Angel of Fire (con't) ***** Leandra and Nick woke up simultaneously, but not in the same room. Groggily, Leandra blinked and looked around the dimly lit chamber she was in. It looked more like a coliseum than anything else, except that instead of tiers of seats, there were mirrors all around. No doubt, they were those one-sided windows and it made her nervous to think who might be watching from behind them. Twisting backwards to see if the windows were there too, Leandra realized she was bound with hemp to a large stake set up in the center of the coliseum. She also noticed for the first time, the bundles of wood piled around her feet and her eyes widened in realization. Behind one of the one-sided windows, Nick watched in a daze as Leandra’s eyes grew wide in her horror. He still had not registered that this was his girlfriend he was seeing. All he knew was that he had a throbbing headache and he felt like he had just regurgitated all his meals for a week. Suddenly, there was a blinding flash from inside the coliseum and he quickly turned his face away. He moved to bring his arm down in front of his eyes, but something stopped it. Nick was immediately alert as he glanced up in alarm. His wrists were shackled to the wall above where he sat. One look at the cuffs around his wrists told him that they were made with steel mixed with silver. "Ah, I see our little Angel is awake," a now familiar voice said sardonically from the doorway on Nick’s left. Taking his eyes off of the shackles, Nick gazed blankly across the small cell at Corin. Behind the blond Lamia was a tall figure he had only seen once before in person. Marcellus D’Alimonte looked slightly different from the last time Nick had seen him. However, he couldn’t pin it on anything in particular. Perhaps it was the way he was standing, not as arrogant and aloof as before. Maybe it was the slightly hurt and confused expression in his emerald eyes. Whatever it was, Nick got the distinct impression that Marcellus was starting to see the world in a different light. A world that didn’t bend to his every wish, where people had their own minds and made their own decisions. And it was plain that he wasn’t sure he liked that new world. "I trust my sister and Corin here have been taking good care of you?" Marcellus said non-committingly, expertly holding any deeper emotions where they belonged. It was Corin who replied laughingly, "I guess you could say that." Marcellus finally seemed to really focus on Nick at those words. He raised a brow, whether in amusement or contempt, it could not be told, at what he saw. Dark, maroon-ish blood covered Nick’s golden hair, making the colour seem brighter than it already was. Old, dark yellow and newer blue-black bruises dotted his arms and jaw and there was undoubtedly more under his shirt. A thin line of copper ran down the length of his face, from temple to jaw. "I see," Marcellus commented, tone still expressionless. As Nick watched, the made vampire slowly made his way towards the blond shapeshifter, gazing out the huge window that covered one whole wall, rather than Nick. Kneeling beside Nick, Marcellus gestured for Corin to leave and waited until the order had been obeyed to speak. "You realize what’s going on, don’t you?" he asked quietly, waving a hand in the direction of the window. For the first time since he had come to, Nick focused on the coliseum floor and really SAW the scene there. His breath came faster as the picture became clear to him. "Yes," Marcellus said with relish, smiling at Nick’s reaction. "She’s going to die, Corona, and we’re going to make you watch." "No," gasped Nick before he could stop himself. The fact that he couldn’t help Leandra was painful enough. But if he had to watch... "No!" he cried out more loudly, feeling his control finally breaking. "No! Take me," he begged, "Take me in her place!" Marcellus chuckled. It was a heartless sound. "Oh, you’ll get your chance soon enough," he assured wickedly. "I just thought we would provide you with some entertainment first." Nick pulled uselessly at the shackles, struggling in vain while his captor continued to laugh contemptuously. When Nick began to feel a thick wetness slide down his arms, Marcellus abruptly clamped a hand on his shoulders, bringing his struggles to an immediate halt. Glaring dangerously into Nick’s eyes, he said, "I wouldn’t do that if I were you. It’ll accomplish nothing except cut your wrists more. And I would caution how much blood you spill in my presence, Corona. I haven’t fed tonight and I’m hungry." "I’m surprised you didn’t take a bite out of Leandra," Nick spat out bitterly. "Are you inviting me to?" Nick just glared resentfully. "Oh, don’t resent me just because you’re too weak to blast me right now. That’s not MY fault, after all." And of course, Nick WAS resentful. He hated that even though he was supposed to me as powerful as Delos Redfern, he couldn’t help the one person he loved most. He wasn’t even strong enough to stun a mouse, let alone Marcellus and he couldn’t see straight from sheer exhaustion. But just because he was right didn’t mean Nick had to let Marcellus know it. "Go to hell," he cursed quietly. "Save a place for me," Marcellus said, smiling cruelly again. "You’ll be there long before me." * * * * * "Well, uh...that was great Iliana, but did you HAVE to let the whole castle know we’re here?" inquired Delano with a slight frown as Winnie bandaged the small cut on the Wild Power’s arm. The sprightly witch sighed, moderately vexed. "You guys needed help," she reasoned, "and there was no other way to get rid of all those vampires. I had no idea you were going to so...upset. I’m sorry." Wearily running a hand through his dark hair, Delano apologized, "No, I’M sorry. Those guys came out of nowhere and we probably would have lost without you. And I’m being a pompous jerk when I really should be thanking you." Iliana looked at his for a second, taking in the tired and worried eyes, the frustrated set of Delano’s jaw. "I understand. We’re all tired. There’s no need for you to apologize. Though I DO hate the sight of blood," she added with a expression of distaste at her arm. "Come on, we’ve gotta go," Dion said, wrapping an arm around Iliana’s shoulders and giving her a little squeeze. "How many times have we heard that phrase in the past half hour?" muttered Destiny dryly as they tiredly made their way down the hall again. The interior of the castle itself wasn’t helping her mood either. The only good things that could be said about it was that it was warm. Everywhere she turned, she faced wood. The hallway was narrow, only wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. The electrical lights were made to look like torches as they hung on the wall, casting a dim and eeiry glow over everything. The shadows it made were disconcerting, to say the least, after they had just been attacked by a whole gang of vampire guards. They jumped more than once at imagined monsters before they rounded a bend and found themselves in front of a REAL group of Night People. Winnie, in the front, collided dead on with a vampire before she realized what was going on. Cranking her head up, she beheld dark, cruel eyes set in a middle-aged, nondescript face. "Uh...hi!" she offered nervously before Dion pulled her back from the Lamia. Immediately, Delano pushed Destiny and Iliana back, just as a werewolf jumped at him, knocking into his side. *I seem to be spending a lot of time on the ground tonight,* he thought sardonically as he worked to draw his silver dagger. Suddenly, the wolf swiped a claw over his arm, reopening a wound that had previously been made by the bear and drawing a cry from Delano. Two powerful blasts of orange witch fire simultaneously hit the werewolf in the flank and sent him flying into the wall. Destiny and Iliana stood over Delano, looking smug, and helped the Lamia to his feet. "Get away," he urged the two witches in a low voice, grimacing as Destiny touched his arm. "Forget about that," he said, "just go!" "But-" Iliana started. "Leave us!" Delano cried. "You two have to get out or here and find Nick and Leandra. Now, go!" he ordered them, with a rough shove before two vampires besetted him, trying to reach Iliana. He held them back, stabbing one of them with the silver dagger still in his hand while groping for a stake with the over hand. Destiny hesitated a second, staring helplessly at Delano before her face became set. Taking Iliana’s hand, she said, "Come on, Iliana. We can’t help them here." "The Blue Fire..." Iliana trailed off, knowing there was no way she could use it this time. Winnie and Dion, as well as Delano, were all in the middle of the fighting and using her Power would kill them too. "Dion," she whispered longingly as she let Destiny drag her away from the fighting. As if he had heard her, he gazed straight at her for a moment and said in her mind, *I love you,* before the werewolves were upon him again. Iliana turned her head away and focused determinedly on Destiny. But there was no way she could hold back the tears, for she knew this was the last time she would ever see him again. @~~>~~>~~~ Keller woke up slowly-feeling drugged-with Galen and Nissa tied on either side of her. She had no idea when she had fallen asleep but now she found herself in a giant, domed room. One whole wall was covered with floor to ceiling mirrors facing a coliseum like structure. Keller could just see a small figure tied to a stake at the bottom of the stadium. From behind her, the sound of droning voices drifted over. "--almost time. I’m going to check on Nick now, then go down. These Daybreakers should be waking up soon. Watch them until you see me come out. You know what to do," Keiara D’Alimonte’s voice was easily identified as she spoke dispassionately. "When’s Hunter getting here?" That was Marcellus, sounding only mildly interested in the answer. A door opened and closed somewhere to Keller’s right and someone said amiably, "Hope the festivities haven’t begun without me." The panther shifter shuddered at the voice while Marcellus replied non-chalantly, "Hi Hunter! Of course not. You’re a guest of honor. The show’s just about to begin." Hunter Redfern laughed, a cold sound that could easily freeze one’s blood. Before he could reply, however, the door opened again and cursing and joking came from down the hall. "What’s the meaning of this?" Keiara demanded sharply. "I-I’m sorry to, to disturb you mistress, but we comprehended a few...trespassers," someone stuttered. In the background, Keller could hear footsteps and someone yelp in pain when someone kicked them in the leg. Hunter laughed joyously as he saw who the anonymous speaker had brought in. "Well done, Brock! You’re captured a second Dark Angel for us! And who’s this? Delano Saldivar? AND Winifrith Arlin? You will be rewarded grandly for this, I assure you!" Keller’s heart sank as she heard the names Hunter listed. That meant only Iliana and Destiny were left. How long would it take for the Night People to get to them too? Suddenly, three figures were thrown to the ground in front of Keller. She immediately pretended to be unconscious as the guards wrestled Winnie, Dion and Delano to the upright grill Keller herself was tied to. When she dared to peek at her friends, she saw that unlike her, they were gagged as well as bound. "Alright, that’s enough delay," Keiara declared, "Let’s get this show on the road! Seeya later, guys!" she called cheerfully, giving Corin a peck on the cheek before waltzing out the door. "So, Hunter," Marcellus said amiably, "Would you like to watch the show from here or with Mr. Corona?" "Oh, I believe I owe Nicholas a visit. Lead the way, D’Alimonte." "Corin, can you handle them?" asked Marcellus, tone saying he didn’t think Corin could handle anything. Corin’s voice was ddisgusted and indignant, but he managed to hold his words in in line, "Of course I can." "Great," Marcellus said, uncaring. "We’ll see you later." The door clicked closed behind him. * * * * * Moments after Keiara had left Nick’s cell, Marcellus came in with Hunter. Seeing the Lamia leader, Nick blanched involutarily. There was an air, an underlying evil, about the Redfern that made you want to shrink away and hide from him in fear. With visible effort, Nick forced himself to face Hunter as he approached. Taking Nick’s chin into his hand, Hunter smiled and said, "It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Nicholas? Well met." Nick spit into his face. Behind Hunter, Marcellus hid his laugh behind a not-so-subtle cough. Hunter hand slapped across Nick’s face before he knew what was happening. "I would not advise for you to do that again," the Redfern cautioned icily while Nick struggled to keep from passing out. Just as Hunter was about to say something else, Marcellus cleared his throat, saying, "Here comes Keiara." Both Hunter and Nick turned to see what he was talking about. Out on the coliseum floor, Keiara was calmly approaching Leandra, an unlit torch in one hand. @~~>~~>~~~ Leandra forced herself to be calm as Keiara slowly strode towards her. She could smell the gas from the makeshift torch in the vampire’s hand and it scared her beyond words. Keiara stopped at the edge of the piles of wood and smiled cruelly at Leandra. "A little scared, are we, kitty?" Her voice boomed through the coliseum and Leandra realized there was a small microphone pinned to her shirt collar. "Smart kitty. You should be. Don’t you agree, Angelface?" Keiara said, spinning to face one mirrored window in particular. Leandra frowned. Who was Angelface? Seeing her bewilderment, Keiara explained, "Oh, I’m sorry. You know Angelface by a different name. I think he would be Nick,to you?" Horrified, Leandra whipped her head to the window Keiara was waving at, wishing she could see through the mirrored glass. If Nick was there, that meant he would watch. He wouldn’t have any other choice. Leandra could only guess what seeing her burn would do to him. Keiara echoed her thoughts. "Yes, we’re going to make him watch, kitty. A little ‘preview’ before we do the same to him." Turning back to the window, Keiara spoke directly to Nick, "This is what you get for not taking up my offer, Angelface. But I’ll be nice. I’ll give you one more chance. Join us and she goes free." Behind the glass, Nick’s breathing was coming in ragged gasps. He would do anything to save Leandra right now, but he knew Keiara was lying. She was going to kill Leandra, no matter what. "At tempting offer, isn’t it, Nicholas?" Hunter purred into his ear. "Just say the word and your precious Leandra lives." Not daring to face Hunter, Nick said in a low voice, "I don’t trust you." Marcellus laughed at this remark. "You’re smart, Corona. But that’s not gonna save your little lioness." From the annoyed gleam in Keiara’s eyes, Leandra could tell Nick wasn’t doing what she wanted. A surge of pride filled her chest. She knew what this must be costing him. So what if she died because he refused to succumb to Keiara? She would die anyway, even if he DID agree. Suddenly, Keiara looked a bit more hopeful. Leandra could tell Nick still hadn’t agreed, but maybe his resolve was beginning to weaken. "Nick! Don’t do it! She’ll kill me anyway!" Leandra screamed into the pin on Keiara’s shirt. Furious, the red-haired vampire whirled around and pulled a length of cloth out of her pocket. "I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do this until later," she growled as she tied the cloth roughly over Leandra’s mouth. In his cell, Nick froze at the sight Leandra bring gagged. Tears welled up in his eyes, he knew he couldn’t save her. But at least he could do what she wanted. "I will NEVER join you," he spat out softly, pronouncing every word distinctly. Marcellus must have conveyed Nick’s answer to his sister, because a savage gleam came into her eyes. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out a lighter and brought it to the torch in her hand. Raising the flame high over her head she shouted to Nick, making sure he didn’t miss a word, "Then know this, remember this always! It was you who killed her!" And she threw the burning torch into the dry bundles of wood. * * * * * "It was you who killed her!" Iliana and Destiny stared at each other in horror as the words sounded over the speak directly above their heads. "Oh, Goddess!" Destiny breathed. "Where the hell are they?!" The two witches had been wandering the halls, trying to find where the others were being held. When Keiara’s voice had suddenly boomed out of nowhere, they were shocked, but hopeful. However, following the voice just led to one speaker after another and they encountered many guards on the way. "Hide!" Iliana hissed as they heard footsteps sounds from behind them. Slipping into a cubby, they held their breath until the guards had passed. This was how they had dealt with all the guards so far. It would do their friends no good if they were caught while trying to be tough. Of course, now it sounded like they weren’t helping Leandra much anyway. Suddenly, Destiny was inspired by an insane idea. "Let’s follow them!" she said, already dragging Iliana after the guards. "What?!" Iliana whispered frantically. "Are you crazy?!" "Yes." Resigned to her fate, Iliana allowed herself to be led down the hall. It wasn’t as if they had anything to lose. Finally, Destiny came to a halt by a large, floor to ceiling window surrounded by guards gazing out of it. They laughed harshly at whatever they were watching while a acrid, burning smell drifted from somewhere nearby. Dread swelling in her chest, Iliana followed Destiny as she quietly snuck behind the guards, looking for a window where they wouldn’t be noticed. Rounding a bend, they found a deserted area and immediately rushed to see what what going on. "Oh, Goddess bless," Iliana gasped, placing a hand over her mouth as the tears fell from her eyes. @~~>~~>~~~ "No! No!! Leandra!" Dion screamed, tugging desperately at the hemp that bound him to the metal grill. Beside him, Delano and Keller’s team were behaving likewise. Keller, Nissa and Delano were both doing exactly what Dion was, struggling with their bindings as if it would help Leandra in any way. Winnie was sobbing quietly while Galen just stared at the scene in horror. The gags that had been on Delano, Winnie and Dion had long been taken off, probably so the guards could hear them scream. Behind the Daybreakers, Corin and the guards laughed barbariously at their prisoners. "Looks like roast kitty for dinner tonight," a werewolf joked, cracking his collegues up. When Delano glared murderously at the speaker, one of his friends thrust his face in front of the Lamia and taunted, "What? Cat got your tongue?" bringing another burst of laughter from the other guards. "That’s quite enough," Hunter Redfern admonished, stepping through the door with Marcellus close behind. "Yes, sir," the voices rang from every guards there. Hunter didn’t even acknowledge them as he strode towards Dion. "What do you think?" he asked softly, indicating the burning stake down on the floor of the coliseum. Dion wasn’t embarrassed about the tears sliding down his cheeks as he replied with hatred, "I think you’re disgusting." Hunter smirked. "The world’s a disgusting place, Mr. Vitani. How would you like it if we did that to your dear Iliana?" he suggested not without relish. "You couldn’t do it," Dion said with absolute conviction. "What? You think just because she’s a Wild Power we couldn’t kill her?" Hunter asked, amused. "No," Dion replied matter-of-factly, "I wouldn’t let you." Hunter laughed uproarously at his words. "You couldn’t stop us! You’re not trained, Mr. Vitani." Then, calming down, Hunter became serious again. "But," he offered, "we could train you. Join us, the winning side." Dion looked at Hunter incredulously, like he couldn’t believe the guy was serious. "You’ve gotta be kidding." "No. You’re a Dark Angel, Dion. You have to choose sides, those no other option. And do you want to join the winning side, the side that fights? Or would you rather be stuck as a weakling Daybreaker, be a victim for the rest of you life? Don’t you think it’s about time you fought back? You don’t need to be the victim anymore, Dion." That struck a chord deep inside Dion. Before last night, he wouldn’t have cared about fighting back. But when your own father tries to kill you, you’re perspective on life shifts considerably. Hunter knew he had grabbed Dion's interest and continued quickly,"You wouldn't have to be afraid anymore. You wouldn't have to run. And I would leave your dea Iliana alone," he added with a sly smile. Dion heard everything he said and came up with more reasons why this might work himself. Just because he said he would join the Night World didn't mean he couldn’t help the Daybreakers. He could provide them with inside information and he didn’t HAVE to hurt Iliana. And more immediately, he might be able to help his friends out of this fortress if the Night World trusted him. Seeing what he meant to do, Delano tried to persuade Dion mind-to-mind, *Dion, don’t do this. He’ll only use you, he’s going to make you hurt Iliana-* Dion ignored Delano as best he could and facing Hunter, declared quietly, "I’ll join you." Hunter smiled in delight. "Great! Now, you understand, you will have to prove yourself. I think I’ve got the perfect assignment for you." He paused a moment for effect and said, "Go kill Nicholas Corona." * * * * * The flames were higher than her head now, but Leandra could still see Keiara standing a few feet away, smiling devilishly. Her hair was the same shade as the flames, blending in to make her look like she was part of the fire. The smell of burning flesh drifted up to Leandra and she gagged, for it was her body that was burning. *Don’t scream. Don’t scream. It’ll be over soon,* she chanted in her mind, even as the screams tumbled out of her mouth. The cloth over her mouth muffled the cries though, and for that, Leandra was thankful. She wouldn’t let Keiara have the satisfaction of seeing her totally lose it. With an effort, Leandra twisted her head around so that she could see Nick’s window. Oh, how she wished that she could see him one last time, to say good-bye. "I’m sorry," she whispered to him and for a second, she thought she could see his beautiful eyes looking back at her, pained and desperate, from behind the glass. Then, thankfully, her world went black and she left the pain behind. Forever. @~~>~~>~~~ Nick shook his head despairingly. This couldn’t be happening, this just couldn’t be real! "Leandra," he choked out, sobbing without tears. It wasn’t as if the tears weren’t there-they were in plenty-it was just that they wouldn’t fall. He watched helplessly as the fire roared, higher than she was tall. Suddenly, she wrenched her head towards him and he started as her golden gaze met his directly. He drew in a hissing breath. It was almost as if she could see him. But that was impossible, this was mirrored glass. "I’m sorry." Nick read the words on her lips and he felt his heart shatter at the expression on her face. Then, he saw her body go limp and he knew she wasn’t suffering anymore. Nick leaned his head back against the wall and drew in a long, shuddering breath. His body began to relax, but he was by no means at peace. He simply didn’t have the energy to keep fighting anymore. Most of it had been spent when Hunter and Marcellus were still there. "No!" Nick had shouted when Keiara lit the bundles and he had kept yelling, even as Hunter laughed. "You’ve brought this upon yourself," Hunter had pointed out, "You could have prevented this." At the time, Nick had seen that as a lie. But now, staring into the roaring flames, he wondered it that were true. Maybe he only thought that so he wouldn’t feel guilty. Not that it was helping him any. "Know this, remember this always! It was you who killed her!" Keiara’s voice boomed in his head and nothing he did could get it out. He didn’t notice when a tall, dark haired youth stepped through the door, so lost was he in his misery. "You must be Nicholas Corona," the youth said softly, bringing Nick out of his thoughts. "And who are you?" the blond shapeshifter asked, tone hostile. "Dion Vitani." Nick couldn’t hide his surprise at the name. So, this was the third Dark Angel. What was he doing here? As if he had heard Nick’s thoughts, Dion explained, "Hunter Redfern has just ordered me to kill you." "You’re a Night Worlder?" Nick’s voice was incredulous. Dion didn’t look too excited as he replied, "Just joined." He couldn’t meet Nick’s eyes. "Why?" "They’ve got Delano and all of Keller’s team except Iliana and Destiny tied up in the main room. I might be able to help them if Hunter thinks I’m loyal to him." "Strange reasoning you have," Nick commented, somewhat dryly. Then, without expression, he said, "So, kill me already." An expression of genuine shock registered on Dion’s face. "What are you talking about?!" "That’s what you were sent here to do. And truthfully, you’d be doing me a favor." Dion shook his head, confused. "So you WANT to die? Why?" Nick gazed steadily out the window. The fire was still going strong. It would be a while before it died down, but Leandra was already gone. "I loved her. And I couldn’t help her. It should have been me," he said softly, not self-pitying, merely stating a fact. "No," Dion said with utter conviction, walking over to Nick. Taking the thin ring of metal attached to the key to Nick’s cell, he bent the metal and began picking the lock on the shackles. As he worked, he reasoned, "If you were the one who should have died, you would be dead already," he reasoned. "Besides, I need your help to get Delano and the others out of here." There was silence as Nick digested this information. "How can I help?" he asked finally, if a bit reluctantly. Frankly, he didn’t want to do anything right then. But the other Daybreakers WERE his friends. It would be wrong, refusing to help. Dion paused for a second, then explained. "I need you to get to Iliana and Destiny. The three of you need to get to the room where they’re being held and create a distraction." He then proceeded to explain what kind of distraction would be safest and best and what he planned to do while the Night People were preoccupied. "And where am I going to find Destiny and Iliana?" Nick asked dubiously. He was sure Dion couldn’t know where they were. Dion seemed to look of into the distance, concentrating on something Nick couldn’t see. "I can’t be sure exactly where they are," he said at last, "but I can tell you the general area." Nick frowned. "How do you know?" "I’m Iliana’s soulmate. I can sense her." For a moment, Nick contemplated if he should laugh out loud. But Dion’s expression was perfectly serious and how else could he know where Iliana was, just like that? "There we go," Dion said as the shackles sprang open. Quickly, he helped Nick up and ushered him out the door. "Leandra," Nick murmured, stopping just outside the door and peeking over Dion’s shoulder at the still blazing stake where Leandra's body still burned. A look of sorrow was mirrored on Dion’s face as he replied, "It’s too late to help her now. All we can do is try to save the others. That’s what she would have wanted." With determination, he led Nick over to a set of elevators down the hall. "The main room is the floor above us, the third one. Iliana and Destiny are below us," he reminded Nick before he pushed him into the elevator. "Wait-" Nick started before Dion cut him off. "There’s no time," the vampire/werewolf hissed. "She loved you," he added quietly, seeing the lost look in Nick’s eyes. "She told me herself." Nick nodded. He already knew that, but it was good to be reminded. Suddenly, as the elevator doors were closing, Dion whispered urgently, "Push me. Pretend like you’ve just blasted me." Bewildered, Nick just stared. But over Dion’s hissed orders, he heard voice shouting in the background. Understanding, he pushed Dion as hard as he could manage in his state. The blow caught the Dark Angel unprepared and he reeled backwards. *Tell Iliana I love her,* Dion called to Nick in his mind. As the doors to the elevator closed, Nick heard Dion yelling at the guards, "Why didn’t anyone tell me he could DO that? What?! You thought he was weak!? Are you idiots? He’s a f*ckin’ Dark Angel! How dare you endanger me like this?!" Nick smiled grimly. * * * * *    Fanfic Page Home |