Prepare to Die

After tossing Junayd into the enemy, Taran ignored the battle going on below. The abominations were strong enough without his leadership. He had no battle experience himself, so he would have to trust those below him to ready the battle lines for war.

His mind was elsewhere. Taran scanned the ground trying to spy any sign of his target. Dania was not a fighter, and with his troops beginning to go feral in the heat of the moment, he needed to get her out of danger.

Livie's words that he did not care for the female scientist rang in his ears. How could his sister think he was so fickle?

It was infuriating.

Narrowing his gaze, Taran landed outside the large cabin with a whoosh of air. No one was guarding the laboratory any more, much to the leader's annoyance.

The monsters had abandoned their post to join the fray. He only hoped that those inside with Dania had not followed suit. Tucking his wings most of the way, Taran walked through the halls at a near run.

The fire in his belly was growing ever stronger, and he needed to calm his nerves before the madness could win. He needed to get to Dania.

He needed to see her face. The leader was in such a rush, he ignored the panicked faces of the few humans still in the building.

Rushing to the set of doors, Taran burst into the room without knocking. Because of his sudden move, he should have been attacked by one of Dania's guards or at least ordered to stop. Yet the room was eerily quiet.

The Guards were strewn in awkward positions around the room. Some of them were dead while others were merely unconscious. The laboratory itself was trashed from the vicious battle, and Dania was nowhere in sight.

Was she under one of the bodies which were here? Surely not. Dania would not have been able to kill the monsters even if she wanted to. Something or someone had helped her.

Taran cried out with a note so shrill that the room shook. Then he paused. A wicked smile came to his face. He stepped into the room lightly, his eyes scanning the room for any sign of movement.

"I know you are here," he whispered in a sing-song voice.

Nothing changed. He stepped over one of his minion's bodies, careful not to slip on the slick floor.

"I may not be able to smell you....but I can hear you. It is better for you to come out so killing you is easier."

A heavy sigh came from behind one of the upturned tables. From behind the splintered wood, a figure in a dark cloak rose, his hood blocking his face. In his hand a sword appeared from the tenebrous black fabric surrounding him.

Alaron's eyes flashed. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this."

---------

Alaron had not anticipated so many guards when he burst into the room. He had been relatively certain that the room would contain Dania--or be empty. Either way, he saw no reason for a quiet entry. It was easier to attack by surprise.

The Guardian had hoped to grab the female scientist and run before the abominations could retaliate. It was a good plan in theory.

But the overwhelming number of monsters made things complicated. Alaron had to get creative. That is why the battle had taken the laboratory as a casualty.

As soon as Dania had seen the Guardian, she had taken up refuge behind the sturdiest table. At any opportunity, she chunked her vials and other instruments at the abominations to injure or slow them down.

So when the pair of them had finally finished off the last of monsters, far more time had passed than Alaron had intended.

"We have to go!" he said as the loud thud of the final abomination hit the ground.

"You think?!" Dania was already hopping over bodies on her way to the door. "Stop dilly dallying!" The woman could hear the fighting outside.

The Guardian took a breath and faltered. There was a sharp pain in his leg. He ignored it and continued forward in an awkward shuffle.

"What's wrong?" Dani's could see a change in the man's demeanor.

Alaron shrugged. "I just have to catch my breath for a second. Those things were much stronger. I am lucky to be alive."

The Guardian paused and pulled back the woman as she touched the door handle.

Dania furrowed he brow, "What are you—"

Covering her mouth, Alaron dragged the woman back behind the large table. He could hear someone on the other side of the door.

The Guardian's strength was sapped. He needed a respite. If there were many of the monsters coming, he would easily be overcome.

The door flew open, knocking it from its hinges. Dania flinched, but Alaron held her close hoping she would not cry out.

Tense moments passed as the sound of feet slowly padding around the bodies Alaron had slain was all that could be heard beyond the din of the battle outside.

It seemed to be only one person. Someone very light on their feet too. That was a good sign, or so Alaron believed.

'Hopefully it is just that obnoxious girl from last time I was here. She will get scared soon enough and scurry back to find a safe place to hide…' Alaron tried to take comfort in the thought until he looked down at the woman he was holding under the protection of his cloak.

Dania's face was tense. It was clear she did not think the intruder was a harmless human assistant. From her expression, evil itself had entered the room. Alaron's minuscule hope disappeared.

A high pitched shriek shook the room. It was almost beyond the human's hearing, but the reverberation of the noise pressed against their senses like a tangible force.

Dania clung to the Guardian, clearly terrified. Alaron gritted his teeth, being brave for the both of them. If he broke, it would all be over.

The creature paused its caterwauling, suddenly alert.

"I know you are here," the voice was sickeningly sweet. It beckoned them and threatened them all at once.

Dania knew that voice like she knew her own. It haunted her dreams and taunted her every waking moment.

She lifted her head from Alaron's chest to look at him. 'Taran,' she mouthed. The Guardian nodded. He, too, had recognized the man, though his tone sounded more shrill than he remembered.

Neither of them moved. Surely Taran was bluffing. If he really thought they were there, wouldn't he have pulled them from their hiding place? Unless his just wanted to mock them…

"I may not be able to smell you....but I can hear you. It is better for you to come out so killing you is easier."

Alaron felt like a cat's plaything. The time for hiding was done. Perhaps if he could distract Taran, Dania could make it out unharmed.

'Go,' he mouthed, uncovering her with his cloak,

'No!'

'Go.' Alaron sighed.

Dania tried to clutch his clothes, but the cape gently shocked her so the Guardian was free to stand. He pulled the sword of the ancient kings from his cloak. The blade shone with the light from the window as if it had some internal radiance.

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this." Alaron said this as much to Dania as he had to Taran.

"Guardian!" Taran arched his back with indignation. "What are you doing hiding like a coward?"

"Hiding? Oh no. I was just trying to save you from dying by my hand…" Alaron waved the sword menacingly around both sides of his body.

"Trying to steal my fiancée once wasn't enough? You had to make a second attempt?" Taran growled, leaning forward unnaturally as he bore his teeth.

Alaron ignored the threat. "How does the saying go? If at first you don't succeed, try killing the madman who wants to take over the world instead. What? Is that not how the saying goes? I could have sworn it was something like that…"

Slowly the Guardian stepped to one side away from Dania, giving the woman a chance to crawl without being seen. He had Taran's full attention and had no intention of losing it until the woman was out of the room.

As he rambled, Alaron sized up Taran. He was definitely taller than before. His skin was greyer too, unless it was a trick of the lighting in the room.

Still he prattled on despite his growing sense of unease.

"Enough!" Taran boomed. "Tell me where my bride to be is now!"

"Never!"

Alaron pushed back his hood and held the steely gaze of the leader of the abominations. The silver-eyed shadow could see that the other man was about to strike, so he prepared himself to take on Taran.

The other man had no weapon, afterall. How hard could it be to take him down?

But Alaron remembered that the shriek and that the man could hear them even when they were being silent. His eyes opened wide.

"You've already transformed!"

Taran's mouth twisted. The hidden wings on his back suddenly extended, filling the room with their ominous breadth.

"Prepare to die, Guardian…"