39.

My feet pounded on the hard floor as I ran aimlessly through the lower levels of the castle. My pace matched the frantic beating of my heart. But I would not, could not slow down. Sweat collected on my brow, splashing on the floor as I whipped my head too and fro, commanding my power to show me the way to The Anima. Everywhere I looked, down every corridor and behind every door I saw the decapitated heads of my parents. My stomach twisted, I came to a screaming halt, and threw up. And there they were again, in the pile of bile on the floor I saw the blood pool that spread from their necks as their dead eyes gazed up at me. The sudden realisation that I could not outrun their deaths sent a surge of lactic acid to my legs. My needs hit the ground first with a sickening crack. Then I was screaming. Though the sound was lost to my ears, the ground shuddered beneath my knees, awakening with each resounding note of my heartbreak.

There was a fair pressure at the back of my head, like a soft finger poke, and a burning in my nostrils. My screams of horror turned to that of pain as the stone on my chest heated, sinking into the skin between my collar bones. I clawed at my chest, trying to pry the now searing stone from my body, to no avail. The stone burned hotter and sunk deeper. The presence in my mind  pressed harder, it's hand now gripping the expanse of my skull. My hands rose to my head, but I could not combat all the pain at once. All the strength had left my body. I let the pain pull me down the stream of agony until it drowned me, pulled under by the currents of defeat.

"Lyra?"

It was a soft and familiar voice that coaxed my exhausted body to regain consciousness. 

"Beast?" I whispered, but I was too weak to send it through our link.

But I could feel him pacing in the back of my mind. Unfurling his wings, he jumped from memory to memory, filtering through them until he found the cause of my pain. I wanted to tell him not to touch it, to turn around, to scream at him to stop. As soon as he found it, it flashed back into the forefront of my mind.

Blood dripped heavily from the mangled remains of my mothers neck. Her beautiful eyes bulged from their sockets, red veins curling around her iris' like a mutated fungi. My fathers face was swollen, purple tongue rolling onto his lips. The small dots of stubble lining his chin was splattered with black spots of old blood and a chunk of his chin was missing from where the blade cut unevenly through his neck. Then there was Virgo, sweat mattered hair stuck to her neck, still connected to her body, with the hanging possibility that it might be detached at my failure.

Beast stumbled, dropping onto his hind quarters.

"I..." He fell from my memories, but remained present in my mind. "I failed you... I am so sorry, Lyra."

"No." I whispered, tears slipping onto my cheeks. "I failed myself. I failed them. They died because of me."

"Lyra, they died because of Her, because of the Duchess."

"We both know that is a lie, Beast. And now Virgo is going to die too, unless I can kill the unkillable."

"No! We will find The Anima together, and we can defeat her."

Beasts determination was admirable, but misplaced. There was no way I was letting him anywhere near the castle. He already knew that.

"I can't lose you too, Beast. Don't be stupid."

"No you don't be stupid. You know I've got the ashes. It's the only way that we can disarm her, to catch her off guard."

"Is there any point?" I whispered to myself, squeezing my eyes shut.

"We won't let Virgo die, Lyra."

My lips trembled and a soft whimper vibrated my throat.

"Now get UP." Beast pushed into my mind, his words carrying strength and authority. My body responded immediacy you, although I did not want it to, and I shot up from the ground. I was up on two feet faster than I had fallen down. A sharp pain zapped in my chest and I gasped. Carefully, I fingered the stone now imbedded in my chest. It pulsed to the same rhythm of my heart.

"What's happened to it?" I asked softly, the flesh around the stone healing around it, rather than pushing it out.

"It looks like it's bound itself to you. It most likely felt your fear and metabolised the threat by attaching itself to something indestructible."

"So I cant take it out then?"

"I imagine not."

Pushing my breath through my lips, I concentrated on my core, reaching for the golden light that wrapped around each bone and muscle. Behind closed lids, I traced the power from my toes up my body. My major limbs were laced with red. Lifting to my heart, the threads of gold and red were tangled like a bowl of spaghetti. The flesh of my heart burned gold, but just above it rested the edge of the bloodstone, sinking closer and closer to my heart. I snapped my eyes open, blinking rapidly to refocus my vision. As if the ticking time bomb on my sisters head wasn't enough, I know had the added concern about what exactly would happen if the stone reached my heart.

"What are we doing then, Beast?" I rolled my head from side to side, hearing the air bubbles pop from in between my bones.

"Let's think logically about this. The shadows are just outside the palace, but out of sight. One word from you and they'll surround the place. Alvar is with them and working on something to get the guards on his side. We know the Anima is in here somewhere. I've got the ashes, you've got the stone. We just need you to locate exactly where she is."

"What about Lucius and Sam and Noir? What's happened to them?" I pressed, noticing their absence from his speech.

"You don't need to worry about th—"

"What's happened, Beast?" I cut him off quickly, stubbornly.

"We haven't heard from them. I can't seem to make a connection to any of them. Maybe you'll have better luck?" He sighed and pawed at the ground in some far off valley.

"No. We both know where they are. She's already got them."

I chewed my bottom lip angrily, trying to think of a way to work around it. To add to the fear of my sister dying, I now had to fear three more potential deaths. I needed to find and kill The Anima.

"Where could she be, Beast?"

"Think, Lyra. You're more connected to her than anyone else. You have a piece of her soul inside of you. Just reach out, you already know where she is."

Before I even closed my eyes, my power lashed out, triggered like a gun. It shot out of me, whizzing down each hallway of the castle. It searched with the speed, seeking a target to burrow into. It searched more, eagerness growing as it sensed something off to the right. Down a hallway, a few flights of stairs, buried deep in the castle, was a heart beat. It found its target. Like it hit a wall, the bullet of power rebounded and whizzed back in a fury. It hit my chest, sinking deep into my core until it was home.

"She's below us. Twelve floors down. She's hiding in a... a small room. Smaller than the rest. A brownies room, maybe."

"She's in the doctors quarters then. Is she hurt? I see no other reason why she would be there..." Beast asked quietly.

"No... but she doesn't feel quite right. She's dying. She knows it." I trailed off, whispering out loud.

"Does she know your here?"

"She's no idiot."

Just as I could sense her, she could sense me. I could tell by the slight hitch in her breathing as my power searched for her. Her lip quivered in anticipation, or maybe even fear. She blocked me from her emotions so I wouldn't be able to analyse each time her heart skipped a beat. Smart, but not smart enough.

"I can read her heat signature. I know I can follow it straight to her." I told Beast with a sense of victory, teeth flashing in excitement.

It didn't occur to me that the idea of killing someone shouldn't be exciting, or thrilling. The image of her dead body seemed more and more appealing as my power trembled in delight. The golden light anticipated its completion. The red shadows just wanted blood, specifically  her blood.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go!" Beast leapt into the sky and spiralled towards the castle. He would arrive just in time.

I took off running, this time allowing my power to flow out of me, dragging its fingers over the walls as we closed in on The Anima. The palace awoke beneath my fingers, the vine walls gasping for air as if they had been frozen for a hundred years. The doors opened for me, offering no residence as they unfurled and guided me down the palace halls. There was a tiny gold thread of light that streamed out in front of me, what was left of The Anima's heat signature. I could feel my eyes glowing; one gold, one red.

Beast was present in the back of my mind as he flew towards the castle, ashes safely tied to his chest. He used my eyes to pin point where I was, what hallways I threw myself down and which turns I took to avoid being seen by hungry Red Caps or angry Brownies. I took no noticed and focused on the heat signature strengthening in front of my eyes.

"I'm almost there!"

"Don't be reckless, Lyra. Wait till you have the ashes before you engage."

"Now is no time to be 'careful'. I'll hold her off until you get here, that's all I can promise."

"You know she will still have her full power as long as I have the ashes, Lyra. Just don't anger her."

"I'm going to kill her Beast. She is going to be angry no matter what I do."

"Just..."

"Yeah, I got it. 'Be careful'."

As much as I wanted to yell at Beast for being overprotective, I knew he was right. The ashes were the only thing that we knew of with traces of the poison The Umbra had tried to use against me. It could be the only thing that could stop a thousand year old Fae with battle experience, but also could be the key to destroying what was left of The Umbra. If the ashes did both of that, then it would be like killing two birds with one stone.

And then I was there. Staring at the vine door that separated me from The Anima, the soul of the Fey, my fingers tingled. I cocked my head, listening to the steady breathing that came from the other side of the door. Flexing my fingers, cracking my neck, and lifting my chin, I reached for the vines with my index finger. The vines curled away from my hands, slowly twisting and contorting away from my outstretched arms to allow me to enter. The small rustling sound of leaves accompanied the vines as they closed behind me, knitting back together as if strung by sewing needles.

The room slowly came into focus. It was as small as I had imagined. Stuffed in one corner of the room was a small black cupboard with a cracked mirror hanging slightly above. In the centre laid an intricate rug, sewed with the colours of a fire. And in the other corner, not five feat away from me, was a bed. Atop the messy white sheets and beneath the glow of the only light in the room sat The Anima. Perched on the edge of the bed, her golden eyes bore into mine. With dark skin starkly contrasting against the white sheets, and hair trailing to a pool on the floor, she was still the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her skin was clad in a tight assortment of gold fabrics and a thorn crown crawled across her horns and forehead. She clutched something in her right hand.

The image of a weakened and easily beaten Anima I had conjured in my mind vanished. I sucked it away in a sharp intake of breath. Sickening nerves replaced the confidence instilled in me.

"I know why you're here."

The Anima's icy voice cut through the silence. Her legs unlinked like snake tails, rubbing against one another smoothly, making no sound.

"You have come to kill me." She stated, matter of fact, a smug look on her beautifully balanced features.

"Yes." I said simply, opening my mind completely to allow Beast to witness the scene unfolding just as I was. Stall, I reminded myself. "I guess you might want to know why?"

"No," She answered flippantly, waving off my words, "I already know why. You are angry I locked you in that place," she curled her lips, disgusted by her own imagination, "and that I lied to you about your abilities. You want to kill me so you can rule this world."

When her mouth closed into a thin line, a laugh escaped my mouth. I couldn't help it, the laughter just poured out. With each breath, I saw the devastation she had brought, the thousands of homes she had destroyed and the people she had killed. I saw my sister, held at knife point and my parents severed heads. If I had a reason other than survival to kill The Anima, it certainly wouldn't be because I wanted to rule.

"I know about all the people you killed. The children? What do you have to say about that?"

She shrugged, the tight emotionless eyes meeting my eyes directly, showing no evidence of fear.

"It needed to be done."

"You needed to kill innocent children?" I barked a laugh, holding myself back as my mind screamed for me to lunge at her. "Did you also need to kill thousands of their parents? A race of people? The King? Did you need to kill all of them?"

"Those 'people' I killed, were not really people. And what I did was necessary to keep the balance."

"Your hatred blinds you."

"No," She laughed darkly, "My hatred keeps this world in balance. That's what The Anima must do, bring balance."

"You speak only to your own ego." I spat, curling my hands into fists, "This place is falling a part because of you. You let a man call himself King and kill whomever challenged him. You killed thousands of innocents, including children! And because they were, what, shadow people? Fae much like you, only birthed from the darker side of you, the side you've always been afraid of."

"I am afraid of nothing!" She screamed, abruptly standing from the bed. I stumbled backwards in surprise and quickly regained my voice.

"Then why kill innocent children? What purpose does that serve?"

"Balance!" She threw her arms down, eyes blazing like molten gold.

"That is not balance, that is murder! Just admit it, you killed all those people just to make you feel in control. You were terrified of her, The Umbra, and what she might do if she crossed over into this world. She would have shown everyone that the crap you've been sprouting about them being the enemy was false, that you were false. And most of all, she would have convinced everyone that you were unfit to rule. Your soul split because you hated yourself, and you've never stopped hating."

Her eyes narrowed. Slowly, she stepped towards me.

"And you think you're different? The only reason you are so special is because you forced your soul to split. Deep down, you hold hatred just like mine."

"No," I said quickly, smiling harshly, "I've accepted that part of me and its back now. And I'm evolved enough to know killing an entire race of people is wrong, even when it's done out of genuine fear."

Silence fell. The Anima's lips were tight with irritation. My heart was beating wildly, waiting for her to snap, to attack, or to do something completely unexpected. She took another step forwards. This time, I held my ground.

"If you're so above killing, then why have you come here to kill me?" She spoke slowly, tauntingly, taking a step with each word. She began to circle me, to examine every inch of my exposed body.

"There are greater lives at stake. It's you or them, that simple."

"But it's not that simple, is it?" She cut me off before I could say any more, extending a finger to run through my hair.

"You've taken some of my power. And now you want the rest. You're just as greedy as I am." She sighed happily and dug her finger into my cheek.

I winced, but did not move. I could not show weakness.

"No, I never wanted this. That's the difference. You take and I am given."

"But you want it now, don't you?" She leaned closer, whispering in my ear.

My teeth ground, jaw clenched. The bloodstone throbbed, desperate to be let loose. I could not deny that the power inside me longed to be completed. Each time she laid a finger on my skin, the power cried out. Beast was getting closer, now circling the palace, so I had to keep her talking. I changed the subject.

"Let's say you kill me." I said abruptly, spinning to face The Anima who had stopped circling me. "You take back your power. Then what? You slaughter the rest of the shadows and tell everyone they attacked first? You kill the Duchess for crossing you, you kill my family, and you kill those who have helped me. Then what? Huh? What's your plan?"

"Then I rule." She said simply.

"And how long will you last before you need another minority to kill?"

"I have no quarrels with anyone but the Shadows. Once the balance is restored everything will go back to the way it was."

"But they are not the source of the imbalance," I sighed, shaking my head in disbelief, "you are."

I saw it unfold before my eyes. That was it, I had hit the trigger nerve. Her pupils dilated, something sharp glinted in her right hand, and she lunged.

I ducked and quickly sidestepped, watching as she stumbled past me. My movements were faster than ever, the abilities of The Umbra harnessing all my senses. I could taste her moves in the air and the intent behind each strike.

She lunged forwards again, aiming for my legs. I jumped high and punched down with my fist. It met her cheek, ripping open a small cut on her left cheek bone. She hissed, lifting a finger to catch the drop of blood that collected on her cheek.

"You'll pay for that."

Up again, she lunged for my stomach. This time, I was too slow. Her shoulders met my sternum and the air rushed from my lungs. We both hit the ground, my back absorbing the impact. I erupted into a coughing fit, hands clutching at my chest. I reached out with my power, calling for the earth to assist me. The Anima was quick, rising up to straddle my crumbled body. She swung with her knife. I threw my hands up and the blade cut into my forearm. I cried out, calling out for the earth again as blood streamed from my arm onto my face.

There was nothing. It didn't take long for me to realise The Anima was not using her powers either. The earth was on neither of our sides.

She struck down with the knife and I shifted my head to the side. The blade stuck into the tile next to my head, cutting the tip of my ear. Her eyes widened as her grip loosened on the blade. That one moment of doubt was all I needed. I rushed upwards and slammed my skull against hers. As she fell backwards, I raked my horns across her neck, feeling the skin tear open.

"Beast!"I cried out, striking back with my foot as The Anima scrambled up from the floor.

My foot hit her cheek with a crack, her head turning awkwardly to the side. She grabbed my legs and pulled me backwards. I dragged my hands across the slick tiles, but there was nothing to grab onto. I turned to face her and my cheek suddenly lit up with pain. Her fists were heavy, raining down upon my face one after another. When they finally stopped, my eyes were out of focus and water collected in my eyes. She grabbed ahold of my horns,