Clockwork Angel

Chapter Four

Two muscled  figures dressed in black emerged from the rubble. Glowing swords of their own dancing amongst the dusty darkness. Kate was shaking, unbelievability was just one of the many things she was feeling at that moment.

     In a shriek of rage and fury the plump witch shot forward, her fingers dancing with blue sparks aimed directly at Tessa and Will. Will shot up, his blade blocking the sparks that were directed at the two of them.

Still crouching down behind the alter, Kate searched for something - anything - that could help fight off the disturbing sisters that were in pursuit of her and Tessa. She ignored the overwhelming thoughts of guilt that went through her mind at the sight of all the mattered hair and blood, and found a butchers knife. It was caked with dried blood, but it looked sharp and deadly and that was good enough for Kate.

She gripped it tightly, hands shaking with adrenaline and fear. The light of the swords danced in the darkness, connecting with deadly rays of sparks that struck fast and precise.

Kate stood up, aiming to make her way past the ongoing violence and to her sister who was still behind Will. But a plump, short, foul smelling woman stood in her way. "Katherine Gray." She howled, her lips peeling back to reveal scarred gums. "The murderer of the innocent, you're a lot more like us than you know."

Kate gripped her knife tightly, glancing towards the battle before her, but she was on her own. "Get out of the way." Kate warned, barely hiding the tremble in her voice.

      "Or what?" The witch mocked.

      "I'll...I'll —"

     Kate doubled over, dropping the knife beside her. A wave of pain struck her down, coursing its way through her body, beating down every organ inside of her. It was the worse pain she'd ever felt.
     She glanced up at the plump woman, who was now cackling as those damned sparks glistened on her sausage fingers. The same sparks that had just forced the nerves in her body to spasm.
     "Use it." The woman smirked, eyes glistening with what looked to be like sickening pleasure. "Use it against me!"

     "W-What?" Kate stammered, as she bent over, reclaiming her grip on the knife.

     The plump woman raised an eyebrow, the sparks instantly dying as she balled her hands into a fist, a small line of smoke drifting into the air. "You don't even know, do you?"

     "Know what?" Kate asked.

     The woman laughed, the sound so ear piercing, it rattled Kate's bones. This was her chance though, she gripped the knife hard and lunged forward. The blade sung as it sliced through the air, but even the plump witch wasn't fast enough as she tried to turn to block herself from the knife. It may not have been a fatal blow, but a long deep gash was made across her arm. "You're the reason I'm a murderer, but I will never be anything like you."

The short woman's eyes were burning with a rage Kate had never seen. Her arms were engulfed with flames, and she was advancing on Kate, fast. She cocked her arm back rearing for another, more fatal blow, but the plump woman took hold of the blade. Dark, thick blood oozed from her hand as the blade sunk into her skin.

"Fool me once, miss Gray." The flames licked down the knife, and Kate jerked her hand back as the fire travelled down the hilt. She stepped back, searching for another weapon that could be used. But everything within her grasp was useless and flammable. "Whether I burn you to ashes, or melt your bones, the Magister will still happily have you."

The plump woman raised her arms of crackling flames and Kate had backed herself up against the wall. Perhaps this is what she deserved after everything she did, at least she got to see her sister one more time. Even if it was only for a short period.

The short plump witch brought down her arms, and even as Kate raised her own to deflect the blow, she knew she would be burned and then sold to the Magister, whoever they may be.
She closed her eyes, as though that was enough to stop the impact from happening. She felt the heat of the flames engulf her, but no pain. Maybe her adrenaline had finally kicked in, a small mercy at least. But she could hear the cries from the plump woman.

"Stop!" She heard someone cry from a distance. It was a human voice, but she couldn't register whose it was. "Miss Gray, stop!'

She felt it then. The pain from the flames as they snaked their way up into her skin, and sunk its way into her bones, burning her from the inside out. The adrenaline must have worn off.
She opened her eyes, the edges of her vision blurry.
She stared up at the mouldy, grey ceiling as the arms of a brown haired man wrapped themselves around her, he hissed. "She's burning hot, Will." He said.

"Kate?" Will looked down at her open eyes, pausing to glance at something over his shoulder. "Wait here, Thomas." Was the last thing she heard before the overwhelming pain dragged her into darkness.