Chapter Forty One: Blood Drunk

Marwenna slid across the ground, her skin breaking and wounds opening as she scraped over stones and rocks before coming to a stop. She had somehow managed to hold onto The Angelis during her flight, but her body was racked with pain as she slowly began to pull herself to her feet, feeling the blood drip down from her cuts and hit the ground, the sounds of the impacts ringing within her ears because of the mana pouring through her body and enhancing her senses.

“Get up, cunt, I'm not done with you yet!” The shout came off to one side and Marwen had little time to react before a bare foot collided with the side of her head, sending her spinning once again into the air.

Cinder. The King's Huntress, the Knight of Blood. Marwen was foolish to forget about her. Even four hundred years ago, Cin would rarely leave Corus' side except when she went hunting on his behalf. She was his most loyal Knight, and perhaps the most powerful.

Marwen managed to twist in mid air, mana and wind moving around her as she manipulated her body with a thought and landed lightly on her feet, her eyes immediately looking outwards and finding the young Vampire Queen, who stood some meters away, her eyes alive with the light of hunger, glowing like twin suns. She, like Corus, was not dressed for combat, but Cinder had always been one to shun the protection of armour. The more pain she felt, the more hungry she became and powerful as a result. There was little one could do to stop her once she was in the throes of the Hunt, with Corus being the only person who could.

Cinder was wearing a black dress that came to her ankles, allowing Marwenna to see clearly the bare feet that lay below. The dress would look more at home during an elaborate ball or dignified function, but Cinder looked beautiful in it regardless, the fabric hugging her idealistic body, the pale skin and white hair providing a stark contrast to the sanguine clothing.

Each of her fingers were furnished with claws made of crystallised blood, sharp beyond believe and lethal. Even Marwen's armour, forged by Corus, would do little to stop the attacks that Cinder was capable of delivering.

But Marwen would win. She must win. She must save Valant.

“Get the fuck out of my way, Cinder. I won't ask you nicely again!” Marwen hissed as the air around her began to tremble with power, moving around her like a miniature tornado, it's winds sharp and fast enough to cut through flesh with ease.

Cinder giggled, lifting one clawed hand to cover her mouth daintily, as if she were merely playing a game.

“Oh, I'm not going anywhere. You are a treacherous little rat and I'll not have you poison Father with more of your venomous words. I'm glad I have this opportunity, Marwen. I was so afraid that I wouldn't be allowed to hurt you. But here we are. Time to have some fun.” A sick grin appeared on Cin's face as she too began to draw in mana, her strength growing leaps and bounds as she removed the shackles that she had placed on her herself, allowing her full aura to become known.

For a long time, Cinder had been unable to go all out against an opponent. She purposely limited herself in combat because it's not fun if the person she was fighting couldn't battle on the level she was accustomed to. But she didn't have that worry with Marwen. The woman was a powerful mage before Corus taught her the sword and her mastery of Air magic was well known. Cin was looking forward to this little dance.

Marwen gritted her teeth as Cin's almost black aura emerged from within her body in full, the grass at her feet withering and dying as it was touched by something akin to death. While Xolumbrandir's aura was darker than Cin's, it meant little when Cinder's was the swords match in power. The Elven Queen felt her body shake and her grip on The Angelis tighten as she felt the aura of her former friend pass over her own. It held it's ground against Cinder's and Marwen was slightly assured that she wouldn't be decimated as soon as she attacked.

“I won't let you stop me, Cinder.” The words came out of Marwenna's mouth like rocks, her purpose set in stone as she lifted The Angelis and aimed it at the young woman.

Cinder giggled again before she disappeared on the spot, her Aspect of Blood giving her the ability to manipulate how fast her body moved, letting her match, if not exceed, any speed an Air manipulator could achieve.

But Marwen was no ordinary Air Mage.

She lunged forwards, a small smattering of earth jumping into the air as she moved and collided with the Vampire Queen, who was smiling ferociously as she brought her claws down to slash Marwen's face to pieces.

The Angelis rose and met the claws, stopping them from falling further, but Cin quickly slipped a hand under the blade and made a sword with her claws, cutting through Marwen's armour and piercing deep into her flesh. The Elven Queen moaned slightly before she smashed a free hand into Cin's face, at the same time releasing a burst of air that caused her nose to burst with a shower of blood and her head to rocket back.

Cinder wasn't deterred and went with the momentum, flipping backwards before locking her legs into the hard ground and pouncing forwards once again. She met Marwen's blade which moved at speed, cutting into Cin's flesh as Marwen continued to move and avoid the crimson weapons by narrow margins. Soon the smell of burnt flesh entered into the air, making Marwen feel nauseas as she continued to avoid the vampire, whose laughter only grew with the wounds she was inflicted with. Steam began to waft up into the air from the cauterised slashes left by The Angelis, creating a cloud around them as Marwen's vision was temporarily cut off, allowing Cin to make her move.

Her claws came down hard, leaving deep imprints in Marwen's face as she gritted her teeth against the pain, throwing herself backwards to avoid any more attacks.

The exchange had only taken three seconds, but those three seconds were more than enough for Marwen to know that she had won that bout. Cinder couldn't continue much longer with those wounds and fighting at range was not ideal, since Marwen was better at ranged combat than she was in close quarters. But then the steam cleared and Marwen let loose a hiss of frustration. Cinder had no wounds.

The girl was smiling as she stood there, her clawed hands held out to her sides as she let Marwen examine her. The places where The Angelis had cut revealed nothing but soft, pale skin. The only thing Marwen had managed to achieve in that round was a few cuts into her dress.

“Healing!” Marwen spat as she slipped into her stance, The Angelis held out in front of her as she glared at Cinder.

“Of course! You didn't think I'd be that reckless if I didn't know that I would come out of it in one piece, did you? I thought you were smarter than that, Marwenna.” Cinder said the name mockingly, knowing how much Marwen hated it and began to walk forwards, mana drawing into her body as she moved.

“I'm going to strip your flesh from your body and drink all of your delicious blood, feast on you before Father can stop me. I'll protect him from you, whore!” Cinder moaned at the thought, her body shuddering with delight at the prospect and the mana inside of her released in savage fashion.

Spears of Ice suddenly appeared in the air and were stationary for but a second before shooting forwards, aiming for Marwen's face.

The Elven Queen raised a hand and commanded the wind, the air shuddered and trembled before a sharp pop was heard as it wrapped around each of the spears and shattered them to pieces. The gust then continued forwards, slamming into Cinder's body and sending her back five feet before Cin managed to lock herself in place. The vampire slammed her fist into the ground, releasing a huge amount of mana as she did which caused the earth to shake and split apart.

Before Marwen could react, a huge geyser of water shot into the air and began to circle around Cinder like a snake. Cin pushed both her hands forward and the water hit Marwen, wrapping itself around her. The elf tried to keep her mouth closed but the pure power forced it open as Cinder guided the water into her lungs, filling them to the brim and beginning to drown her, as she was lifted into the air inside a sphere of water.

Marwen did not panic and instead called to the air once again, holding out her hand and focusing on it with all her might. A ball of swirling wind appeared in the centre of her palm, but she continually pushed more inside of it until it began to warp light itself. Then she released.

The sound of a massive explosion filled the air as the water was ripped from Cin's control and eviscerated by Marwen's magic.

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The Elven Queen hit the ground hard, her breaths ragged as she tried to breathe. She could see Cinder rising to her feet, a look of annoyance etched onto her features. She had clearly been hit by the wind bomb.

“My turn!” Marwen roared and released her power in full, calling to the wind and forcing the world itself to change by the strength of her will.

The air began to ripple and then circulate, faster and faster, as it rose up into the air and met the clouds above. Cinder took a step back and hissed as she felt it pull at her skin sharply, but she was not going to run. There would be no running what was about to come.

Marwen raised her hands into the air and roared, the air compressing and becoming a hurricane that spun with a natural savagery, with Cinder and Marwen in it's centre, all sides obstructed by spinning walls of deafening air.

Cin pulled in more mana and pushed it all into her body, trying to keep herself locked in place as the wind tried to pull her into the spinning maelstrom. She sneered at Marwen and began to walk forwards slowly, each step a struggle as she tried to get closer to her victim, to end this.

Marwen had earned her nickname of Knight of Storms because of this very phenomenon. But with this great power came a serious weakness. If her concentration was broken, at all, then it would fade and she would be left powerless, the hurricane requiring all of her faculties in order to keep it from dissipating.

Cin could see the blood run out of Marwen's nose as she gritted her teeth and yelled louder, throwing everything she had into this single attack. The wind picked up speed and Cinder was forced to dig both her hands and feet into the ground to prevent her from being dragged away, her muscles screaming even with her mana enhanced strength.

She needed to end this quickly, but any ranged attack she threw would instantly be ripped apart before it even reached Marwenna. Which meant Cin had to get close. Which meant experiencing a lot of pain.

Cinder activated Aspect of Healing as well as Aspect of Blood and kept going, her resolve like a mountain, her eyes beacons in the centre of this hell that Marwen had created.

As she moved, tendrils of razor sharp wind lanced off from the circling walls and cut deep into her body, her skin ripped apart, her flesh flayed and her bones cracked. Aspect of Healing did it's job and healed the wounds instantly, but Cin could feel the drain every time that happened. She couldn't keep this up for much longer. The delicious agony of the attacks helped, pushing her further into the hunger, sending her to her more primal state, where she was controlled by her instincts.

Cin could see Marwen was struggling to maintain now, her whole body shaking as she attempted to stay on her feet, the mana that rushed out of her was colossal but she wouldn't fade before Cinder did. Not unless she did something ridiculous.

The vampire felt a grin appear on her lips. She had a plan.

“You have lost, Cinder! I am The First Knight! My power is rival to Corus' own! You stand no chance against me! You will die!” Marwen roared, her words enhanced with sound magic and making the thundering sound of the wind seem like soft whispers in comparison. Cin felt her eardrums burst, but she struggled onwards. The pain merely fuelling her drive to see Marwen dead.

It was then that she stopped, seemingly out of steam. Marwen looked on as Cin's head hit the ground in front of her, she could see her hands loosening as they began to lose their grip and a triumphant smile appeared on Marwen's lips.

“You have lost!”

Cin looked up. She smiled.

“No, you have!”

The words were lost on Marwen but Cinder's next actions were not, she released her hold on the ground and was lifted into the spinning hurricane.

Pain.

So... so much pain.

Cinder screamed as she was ripped to shreds by the wind, her whole body convulsing as her skin ripped, blood flying into the storm and painting it red as the vampire felt her arms and legs break from the sheer pressure. Around and around she spun, more blood pulled from her and lifted into the skies. She gritted her teeth as the pain became a numb cold, Aspect of Healing working in overdrive, but every wound that was healed was immediately reopened, causing more pain and releasing more of her blood.

More blood.

It was then that Cinder stopped using her Aspects, her mind focused as she drew in what mana she could and began to influence the blood inside the hurricane.

Explode.

The world shuddered then, time seeming to stop as Marwen's eyes opened wide. She was unable to comprehend, unable to understand, what was happening. Even as she felt the control of the air ripped from her. She screamed as she was blown backwards, the whole hurricane detonating with a deafening boom.

For a moment, there was silence. And then blood began to rain from the skies, a steady stream that engulfed the entire landscape and covered the Elven Queen as she lay and quietly moaned. She heard a sickening thud nearby and managed to slowly raise her head. She wished for The Angelis, but she was suffering from Mana exhaustion, magic would not answer her now, her plan had failed.

She saw a person hit the ground nearby, the body twisted and broken, covered with blood and unmoving. Marwen felt sick just looking at it. The body's arms were distorted at impossible angles, as were the legs. The face, or what was left of it, was nothing but a pile of splintered bone and ripped flesh. But even as Marwen watched, it began to move.

Horror filled Marwen's eyes as she tried to pull herself away, trying to move from the abomination, but could not find the strength to do so. She could only watch in terror as this twisted pile of flesh began to pull itself towards her, it's silent movements filling Marwenna with dread.

“Little Marwen run, run, run. Little Marwen fall, fall, fall.”

The Elven Queen felt shivers run down her spine as she locked in place. The sounds emerging from the creatures mouth were choking, it was filled with pain, but also with an almost overwhelming enthusiasm. The broken creature began to drag itself closer, it's twisted limbs clawing at the earth in an attempt to close the distance.

“Little Marwen scream, scream, scream. Little Marwen crawl, crawl, crawl”

Marwen let loose panicked breaths and began to pull herself away, her hands dragging at the grass, slick with blood, which slipped beneath her grasp. She felt a hand on her plated boot and she kicked with all she was worth, the silver digging into the face of the beast, which did nothing to deter it. It only dragged itself up further, pulling itself over her lower body even as Marwenna continued to struggle weakly against it.

“Little Marwen die, die, die. Cinder takes the eyes, eyes, eyes!”

The last words were whispered into her ear and Marwen screamed, raged, trying to get away as she pushed up against the broken form of Cinder, who let loose a chocked giggle before a growl emerged from within her throat. She brought her head down in one savage motion, her ruined mouth finding Marwen's neck and digging in deep, what remained of her teeth tearing at the flesh and guzzling deeply of the blood that was released. The sweet substance filled her mouth and she felt herself moan as she continued to drink. Marwen's struggling becoming weaker and weaker as Cin felt herself become stronger. The damage repairing itself as she pushed all available mana into healing, her limbs fixing themselves painfully, her body sealing the wounds that had been inflicted, even as she continued to drink.

It was only as Marwen's life began to fade that she finally stopped, her face jumping up and looking into the sky with closed eyes, a smile of satisfaction on her face, eyes closed as she revelled in this moment of victory. The light in her eyes faded, her hunger satisfied by the meal of royal blood, tainted by her own, which dribbled down her chin as she opened her mouth to take a breath.

“Oh, that was glorious! I haven't had a fight like that in a while. You taste sweeter than most elves, Marwen. Perhaps it's the royal in you.” Cin said with a smile as she looked down at Marwenna and grabbed her chin in her hands, forcing her to stare up at the vampire from her place on the ground. The Elven Queen's face was pale from the blood loss, but she was very much alive. Her body was ruined though. She had used up her one chance to stop Cinder. She had failed. Her eyes were empty as she looked off into the distance, towards the area where she knew Valant and Corus were. She tried to move. She needed to get to him. She needed to save him.

Cinder saw where Marwen was looking and a smirk appeared on her lips as she realised what she was thinking.

“I wonder what Father is doing to little Valant right now? Do you think he gave him a clean death? Or made him suffer? I like to think that little Valant is now a pile of neatly stacked slices. Perhaps Father will let you say goodbye. All you have to do is ask politely and we'll head there right now.” Cin lowered her face until it was right in front of Marwen's and smiled that same sick smile that she had at the beginning of their battle.

Tears rolled down The Elven Queen's face as she continued to look in the direction of her husband. But she refused to let Cinder see her pain. Refused to let her know that she had gotten to her.

“I know I said that I would kill you. But seeing as you were nice enough to give me some of your blood, I think I can make an exception, just this once. But it has to be secret, okay? Between us girls.” Cin laughed and pushed herself off of Marwen before reaching down and grabbing the Queen's hair. Marwen grunted and gritted her teeth but didn't release a cry of pain.

“What do you say, Marwen? Want to go and see Valant? I think it will be funny to see you crying and telling him you love him before he's killed before your eyes. Let's hope he's still in one piece.” Cin suddenly began to slam Marwen's head into the ground, her cheekbone breaking and teeth knocked out under the impact of the attacks.

“Don't ignore me, Marwen! It's no fun if you're not afraid.” Cin growled, pulling Marwen up by the hair and holding her in the air. For the first time since they had started to speak, The elf's eyes met hers, filled with fury.

“I hope you one day find someone to love like I do, Cinder. Because on that day you will understand what I lost. I hope you one day know the pain that I feel. And know that I'll be watching on and laughing!” Marwenna hissed, her eyes filled with murderous intent, but her body without a means to carry it out.

Cinder's smile faded and she gave Marwen a strange look, one filled with an acute pain that disappeared just as fast as it had appeared. “I already did, Marwen. I already did.”

It was in this moment that a cry interrupted their conversation. It was a sound filled with fear, pain and despair. Marwen knew the voice well, for it was one she had grown accustomed to hearing over the last four hundred years. It was always used with a kind word for a son, or a loving whisper for a wife. But this was different.

It was Valant.

He was screaming.