Chapter 69 The Alicorn Claiming pt2
Poison. Bright green poison.
I stop moving, keeping low, and stare around the pit. All is dark but the center, the front of the alicorn's bodies the only part of them that can be seen.
“They aren’t flapping their wings,” I muse quietly, moving closer to one of them.
I realize with horror that their wings are bound, tied to them with what looks like vines filled with thorns.
So they cannot fly away.
The voice of my mind mentor is filled with disgust and pity for the creatures.
Movement to my left catches my eye, a flash of bright green, and then the screams lessen. I hurry that way, keeping my steps silent as Sylvain’s screams turn to desperate pants for breath. The darkness wanes as I get closer, but my shocked scream replaces hers as I lay eyes on my friend.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, so fucking sorry,” she’s whispering, her hands cradling the head of a dead alicorn.
An alicorn whose horn is sticking out of her back.
“Sylvain!” I scream, dropping my shadows and running over to her, heedless of being seen. I fall to my knees beside her, staring in shock. The alicorn that’s impaled her is riddled with pustules and growing mushrooms as its body rots at a shocking pace. A haze of green poison hovers over its body.
Sylvain’s green eyes turn to me, tears running down her cheeks in earnest. “They dropped me right next to her! She impaled me before I could do anything about it,” she cries. “I tried to get away, but she was thrashing… Oh gods, Anara, I’ve killed her!”
“If we don’t get you off her horn, she’ll have killed you too!” I slip behind her, as close as I can without impaling myself as well, and put my arms under her shoulders. “Brace yourself, this is going to hurt.”
I pull, and she screams, but nothing gives.
“I think her horn is stuck between my ribs!” Sylvain cries, panting.
What are we going to do? If I can’t get her off this alicorn, she’s dead for sure… What do I do? What do I do?
All these powers you have learned over these past weeks you have not honed your own. Think of the minotaur, think of Silas’ hand. You know what you must do!
“Yes… Yes, you're right!”
“Wha—who’s right?” Sylvain asks, her growing weakness becoming more obvious as our endeavors make her blood flow faster.
“I won't hurt you, alright? I promise.” I release her shoulders and reach under her arms for the alicorn’s head.
Closing my eyes, I try to block out the sounds of battle and terrified alicorns. I can feel the heat in my veins, and from Sylvain’s shocked gasp, I know she can see it.
“Holy fucking crow, what are you doing?” she screams, thrashing against me.
“Using the gift I earned before Hellbane,” I whisper.
I can feel the flesh of the alicorn’s head wither beneath my bare hands. I feel it when the skin, muscle and sinew turn to dust and slip through my fingers. I feel it when the skull develops pits and fissures, the very core of the alicorn’s bones disintegrating between my fingers. I open my eyes as the skull grows soft and watch over Sylvain’s shoulder as the entire beast, except for the horn inside Sylvain, falls into a pale pile of ash.
Sylvain stops breathing, her hands clutching the end of the horn that remains sticking out of her chest. Her heart is beating out of control, her body trembling in fear, but my gift did not touch her at all.
“W-w-what,” she stutters as I slowly pull her to her feet. “How?”
“I…I don’t know. My scale is a kind no one has seen before. No one knows why this happens,” I tell her.
“I n-never,” Sylvain whispers in shock. “Want to meet the dragon responsible for that!”
“Gods above! Anara!” Zaries cries out.
“Anara, Sylvain, run!” Oberon screams.
I look at them, the both of them running for us instead of fighting each other.
Then I hear what they must be seeing.
The snapping of rocks.
The clang of chain hitting stone.
The thunder of hooves as alicorns realize they’re free.
“Run!” I scream, dousing Sylvain and myself in shadow as I grab her hand and sprint toward Oberon and Zaries.
All around us the wild alicorns sound the alarm, each of them rearing and roaring as they claim their freedom.
It's mere seconds before they start running toward all of us, but it seems like a lifetime.
Oberon and Zaries are too far away. The beasts will reach us all before we ever reach one another. They realize it the same moment I do, and they stop running. Turning to face the alicorns, side by side. I watch them exchange a glance, a temporary truce as they stand there bleeding and face the onslaught together.
I slow to a stop as the thundering sound of a stampede overpowers every other sound in the pit. I turn to Sylvain and cup her face.
“I want you to know I love you, that you’re like the sister I never had. I’m so, so fucking sorry!”
“Sorry for what?” she asks, eyes wide and darting with fear.
“For this—” I grab the horn sticking out of her chest and yank hard. She screams as the horn pulls loose and my firepower cauterizes the wound.
Sylvain falls to her knees, clutching her chest and staring at me with horrified eyes.
I turn, wielding the severed horn, and face the stampeding line of alicorns coming to kill us.