Guardians of the Watchtower: North

Chapter 26

Before anyone could even make a move the windows of the library shattered inward, as thousands of butterflies fluttered in, the smell of wet earth was so thick and pungent it was chokingly strong. The butterflies dove toward the floor and shot out in between Dovarian and his henchmen, John and the men from the Covens pushing them backward away from each other. Dovarian spat angrily. He pulled his sword from the sheath on his hip and began swinging it feverishly, trying to cut the butterflies down. Dovarian screamed in frustration, but his voice didn't fall on deaf ears, as the sea of butterflies split open wide, and the Goddess walked out, she was different this time, the look in her eyes was not of anger but sadness. Dovarian raised his sword and pointed it at her like he was going to strike her down, but she did not move or speak, a single glistening tear slipped down her face. Dovarian watched as it slipped off her cheek and splashed against the floor next to her bare feet. He faltered for a moment before he pulled a dagger from his side, tossed it up in the air, grabbed it by the tip and threw it with all his might, aiming for the Goddess' heart. The Goddess, raising her hand, stopped the blade mid-air, inches from the palm of her delicately decorated hand, she looked Dovarian in the eye and rotated her hand. Fanning her fingers down towards the floor the sea of butterflies swarmed Dovarian and his men in a cloud of winged bodies so thick that the flapping of their wings drown their screams of anger out.
Turning her attention then to where Shanon sat whimpering on the floor rocking Ivy's limp body.
"Bring her to me!"
But Shanon was lost in her misery and did not hear the words of the Goddess. John walked over to her, kneeling down he touched Shanon's shoulder. She stopped rocking, and looked up at him with puffy red eyes and whimpered again, unable to say anything. John bent down and gathered up Ivy's body from her lap. He leaned back on his feet, so her head would fall under his chin, as he cradled her against his chest. Sylar stepped forward as John walked by, he grabbed her hand that dangled free, laid a tear stained kiss on her palm and he tucked it to her chest. John nodded and he walked around Sylar to the Goddess open arms.
"My dearest Ivy, you have shown your true heart, you made the ultimate sacrifice, an act of pure love and a pure heart, to save the people you love and the ones you promised to protect. Even though you knew it would cost you your life to do so, you still did it, and for this, you earned not only the shield of a Protector but also your life!"
Leaning down the Goddess laid the gentlest of kisses upon the ivy markings that framed the side of Ivy's pale face. The men gasped as they watched Ivy begin to rise out of the Goddess' arms, the ivy markings flared to life and began crawling out from her skin, flowing like it was in search for something, that they found as it flowed into the wounds on Ivy's chest and back. Sliding through her skin like a needle and thread it began stitching her back together but they didn't stop there.
The ivy flowed out from the last of the opening of her wounds and swirled around her like a living cocoon wrapping tightly around her limp body. The bundle began to wiggle and move as flashes of green lights escaped, faster and faster until it was moving so fast it looked almost still until arcs of green fire spilled out splitting the cocoon wide open ,dropping the pieces of ivy to the floor. Ivy gasped as she took in a sharp breath, her eyes shot open, and she looked around. She felt her chest for the wound, only to find perfectly smooth skin in its place. That's when she noticed the ivy still wrapped around her arm, intertwined with her fingers like a glove that covered half her arm, trying to shake it off, it beat like a heart, warm against her arm.
"IVY!"
The sound of her name was a mixture of pain, love, and hope, as she looked over to see Sylar looking up at her from the ground. Ivy took in another sharp breath when she realized she was floating a good twenty feet off the ground and instantly began to drop to the floor, but Sylar rushed forward catching her before she hit the ground, taking them both to the floor as hey wrapped his arms tightly around her and buried his face in the side of her neck. Ivy wrapped her arms around his neck and held on to him, as more bodies and hands wrapped around them both. Ivy knew even before she looked up that her mother and John were there with them.
"It's time Ivy!"
Ivy looked up to see the Goddess' smiling face looking down at her, nodding her head she pulled back away from Sylar and the others and moved in between them and Dovarian still trapped in the swirling vortex of butterflies.
"NOW!" Ivy yelled, with a flip of the Goddess' hand, fanning her fingers toward the ceiling, the butterflies spill outward like waves crashing against the shore, floating out the windows they had crashed in through.
"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE! I WATCHED YOU DIE!!!"
"Apparently not!" Ivy just smirked back at him.
Dovarian lost it then, he grabbed Addy by the hair and shoved her forward.
"DO IT NOW, WATER GUARDIAN!"
"I'm sorry Ivy!" were the words Addy mouthed as she began moving her hands calling forth her powers and blue arcs shot out of her chest, the smell of the sea water filled the room as water surged forward coming right for Ivy. Instinctively, Ivy lifted her left arm to block the blow, the heartbeat, now rapid in her arm, was shaking, in seconds the ivy still wrapped around it sprang to life. Forming a shield, of the same green power that came from her heart, Ivy lifted it, and Addy's waves crashed down over her, like a sponge, it swallowed the waves whole. The gasps came from both sides of the room.
The look on Dovarian's face was not anger but fear, Ivy could see it and so could everyone else. He screamed for his men to get back to the portal as he grabbed both Addy and Aiden.
"ADDY! I will come for you, for both of you!" Ivy yelled as she watched Addy's face disappear into the portal as it closed.
"She loves you, my child, and knows you will!" Ivy looked at the Goddess as she spoke those words she faded from sight, leaving Ivy the men from the Covens in the library.
"I'm sorry!" said Ravens-Blood.
The words caught Ivy off guard, she turned and looked at Ravens-Blood with an odd look on her face.
"I'm sorry I accused you of helping that monstrosity, and for attacking your Coven!"
"It's not your fault. Everyone makes mistakes, humans and warlocks alike..."
"I thought I'd lost you!" Shanon was there instantly wrapping Ivy in her arms.
"Mom, I'm ok, I promise!" She hugged Shanon tightly before pulling away from her when she noticed she was still covered in her blood. "Ummm mom, you need to shower and change, you look like "Carrie" covered in pigs' blood!" Ivy snickered a little bit.
"That's not funny Hedera, and you don't look much better, maybe you should do the same!"
Ivy looked down to see her mother's remarks to be true and sighed, another ruined set of clothing. She nodded, knowing she did need a shower and some alone time to think. The men began filing out of the library, ushered by John, who also held the door open for Ivy and Shanon. Sylar snuck a quick kiss, before sprinting off after the other Earth Coven men, to help the others let the rest of the Coven know it was safe again.
Shanon stole one more hug before going down her wing, as Ivy turned and walked down her's, back to her room. Shutting and locking each door behind her and placing a second seal of magick over every door, sitting room door, balcony doors, bedroom door, and bathroom door. Turning the water on full blast drowning out the world, she stripped down, dropping bloody torn clothes in her wake as she slipped into the shower. Within minutes of the hot water flowing over her skin, her knees gave way as she slid down the shower wall, the sharp sounds of her gasping for breath echoed off the marble. She had died, she knew she had because she had seen him, he was waiting for her on the other side.
Ivy sat there letting the water flow over her as she thought about what he said. She was his daughter, and he loved her more than she could ever know. He was proud of the woman she had become and would always be watching over her until it was time for her to join him, that she Shouldn't carry his death on her shoulders for the rest of her life. She loved him so very much, but she had to let him go so he would be at peace.
"I love you, daddy! I will always think about you and remember our memories. I'm sorry your life was cut short. Shorter than it was expected to be, but be at peace and know I am strong because you made me this way!"