Dreamwalker

26- Blood Repaid

There fell a long silence. Neither of them quite knew what to say to the other. "I thought I told you," Soutine said at last, in barely more than a whisper, "not to play with knives."

"I'm not a child anymore and you're hardly one to talk. Cut out anyone's tongue lately?" Bell retorted.

"God's bones, Bell, what happened to you?"

"Me? Me? How dare you deny me my destiny?" Bell swiped at Soutine with the dagger in her right hand, which he dodged with a step to the right.

"Fine, you're angry. Fine, you want me dead. But why did you bring Piano into this? He was innocent!" Soutine unsheathed the sword from his belt and held it aloft to defend himself.

Bell tried to stab him with both hands under the sword. He blocked both hits and swung back, hitting Bell square across the cheek with the tip of the blade. She gasped in pain and dropped a knife to clutch at the wound. "Did you make him come to the prison too?" Soutine growled. He pointed the sword directly into her face. "Is all of this part of your petty little revenge?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Ah, little strawberry, you'll make your old man cry. Tell me the truth."

Bell dropped to the ground before Soutine could move so she could pick up her other dagger. Blood flowed down her cheek to the ground. "I've always told you the truth while you fed me lies," she shouted. "You took everything from me and now I'm taking everything from you. Get it now? You cared more about your ambition and-- and him--" Bell pointed one of the blades at Piano's lifeless body on the ground, "than you ever did about me!"

"Bell Jeanne, please!" Devon called from the other side of the room, where Laurier tried to hold her back from interfering.

"Don't pretend that you care about her now when you know that she matters," Soutine barked back.

"She is my real mother! Of course she cares!"

"Naive child, you still have so much to learn. I should have taught you the truth about life when I had the chance. Do you really think that this world is split up into black and white for you to judge? What makes you think that you are any better than the rest of us? I did my best to raise you. Yes, I made some mistakes, and I understand your anger, but Bell, I am not a dragon for you to vanquish!"

"From where I'm standing, you look pretty scaly," Bell retorted coolly.

Soutine glanced down at Piano's body a few feet away. He couldn't tell if Piano was still alive, or... no, he couldn't consider that possibility. Even if Piano didn't really love him anymore, it didn't mean that Soutine couldn't remain loyal. Every fiber in his being longed to avenge him. "Now, Bell," he said, holding out his hand in front of him with a grim frown, "this is your final warning. Drop your weapons or I will attack."

"You think I'm scared of you, old man?" Bell tightened her grip on each soaked scarlet dagger in her fists.

Soutine never thought he would be doing this. It was against everything he stood for. He held the blade aloft, trying his best to hold it steady, and sank the point into his flesh where the remnants of the spell Laskitas remained in white lines. Blue light shone through his skin like flames within his flesh. The skin around the wound broke open for blood to boil in the shape of an eye.

Bell was caught off guard only for a moment. She had, after all, seen this spell before. The only problem was that she didn't know what it meant. "So you are a wizard," she muttered. "Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"I never knew how I could explain myself to you. Now I suppose I don't have to." He dropped the sword from his other hand so he could place his hands together and spread the fire through both palms. Shadows flickered across his face. The dancing light made the lines in his face contort into something resembling a demon.