Brontide

Chapter Twenty-Five

The song I used for this chapter is Into the Black by Chromatics. I seriously recommend listening to it while reading this for the full effect.

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This isn't real...

I fell to the ground on my knees, a bloodcurdling scream emitting from my shaky form –

This can't be happening...

– tears blurred my vision as my lips tried to form the sound of her name –

Oh my god...

"RAE! GET UP, DAMMIT!" I sobbed, my hands gently cradling her head. She was completely still, and I knew – I knew what that green light meant, but in my horrified state, I couldn't bring myself to accept it. My worst nightmare had come true right before my very eyes.

I pulled the upper half of her body into my lap, hugging her to me tightly and burying my face in her brown locks. I never wanted to let go of her, and if it weren't for the truly awful man limping down the hallway so he could kill me I would've stayed there for ages. The castle could've been collapsing on top of me and I wouldn't have wanted to move an inch. But I needed to get her somewhere safe, and fast –

Because I'd be damned if I wasn't going to give Maratross the worst death possible.

Over the rumbling sounds of fighting, I could hear him shuffling down the corridor. I forced myself to get up, tears never stopping as I pulled Rae up with me and carefully closed her eyelids. As quickly as was possible, I took us down the staircase, my breathing ragged and my nose and mouth becoming filled with dust the further we descended. Forcing myself to look away from her peaceful face, I tried to tell myself she was only knocked out to keep somewhat calm. I was frantically searching for Rae's wand as well but didn't see it anywhere.

It wasn't until I neared the bottom of the stairs that I saw Angelina beginning to climb up, Katie and Alicia behind her.

"Cassie, oh my – are you alright? Rae went to find you but – " Angelina stopped mid-sentence upon realizing exactly who I was carrying, her eyes becoming clouded with tears the moment she looked at the sopping mess I was. Katie and Alicia gasped and had their hands over their mouths.

"Help me!" I choked out. "I need to – her – her wand. Where's her wand, Ange?"

She held it up and passed it to me, her and Alicia taking Rae's weight off of my shoulder. I stared at the carved strip of wood, one I'd seen many times before but this was the first time I'd ever held it. It had beautiful flowers engraved along the sides and was slightly shorter and lighter in color than my own wand. It felt wrong to use it with the intent to kill, especially since Rae never used it for that purpose, but...I felt I had little choice, and my emotions were steering me more forcefully than my heart was.

"What happened?" Angelina said quietly as she wiped at her eyes. "Why do you look – Cass, where are you going?"

I started to climb up the stairs again. "The person who did this is still alive – I'm ending this right now, I have to!"

"You can't!" she cried out. I hesitated, turning around to look at her incredulously. "You need to get those injuries looked at, and – and frankly, I don't think it's a good idea to go after them like this, you've just had a great shock and are understandably very upset – "

"I don't care! The only thing I care about is destroying him, I can't even begin to think about anything else!"

"Please," she begged, adjusting her grip on Rae, "please, just let yourself process this before diving headfirst into another duel. What would Rae – "