“We will not cower!” Tilly scolded Tony as he addressed the villagers.
“It’s not cowering, Tilly, it’s called being cautious. What will you do when they come in here? Would you put Robbie at risk?”
“I can help!” she insisted.
“Tilly, I can’t focus unless I know you are safe.” Robbie stepped forward. They had gotten most of the villagers into the bunkers, but Tilly and Elizabeth were refusing to go.
“We are staying. If it makes you big bad men feel better, then we can stay inside the medical cottage so if there are any injuries we can tend to them,” Elizabeth said, her arms folded.
Dakota recognized that stance and knew she wasn’t going anywhere.
“Fine.”
Robbie shot Dakota daggers in his glare, but Dakota ignored them. “It’s going to do us no good to argue with them, Robbie. They have made up their minds, and as of now we are wasting time.”
“I’m afraid I won’t be much help.” Carmen staggered into the cottage. “I am fairly worn out.” She stumbled, and Tony caught her.
“Drop the barrier,” Dakota said.
“Now is not the time, Dakota,” she warned. “If Vincent is close and I drop Anastasia’s protection, he will be able to get to her.”
“Drop it,” Dakota told her again. “He won’t be able to get to her.” He turned and headed for the door. “Get into the bunker and seal the door, keep everyone quiet.”
“Where are you going?” Elizabeth asked him.
“I'm going to drag Ana back to reality whether she likes it or not.” He turned and slammed the door behind him.
“I would really hate to be Anastasia right now,” Tony said simply.
“Or love to be her.” Tilly laughed, and Robbie shot her an amused glance.
“Either way, we need her,” Argento said, and then turned to his followers. “You form a line inside the gate. They want a fight? We will give them one. I know that you know them and at one point they were your neighbors and very possibly your friends, but they have chosen a side, and it’s the wrong side. We will show them just how wrong they are.” He showed his teeth, and the Brutes let out a low growl and then headed for the door.
“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” Tony kissed Elizabeth. “If it goes bad, you get into that bunker and you seal it, Lizzie.”
“Not unless you are with me.”
“I love you,” he said to her, and then turned and left the cottage.
“I love you too,” she whispered behind him. “Please come back.”
Dakota pushed the door open to the training cottage and stepped into the dark. “Ana?” he asked, and shut the door behind him, locking it. She was not going to push him away anymore. He was either leaving with her or not at all.
“Leave now,” he heard her from the corner of the living area.
“I’m not leaving.”
Her body began glowing and she stood. The Anastasia he knew was in there somewhere, and he was going to show her the way back.
“You are making a mistake.” She showed her teeth to him. “Vincent, you will not win. I’ve had enough of your mind games.”
“I’m not Vincent,” he said simply, swallowing a bit of fear as she stepped closer.
“Of course not, this time you’re real, right?” she said sarcastically as she circled him.
“It’s me, Ana. The same Dakota who you grew up with, who has been in love with you since we were kids.”
“You shut up!” she yelled, lunging for him. “You don’t know anything about Dakota!”
“I know everything about myself and damn near everything about you.”
“Lies!”
“I know that when you were eight you fell and skinned your knee climbing a tree with me.”
He saw the flash of recognition in her eyes and knew that she was in there somewhere.
“I know that you used to climb over to my house almost every night to sleep because you said it was the only place you felt safe.”
Anastasia circled him, her body providing enough light to illuminate the inside of the cabin. Dakota saw the flames in her hands and he talked faster.
“The Brutes are here, Ana, the ones who have been responsible for all those deaths of the ones you love. Annabelle,” he said, and pain flashed on her face.
“You know nothing about Annabelle!”
“Gregory.”
She lunged for him and made contact, knocking them both to the ground. Her palms were hot on his chest, and he gripped her and rolled her over. He took her palm and held it over his heart, ignoring the pain that he felt as the heat seared his skin. “You feel that? That’s real. Those scars on your back are real, as is all of the pain, both physical and mental, you grew up with. Losing Gregory and Annabelle, that was real, and those people out there, your people who are going to die without you tonight, are real, Ana. Pull yourself out of whatever hole you are in and start seeing what is around you. I love you, and that love will last until my very last breath leaves my lungs and probably even after that because how I feel about you is the damned most real thing on this entire world. Feel it.”
She closed her eyes, and he could see that he was getting to her. “Kill me or come back, Ana, because death would be preferable to the pain I feel knowing I can’t help you.”
“Dakota?” she whispered, and the pain ceased.
“Yes.” He covered her mouth with his and he felt her come back beneath him. “We need you, Ana.”
She nodded, and he pulled her to her feet. For the first time in two days Anastasia stepped into the fresh air. She took a deep breath, feeling as if a weight had been lifted. She let herself feel the power in her veins and it suddenly felt like less of a burden.
Anastasia followed Dakota to the gate, and she stepped through and into the commotion of the war that raged beyond it. She closed her eyes against the breeze. Anastasia inhaled the scent of the sulfur the Brutes carried with them, and let it seep into her very soul. She could hear the cries of the Fighters and let the rage from it drive her further into the depths of her magic. She would not lose control this time. When she opened her eyes, they were an unnatural shade of blue, and when she smiled, it promised the death of her enemies.
For a moment it seemed as if time slowed to merely a crawl as she watched the battle that raged before her eyes. Dakota had immediately thrown himself at a Brute who had been trying to get through the gate. She saw the crease in his forehead as he plunged his sword into the beast’s chest. Argento had dispatched two of the enemy Brutes and was working towards a group who had attacked a Fighter who was much too young to be beyond the gate.
She lifted her sword and it ignited with flame. There were too many of her allies among the Brutes, so using her magic to take them all out would be too dangerous. She felt the beat of her heart quicken and the excitement of the war pound in her blood. These bastards were going to pay.
Anastasia lunged at a Brute who had taken an interest in her, and time sped back up. She sliced through him as if he were nothing more than a nuisance, leaving a smoldering corpse behind her. She lunged and dodged, seeing nothing but what was in front of her.
Brutes fell at her feet, and the satisfaction she felt at not being a victim filled her. Mitch had been the first to turn her into one, and even though Gregory had brought her back and she had made herself into something more, Vincent had managed to return her.
She knew she was splattered with blood, and she continued to fight until Brady stood before her. His eyes were dark, and she could almost see Vincent above him pulling the strings.
“Brady.”
“Anastasia.”
“I know you are still in there, Brady.” She lowered her sword and stepped towards him.
“You are truly foolish.”
“Brady, remember all the times we ran through the woods together? With Kaley? Remember when you asked for my advice about Emma?”
She saw a twitch on his face, and her hunch that he was still in there was confirmed.
“Oh, but Emma is dead, isn’t she, Brady?” Vincent’s voice filled her head, and by the look on Brady’s face, he heard it too. “The Brutes slaughtered her before your very eyes.”
“You mean the Brutes that you are working with, Vincent? The ones that you are forcing Brady to work with? Why don’t you show yourself and we can end this now?” She warily stepped to the side to check behind her.
“I am needed elsewhere at the moment. Besides, it will all be over soon enough.”
She felt his presence leave her mind, and she turned her attention back to Brady.
“Brady, I know you are in there, please come back,” she pleaded, tears filling her eyes. Next to Dakota, Brady had been her best friend, the only other person she had confided in.
She watched the war on his face as he fought, and when he looked up at her she sighed with relief at the sight of his light eyes. She watched them widen with fear just as he lunged for her.
“Anastasia!”
He shoved her out of the way, and she watched in horror as Argento’s previous captain buried his sword in Brady’s chest.
“NO!” she screamed, and threw her palm up, striking the beast with flames. He fell to the ground and she ran to Brady.
“I'm. Sorry.” Blood began to pool from his mouth, and she cradled his head in her hands.
“Shh, Brady. It’s okay, it wasn’t you.” Tears filled her eyes as she stared down at him.
“Please tell my mom and Sarah that I…” His breath was coming in spurts, and she knew he didn’t have long. She covered his wound with her hands and applied pressure, but the blood continued to seep through her fingers. “Someone HELP!” she screamed, but the sound was drowned out by the fight around them.
“Brady, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should have stayed with Vincent, then he never would have used you.”
“Not your fault. You’re my best friend.” The tears fell down his face.
“Hang on, Brady! I will get help.” She stood and tried to lift him.
“No. Use,” he muttered.
“Brady, please, I need you.” Tears streamed down her face and she crouched next to him. She didn’t have the strength to carry him, and everyone around her was too occupied trying to fight off the enemy.
“Thank you, Anastasia.”
“You can call me Ana.”
He smiled up at her. “Thank you, Ana.” He closed his eyes and when she felt the last breath leave his lungs, she turned her head to the sky and screamed.
A group of enemy Brutes ran for her, and without letting go of Brady she used her magic to bring them all to the ground. Every single one who ran for her met the same fate until they eventually stopped coming.
She heard the cheers from the villagers around her, but they felt as if they were a mile away. She had watched Brady grow into a man, and he had been the brother she had never had, the friend she had needed when she had first arrived in Terrenia. She closed her eyes against the tears and pulled him closer, seeing his smile in her mind. Another piece of her heart was torn from her chest just as it had been when Gregory had died.
How much more death was Vincent going to cause before she put him down for good? she wondered. How many more of her loved ones were going to be cut down by his madness?
“Ana, oh no. I’m so sorry.” She opened her eyes to see Dakota standing in front of her.
“He saved me.” She rested her head on Brady’s hair and felt Dakota’s arms go around her.