Chapter 7: Queen of Ashes
548 Words
Opening Scene: The Siege Begins
The derelict church trembled as Salvatore Conti’s men surrounded it, their chants rising in a guttural crescendo. Mia crouched behind the crumbling altar, her contractions coming in waves that stole her breath. Luca barricaded the doors with splintered pews, his cursed chain slithering around his neck like a live thing.
“They’re not here for us,” he growled. “They’re here for the kid.”
Mia clutched her stomach, sweat mingling with rain as it streamed through the shattered stained glass. “Why?”
“Because your mother promised them a god.”
A Molotov cocktail smashed through the window. Flames erupted, licking at the pews as smoke choked the air.
Labor of Blood and Fire
Mia’s scream tore through the chaos. “Luca!”
He was at her side in an instant, his hands trembling as he ripped his jacket into strips. “Breathe. Breathe, damn it!”
“Easy for you to say!” She dug her nails into his arm, drawing blood. “You’re not squeezing out a demon baby!”
A gunshot splintered the door. Luca snarled, his eyes flickering amber. “Stay down.”
He leaped into the fray, chain whipping like a serpent. Men fell, throats torn, but more kept coming. Mia’s vision blurred, pain and smoke searing her lungs.
“Push!” Elena’s voice echoed in her skull. “Give me my heir!”
“Get out of my head!” Mia roared, but the command merged with a guttural cry as the baby was crowned.
The First Cry
The child slithered into Luca’s bloodied hands, silent and staring. For a heartbeat, the world stilled.
Then it screamed.
The sound was not human, a shriek that shattered the remaining windows and sent Salvatore’s men clutching their ears. Black fire erupted from the infant’s tiny fists, consuming the flames around them.
“Mia!” Luca stumbled back, the chain around his neck glowing white-hot. “It’s her, the curse is in her!”
The baby wailed again. The church’s stone walls cracked, graves erupting from the floor as skeletal hands clawed free. Elena’s laughter echoed through the chaos.
“My masterpiece,” her ghost crooned, materializing beside Mia. “Give her to me.”
Luca’s Choice
Luca lunged, a dagger aimed at the child. Mia rolled, shielding the baby with her body.
“Don’t!”
“It’s not your daughter anymore!” His eyes flickered between amber and brown, the curse battling his resolve. “It’s a monster!”
The baby cooed, tiny fingers brushing Mia’s cheek. The touch burned, but not with pain with power. Visions flooded her mind: Elena’s ritual, the curse’s origin, and a future where her daughter sat atop a throne of bones.
“She’s mine,” Mia hissed.
The chain around Luca’s neck snapped. He screamed, clawing at his throat as black veins spread. “Kill me… before I hurt you.”
Mia grabbed the dagger. “I’m sorry.”
But the baby wailed again. The blade melted in her grip. Luca collapsed, convulsing, as Elena’s ghost solidified into flesh.
“Thank you, daughter,” Elena purred, lifting the child. “Now… let’s show them what true power looks like.”
Outside, the earth split, and the dead began to rise.
- Writer
