Free

Sky

Lilith rises quickly to her feet, her face twisted with furious spite, but against my will I feel my eyes slide away from her, lingering on the white portal that sparkles in the air. I can't help it; wherever I look, my gaze is drawn back to it. I can't even try to express how much it means to me that I can see it, the beauty of that curling staircase that spirals into the light far above. I've done so many terrible things with my power, hurt so many people... I was beginning to wonder if there was any light left inside me at all. If I truly was a villain.

But drifting above me is my second chance. It feels like a promise; a promise that I'm still a good person, that I'm still me underneath it all. Underneath all the darkness, there is still light. And to me, that means the universe.

"You really hope to fight me?" Lilith laughs coldly. Her dark hair is wild and tangled, her red eyes wide with rage; she looks completely deranged. "There is no hope. Not for you, anyway."

She raises a threatening hand over her shoulder, preparing to launch magic at us. We struggle to our feet, backing away. Iris is standing in front of us, and Cressida tries to pull her behind her, but she doesn't budge. I raise my hands in front of me, trying to summon a last shred of magic the way Iris did, but nothing happens. Lilith notices, and smiles chillingly at me.

"You intrigue me, Sky," she says. Her hand starts to glow softly. "This magic... Yours, is it not? It really is extraordinarily powerful for a fairy." She looks thoughtfully at me. "Tell me, where did a fairy like you learn the laws of necromancy?"

I swallow. I need to keep her talking while we think of a plan.

"I tried it," I say softly. "It's something I've been trying to master for years. I've studied every book on it I could. I could never manage it, though... My powers were too far beyond my control. It would've been extremely dangerous to try. I could have thrown the entire system of Life and Death out of balance." I bite my lip. "In our world... The realm where we came from... Magic is unstable. I needed to get to a realm where it was safer... Where the magic was more secure."

A spark of interest ignites in Lilith's eyes. "That's why you came here."

Iris is staring at me. I meet her eyes, then look away. I had buried that truth deep inside me, so deep that her mind-reading abilities couldn't reach it. So deep that not even she had known.

"Lila..." she whispers.

"A life for a life..." Cressida looks at me sharply. "If you were going to... Bring her back... Who was going to take her place?"

I look at them with tear-filled eyes, and Iris gives a little gasp.

"Gods..." breathes Cressida.She's staring at me with her eyes wide, her lips slightly parted. "That- That's why you were so upset when you lost your magic? Oh, Gods. I- I thought you were just being selfish!"

I give a choking laugh. "I can be selfish sometimes," I say to her. "For the longest time, I had nobody but myself to care about."

"I'm sorry, Sky," Iris says softly.

"Well, don't worry," Lilith starts to walk towards us, and we back away once more. "Whoever you planned to resurrect, you'll be with them soon enough..."

She lifts her hand towards us, but suddenly a blurred shape launches itself away from the other faces, flying towards her. Lilith screams as it passes right though her, and she crumples once more to the ground, landing barely an inch  away from the dark portal.

The smokey figure turns slowly towards us. I feel a gasp of shock break from my throat. The face is familiar... Sharp and lined, twisted with malicious fury.