Forbidden: Leadership

Chapter 59

-VALERIE'S P.O.V-
  
     She sighs. Once again weariness taking her. She asked and I gave.
"You sure you can't stay?"
"I'll be back before you know it."
"I don't want you to leave. You're so warm."
"I believe you're quoting me now."
"Yes but it's true."
     I help her dress slightly. Long t-shirt and panties. She doesn't fuss but sighs.
     I bring in the sleeping Dakota. "Rest with momma, okay?"
     She rubs her eyes and nods. The moment I lay her down, she clings onto Ninfa. The smile she has as she nuzzles close to Ninfa is one I'm thankful for.
    I finish getting ready. Ninfa tries to stay awake but I can tell she's slipping. I hadn't even gone far as I usually do.
    I lean down and kiss her cheek. "I'll be home soon, love."
"Be careful."
"I will be."
     I lean down and kiss her forehead. "I love you."
"I love you too."
"Mommy?"
"I love you, Dakota. I've got to work for a little today."
"I love you too mommy." She says with a smile. Her purple eyes are so sleepy but make me smile to just see them.
"I'll be back soon. Cuddle with momma, okay?"
    To my request she nuzzles closer. I take my leave. Fairies are my favorite little fuckers to work with.
"Hello, queen."
"Hello, Valerie. How is Ninfa?"
     Never ask me how I'm doing. That's fine. That's fine.
"Sleeping and cuddling with our daughter."
     A bunch of the fairies say awe together and it's almost annoying. I say almost because now I've gotten use to it. And I could never deny how adorable my loves are.
"You and I are to go on this trip alone." She waves off her guards and I do the same with the guards whom followed me the moment I set foot work.
    With so much cringe, she holds her hand out for me. I take gently to be polite. She teleport away from the school.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Our hallow is dying. And if it does, we parish with it."
"Where?"
     I'm taken to a tree that is in the center of their island. It's beautiful with a shining green glow. Fireflies all over and the colorful grass. It's beautiful here.
"What can I do to help?"
"I don't have enough magic of my own to find the source of its decay."
"Alright. Tell me what I need to do to help you."
    She offered to take my hand again and I allow.
"I can tell you care which is why I asked you. Not because you owe us."
"You've become friends. I would have helped if you just asked."
"Yet you do not owe us. I do see good within you. I see a lot more light than there is capable of dark."
"What do you mean by capable?"
"I do not think that you are evil."
"Ah. You and an army of.. well.. my wife."
"The angle has good taste. Good eye to catch a light creature in a dark place."
     I can't tell but I think she's flirting. My question is why. Just why?
"She's an angel, indeed."
"You carry yourself around as if you believe your title is who you are. I believe not. I've followed in the war the monsters brought, hope for better days. In all the time of dark and light, I see only light in a creature of the dark."
"Thanks?"
"The tree didn't start it's downfall until a few weeks pass."
"And you thought it was me."
"Y..Yes. I had assumed so."
     And now I get the 'assume' thing. 'Let's make an ass out of u and me.'
"And why is that?"
"We had no idea who you were at the time. Just knee who you came from. As with Dakota. A fear we held and is now proven differently."
     She stops in front of a dark patch. No color in the grass as there is the other grasslands. The darkness goes up the white bark of the tree, spreading slowly.
"There's something evil on this land. Something causing this. If it isn't you than I don't know who."
    I don't know why but my mind goes to our baby. Too small to hold evil. Too small to do this. I'm relieved to know it's not the baby or I's magic because I don't want to think that any of our children could be dark.
"So what is there to do?"
"Allow me to channel your power so I can heal and prevent the tree from damage as such again. You have to trust me. I have to trust you."
"Sure? I guess."
     I allow her to channel our power. Sparks comes from her fingertips as she aims for the tree. Slowly, I feel a small drain. Such an odd feeling to have a limit?
     Something about this doesn't seem right. The tree is going back to its original state but something else is feeding off me.
    I wrap my arms around the queen quickly and teleport home. Before vanishing fully, I feel heated pain on my back. A moment more and the queen would have died.
"Why the hell did you do that?" She yells.
"Val?"
"Mommy?"
     I look up the stairs and see Ninfa. I let go of the fairy. The fairy backs away from me.
"There was something else there, queen. It was trying to kill you and take my power." I turn back to the fairy.
"A trap?"
     I stop time to hide myself more from Ninfa. I know if she sees me, if Dakota sees, I know she will try to heal.
"Did you get hurt?"
"Yeah. It's healing though." I'm not lying but at the same time, I am.
"Let me.."
"No, love. You must not. I will be alright."
     I resume time and return to the fairies conversation.
"I don't know what it is. Something threw some sort of spell on my back before I had gotten here. I bodyblocked whatever it was."
    I avoid Ninfa's eyes because I now know she's caught my full truth. I also know she wants to heal me but I will not allow while she's with child. I can admit, whatever hit my back hurts and hasn't healed properly.
"Are you alright?" The queen asks.
"Y..Yeah. I'm fine." I lie to her so I do not have to lie to Ninfa.
"What is there I can do? If I can not fix the hallow before the darkness spreads, we die."
"I will have to do it on my own."
"And of that creature?"
     I don't know how to answer. I'm just unsure. It's dark, I can feel it. But it's stronger than any dark I've seen. But not the strongest I've faced.
"I have to do this on my own."
"You can't, Val."
"I have no choice. I have no other choice. If I don't do this, they die. I won't be able to handle that loss."
"You can't do it alone either. I felt it when I held your hand. You can't go in a battle wounded and with child."
    The way the queen words things make me cringe but I hold it back. She could have said anything but that. Anything that doesn't sound like it deserves jealousy or whatever.
"I'm healing on my own. Yes, with child but I have no other choice."
"Mommy don't go."
    I lean down and kiss Dakota's forehead. "For a little while, babygirl."
"Your mother is nothing but a light hero, Dakota. I have faith in her." The queen speaks to Dakota.
"Don't go alone." Dakota seems to warn me. Something off in her eyes.
"I won't be alone."
    She wraps her arms around me and I feel whole. She's healed me...
"Dakota.."
"Safe."
"I know, babygirl. I know. With you, I'm safe."
    She releases me after a moment of silence. I sigh and kiss my loves for a last time before heading out to this mission. Such a ridiculous reason.
    I take the fairy back to the school. Her kind keep her in sights and I keep the guards on her too. Teleporting back to their island and tree.
    I use what magic I can to reverse the darkness on the white living oak. It doesn't really take me but seconds to complete. I feel like I'm being watched.
"Come out and face me, traitor."
"I am no traitor. God is the traitor." A man comes from the bushes.
    He's literally a replica of God. Only difference is he's dark. Much darker compared to the light of God.
"Why do you attack these lands?"
"Why does a demon who's also Satan protect creatures of the light?"
"Because I'm not dark. I stand to make a difference. You have no belonging here."
   A light flashes before me. A light I know a little bit of.
"This is my fight not hers."
"Yet you're weak."
"Not anymore."
"Use the girl for leverage? I go back to my cage and she forces her power? What silly games, God."
     I watch them bicker for a moment. Until God turns to me. I stop time except for him and I. Or I try to. The darker God is in slow motion through my time magic.
"It's my end. I thank you for saving me from the empty but I am to tell you that it was for one reason."
"Why?"
"I give you my power. My light. My grace. You will be ruler of all realms, if you wish. Neither could win this fight alone so I have to give myself to you."
"You're not even going to try?"
"No. I know that there is no point. I will fly free of this place and leave you with all of my gift, strength and all."
"Why can't you do this with me and not merge?"
    His fingertips press to my temples. I feel strong power run through my veins. Light power, it's beauty consumes me.
    He pulls away from me, a mortal man with no more light. I feel all of it. I feel his power. I feel the way it tingles beneath my skin. I feel so much power on top of the power I have already.
"Thank you." He smiles to me. "Learn to create, Valerie and it can take you places."
    He takes flight and fades. Fades into nothingness. It's as if he had crossed into a place where even he could find peace.
    I resume time. The dark God runs to me. I pull out Sekia and pierce his heart.
    There is no effect to my movements. No pain he's taking, or maybe just not showing. I add power to Sekia and he begins to cry out.
"You're unfit for your title. You don't deserve that crown."
"I don't deserve it because I don't want it. Other than that, I don't give a shit what you think."
    He stands, the sword still in his chest. Almost as if it has no effect at all, though I see discomfort. I add more power to the blade and he yells out again.
    I can see the pain and ready to give in to death within his eyes. I effortlessly add more power to Sekia. The glow of her blade is almost blinding.
    His yells please me. His cries of pain only makes this pleasurable. I am enjoying this a little too much and I can blame the power that is rushing inside me.
    He steps forward and I step back. He keeps walking closer and I'm pinned to the tree. Sekia still in his chest and all the way through as he gets close.
"I will not give you the pleasure of my kill." He says with blood running from his mouth. "But in my departure, I'm going to take something rather special to you."
    His cocky grin looks like Lucifer's. His actions are similar. But his words to not cause me fear.
    I twist Sekia in his skin and it makes him cry out in pain again. He's growing more and more pale. His death is near and I add power.
    He laughs after a moment. He punches his hand into my stomach. My heart races fast as he reaches. I hold my stance and ignore the pain adding as I struggle to get free.
    Adding more and more power to the sword, I'm pinned and can't move but can add more power to kill. He just won't die. His hand seems to dig and dig inside me, making me cringe to the pain but to the creepiness of the fashion. I can't move and my struggles aren't making any difference.
     His pulls out a piece of me. He tears our an organ and slips himself off the sword. Bursting into flames along with... with.. w..with..
     He grins before turning into ash. For the first time in all my years, I pray. I pray to every Goddamned angel that that..that.. wasn't..
     I listen. Listen for it. Listen... but... But only hear.. A high pitch ring. No little heartbeats.
    I lost our child because I wasn't strong enough... I couldn't push him off of me. No matter how much I struggled..
     I fall to the ground. Tears take over and I.. I think I'm screaming. I feel like I'm dying with our child that I just... I just lost.
     I could have done more. I should have done more. The moment won't stop playing in my head.
    If I could have shoved him off but he was too strong. If.. But I couldn't. I.. am.. useless..
    I'm useless. It took him 5 seconds to punch, dig and take. It hurts more than any pain I've ever felt.
    Yet I feel my body growing that piece of me back, it won't hold what's dear. It won't hold our child. It won't hold the tiny heartbeats.
    No.. no baby.. no.. nothing.