The End of Innocence: Book 3 of the Kinstone series

(Rachel)

“Aria!!!” I cry out, watching as my daughter disappears into the blackness of the forest.

I did not come all this way, just to be separated from her once more. I rose to my feet and charge along the trail of flames left behind by that infernal creature. Of all the creatures to summon to our world, it had to be that of a nightmare.

They are truly horrific beings who possess pure malevolence towards those of the living, and worse to those of any celestial origin. My sweet girl would be put squarely within its sights due to her being a kitsune, who are known as messengers to the gods.

Regulus and Selene soon appear in front of me to bar my path.

“Now, now, Rachel. We shouldn’t go and barge in on them. After all, they are simply about to have a lovely family conversation.”

I turn to see Regulus grinning towards me, but venom seethes past his false smile.

To my right I hear the loud growls and snarls of Fenris. Once more he has witnessed his bonded girl being taken away from him. The enraged wolf bats his tails into the ground, creating a blizzard, freezing the forest around him. His gleaming white fangs glisten brightly against the moonlight and sickly green flames.

I summon my staff, watching it fly through the air. “You shall pay for your crimes, Regulus. Not only against my daughter, but for all of the innocent lives you have taken or ruined in the quest to fulfill your ambitions.”

He grins, reaching into his coat and drawing forth a short sword, “Oh Rachel, idealistic to the last. My ambitions are what I strive for. The Court, my once-exalted friends, you, all meant nothing to me. You my dear were far too love-stricken to see the truth behind my mask. A mask I spent a century crafting.”

A sheen of black shadow emerges just before his face as Fenris lunges towards him, fangs bared and surrounded by icy winds. The man steps back, narrowly missing the wolf as he snaps his jaws shut, having aimed for the man’s throat.

Regulus spun and slashes upwards, attempting to kill his attacker. The blade merely bounces harmlessly away from its intended target, having been caught in the torrential winds.

The wolf lands and wraps his tails around the man’s waist and pulls him down. Fenris snarls and growls, ready to end his life, only to be struck in the face with a staff, knocking him away.

“Foul, mangy beast. The idea your kind treasured Shyair above all others sickens me,” said Selene, helping her partner up.

Fenris shrugs off the blow, staring at her. His fur bristles with anger, ready to charge headlong at her. I quickly run towards his side, swinging my staff behind me and back to the front, launching several spells at them, trying to clear them out of our way.

The wight easily knocks the first two away, only to discover several smaller spells hidden amongst them, to then erupt around her. The woman growls, shrugging off the effects, and glares at me with deep crimson eyes.

“Foul dirty tricks, such things are not becoming of one of your reputation, Lady Rivenfeld,” she sneers. “I believed you to resort to more chivalrous tactics.”

I grin at her, “It comes from having a kitsune for a daughter. You will soon come to find how much I have learned from her as she has from me.”

The woman growls, looking more and more like a rabid animal. The pair would be difficult, even if fought separately, but I must find some way to reach Aria. Once more my girl’s life is in danger, and worse she isn’t fully healed, so her abilities will be diminished.

I peer down to Fenris, still seeing his dark fur glistening in the moonlight. “When the opportunity arises, go and help her.”

His eye turns to meet mine, “What of you?”

I smirk, “As our girl would say, ‘I’ll just wing it’.”

His lips curl into a grin, looking back at them. My hands clutch tightly around my staff, bringing it low. Magic swirls around us like wind, howling loudly into the blackness of night.

Selene is the first to charge, thrusting her blade-tipped staff towards us. I dodge, parrying her strike away with my own. I spin, launching a kick into her abdomen, knocking her back a pace or two. I then lunged towards her, jabbing my staff into the ground, using it to pole-vault myself into her, kicking at her chest.

Regulus soon emerges, swinging down his sword, slicing through the air with inhuman speed. I notch forward my staff, parrying it. I pull it out of the ground and twirled it around, attempting to strike at his thigh. He quickly deflects my own strike, summoning forth a small dagger from under his coat sleeve, thrusting it towards me, only to be caught within the jaws of a fiercely angered wolf.

Fenris bites down hard into his wrist, fangs easily piercing the man’s flesh. The sickening sound of bones crushing can be heard as the wolf tightens his grip.

Regulus grits his teeth and strikes the wolf in the face with his fist. The wolf yanks his captive away, hurling him to the ground. I smile, kneeing Selene in the face, causing her to lurch back.

I look to Fenris, “Now!!! Go help her!” My girl’s bonded bows his head and charges towards the forest.

His once-captive rolls to his feet and attempts to prevent the wolf from escaping. I leap and land a kick to the man’s chest, pinning him to the ground, hearing him grunt loudly. I stand alone against two equally skilled and experienced fighters. I deeply want to join Fenris as he runs towards my daughter, but I could not allow either of these two to get away from me.

A ball of greenish flame rockets past my face, scorching the tips of my hair as I reel back. My body turns and my staff flies upwards, batting away a thrust of her now transformed rapier. The thin blade easily cleaves through the air, leaving a sickening wind in its wake.

My foot steps off of the man’s chest, freeing him. He rolls to his feet and attempted to slash at me. I slam my staff into the ground, blocking the attack. I leap upwards, kicking him in the chin, tossing him away.

His companion once again launches a series of greenish felfire at me. I stagger back; nearly losing my footing while the flames soar pass me. I stab my foot into the ground to steady myself.

“I truly wish you had joined me, Rachel,” states Regulus, “imagine it, your wealth and power, combined with return of Dewloura; nothing would stand in your way.”

“At what price, my precious daughter’s life?” I ask. “Would you ask me to sell my very soul only to increase my power and prestige? You think I’d betray those I love merely out of greed? Or turn my back on my Coven just to pursue my ends?”

I lower my staff, “I was once blind to your charms, your words buried deep into my heart…until you shattered it.” My grip tightens, “Despite all that you have done to me, I truly am grateful for your betrayal.”

He tilts his head, lips curling into a half-smile, “Oh, and why is that?”

I smile, staring him down, “Because if you hadn’t, I would have never met my daughter. Your betrayal allowed me to reconsider my life, turning me into a far better person.”

His sword drops somewhat, but his grip never loosens. “I was there the night you met your future child Rachel. I saw you from the second level, having sensed the target of my search. When I saw the young child, I knew I had found my prize after half a century of searching. But what I hadn’t counted on was for you to possess a Kinstone.” He grits his teeth, glaring at me, “If I had known, I could’ve prepared for it.”

“Would have prepared for it?” I scoff. “Regulus, have you no shame? You nearly ruined a young girl’s life.”

He waves his hand dismissively, “That all now lies in the past,” looking to me, “however I will admit, it has been a bothersome task in order to reach this point.”

He then grins, “I certainly took a great deal of pleasure twisting that woman’s heart to better suit my needs. Oh how easy it was to give her the merest of nudges, and how quickly it spiraled out of control. Betrayal is fickle, my dear Rachel, but only the sweetest of pleasures comes from those we hold closest to our hearts.”

My grip tightens even more, feeling my hands could possibly start bleeding, “Admitting yet another sin, you bastard? You continue to ruin the lives of others. My daughter loves that woman dearly, and you used that to advance your own gains. I truly feel sorry for Marron, and hope to someday be able to forgive her, for I know I shall.”

I sincerely hope to God that I am able to, but that will have to wait. The sting and heartache of that night still burns hotly in my chest, a mother never forgets the pain of watching their child being taken away. But now I know…I know the truth.

Regulus hurdles himself towards me, slashing downwards with his sword. I parry the strike only to discover Selene thrusting the tip of her rapier. Again I parry the attack, but not unscathed. I groan as the thin edge of her blade slices through my arm.

Shrugging off the sting, I twirl and kick the wight’s arm away. Charging the crystals at the top of my staff, I slam it into her, sending the undead former noble flying through the air. Her companion soon emerges and lands a harsh right hook to my face, knocking me back a couple steps.

It took a moment for the ringing to cease in my ears. I shook away my disorientation and once more launched myself back into the fray. Magic surges into my staff as I then raise it above me, firing hundreds of tiny bolts into sky and watch as they rain down upon my foes.

The forest around us erupts into flame, hearing trees burst into kindling and rocks shatter into rubble. The fire rages, illuminating the battlefield. I know my attack hardly is enough to put either of them out of commission, but stands as a start.

The flames dance and twist, turning from a bright yellow to a sickly pale green. They swirl and part, revealing the pair. I smirk, wiping away the blood which trickles down my arm, healing the wound with a spell. A barrage of greenish fire bolts comes into view, having been fired from the wight.

I throw up my staff; the two outer crystals migrate to the ends of the staff while central crystal moves to the center. It then begins to glow a soft blue as it spins, deflecting the assault.

Regulus charges at me, again bringing his sword to bear, slashing upwards and then down at an angle, parrying each one. His strikes were fast and numerous, each clanging off of my staff.

The silvery sheen of metal cleaves through the air, marking the movement of his swings. I dodge and dance amongst them, bending my body like a reed upon the wind. I pivot on my heel, allowing a thrust from his companion to move harmlessly past my eyes. I carry my leg through the spin and land it on the back of her neck, forcing her to the ground.

I slam the pummel of my staff into her spine, causing the woman to flatten out, pushing her body an inch into the dirt. She coughs as she lays splayed out on the ground.

Regulus backhands me in the face, forcing me off of her. I twirl for a moment, but arrest my motion and use it to land a kick to his temple, knocking him back.

He staggers for a moment, wiping his head, revealing a fresh spatter of blood, “You have changed Rachel. Not only has your speech changed, but also your fighting style. You used to prefer more long-ranged attacks, rather than fighting up-close.”

I twirl my staff as though it were a polearm, resting it against my back. “My daughter possesses a proclivity for merging magic with extremely close hand-to-hand combat. So naturally I adapted to accommodate a mixed style to better keep up with her.”

With a flick of my wrist, I spin my staff in front of me and back down, transforming it into a rapier. The sky then erupts as a massive plume of swirling hellish green and spectral blue flames clash, rocking the area with a shockwave. I stagger for a moment, watching as the plumes dissipate.

“Aria,” I whisper, growing more concerned for my daughter. The potion I gave her, combined with the brief medical treatment, was hardly enough to bring her back to full strength. This meant she wasn’t fighting at her full potential.

I clutch the hilt of my sword, wishing I could go and join her. Despite it all, she will fight with everything of who she is, pushing herself beyond her limits. However those limits would soon begin to manifest rather quickly, as her injuries mounted.

Yet, I know her bonded is quickly making his way towards her. With his help, the odds should be evened to some degree, yet I still worry for her.

“Your daughter fights with a severe disadvantage, Rachel,” mockingly says Regulus. I turn to him, clenching my jaw. He smiles helping Selene to her feet, “Apart from her injuries, the girl stands in opposition to her dearly departed mother. The flames of the dead can often outstrip those of the spirit world. Kitsune, detestable creatures that they are, are heavily attuned to the spirit world. This means your daughter will easily succumb to them.”

His face contorts into a dark snarl, “Kitsune…to think your daughter would possess such a strong affinity for their loathsome, deceiving, not to mention filth of a race is uttering revolting.”

I raise my sword, resting it in front my face, “You dare insult my daughter, berate her, and declare her revolting, all within my presence?” My hand grips the hilt tightly, “You sir have truly crossed a line.”

A chortle echoes from the wight, “Your daughter Rivenfeld doesn’t stand the barest inkling of a chance against my daughter.”

My stomach still curls at the notion of my daughter’s birthmother having been resurrected and had become corrupted by the very devils I face.

The woman begins to stroke her belly in a sickening mockery of maternity, “I gave that girl new life and purpose, granting her a portion of my very own flesh and blood as a template for her new appearance.” She then grins, “I truly am proud of that little girl, as any ‘mother’ should be.”

I growl behind clenched teeth, “You are nothing more than a thief and harlot of the damned, committing the heinous act of bringing back those who have departed us.”

She chuckles, acting rather amused by my outburst, “Oh how you flatter me dear.”

The wight summons forth ghostly arms from behind her, each hand glows a sickly green as flames burst into view. Regulus charges at me, slashing at my torso with his sword.

I draw back, parrying his strike, sending sparks into the air. Greenish felfire rockets towards me, and then shatters into a thousand shards, peppering my body. I parry as many as I could, but the sheer number of tiny assaults slowly overwhelms me.

The burns ache and singe. I groan, shrugging off some of the pain, felfire can rival dragon flames in terms of heat, but will also attack the soul of whatever it lands on. I know with all my heart that Aria will be able to counter her former mother. I only wish I were able to help her.

Regulus infuses the tip of his sword with magic and again slashes it at me. The swing sends a wave of magic, slicing through the air, easily cleaving through rocks and trees.

I launch myself at him, batting away the spell, and thrusting the tip of my sword at his chest. He parries the strike and grabs my arm, pulling me forward and thrusting his sword into my abdomen.

I spin on my heel and slam my elbow into his left temple, feeling hot blood spewing from the wound. He growls in pain, jerking me forward and landing a knee to the stomach.

I felt the air leave my body, gasping heavily. I finally draw a long breath and tapped the ground with the tip of my sword, causing an explosion just below his feet. The man soars into the air for a moment, forcing him to release his grip on me.

His partner soon appears and slashes at me with her sword, catching the faintest sliver of my cape as I dodge her. The wounds she inflicted earlier begin to burn hotter. One of her spectral hands grabs my right arm, pulling me along with her. The wight quickly spins and lands a kick to my abdomen, knocking me back a few yards.

I skid along the ground, glimpsing dozens of fireballs raining down onto me. I roll amongst the brush and ash, feeling broken remnants of limbs and twigs scraping against my exposed arms, cutting at the flesh.

I finally come to halt, slowly rising to a knee. I glared up at her, blood trickling down my arms.

She grins darkly, “I am going to take immense pleasure in ripping out that little girl’s heart,” fire collects around the tip of her sword, raising it, “but first…I shall break you.”

The fire grows in intensity, becoming larger and larger. I grip my sword, feeling the heat emulating the surrounding area. The wight then swings her sword, launching her attack. I stare into the heart of the ball of roaring felfire.

I attempt to raise my arm to block the incoming assault, only to groan in pain, discovering a branch protruding from my arm. The glow of the fire grew brighter and brighter as it nears me. I could feel the heat beginning to sear my skin.

I stare defiantly into the blazing inferno, holding up my left arm, forming a weak barrier, hoping to mitigate some of the damage. The throbbing pain however prevents me from completing the spell. I close my eyes for a brief moment as the fire begins to consume the pathetic barrier I had erected.

The glow of soft blue of something replaced that of the greenish hell flames. The loud crack of an explosion then filled my ears, echoing loudly around me. I opened my eyes to see a verdant-clad warrior standing before me. Her shield ripples from taking the brunt of the attack. A slight smile rose on my face, then hearing the loud clanging of armored footsteps landing beside me.

“The both of you are late,” I jest.

Kateryna looks to me, revealing a smile as her faceplate partially retracts, “Forgive us, my Lady. It took us a while to follow in your wake.”

Her husband kneels beside me and offers his hand. I gladly take it as he helps me to my feet. “Are you all right, my Lady?” asks Orga, also retracting his faceplate.

I reach for the branch sticking out of my arm and pull it free, wincing from the pain, “As my daughter would say, ‘I’ve been better’.”

He nods, staring over to the pair across from us. The knight’s eyes bore squarely at the wight; I glimpse his face turning in surprise, “Selene Nethune?”

The woman’s eyes grow wide in shock, “You…I remember the both of you. The both of you served as Serasfall’s and Celestine’s personal knights. But how is it possible you are here this night? You should be long dead.”

Kateryna draws her sword, staring at wight, “We were placed into sleep long ago, only to emerge when the name of our princess was spoken aloud.”

The elf then grips her sword, watching as the crystal embedded within began to glow, “To think, after all of these centuries, your house is once more the cause of pain and misery for those around us. You are the reason why Dewloura fell, you and your house’s fel experiments and unending lust for power. I lost my home and those I love because of you, witch.”

Selene grins, flicking back some of her hair, “Oh my dear madam knight, it truly is a pleasure to know there are more survivors of that wretched house. This shall make this night all the sweeter,” she then walks closer to us, “your house, and those you served, were nothing more than a near-constant thorn in my side and of my house. Always sticking your noses where they shouldn’t belong, often usurping our authority when they deemed they we had gotten ‘out of control’.”

Dark greenish magic flared around her, “I now have a chance to end that detestable line once for and all, by killing its final daughter.”

I hear the loud sound of a massive sword being drawn, looking up to see Orga standing at the ready, “You shall not harm Her Highness. Never again shall Nethune threaten the House of Shyair.”

The wight’s grin broadens, “We shall see sir knight, we shall see.”

The knight grits his teeth, looking to me, “Where is Her Highness?”

The sound of yet another explosion of green and blue flame erupts over the trees in the distance. I merely point in its direction, still praying for the safety of my girl. The knights each bob their heads. “She isn’t fighting alone. Fenris flew off to help her a short while ago.”

Orga then looks to Regulus and Selene, gripping his sword tightly, “Then I suggest we end this quickly so that we may also help her.”

I smile to him, “I would love nothing more than that good sir knight,” popping the cork of the last bottle of potion Velhemina had given me, quickly drinking its contents.

The ground then begins to rumble as the sounds of trees cracking and splitting echoes around us. I peer over the see Selene’s hands glowing brightly as she chants. The earth breaks apart, hearing the chittering sound of bones exploding from deep within the soil. The bones shower back onto the ground, reforming into hundreds of skeletons.

I tilt my head towards to wight, forming a sly grin, “Please tell me you are joking, my dear lady. If all of your reinforcements are nothing more than reanimated bones, then I suggest you open a pet store. I’m sure the dogs will become your number one customers.”

A scowl ran across her face, “You dare mock me, Rivenfeld? I, who at single flick of my wrist, could influence an entire continent? I commanded the respect of dozens of nations, even the one you once served came to seek our aid in battling against your foes. And what of you? A mere countess within the Court of Mele’vari’o, an organization who serves as but a faint echo of our greatness? You, whose coven is a mishmash of riffraff spanning the centuries from a lesser nation who thought itself an empire?”

The wight slowly walks towards us, her army of undead warriors forming into battle formations, “You are nothing compared to me, nothing but the excrement of cattle.”

The muscles within my arm fully heal, feeling the wound closing up. I smile to her, raising my sword, “I am a mother, having found the other half of my soul, who never once ceases to amaze me. I am a member of a coven who welcomed my daughter with open arms after her family was murdered, embracing her as their own. So yes…I am nothing like you, but I am more that you shall ever be in either life or death.”

The woman growls, ordering her forces to attack. The ground trembles as the stampeding horde of skittering and clattering of bones clambers their way towards us.

I step forward, passing by Kateryna. Magic swirls around the tip of my sword. Lightning arcs from the small yellow orb as I thrust the weapon upwards, shooting bolts of lightning into the sky, only for them to come crashing back down onto the shambling masses.

In the corner of my eye, I see Orga’s blade glow as he then charges forward, swinging his massive sword, firing a wave of magic into charging army, only to scatter into dozens upon dozens of smaller blades, cleaving through hundreds of skeletons.

“Honestly, my dear woman, is that the best you could muster?” I smirk. “My daughter fought against dozens of teenagers who were properly trained.”

She growls, summoning more and more from the ground, reforming her lines, now covering them in magical armor. Kateryna launches herself into horde, easily weaving her way until she appears before Selene. The elf then slashes at the wight, only to be blocked by Regulus.

The pair struggles as their swords clatters against the other. “Now, now, a knight mustn’t ever lay a hand upon their superiors,” grinning at his opponent.

The elf glares at him, “The only ones I consider my 'superiors' are Her Highness and her mother. You are nothing more than a schemer and charlatan.”

He pulls back his sword to draw her forward, revealing the tip of Selene’s sword.

Kateryna narrowly dodges her attack. The glowing sheen of a massive sword soon cleaves in between the elf and the wight. Orga turns his blade and swings at the pair, both blocking with their weapons.

Regulus parries the blow, sending the massive blade upwards, firing a bolt of green fire into the knight’s face. Orga shrugs off the attack and grabs the man by the arm and pulls him forward, head-butting him. His opponent responds by firing a blast of green fire directing into the knight’s abdomen, knocking him back a couple yards.

I swoop in and summon a wall of wind, arresting the knight’s tumble and placing him back onto his feet. Selene thrusts her sword at Kateryna, aiming for any weak spots within her armor. The wight’s thrusts moved so quickly one would think it as a blur. The elf dodges and weaves through the strikes, with many bouncing harmlessly off of her armor.

The wight growls in anger. Her opponent flips her grip and spins, slashing at her. Regulus soon reappears and thrusts his sword into her, breaking through some of the elf’s armor. A grin arose on his face, “So you can be harmed.”

Kateryna glared at him, opening her shield and enclosed it around his sword, shattering it. The man grabs her from behind her head and slams her into her ground, kicking her into it.

Her husband emerges and slashes at the duo, who just barely managed to duck away. I shower the pair in lightning as they stagger back to their feet. I thrust my sword in between the pair, separating them from each other.

A snarl rose past my lips, staring at Regulus, “You will die this night, you bastard. And I promise to send you and your undead whore of a lover straight to hell.”

He chuckles, summoning forth another sword, only longer, “Oh Rachel…while I never truly loved you, I did enjoy your passion. Such a pity your abilities could’ve been better suited if you would join me.”

My lips curl into a scowl, “Never…for that will mean sacrificing my daughter to your ambitions. And I shall never betray her in such a manner.”

He sighs, shaking his head, “Again…such a pity.” He then looks to me, “But I will never allow you or her knights to go and rescue her. She will die this night, of that I assure you.”

A faint smile rose on my lips, watching as Kateryna rose from the ground and joins her husband in combat, “Clearly…you know nothing of my daughter.”