Fate and the Defiant Angel (COMPLETED)

Chapter 45- The battlefront

Cassie followed Violet silently. She didn't bother to ask questions or resist. The woman was odd and quiet but there was a calming energy that surrounded Violet. Cassie felt like she was trustworthy, and she didn't know why.

Besides everything in her had felt wrong about being locked away in the house. She didn't want to be pushed aside and hiding. She wanted to go out there, try to help. She didn't know how she would to such a thing, but oh well.

So instead she followed Violet silently. Violet seemed to know where she was going, easily cutting through the forest. It felt like no time at all before they heard the battle.

It was . . . ghastly. There was a low-pitched wailing sound, echoing around and making her wince. The closer they got the louder noises became. There was howling, growls and screams There were gurgles and garbled moaning. Flesh impacting upon flesh. The ground seemed to shudder beneath them.

Violet paused briefly and looked at Cassie with eyes that echoed with wisdom and held out her hand. Cassie glanced down and paused on briefly before accepting. The pair walked forward until they were on the edge of the field.

Her eyes immediately scanned for Jace but there was just too much going on. There were wolves running at a range of creatures. The giant figures of wolves ran through, smashing over demonic creature, but the creatures stood right back up. Their flesh was mutated with bumps and twists, a range black, red, and brown in colour. There were some with a more human shape, with flesh that didn't look like flesh draped over bones. Cassie watched as a wolf gripped one's arm in its teeth, the skin just pulling right off to reveal warped and darkened bone.

There was other creature more skeletal then flesh, walking limps and arms stretched with long glistening knives as fingers. Then there were shadowy creatures. They swirled above, darting down when attacking. The shadowed creatures screamed and screamed, endless and shrill. It was a nightmare.

"Oh my god," Cassie whispered to herself. She glanced and saw Violet had paled in colour.

"I didn't . . . I didn't see how bad it was," Violet murmured. The psychics hands were shaking, and she turned to Cassie. "You can't be here."

Cassie's eyebrow furrowed, "You said I had to be here. You brought me here."

"I didn't have a choice," Violet said, gripping Cassie's shoulder tightly and a manic look rising in her eyes. "I had to bring you here, because it was what I thought I saw, and I don't know. I just- you aren't safe here. I want to keep you safe."

"You're not making sense," Cassie told her softly, trying to pull herself out of the vice-like grip. "Why don't you want me here."

"Because fate can go fuck itself," Violet hissed out with a shaking laugh. "You aren't dying today."

Cassie stared at Violet with unbridled fear and concern. "It's okay Violet. It's alright."

Violet shook her head and released her grip. Cassie stumbled back, rubbing her sore arm gently and keeping her eyes on Violet. She was gripping her head in her hands, fingers scrunched in her hair and glasses falling into the dirt. Violet let out a groan and fell to her knees, her head shaking up and down softly. Cassie could barely hear the low moans of pain Violet made over the sounds of the battle.

She reached out a hand to try and console her but stopped when she heard a howl.

It was louder than anything in the battle. It snapped Cassie's attention and stopped her heart. She immediately forgot about Cassie and sprinted forward. She didn't consider the battle or the monsters. She just knew something had happened to Jace.

She burst into the battle without stopping. Inside was overwhelming. There were blurs of figures running past her and towards her. She felt hands grip her shirt and fur brush past her legs. It was darker within, the sheer amount of people blurring out the sun. She pushed her way through, so many things happening around her that she scarcely knew which was up or down. Then she broke free.

There was a small ring free of battling creatures. Wolves guarded the circle, fending off against all the other things attempting to break through. The reason was simple enough. Jace was in the middle of the field, no longer a wolf, and gripping a long-sharpened piece of bone that cut through his chest. On the ground was a twisted little figure, made up of skin but bones poking through the flesh and oozing black blood. Its arm was missing, and it attempted to claw towards him without legs and only one arm.

Cassie let out a scream and launched forward, kicking the miserable little thing in the skull, and sending it scuttling out of the little ring formed. She turned to Jace, who reached out to her and collapsed. She fell to the ground with his weight and cushioned his head.

They collided with a thump. Cassie was cradling Jace's head in her lap, staring down at the man she had know for so little time, but loved so completely.

"Oh no," she whispered as tears streamed from her eyes. She didn't sob or weep. She just cupped Jace's face and let the tears drip down her chin.

His face was rapidly paling, lips becoming purple and breathing become rapid. She didn't look at the red pool forming underneath him and seeping into her jeans. Cassie just stared into his eyes.

"You- get out of here," Jace croaked out, so weak it made her heart shudder.

She brushed a strand of hair from his face. "I'm not going to leave you baby," she whispered to him.

The whole world had disappeared. She didn't see or hear the war raging around her. She only saw the green of Jace's eyes.

"I-I tried to . . . the portal," he whispered out, eyes shuddering in an effort to stay awake. "It- it has to be closed. I have to- I have to close it."

"It's going to be alright," she told him softly. "Everything is going to be okay." Her voice hitched and a shudder raced through her body, trying to push aside the sobs. He wouldn't be getting back up.

Jace stared up at her, raising a shaking arm to place it against her cheek. His thumb, ice cold, wiped away a tear. Cassie sighed and pressed her forward against his, holding him to her as he died in her arms.

Then a voice broke through everything.

"Cassie, run!"

She turned her head and through the raging wall of werewolves which fought to protect their alpha. She saw Zara screaming at her. Cassie opened her mouth, not knowing what to say. Any words would have been lost by the scream of warning that left her mouth instead.

Then Cassie watched as silver and red gleamed in the rising sun, before it embedded itself into Zara's chest.