Bloody Ice

Before the Grave

Jack’s P.o.V.

The shadows in the room began to deepen and darken around us and quickly redressed. Feeling before I seeing Pitch as he withdrew from the shadows. His eyes angrily surveyed the scene he was seeing and his hands clenched into fists as he turned to glare at me. 

“You have to have everything, don’t you? Believers, friends, now Vlad. I tried to get him to kill you. To turn him against you. But no! You’re the insidious one! You’ve wormed your way into his heart and mind that not even making him forget you could free him of you!” He shouted, his nightmare sand forming his usual sythe as he advanced on me. 

“I love him! That’s what I did! He loved me! You were the one ruining everything!” I cried, backing away, my staff just out of reach. 

“No! I thought we had shared something. That you understood the loneliness I felt! But you didn’t! You let them chase me away, let my fears destroy me! You shouldn’t be allowed happiness!” Pitch shouted, swinging the staff at me, smashing Vlad’s dresser as I dodged away from it. My eyes darted to Vlad, concerned for his safety. 

“Pitch! Stop this! You’re going to hurt someone!” I exclaimed, dodging another s***h that lodged into the floor just inches from my feet. 

“Yes! I’m going to hurt you!” He shouted, surging forward to attack me, but we were too close to Vlad. I couldn’t let him hurt Vlad as I leaped in front of the swing to protect my beloved. There was nothing but blood and agony as the sythe tore through my abdomen. The door to Vlad’s bedroom swung open and there was his Uncle. He seemed to be able to see the whole situation, see me trying to protect Vlad from an attacker. But then I fell onto the bed, in too much pain to stand any longer. My vision was fading but I had enough left to see Otis fighting Pitch with a sword, pushing the Boogeyman back with a skill I had never seen in the modern day. I coughed, feeling blood bubble past my lips, and consciousness left me. 

Otis’ P.o.V.

The odd creature slithered away as soon as I landed a blow in his side and I turned to Jack and Vlad. I felt terror spike through me as my eye fell on Jack and the horrible wound in his stomach. He was unconscious across the end of the bed, Vladimir was naked and unconscious. I didn’t know what could have happened but the snow spirit desperately needed medical attention. 

“Nelly!” I shouted, gathering the boy in my arms and running down the stairs, passing the startled woman on the way. 

Guardian’s P.o.V.

The three Guardians stood in the main hall with the globe at the North Pole, having been gathered together by Tooth as soon as Jack had left her. She had sent Baby Tooth with him to make sure everything turned out okay and now they were awaiting her return. 

“I...hope the little Neckbiter is alright…” Bunny said after several moments of silence. The oversized rabbit felt partially to blame for Jack having pushed Vlad away. 

“Yes. Jack cares greatly for the boy. Vlad cures the loneliness that not even we in Jack.” North spoke up, sipping from a cup of cocoa and taking a cookie from the plate and elf waddled over with. Tooth sat quietly, lost in thought as she thought of poor Jack’s predicament. Then, the little blur of Baby Tooth flitted into the room and to Tooth, squeaking wildly. 

“Oh no! Pitch attack Jack and now he’s hurt really bad! Vlad’s Uncle and Aunt are trying to help him!” Tooth exclaimed, jumping to her feet, eyes wide with worry and terror. 

“What? We have to get to him!” North cried, dropping his cup and it crashed to the floor. The guardians all took off for the town of Bathory to save the ice spirit. 

Jack’s P.o.V. 

I knew I wasn’t conscious as soon as I opened my eyes at my all too familiar lake. The lake I had died in and been resurrected from. I was standing on the ice under the moon, looking up at the night sky. Then, there came the awful sound of ice cracking and I fell into the lake once, but the water wasn’t just darkness this time. It was full of my memories, my life as a spirit. Every year alone, to my time with the Guardians, to meeting Vlad and all we had faced together. Part of me wondered if I was dying again. For good this time even. I didn’t know. But I could only hope I managed to save Vlad as the water crushed in on me, the memory roll coming to an abrupt end. I thought I heard a voice call my name before the blackness swallowed me whole, but I don’t remember.