Sooner Nation - FICTION

*censored*!

Ah SHEEEET! Good one Sooner.

I can just see it in my head... demons and heroes battling in the hallway, as Glacius and Na'rul tumble out the shattered window.

Excellent Sooner.

After everything Colleen's already been through, I'm hoping the team can get to her in time to save her.

And Cerise, poor Cerise, born into a destiny she didn't ask for or want.

Na'rul's demons: They don't so much fly as plummet

I liked the part with Grandfather trying to encourage Cerise to come back, and the fact you allowed she might not want to. Very skilled writing there, very "out of the box"

*many censored cuss words*

This section ...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sooner Grandfather's eyes shifted away. "But you must," the spirit said abruptly. "It doesn't matter what you want, that you are tired. You are needed." Ben started to turn to answer Grandfather, to explain that he wasn't giving up, that he knew how important this was, but then his eyes widened and he looked at Caryn. "Grandfather is talking to Cerise.... I think." Caryn blinked and looked up at the glowing spirit. "Tell her we love her! Tell her how much we need her back!" Grandfather ignored the living in the room, "Youngster, pain IS part of life. As is joy, and sorrow, and love. But none of that matters. You have a task here, and it is not finished." Ben held Caryn's gaze. "I don't think she wants to come back," he said sorrowfully.

... reminded me of this excerpt:

Quote:

Homecoming Keely There was just too much pain. She couldn’t do it anymore. Her body was so cold, and it hurt so much, it was sick and dying, and she chose to step away from it. She could hear and feel her kheldian half trying to pull her back, but she stepped away from it too. Once free of the body the pain vanished, and she was warm and floating, like waking up slowly on a rainy Saturday morning snuggled up under the covers. It was nice. It was good to be free of the pain and the fear. As she floated free, she could see Celestial Nav working frantically to save both Keely’s body and UPS. She wished she could tell her to stop. UPS would be just fine, and Keely... well, Keely was done. She hoped Nav wouldn’t do herself any harm trying to save the body, but she would have to return to it to tell her so. She hoped Neely would be ok too. She thought about returning long enough to tell Neely that she loved her, but decided Neely knew it already. She floated away from the noise and the pain and towards warmth and comfort and peace.

A very good point T. The passing of Keely was some of the best stuff Sooner's done, gripping and powerful. However, as daunting as this latest edition might be, I suspect it will be resolved with decidedly more triumphant results.

As for Momma Nation and the wounds Na'rul inflicted... we'll have to wait and hope for the best.

Book III - Part IX

Crowne Memorial Hospital
Zemuron shoved his way into Colleen's room, his attention focused totally on the patient. He ignored the heroes around him as Rastafari Man and Witch-Frost followed Glacius out the window without hesitation, but reached out with one red-skinned hand when Cherished started to go with them.

"Stay here, Cher," he said with a rare note of command in his voice. "There may be more threats."

"But, Zem... she's already..." she protested. She glanced at the blood still dripping from the bed, then back to Zem. "Can you... heal that?"

The rest of the heroes had been focused on the threat, but Zem had been watching Colleen. The change from living human to dead body happened so fast. The attacker had ripped out Colleen's throat and Colleen had arched back, gasping for breath, her hands fluttering frantically at the horrific wound while her blood pumped out of her body. Then in just a few heartbeats, she had slumped motionless. The bright light in her eyes had gone dull and glazed, and now she lay there with blood pooling around her. So fast...

He turned to Cherished and smiled. "Of course I can. Just don't leave us alone in case there's more of them."

He stood to Colleen's right side with his left hand on the ruins of her neck hiding the shredded flesh. His right hand rested on her chest just over her heart. It had once seemed unnatural for a man trained in the sciences to heal this way, but now it was second nature to him. He channeled energy into her and felt the flesh under his left hand began to reform. Once his senses confirmed that the flesh was whole again, he focused his power on her heart. He felt the muscle fibers of her heart begin to tremble and tremor. They wanted to work again, but couldn't' coordinate their efforts into an effective beat. He pressed down over her heart, bringing his other hand over as well. He pushed down and let up just once so that air moved into her lungs. He waited until the heart was ready and then he shoved his power at it. He sent a jolt of energy to the patient's adrenal glands, and gently encouraged her whole body to work harder to heal itself. There was a moment of stillness, then the powerful muscle contracted in one unified effort, shuddered, and then resumed its beating. A few seconds later and Colleen drew in a deep gasping breath, and another.

"Is she-" Cherished started, but Colleen interrupted her. She sat bolt upright in her bloody hospital bed and screamed. Her hands rose to her throat and her fingers played over the smooth intact skin there. She screamed again, and then doubled in volume when she saw all the blood - her blood - in the room. She scrambled out of the bed and would have collapsed if Zem and Cherished hadn't been there to catch her.

"What.... what the HELL is going ON here!?" she demanded when she was finally able to speak.

"Someone - or something - tried to kill you, Mrs. Nation," Zem answered her.

They helped her to the nearby chair and helped her to sit. "You're covered in what I presume is my blood. I'm pretty sure that entitles you to call me Colleen. Both of you."

"Ok, Colleen," Zem agreed. "You rest here. We're going to see to it that you get a new room. Is there anything else you need?"

She drew a tremoring breath. "I'd like some water..... and I want the monsters to stop trying to kill me!" She took a deep trembling breath and looked up at Zem. "I want my daughters to come home."

Ciara's Prison
Trix scurried along the winding tunnels and carved hallways, trying to put as much distance between herself and Ciara's throne room as possible. It wasn't cowardice. She would have gladly been there to fight to help free Conall, but she couldn't help him. She was forbidden to use her magic for him. And if Ciara thought to issue the order, Trix could be compelled to fight against Conall. Since her presence could not help, and could only hurt, she ran. She hoped to get far enough away that even if Ciara did think to summon her, it would take so long for her to return that it wouldn't matter.

She paused in an arched doorway leading into yet another trophy room. The demoness certainly did enjoy keeping trophies, Trix had encountered several already. But something in this room caught her attention. She crept inside, and slipped behind an elaborate tapestry marred by a large bloodstain nearly black with age. She peered out from behind and ran her gaze over the baubles and shinies. This was where Ciara kept her true prizes, Trix realized. These trophies reeked of magic. She bravely left the safety of the tapestry and approached the displays. With a childlike glee she began trailing her claws and even the barbed tip of her tail over the magical treasures. So much power contained within these crystals and pendants, brooches, vases, phylacteries, figurines....

She lifted a statuette in her fingers, turning it in the light. It was of a delicate female imp, carved of some red stone. It was beautiful and reeked of power. Trix decided right then that if they ever managed to get free... that figurine would be hers.

King's Row
Outside the hospital, there was a brief moment of silence. The devil and the peacebringer were still tangled together where they'd landed. Na'rul and Glacius were both stunned by the impact of their fall, but they began to come back to themselves slowly. They rolled away from each other, Na'rul coughing and gasping for breath as she struggled to hands and knees, Glacius shaking his head and trying to push up on one knee. The demons crashed to earth around them, but they milled about, confused, while their mistress was still coming back to her senses. The few pedestrians who had stopped to stare fled in terror from the monsters falling from the sky, but then Rastafari Man and Witch-Frost arrived.

Witch wasted no time at all summoning a winter storm over the devil and her pets. The cold, biting wind, the stinging pelting frozen rain hurt Na'rul horribly, but it also roused her and her mind was finally able to work again. She managed to get to her feet and then lifted into the air. She glanced around for an escape. There was no need to remain here and fight these heroes now that her task was done, but the heroes did not seem inclined to let her just leave.

She glanced quickly about the busy modern city unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Buildings so tall she was certain that they must have been constructed by magic surrounded her. The entire city was grey and dreary, with the exception of the few trees, captured inside small pens of grass. Just a few feet from her a metal box of people roared and suddenly darted away from her. She didn't understand it, wasn't sure if she liked it, and didn't want to be there any longer. She took off like a shot straight up.

She made it nearly to the rooftop of one of the tall buildings before shards of ice formed around her feet and legs and dragged her back to earth. Her demons turned to fix six sets of angry glowing eyes on Witch-Frost. Na'rul struggled to free herself from biting cold holding her in place as her demons began to focus their attacks on Witch. Rastafari Man helped Glacius to his feet and then the pretty blue-skinned devil with her horrific demon pets faced off against the three heroes. Na'rul smiled and sent her demons on the attack.

Ciara's Prison
Cyd was filled with a sick mixture of dread, resignation, and relief when she realized she'd found Ciara. The carved stone tunnel rose up suddenly, and when she reached the top, she could see down into a large spacious room. She got her first sight of the enormous demoness who had done so much damage to Cyd's family for generations back into time. Cyd reacted in a flash, diving back out of sight. She didn't think she'd been seen.

She carefully looked again, moving slowly and keeping to the shadows. Yes, there she was. Ciara prowled around the spacious room, confident and strong. Cyd studied her enemy, watching the way she moved. She looked closer, watching the magic, and frowned at how much magic circled around the demon. Cyd sighed sadly. And after today, there would be more, the demoness would be even stronger. Cyd would fight her hardest, but she could already see she was outmatched.

Cyd watched the magic in the room intently, studied it. She could clearly recognize the magic freed from Cerise, and it twinged her heart to see it. It flowed in an agitated swirl high above the room. There was a narrow tendril of magic from Cyd herself that ran into one of a pair of darkly glowing spheres sitting atop a pedestal, and another tendril flowing from somewhere to the west into the second sphere. That meant Caryn was still out there somewhere... and the lack of a third was just another confirmation that their baby sister was dead. Almost all the rest of the magic in the room gathered on Ciara Banenighe.

Cyd cocked her head, considering. It was as if the lair itself was powering her. And there was another source, coming from within the room itself. It was another demon, chained to a stone pillar. Her brows rose in surprise, was that.... Conall Cian? Evidently Ahren's "Enemy of my Enemy" theory was correct, Conall certainly didn't appear to be aligned with Ciara. He slumped with his head down, appearing utterly defeated. And there was quite a lot of magic flowing from him into Ciara. Could killing Conall weaken Ciara? Did she have the heart to kill a helpless opponent, even one as vile as Conall?

She moved back out of sight, and considered her options. She could throw herself in there and likely die, or she could wait, try to find Caryn, work together.... maybe.... maybe they could find a way to use Cerise's magic themselves, and it would be like they were all three there. No.... she wouldn't just throw away her life uselessly. She was grieving for Cerise, worrying about her mother, but neither of them would be helped by Cydney throwing away her life. She began to creep away, hoping to find Caryn, and that's when Ciara spoke.

"I know you are there, daughter ó Floinn. Come out and let us meet."

Cyd peeked around the rocks to find Ciara staring right at her hiding spot. But Cyd's attention was caught by Conall. His head lifted ever so slightly and his eyes focused on Ciara. An expression of purest hatred crossed his face and its intensity distracted her for a moment from Ciara's words.

"Do not hide like a mouse," Ciara called. "You come from a proud line of fighters. Do not shame your family line by behaving like a coward. Come to me."

"I think not!" Cyd called back. "Come out to make it easier for you to kill me?"

"Oh, I will get to that in time, you may be assured. But I had no time to meet your sister before my pet here killed her, I would like to correct that oversight with you. Since your magic will live on in me for eternity."

Cyd allowed herself a moment to grieve for the life that she could have had, the good times with good friends and family, the opportunities she would miss. There would be more problems in Paragon City and she wouldn't be there to help... but there would be Ghosts there to stand in for her. She grieved for Caryn and Ahren still lost here somewhere, and likely to die soon after Cyd did. One last sigh... the maternal line ó Floinn was going to die out, the family standing between Ciara Banenighe and the world, and she grieved for the harm that would released into the world when Ciara was free. Then she put it behind her and stepped out to face Ciara.

Read my stories!

It seems like we are closing in on the beginning.

Agreed Wow for this installment.

Book III - Part X

Ciara's Prison
Sooner Spirit stepped back out into Ciara's sight. She set her fear and her grief aside and stood ready. She saw Conall’s gaze cut towards her. He caught her eyes and his head moved slightly, side to side. After that, he slumped forward again, so motionless he might have been dead. She set that aside as well, she had no time for worrying about what message another enemy might be trying to convey. She flung her cape back so she could move more freely, set her feet, and waited for the demon to make the next move.

Ciara paced forward a pair of steps and cocked her head. Her tail flicked lazily about her ankles and her wings “I hoped you were the middle sister. It would make more sense to save the eldest for last, do you not agree?”

“You’ll have to make do with me, Beast,” Cyd answered. She moved forward, watching Ciara’s every move.

“I'm sure once I suck the life from the last of you my disappointment will wane,” the demoness answered with a sly smile.

“What did you want, Ciara?” Cyd demanded.

“Did you know your youngest sister died begging?” Ciara asked casually. "It was a sweet sound."

“I saw what happened. What is you want?”

“I want you to die better than she did,” Ciara answered. She made one single gesture of her hand, and Cyd heard a rustling noise like scurrying rats.

“What-” she started, but then one of Ciara’s imps darted out into the light. Sooner remembered the first time she’d seen one of them, there on OU's South Oval, back when she was still a college student without magical powers and a tiny red demon could frighten her. “That doesn’t scare me any more, Ciara.” she sneered.

“Indeed? What would you say to a few more?”

Before she could open her mouth to respond, dozens of the small red bodies appeared and began leaping on her, climbing with claws and teeth. She twisted and turned, cursed and fought. She was much tougher, more capable than that girl who had first seen these creatures, but there were so many of them. For each one she finished off, two more jumped on. Eventually their weight began to drag her down, and she knew that if her feet went out from under her, if she lost the ability to move, she was finished.

Spurred on by the demon's laughter, she leapt into the air. She flew high and waves of her attackers fell free when she did. She darted straight at the stone above her, turning at the very last second and scraped another half dozen off on the rough surface of the ceiling. Twisting and rolling, she flew through the air, shedding a few of the imps who couldn't keep their grip with the force of her aerobatics.

One at a time, the imps were no threat to her at all, and each one she managed to get her hands on died quickly. But there were still so many of them, and they were able to fly as well. It was like trying to battle a swarm of hornets. They outnumbered her so greatly. Their teeth and claws, their tails and horns were starting to take their toll. They were hurting her faster than she could eliminate them, faster than even her magical healing could repair the damage.

Below her, Ciara was laughing and clapping. She seemed disturbed not at all by the loss of so many imps, in fact, she cheered even more loudly each time Cyd dropped another broken body. In frustration, she began flinging the broken imps at Ciara, but even that just made the ***** laugh.

Cyd cried out when one latched its claws onto her shoulders and began chewing its way into her neck. She reached up with both hands and struggled to pull it free, but it had a solid grip, and while she pulled on it, others were scratching and clawing and biting. It moved quickly past uncomfortable and into excruciating before she managed to rip it loose. She was much closer to the ground than she'd thought, and she was surprised when she heard Conall roar out suddenly, "UP! Stay up! Fool woman! You are too close!"

His warning came too late, however. Her path took her within arms reach of Ciara. The demon pulled both her hands high overhead and her fists slammed down right on the small of Cyd's back. She crumpled to the ground in a stunned heap, sliding and tumbling away. She'd known she was overpowered, but had not had any idea just how strong Ciara truly was. For a moment, her arms and legs simply refused to work at all. She glanced over her shoulder and saw the demon coming for her. Cyd tried to stand, but she was still too shaky. The demon struck and laid open Cyd's leg from hip to calf with her raking claws. The pain was stimulus enough to get her moving again. She pushed herself up and into flight, leaving a trail of bright red blood behind, and Ciara made one last wild swing at her, a bruising blow into the right side of Cyd's ribs as she sped away into the air with imps still clinging to her.

"Fly away, daughter ó Floinn," Ciara taunted. "When I'm ready to kill you, I will. We'll see if you can beg as sweetly as your sister did."

She hurt horribly from the blow, but with so many tiny bodies around her, it was easy enough to pull energy from them to heal herself. The demon below watched, always with a confident smile on her face, as Cyd fought free of the last of the imps. With each one eliminated, the battle became easier, but they were still hurting her. When she finished the last of them, she was exhausted. Her body ached, her costume was torn and bloodied, and her heart and soul were still grieving and worrying.

She landed hard on the stone floor where she'd started. She stumbled a bit, but settled her feet back under herself and straightened. "What next, Ciara?" she demand.

The demoness cocked her head one way and then the other. Her broad leathery wings began to flap, and Ciara lifted into the air, hovering a few feet off the ground. "Why, next? Next you die," Ciara answered.

"Just tell me why, Ciara? Why my family? Why did you start with us so long ago?"

"Prolonging this will not save your life, human child," the demon sneered.

Cyd shifted, trying to find a position that was less painful. "Perhaps not. But I'd like to understand."

The demon laughed, a deep and hearty roar, throwing her head back. "You can not imagine that I have any desire to make this easier for you! Centuries locked away here. CENTURIES! Just waiting for a woman ó Floinn to drop a third daughter. I was so close, so many times. Yet I always knew you would come. I always knew. I just never believed it would take this long. So long just staring at these stone walls, trapped, powerless. All because your many-times-great grandmothers resisted me. I can not have my revenge on them, but I will take it out on you! You will not die easy."

Cyd cocked her head. "I understand why you're mad at me. I just don't understand why you started it, though. Surely there were other sources of power. Why us? Why ours?"

"Human, you are a fool," she spat. "Why? Why? Because I wanted it. That is all that matters. The magic ó Floinn was a shining beacon. My own power was rising, in no small part due to my acquisition of a pair of powerful minions -" Ciara took a step back and grabbed Conall by one horn. She twisted his head back until his mouth twisted with pain and then released him with a contemptuous toss. "But I wanted more. Then I sensed the working of powerful magic. A woman, her red hair streaked with silver, working such intricate magic. I watched her pull the magic into herself and weave it like the knotted belt she wore. I killed her, to take the power from her, but it fled from me. I followed and found your clan. They had claimed that magic, and denied it to me." She tossed a glance back at Conall. "I will not be denied," she sneered. "So I decided I would take it..... And, believe me, daughter ó Floinn, I will take it. It will taste just as sweet ripped it from the bleeding flesh of you and your sisters as it would have have all those years ago. Perhaps... even more sweet." The ancient demon, powerful and reeking of evil, spread her arms wide, flared her wings high. "Enough, human. I have answered all the questions I intend to answer. You hope your friends will arrive in time to save you. They will not. You still hold out hope that you will win. You will not. You can not defeat me. You are going to die by my hands while your blood runs on the floor and your throat is raw from your screams. And your death will begin, now."

----

Sooner Spirit stood alone, ready for battle, ready to throw herself into a combat she knew she couldn’t win. The light was red and dim, the air redolent with the oily scent of pitch from the braziers and torches. Her body ached with exhaustion and bruises that would likely never have the time to form. Her red leather costume was stained with blood and marred with deep scuffs. Her cape, once a proud red and flashing white, hung dirty and tattered around her. Her hood had fallen back from her face, revealing her mussed braid of long, reddish-gold hair. She held her tall, slender frame straight and strong, though she felt the despair of defeat working its way through her soul. She already knew she couldn’t truly hurt the demon. The magic of the prophecy that had shaped her life and doomed her sisters prevented it, but she couldn’t just turn her back and flee either. Not after everything that had happened. The logical thing would be to attempt escape, but they were past logic. Caryn was missing, Cerise was dead, and their mother lay dying in a Paragon City hospital. Her life would be over at the whim of The Beast.

She crouched, ready to fling herself at Ciara, her only goal to do as much damage as she could before the demon finished her.

"SOONER!" hissed a familiar voice.

She was so suprised she took her eyes from Ciara and glanced down. There, behind and below, was Ahren. Her eyes widened in surprise. Ahren was one of very few people she trusted without without question so when he jumped up and grabbed the hem of her cape, she allowed him to tumble her back and down, out of sight.

Ciara's roar reverberated through the cavern, but Cyd didn't even hear it. She began to laugh. A handsome man with dark hair and eyes she assumed was Caryn's Ben crouched nearby but she barely noticed he was there. Ahren had come, at the last minute, and he'd brought victory with him. There was Caryn, a fierce smile on her face, and with them was Cerise. Pale, bruised, and subdued, but alive.

"Alright, 'sisters ó Floinn,'" Ahren coached. "Let's finish this *****. Oh, Cyd.... I think this belongs to you." Ahren reached into his pocked, grabbed Cyd's wrist in his other hand and firmly placed that all important carved ring with three red stones in her palm. "Try to hold onto it this time."

Read my stories!

Yeah! WOOHOOOOO!

It's looking better for the good guys.

The war drums, they do call to us...

Prepare yourself, we march to battle.





In other words...

LET'S GET READY TO RUUUMBLE!!!

Foundations will shake.

I'm with Tiger here....

WOOOOOO TO THE FREAKIN HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Book III Part XI

Ciara's Prison
Ahren launched into a brief report of how Ben had brought Cerise back, but he was interrupted by Ciara's bellowing.

"The blood ó Floinn has thinned over the years, I see!" Ciara sneered, her voice carrying clearly through the hallways. "You will die whether you face me as a warrior or I hunt you like a rabbit!"

"You'd better answer her," Ben muttered. "You don't want her coming for you before we're ready."

Cyd glanced at Ben, but she was too stunned to even hear his words. Her eyes went back to Cerise. "I saw you die..." she whispered.

Cerise ducked her eyes, and then glanced back up. She was unusually subdued, but Cyd thought that was understandable given what she'd been through. Cyd reached out and pulled Cerise into a tight embrace, fighting back tears of relief.

Ciara bellowed again, "Do not dishonor your name, daughter ó Floinn. Come back and face me. It will be ten times worse for you if you make me hunt you."

Ahren put a hand on Cyd's shoulder. "Tell her you're instructing your soul on how to find the path to the afterlife. You will return to the fight when you're sure it can find its way." Three pairs of bright green eyes turned to him with matching quizzical expressions. "I've been doing some reading. It's a Celtic thing. Just tell her. It will sound right to her and it should buy you a few minutes."

Cyd let her voice tremble, not difficult given her near overwhelming relief. "Ciara, I want to be sure my soul can find its way to the afterlife. Please give me a few minutes. I'll come back out and we'll finish this when I'm sure it knows the way."

Silence stretched out, then the demon chuckled. "Take your time, then. It is a long path from here to your otherworld, instruct it well. I don't want your soul, human, I want your magic."

"How did-" Cyd started, then cut herself off. The details were unimportant. "Cerise.... you dont' look well. Are you ready for this?"

"She doesn't have her magic," Caryn explained.

"I can see it... it's out there." Cerise whispered. "I know it will come to me when I call, but she will know when I do. We thought... .best to wait till we were all together again and ready."

Cyd was stunned by the bravery it must have taken to wander these halls powerless, when power was there waiting for her. But she didn't let it show. They had a job to do. "Ok then." Cyd opened her hand and stared down at the ring. She glanced up at Ahren, letting her eyes express her thanks, then placed the ring on the middle finger of her right hand. She felt the magic stir, reaching out to her, and then settle itself in place as if it knew it were home. She reached out her hands for her sisters. "Let's finish this."

"Wait wait...." Cerise said. "You have to understand about Conall-"

"Understand what?" Caryn broke in. "Can he get free? Do we have to worry about him, too?"

"No, listen. He really is on our side. He hates Ciara, he wants her dead. She has some sort of control over him, but if he could get free, maybe he could help us."

"No." Cyd shook her head. "No way. We do not need that problem added on." Cerise opened her mouth to protest, but Cyd went on. "You've never seen him in a fight. We can't take the risk of him getting free."

"Cyd... He IS Rory." Cerise pleaded.

"I KNEW it!" Caryn hissed. "Well.. I didn't know THAT, but I knew 'Rory' was no good!"

"He was my friend," Cerise said sadly. "He helped -"

"No, Cerise, No!" Caryn interrupted. "He manipulated you. He helped you only because it served his-"

"Enough!" Cyd jumped in. "Cerise, we can't take the risk. He's too big a variable."

Neither of her sisters seemed inclined to continue the argument, though Cerise looked even more sad.

"Ok." Cyd put her hand out in front of her. Solemnly, Ahren placed his hand atop hers. Ben followed, then Caryn and Cerise. Cyd placed her other hand, the one wearing the ring, on top. "Ahren, you've been as good a friend as I could have ever hoped for, and to my sisters as well. If there were any one person I would have picked to be here with us, it would be you." Ahren nodded as Cyd went on "Ben, I can never thank you enough for Cerise's life. But when this is over, when we're out of here, I'm sure going to try. Your help has given us back the chance to win this. Caryn, Cerise.... This..... this is what we were born for. This moment. That ***** has pushed this family around long enough. For ourselves, for our mother Colleen, for our father Daniel, for our family back through the centuries, we are ending this. Right now."

She stood, her cape falling down in a wave behind her, and pulled her hood back up. "Cerise, be ready to call your magic back, we need you strong."

The last time she had climbed atop that crest of stone, she'd thought she was going to her death. Now, she was going to victory. She glared down at The Beast, Ciara Banenighe. Cyd stood tall, strong and confident. Defiance and fury blazed in her eyes. "I'm ready." she said simply.

"I am well past ready, human. Let's end this."

Cyd answered with a teeth baring smile. She snapped her hands out and down to her sides and her sisters slapped their palms against hers in unison, climbing up to stand with her. The Sisters ó Floinn stood together, three strong and united, facing the demon they'd been born to fight. Cerise reached out her free hand to the magic swirling frantically about the ceiling and it darted to her. Instantly she straightened and smiled, glowing with her reclaimed power.

"NOOOOO!" Ciara roared. "NOOO! You're dead!"

Conall began to laugh, his whole body shook with a deep satisfied chuckle rising through the huge stone room and filling it like billowing smoke from a roaring fire.

"The only one dying today is you, Ciara!" Cerise cried out. As if they'd rehearsed it, Cerise and Caryn snapped their free hands down and out, mimicking Cyd's gesture. Ahren took Cerise's hand and Ben took Caryn's. The five of them stood together. And then Cyd activated the ring.

Magical chaos erupted. The invisible barrier holding Ciara captive suddenly became opaque, a shimmering red-gold web of of magic, contracting rapidly down around them then rupturing like an overfull balloon. The magic tried to flow into the the two remaining cabochon spheres, but they were weak and frail and they shattered, sending shards shooting wildly through the room. Magic, so much that it was visible even to Ahren, began to pour into the room, filling the space, splashing and flowing wildly. The air was filled with a sharp scent and a feeling of wild power. Ciara reached for it, screaming with fury as the power denied her and poured itself into the Sisters ó Floinn. The power of the entire clan had come home to them.

When the magical storm was over, the sisters glowed with sparkles of red power. Ahren and Ben, still holding their hands, had even absorbed some of it. The five of them stared down at the demon like Angels of Justice. And the demon... the demon had a moment to realize she was free. She could flee and find someplace new to rebuild. She was no longer bound here in that prison. She could escape... all she had to do was turn her back on that beautiful, glorious power. The intention to do so was clear on her face as she turned away but then Ahren called out to her, "Washerwoman! The Black Crone! You know that's what they called you? The Washerwoman?"

Ciara turned back, rage in her eyes. "No one has dared call me that for centuries...." she growled.

"After we kill you, I'll write your history - how you were imprisoned for centuries by three human girls, and then killed by another three. That's what I'm going to title it. "The Washerwoman's Defeat."

"Run Ciara," Conall sneered. "Run like the bully you are, the coward you are. And then it will be you hunted and killed like a rabbit!"

"I am no one's rabbit," she growled. "And you, human, will die for calling me that!"

Ciara lifted into flight and flung herself at Ahren. And the battle was on.

Even with the binding spell broken, Ciara was terrifyingly powerful. Her first blow on Ahren knocked him back on his heels and he staggered a few steps before getting set back on his feet. He proceeded to chatter away at Ciara, inflaming her temper more and more. "It appears you're having some trouble taming your wolf there, Washerwoman," he commented, dancing back and away from the sisters.

"Shut your fool mouth, human, about things too mighty for you to understand!" she bellowed and hammered at Ahren again.

Behind her, Cyd, Caryn, and Cerise flared into brilliant light, each of them surrounded by a shimmering corona of red light, sparkling and shining. Cyd lifted high into the air and swooped down on Ciara, while Caryn threw herself at the demon with an impressive flying kick, and Cerise leapt and twirled, her glowing magical blades shining even more brightly than ever. And behind them, Ben called out the spirits of his ancestors and reached down deep into the earth. He tossed the same energy he'd used to bring Cerise back to life at Ciara, only this time, it was used to hurt.

Ciara bellowed a furious protest. Those able to see magic saw that there was still more, and this time it was going to Ciara. Her strength grew. The heroes settled themselves in for a long, difficult fight.

---

Trix was entranced by the little figurine of the red carved imp, but she needed to keep moving. She needed to put even more distance between herself and Ciara. She turned back towards the door when the magical barriers surrounding the place swept through the room. Trix shrieked with totally unfeigned alarm and cowered on the floor, but then she realized... the sisters were fulfilling their prophecy. The pact was broken, and Trix, along with Conall, might be free of Ciara after all. She laughed with delight, too far away from the magical fireworks to see them, but she could feel them - the entire stone structure rumbled and roared with the power.

And then, the figurine still clutched in her tiny hand began to glow with magic. In fact, every artifact in the room began to glow and thrum. Trix dropped the figurine and darted back behind the tapestries. When she dared to glance back out, her eyes narrowed. Tremendous magic was being drawn from the items in the room, and she was quite certain she knew where it was going.

Her prize, the delicate figurine, lay broken on the floor. She pouted - she had coveted that one for her own - until she noted that it no longer glowed. It no longer generated power for the demoness.

A smile crooked the corner of Trix's mouth, then spread into a delighted grin. She emerged into sight again. She was forbidden to use magic to aid Conall. But it would not require any magic to destroy this room. With shrill giggles and squeals of pure delight, Trix wrought havoc in that room, and one by one centuries old and priceless magical antiquities were ruined. If they were brittle, they crashed to the floor. If they were flammable, they burned to ash. She grabbed up delicate cloaks and hoods and tore them to shreds. She squashed flat delicate metal filigree and scroll work items, smashed mirrors, poured out phylacteries and scattered their contents. She squealed with delight at the destruction, for with each item destroyed, Ciara Banenighe weakened.

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