Fire & Flood

Chapter 25

Emily sprinted away from Sam and Laura. She ran as fast as she could trying hard not to trip over herself. Snow and mud under her feet made it difficult for her to keep a steady pace as she tried to put distance between herself and the dryads.

Emily heard as giant paws thundered behind her. She dared not to look back but it was too late as the creature overtook her.

Going somewhere, my love? Emily heard Sam purr inside her head as he flanked her and started to run parallel to her. Emily realized that he was herding her towards the center of the grove - towards the tree.

Laura was already there. Morgan as a wolf and Laura as a mountain lion circled each other with their snarls echoing across the grove.

Emily tried to lose Sam, but she could not outrun him and even if she could, she realized that the grove itself was pushing her towards the middle - the tree at the centre and Sylvos' altar. She felt suddenly closed in. Her heart pounding and her legs feeling weak as she slowed her pace.

That's my girl, murmured Sam. It's useless to fight - it's over.

In the middle of the grove, Laura pinned Morgan. Her mountain lion form strong and agile towering over Morgan's wolf. He snarled and tried to bite at her paws holding him in place, but it was useless. Laura gave a loud snarl, teeth mere inches away from Morgan's face as if forcing him to stay quiet. Morgan whimpered and phased back into his human form.

Emily felt a hand on the small of her back guiding her towards the tree. She looked to see Sam as a human walking beside her. A sneer stretched across his beautiful face and his expression was wild.

"Looks like the dog gave up the fight as well," he said with disdain in his tone. Emily could swear that she saw Laura's mountain lion smile, making a row of sharp teeth visible - a triumph and a threat.

"Why are you doing this?" Asked Emily, tears shining in her eyes.

Sam paused and looked into her eyes, he attempted to wipe her tears with his hand, but she jerked her head away from him. He frowned.

"I am doing it for you, for us. I want to be together with you forever, don't you?" He asked and Emily heard sincerity and pain in his voice. "I love you," he said stroking a loose strand of her hair. "Don't you want to be with me too?"

"No! Not like this," said Emily forcefully. "You betrayed me...us!"

"The unfortunate truth, dear," Sam continued. "Is that humans don't live forever. Morgan has to die to give you his power so that you and I can have a future together. Eternal life with me, doesn't that sound nice?"

"You are pathetic!" Morgan said while struggling for breath as Laura pressed her powerful paws into his throat.

No one asked you, hissed Laura. Be a good little sacrifice and shut up!

Morgan pushed against her, but the shear weight of Laura as a lion was too heavy for his human form.

"You dryads are all the same," he said quietly. "You think that somehow you are entitled to us. We don't belong to you or your useless god!" He shouted into Laura's face who growled in response and sank her teeth into his shoulder.

Be silent or be eaten! She hissed her muzzle now bloody and dripping.

"Don't touch him!" Screamed Emily and made an attempt to run towards Morgan and Laura, but Sam held her wrist so that she could not get away.

"Even after all of it, you'd still go to him?" Asked Sam; his tone pained yet cold.

"You've done nothing for me other than manipulate and hurt me!" Emily said forcefully. "You have no claim on me!"

"So be it," said Sam and pushed her to the ground. "Morgan will die and you will become the new druid. You will possess his powers for eternity and I will be your dryad. I will make you love me." Sam hissed his face inches away from Emily's. "You are mine," he said coldly, possessively, with a touch of manic energy colouring his tone. 

Come on, Sam. Let's finish playing with the humans, urged Laura. She phased back into her dryad form, her foot pressed against Morgan's throat. She pulled out a silver dagger, the same one Morgan plunged into one of the eyes on the tree, and pressed it towards Morgan's chest.

"Now this will hurt a lot, Morgan darling," she said looking into Morgan's eyes and sneering. Morgan looked straight at her - unwavering.

"Leave him alone!" Screamed Emily and pushed Sam away. She ran towards Morgan and Laura, her feet struggling to find steady footing through the mud and snow. Emily's heart pounded so loud that it drowned out all other sounds. She could see Laura's mouth moving and feel Sam lunging for her, but everything seemed like it was in slow motion. Emilys's eyes were focused on Morgan - on his face, his raven black hair, his expression of both fear and resolve.

Live, she heard his voice echo in her mind as Laura's dagger plunged into his chest. Dark red blood spilled across Morgan's clothing and onto the snow. Laura's expression was manic, a wide grin decorated her face. Emily saw as the light in Morgan's eyes faded, his gaze became blank and vacant.

Emily heard herself scream, but it was as if she was floating and looking down at the scene below her. Her face held shock, horror, and profound sadness as her lips parted in a scream of raw grief. Sam kneeled beside her, restraining her in place before she could get any closer to Laura. Morgan was near the tree, his blood soaking the roots around him - blood so much blood. Laura stood above him, staring at Morgan's lifeless body and the dagger still embedded in his chest.

Power, Emily could feel power surging through her. It started at her fingertips - a tingle and then a burn. It felt like her entire body was on fire. Sam must have felt it too because he let go of her arm and backed away.

And so, Emily burned. She felt herself becoming something - not a druid, but something else. An entity of pure rage, grief, and power. She saw flame engulfing her body and radiating out. She was surrounded by it as she moved towards the tree. As she passed Morgan she was able to will herself not to burn him. He looked so still. His face was peaceful, but his dark eyes lacked any life. And yet, she felt a pull. He wasn't fully gone. He was still here, just out of reach. Not now, Emily pushed these thoughts aside. She had to deal with the dryads. So, she saw to it that as she touched the tree it immediately was engulfed in a scorching blue flame. The faces in the bark screamed in horror as their features melted.

Then she saw it, a familiar face in the bark.

"Lexie," she breathed out the name and tears streamed down her face. How long has she been here? Her beautiful, silly, quick to love friend. How did she get here? Which one of these dryads tricked her? Killed her?

Rage, pure rage fueled by pain radiated from Emily's body. She felt herself become a phoenix - a creature of pure flame.

The dryads scrambled around her. Both Sam and Laura sending a wave after wave of water towards the tree in an attempt to put out the fire, but the flame was so hot that it just turned the water into steam before it could even touch the tree. Laura and Sam pushed further, unleashing a flood onto the grove. Water rose from the ground in an attempt to quench the flames. Two powers collided - fire and flood - as Emily heard a loud CRACK! She saw as the tree split in half and heard both Sam and Laura scream in agony.