Claws of Eternity ✔️

Chapter 39: Dum spiro, spero

GISELLE

Terrible silence fell over the Bran Castle. Screams of pain sounded soothing compared to the soft moans of loss that now lingered in the air. Giselle walked through the courtyard, tears falling from her eyes. She tried to avoid all the corpses scattered on the ground, but it was impossible.

She didn't feel anything, she used up all of her sorrow already. All the fear she felt ate up everything else that might exist in her heart.

The sky cleared, moon and starts illuminated the battlefield and blood shone through the night. There was terrible beauty in the sight, one only the person that lived through it could appreciate. It seemed strange, but she felt in her gut her entire being transformed during this battle. Something so unimaginable happened it must have changed her a person in the process.

And she was still alive. That must have meant something.

Giselle walked through the sea of corpses, desperate to find her friends. Wherever she passed, strange glances followed her. All those that witnessed her power now stared at her in awe, a dormant fear present in their eyes.

From this moment on, they would remember her name.

But in order for others to speak her name, she did the unspeakable things. Those things would haunt her until the end of days. She lost count of how many vampires she killed, how many necks she snapped with her magic. So she cried for all of them, but she cried for herself, too. The girl that ran from Carcassonne was gone.

Giselle saw Vlad in the distance and a wave of relief flooded her. She knew he was alive, but seeing him alive was a whole other thing. Right when she was about to run for him, she heard Ala's voice.

"Giselle!" Alacaris shouted and Giselle turned her head towards the voice.

Ala was on the ground, Octavia and Oton, too. First, tears streamed down her face with relief to see them alive. But then she choked on them when she noticed two dead bodies between them. Giselle ran to them and cried loudly when she saw Jelena and Micchalo. If their skin wasn't dried and pale, they would've looked like they were sleeping. Giselle blubbered like a child and sat on the ground. All the pain crashed into her at once and she let herself have her moment of weakness. Jelena, whom she told everything would be alright, whom she promised they would survive this. She was dead now.

"Shit!" Giselle said through her tears and noticed that both Octavia and Alacaris cried with her. They were alive, they were still here. And Giselle had the ability to save them, she could restore the Border. Maybe, she could fulfil her mother's prophesy after all, maybe she could stop the sky from opening again. Maybe it would be worth even dying if it meant she could save those she loved. She got up.

"I have to go restore the Border." Giselle said. Girls nodded and Giselle walked away, deciding that she needs to see Vlad first. He was surrounded by his counsellors and lots of other people, too. Giselle walked straight to him.

"Ah, there she is." An unfamiliar man said. "I was hoping to meet you." He was a handsome man, his facial lines were soft and he appeared younger than he most likely was. He stood confidently, like a leader.

"Giselle, meet Maks Adamov." Vlad said and Giselle stopped in place. The man looked at her with his blue eyes, a colour completely different than her late husband's. But then he smiled and Giselle saw the resemblance.

"I'm Giselle." She offered her hand, Maks Adamov took it.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." He said and smiled again. There was something trustworthy in his smile. So trustworthy Giselle didn't believe it.