Chapter 17

****

Lydia stares at her in shock, "How do you know who I am?!"

The young woman smiles, "Calm down child. Can you not think of anything? How many blind folded woman do you know?"

"None! Why are you bouncing around? Just fricken tell me or I'm leaving." Lydia spits,

"You used to be kind."

"Yeah and this little thing happened, I almost fricken died. I was tortured endlessly. Did you know that?"

"Your father didn't just have a kid with his wife. He forced me too..."

Chills explore her again, her eyes widen. "Caroline?" she asks,

"You're mine Lydia..."

She covers her mouth, tears stream her cheeks. "B-but Sylvia?"

Caroline shakes her head, "Sylvia belongs to her. Haven't you wondered why you turned good? You have a good heart, hers is and has always been black. Literally."

Lydia scoots back and gets to her feet, she covers her mouth with both hands and cries which turns into sobs.

"I've been looking for you for a long, long time. As soon as I saw you though, I knew."

"How are you alive?"

"Thats a long story. I think you should start with this."

She sits in the chair again and wipes away tears. "Holy crap."

"When you're ready. Tell me everything. Then I'll tell you, sound like a deal? His sword looks good on you."

"I guess it started with a boy."

Caroline grins, Lydia rolls her eyes, "Not like that. I saved him from these ruffians, helped him. I took him to New Haven. He was really cool. I'm a Shadow Hunter, I told him."

"You are the last?"

"What? I'm the last?"

Caroline nods, "Sylvia, and her allies, they killed them all. So...i guess you're the last."

Lydia sighs and clenches her fist. She pounds the table angrily with her fist.

"I'm sorry Lydia..."

"I'm gonna kill her."

"and I'll help...however I can."

Lydia nods, "Do you want to continue?" Caroline asks,

Lydia takes a deep slow breath. "....She attacked us. Me and the boy. She almost killed me and kidnapped him. Fynn grabbed me and took me to Xenix, he's tortured me since. I only escaped a few days ago."

"You look well."

"Yeah well healers help. The girl I stabbed, Isabella. She pretended to be me, I think she kissed Adam, the boy, under Liara's moon."

Caroline's eyebrows raise. "What? Wait so then are you affected?" she asks quickly,

"Yes....I'm in love with him. Xenix I'm sure found a way to keep it from affecting her. But it doesn't matter, I think he and others were attacked again. I think he's dead."

Caroline's expression breaks. "I'm sorry Lydia, are you positive he's gone?"

She shakes her head, "No. But he didn't know how to fight all that well."

"But you long to be with him."

"I suppose I can't ask a mother to kill her child....the only reason I stay is to kill Sylvia, the others if I can. But yes...I long for death."

"What is his name?"

"Adam."

"His last?"

Lydia frowns, "Cross."

Caroline's eyebrows raise, then her lips curl. Lydia frowns, "What?"

"I'm not so sure he's dead."

"What are you talking about?"

"It's time I tell you my story."

Caroline bends her head down, and takes the stone on her necklace in her hands. "My love. When you have a moment. Join me, I have someone you need to meet."

Before she finishes the sentence he appears behind her. "You called? Lydia. It's a pleasure."

"Why didn't you tell me I'd find her?" Caroline asks,

"Isn't it a happy surprise?"

"You snake charmer." she says smiling,

"Is this why you called me?"

She shakes her head, "Adam Cross."

****

Torik stares at the pillar of ice, his hammer stuck inside it. Roux stares breathless, the hammer, inches abov him.

Water quickly slices the bars of the cage. The bars fall, immediately June turns to water and jumps out, her water form shoots across the ground, around three corners and across the way and jumps up onto Toriks head.

He gurgles and stumbles back. She throws her arms up, her legs wrapping around his throat now. She turns her hands into ice spikes and shoves them down into his shoulders.

Torik grunts and falls back, June jumps off, flipping to her feet and throws her arm out, across her body as Adam and Violet come into view.

Water in barrels shoot out turning into ice spikes and shredding through the advancing soldiers.

One stabs her water body and activated the electricity. She yells out, Violet throws her hand out and let's fire explode from it, incineration the man and part of his spear immediately.

The spear's end falls out to the ground. June hits her knees, gasping for breath. She turns and forms and ice hand to grab another's spear.

She raises her other arm and throws it down, the water slices through the body, cutting it in half.

Adam lifts his spear and throws it. It sinks into the wooden wall, narrowly missing a brunette woman.

He rushes after her. "Violet go after him!" June yells,

She returns to her human form and holds her hand to Roux's chest. He groans.

Violet turns and runs after Adam to a small cabin.

Adam jumps over a table and throws his knee out into her side. They both fall to the ground, he grabs the leg of a chair, spins as he gets up and swings down.

She rolls over and grabs it, he kicks her hard in the stomach, throws the chair and punches her hard in the face.

Violet runs in and looks at him, he grabs the collar of her shirt and lifts Iris up. She whines and pushes on his shoulder, but he doesn't stop and hits her again and again. She whines again, he hits her a final time, knocking her out.

He breathes heavily and looks down at his shaking fists. He gets to his feet and grabs the collar of her shirt and begins dragging her out.

"I-I thought you were going to kill her." Violet manages to say shakily,

He ignores and throws her out the door off the wooden deck to the ground. June and Roux walk over.

He walks in and leans onto a table. Violet touches his back. He doesn't bother resisting, he's been rude enough to her already.

They tie her against a post and wait till she wakes.

"How do we do this?" Violet asks,

They walk out and stare down at her. She glares at them, "You're all going to die." she says smirking,

"Shut up." Violet says,

"Remember what I said? At least you'll be able to see the horror on their faces when they die."

He rushes forward, but Roux guessing, grabs and holds him back.

"Just like your girlfriend, what was her name? Did you love her enough to remember?"

"Shut up!" Violet spits,

Adam grunts, fighting against Roux,

"Adam, you're stronger than her! She is just trying to get you to break again! You're stronger than her Adam."

Adam stops, he grits his teeth, clenching his fists, digging his nails into his skin.

June snorts, "I'm not."

She turns and shoves her ice spike hand through her shin and out her calf. Iris screams out.

"Aww that's cute. Gut up. Hey!"

June pulls her arm out and slaps her hard, she grips her cheeks, bringing her own face close to Iris's. Tears of pain stream her cheeks, she groans.

"Gut. The hell. Up. That's not nearly as bad as what you did to us. Where is she?"

"June. Easy."

June immediately shoves her spiked arm into the other leg and looks back at Violet.

"Ah. Sorry processed late in my mind."

June rips it out and heals her legs. "Do you think frostbite would hurt more? Maybe if I just added tiny spikes to my arms and turned it slowly inside your leg?"

Iris yells angrily, pulling hard on her rope and ice restraints. Roux turns and walks away as she does so.

He walks back, war hammer in hand. "I believe we originally asked nicely. I'd like to be able to say I respect woman, giving them what they deserve. So. Adam. Since I can't break her legs."

Adam looks at him in surprise. Roux shrugs, "It's far too much effort to be nice."

Iris's eyes widen only slightly. Adam can see the fear building in her eyes.

He walks beside her and lifts the hammer overhead. He throws it down onto her ankle.

"Oh Frick I was aiming for your thigh, let me try again."

He throws it down onto her right knee. She screams again, sobbing and crying hysterically.

"Hear hold on. Just so the pain isn't overbearing for her." Violet says and heals her,

Adam lifts it overhead again.

"No-no-no wait! I know one place! She has multiple places she'd run to! Please! Please!" she cries,

"Where are they?!" Violet spits, totally giving in like the others,

"I only know one. I know only one....it's north, it's north, it's a big camp, you can't miss it, I swear, I swear, they built it over the road to rob people." she cries,

They look at June. "I can feel her, she's north."

June touches her finger to her shoulder. "You ripped his heart out again. Want to know what it's like to simply have it destroyed?"

"You can't. I told you." she says shakily,

"What do you want a cookie? We aren't selfless heroes, this is war." Roux says,

The blood in her body wraps around, squeezes and crushes her heart. Iris jolts and gasps, staring into the air.

"Enjoy dying alone." June says,

She gets to her feet and they all walk away, out of the camp. "Do we go after her?" Adam asks,

"She might just be a liability." Violet says,

"Agreed. If June wasn't before, we all are on her hit list now." Roux says,

They start down the road to the stables, but of course, the horses are gone. So they start down the road again.