The Stone Sorceress

Chapter 20-21

Chapter 20

Astraea was lying prostrate in the sand when she felt the air around her move. The sound of a pistol being cocked sounded close to her ear. "It's me," she said with as much rancour as she could muster.

"Can't you do something about the light?" Sabriel said.

The passageway the two were contained within was narrow, and completely dark. Astraea conjured a tiny dragon, whose fiery constitution illuminated the corridor.

Sabriel said, "We're not alone, something is in here with us."

Astraea turned on her heels, and advanced down the passageway, her hands poised. With pistols drawn Sabriel walked a little behind, while the feisty dragon breathed a miniature fireball, detonated a quiet roar, and flew on.

The pair of ladies, who, it must be said, bore little affection for one another, didn't walk for long before arriving at a rectangular dungeon. The ceiling was low, the floor was covered in a thick layer of sand, and on all sides of the room, were those same gilt edge mirrors from the bedroom.

Astraea had walked upon the right flank, again close to the mirrors, and, as in the rococo boudoir, she thought she saw something move in them, but when she looked closer, whatever it was, had vanished. She glanced across at Sabriel, who was busy surveying skeletons in the sand when the silhouette of a mutilated mermaid emerged from out the darkness. Its tail undulated in the sand. The creature was half woman, half snake. The upper body was nude save for a magnificent breastplate. Centuries of decay had left her skin pale; tears of blood poured out of empty sockets.

Sabriel said, half turning from the horror, "My God, you don't think it's?"

Astraea had advanced, "Yes, Tiberius's daughter, Kafka's wife."

"He turned his wife into this - Why?"

"He couldn't bear to lose the stone, perhaps his wife was the only one he trusted to help protect it."

The queen turned her empty sockets to each voice as it spoke.

"The things we do for love," Astraea paused as she began to reflect on what she'd just said.

Wept blood splashed onto the sand. Sabriel went off half-cocked, burnt her cheeks, and would have been skewered had not Astraea warned her of the incoming projectiles. The tip of one missile danced across Sabriel's skin, and she let out a cry. Astraea quickly unleashed a furious assault to cover Sabriel, who had become exposed. The creature retreated, screaming in the shadows.

Back to back, the two seraphic women stood while a demon was out for their blood. Astraea looked for the queen. It was then she espied again that same movement in the mirror's veneer. The viscous queen sprang forward, clutching at Sabriel, but Astraea had whipped out a blade from her belt, and slashed at it.

Astraea had become fed up of the queen's hit and run tactics, and decided that she would leave the demonic-queen with no ground to go to. She doubled over, placed her arms across her chest, then all at once expanded out, arching her back while thrusting her arms high above her head. The sonic boom shattered every last mirror, shards of which flew in all directions; but alas there were those that congealed in the air, Tiberius's daughter was reformed. She seized Sabriel, smothering her upon the floor. With the boa wrapped tightly around her torso, the gunslinger could hardly breathe. Wide eyed she looked up at fangs that dripped with venom. Instantly Astraea was upon the serpent, and, with a handful of its rotten hair, she readied her dagger to slit its throat, but the rattle shook, magic threatened her, and Astraea was forced to abandon her attack.

The distraction had however, succeeded in freeing the gunslinger. The frantic queen lamented.

Astraea panted, "The heart."