“Forgive me,” he wept. “Forgive me, Beatrice.”
Chapter 18
The Chaos magic bindings around Pearl faded, dropping her to the ground. The Ghost Boy’s armor, still frozen like a statue, trapped the Boy within it. He couldn’t go anywhere, so Pearl went to Theseus first. He knelt beside the body of fake Beatrice and wept. His head hung low, and his clawed at the dirt to get a hold of it before it completely fell out from beneath him. The ground had drunken its fill of Beatrice’s black blood and a small pool formed, rippling as Theseus’s tears fell into it.
“I’ve killed her again.” Pearl placed a hand on his shoulder and let him cry. He punched the ground and Pearl heard the snapping of bones. “It wasn’t her. I know that. But it’s like I’ve killed her again. The damn thing soiled everything. Can’t even celebrate the fact that it’s gone.”
Seeing Theseus cry pained Pearl, so she dropped to his side and embraced him. If nothing else, she hoped it helped. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight, sobbing into her shoulder.
“Theseus, we need to help get the Ghost Boy out of his armor. He’s stuck in it,” Pearl said after a minute or two. The simple task would distract him from his grief.
Theseus wiped his eyes clean, stood up, and took a deep breath. Besides his red eyes, he had returned to his old self. He looked over at the Ghost Boy and rolled up his sleeves. “Damn boy. More trouble than he’s worth.”
They laughed, but stopped as another voice laughed with them. Before Pearl’s Forewarn could alert her, a purple light flashed behind her and Theseus fell forward, howling in pain. Something grabbed Pearl by her neck and threw her towards the Ghost Boy. She tumbled in midair, and found herself upside down when the Chaos energy chains wrapped around her again. Theseus squirmed in agony on the ground. The blast had blown off most of his left knee, the two halves of the leg connected by ragged strands of burnt flesh.
“What’s the matter, brother?” Beatrice cackled. Though her silk dress remained torn, her body showing no trace of the previous fight. Her wings had faded, replaced by eight serpents sprouting from her back, each one with black scales and deep purple eyes. The serpents shot out at Theseus, four of them wrapping around his arms, waist, and neck, while the other four bit at him, driving their fangs deep into his body, but not tearing away any flesh. Theseus shouted curses, and fought to free himself, but to no avail. “I bet you relished the idea of killing me again, but I’m afraid that game has gotten boring for me.”
“Shut up,” he growled through gritted teeth.
“Oh, but we have so much to talk about,” she giggled as she drew him close and whispered into his ear.
Pearl tried to free her arms, but the chains didn’t give an inch, no matter how hard she pushed against them. With her weapons out of reach, she would have to rely on her own strength. She dug deep within herself for the power to break free, but found none.
“Damn it,” she swore, her blood boiling. All of that training and preparation rendered worthless by some bloody chains. After facing the Khaous, the Grey King, the skeletons, the bone construct, and the literal Devil, she refused to die like this. Her anger and frustration ignited something in her, a fresh, white-hot brand burning Pearl’s very soul, but the pain it inflicted only made Pearl stronger. As her efforts to free herself continued in vain, her frustration grew, and so too did her suffering and strength increased. “God damn it!”
The burning within her exploded throughout her body, giving her new strength laced with wickedness and fueled by sin. But she didn’t have time to worry about that. With a roar, she tore apart the chains holding her. She flipped over as she fell, and she had both of her swords drawn before she touched the ground.
“Put him down, you monster,” Pearl barked, wasting no time as she charged at Beatrice.
“Gladly,” Beatrice smiled as she threw Theseus at Pearl, who dropped to her knees and slid under him. Beatrice raised her left hand and Chaos energy gathered in her palm once more. This time when she waved it, the energy transformed into a large axe with a single, black, rectangular blade with a crook edge and a long, crooked shaft of the axe appeared too thin to hold its blade. Pearl lunged at Beatrice, who swung her axe as though it were a twig. Pearl expected as much and leapt out of the way as the axe crunched deep into the stone floor. Beatrice lifted it free with a brief tug, but not brief enough.
Pearl closed in on her left and swung to kill with her katana. The serpents on Beatrice’s back straightened out into the rigid bones again, reforming her bat wings. With a single flap, Beatrice jumped away and pushed Pearl with a gust of wind. Pearl anchored herself by stabbing her swords into the ground and once the wind stopped, she gathered mana into her hands. There was no time to pull her swords free, as Beatrice swooped down towards her, body twisted back like a spring, ready to attack. With crazed eyes, Beatrice swung her axe with the snap of a snare. Pearl threw her arms forward and fire roared forth from her hands to swallow Beatrice whole like a dragon’s maw. The firestorm burned on its own and Beatrice disappeared within it, though Pearl still heard agonized shrieks over the blaze. She had time, probably seconds, to retrieve her swords. Her spell, no matter how powerful, was not enough to end Beatrice.
“Pearl, wait…” Theseus moaned, still in pain. She didn’t have time to listen. Beatrice blew the flames around her away with the beating of her wings. Tall, thin cyclones of fire swirled themselves out of life. She took flight, moving without any display of pain, the singes on her body more for show.
“Impressive, but for your sake, I hope that wasn’t your trump card,” Beatrice mocked, hovering in the air even as her wings turned back into serpents. “’Impressive’ won’t kill me.”
The serpents shot down at Pearl like falling arrows, their heads turning into spear points. Pearl stood her ground and slashed at the serpents as they fell, deflecting half of them into the ground around her and severing three more, each cut paining Beatrice. The last serpent pierced through Pearl just under her ribs and out her lower back. She cried out, the pain threatening to send her to her knees, but she couldn’t afford to fall. As bad as it hurt, it hadn’t struck hit anything vital, or at least she hoped.
She cut the serpent-lance going through her with Ragenoz Rako, the blade drinking the Chaos energy as if dying of thirst. The glow of the blade’s runes reassured Pearl and the augmented strength from Hantā no Musuko kept her on her feet. Beatrice retracted the remaining four serpents back to her side and, with a burst of violet energy regrew the serpents she had lost. She screamed at Pearl, “Why do you want to help him? He’s done nothing but lie to you, and yet you fight to protect him?”
“Because I care about him.” Ignoring her wound, Pearl readied herself for another attack. “And because it’s the just thing to do. As is killing you.”
“Why must you do that? Do you even think you can? I’ve played a round of existence before, and when it was over, I hadn’t lost.” Beatrice challenged her. “I am a survivor, all of what you call ‘Chaos’ survived the end of what came before. Haven’t you ever considered that Chaos has as much claim to this plane as Order does?”
“None of that matters.” It was an unwavering answer, strong and sure, without a trace of compromise. Her swords ate at the Chaos energy in the air, and she could feel herself becoming stronger and nimbler. She channeled energy from her bastard sword into her katana, making herself stronger until both blades felt absent in her hands. “Your existence threatens all there is, was, or will be. You took away everyone I’ve ever known. You took away my home. And you killed my father.”
“Ah, I love that game. Vengeance,” Beatrice chided, a wicked smile creeping onto her face.
“No, justice,” Pearl corrected.
“Oh.” The smile on Beatrice’s face soured into a scowl. “Now you have to die.” With a harpy’s cry and fury, Beatrice rushed at battle-ready Pearl. The crooked axe fell upon the golden bastard sword, and Pearl’s katana darted out for a bite of flesh. The serpents
shot out, but instead of spear, the struck Pearl like stones, pushing her away from Beatrice. A memory of the people of New Bethlehem throwing stones at her younger self stirred Pearl’s anger, causing the brand within her to burn brighter, making her stronger.
“Isn’t that interesting?” Beatrice remarked. “Someone else has placed their mark upon you. Won’t they be disappointed when I take their toy from them.” The battle raged further into its stalemate, neither side giving an inch. Pearl never tired, as new strength flowed from her blades as they fed on the Chaos energy in the air. That she could block Beatrice’s large axe with a single blade hardened Beatrice’s scowl and filled her eyes with unholy frenzy. The two clashed their weapons together, their faces only a breath apart.
Pearl grimaced as she tried to push Beatrice back. Beatrice’s wicked smile slithered onto her face, and Pearl let out a sharp cry as something stabbed into her right arm, the shock of the pain making her drop Ragenoz Rako. Beatrice kicked the sword away, and it clanged into the shadows to Pearl’s right. One of Beatrice’s serpents had sunken its fangs deep into Pearl’s wrist. With a quick swipe of her remaining blade, Pearl freed herself of the serpent and sent Beatrice reeling with a kick fueled by her anger at having fallen for such a simple ploy.
Without Ragenoz Rako in her hand, the energy she had channeled from it into her katana would fade, taking her augmented strength with it. Folly lied in any attempt to find the blade while leaving herself vulnerable. She gripped Hantā no Musuko with both hands and rushed Beatrice. Though able to swing the single blade stronger with two hands, Pearl couldn’t breach Beatrice’s defense.
Too straightforward, Pearl noticed in her approach. She disengaged, and prepared for Beatrice to come to her. Furious Beatrice lunged forward, axe raised above her head, and brought it down at Pearl. The axe sunk deep into the ground as Pearl hopped out of the way at the last moment. Before Beatrice could retrieve her weapon, Pearl leapt onto the axe handle, ran up its length, and kicked Beatrice’s chin. Teeth cracked under the force and Beatrice’s head snapped backwards. Pearl’s momentum carried her past Beatrice and as she rolled out of her landing, she gathered mana into her hand. A short thrust of Pearl’s arm shot a fireball that struck Beatrice square in the face.
“Aaaaaah! You bastard,” Beatrice swore blinded by the fire. Pearl rushed forward to deliver the killing blow, Beatrice laughed and waved her hand at Pearl. The serpents on her back arched out and, despite a nimble display of avoidance, bound Pearl by her limbs. “Do you think I need eyes to play this game? Do you think I suffer your pathetic mortal rules and limitations?”
Pearl opened her mouth to curse Beatrice, but a bile tasting serpent wrapped around her face and gagged her. With a wave of her hand, Beatrice undid the damage done to her face. She lifted her axe above her head and the Chaos energy composing it crackled back into its original ball state. Her smile mocked Pearl and she waved farewell, as the serpents lifted Pearl into the air and flung her across the room. Pearl flipped about through the air with no way to straighten herself. She crashed onto the ground and tumbled into Theseus, who had propped himself up on his arms.
“Good. Now we can all play together,” Beatrice bellowed. She pointed the pulsing Chaos energy in her hand at them. The serpents focused on them as well and opened their mouths, light purple sparks forming inside. Beatrice glared into Pearl’s eyes. “Where is your justice?”
The ball of energy in Beatrice’s hand grew, sending out a wave of heat that brushed against Pearl. Her Forewarn screamed for her to protect herself, but she threw herself onto Theseus to shield him. A boom echoed throughout the cavern, accompanied by the sound of multiple high pitch pops, as Beatrice and her serpents unleashed torrents of energy, and Pearl braced for impact. Metal armor clanked, stone cracked, and the air filled with a soft humming and the sound of rain pounding on a roof. But the blast never came. Pearl picked her head up, looked to Beatrice, and found the Ghost Boy, mobile in his armor, standing before her. A barrier of orange light projected from his raised hand shielded all of them and remained steady under the pressure of Beatrice’s large beam of Chaos energy and her serpents’ dart-like shots. When the attack ceased, he pulled his arms back as though about to punch something, and the barrier disappeared.
“Projected Hard Light Shields: Stability Level: 72 percent. Shield Regeneration: 100 percent: 30 cycles: Five minutes,” announced the warbling female voice coming from inside the Ghost Boy’s armor. The eyes of his helm and the seams of his armor glowed orange. He glanced back to check on Pearl and Theseus, and reassured them with a silent nod. His attention turned to Beatrice and the female voice identified her. “Target acquired. Omega-class anomaly detected.”
“And what is this?” Beatrice asked Pearl as she laughed at the Ghost Boy, having no idea what to make of him. “A little boy pretending to be your knight in shining armor?”
“Hunter-Champion Subcategory: Orion: Protocols: HCO-0000: Annihilation: Engage.” His armor’s arms, legs, and body panels hissed as they loosened and opened, revealing an array of gun-like barrels. The Ghost Boy aimed his arms at Beatrice and unleashed a thunderous storm of bolts of white light. Clusters of bolts arched at Beatrice, covering her possible escape routes, while most shot straight at her. Regardless of their path, every bolt struck Beatrice before she could defend herself, and burst on impact with blinding light. Pearl covered her eyes from the light, and heard, then felt, something slam into one of the stone walls, which cracked and crumbled, the debris bouncing over the cavern floor.
Once the Ghost Boy stopped firing and the light faded, Pearl uncovered her eyes. The Ghost Boy’s assault had thrown Beatrice backwards and as she pulled herself out of the demolished wall, her injured and disheveled appearance lacked any of the façade she had displayed earlier. The rips and tears in her dress didn’t repair themselves, and the singed strands of her hair and the burns on her body still smoldered. She glared at the Ghost Boy, trying to kill him with the look alone for hurting her.
“Stupid, little bastard,” she growled. “What the hell are you?”
“I am a hunter.” These were the first words Pearl had ever heard the Ghost Boy speak, and it took her a moment to realize that. His voice had some lower tones, but the general higher pitch of his voice betrayed his youth, which Pearl would have chuckled in any other situation. But in the here and now, having just put Beatrice through a wall, he stood a wolf among sheep. He stabbed a finger at Beatrice. His helm made his words metallic and harsh. “And you are my prey.”
Beatrice let out a harpy screech as she summoned her axe again and charged at the Ghost Boy. He made no move other than to raise his arm to block the axe and remained where he stood despite the blow’s force. He pulled back his fist and punched Beatrice in her stomach, cracking something within her. She coughed up some blood onto his helmet and he punched her chin, lifting her off the ground. He leapt up and knocked her back to the ground with a hammer swing of his fists. Before she could get up, he landed on her, stomping her into the ground. A groan rolled out of Beatrice’s mouth as the Ghost Boy pounded her face, coating his fists with black blood.
He stood up and watched her laying on the ground. She didn’t move, blood gurgling out of her mouth and her nose whistling as she tried to breath, and didn’t struggle as the Ghost Boy grabbed her and lifted her above his head. With a metallic roar, he threw her up to the ceiling and then fired a blast of white light that caught her midflight. She crashed through the ceiling and disappeared into the darkness beyond.
“Target tracking: engaged,” the voice inside the Ghost Boy’s helm announced. The voice hiccupped for a second, as though it interrupted. “Hunter-Champion AI: Vocalized Updates: Silent.” Fire erupted from the bottom of the Ghost Boy’s feet and roared as he flew after Beatrice. Pearl watched the hole in the ceiling, waiting to see if Beatrice or the Ghost Boy would return, as she retrieved her swords.
“Theseus, are you okay?” She returned to his side and examined his wounds. The fraction of kne
e remaining, a few burnt strips of flesh, kept his lower left leg attached to his body. The blast had cauterized the wounds crisp and black.
“Just fine, actually. I never liked that leg anyway. How the hell do you think I’m doing?” he barked. Before she could respond, he waved his hand to silence her. “Nevermind that. Listen, Pearl, listen to me. You can’t kill Beatrice.”
“What? What do you mean? That’s what we came here to do.”
“I know,” he coughed. His hand hovered above his missing knee and strands of golden energy flowed down to the wound. He sighed in relief as his pain faded. His eyes focused on Pearl, though his pupils shook back and forth. “We still have to kill it. But you can’t be the one to do it. None of us can, but you especially.”
“Why?”
“Because it wants you to kill it.” He propped himself up on his elbows. “Beatrice—it told me. Steel and magic can’t destroy the Black Heart, not truly at least. It channels through and possesses whatever kills it. That’s why it took Beatrice’s form. When she stabbed it with that stick long ago, she killed it. The monsters weren’t chasing the two of us through the tunnels all those years ago. They needed to bring Beatrice to the remains, so the Black Heart could take over her body. It must have rejected her original human body and created a new one, which is why the one you and I chased through the maze was just bones.”
“But why does it want me to kill it?” She looked at the hole in the ceiling. The Ghost Boy still hadn’t return. “And why not just let me kill it?”
“I don’t know,” he confessed. He looked around for something. “It’s been watching you your whole life. All of you, the people of New Bethlehem, looking for a new host. Why it chose you, she—it didn’t say. As to why it hasn’t let you kill it…perhaps…when it possessed Beatrice, her mind shaped its will. That is, we are seeing the Black Heart’s will translated through a child’s thoughts. It’s matured some in these past years, but not enough to break free of Beatrice’s love of games. Their bond was facilitated by the stick Beatrice had been playing with. We’re fighting a god-like entity blinded by its power so much so, it can’t stop toying with us long enough to realize how easy it could achieve its goals.”
The Lamplighter (Lamplighter Saga Book 0) Page 18