I sat under a sapling leaf.

The rains returned to a grey sky, draining colour from the land. It wetted my bright curls, lessening the volume and colour. I hugged my knees as the rain dwindled on. I had been under the sapling a while as my bright eyes turned grey. Quickly a pale, dying Thatcher filled my vision. I squeezed my eyes shut for a second to get rid of it. I snapped off my necklace and stared at the Itha-Shaw symbol. Was it enough? WAS THERE ENOUGH HEARTBREAK YET?! I gripped it hard, pulled back my arm and… and… I wanted to throw it. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t throw it away. I dropped my head to my knees and wept as the rain continued, as the sun set…

I had waited enough… Weakly I stood, feeling as if my body had been replaced, feeling like an alien in the forest. This was not the life I knew, everything was twisted and hostile. It wasn’t my home anymore and there was nothing which could bring me peace.

As I began to walk the clouds parted to show the stars, the Lesser God of the Hunts’ was dim, flickering. There were six of them as a man in a readied stance, pulling back on a bow, the brightest star being the arrowhead.

I saw it as I fell- a temple. I walked there now, trudging through grass blades and over roots. I wasn’t scared of the forest anymore.

I was very small, making the might of the temple all the more extreme. I walked into the mountainous edifice, through pews, to the center of the rectangular room. It had a dome ceiling revealing a dark sky, weak starlight drifted through the glass.

I kneeled down in the center, bathed in light. I held up my necklace, the symbol lining up with the massive, identical statue. I spoke clear and true words in another tongue. Then released the symbol, and it remained hovering. ‘Itha-Shaw, I give you my life in return for my peoples’ safety. You’re good fortune was the reason I made it here. Look after my kingdom and people in my stead… and my friends.’ Tears streamed over pale cheeks. ‘Please, as the Queen become my spear and shield.’

The starlight grew in the dome, casting in white light over me. I suddenly remembered… what were my last thoughts…? They were important. I must get it right. I thought over a few quickly but settled on one. I was in bed, sitting with my mother and father… He was reading me a story while I was in my mothers’ embrace. I held fast to the image until white light filled my vision and senses, until it was the last thing I was aware of.

The Lesser God was shot through the city wall like a stone through glass!

People ran screaming from the chaos.

Crying out in pain a blurred figure stalked toward him, emanating with bloody power. The blackened corruption across the hunters’ chest and in his heart made him as weak as melting ice and melting quick. He felt sleep dawn over him, the call which would take him away for a thousand years or so to rest… No… Not yet…

The killer stood under the gaping hole of the wall. He put a hand above him, touching the bricks and shot black streaks through the rock, breaking it up. Laughing he threw parts of wall at the Lesser God, he tried to move but the unholy powers were too fast and were thrown into him, shattering!

The corrupted one chuckled as he found the body strewn across rock. The Lesser God spat out bright-red blood with a slight glow. His blood must have turned blue when the Dra-Cast ruined it into usable power, power now coursing through his body as a dragon soul raged in his mind. ‘You are stronger than I thought.’ The hunter tried to move, gasping. ‘But not greater than I.’ Fire burst out of felden- disintegrating the rocks and ground, burning Thatcher terribly to the point he couldn’t even scream as fire forced down into his lungs! Magic crackled around the man as he stepped closer. The hunter tried to talk, to crawl, but the corrupted one grabbed him by the throat and lifted him upward.

‘You will be the first, ‘Thatcher’. But not the last. I WILL RIP them from the sky and make them all BLEED.’ He assured him as a blacken blade grew from his hand.

‘Demon.’ He barely whispered. His body was broken- bleeding, his gashes the colour of wine. The demon who forced a God to bleed… He smiled sickly at the title.

Then whiteness reflected in the defeated Gods eyes. His pupils shrunk on focusing onto the light. There was something behind the God-Cutter... Slowly, the snatcher turned to see a giant!

A massive glowing white figure, so tall and mighty their body parted the clouds. There was a slight feminine figure and curled hair… the fae! He saw many tiny symbols of the God of Fate hung around her like a veil!

Terror became him, mindless in how it was possible!

Midnight- a bell rang.

DONG!

He dropped the God like a pebble and charged at the giant! In a shock of power his fist connected with a symbol hovering around the entity like thousands of moving shields. His blue face paled slightly- and fled! The Dra-Cast blasted away on a jet of fire! He flew off to escape the thing to the forest!

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DONG! The ground quaked as it stepped after him.

The hunter watched from the rubble, Thea… He tried to talk but his form was too badly damaged.

DONG!

The giant, walking deep into the forest tried to grab the tiny thing, who evaded her massive hands! He blasted another jet of fire outward, desperately trying to escape! Out from her burst white light, DONG, instantly disintegrating the world around her, but just missing him! He fired back with all manner of magic to no effect. ‘DIE! DIE! DIE! I’ve come too far for you to take it all now!’ He shouted! Rock, ice, flame! It all vanished before even touching her body. DONG! Then, down her fist came, cracking against his body and he was smashed into the dirt! DONG!

Gasping on the cracked ground he growled, body healing quickly. On blue flames he shot back toward her. DONG! ‘DIE!’ An inferno just like the red dragons shot from him, devouring everything in red sun-hot tongues!

Smoke had engulfed everything…

The wind blew through the valley to clear the smoke, revealing angered eyes surrounded by a valley of charcoal! I was completely unharmed. DONG!

She punched him again, smashing him through the forest, deep into the ground. The symbol covered her body like birds circling a boat, working as armor.

Her body brightened and in a white blast everything around him was disintegrated! However a shield of energy kept him safe. Their eyes met, his seething with rage, she would not take his victory! He finally could restore true order to his planet! DONG!

She punched down onto the dome, burying him further into the rock, but he was unharmed! ‘I am a GOD-KILLER! JUST DIE!’ He demanded! DONG! He threw dark energy toward her.

‘I’m already dead.’ Her voice was everywhere! She threw another punch with a blast of light! It cut through the soil, blinding the sky! From the city the entire valley ignited like the sun had exploded! She looked down but he was unharmed! His power was greater than hers, or perhaps he was more skilled at using it… She couldn’t beat him!

DONG!

He took his chance and burst out of the crypt of rock! He flew into the sky on bright blue jets of fire! The final toll of the bell rang across the forest, leaving behind an eerie silence amongst the broken trees and smouldering rock. Then a memory grew to the surface … mother… father… her father was reading me a story as mother held her at sunset… ‘I love you so much Thea, everything’s okay.’ I remembered my mother say as my father embraced her. I was crying. The book had a sad ending which upset me. Her father’s words echoed ‘we’ll always be here for you Thea.’

The mighty one narrowed her eyes, not to his, but to focus on the blood he was coated in. A shiver travelled through the entity and its form shifted, like something within it just woke up. My eyes glowed greater and brought forth whispers. The whispers of the dead! From the fae souls he stole! The blood he ingested began to heat up. ‘No- NO!’ He screamed against it, dropping out of the sky while trying to get the heat under control.

The voices grew into screams! THIS IS NOT YOUR POWER! The blood boiled, as if alive. DIE! He worked against it as it bit away at him, dissolving his clothes, his skin!

COME WITH US!

OURS!

FOLLOW US…!

He screamed against it while the giants eyes remained fixed on him, silently standing there.

His body dissolved, it was over before he even hit the ground.

His body had disintegrated from flesh to ash, and already the embers died away.

The snatcher, soul stealer, and Dra-Cast were all gone.

In a gentle breeze the black ashes danced slightly, drifting away on the breeze into the night sky. I watched it go. I watched the threat to my people become cinders to leave on the wind.

After a moment I turned away to look back toward the city. My figure began to flicker and fade. I stepped silently toward the rubble and death so softly it was like I was floating.

Back to the rubble my keen eyes spotted his little figure near immediately. I leaned down and scooped him up in two hands. My bright white glow lessened, pacified. In my divinity his bones healed, bruises faded, cuts vanished and the pain in his chest lessened yet did not heal. He looked at the entity before him, in the moment his fear of heights dissipated. Grief struck him like a snapped violin string. He was deeply saddened from what I had to do. How terribly it all had gone. He took a breath to still himself. ‘I’m the one who brought you here… I think it best I get you home now.’ He spoke with sincerity.

‘I think that best.’ I said, my voice unchanged.

They both lowered their foreheads as their heads touched, both their forms glowed into blinding white starlight and in a flash they were gone.

Up in the night sky The Lesser God of the Hunts stars shone bright again and the sky’s glow was restored to its former glory. But then another star burst to life beside it that shone just as bright: The Guardian of Fae.