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A magickal form of it, but in some way, her father was connecting with her through this blade.
And she knew, with certainty, that she now had the power to kill the Dark Goddess and rid the world of her terror forever.
“Of courseI took the blade,” Domnu said from across the room where she’d flung a door open. “No sense in wasting a well-crafted weapon. Come on, darling, let’s go play, shall we? Oh, this is going to be fun. Mother and daughter’s first battle together. Not the last of them, either, I hope.” A delighted smile shone on Domnu’s face, and her hair snarled around her, the snakes energized by her excitement. It was then that Raven read the madness in her eyes and fully understood that if she didn’t stop Domnu, nobody ever would.
“Oh look, our toys have arrived.” Domnu laughed as she stepped onto the flat roof that ran the length of one half of the castle, a low wall surrounding it. On one end, Kellen, Bianca, Seamus, Lily, and Callum stood, their Alicorns hovering in the air behind them. Raven’s heart twisted at the sight of them, and she averted her eyes or she was going to start crying. Timing was everything now, and if Domnu suspected she would run back to Kellen, then she’d be dead before her sword dropped to the ground.
“I didn’t think they’d come,” Raven bit out, keeping her eyes on Domnu. It was the only place she could look without revealing her emotions, and she mustered all of her years of pretending like nothing bothered her and slipped an indifferent mask across her face. “Not the brightest, are they?”
“Raven. Just stop it. You don’t have to do this,” Kellen shouted, but Raven ignored him. Why wouldn’t he just shut up? Didn’t he know that he was only going to make this worse. “I love you, Raven. I love you. Come back to me.”
“Awww, well, now. Isn’t that just the sweetest thing in the world?” Domnu laughed and snapped her fingers, and Kellen dropped to his knees, grunting in pain. Unseen forces dragged him across the stone floor, until he was deposited in a lump in front of them. Quickly he stumbled to his feet, righting himself, and glared at Domnu. “If you love my daughter then you need to ask for her hand in marriage.”
“I will not,” Kellen said, his chin lifting, “if marriage means that I side with you.”
“A weak man. Unworthy of you,” Domnu said, turning to study Raven’s expression at the same time as she sliced her trident across Kellen’s chest, instantly opening his skin so blood bloomed through his shirt, and he slumped once more to the ground. “We’ll take extra time with destroying him, shall we? It will be our little fun, together.”
“Yes, so much fun,” Raven bit out over the bile that rose in her throat. Below them, screams sounded, and a roar came from the crowd. A soft thundering sound drifted from the murky green sky above them and Raven followed Domnu’s eyes up.
“No,” Domnu gasped, fury racing across her face, as hundreds of ravens descended upon her, pecking at her snakes and her eyes, and Domnu shrieked, throwing up her hands.
The sword heated in her hand, urging her on, and Raven understood that this was her moment. The only one she might get. Heart hammering, she took a deep breath, and opened her mouth in song.
“When she sings, queens will fall, daughters of blood, end them all.”
Anger coated Domnu’s face as the birds parted for Raven, and time seemed to slow, as she strode forward. Though her hand trembled on the sword, she lifted it.
“Daughter. You don’t have it in you.” Domnu’s laugh was a harsh slap across Raven’s soul.
“Don’tI? Maybe it’s just as easy as you abandoning me as a baby. Leaving me on the streets with nothing to protect me.” Raven darted forward, neatly slicing the head from a lock of Domnu’s hair, and the snakes screamed as one.
“It was for the best.” Domnu’s voice went soft, cajoling, and for once, Raven fully understood her own power.
“Or maybe it will be as easy as you killing my father after you used him for his seed.”
Slice. Another snake went flying, its friends shrieking in distress.
“I was right to get rid of you.” Domnu tilted her head and spat at Raven, her saliva landing on Raven’s arm and burning like acid. Despite the pain, Raven refused to look away from the tragedy that was her mother.
“Just as I will be right to rid the world of the likes of you.”
Leaping forward, Raven swung the sword, slicing neatly through her mother’s neck, toppling her head from her body. Domnu’s face was caught in a silent scream of rage, the snakes’ fangs bared, before it dropped to the ground and rolled away. Her body instantly dissolved into a silvery puddle of blood, but the head lingered as her snakes blasted from her scalp, slithering away as fast as they could. The ravens swooped in, picking at the snakes like a team of school kids at a free pizza buffet, and Raven turned to run to Kellen.
Pain speared her calf.
Raven looked down to see a snake, its fangs imbedded in her calf, its eyes glowing as it sunk its deadly poison into her blood. Without a thought, she severed its head with the blade and ripped it from her skin, but already the poison seeped through her, icy darkness creeping up her limbs. Collapsing to the ground in front of where Kellen was pulling himself to his feet, she met his eyes.
“Raven, no. What’s happened?” Kellen gasped out, fear on his handsome face.
“Snake,” Raven gasped out. Kellen knelt by her side, his blood dripping onto her chest, and she reached up to run a hand across his cheeks, forcing him to look at her.
“Kellen.”
“Shh, don’t speak. We’ll get you help. Raven, you didn’t have to do this. We were here.”
“I did, Kellen.Kellen,” Raven yelled so he would stop babbling and look at her. When he did, she smiled. “I did this for you. I love you, Kellen, mighty ruler of the Air Fae. And I claim you back. Now, forever, and for all of time.”
Light flashed, and a soft roaring filled her ears, as Kellen lifted her in the air, the world careening around her.
