Heartworm

I am a force of nature. A whirling spectacle of blood, with just as much blood spilling out across my body as there was blood flooding into my body from all nearby sources. The puddle of blood by the fishing hut, the now exsanguinated fish floating to the surface of the water, and the scrapes across Laia’s body were all streaming towards me through the air to replenish the blood that I lost. The Marked woman across from me had a change in expression, a fearful tensing of her arms that betrayed her confident stance. She was afraid of me. She hadn’t been before.

“A vile beast. You defy nature. You rip the life out of everything around you without even thinking.”

I wasn’t sure why the woman wasted her breath on me. Her words meant nothing to me. I tugged at the blood within her body in hopes that I could bleed her dry from this distance. She seemed to already adjust to my new tactics. It was a subtle movement of her hand, but one that formed a thin, almost filmy layer around her body that prevented me from being able to ‘feel’ the blood inside of her. The very blood that I could see dripped along her body and down her arms. Holy magic, as frustrating as ever. She would not be able to keep it up if I tore through her throat.

‘Can you hear me, little morsel? You must loosen your grip on our body. Let me take control.’

“Who are you?” I hissed under my breath. The voice would not leave me. It clung to my mind like an invasive barnacle that refused to release itself from me.

‘Speak in your mind, Ester.’

I am not that which you call me.

‘In semblance, you are. You are far too erratic. I need control, or you will destroy yourself in your own outrage.’

I am me. You have no right to my body or mind. I will give you nothing.

‘This body, this mind. It is ours, together. I will take control by force if you refuse.’

Try.

‘The animal inside you is an obstinate bitch, Ester. We don’t know enough to safely wrench control. There’s no telling what could happen if I tear you away from the helm and forcibly take control.

You fear to act.

‘I do not wish to destroy the both of us.’

Remain silent, then. I need no distractions.

It seemed that the only reason that the Marked woman before me had yet to attack was curiosity. She had taken a moment to pause when I had spoken to the voice inside my head. I was certain she had a plethora of ideas racing around her mind. A pity she would waste time thinking when she was moments away from death. Plucking a healthy dollop of blood from the open wound in my neck, I began to construct myself a fine weapon. I had already coagulated the blood in my throat to prevent any more blood from spewing out. Her holy weapon meant that the substantial chunk of my neck was stitching together slower than it should have been.

With an artisan’s experience, I motioned the blood together into the form of a long spear, hardened and smoothed out into a near perfect replica of a blacksmith’s finest work. A beautiful weapon, for an even more beautiful purpose. Rending the head of the woman who dared to kill me.

Laia had perceived the creation of my very own weapon as a distinct threat and already prepared for the oncoming onslaught. That was fine by me. The prey that knows of the hunt is all the more delicious than the unaware prey. I pushed off from the ground beneath me to leap into the air with the spear of blood twirling in my right hand. Laia had side-stepped my plunge by leaping into the air to her right. Before she had managed to touch the ground, I had already spun the spear across my body to catch her in the chest exactly where she had planned to land.

It was fascinating, then, to see my attack entirely miss. The woman had conjured a small disc of holy light underneath her right leg, allowing her to change her trajectory in mid air. An impressive trick, but one that would only work if she was capable of pushing off with her right leg, as opposed to her shaking left leg that still boasted a crystalized chunk of blood impaled through it. I would need to push that weakness to it’s breaking point.

My next series of attacks were simple, deliberately so. I swung the spear across my chest in large sweeping motions, watching as she ducked, spun, and jumped over my attacks. She always seemed to favor dodging first, and blocking with her holy magic second. The way that she danced through an altercation was admirable, fine-tuned and established in the most efficient way possible. She fought in an effort to only exert precise amounts of effort and mana, as if each battle she entered was viewed like a marathon.

My grin couldn’t help but spread wider and wider as I watched her avoid the sharpened tip of the spear. One word stood present in the forefront of my mind as we struggled back and forth together. Worthy. She was worthy to be struck down by me. It was only fair for a life like hers. I could practically see the amount of years she had spent refining each articulate motion. She was a product of intense training, and very little else. The more I fought this Marked woman, the more I had come to realize. She was more of a weapon than a person. No room for emotions, dreams, or desires. All of the space within her had been devoted to war, the hunt, and the efficiency to cull the enemy. I loved it. All I wanted was to hunt. We were meant for each other. I’d relish every moment until I pushed her off this mortal coil.

Perhaps I had gotten too carried away in my thoughts. I hadn’t realized her incoming attack until it had already hit me. A firm kick to my knee, shattering the bones in the vicinity and sending me backwards to the floor from the inertia. I couldn’t help but let out a giddy screech as I crumbled backwards. An impressive move past my spear, it was.

She pressed her advantage quickly, conjuring a holy dagger that she attempted to plunge directly into my thigh. I twist my spear around to catch the dagger with the shaft of the spear, stopping the weapon inches away from my shadowed flesh. She quickly changed tactics, moving her feet out from underneath her to twist her legs towards me and we remained locked in an entangled mess of tensing muscles and strained holds on one another. Laia then conjured a blade onto the back end of her shoe and swung her leg down towards my left leg, the leg that had been shattered moments earlier. It was a creative way of breaking the deadlock that had formed. While I tried to twist the spear around to swipe at her neck, she ducked back and dragged her foot back towards herself, ripping at flesh and muscle down my entire leg.

The Marked woman kicked away from me and regained her composure a few feet away while I was left to assess just how much she had torn apart my leg. The pain was searing, and ever the reminder that I was still engaged in an active hunt. I attempted to pick myself back up to push an offense, finding that my shredded leg was difficult to stand on. My balance was completely off. This would not do.

A weakness could not be afforded. I will fix this.

‘You are inexperienced, Ester. You are willing magic that you have yet to familiarize yourself with.’

I am not Ester.

I used the solidified blood of the spear to quickly cleave off my left leg. It’s mangled flesh and bone was difficult to stand on, and would certainly result in Laia exploiting it. Once I had severed my own leg, I reached out to the blood inside of the wretched limb and siphoned it all out. I needed more blood for my plan, so I siphoned out some of my own from my neck to form a whirring mass of blood around where my left leg should have been. A worthy replacement, I deemed. The writhing, tornado of blood wrapped around the stump of my leg, allowing me to stand as I would normally. Laia seemed impressed, an acknowledgement from a fellow hunter.

“Two can play that game, beast.” The woman spoke as she clapped her hands together. A flash of holy light erupted from her palms, and her eyes began to glow a golden light from underneath the blindfold. I was curious if the sockets themselves had exploded into light, but without removing the blindfold, I could not be certain.

“LAIA NO!” The Marked man, still hesitating on the sidelines, had finally decided to speak up.

“I give thee, Inthenia, the life of mine to serve in thine. Five years the price, I beg thee for the strength to conquer this beast.” Laia spoke the words methodically. When she had ceased her prayer, another bright flash of light erupted from between her clasped hands.

“LAIA!” The Marked man rushed towards who I knew to be his sister. An intense mixture of fury and fear shook within his grimace. “Five years?! Killing her is not worth that price!”

“Her?” Laia spat out her reply, a disgusted lilt spreading across her lips as she spoke. “You are corrupted, brother. Your assistance is the only assurance I have that you are not completely lost. Do not make me capture you alongside this beast.”

“I am corrupted?! You nearly slaughtered a village to kill Baehevar! There had to be a better option.”

“Any option that results in the capture of this animal is a good enough option to me. Help me bring Baehevar to the Council, or step aside, Lucas.”

I could see Lucas’s fists quivering at his sides. Emotion had gripped his heart. He lacked the ferocity of the hunt that his sister had. It was no wonder she scolded him so. I should not be too upset, however. Fighting one Marked as opposed to two was an advantage I would gladly take.

“Five years… you are giving too much, Laia.”

“You have not given enough, Lucas. You are fortunate you have not been apprehended as a familiar, Lucas. I suggest you assist me before I am forced to do so.” Laia spoke coldly. It was difficult to tell just what had happened to Laia when she had prayed. The only perceptive change was the dramatic increase in the mana that radiated off of her.

Their bickering, while entertaining, also served as the perfect opportunity to strike. I remained still to avoid arousing their suspicions. Meanwhile, I had taken the opportunity to pull a gentle stream of blood from waters that lapped at the docks behind me. The stream traveled across the ground steadily until it had worked its way behind the two Marked. They had been talking long enough for me to enact my plan. I lifted the blood into the air behind them and formed the blood into five separate crystals of blood, large enough to blend in as a stalagmite with an odd red coloring. I sent the crystals towards the two with a shiver of excitement.

Each of the five crystals struck a glowing barrier of golden light and fell worthlessly to the ground. She had seen the attack? Even with quick reflexes, I doubted she could have conjured a barrier of that strength so soon. Fighting an enemy with eyes in the back of their head was aggravating.

“ESTER, WE’RE LEAVING!” I heard a deep voice from behind me. He had used the same name that the voice in my head had used. A title that did not belong to me. Why should I care that they are leaving?

‘They are your only way out of this alive. Retreat to the boat.’

I do not retreat.

‘I will not say it again, beast. Retreat to the boat, or I will wrench control over this body by force.’

I will not run. I will finish the hunt. I will kill that woman.’

‘You have picked a far worse enemy.’

* * * * *

“...Vyra?”

“Hello again.”

“I don’t remember this. When did this happen?”

“It hasn’t. This isn’t a memory.”

“How are you here? I don’t understand.”

“You have forgotten the last time we spoke like this, Ester?”

“When? I don’t- I can’t think of when. I feel like we did. It’s hard to think. My head hurts. I can-can barely think right now.”

“Lilith is wrestling with your mind as we speak. I imagine that would be painful.”

“It hurts to think. To speak. It all hurts. It feels like thorns growing in my head.”

“She is doing something dangerous. Even I don’t know what it will result in. I am not sure what will happen to you. That's why I need to speak to you now.”

“You’re dead. How can you be speaking to me?”

“You were dead when we last spoke. It seems to me that being dead does not prevent communication.”

“I don’t remember what happened. I can’t- It hurts to think of where I was.”

“The docks. Urden. It is where Lilith wrestles with the animal inside of you.”

“The docks? Cecelia. CECELIA! Where is she?! Is she okay?!”

“I cannot see the future, Ester. I can only hope for the best results. I hope that Cecelia survives. I hope that we will speak again. Neither are assured.”

“What does-ah- what does that mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like, bookworm. I need us to speak again, but I am unsure of when I will be able to bridge the gap once more. I am unsure what you will even retain from this conversation. We remain shrouded in unknowns. However, a beautiful woman once told me that unknowns can hold incredible discoveries.”

“Who?”

“You, silly.”

“Oh.”

“I’m putting my trust in that woman. That perhaps an incredible discovery will result in you remembering this conversation, and all I have to say. You…………m…..st……..u……….Euchust…………………….gh……………………………..Bell……………………………………………………………………….re…………………………………..”

“What?”

“.........................Euc……………………………………….el…………………………………..”

“I can’t hear you! Vyra! Please don’t leave me! I want to talk more I want-”

* * * * *

Lilith? What have you done? I can barely think.

I did what I had to. I’ve regained control from your other self.

Are we broken? I can feel you. Your thoughts, emotions, even some memories. It wasn’t like this before.

We will assess what I have done at a later time, little morsel. Laia is the present threat. She has sacrificed five years of her lifespan in order to gain a blessing of Inthenia.

Five years? She wants to kill us that badly?

Not kill. I have heard some troubling words dribble from her caustic throat. She means to take us to the Council. I do not think it is for an execution.

Why wouldn’t she execute us? Isn’t that the whole point of stopping Baehevar or whatever she believes in?

Later, little morsel. We must not be captured presently. I believe the Council seeks to use us in another way.

KILL THE MARKED

Who is that…?

Your other self. The two of you should not be active at the same time… This is concerning. We are fragmenting the more we remain contested over this mind.

MY MIND

What will happen to us?

I do not know, little morsel. But I need you to trust me. I need you to give me all of the control that you can. I need you to let go.

As long as you get us to Cecelia. I need to save her.

I will get us to Cecelia, but you need to let go. I am already wrestling with your other self, I cannot win a war on 3 fronts.

I trust you.

500 years of life was not making this any easier. I was being forced to dodge, block, and retaliate against Laia while I wrestled against the little morsel’s other self. Waging a mental battle during a physical battle was taking just about all of the capacity that I had. Feeling Ester relinquish control gave me a modicum of reassurance. Our mind was now being torn in half, as opposed to three ways. Each holy strike that impacted my limbs would remind me of the fight before my eyes. Each dizzying spike of pain driven through my mind would remind me of the fight for control over the very body I wielded.

It was not ideal, not under any stretch of the imagination, but I needed to make it work. I was focused entirely on defense. Winning a battle against a Marked with a blessing from Inthenia in my current state was not an option. I needed to make it to the ship. I needed to escape. After trapping Laia’s arm in my grasp, I was able to land a hearty kick into her stomach to push her back. In that opening, I took a glance behind me towards the boat.

It was moving. Slowly, but it was pulling away from the dock. I needed to make it on the ship before it was too late. With enough blood, I could create the space that I needed. I had expended far too much of the surrounding blood. I needed more. Without the ability to wrench blood from Lucas or Laia, I was running out of viable options.

URDEN

It took all of the effort I could manage to resist the urging of the voice. I could feel the blood of the citizens. The thrumming heartbeats that thumped away in the comfort of the night. There were so many options. So much blood. It would be so easy…

IT IS OUR BLOOD

No. I needed the little morsel to trust me. If I bleed the innocents of Urden for convenience, I could not easily regain that trust. I needed something else. I had sucked dry nearly every single fish that made the mistake of lingering in the nearby waters of the lake. I could siphon the last, but it would not be enough on its own. Laia dived towards me once again as I started to backstep towards the docks. I sidestepped the majority of her swings. Only her last attack managed to slip through my guard, a high kick that dug into my sternum, cracking the very bone and sending me backwards towards the dock. The kick had only been one half of her plan, it seemed. I was thrown backwards directly onto a conjured blade of holy light that slipped just under my shoulder.

Laia was faster now. From her physical movements to the effortlessly creation of holy armaments, she had grown more lethal in every regard. It should have been no problem, but with a mind-numbing fire in my mind that threatened to white my vision from the pain, I was barely able to react to a single one of her attacks. At this rate, I might not even be able to flee to the end of the docks before I was torn apart in mind and body.

You told me you would take us to Cecelia. Please, Lilith.

Let it be known that expressing kindness has only ever led to pain of the flesh.

Yet you still try. I think I’m starting to get you, Lilith.

Quiet, little morsel. I have a boat to catch.