The Winter Born [COMPLETED]

Chapter 38 - Broken

I feel every inch of the blade embedding into my shoulder muscle, feel every drop of warm blood gushing from the new wound. A scream escapes through my gritted teeth. Searing pain spreads through my body, the dagger cutting through more flesh when I flinch.

A psychotic smile spreads on Laila's face when she watches the blood fall onto the white snow. Her own arm is bleeding from the cut I made but it doesn't stop her from bringing her fist on my jaw. Laila's aim is sloppy, but it hurts all the same and my cheek presses itself against the snow.

"Oh, Cathellyn," she whispers, pressing the dagger a little deeper and I can almost see white. "It hurts, doesn't it?" Her perfume scent is overwhelmingly strong and her violet eyes are wide and gleaming, watching me bleed. "Do you want me to stop?" She teased.

"Fucking bitch!" I scream. It's the only thing on my mind other than pain and anger. She killed them, the Outlanders, Valarians. She killed Mother and now she is going to kill me.

Laila clicks her tongue. "I don't think that's a tone use against your sister," she says, licking her lips. The snow is still falling gently.

Sister, how wrong I was. I close my eyes, trying to let the pain pass, wanting this all to be a twisted nightmare. We are bonded by blood, but she cares none of that-- not when she already killed Mother.

Helplessness consumes me, a blinding sense of guilt and shame creeping into my mind at the thought of Mother. My eyes see the trees, the snow, the sky night that is now dancing beautifully with the Northen Lights-- green and blue curtains of light rising and bending like the waves, but my mind only knows a cold pain and hate and death, and there's nothing I can do to make it go away.

I failed them all, I thought. I betrayed Ethan, and I can't even be smart enough to see through Laila's plan. I'm stupid. I failed. "Why are you doing this?" I ask, voice hoarse, barely a whisper. The gash is still bleeding and burning.

Laila giggles delightfully, a sick sound in my ears. "If you can see the beauty of blood the right way-- as I do, you would understand. Oh, you don't understand one bit of the art, not even a speck and never will," her smile is wide, showing a set of clean white teeth and locks of brown sways with the wind on the sides of her pale face. "All of you don't understand."

I groan at the sharp pain on my shoulder. "You killed Mother too."

She tucks her hair behind her ears and her eyes shine with the promise of death. "Don't worry, sister," she says mockingly. "You'll get to see her soon."

This is it. I accepted death long ago, that it will come to is sooner or later. But not like this, never like this. Death in Laila's hand. Sister only in words, a murderer in reality. Laila's own blood drips down, and our blood mixes together on the snow.

Her blood runs through my veins, I told Naerys once. Now I know the only similarity of our blood is the color of crimson, nothing more.

The taste of copper fills my mouth when I bite on my tongue to prevent any wails coming out. I cannot be afraid. I will not give in to Laila's desires. She can go to hell.

My spear is only a few inches away from my fingers, but I can't reach it with her pinning me down.

"You're a coward, Laila," I say, forcing a smile at her. "You don't want me to fight you. You're afraid you'll lose."

She only returns the smile. "Say what you want, I'll be the one alive after this." My blood turns cold and all my muscle stiffens when she pulls out another dagger from her waist. She raises it high, the dagger gleaming with the Northen Lights. "Good night," she whispers to me, smiling and showing a perfect set of white teeth. They look like fangs.