Hope

Chapter Thirty Seven

For a minute, I forget that I'm in a war zone and that the war basically revolves around me. For a minute, all I see is Nick's pale face and his body sprawled out at my feet. I kneel down, my hands hovering over his abdomen. I want to take the arrow out but I can't. Instead, I rest my ear on his chest.

His heart beats faintly. “Nick,” I whisper. “Nicholas.”

Someone screams. I raise my head slightly to see Marguerite's tear-stained face. I look to the side to see Harry fighting off two people. I rest my head back on his chest, narrowly avoiding the arrow that I'm too afraid to remove.

But I'm not graced with his heartbeat anymore. I snap up, gripping his shoulders. “Nicholas! Nick!” I look around frantically. “Rioleo!” I'm sobbing now. “Rioleo!”

Her voice appears behind me. “Move,” she demands. I scramble away, sobs raking my body. Strong arms wrap around my shoulders and pull me up.

“You have to fight, Kathryn,” Harry whispers in my ear. I close my eyes as Rioleo pulls the arrow from Nick's stomach. I shake my head.

Suddenly, Sophia's high pitch laugh is heard- loud and clear, seizing my crying and waking up something deep below my chest. I gently push Harry away, grabbing my sword from the ground and furiously wiping my tears. My body shakes with angry shivers.

“Witch!” I scream at her, my sword pointed in her direction, shaking slightly. “How could you?! Your own child! Wasn't Jeff enough for you?” This wipes her smile off her face. “You have to take everything from me!” I slash my sword, carelessly- something Nick wouldn't approve of but I don't care.

She jumps out of the way, immediately grabbing a sword and pointing it at me. “I took everything from you? You took everything from me!” she screams. Our swords almost touch.

“I didn't kill Jeff!” I lash out at her again, aiming for her chest. She deflects it with her sword, swinging her wrist so as to disarm me. My sword flies from my grasp. I run to retrieve it but she pulls me by my hair, yanking me off my feet. My head painfully hits the ground. She places her feet on either side of my waist and aims her sword at me. I kick my foot out, hitting her knee and raising mine as she falls. She grunts as my knee digs into her stomach.

I push her off me, springing to my feet but somehow she managed to get back on hers. She raises her sword with lightning speed. I raise my arms to protect my face as I duck down- but I'm not fast enough. Her sword cuts through my arm painfully, slashing my skin open.

I ignore the pain as I tackle her to the ground, grabbing her sword with my injured hand. The weapon is too heavy and the pain too strong, causing me to drop it.

A stinging sensation shoots from my cheek and it takes me a while to realize that she has slapped me. She uses my distraction to try and wriggle out beneath me but I dig my elbow in her throat.

She wraps her arm around my injured wrist and squeezes. My scream is cut short as she throws me off of her with surprising power. I land on my back next to her but she quickly springs to her feet. I try to do the same but she kicks my side, painfully. A gleaming object catches my eye and I reach for it. She notices and springs for it, reaching it before I do.

I rise to my feet, my head throbbing and my legs wobbly. I notice that we're the only ones moving, as if we're the core of the war and everything revolves around us. If I win then my side wins the war, and vice versa. I'm responsible for all of their lives and I owe those who have died for me. Wilhelm's face pops into my brain, followed by Nick's and I wince.

I straighten up, ignoring the pain that seems to have numerous sources, determination distracting me from the pain for a while. We circle each other. I use my peripheral vision to detect any weapon as she points her sword at me. Finally, another gleam appears and I shift my eye to it. My sword lies a few feet away from Sophia, right next to a dead juga's paw.

I bend my knees slightly- readying my legs to sprint.

I count silently in my head. One... two... three. I spring forward, digging my feet in the ground.

Sophia steps back, as if my movement has surprised her but she quickly recovers and swings her arm as I fly past her. Her sword slashes the skin on my thigh but I don't stop as I pounce for the sword.

She waits for me to stand up, a small smirk dancing on her lips. She moves as soon as I stand on my feet, her arm holding the sword extended. I deflect it easily. She tries again but I raise my good leg and catch her solid on her abdomen.

She stumbles backward, the hint of a smirk erased from her features. She springs forward again, but I deflect her blows.

She screams in frustration and a wall of fire slithers towards me. Surprised, I spring sideways, almost losing my balance. A painful sting shoots from my side. I look up to see Sophia's palm faced towards me.

The fire continues to gain momentum and I notice that it's circling me. I try to control it myself, but the attempt sends a searing pain through my head. I hear Sophia's high-pitched cackle.

The wall of fire threatens to obscure my vision and devour me but I catch a glimpse of the small river. Closing my eyes in concentration, the water rises a few feet up. Guiding it in my direction, the water envelopes the fire, soaking me in the process.

When I open my eyes, Sophia's chanting something with her palms raised up. A red wall of smoke rises from her side and... buries itself in her.

Nick's voice pops into my mind. The day he substituted my teacher in History of Prasinis he said, “You think a Juga is the most scariest creature of Prasinis, right? You're wrong- witches are. They have the power to control any Prasinis animal- enter its brain so it does what she wants it to do. They can summon any type of power from anything that is dead but its blood still warm. They can use that power to do anything- strengthen their abilities, use it for a spell... kill. You name it. They can be full, half or quarter witch. They still should be feared.”

I blink in recognition. Oh. I tighten my grip on my sword as an idea springs to mind. I look down to double-check if I still had my Earth sword. A little bubble of hope rises in my chest when I realize I do and I almost giggle.

Sophia looks at me with a smirk, her eyes blazing. Her hands begins to shake as her smirk grows to the point where it's almost a grimace.

Crazy, stupid and dangerous are the words my History of Prasinis teacher used to describe what I'm about to do. I raise my sword up with both hands, my left screaming in pain. I bring it down forcefully with all my power the same time a blood-orange mist is emitted from her open arms. The earth cracks as my sword pierces it.

A boom echoes across the field as Sophia's mist is diverted back to her, knocking her to the ground. I'm knocked to the ground, too by my own power.

Black spots appear at the edges of my vision as I stare at the blue sky. Harry's face suddenly replaces the sky.

“Kathryn? Can you hear me?”

With a huge attempt I ask, “Did I do it?” Did I manage to create a forcefield that would divert all power directed to me back to its owner, potentially killing myself and others with the force that has the power to evaporate human skin?

I catch Harry's confirming nod before I succumb to the darkness.