek warned.

"You and I are just as damned, neither of us will be able to do what we want, you cannot protect her anymore!", Cristiana snapped.

"I know, but you cannot hurt her."