The Scourge of the Demon Hunters—Act 29

“Is he dead?” asked a worried Ciel.

“No cousin,” said Louisa, kneeling beside Sebastian’s limp form. “The enchantments were weakened when the sword was no longer whole. Even without that, it would have needed to pierce his heart to kill him.”

Louisa carefully removed the shards from Sebastian, who finally groaned and moved. “Regardless, my Lord, it still hurt. An unusual feeling for a demon to experience.” As he sat up, Louisa threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

“My love, you said yourself, it could not kill me,” said Sebastian embracing her and placing a kiss on her head.

“I know, but what if I had been wrong?”

“You were not, and that is all that matters.” He kissed her again before getting to his feet and pulling her up with him. “Come, we have many more miles to cover before it gets dark.”

They returned to their horses, leaving the demon sword powerless and shattered amongst the trees.

They journeyed onwards through the rugged countryside, with Sebastian and Louisa constantly scanning the horizon. The destruction of the sword would have sent shockwaves through anyone close enough to feel its magic. Louisa knew they were close; it was just a matter of when they would attack, rather than if.

The sun was low in the sky when Sebastian sensed they were no longer alone. He could feel no magic, no power, but there was someone on the other side of the ridge close by where they rode. Sebastian indicated his findings to Louisa and motioned for her and Ciel to keep riding. He leapt off his horse and ran to the ridge. Humans on horseback matched their journey on the other side. It was a hunting party; only they weren’t hunting food. A cage at the back of the horse line held two young children, and the horse beyond that had what looked like the remains of an adult human slung across it. He contemplated taking care of it himself, but decided it would be unfair not to let Louisa enjoy herself, too; plus, he could not risk any of them getting away. He ran back to join Louisa and Ciel.

“There is a small Order hunting party on the other side of the ridge. I counted five humans, two captured children, and a dead or severely injured adult." Ciel’s mind was made up at the mention of the children, “You already have your orders; I believe this is covered.”

Sebastian grinned, his eyes glowed, and leaving Ciel and the horses in the shade of a tree, Sebastian and Louisa moved swiftly over the ridge. Sebastian removed the butter knives from his pocket as they moved while Louisa quietly formed an ice shard. They moved in unison to the head of the hunting party and stood close to the front horse, making it rear and almost unseat its rider.

“What the hell, get out of the way,” screamed the rider.

“No, I don’t think so,” sneered Sebastian, letting two of the knives fly, hitting cleanly between the eyes of each of their intended targets. Louisa took out the third, the ice shard slicing through his neck, leaving him dead before he hit the floor. The remaining two riders made a break for it; one was met by a butter knife between his shoulder blades, the other was dragged from his horse by Louisa. As she turned him over to face her, his fear was palpable. It only grew as he recognised the face that loomed over him.

“You,” he managed.

“Yes, me,” sneered Louisa as she dragged the ice shard across his throat. Blood spurted from the gaping wound, covering her clothes. She watched as the life drained from his eyes before leaving him and moving to join Sebastian at the cage.

As they released the children, Sebastian felt a different presence; seconds later, Louisa felt it, too. Both knew it was already too late, even as they left the freed children to find their own way back to safety and moved at full speed back to Ciel and the horses. They heard Ciel scream and saw movement in the sky above them. Louisa started to uncase her wings, but Sebastian laid his hand on her arm.

“Wait, if they wanted the young master dead, they would have killed him here. It is a trap, and we must be cautious.”

Louisa was too angry to speak, she knew he was right, but that did not lessen the pain that she was feeling. She nodded, and it was then that she noticed the white feather on the floor by the horses. She picked it up only to drop it again as the edge of it sliced through her finger.

“What the hell?” she said angrily.

“Not hell,” said Sebastian, “that is an angel feather.”

Fire burned in Louisa’s eyes, “Angels are behind this. I guess that makes sense. The Order always talked of purifying the earth, removing the fouled and flawed things that reside on it.”

“It could go beyond just the Order. It may be the core of it all,” said Sebastian, putting together the pieces of the puzzle he had worked on for so many years to gain Ciel’s soul.

“Then let us finish this and be free of it all,” said Louisa vehemently.

Sebastian pulled her to him and embraced her tightly. “Then let us run; we can move quicker than the horses.”

They set off, their demon speed allowing them to move faster than most could even see. By the time the sun began to set, they had reached the coast and took in the sight of Tintagel Castle. Its ruined state was a mirage that they were able to see through. Its true form was still magnificent despite the ravages of time and the sea. A single bridge joined the castle with the mainland.

“They will be expecting us to come across that bridge in human form,” said Sebastian. “They will not know for sure that you have discovered your true form, even if they are aware of what I am.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“That I walk across that bridge in full view and distract that damn angel and anyone else who cares to be watching. You should approach from the sea, stay close to the cliffs, the lengthening shadows should hide you from sight. Take out the sentries positioned on the two towers. I can find the young master while they are distracted, then we can finish it.”

“Are you sure that separating is the best course of action?”

“No, but I do believe that it is our best chance of dividing their forces and retrieving the young master in one piece.”

“Has he called for you?” asked Louisa, her fear for her cousin clear in her voice.

“No, he remains silent, but I feel him. He is alive and close by.”

“Then we have no time to waste.”

They moved back away from the edge of the coast, finding a small hill that hid Louisa’s transformation. Sebastian marvelled at how quickly she had taken on her demon form. She embraced and kissed him deeply, then left before he could say anything. It was only after she had disappeared from view that Sebastian realised that she hadn’t needed to remove her clothing before she had transformed and that her attire had merged with her. A thought began to form in his mind, and it made him extremely uncomfortable that he had sent her off on her own. It made him even more uncomfortable when he considered his earlier promise to her. As he walked back to the bridge, the pieces fell into place, and he realised how monumentally stupid he had been. All he could do now was hope that he was able to save them all.

Louisa flew close to the edge of the cliff, using the lengthening shadows to help her hide. It was only as she reached the base of the cliff on which the castle sat that she realised that her form was covered in tight black clothing that mirrored that worn by Sebastian in his true form. She cursed—Undertakers words echoed through her head—how had she not realised sooner? For a moment, she was unable to move, in the stillness, she felt the beginnings of new life stir within her.

The realisation that she was no longer only responsible for her life hit her hard. Any mistake now, no she couldn’t think like that. She breathed deeply; all that mattered now was getting Ciel back and stopping the Order from putting anyone, human or demon, in this position. Louisa reached the first watchtower; leaping up quickly, she surprised the guard, snapping his neck before he could utter a sound. Her vantage point allowed her to see Sebastian as he came confidently across the bridge, inviting the angel to face him. Movement in the tower across from her caught her attention. She formed an ice shard and took off for the tower. Mid-flight, she heard a whistle. A burning sensation ripped through her right wing; she screamed as pain burned through her right shoulder. The shock caused her to lose height. As she struggled for control, she was hit again, pain ripping through her left wing and into her left shoulder, just inches from her heart. She looked down; two metal arrowheads protruded from her shoulders. She tried to grasp at one, but the metal burned her skin. She was falling and losing control over her form. The ground loomed below her; she hit it with force, pain searing through her now human form.

Sebastian watched in horror as the first arrow hit. He had no time to react before the second punctured her left wing and shoulder. Her return to human form confirmed that the arrows were enchanted. He went to move towards her, only to be stopped by movement and laughter above him. High above the ground hovered the angel holding a dark bundle at arms’ length.

“Can you save them both, Sebastian?” it asked, laughing maniacally before letting go of the bundle. The falling mass cried out, and it was then that a horrified Sebastian realised that the rapidly falling shape was Ciel. His contract and his promise bound the action he needed to take next.

Leaping towards the falling Ciel, he grabbed him, grasped him tightly to his chest, and landed with him safely in his arms. Without stopping or breaking his movements, Sebastian used all his speed to reach the place where he saw Louisa fall. The sight that met him caused him to drop Ciel unceremoniously on the floor in front of him. Ciel was about to complain when he too saw. Louisa was on her knees, barely conscious and bleeding profusely from the arrows in her shoulders. Behind her, with one hand twisted in her hair, stood the angel, white mist obscuring its features. Its other hand plunged into her back as the helpless pair watched in horror. The angel laughed as Louisa screamed. Its laughter grew louder as he pulled his arm back, revealing the contents of his hand.

Louisa’s heart sat, still beating, in its palm. Blood dripped down the angel’s arm as it held the heart high for them to see. “You took her from me, now I have taken her from you.”

Before either could recover their senses, the angel took off, disappearing into the clouds, still holding its prize.