Blood and Ice Ch. 25

Chapter twenty five: the sword of the raiders

Jess and I hammered into each other. She faltered and I grabbed her and threw her against the door. She opened the door and ran. I ran after her. She got away from me but I didn't care. I ran into the main hall, grandfather was waiting in the hall.

"Grandfather, you need to get everyone out of the castle and I need you to lock the main door and any other door! And I need it done now!" I shouted at him.

"Alexandria what is wrong? I just got a message from your father saying that you were missing again." he almost laughed at that.

"Grandfather, I'm not messing about, get everyone out now!" I shouted at him.

"Alexandria there is no need to shout. What has got you so worked up?" he said.

Now I was really pissed off.

I growled and grabbed him by the shirt.

"Get your men out of here or they will die! Am in the middle of trying to kill the light raider princess, don't argue with me!" I shouted into his face.

"What has gotten into you" he said.

I tightened my grip on his shirt and turned to Balthazar.

"Get everyone out of the castle now! As my grandfather seems incompetent to do his job so get the hell out of the castle." I said as I threw grandfather towards the door.

"Fine! Get everyone out of the castle this is what I was afraid of. You can't handle your power and are going crazy! Let's go, get the guards." grandfather said.

I ran off to find Jess. I saw everyone leaving the castle. I heard a large click from the lock. That told me they had locked the door. I went looking for Jess. It was now a game of cat and mouse. I started to open doors. I finally found her cowering in the corner of the library.

"So this is where you have been hiding Jess. Are you going to fight, or am I just going to have to kill you here?" I asked her.

She stood up and faced me. We started to clash. Our swords were dancing against each other. Jess made a desperate lunge at me. I ducked and her sword lodged into one of the shelves. I took the chance and pulled the bookcase down on top of her. She pulled her sword away and wriggled out from underneath the torrent of books.

She faced me and we were quickly locked in a close and cruel duel. I heard the door open. I reached over and grabbed Jess throwing her as far as I could so. I could deal with who ever was at the door. It was grandfather.

Jess ran at me and we both went into the book shelf at the other side. We were quickly destroying his library as we duelled. I turned to him as I got out from under the books.

"Still think I'm going crazy?" I managed to ask him before Jess jumped on me sending us both into yet more books.

"Right, stop this now!" grandfather yelled.

Both Jess and I stopped and looked at him then each other.

"It's not to late Lex. There still can be peace between the clans."

I knew she was just saying this in desperation so we didn't have to try and kill each other.

"The only time there will be peace is when you die and this time am going to make it stick. Do you think that after everything that you and your clan has put us through that I'm simply going to walk away and let you live? No chance!" I said looking at her.

"That's enough! Why are you trying to annihilate this woman?" grandfather walked up between us and looked at Jess.

"Weren't you in my dungeons?" he asked.

"Grandfather remember when we were looking for the white cathedral and we asked a young woman where it was? This is her. She is also the one who escaped from your dungeon."

"Did she now?"

"Yes I did and you can't send me back down there. Before you get any ideas as I have a physical body now not just a sprit." Jess said.

"Well, we do have a smart one! Tell me, how did you get fully restored?" he asked her.

"She hasn't been fully restored. Gabriel's death allowed her to remain half resorted. The whole thing with Gabriel was a diversion, a plot to get us to look the other way while they were working to restore her." I said.

"But why are you trying to kill each other?" he asked.

"She is the light raider princess. She's the last remaining heir to their throne. Once she's dead we can finish this war at last." I said.

"And with her dead, Lucifer will be next on the list." Jess said glaring at me.

"Grandfather get out of here and let me deal with this." I said.

He looked at me.

"Why do you need everyone out of the castle?" he asked.

"Luke showed me something. The castle completely destroyed. I can't have you getting hurt."

"Luke showed you?" he said.

"Yes, he has come into his powers very quickly."

He smiled at that. "Very well I will leave you to it then but do me a favour?"

I looked at him puzzled "what?"

"Don't destroy all the bloody books, I need them."

I couldn't help but laugh at that and nodded he left us.

"Now where were we?" I said.

I lunged in and went for Jess' head. She ducked and ran out of the room. I ran after her. She ran into the main hall. Father was standing there with grandfather as Jess and I locked back into the close duel. Our swords were just blazing in front of us. We paid little attention to those around us as the only thing that mattered was our duel. Father caught my attention. While fighting I spoke to him.

"Father I'm kind of busy at the moment. What ever it is can't it wait?"

"Catch!" he shouted as he threw my shield at me.

I caught it and held it up just in time to block one of Jess' attacks. I pushed her up and threw her off of me.

"For the love of god, will you to get out of here and let me deal with her or do I have to force you out?" I asked shouting at them.

"We're going now we promise." father said as they left.

Jess went to follow them. They were going up to the platform that we used for landing. I could see them both open their wings and take off . Jess ran not noticing that it was just a platform.

She stopped just in time to save herself from falling at least a hundred feet, although it would have saved me a job that was for sure.

"Doesn't this seem awfully familiar to you Jess?"

All she could do was shake her head in agreement. I could see that she was scared. It was easy to see in her eyes. I felt sorry for her but I had a duty to perform.

I couldn't let father down. Father and the rest of the clan. My thoughts drifted to Luke. I wondered if he was okay. I had to do this for him, to make sure that he had a future where he could grow old in peace and have a family of his own. As I was thinking of my son, Jess stood up. She must have gotten a bit braver.

"How did we get to this Lex?"

I looked at her. "We were always going to fight, whether if we knew each other or not. This was always our destiny, and now we need to fulfil it." I said as lunged in.

Jess blocked me. We were getting awfully close to the edge. I could see father, grandfather and the rest of the men out on the fields surrounding the castle. Out of the corner of my eye I saw what happened.

A portal opened near the castle. People on horses came riding up along with foot men. I knew that they weren't our men and that father and grandfather were greatly out numbered. I quickly delivered a punch in the stomach to Jess then ran to the edge and jumped.

As I did I opened my wings and flew straight up then plummeted to the ground I forced my sword into the ground right in front of father, who had the men ready to fight. The shock wave that was sent from the sword was enough to knock the men back but this only made them more determined to fight. I chanted out loud:

"Army of the dammed rise to fight!" Then jumped back into the air with the sword.

The ground around the castle turned black and started to shake. Ghostly shapes of men started to appear next to father there were some horses but most of the men were foot solders. Father looked up at me and nodded.

I screamed the attack. I flew back to the ledge. Jess had ran back inside. This was beginning to wear thin and I was getting even more annoyed. I tucked my wings in so Jess couldn't harm them. It was time to finish this! Sounds of desperation came from a bedroom to my right. I went in and Jess was trying to get the window open.

"How could you summon them? Gabriel said you wouldn't have any powers? He said you exhausted them the day you killed the minions!" she said her face was tear stricken.

"There are a lot of things that Gabriel didn't tell you, like the fact he's my uncle." I said.

Jess' eyes went wide with shock.

"No! That's not possible!" she screamed at me.

She ran forward and grabbed me and threw me across the room. I landed with a thud against the wall. I stood up.

"Is that the best you have?" I said, goading her.

She went mental and lunged at me with her sword I just moved my head in time. If I hadn't she would have connected, but she only scrapped my cheek. I only bled lightly. I could feel the blood running down my cheek.

I knew now she meant business. I could almost feel the anger in her when she dove at me again. I jumped onto the bed that was in the middle of the room. She slashed again missing me and cutting up the bed. Feathers went everywhere. She took this as an advantage and ran back up to the landing platform. This time when I went up I locked the door.

We stood and faced each other. I looked over the side father and the army had finished their fight. Father and the men were still standing strong. Blood filled the once green fields. The army of the dammed had retreated to wait for further orders.

"Seems like your men don't have any guts, just like you and the rest of your clan." I said.

She looked over the side. "They were brave men and you slaughtered then like animals." she said.

"You should never pick a fight with the side which has the bigger army." I said.

Jess just looked at me. "So this is how it ends?"

"You could say that Jess, yes" I said as I went in for the kill.

Jess and I were in a close duel. I managed to slide my sword into her hilt and wrench her sword away. It landed close to the door. She scrambled to get it. As she did I took my sword and stabbed her through the stomach, but his time when I pulled my sword out she didn't fall to the ground.

Instead, she turned around and stabbed me in the stomach. I felt the blade enter my body a little bit of blood came out with it but the pain was immense. I wasn't going down without a fight! I grabbed her wrists and twisted. She took the opportunity and threw us both over the edge. Both swords left our grip and landed next to each other in the ground right next to father.

I pushed Jess away from me and opened my wings. A few beats of them, and I was free of her. I noticed that my second set of wings had fully grown. The size of my wings dwarfed those of my father's.

I watched Jess fall for the second time. everything happened in slow motion. White wings erupted from her shoulders and she pulled her self up and faced me in the air. Her white wings were dwarfed by my massive black ones. I just looked at her.

"How do you have wings your not of my bloodline?" I asked her

"Simple, my blood was infused with Gabriel's right after I joined them. I was able to fly before I was first killed." she said.

Blood was coming out from the wound I had given her it wasn't much but enough. I flew forward and grabbed Jess. We both flew straight into a turret smashing it to pieces.

Jess damaging her back in the process she wasn't as experienced with flying as I was so I got away before she could even recover and get back in the air. While she was getting back up I was thinking of a way to end this once and for all. I landed next to father and picked up the sword of shadows. I looked at it.

Shadows were dancing along the blade as I looked at the blade it changed. Words started to appear on it they were strange at first but then I realised what it said and I knew what I had to do. Father grabbed me and hugged me.

"Thank the heavens that is over with." he said.

"Says who?" I said.

"You stabbed her with the sword we all saw you." he said.

"She's still alive just getting her bearings back." I said.

We all looked up Jess shook off some dust from her wings and headed towards me. I stabbed to ground next to the sword of light and left the sword there. Jess grabbed me and took me into the air.

I brought my legs up and kicked her in the chest sending her spinning. I beat my wings. She crashed into the side of the castle and I landed next to father.

"Do you have a knife or dagger?" I asked.

"Yes, here!" he said and handed me a small dagger.

I used the sword of shadows and cut my hand. I stabbed the sword right next to the sword if light I let my blood drip onto the two swords.

"Why did you do that?" father asked

"You'll see." I said

I jumped into the air. Jess was already in the air waiting on me. I lunged forward and stabbed her with the dagger. I hit her in the arm but it was enough. I just needed her blood. I grabbed her arm and threw her back against a wall.

She crashed into a turret I flew over to her she was knocked out. It gave me time. I knew she wouldn't be out for very long and I needed time! I went back down to where my father was standing. I took the dagger out and dripped Jess' blood over the two swords. They glowed black and white at the same time.

The lights then merged and glowed bright green. When the glowing stopped there was only one sword standing. It was twice the length of either of the swords and twice as deadly. The hilt was encrusted with emeralds. I picked it up. It was light to hold. I swung it, it was very light and easy to wield. Father just looked at me with his jaw on the floor.

Is that what I think it is?" he asked.

"Yes father, it's the sword of the raiders."

Father and grandfather were gobsmacked. They couldn't believe that I had found it. I could hear movement from where Jess had been thrown. I knew that she was getting up and ready to fight. She shook the dust from her wings and jumped into the air.

I jumped into the air. She lunged at me and I grabbed her with my free hand. We both went tumbling into the castle. We landed in the throne room and collided with the far wall. As we did I kicked Jess in the ribs. There was a loud crack, I knew I had broken her ribs. She landed on the floor with a thud she looked at me as she winced in pain.

"Why can't we stop this and there can be peace." she said.

I just looked at her. I knew it was a diversion.

"After everything that your clan put us through I don't think so. Count your self lucky that I'm giving you a fair fight."

Jess stood up looking at me. "Fine, have it your way. But don't say I didn't give you the chance when your begging for death; which, by the way, I will make very slow and very painful after what you did to Jason and Gabriel." she said as she jumped into the air and straight towards me.

I easily side-stepped her and she went into the throne I jumped into the air and flew into the middle of the hall. Jess flew after me.

I flew straight up until that point I didn't realise that the roof was made entirely out of glass I smashed through it I flew straight up and shook the glass from my wings as I flew through the glass it cut me in so many places I felt the blood run down my face and down my arms it splashed onto the sword covering the emeralds Jess followed me through the glass we squared up to each other in the air I could see the fear behind her eyes she panicked and flew away from me.

I followed her she was easy to follow as my wings were a lot bigger than hers so I could have caught her easily she stopped when she was over father and grandfather.

"What's wrong? Are you going to try and out fly me?" I asked.

"You know I can't out fly you." she said.

"So will you fight me then?" I asked.

She nodded I saw her holding a small dagger. She lunged at me and plunged her dagger into my stomach. As she did, I plunged the sword of the raiders deep into her heart I raised my feet up and kicked Jess she went tumbling backwards.

I gathered the shadow in my hands Jess had gathered some sort of white light in her hands we hit each other at the same time.

Father told me later that my blast hit Jess square where I had stabbed her and the blast sent her flying straight into the lake of fire. She was dead before she hit the water. Her body floated on the water while her blood spilled into the water. The blast that Jess threw at me sent me flying back into the castle.

It was Jesse's last desperate attempt to kill me. The intensity of the blast had the castle falling down around me. I was quickly buried underneath the bricks and rubble. As soon as I had hit the wall my world went black.