She's The Enemy (GxG)

(P2) Chapter 6- Death is Imminent

The boy, barely the age of sixteen, rams his elbow into the throat of the man in front of him. The crowd erupts in a cacophony of cheers. It sends shivers down my spine, the brutal cries of murder. The elder man spits blood onto the floor, still refusing to fight the young boy. I can barely watch. I couldn't imagine what must be whizzing around this boy's mind- he was supposed to be running around in the forests with his friends, studying and learning, preparing for the life he would soon live, preparing to be a husband- a father. And yet, here he is, by force of fate and barrels full of misplaced hatred, watching as the elder man falls to the floor.

I understand his unwillingness to fight back. Had it been a young boy of my own court, I would have taken a dagger to my own heart. It is not of worth, to ruin the innocence of a boy so new to the world for a single heart to beat a few seconds longer. It is only a few minutes now. A few minutes until all this bloodshed stops- forever this time.

"Finish him!" A ragged cry sounds from the stands opposite us. I glance to the side of me where Naidia is stood with a pale face. I reach over and take her hand in mine and despite the previous events, she lets me. She is scared, we all are, scared of all we are capable of and of what our kind have become. These are people born of the same gods, entertained by the bloodshed of humans. Entertained by the corruption of a pure, human soul.

Any minute now.

Where are you Adrien? And that exact moment is when I see it; The line of smoke slowly trailing a line across the horizon, unperceivable to the captivated Fae around us. Naidia's grasp on my hand tightens and I take a deep breath, preparing myself for the inevitable depletion of the energy currently running through my veins. With my eyes closed, I let my hand fall out of Naidia's grasp focusing all of my energy into the centre of my chest. My diaphragm contracts, allowing a rush of air to fill my lungs, then, with a release of breath, I feel reality shift around me. I focus on the fire torches decorating the sides of the area, allowing them to grow, to burn brighter and brighter, each flame growing higher than the next. And I let that fire fill me, let it ignite my blood. Higher and higher. Brighter and brighter. Burning and burning and burning...

My eyes jolt open at the screams and I know that my job is done. I watch the fire, spread up the wooden stands, engulfing the arena in its haunting fury. Casper places a hand on my shoulder as I watch,

"Isla... Keres and Prince Xavier... They're not here..." He mutters, alarmed and I turn to him.

"We have to go and help Adrien," I state firmly.

"But... Isla... he said to stay here..."

"I don't care what he said," I silence Casper's objection with a stern tone. He is slightly taken aback by this however stays persistent.

"Isla, you could die... If something happens to you..." He murmurs, his eyes full of worry. He protests and yet he knows that there is no stopping me. I had never been one to sit around and observe a fight.

"Death is imminent."

***

It was quite easy for us to manoeuvre our way around the chaos-run arena without being specifically pointed out. A few guards may have noticed us however, a small hit to the head was enough to erase that. As we descended the last of the steps to the ground floor, I located a small corridor, behind the arena, one in which I had previously seen the boy emerge from. We began to head towards it, only to be met by three Unseelie Fae with the flailing young boy in their grasp.

I pull out the blade I had hidden in my boot, watching as Naidia and Casper pull out theirs too. In seconds, a battle was in rage. The clang of metal against metal echoed through the air as my blade struck another. The Faerie I was fighting had an almost ominous figure, both his hair and eyes as dark as a winter's night. He swung towards my right side causing me to slide to the left. I counter this with an attack at his left, he was slow, losing his balance slightly as he moved from harm's way. As he tried to re-position himself, I took my chance, moving towards him to dig my blade into his shoulder. He grunts as it pierces the skin, searching for bone. He headbutts me, the force sending me backwards. My head pulses but I refrain from pausing to check it, instead, I block his next attack, pulling his blade aside so I can ram my elbow into his nose. I step forward as I do so, pressing my blade further against his so that as he stepped away from me, it clattered to the ground.

I don't want to kill him; I thrust the hilt of the blade onto the side of his head, shoving him aside so that he falls next to the other two Fae Naidia and Casper had just defeated. The boy just stares at us as the Faeries fall before turning and bolting back down the corridor.

"Hey...!" Casper begins until he eventually realises that the boy can no longer hear him. I bend down to pick up the Unseelie blade, turning it over in my hands before placing it in the empty sheath on my belt.

"Alright, let's get the hell out of here and find Adrien," I say and we head down the corridor just as the boy had a few seconds ago.

***

It is only now I am starting to feel the signs of exhaustion. I won't last very much longer. We turn the corner to find a room lined with empty cages however, that isn't the most noticeable thing. Blood pools on the floors and drips from the roof and there's a foul stench, as if something had been down here, rotting for far more than a few years.

"Adrien!" I call into the wretched air. I am answered by the smallest grunt, something so quiet, even my advanced hearing could barely capture.

"He's down there..." Casper points to a trapdoor in the centre of the floor, his voice slightly wavering. I bend down to pull open the door and a strange liquid extends from either side as I tug it towards me. As the door hits the ground on the other side I reach forward, coating the tip of my finger in the odd substance. Bringing my finger towards my nose, I examine the liquid. After a couple of seconds, it begins to burn my skin and I wipe it on the floor below me.

"What is it?" Naidia says sceptically.

"Nothing good..." I murmur, beginning my way down the staircase presented by the opening of the door, "One of you stay here... keep an eye out..."

"I'll stay..." Naidia states, looking at her brother knowingly. The other boy smiles at his sister and presses a hand to her arm.

"Stay safe, love..." He murmurs jokingly and she whacks him on the arm.

"You too, jerk..." They then embrace suddenly, Naidia clenching her eyes shut to keep her from crying, "Don't die."

Casper doesn't respond as he begins to follow me down the stairs.

"And ... Isla...?" Naidia shouts down at me, "Keep him safe and... keep yourself safe, no one needs to die today." I nod slightly.

"We'll be back," I state before turning away from her and continuing my descent.

A/N

Hope you enjoyed! Have a lovely day and stay safe x