Soteria panted with his hands on his knees. Is he not tired? he thought. He had been chasing Cato for so long that he had lost track of time. That old geezer is sure damn fast! he thought tiredly as he stood up straight.
He walked to a door and as soon as he opened the door, a knife went for his eye but he bent his head back and grabbed Cato's hand before he could run away.
"So that was your plan?" Soteria sighed, "Get me tired and then kill me..." he panted as he walked into the room, still holding Cato's hand. He squeezed Cato's hand which earned him a cry from Cato. He bent Cato's wrist as he squeezed his hand, then Cato dropped the knife.
"Cute" Soteria chuckled as he flung Cato against a table in a corner. Before he could get up, Soteria drove his sword into the table, right beside Cato's hand, which made him flinch and as he was about getting up, Soteria pressed a dagger to his neck, "Do not move else I will not hesitate to slice your throat and watch your blood flow till you die" he threatened and Cato gulped nervously.
"Now, you must have heard of Taraxacum officinale..." he said and Cato's eyes widened, "Your eyes widening tells me that you know...and that it must be somewhere in this fort" Soteria said as he looked around then he leaned forward, pressing the dagger more to Cato's throat, "I need that antidote".
"But..." "Now! I do not care if you have to dig it up. I need it now. Your leader made my son comatose...so I need the antidote" he said and grabbed Cato's collar, "And you are going to give me!" he dragged his sword out of the table and dragged Cato up.
"Lead the way!" he pushed him then he kept his sword back in its sheath. Cato looked at the open door in front of him. If I run now, I should be able to hide somewhere in the cloister, he thought.
As if reading his thoughts, Soteria pressed the dagger back on Cato's neck, "Do not even think of running!" he sneered and grabbed him by the collar, "I shall be holding you" he said and they started walking.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
"Nola?" Cassian asked and she saw a wooden stake coming towards them, from her peripheral vision. She drew out her sword and with one slash, cut the wood into two.
"Nola!" Isander growled and sent more wooden stakes their way but Nola dragged Cassian into a room. "Nola? What are you---" Cassian was saying but she placed her index finger on his lips, signaling him to be quiet, "We should get far away from Isander before he finds us...although he can already see where we are" she dropped her finger and grabbed his hand, "Come on!" she dragged him.
They passed another exit out of the fort and ran through the woods till Nola stopped, "I think it would take some time before Isander gets to us" she panted. Cassian looked at her, "Thank you for what you did back there" he panted as he slid down a tree.
Nola looked up at him, "But why did you do it? Save me?" he asked and she chuckled, "Save you? You think I saved you?" she put her hand behind her back, "Cassian, I did not save you...I simply stopped Isander from killing you..." her hand slipped into the sheath strapped to the back of her belt.
Cassian's eyes followed her movement, "...I had brought you out here...to kill you!" she brought out the dagger and threw it at him. He quickly fell on the ground and the dagger stabbed the tree's trunk.
Nola drew out her sword and was about to strike him but he blocked it with his sword and jumped up and pushed her back.
She chuckled, "I thought you said you were not going to hit me". He held his sword to her, "I also said that I was not going to let you kill me" "Because of that woman?" she tsked, "I have a baby on the way. I can not leave Zemira to take care of the child by herself...no responsible father does that".
"Do you love her so much?" Nola asked and Cassian sighed, "I do not think I can live without her". But he had been able to live without her. He had even fallen in love, took another wife and got her pregnant. Did she not mean anything to him?
"Very well then...I guess she will just have to live without you" Nola gripped her sword and charged towards Cassian who quickly blocked her strike.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Azrael was about to bring his sword down on Stern's other arm but Stern packed a handful of sand and threw it to Azrael's face.
Azrael staggered back, as he tried to remove the sand from his eyes. Stern sprang up and hit Azrael in his abdomen, with his shoulder, making Azrael's sword fall.
Stern picked it up and held it to Azrael's arm, "An arm for an arm!" he said and was about to bring it down on Azrael's arm, but Azrael kicked him and got back up on his feet.
He grabbed Stern's slim sword and they charged towards each other.
They passed each other and Stern smirked.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Nola kicked Cassian to a tree and was about to stab him but he hurled himself out of the way so she ended up stabbing the tree trunk. Before he could recover from the sudden hurl, her sword went for his face and before he could avert it, it slashed his cheek.
On impulse, Cassian gave Nola a kick in her abdomen and she staggered back. "Not going to hit me?" Nola sniggered, "Perhaps your love for her has made you go back on your promise" she ran to him and started striking everywhere around Cassian who was blocking her every strike as he moved back slowly.
This Nola in front of him was a maniac. She wanted blood...his blood. It seemed she did not care if she loved him or not.
She made a cut on Cassian's arm and for a split second, he flinched, but that was all the time Nola needed to sweep him off his feet.
Cassian fell but before he could get up, he saw Nola's blade coming at him in full force. He could not avert it, her blade was so close to his head, but then she stopped.
Her bluish-green eyes widened in horror and blood trickled down her mouth. "Nola?" Cassian asked as the memories of her dying before him the first time, flashed before his eyes.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Azrael bit his tongue as blood gushed out of his shoulder. Stern had given him a deep cut on his shoulder.
"What a weak body!" Stern cursed and threw Azrael's sword on the ground. His plan was to cut off Azrael's arm, but Stern's body had no arm strength to wield a heavy sword.
Azrael dropped to his knees while still biting his tongue to hold his pain. Stern smirked, "You are a better man than me, I shall give you that" he walked to Azrael who gave him a death glare.
Stern looked at his mouth and pressed his head down, making him bite on his tongue more, "I could make you mute by just pressing your teeth hard against your tongue" he whispered in Azrael's ear.
Azrael shook Stern's hand off his head. "How? You are just a weak man with an arm that does not even have strength" he smirked and head-butted Stern's nose.
Stern staggered back and Azrael used that opportunity to grab his sword. Stern quickly recovered from the headbutt and grabbed his own sword.
Azrael was about to strike Stern, but he blocked it with his sword. Azrael internally cursed and Stern smirked, "Clever trick there, but I have two bodies and one of them just happens to read minds. So there is no way you can..."
Stern looked down at his belly and saw a dagger pressed into his abdomen. Blood trickled down his mouth then Azrael drew out his dagger and pushed Stern to the ground.
"Your other body might be able to read minds, but..." Stern tried to stop the bleeding with his hand, but it was of no use. Azrael crouched down, "...this body talks too much, so you can hardly hear other people's thoughts".
Stern coughed out more blood, "You..." he tried to speak, but then his hand dropped down and he stopped moving. His green eyes flashed black before they became stone cold.
Azrael sat on the ground with a grunt and looked at his bleeding shoulder, then he tore a piece of his garment and covered his wound. He sighed and wondered if Isander would be weak since he had killed his subconscious secondary host.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Zemira picked her nails then she bit them. Was Cassian alright? Had Stern and Isander ganged up on him?
"I can not take it anymore!" she got up and the nurse assigned to her, looked at her, "My Lady, what do you mean? You should not stress yourself for the sake of your baby". "I have to meet Cassian!" Zemira took a cloak from the bed and draped it on herself.
"But my lady, the general told you to wait" "Waiting will not do anything!" Zemira said as she strapped a dagger to her waist. "My Lady..."
"Cassian made a promise to me..." Zemira looked at her nurse, "...that he would come back to me, else I would go to the battlefield to bring him home myself. There are two mad men on that field with my husband, his former wife is on the field with him...and I do not know if she will kill him or protect him because she works for the mad men who wants to kill my husband, and you expect me to wait here?" Zemira completed and the nurse opened her mouth to say something but Zemira shook her head, "I simply can not do that", then she was about running out of the tent, but a soldier came in and stood in front of her.
She eyed him, "Get out of my way!" she spat out and the soldier bowed, "I can not do that, my lady. The general told me to keep an eye on you".
Zemira sighed and took off her cloak and then her corset. "My Lady, what are you doing?" the nurse asked and the soldier looked away. Zemira then brought down her sleeve slightly and her shoulder was showing, she brushed her hair away from that shoulder and kept it on the other shoulder.
The soldier glanced at her shoulder and she smirked, "You looked" "What?" the soldier looked at her in shock and looked down. "You looked again" she laughed and looked at his hand, then she took it and he shuddered.
"My Lady, what are you doing?" he asked alarmed and she placed his hand on her shoulder, "If you do not let me out if this place, I will tell Cassian that you saw me naked and touched me" she smirked and the soldier gasped, "And you know what Cassian would do to you if he finds out you took advantage of his pregnant wife".
The soldier took his hand away from Zemira's shoulder and moved out if her way, with his head bent. She smiled and arranged her dress then she put on her cloak and headed out.
She jumped on a horse and rode out of the camp.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Blood trickled out of Nola's mouth as her bluish-green eyes widened in horror. "Nola?" Cassian called and looked down at her abdomen. A metal stake had been passed through her. Blood oozed out of her wound, staining Cassian's garment.
"Nola?" he called again, tears in his eyes. Suddenly, someone lifted up Nola and Cassian glared at the person, Isander.
Isander stabbed the stake more into Nola's abdomen and she spat out blood on Cassian. He removed the stake from her and threw her away on the ground.
Cassian was frozen as he watched Nola fall to the ground beside him. She had died in front of him the second time. Isander chuckled, "This feels oddly familiar" he looked at Cassian who had tears in his eyes, "Bastard!" he cursed and gripped his sword then he sprang up.
His sword went for Isander's neck but Isander saw it and easily blocked it with a metal stake. "That was a very bad and clear move, brother" Isander smirked, "I guess you still loved her, if her second death is making you act so predictable" he stifled a laugh.
Cassian pushed him back and charged towards his abdomen but Isander blocked it, "So predictable" he smirked then Cassian tried striking his shoulder but Isander caught his sword and kicked him to the ground.
"Hmmm..." he stroked his beard as he walked towards Cassian, "I guess now you will think about your wife and get all fired up" he laughed, "And then you will run towards me, create a diversion so I could look the other way and that would give you enough time to charge towards me and aim for my head...from the back, but you will first come for my abdomen, is that not so...brother?" Isander leaned down to Cassian who was the ground.
Cassian gripped his sword tightly as the tears in his eyes threatened to spill out. He could not die here...he had a pregnant wife waiting for him. He may have lost his first love, but he was not going to make the other woman he loved raise their child, alone.
Isander's eyes fell down to Cassian's clenched fists, and he smirked, "Thinking about your wife, are we?" he asked and Cassian glared at him, "Do not worry, I do not plan on harming her or the child in her womb. She has an ample bossom and I find women who have lovely breasts very attractive. I shall make you watch us get married after I have defeated you and then I will erase all your memories and make you raise your child without your knowledge."
Isander looked at Nola's body on the ground, "I never had plans to marry Nola. She was small..." he said then he looked back at Cassian, "...but she tasted divine" he licked his lips and Cassian lost it.
He sprang up with his sword in his hand aiming for Isander's abdomen. Isander smirked as he saw Cassian's sword reaching towards his abdomen, suddenly, Cassian switched his sword to his other hand and punched Isander in the gut. Hard.
Before Isander could recover from the pain, Cassian swept him off his feet then he held his sword to his temple, "I am a soldier...brother, I do not attack from the back...like the coward you are" Cassian seethed and Isander laughed, "Brother, I never attacked from behind..." "Of course...you hid behind a woman, you coward!"
"Nola was..." Isander turned his head to look at where Nola's body was, but she wasn't there. "Nola? Where did she go?" he asked and Cassian laughed, "Brother, we have grown up. I am not going to fall for that old trick" "I never liked that trick anyways and all who fell for it were as dumb as a rock. But I am serious brother, Nola is gone!"
Cassian looked back to where Nola's body had laid but she was no longer there, "Nola?" Cassian breathed and Isander jumped on his back and covered his eyes, "Oh brother, you are as dumb as they come" Isander laughed as Cassian struggled to shake him off his back but Isander was not budging.
"Get off me!" Cassian yelled and tripped on a rock then they tumbled down a cliff.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Soteria looked at Cato as he mixed the antidote for Sorin. Cato glanced at Soteria with a mean look in his eyes. Soteria cocked his head, "Are you mixing poison for my son?" he asked and Cato looked at him, "I would never, your majesty" he gave a fake smile and went back to his job.
"Well, you are still going to drink that antidote and we shall see if you die or not" "But your majesty..." "And if you die, so be it...I shall just force Isander to make it. If you do not die, then you will make another antidote...because you will drink that entire bottle..." Soteria said as he stroked a bottle containing a purple liquid, "...good thing I remember all the ingredients you used to make that antidote" he smirked.
Cato held up the antidote to Soteria, "I am finished with the antidote" "Good, now drink it" Soteria ordered and Cato gulped it down. "Hmm...guess it was not poisonous" Soteria said as he rested his hip on the table, "Make another" he said and Cato started mixing another antidote.
"Tell me about yourself, Cato" Soteria said and Cato looked at him, "Well, I am nothing but a lowly scientist who---" "No, I mean, tell me why you are helping Isander. He was the only child who had survived the tragedy and he had killed all the scientists, so why had you not killed him and had your revenge?"
"Well, Isander is no longer a normal human, he posseses the power of the mind. I can not simply kill him if I wanted to...also, he was the one who had kept me alive" Cato said as he poured a bit of purple liquid into the beaker.
"Why had he kept you alive?" Soteria asked and Cato sighed, "He was in love...with one of the girls, Andra. She was the reason he had killed everyone that day. We shocked the children's brains everyday to awaken more than ten percent of the brain...some could handle it, some could not. Andra could not, so she died. Isander was heartbroken and then destroyed and killed everyone. I was lucky and he had seen me and almost killed me but I promised that I could bring Andra back to life and I could make the both of them the first immortal beings"
"But were the children you captured not meant to be the batteries for the immortal experiment?" Soteria asked and Cato nodded, "Yes, so we started bringing dead people to life to see if we could make them the batteries. That was the original plan, but Isander got sidetracked and decided to have revenge on his parents for abandoning him and only looking at Cassian, so he used the dead people as soldiers. Nola had potential to be a battery...but Isander wanted to use to destroy Cassian" Cato completed his story.
Soteria sighed, "So, all of this..." he gestured to everything, "...is all for a girl who will not be as grown as Isander?" he asked and Cato chuckled, "Love is a crazy thing. Would you not do even crazier things if the queen was concerned?" he smiled and Soteria smiled, "I would even burn countries if I have to".
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Zemira rode through the woods then she saw someone staggering towards her. "Cassian?" she kicked the horse and it galloped faster, then she got down and ran to the person.
"Nola?" she asked and the woman almost fell but Zemira caught her and gently laid her on the grass. "Nola! You are bleeding!" Zemira gasped as she looked at Nola's bloody belly.
Nola chuckled painfully, "I thought you would be happy that I am in pain...but you are panicking" "Believe me, I wish you harm...but you dying would make Cassian sad. I can not allow that" she said as she removed her cloak and pressed it on Nola's wound.
Nola winced and coughed out blood, "I guess Cassian would be sad afterall" "Just shut up! Can you move? I can not carry you onto the horse" Zemira said as she applied pressure to the wound.
"Zemira, I can not feel my legs...I had only managed to move because I did not want Cassian to see me die before him the second time" "Well, manage to move again so I can at least support you to the horse!" Zemira said and helped Nola up.
Nola wobbled and fell but Zemira tried to catch her, so they fell together. "Nola?" Zemira looked at her and Nola held her hands, "When Cassian gets sad over my death, comfort him" "Nola, you are not going to---" "Just let me finish. There is no time" she coughed.
"When I die, burn my body" "What?! I am not going to cremate you!" "You have to! Else Isander will bring me back to life and use me against Cassian. I allowed that before because I was blinded by rage and vengeance...but not anymore. I know Cassian will never forget me, he has my ring around his neck...he loves me...and I love him which is why I am entrusting him to you. I know you love Cassian with your life and he loves you too" tears spilled out of Nola's eyes and she sniffled.
She placed her hand on Zemira's swollen belly and smiled, "He loves you and your baby. Take care of them both" she said then her hand fell off Zemira's belly and she became stone cold.
Zemira shook her, "Nola! Nola!" but Nola did not budge, her bluish-green eyes remained lifeless and her body...cold.
Tears fell from Zemira's eyes and she wondered why. This was the same woman she had to beat to win her husband over, this was the same woman who had tried to kill her several times, this was the same woman who had despised her and she had despised her too...so why was she crying?
Was it because of her pregnancy hormones? Or was it because she finally understood Nola?
Zemira hugged Nola's corpse and cried, then she laid Nola down on the ground and covered her with her cloak. She looked around for stones which she would use to start a fire...
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Zemira stood at a reasonable distance watching the fire consume Nola's entire body, smoke emanating from the cremating corpse.
She put her hands together and said a short prayer for Nola's soul to find peace, then she turned and went on her way to find Cassian.