CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
Emilia grabbed her crooked sword and ran determinedly at the monster. One of the heads turned to her, and Emilia saw Banet’s cold, calculating eyes staring at her.
“Banet,” she snarled. “I will kill you!”
Emilia saw Storm taking on three heads at once. His movements were swift and decisive, and he dodged the Hydra’s venom with ease. Storm brought his sword down and the head rolled to the ground. “Sky! Now!” he yelled.
Sky swooped in and burned the neck stump. Thick black smoke billowed from the stump but no new head regrew.
Gramma and Ne-ma were working together to attack one of the Hydra’s heads. They waved their swords and ran at the Hydra but they couldn’t get near enough to chop off the head.
“Look out, Neveah!” Gramma screamed and pushed Ne-ma out of the way as a jet of venom flew past them. Gramma and Ne-ma picked up their swords and scrambled off in opposite directions as two hissing heads lunged at them.
“Ha! You missed!” Ne-ma taunted and scooted behind a pillar.
When the Hydra stretched one of its heads towards the pillar, Gramma ran out and drove her sword into the monster’s neck. “Take that, Banet!”
But Gramma didn’t have the strength to drive the blade cleanly through the Hydra’s thick neck. Storm spun round and with one stroke, severed the head from the neck.
Gramma grinned at Storm as she picked up her sword and together with Ne-ma, charged headlong into battle again.
Gramma and Ne-ma jeered and cackled loudly when they narrowly avoided another jet of venom. They were making light of the situation, but Emilia realized just how much danger the two grandmothers were putting themselves in.
They could have stayed in Shadow Point and remained in safety and comfort. But here they were, battling a deadly enemy and putting themselves in harm’s way.
All these people, Storm and his brothers, Gramma and Ne-ma were risking their lives for her. They were protecting her and fighting for her. They were brave, selfless and loving.
These people...were her family.
Blood was not thicker than water.
In her case, she had been betrayed by blood. Instead, it was water that cleansed, healed and purified.
These people, her new friends and family, showed her that love was pure, true and beautiful. Love wasn’t hurtful, selfish and toxic.
She wasn’t alone. And she would never be alone.
She had a new life, a new family.
She would fight for her new life. Her old life was gone. Her mother, Gisele, would no longer be in her life. And sadly, in Gisele’s mind and heart, Emilia was as good as dead. When she divulged her daughter’s whereabouts to Banet to save her own skin, Gisele knew what Banet wanted Emilia for.
Emilia took a deep, shuddering breath. She would grieve for the mother she never had, and move on.
It was all in the past now.
Emilia let out a cry, a cry that released all her anguish and fury and filled her heart with courage and fierce resolve. She was going to fight! Fight the enemy, and protect the people she loved.
With her sword held high, Emilia ran forward and leaped up just as one of the Hydra’s heads lunged at her. She skidded to the side and brought her sword down. The crooked blade cut through the Hydra’s neck muscles and tendons and severed the head.
Sky immediately aimed his dragon fire at the neck stump and burned up the wound.
Emilia staggered back, panting. Gramma and Ne-ma punched the air to celebrate her victory. “Yes! Off with his head!” they shouted.
Emilia gasped. Yes, she had indeed taken off a Hydra’s head. She was slaying a monster, destroying a demon.
Gripping her sword, she clenched her jaw and ran at Banet again. She was fighting for her life, her friends and family, and she wasn’t fighting alone.
Gramma, Ne-ma and the Fireblood brothers all fought fiercely, covering one another as they worked systematically to destroy the Hydra. Storm sliced off yet another head and Sky cauterized the wound swiftly, preventing the head from regrowing.
Emilia turned around and saw a head rear up behind the two witches. “Look out!” she screamed. “Move, Gramma!”
Emilia charged towards the head, swinging her sword.
The Hydra hissed and aimed its venom at Gramma and Ne-ma.
Emilia swung her sword hard and sliced through the neck.
Everything happened in a few heartbeats.
But still, she hadn’t been fast enough.
Ne-ma’s shrill cry of horror and anguish rent the air. “Glynda! No!”
Emilia rushed over to Ne-ma, who was kneeling at Gramma’s side. Gramma was convulsing and shaking uncontrollably as foam bubbled from her mouth. The skin on her right hand had burned off and her hand was shriveling into a horrible black mess.
“The venom...” Ne-ma screamed. “The venom hit her hand! It penetrated her skin and is burning through her whole body. It will kill her! I...I’ll work a healing spell. You hang on, Glynda! You hear me?”
Ne-ma frantically spat out an incantation, but the rot was rapidly spreading from Gramma’s hand to her whole arm.
“It’s not working,” Ne-ma sobbed. “Why can’t any of my healing spells work? Glynda!”
Gramma’s eyes rolled back in her head and she stopped moving.