The Gathering (84 page)

129

More and more of the Black Horde filled the room as they had the courtyard.
 
Metal clashed as Alia and the boys held them at bay.
 
Rona Mason was now hiding behind the great throne, watching the battle commence.
 

Suddenly the main doors were thrown open.
 
A young Hordesman ran into the room.

"They're attacking… they had more soldiers waiting and they're attacking!!"

Blaylock and Brollen had grabbed their weapons and were about to join the melee, when they heard a loud noise coming from the side door.
  
Blaylock turned to see Grant, Larry and Myron rushing into the hall, brandishing weapons and followed by the Fail soldiers.
 
Blaylock snarled at the intrusion, and then looked around.
 
He didn't see Coeli anywhere.
 
He rolled his eyes and turned to Brollen.

"Fucking little bitch!
 
Can you believe this shit?
 
Show her a good time and she does this?"

Brollen snarled and shook his head, as Blaylock pushed his long black hair out of his face.

"Gary, find that little cunt and gut her, would you?"

Brollen smiled and nodded as he stormed off through the fighting towards the dungeons.
 
The Hordesman was still standing at the door.

"General, they're attacking, Sir."

"Yes, I can see that… can you see that we have our hands full here?"

The Hordesman nodded, still panting.
 
Blaylock shrugged and nodded.

"Good, SO GET YOUR ASS OUT THERE AND FIGHT!!"

The Hordesman stumbled backwards and out the door as Blaylock turned back around.

"Oh, Tommy, come out and play."

Blaylock turned around and raised his eyes towards the end of the room.
 
There on the table was Alia, staring back at him, her eyes danced a shimmering gold in the soft light and he smiled.
 
He knew it was all her now.
 
He slammed his swords together and moved towards her.

The hall was filled with the crashing of metal against metal and death was everywhere as smoke from burning draperies filled the room.
 
Alia walked slowly towards Blaylock, spinning her swords like propellers.
 
Blaylock was grinning as he began to circle around her.

"That kid of yours is real sweet.
 
Glad you could be there to watch me take her innocence."

He grinned wildly, but Alia shook her head.

"She'd have to be a virgin for that, Tommy."

She watched him and saw the corner of his eye twitch and his smile began to fade.

"She was a virgin."

Alia smiled and shook her head as Blaylock allowed himself to frown.

"How would you know, Bitch?"

Alia began to laugh.

"I know all kinds of things…Tommy.
 
I know Coeli gave herself to Sam before you and Rona took her from our village.
 
I know what you did to that little girl at St. Viviana's.
 
All those other girls…I know that you were a pathetic little nothing before the War, an assistant to an assistant to an assistant.
 
You raped and murdered those little girls because you couldn't fuck a real woman with someone else's dick, let alone your own.
 
You're terrified of women.
 
Remember what happened in the cell?
 
Limp… lifeless… pathetic."

He smiled again and his eyes blazed.

"Pale attempt to get a ‘rise’ out of me, but you're not my type…too old.
 
Virgin or not, your girl will never forget the day she got fucked by me."

Alia narrowed her eyes.

"C'mon, Tommy, let's dance."

"Love to!"

Blaylock sneered and stepped forward, bringing his sword down on Alia with tremendous force, but she countered with ease.
 

Their feet danced wildly over the wood until they reached the end of the table, Alia lunged and Blaylock, looking as if he would fall, threw back his arms and did a flip off the table, landing squarely on his feet.

Smirking, he beckoned Alia to follow him.
 
She smiled and jumped down.
 
He lunged at her, trying to surprise her with his strength, but he found that for each of his moves she had an equal and precise counter move.
 
He began to get frustrated and sloppy.

Alia struck with lightening speed.

“Ooo, keep it together, Tommy!!
 
Patience is a virtue!”

Alia laughed and struck.
 
The sneer on Blaylock's face grew.

"So is silence!"

He lunged again but he felt his impotence becoming apparent to anyone watching the fight.
 
He felt his heart beat rapidly and his breathing quicken.
 
Blaylock lunged and Alia continued to counter his every move.
 
Alia saw Tanner and Sam fighting out of the corner of her eye.
 
They were fighting as quickly as Alia and just as well.
 
The fight had turned in their favor.

Alia countered another move by Blaylock, then jumped up and let loose a full reverse spin kick to his face.
 
Blaylock stumbled and Alia sent a full front kick to his chest, the force of which sent him flying back against the wall.
 
His head connected with stone and he slumped to the floor.
 

Alia now stood before Blaylock surrounded by blood and smoke.
 
He was breathing hard as he looked up at her.
 
He spit the blood in his mouth onto the floor and shook his head as he raised himself up from the floor.
 
He grabbed another blade from a dead soldier.

"Nice move, Bitch.
 
Ready?"

"For you?
 
Always."

Alia snarled and lunged, Blaylock countered and they continued to adjoin their metal with every ounce of strength they had.
 
Alia moved around him feeding on her anger like a fire feeds on oxygen.
 

Blaylock was breathing so heavily that he sprayed the blood and sweat that rolled over his lips and teeth with each exhale.
 
His exhaustion was unmistakable and although he faltered only slightly, it was enough for Alia to strike.
 
She tried to slice across his chest, but he turned and she only cut his arm just under the shoulder, but it was deep, and fresh blood poured from his open wound.
 

"Urrgghh!!"

She countered again and struck, but this new pain had given him strength and he repelled her onslaught and countered.
 
He struck harder and harder and Alia moved backward, away from him for the first time.
 
She didn't see the cup as she stepped back.
 
As it rolled under her foot, she fell.
 

Blaylock moved in and brought the sword down with all his might.
 
Alia managed to block it, but the second dagger found its way into her shoulder and he fell on top of her and pressed the blade deep.

She struggled to push him off of her and he twisted the knife.
 

“ARRGGHH, get off me you Son of a Bitch!”

The pain was searing as she reached for her swords.
 
He pushed her weapons away and struck her in the jaw, then he put his face in hers as if he was going to kiss her and smiled.
 
The blood from his wounds dripped on her face.

"You're nothing you old bitch!
 
Pathetic, ugly and weak!
 
You're dead!!
 
Oh, yeah, by the way, I recognized your boyfriend… Lantry, right?
 
I did his sister.
 
She was one of the first… a little old for my liking normally, but when you're in a bind, you make do."

He laughed as Alia snarled and she felt the power of the goddess running through her. Her eyes narrowed and turned black.
 
Blaylock saw this and snarled.

"Cheat!"

"Stop talking, Ass!!!"

She brought her knee up and connected with his groin.
 
He grunted in misery as Alia pushed him off of her with a white light, which threw him backwards and away from her.
 
He only stopped when he hit the wall.
 

She stood up and removed the blade, then laid a hand over her shoulder as a purple light radiated from underneath.
 

Blaylock struggled to get to his feet.
 
Shaking the cobwebs from his head, he staggered and leaned against the wall, staring at Alia.
 
She lifted her hand and the swords returned to her.
 

"You're a fucking cheat!"

"Jealous?
 
Don't be sore, Tommy, we're still paying the game, aren't we?"

Blaylock’s face was bloody and bruised and his breathing labored.
 
Then Alia saw it, the fear.
 
He was afraid.

“I’m sick of looking at your ugly face!”

“Flatterer.”

Blaylock sighed and shook his head.

"Let's finish this then."

"Yeah, let's."

Blaylock ran at Alia and again their metal clashed.
 
They countered and moved around the room.
 
Blaylock lunged with his dagger and as Alia countered he sliced across her chest.
  
The blood flowed as she dropped one of her swords and grabbed her wound, falling to one knee.
 
Blaylock began to laugh maniacally, his hands in the air.
 
Then he stopped and looked at Alia.
 
She held her injury, blood pouring through her fingers, her face distant and pale.

"No cheating now!!"

He dropped the dagger and grabbed his sword with both hands, raising it above his head and beginning to pull it downward, towards Alia’s head.
 
In that moment, Alia pulled her other sword from her hip and plunged it upward into Blaylock’s abdomen.
 
The weight of the metal felt good as she twisted it into his flesh.
 

Blaylock dropped his sword and grabbed the blade that had felled him, looking at Alia with awe and then horror.
 
She was now nose-to-nose with him and he could see her eyes.
 
They were gold.
 
It was her.
 
He started to shake and tried to push the metal out of his body, but Alia held it fast.

“No good, Tommy.
 
Game over.”

She pushed the blade in farther and twisted again as Blaylock gasped for air.
 
She ripped the sword from his body, letting his blood flow as she watched him sink to the ground, slumped against the wall.

Alia, breathing heavily, stood watching him as he struggled to breathe, then he smiled at her.