BloodRose

21.2. Artemis

The column of flame erupts as the last body falls. I have made my wrath tangible and it incinerates everything in its path toward the despicable being. Bela is singed, but speeds away. Three of the acolytes are not so lucky. I see real fear in The Augur's eyes before he follows Bela. The fact that he is escaping only makes me more frustrated and I scream, a sound born only of primal rage. In seconds, I have blasted the barred wall of the cell into the opposite side of the hallway.

He must pay!

I march over the charred stones and something brushes my shoulder. The voice inside me is still raging. I lash out at whatever it is. My arm whips around, fast enough to be a blade.

"Woah. Easy there Cal." Luckily, Alias moved back before I decapitated him.

"We have to go after him! He's getting away! He-"

Alias grips my shoulders and gives me a shake, "Cal!" Go after him! What are you doing? Now! You have to- Shut up! I press my hands to my ears as if it can silence the foreign thoughts.

"Stop it!" I yell out loud. I crouch, covering my head and squeezing my eyes shut. I feel Alias' hand at my back. What is happening to me?

"Cal." After several seconds, I look up at him, my emotions still racing. "We'll catch him, bring him to justice, I promise."

I run a hand through my hair. "Yeah. Okay," I look down again, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Alias says, "Although, we will have to find a way to control that trigger later on. Let's go."

I assume that by "trigger" he means my anger issues, but since we're pressed for time, I don't ask.

"Kyle, can you get yourself and Samantha out?" Kyle nods. "Good. Hannah? You, Cal, and I are going after Garret. We can't let him get away again."

I don't wait to see if they're following me as I charge down the hallway after The Augur. I still feel weak from the lack of blood, but there is no way I am letting this vampire escape justice for all of the innocent lives he's ruined. Margaret is dead. Samantha is now a vampire. And he just killed ten people to punish me.

He may be undead now, but when I find him, he's going to be dead dead.

I let my anger build. The feeling is mildly terrifying, similar to being engulfed in a flood, but I can learn to control it later. Right now, I am a hunter and my prey is the most evil being on the face of the earth. I let all my emotions turn to rage. So, this is what righteous fury feels like.

I stumble on Bela first. Lucky him.

"Bela," I growl out the nickname. He smirks first, but it turns into a whimper as I raise my hand in the air. Pathetic.

A hand catches my arm, "Cal." People seem to be doing that a lot lately.

My glare flies to Hannah's face. She raises an eyebrow and I lower my hand. Bela's smirk returns and I narrow my eyes. Amazingly, the smug look disappears again. That's what I thought.

As I walk ahead, I hear Alias' voice, "Cal, wait. Talon, where is he?"

I run faster and don't hear the reply. Alias gives up and he and Hannah jog after me. A scent. Fresh blood. It's so slight I almost ignore it, but then I turn my head and it's stronger. The hallway forks and I barely hesitate. I can hear him now, his ghostly steps as he runs lightly over the stone floors, the blood of his victims still dripping from the knife in his hand.

I turn down two more hallways, going on smell and instinct, and find myself in a circular room. I've never been in one like it before, no corners, a domed ceiling. It feels weird, or maybe it's just the fact that he's here.

"Calliope-"

Enough talking. Enough silver-tongued lies.

I let out a guttural cry and charge him. He swings the knife at me, but I flick my wrist and it flies out of his grasp, leaving a deep cut on his palm. He hisses and takes a step forward. Another small quirk of my wrist and he crashes into the ceiling, head first. I hold him there for a second before slamming him to the floor. Hard.

Several ribs are broken now and he is bleeding from a massive gash on the top of his head. He lets out a wheezing chuckle.

"Well, warlock. You've certainly won this round. Too bad you won't get the chance to win any more." I hear the movement as he makes it, but he is quicker than I anticipated and the sharp pain below my left ribs is a surprise. It hits in the same spot as the first time, destroying the recently healed tissue. He twists the knife once before he is thrown back into the wall. Again, I have time to wonder why he doesn't just kill me.

Alias' back is the last thing I see before I hit the ground.

I don't know how much time has passed when I lift my head. It could have been seconds. It could have been years. My vision nearly goes black when I try to stand. The lack of blood is becoming a serious issue now. A jolt is sent up my spine as I feel the blade in my back this time.

"Now...it's over," his lips brush my ear as he whispers, "You have cost me very dearly. I will kill you only after you beg me for death fifty times over. I promise." The memorable phrase sends a chill through me. It cannot end like this.

If The Augur is still standing, Alias and Hannah must be down or dead. I blearily search the room and find their unmoving bodies near one of the doors. No.

I try to whip around and catch him off guard, but his hand latches on to my throat. The victory in his eyes is all the motivation I need. Margaret, Samantha, Hannah and Alias. So many people, so many good people. He's caused more pain than I could ever know.

He must pay! He must be brought to justice! His victims will be avenged!

The spark ignites and I feel the familiar fire burning again. The burst of energy breaks down some wall inside me and I twist out of his grip, snatching the knife and rolling behind him in one clean motion. He turns nearly following my movements, but the blaze has me now. His cold calculus cannot quench it.

I am about to use my power to bury the knife in his chest when a searing light appears behind him. The surprise is enough to break my steady flow of anger. The knife clatters past him into the nearest wall. I note his confusion, his fear. He is being pulled backward and I grab at his shoulders. I miss by centimeters. He and the light are gone before I can think to do anything else.

I'm frozen until my inner flame sputters out and pain and fatigue hit me like a brick wall.