A Daughter's Love

Chapter Twenty-Five.

Malia.

Ryker’s words were still fresh in my mind when I lunged, eyes damp from unshed tears that I managed to suppress. It felt like I was flying, like my wings had been healed, no longer clipped or broken. There was nothing holding me back from soaring high above the clouds, from falling head first into the fire and I was going to plummet. When I reached Vulcan, I raised my right leg to kick in the side of his head but he leaned back enough to dodge the blow so I settled for pressing my raised knee to his chest instead and skilfully twisted the hilt of the sword in my grasp to drive it into Vulcan’s right shoulder. His hammer fell to the ground with a loud thud followed by my screech of power when I yanked the blade of my weapon free of his muscle and placed both feet on the ground with my shoulders hunched and my back positioned toward the fire god. I was panting, hands slicked in blood, his blood but my eyes were wide open, swirling with excitement. Vulcan had groaned but other than that and the fact that he was momentarily unable to use his right arm he seemed unaffected by the wound. I glanced back at him from over my shoulder, eyes locking onto the already healing gash and I realized that I needed to act fast before he managed to regain control of his arm. Turning quickly, I leaped and ran the tip of the blade across his chest from his left shoulder down to his waist. More blood splattered across my body, coating my face in the droplets but it did little to distract me. Vulcan stumbled back a step while I landed with bent knees and readjusted my grip on the sword to create a second s***h. This one moved in the same direction, creating a cut that mirrored the first. Mere moments after the second third wound had been inflicted, I twirled the hilt and with all my might I sent the blade straight through his abdomen with glaring eyes that danced with a mix of fire and ice. The god’s mouth gaped, blood spilling forth from it as my hair danced around my face from my rapid movements. He hardly had time to block or defend himself and took each blow knowing that they were to come. I raised my leg and placed its sole firmly against Vulcan’s chest, giving him a clear view of the place between my legs but I didn’t mind, instead I shoved with all my might and sent him staggering backwards a few steps until his back collided with the wall of the arena, my sword slipping out of his body. We were both covered in blood and the smell was intoxicating, it made my fangs ache with a need to taste it, made my skin tingle with its warmth. Vulcan grinned as he healed, pushing off the wall and making his way toward his abandoned hammer, his shoulder fully recovered. He reached for the handle of his weapon but was cut off when my blade flew through the air, nearly tearing his hand off at the wrist but he managed to stop himself just in time to avoid it. The sword imbedded itself into the wall behind him and Vulcan turned to look at it with a glint of amusement in his already flaring crimson gaze. I was left without a weapon but I wasn’t the least bit afraid, instead I just raised my right hand and Malik did the rest. The sword unfroze itself and twisted into the perfect sphere that flew toward me, taking on its previous form moments before I caught it, swinging it expertly, raising the sword and readying myself to fight. The god of fire appeared caught off guard by our team effort, by the way my brother had delivered the weapon to me without hesitation. Vulcan retrieved his hammer, large hand curling around the handle, causing fire to spread forth from his palm, covering the entire surface of the hammer in its burning flames. Only when he hoisted the heavy weapon onto his shoulder did I understand what was happening. He was fire and I was ice though he too could be cold and I was capable of dancing among the blaze. We were the same, both able to sting those around us, able to inflict damage beyond imaginable but we were also polar opposites. I reacted almost simultaneously, raising my sword to block the blow of his hammer and at first it held up but soon it began to melt. Vulcan’s triumphant grin appeared before my eyes as I gritted my teeth, feeling the ground start to give way beneath me due to the force of our clash. The sword wouldn’t hold much longer and I had to react fast before it gave way to the weight relentlessly pushing against it. Droplets of water dripped onto the thirsty earth, evaporating almost instantly due to the sun’s harsh heat “M-Malik” I choked out between clenched teeth, glancing in my brother’s direction but he was emotionless, leaning against the small wall with his back to me and his arms crossed over his chest. Was he pouting because I’d expected him to return the sword to me without even bothering to ask? I huffed as the sword finally gave way and ducked, dodging the horizontal blow only to reach up with both hands, stopping its momentum. We locked eyes as Vulcan’s words repeated themselves in the back of my mind ‘Fire will not burn you in my presence’. It was a gamble to believe that it was true but it was since the fire didn’t do much damage to my hands. All I had to do now was bring it down in front of me with all of my strength. It was a battle of muscle in which case, Vulcan had the upper hand. I heard Ryker suck in a breath at the fact that the fire didn’t burn me but ignored it and clenched my teeth, focusing all of my energy on bringing the hammer down and redirecting its course. Soon enough it gave way and plummeted down. Rocks shot up, skidding across my flesh and creating shallow cuts along my cheeks, arms and neck. I stood before the god could recover, stepping onto the head of the hammer with my left leg while the other swung me around as fast as it could, the heel of my foot colliding with the side of his head. He was sent flying as I steadied myself on top of the weapon. In my opinion it was more of a liability in a one on one fight than it was on the battlefield. He didn’t need it to beat me, it was only holding him back. My body moved on its own accord, driven by the need for more blood, the constant craving to feel pain and I found myself inches away from his rising body, about to stab my clawed hand into his chest and tear through the walls of his heart but he side stepped at the last moment. I flew past him and his hand came up to grip the back of my head, fingers curling around the strands of my hair before he slammed my face into the wall. I felt the crack of my nose as it vibrated through my skull and later the snapping of my jaw after it had been dislocated. My eyes shot open at the sound of Ryker’s scream that pierced the air. I tried looking at him but was unable to move when Vulcan tugged me away from the wall by my hair. My hands moved to claw at his wrist to no avail. At least I was able to feel my nose starting to heal which meant that Ryker’s was healing as well. Blood poured from my nose, into my gaping mouth, staining my teeth until it snapped itself back into place and I could finally taste the metallic substance that coated my tongue. Vulcan forcefully tugged back on my hair, almost bending me in half as I groaned in protest, the strain on my spine growing agonizing with each passing second and then it was as though I had died. He brought his leg up and rammed his knee into my bent back, shattering the bones of my spinal cord. I shrieked, crying out as tears spilled forth from the corners of my eyes. My legs could no longer hold me and before I collapsed, the war god drove my face once more into the concrete wall, breaking my nose for a second time. My body bounced off the wall and fell to the ground in a limp heap, my head spinning and eyes blinking past black dots that clouded my vision. I couldn’t hear anything, not Malik’s concerned shouts as he cradled an unconscious Ryker in his arms but at least he wouldn’t feel the pain anymore, not while he was unconscious. My hand was resting on my thigh but I couldn’t feel it there and my leg felt foreign, as if it didn’t belong to me but instead was someone else’s limb. There was no feeling from my waist downward nor was I able to move my legs, feet or toes. The first time Vulcan had only fractured my spine and it didn’t take too long to heal because of that but this time, the bone had been completely severed. After his blow to my back it had felt as though lightning was coursing through my spine and into my brain, the nerve ends shot, that part of the brain which controlled my legs, no longer able to function. I wanted to pass out, to sleep from the exhausted and tormented state that I was in but I knew that if I gave in, Vulcan would win and there was a part of me that wouldn’t allow for it. It was just a stupid training fight so why was I acting as though it was life or death? The question circled through my head as the god in question knelt beside me, running the back of his fingers along my cheek. I looked at him and though the image was blurred, I could still make out the worry that clouded his bloody eyes. The answer to my question came to me like a slap in the face. I couldn’t give up, not until I’d given it my all because that man, that god was worth my all and he deserved no less. Vulcan stayed by my side, waiting for me to heal enough to get back up again but whether I would get back up or not was a mystery to him. I wanted so badly to close my eyes but I couldn’t, not when he was looking at me the way he was. The moment my spine had fully healed was like a rush of adrenaline that coursed through me. The shock travelled from my brain down to the tips of my toes. My hand constricted around the dirt I had accumulated, claws having dug at the earth until there was enough for me to grab in my clenched fist. I tossed it in his face, temporarily blinding him. He stood up and began to stagger, rubbing at his eyes as I turned onto my stomach, hissing from the pain when I raised my leg and sent my foot into his shin. Vulcan grunted, doubling over so that his face was closer to mine. I saw the opportunity and lunged, wrapping both hands around his throat, shoving him onto his back with my legs straddling him on either side. My palms constricted until they couldn’t anymore to which Vulcan’s hand shot up to shove the side of my head into the wall we were lying beside. Once again my skull bounced off the concrete but I maintained my grip, rapidly blinking to recover from the trauma, blood trickling down my head on either side and dripping onto the god’s already smeared chest. I pulled one hand back and balled it as tightly as I could only to rain it down on Vulcan’s face. I felt his nose crunch beneath my knuckles then moved to continue strangling him. He cursed, grasping at my jaw with his hand, trying to shove me back but I was too stubborn to be moved. It took him, shoving his knee in between us to hoist me off his form and onto my back. I quickly moved to stand, about to lunge like a cornered animal, ready to fight my way out of being trapped when something caught my attention. Black smoke was seeping out of the ground not too far from where we were positioned. Two identical holes had been created, oozing the same substance from with two figures emerged, pulling themselves out of the smoke and ground, clawing at the dirt as if it was all they had left “Necromancy” Vulcan declared from beside me but I was too busy glaring at the witch who stood beside Neptune to notice. Aurella had a triumphant smirk plastered across her lips, eyes empty like those of a corpse. We had beaten each other senseless and now, in our wounded state, she was granting us new opponents who had no injuries what so ever. Was it their sick way of testing us, of testing me? A woman rose from the black smoke nearest me. She was dressed in a white linen dress that was wrapped around her form but her feet were bare. Her neck was hidden beneath a large gold collar that was decorated with beads and jewels. Her hair was as black as night and cropped to just above her shoulders, decorated in golden clasps that matched her earrings and bracelets. Thick black lines rimmed her eyes and even formed a second eye beneath her left one. Her flesh was sun kissed and the cicada that sat in the centre of her forehead had a red jewels incrusted into it. Vulcan’s demeanour changed when he realized who she was and even his muscles seemed to tighten along with his narrowing gaze “Cleopatra” I knew very little about the last ruler of Egypt but I knew that she was dead and had been dead for some time. She died by committing suicide, allowing a poisonous snake to bite her, ensuring a cruel and torturous death. She was independent, having ruled on her own for so many years in the place of her son but she was also cunning, not afraid to use her body or beauty to get what she wanted. There was no doubt in my mind that she was a skilled fighter who had most likely received training at an early age. A man emerged from the second ring of smoke. He was bigger in stature when it came to Vulcan and his arms looked as though they could crush a man without even really needing effort. He wore leopard skin around his waist in the form of a kilt and leather sandals clad his feet. He was covered in scars and his face appeared wild like that of a raging beast. Around his wrists and ankles, the same brown leather straps could be found that Vulcan had worn before our fight. I suddenly regretted stripping as it left me too exposed for a fight against them but more importantly, I regretted tempting Vulcan to strip when he needed the straps and armour “Hercules, son of Amun” no, I refused to believe that the hulk of a man stood before us was the demi god who had slain the minotaur in the underworld so long ago. He was said to possess inhuman strength, strength matched only by that of the god who had spawned him. Hercules had met his fate by drinking Centaur’s blood that was considered to be poisonous to him. His wife had forced him to drink the substance out of jealousy for another woman and it ended in him dying “Here before you stand two great warriors of old-.” Aurella’s booming voice announced, echoing throughout the arena. I gritted my teeth, able to feel my wounds starting to heal but soon new ones were certain to replace them. Aurella’s hand lowered to her side, an air of power radiating from her “You are to work together in defeating your common enemy as will be expected of you on the battlefield” she informed, confirming what both of us were thinking. I turned my glaring gaze onto the woman opposite me and felt my claws dig into the palms of my hands, drawing blood that dripped down to the soil below. The fire god noticed and looked to me with hardened eyes “She’s human-.” I declared, my body still weak from the blow to my spine Vulcan had dealt. There was no doubt in my mind that he too was exhausted but fatigue was never an option when it came to war and the thing about war was that people always depended on the soldiers who fought in it. Whether it was the civilians they fought to defend or the rulers who ordered them to fight, it made no difference. Those people were the strength that carried the warriors on through the battle even when they were on the verge of collapse. To me, those people were my parents and my boundaries were ever changing, pushing myself further than I ever thought possible with their memories driving me. It was just a training match but the purpose of it was to see whether Vulcan and I were capable of sharing an arena or not. Its purpose was to carry me one step closer to seeing my mother again, my father “Which means she’s the weaker of the two-.” Hercules was half god whereas Cleopatra was a mere human queen, nothing compared to Vulcan’s strength or mine. She was the weak link between them, the single stone that needed to be kicked aside to allow for the entire mountain to come tumbling down. I locked gazes with Vulcan “Distract him long enough for me to finish her off then we’ll both bring him down-.” there was a flicker in his eyes, a realization that I couldn’t possibly understand so I pushed it aside and added in a low mutter “Together” the single word caught us both off guard. As fighters we usually preferred to fight alone, not having to worry about other people’s situations or interference but Neptune was right. I couldn’t face an army on my own, I needed him just as he needed me. Vulcan nodded his head once then turned his attention onto the brute of a man. My knees bent and in one quick motion I was racing toward the woman, claws bared and ready to tear at her flesh. I couldn’t allow myself to get distracted by the other fight that was happening around us. I just needed to trust that Vulcan would be able to stand against him long enough for me to get there. The Egyptian pharaoh moved away from me, managing to alter my blow so that I only tore through the flesh on her upper arm and not her chest. The soles of my feet burned when I landed, digging my hand into the earth to stop myself from skidding any further. She was faster than I expected and paid no attention to her wounded arm, it was as though she couldn’t feel pain. Her brown eyes appeared almost lifeless when she turned her head to acknowledge me. I noticed a symbol that had been carved into the flesh on her back that was exposed due to the way her dress was wrapped, but I couldn’t understand what it meant or what it said. My body was about to react again when my mind remembered something about the pharaoh that I’d overlooked. Cleopatra was famous for her beliefs in the dark arts, her sickening rituals and more importantly, her protector. As if she’d read my mind, the marking on her back began to burn like fire, the flesh being scorched away by the hot embers and in the skies overhead, a loud cry sounded. My eyes followed the shadow that moved among the clouds, dodging just in time when it swooped down to dig its claws into me. The beast had the body of a lion, the wings and front limbs of an eagle and the head of a beautiful woman. The sphynx. It was the size of a horse and had black eyes that were as lifeless and cold as that of the dead. The creature had no mind of its own, having been manipulated by Cleopatra for many centuries even in death “s**t” I got out, scolding myself for having assumed that Aurella would hand me an easy opponent, but her choice of enemies made sense. We were to face Amun and by fighting a person from his race, his background along with someone who possessed the god’s blood, we were tasting what it was solve to fight again him in advance. The sphynx turned toward me and shrieked, the sound resembling a woman’s wailing that caused my stomach to churn. The sound was sickening and caused my ears to bleed. There was a message hidden within the cries that reached me ‘Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, there is something sweet’ a male’s voice whispered, expecting an answer. The sphynx was a creature who adored riddles and if I was to win in a fight against it then I would have to solve it. My eyes landed on a piece of chain that hung down the far wall but it was high up and nearly impossible to reach from inside the arena. When the screeching stopped, the beast charged forward, catching me by surprise. Its claws dug into my shoulder and I cried out. The sound forced Vulcan to look at me and in that brief moment he was knocked to the ground. My hand shot up to grip the front limp of the sphynx that had its claws tearing at my muscles, attempting to tear it away from me with clenched teeth. It wasn’t going to stop fighting until I solved the riddle. Think Malia, think! Out of the eater. What was an eater? A predator? Something that consumed something else in order to love or survive like a person or an animal? It couldn’t be a person or at least I assumed it was an animal. I tried suppressing my scream when the sphynx dug its claws further into my shoulder. I was getting nowhere with pulling it out so I decided to act on instinct and slashed my claws across the creature’s face, drawing black blood that splattered across the floor. It worked and the beast retreated, wailing as it had before but this time it was louder, harsher. I slumped over, hand gripping my injured shoulder, breathing through my teeth. Something to eat. It could only be food. Out of the strong. The animal was strong but what animal was superior to the rest? Which wild beast ruled above them all? Which creature was a king or-? My eyes widened when I subconsciously thought about the Campbell family crest and realized what animal it was “A lion” I mumbled out loud, staring down at the floor of the arena. The lion was the ‘eater’ in the riddle, it was the ‘strong’. I breathed in deep when my wounds began to heal and looked to the sphynx as it barrelled toward me once more. Throwing myself to the side, my injured shoulder struck the earth, to which I clenched my teeth as the beast collided with the wall, shaking the arena. My hands pushed me onto my feet, legs racing in the direction of the chain. I tried focusing on the last portion of the riddle. There is something sweet. The food was sweet like sugar or maybe honey? Sugar wasn’t made by animals but honey was made by bees. The sphynx was close behind me, nipping at my back when I reached the wall and started running up the side of it. I had no idea how I was capable of doing something so reckless and accomplishing it but it worked. My hand wound itself around the chain before I pushed off the wall with all my might “A nest of honeybees, made in the carcass of a lion” I declared as I flipped through the air and wound both hands into the chain. The creature stopped its pursuit of me which told me that I was right. I landed on top of it, slamming its body into the ground then held its head down with my foot, wrapping the chair around its throat. I yanked on the chains and felt it cut through the neck, spilling black blood all over me and the world around us. Its head came off and thudded to the ground, rolling back and forth until it came to a halt. I closed my eyes for a few seconds. I despised fighting monsters. I decided then glanced at my brother who was tending to Ryker. I glared at the back of his head, remembering our fight when he’d turned into Cetus. I threw the chains aside and turned to address Cleopatra. She was horrified, staring at me and cowering as if I’d murdered her entire family before her eyes. She wasn’t the real threat, no, the real threat had already been dealt with. Slowly, I stalked closer to where she was and she staggered back, falling onto her rear in the dirt “You’re a cowered in death just as you were in life” I spat. Her death had been a suicide because she had been too afraid to face the consequences of her actions. She had placed all of her strength into a beast instead of placing it within herself. I knelt before her frozen form and in one sweep of my arm, slit open her throat. She bled to death, drowning in her own blood that seeped into her lungs. Once she collapsed, I turned to address Vulcan who had his back to the wall, attempting to fight of Hercules as best he could. The god was powerful and wielded great guardians that could fight for him as the sphynx had fought for Cleopatra but he was no cowered and each fight was his alone. Hercules’ strength was almost equal in comparison to that of the gods which was why Vulcan was struggling. Ryker came too in that moment, his tired eyes blinking open to gaze down at the arena while Malik urged him to stay still. Vulcan’s strong hands were gripping Hercules’ arms, trying to force him back to no avail so he settled for pulling his head back and ramming his forehead into the opponent’s nose. The hulk of a man staggered back, gripping at his face while Vulcan recovered, ramming his shoulder into Hercules’ chest with enough force to send him flying backwards. The god was breathing hard when he met my eyes from across the Coliseum, his hammer placed between us where he’d abandoned it. I nodded to the weapon then looked to Hercules who was already starting to recover. Vulcan nodded in response to my silent message. A sinister smile crept its way onto my lips, the siren in me ready to advance with reckless abandon, my hair swaying around me and eyes glowing dangerously. We both took off at the same time, Vulcan heading for the hammer and I making my way toward him. He fell to one knee, his back to me as I pushed off the ground and used his shoulders to propel myself upward. He stood abruptly in time with my movements, sending me soaring through the air, flipping expertly until I could land in a low crouch before the demi god. My job was to distract him long enough for Vulcan to get an opening. The man roared in anger, blood dripping down his face as he raised his clenched hands high above them, raining them down onto the ground where I was positioned. I dodged, using his arms to hoist myself onto one shoulder with one knee, the other connecting square with his face. He stumbled and swayed but I maintained my balance, eyes gazing at the wall beside us. We could use it to our advantage. I swung myself around when he tried tearing me off him, bruised and bloody hands tugging at my legs, thighs on either side of his head as I reached down to dig my claws into his eyes, blinding him. He swung around like a raging bull, trying to throw me off but I remained, tugging his head in the direction of the wall. Hercules tumbled toward the concrete, hiding his shoulder against the hard surface “Vulcan!” I cried, eyes locking with his. He raced to where we were, hammer ready to swing at the side of the demi god’s head. I let go of his head and propelled myself into the air just as the head of the hammer crashed into the side of Hercules’ skull, forcing the other side into the wall and crushing his head completely. I landed a few feet away, watching as the hulk of a man, now headless, fell to his knees then slumped over lifelessly. Vulcan dropped his hammer, his face splattered in blood much like mine was, dried crust already starting to form. Our hands were covered in cuts and bruises, faces swollen and chests heaving. Our bodies were concealed not only in blood and dirt but in a layer of sweat with adrenaline pumping through our veins. We were feral, excited from the fight and when I looked to him it was as though my body ached to be near him, hands trembling with a need to touch him. My feet carried me to where he was leaning back against the wall, his shoulders slumped and heavy. My steps were messy, my body swaying as I struggled to keep my balance centred. When I neared, my hands reached for his chest, palms pressing against the warm shin as I leaned my head on his shoulder, listening to his racing heartbeat. I was exhausted, he was too and all I wanted was to stay there with him. Vulcan wrapped his arms around me, one protectively constricting around my waist while the other pressed me harder to him, his hand woven in my hair. He inhaled deeply when he pressed the side of his head into the back of mine, like he could smell me beneath the strong stench of blood and death. My eyes closed as the skies overhead began to darken with dreary clouds that rumbled with thunder. The air grew colder and damper; a smell I could never forget as it took me back to days in Vannes when storms would rage outside our bedroom windows. I was cold, I was always cold so the temperature didn’t affect me but even if it did, I was almost certain that Vulcan’s body heat could keep me from freezing to death even in the Arctic circle. He was always so warm, always so comforting. I cracked open my tired eyes when he rumbled low in his chest like a wild animal and looked up at him “You smell so good-.” he admitted, aged eyes seeming to glow with need. Maybe we were animals, consumed by our need for blood, our need for each other? Perhaps things could be that simple between us? We could fight and lust after one another for as long as we would live “It makes me wonder how you taste” his low voice groaned to which I staggered back, momentarily shocked before he began to chuckle and my fist connected with his shoulder. How could the man who had me longing to touch him, have me so feeling so irritated with him at the same time? I headed in the direction of Neptune’s coat, scooping it up to tug the familiar clothing onto my shoulders with Vulcan following “Come now, just one bite?” he pushed his luck to which I sent him a warning glare. Ryker and Malik were watching us along with the god of the seas and a very emotionless witch but I ignored them and grumbled to myself, heading for the iron cages that began to screech open since the fight had been won.