The Bloody Masquerade

Rain fell hard from the sky in a thick curtain that blurred the marble walls and pillars that surrounded me. My hair was sticking to my face and was now turned black from water.

We had been at it for a couple of hours now. My grip tightened on the hilt of my witch-blade, so hard it turned my already pale knuckles to a ghostly white. A few cuts littered my arms and blood leaked from the nick beneath my eye. Ilda was fast, very fast. She was like a shadow in the thick rain that darted over the dark black stone, taking swipes and shots when she could.

My defences were at their best and my senses were throbbing. Hesitantly I glanced at the sky. The sun was coming. I was running out of time.

I raised my sword sharply and caught the blade of Ilda’s as she dropped from the pillar above. I pulled my arms back, catapulting her back. As she landed hard a few feet from me, I pulled out my gun and let out a round of bullets. She darted away, deflecting what bullets that drew too close and caused them to wail away into the darkness. Surging forward she took a swipe at my neck, missing my skin by inches. Letting curve away, Ilda whirled around and rammed the sword into the flat of mine as she tried to hack at my neck. Keeping my gun pressed against my blade to bolster my defence, I twisted it so the barrel stared at Ilda’s wrinkled forehead. Her eyes glowed in realisation and roughly pulled her head back and swerved her body as my gun roared savagely. Before the gun was even ready to let another bullet lose again, Ilda had slithered away into the stone maze and rain.

I grit my teeth and followed her almost invisible scent. I bounded after her, shoving my gun back into its holster, and leapt onto the thick sloping wall. Up the curve I ran, squinting through the heavy droplets that bombarded my face. I stopped at the other end of the length of wall, peering around at my surroundings from the raised peeked. All I could see were the lower walls that slunk close to the floor of the Training Grounds and the higher pillars that reached high into the sky. There wasn’t much to see although what surrounded the Grounds was a little unnerving. In the stalls stood hundreds of white and colourful marks stared at the ongoing battle, watching with an unwavering and emotionless gaze at the two witches who fought each other to death.

I watched the writhing mass of clouds above me. So far no sign of the sun could be seen but it wouldn’t be long now. I had to find a way to destroy Ethelinda before too long but I also couldn’t drag out this fight much longer. Soon the sun would render me paralysed and at Ilda’s mercy. I would die. My family would die. But if I killed Ilda’s body, Ethelinda would just take over Alexis and force me to fight him. I didn’t want that to happen.

I fell to my knees as a shot rang out into the cold night and the sound of an invisible bullet whizzed over my head. With gun and sword drawn, I stared down at the elderly woman pointing one of her two pistols in my direction.

“You are not going about this with as much enthusiasm as I thought you would.” Ilda said in an amused tone. “Are you still trying to work out how to stop me from possessing your mate? Because you can’t keep this up forever.”

“I will if I must.” I growled.

I raised my gun sharply and pulled the trigger once. Ilda mirrored me perfectly and our bullets collided with each other, causing a miniature explosion of blue light and strong wind that blew over my face. Holstering my gun, I pushed myself off from my perch and dropped down on Ilda, filling my blade to the brim with what little Matter I had. She hopped back, letting my sword bite the stone savagely, and raised her own to bring down on my neck. Smoothly I whipped my sword up to meet hers and held her steady.

“You’re going to have to kill me soon, Augusta, before I kill you.” She said bluntly.

I smiled coldly at her and shoved hard, causing her to stumble backwards, and swung my blade at her arm, letting out a burst of Matter that arced at her. It caught the suit, cutting through the material easily which alarmed Ilda. She just had time to deflect my next attack as my foot surged for her stomach in an attempt to knock her from the thin pedestal. She caught me and flung my foot back while her hand grasped her falling sword and tried to ram it into my chest. The blade only pierced the air and I wrenched my body out of the way and my hand grasped her wrist, guiding the sword away from me. Still holding her wrist firmly, I whirled around and raised my leg, bringing my foot down on the back of her head. It struck her hard, making her cry out in pain, and forced her to her knees. Taking advantage of her vulnerability, I grasped her hair and held her still while my blade pressed against her neck.

“How do I destroy you? Tell me!” I snapped.

Ilda laughed gently. “You cannot threaten me and you cannot make me tell you what you need to know. I won’t make this fight easy for you.”

Her fingers shot out and grasped my arm, forcing my sword back slightly so she could wriggle round and point her gun at me. I had no time to dart away and the bullet struck my shoulder, ploughing itself into my skin deeply in a spurt of blood. I stumbled back, holding the wound, while Ilda danced away from me.

“If you won’t kill me, I will have to change the rules.” She said blandly. “Kill me soon.” She smiled and darted away, heading straight towards Alexis.

I snarled savagely, feeling my fangs shiver from rage, and surged after her. I ran across the sloping walls and bounded off the slim pillars as I raced Ilda to Alexis. I wasn’t going to let her kill him. Not while I still breathed. I skidded across the stone floor, spraying rain water in my wake, and watched as Ilda bore down on Alexis, sword ready to impale him. My eyes latched onto his face. He was simply watching Ilda with a grim expression, one of pride and defiance. He wasn’t scared of death. I was though. Terror filled me to the core as I watched Ilda close in on him. I was petrified of losing him. I didn’t think. I just acted.

I raised my pistol and filled the clip with every inch of Matter I could. Aiming rapidly, I fired six shots and watched with narrowed eyes as Ilda’s body shuddered from every hit. She slowed to a walk then stood limply in the rain, staring at the enraged sky above us. Slowly she turned to face me, smiling with triumph, as her sword fell from her fingers and her knees buckled beneath her.

Regret filled me. I wasn’t supposed to kill her yet. I watched nervously, gun still pointed at Ilda’s body as death took hold, and took small steps forward. Her body stilled. For a moment I wondered what had happened. There was nothing abnormal about Ilda’s corpse. That was until a strange blue smog began to seep out of her skin.

I took a step back and watched in alarm. I had never seen anything like this before. Ethelinda’s Matter was slipping out of Ilda’s body and forming into a thin cloud above her corpse. It swirled absentmindedly at first, just growing in size, but before too long the Matter had gathered and began to swerve away. I simply raised my gun and let out a round of bullets. The Matter swirled as the bullets hit it but didn’t destroy it and continued to lazily make its way towards Alexis.

I holstered my gun as panic filled me and unsheathed my sword. I flung myself into a run, readying my blade, as I darted towards the Matter of Ethelinda that floated ever close to Alexis. My heels clicked loudly against the wet floor and in a wild attempt I swiped my sword at air, sending out a slither of Matter. I snarled to myself when Ethelinda’s Matter only parted for a moment before it gathered itself back together.

I charged past the Matter and stopped in front of Alexis, sword drawn and teeth bared. The swirling mass slowed but did not stop. It was almost taunting me now as it edged closer.

“I won’t let you have him.” I snapped, letting my blade hum with Matter in warning.

The Matter didn’t say anything, only hovered in a calculating manner. I scowled and shifted my weight, watching the mist carefully. I wouldn’t let her have him. She could have me, dead or alive, I didn’t care which, but not him. No one could.

It reacted rapidly and without much warning. Suddenly, as a soft cackle rasped at the air, the mist surged forward towards me. I raised my sword, letting out a burst of my own Matter that ripped at the stone, but the mist simply passed through it and latched onto me.

With an ice cold grip, the Matter began to seep into my skin. High pitched screams racked through my mind and a horrible ripping sensation tore at my body. I couldn’t keep my consciousness for very long as the foreign Matter forced its way into my body and forced a dark veil over my eyes, plunging me into a deep coma, blocking out the infuriated roars of Alexis and triumphant laughter of Ethelinda.