Chapter 12

Làidir saw Damian fall.

Mars strained and was close to breaking free from the cage the Sorcerer had trapped him in. The same one her lover had used on her during their duel. It was not his strength, but his godly power that magic-like energy that gave his kind immortal and more. That all powerful aura worked to weaken and shatter the magic cage.

They were out of time.

She was on her third eagle. She snapped the neck of the eagle and then ripped it off.

She walked over and collected her halberd from where it fell after her second eagle that had attacked her. Giant pests.

It had been a long night. She didn't think she had ever been this tired before. Her brother dead. The mere thought of it froze her for a moment. She couldn't understand it. The city's defender had been corrupted and she hadn't a clue. She'd trusted him as she trusted the sun to rise and set. She hadn't loved him as she should have, she'd been too distant, but that had been her way and now her regret. She didn't know how to care or how to love.

She'd mourn tomorrow. She had a lover now, he stopped her brother from destroying the city he had loved, and she would have Damian's children. Daughters who would be like her mother. Mother. Yes, more importantly she had her parents to avenge.

Mars, the greatest challenge to come. Her only luck was that Damian had broken or taken his weapons from him. For good measure she threw the sword and spear far out of the city.

Mars would have to fight bare handed without his deadly weapons.

She looked for help. To his lesser lovers. Morgana defended her people. Umbra provided medical help. Iris battled a fresh wave of giant eagles. The rest were beating off the attack. The druids she grew up with were talented after all.

If she couldn't stop Mars then their efforts were all for nothing.

Damian had been close, maybe if he hadn't been drained like her from their fight against the Unseelie, either way, she'd have to finish what he started.

She watched and listened as with one final yell Mars broke free from his containment. In a swift rising he leapt to his feet. He gazed around subtly and quickly gauging the situation like a predator and experienced warrior. She saw his massive grin at the sight of the fallen Sorcerer.

Damian was alive, she could hear his quiet breathing, but he was out of the fight.

The fighting around them died down. Though Damian's side technically securely defended themselves, the crushing blow to morale at seeing him fall and Mars rise again had taken the spine out of them.

Mars spoke, filling in the silence, "He was arrogant and now like all who dare to defy Rome he is broken."

He pointed across all the defenders, "Kneel! Abandon your false ways and accept Zeus' divine light and you will be spared. Serve Rome and learn prosperity, resist and there will be no more chances. Should one deny our grace then you shall all die."

Làidir couldn't fight them all alone. She would flee with the Sorcerer if it came to it. She knew he only pretended to care, it was like a game to him, she'd seen it. Her brother had really cared about them once and her mother before him. So, she knew Damian only faked it. He wanted to care more than he did. He would be okay with running.

Làidir needn't have worried.

"No! Do not turn your back on the Resurrected One. He who has died shall live again. Dawn of our people is coming, hold fast to your faith and defy WAR!" Umbra demanded of them all.

"Fight unto death!" Morgana cried in rallying support for Umbra's words.

"For the Seelie and our Slánaitheoir." Iris called.

A wordless rage howled from the defiant folk. They fought once more. Where most would have surrendered out of faith, duty and love they were driven to a righteous, desperate fury into combat.

"Death it is." Mars declared.

Làidir swung her halberd up so the point faced straight at Mars' throat, holding her weapon in two hands. She charged as quick as lightning. The War God's own lightning blast connected a finger away from her heel striking behind her: so close and yet so far.

She drew close, but Mars slapped the halberd up and then punched her hard in the stomach with her own momentum multiplying the force of the impact greatly. She fell away with her back hitting hard against the earth and her head snapping back and knocking against the solid ground.

She managed to scramble away and get her halberd again, but Mars' dash and stomp crushed her skull.

He attacked again.

She swung her halberd and hit him like she was using a club. The edges that would cut almost anyone else did not even leave a scratch on Mars' godly form. Still, she was stronger than him.

He flew away like a ball hit by a bat.

He climbed out of the rubble he had been buried in.

She blasted him with her almighty red-black energy

He took the blast and though it slowed him, it could not stop his march back into the fight.

She stopped and sagged and despite herself fell to one knee. Sweat poured down her face and every breath was an effort. She tried her best, but nothing she did seemed to affect him.

Yet, if he was so invulnerable why all the strategy, and the waiting. Why run away from the sorcerer before? She didn't understand and lacked the wits to learn. If no one told her what his weakness was then she couldn't exploit it.

He strolled over with a sure grin certain in victory.

They clashed.

He stole her halberd, before she could escape, he sliced open her stomach.

She fell forwards and onto him.

She drew on her giant ancestry to hold him, and on her dragon ancestry to bite and burn him. She bit a burning bite into his throat drawing on the last of her strength.

She tore and lifted her head up. She took barely any flesh, but she drew blood and had ripped open the skin at his throat.

Mars feeling, perhaps for the first time in his ancient existence, mortal fear, punched Làidir's temple and knocked her out cold.

Làidir had exposed a cink in his flesh, however, she was out of the fight. Worse, she was bleeding greatly from her open wound.