by A R Davis
His body was too heavy. It was slow work getting to his feet. He gulped down as much air as he could. “I made no such promise,” he said and took a frantic swipe at Lord Aubrey’s torso. Damien’s claws snagged into Lord Aubrey’s doublet, but the boy Lord jumped back before any real damage could be done. It was enough to make Lord Aubrey nervous enough that he held his sword out in front of him.
Damien charged at Lord Aubrey, making a grab for the sword. He wrapped both of his hands around Lord Aubrey’s, which were wrapped around the hilt. For a time they wrestled for it. Damien bared his teeth and snapped near the boy lord’s throat. He nearly had Lord Aubrey at the edge of the platform. There was a flicker of fear in the boy lord’s good eye. The crowd was screaming and screaming. Lord Aubrey desperately kicked at Damien’s wounded leg. The first blow sent a wave of pain up his calf and into his hip. Damien winced but held on. Then Lord Aubrey kicked him again and again, and Damien had to let go. He staggered back and doubled over, covering his right leg with his hand. The crowd cheered again.
Lord Aubrey took another swing and this time he found his mark. Damien felt a hot, stinging pain spread across his chest. He gritted his teeth, fell back to his knees, and cradled the slash mark. Blood welled up and then spilled down to his stomach. The crowd went wild, and the roar was like the stormy ocean pulling him under. Lord Aubrey took his time approaching him.
Damien quickly staggered back to his feet. He had one hand still pressed against his chest and he was panting as though he had been running forever.
He had one chance to end this.
He wildly ran at Lord Aubrey with his claws extended, aiming for the boy lord’s neck.
His claws were about an inch away from Lord Aubrey’s flesh.
All he had to do was…All he had to do…
He looked down.
The blade sunk deep into his belly. He could feel it tearing through his guts. Blood spread across his stomach; he could smell it. The blade was ripped out of him.
*
Young Aubrey watched in shock as the demon collapsed into a crumpled heap. Blood was leaking out of its stomach and dripping from Young Aubrey’s sword. The demon writhed and spat out blood. It curled up like a shriveled leaf on the blood-stained platform. One yellow eye stared up at him.
Finish it.
Young Aubrey glanced at his people, and he thought he saw his father in the crowd. He was standing stoically, showing neither pride nor disappointment. In fact, as Young Aubrey took in his surroundings, he saw that the crowd was made up of all the Aubreys who had ever lived. Young Aubrey was standing above them. He raised his sword in the air. A drop of blood fell onto his brow and slid down his nose to the good half of his face.
The crowd erupted into cheers. It was so thunderous that Young Aubrey could feel it vibrating in his heart. The face of his father was lost among the faces he didn’t recognize. Young Aubrey started to weep, though he doubted anybody could see it. It was over, it was finally done, and it was everything he expected it to be and nothing he wanted.
“Forgive me,” he whispered.
“No,” said a voice from behind him.
Young Aubrey did not have time to turn around. One hand covered his neck, the other blinded him. He made to yell, but he felt the demon’s claws stab his eye and bury into his throat.
*
Damien stood over the fallen Lord Aubrey drenched in blood. The good half of Lord Aubrey’s face was torn to ribbons; the rest was a gleaming smile. Damien’s body threatened to sink to the ground beside Lord Aubrey, and he nearly teetered over the edge of the platform, but he somehow stood his ground.
The people stared up at him in complete disbelief. The guardsmen did not know whether to run or to shoot. Damien took a staggered step forward and they all stepped back.
He roared.
“Get back!” one of the guardsmen shouted. He was the lone brave soul who dared to point his rifle at Damien. “Get back, now!”
Damien ignored him and leapt into the crowd. He rolled when he hit the ground.
The people screamed and scrambled into haphazard directions around him. Someone stepped on his foot. He willed himself to get up and run.
“Don’t shoot! You’ll hit the civilians!”
“What do we do?”
“What do we do?”
“Keep the people safe!”
“What about Lord Aubrey? Is he –?”
“He’s dead. He’s not breathing. He’s not –”
“We have to do something. We have to go kill the demon!”
“Nobody else is going to die by that thing’s hand.”
“Lord Aubrey is dead! What are we supposed to do? Tell me what we’re supposed to do!”
“I don’t know! I just don’t know!”
Epilogue
The horse slowed down to a trot as she rode into the forest. Valerie didn’t know where she was going, but forward was the best option. She felt the ties of her old life being cut away as she left it behind. I wonder what kind of person I am going to be now, she thought idly. All she knew was that she didn’t want to spend the rest of her life being bitter or hateful. There were other, more important things she could do. And she could do anything. She had to admit, it was a little frightening.
Without warning, her horse whinnied and reared back. Valerie quickly wrapped her arms around its neck. “Whoa,” she called. The horse took several steps back until it felt safe. Valerie stroked its mane several times. “It’s OK,” she whispered. “It’s OK.”
She looked at the spot where the horse first lost control.
Damien, is that you?
Valerie dismounted and tied her horse to the tree. “Shh. I’ll be back. I promise. I just have to do this one last thing.”
The horse whickered as if it understood. Valerie stared at the spot a few moments more, steeling herself for whatever she would find. It could be nothing. But she had to be sure. The only way to go was forward.
She walked for a short time, her mind running in wild directions. Do I want to see him if he’s already dead? Do I even want to see him if he’s alive? Her feet kept moving despite her doubts. It was as though something was pushing her to do so. Only one last thing.
Valerie broke through the trees and entered a clearing.
And there he was.
He was sitting on a rotted log. His front was soaked in blood and he was shaking.
He looked up, and when he saw her, he opened his mouth to say something. All that came out was a small, choked noise.
Valerie felt a lump in her throat. During her time locked away in the room in the Aubrey manor, she pictured what this reunion would be like, if it ever happened. She pictured hurting him the way he hurt her. She pictured the devastated look on his face when she tore his world apart the way he did to her. In her imagination, she broke him.
But…she never imagined it like this.
She never wanted it to be like this.
He looked so unbelievably frightened. It was the most human she had ever seen him.
Valerie did not run to him. She walked slowly, carefully toward him. Tears were falling down her face and she didn’t bother to stop them. She didn’t want it to be like this.
She could see tears in his eyes, too, as she approached. She made to put her arms around him, but he pushed her back with what little strength he had left.
“Don’t,” he said hoarsely. “Please, don’t.”
Valerie knelt in front of him. “Oh, Damien. What did you do?”
He burst into tears. He tried to cover his face, but Valerie saw he wasn’t strong enough. She wiped his tears away, and he let her.
“I’m sorry,” he said, meeting her eyes. “I’m sorry, Valerie. I’m so sorry.” The rest of his words were drowned by his sobs.
Valerie placed both hands on his cheeks.
She reached up to kiss him.
Because she wanted to. Because she did not want to live her life with any more regrets.
It was s
trange and awkward and warm all at once. It did not last very long. Maybe a few seconds at most. It was the first and only kiss they would have, and to Valerie, it was right. It was perfect.
Valerie made Damien look her in the eye. He needed to know it, and more than anything, she needed to say it:
“Damien, I forgive you.”
He looked away in shame after she said that. She knew it hurt him. But he needed to know.
Damien kissed her brow and rested against her. “I’m scared,” he whispered.
Me too, she thought. “I’ll sit beside you until it’s over. I won’t leave you alone.”
She moved to sit beside him and rested her head against his shoulder. And he, in turn, rested his head on hers. They didn’t speak again.
It was awful watching him die, but Valerie kept to her word and stayed with Damien. Every now and then he would be overcome with an uncontrollable spasm and he would cough up blood. He muttered things she could not understand. Now and then, he’d look into her eyes, as though he was trying to memorize them, and then he’d look away as though he could not bear to see her anymore. Valerie held him tight, not to anchor him there, but to let him know that she meant what she said. She could tell he wanted to hold on to her. She could tell he didn’t want her to watch him go. Several times, he tried to pull away from her. But she knew she was strong enough for the both of them.
And when he was gone, she was strong enough to let him go. She laid him gently down on the log and gave him a parting kiss on his cheek. She wiped her tears away. She stood vigil for a long time.
But she couldn’t stay there forever.
She was strong enough to slowly turn around.
She was strong enough to return to her horse and get back on.
And she was strong enough to ride away and keep going—to live her life…to find her own ending.
It was entirely up to her.
The End