The Fall of the Keepers

Chapter 22 Actions and Reactions

What I did next was more instinct than conscious thought. My hands squeezed into fists at my side, and my jaw clenched shut. My back was ramrod straight, eyes wide and unblinking, nose flared. Energy coursed through me and deep inside I felt a component of my wielding ability open up that I had never accessed before.

First, Jasper stopped screaming like a banshee. Then the attacking blood sloshed to the ground, painting the cobblestones red. Kamala's face went from sick delight to confusion, to fear. Her hands flew to her throat, clawing at it like a rabid animal. Her eyes flickered towards Shane in desperation and he called out her name in a panicked voice. Kamala crumpled to her knees, eyeing me with a furious loathing. This gave way to pure agony as a lung collapsed under the pressure. She pressed a hand to her chest, her mouth moving but no sound coming out. Her second lung collapsed and her eyes widened so much I thought they might come popping out of her head. Then they rolled back and she fell like a limp dishrag to the ground. She lay comatose, her chest unmoving as her brain shriveled up inside her from the lack of oxygen. Minutes past, and then finally her heart stopped.

I stood stalk still, staring at her corpse in a mixture of awe and disgust at what I had just done. I had taken ahold of people before, blocked their wielding abilities, but this was something entirely different. Jasper and Vienna were coughing up blood, some their own and some of Kamala's, spitting it out onto the cobblestones. There came a shout from behind me, shaking me from my reverie. I turned in time to see Shane launching himself at me, a dagger in his hands and a savage look in his eyes. He was too close and my reaction time was too slow, I watched helplessly as the dagger slashed on a downward arc towards my chest.

I killed his lover, maybe I deserve it.

The thought slipped in, seemingly out of nowhere. A blinding light shot past me, encompassing Shane and burning my eyes. I dropped to one knee, holding my arm up to shield my face. There was a tingling sensation on my exposed skin, like when you feel yourself developing a sunburn on a hot summer day. There was a shout, a pulsing sound, and then a scream that faded into silence.

Cautiously, I moved my arm and peered in front of me, more than a little surprised to find a pile of blackened ash where Shane had been moments before. I cocked my head to the side, not understanding what had just happened. It wasn't until I glanced behind myself to find Vienna standing on shaky legs, blood smeared across her mouth and nose, her hair tangled and matted and fierce gaze plastered on her face that I realized exactly what that pile of ash was.

"How did you-? You saved my life."
I said in amazement.

She breathed out and glanced down at me.

"It was about time I started leveling the score."

She had come a long way from the damsel in distress I had rescued the day of the Culling. Then she had told me she was pacifist, that violence was unjustifiable and she wouldn't fight, now she had just killed her first person. I mourned the loss of her innocence, while simultaneously feeling overwhelming gratitude to her. She extended her hand, which I took, and helped me to my feet. My head swiveled about the square but the rest of Shane's cohort seemed to have disappeared.

"They know a losing battle when they see one. We won't be hearing from those Keepers for a while. They'll want to find another leader first."
Jasper said before breaking out in a fit of coughing.

"What the heck was she? I've never seen power like that before."
I poked Kamala's body with the toe of my boot.

"A Blood Wielder."
Jasper answered grimly.

I shuddered.

"Hope there aren't too many people like her around."

"In the past, they've ended up dead or apart of the Order, it's hard to say what will happen in this new generation."