Ungodly Chaos Book Three of the Ungodly Series

Chapter Thirty: War

Bel yanked the spear out of Luci's back, causing the wolf to yelp in pain. He thrust Emma behind himself, even as he knelt, touching Luci's head while keeping an eye on the open doorway. Guards were swarming the opening and Cern was running in their direction. Emma turned as she heard noise behind them as well. Phoebie backed into her Aunt, being herded by Rafe, who was standing between her and the group of gods, now advancing on their small group.

“I'm sorry my friend, we need you, so I can't let you go just yet. I Bind you to my service, to my soul. Now rise, Lucian, and fulfill your purpose.” Bel commanded. Luci jolted as his body twisted and changed, gaining a new Form even as he writhed and healed on the floor. His body erupted into a red and golden color, and then burst into flame. The wolf screamed out a howl that made everyone freeze before struggling to his feet. He stumbled, looking to Bel with a gaze that held a universe-worth of understanding. Luci knew that Bel had Bound him to protect their love, and they likely would all die. He swung around to face the door with a vicious snarl, fur bristling and flames sparking higher off his body. Cern made it past Luci and the guards racing after him paused momentarily, seeing Luci's giant Form blocking their way.

“What are you waiting for? Kill them!” Yelled one of the gods behind Luci, and taking that as his own cue, Luci lunged forward at the guards.

“Rafe, quickly turn to me, let me get to your chains.” Bel snarled, not bothering to turn completely to see if the Raven complied. Rafe shoved his pregnant wife further back beside her Aunt and turned sideways to face Bel.

“Better hurry Bel, they're not looking too happy this direction either.” Rafe commented, and Bel drove his flaming sword through the links binding him, risking a look behind him. With a growl, he changed direction.

“I'd have better luck this way-you try to protect the women from the guards. Cern, I'm going to need your help.” Bel snapped. Cern was handing Sage over to Emma, who took him with a look of fear. All of this because she wanted her children protected, all of this because of a simple request. She gripped Cern's arm after tucking Sage into the wrap, and then reached out to Bel.

“Please. Be careful, both of you. I love you all, and can't stand to lose anyone here today.” Emma begged, but before she could see the look Bel tossed her of heartrending emotion, Luci yelped with pain, stealing her attention. “Phoebie, give me your hand SweetPea, we're going to do something a little unorthodox.” Emma ordered, holding out one hand toward her niece, and one extended towards the guards. Sage whimpered in the wrap and Emma soothed him. “It's ok, mommy's here.” As Phoebie's hand met Emma's, Emma drew from her niece's power, and her niece gave an audible gasp, but Emma was concentrating too hard to pay attention. Turning her life-giving power on its head, she felt around the room through the guards for the sparks of life flowing through them, and slowly, one by one, began to snuff them out. Every time she did, she felt the Darkness under her skin crawl closer to the surface. It seemed to grow and crow with each death, celebrating in the evil she was committing. Emma felt her skin turning grey, but ignored it, she was so busy pushing the feelings down, she wasn't even sure when she let Phoebie's hand go, or when she stopped snuffing out the life-forces she was feeling for, and started pulling them in instead. A hollow laugh rang out in the room and Emma jerked, finally looking around her.

Bel was swinging his sword at a god she suspected of being a god of thunder. The light from Bel clashed with the lightning of the other god, and a boom shook the building around them. Emma was shocked she had missed all the noise previously, she had been so very absorbed in her own battles. Two more surrounded Bel as if trying to keep him from escaping, but as Emma watched, she noticed it was more that they were attempting to wear him down, by attacking him at random while he fought with the other god. A slice along his side with a short knife made Bel hiss, spinning and narrowly avoiding the blow aimed at his ribs by the god on his other side. He spun again and caught a bolt of lightning along his sword, flinging it back at the god of thunder, and Emma gasped, barely suppressing her scream of terror.

Cern fought with a different set of gods, but he was in Stag Form, and he used his size to his advantage at first, until the others were able to use his size to trap him in a corner. He quickly transformed back into human Form, but his hand-to-hand skills were not as useful as his skills as a stag. He blocked blows, managed to wrest another's weapon from them, stabbed a god in the thigh, but was returned a nasty wound in the arm for it himself. With a grimace, he dropped the short sword in his hand, clutching his arm. Emma cried out his name and he jerked his head, just as the god behind him drove a sword through his spine, and he fell to the floor. Emma shrieked and the room froze for a second, but only long enough for more of the gods to focus their attention on her. Emma, however, felt herself looking at the rest of her family in slow motion.

Phoebie sat at her feet holding Rafe's head in her lap, crying. She was clutching a wound in his chest that bled profusely around her hand. She looked up at her Aunt with a pleading look that Emma felt all the way to her bones. She tried to reach out to Phoebie, but a spear impaled the girl in front of her before she could. Phoebie choked out a brief cry and slumped forward slightly, the spear holding her dead body up at an angle. Emma felt the scream bubbling up on her lips again and looked around wildly for the person who had done this to her niece. Instead, she saw Luci, pulling himself towards her, leaving a streak of blood behind him. A guard rushed in his direction and easily brought his sword down over the wolf's neck, severing Luci's head from his body. Emma's mouth opened on a wordless scream, and then arms were around her and she turned to see Bel.

“It's time, Emma.” He panted. “Time to let go. I'm sorry this didn't end how we wanted it to. I wanted to spend the rest of eternity together. Perhaps.. perhaps we'll meet again in another life.” He smiled at her as blood ran down his face from a wound on his scalp. Bel held his side, and Emma could see how seriously wounded he was. She knew it was only a matter of time for him as well. She wasn't going to let them get away with this! She wailed a banshee's wail as the gods and guards converged on them and the Darkness burst out of her skin to latch onto the people around her, friend, foe, it didn't matter, she drained them all dry as her tears poured forth and she fell to the ground with Bel's arms still wrapped tightly around her. When she finally looked up, the room was silent. Everything was silent. The courtyard that had been filled with people was now filled with ghostly screams of the dead and dying as Emma's power leached the life from them. Bel had collapsed at her side at some point and Emma reached out a hand to him to feel his Form had gone cold. She wailed a single word scream, and Sage started crying with her. Over and over, all she could do was just deny what was happening around her.

“No!” Emma keened.

“Oh yes, little goddess. Did I not tell you this would happen?” A voice commented derisively.