The Daughter of Death- *RAYOR*

Chapter 18: A Smile

My breath seemed to rattle as I stumbled around, my eyes stinging with the need to cry. I had never felt fear this deep before. I had only a paltry sword and no one to talk to. My feet slapped wetly on the floor. The darkness was seeming to close in; my throat was raw from shouting, and the echoes had wound down to silence.

In, out. In, out.

Once, I had never needed to breath.

In, out. In, out.

Would I ever feel that power again?

I kept running, my breaths shredding my lungs, until I saw a ray of sunlight. Turning a corner, I saw blue sky, and beautiful, beautiful trees. I started running, and my heart seemed to stop as I heard footsteps shadowing mine.

It slammed into me and I almost fainted. Then, hands grabbed my wrists. I started hyperventilating as I looked up and saw-

Willow.

I hit him, hard. Tears pricked my eyes. "You almost killed me!" Instead of sounding angry, like I had intended, my voice sounded tearful.

"Blakely, are you crying?"

"No!" I glared, though he couldn't see me. "I- I have something stuck in my eye, if you must know."

I almost felt his gaze as he replied, "Keep blinking."

I choked down a sob. "Willow, I almost died! Where's Arielle?"

"I don't know," I said. "Willow, I'm scared! I don't know how! I shouldn't be-"

"Everyone should be scared in life," said Willow. "It's what makes us human."

Out of the blue, I hugged him, closing my eyes, feeling my breaths and heart rate steady- and then quicken for a whole different reason. "I'm glad you're here," I whispered.

Willow took a deep breath. "It... feels like years ago. When I first met you. I said I was doing it for Ari. But... that's changed. I'm also doing this for you, Blake. And, if I had a choice, I'd do it all over again."

I felt like no words could express the roar of emotion now flooding through my body. All fears seemed to quieten, all noise seemed to falter as I hooked my arm round his neck, stood on my tip-toes and kissed him.

The look of delighted surprise made my heart skip a beat. I felt like the world was perfect at that moment, my arm round his neck and his at my waist, haloed by sunlight.

A smile crossed my lips.

Until a hissing, rasping noise sounded from behind us.

Before I could run, a hand, nails digging into my wrist, grabbed me, and I felt scaly skin, like that of a very old person's. I screamed and tried to writhe free, and a leg kicked out, sending me to the ground, bashing my head. I felt stars pop in front of my eyes as I blinked, brightness searing into my retinas. I took out my sword, hearing a hiss, and looked at the reflection.

I almost fainted from repulsion. Scaly skin, yellowed with age, and hands withered into claws. Eyes green as arsenic, and a head of writhing vipers. She- or he- had slits for nostrils and lips the same yellowed pale colour as their skin.

"Run!" yelled Willow, but I saw he was in her grasp. I held up the sword, but she was using him as a shield from me. His eyes were shut, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

"You can't escape," hissed the gorgon. The voice was coarse and rattling.

"Let go of him," I shouted, looking at the blade reflection. She held out a hand to pull my face round to hers, and I ducked.

Then it encircled Willow's throat, and began to squeeze.

I screamed. "HELP! HELP! ARIELLE, HELP!"

I kicked out, and heard a hiss of pain from the gorgon, but not enough to relinquish her hold. Terror was ripping at my body, and tears were burning in my eyes.

Then her face, in the reflection, froze, her arm, slackened. Willow backed out of the way as she fell forwards, face down, onto the ground.

Behind her was Arielle, the four-inch penknife in her hand.

***

Nicco grabbed me as I fell, the stench of blood overwhelming me, and half-carried, half-dragged me out into the open. "Easy there," he said.

I clutched at him. "Nicco! Where did you- Aster-"

"He doesn't know, and he doesn't need to know," said Nicco.

"'Ello," said Levi, poking his head out from behind Nicco. "The smarter twin is also here."

I held my head. The world seemed to spin.

"Shush, you're making her vomit," said Nicco.

Levy folded his arms. "We'll have to go quick or we'll get into trouble."

"Relax," said Nicco. "Aster's not going to-"

Aster appeared behind Nicco and grabbed him. "Nicco, you fool! You could have died!"

"Why aren't you telling Levy off?" Nicco sulked. "How did you know-"

"Levy has the stone scythe," said Aster. Nicco puffed up in rage. Levy stuck out his tongue behind his back. "We need to go home," said Aster.

"Can't we stay?" said Nicco.

"No."

"Please," said Arielle. "I'm scared. "And the gorgon's corpse is right over there."

"No," said Aster. "Levy. Nicco."

I got up and hugged Aster. "Thank you," I said. I felt like I had a different perspective of the world since I had come out of that maze. Nicco and Levy didn't need to come, but they did. Arielle hadn't needed to kill the gorgon, but she did.

He seemed to relax. "Maybe a while."

Willow's fingers brushed mine. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, throat still tight. I saw Aster shaking his head at the ground. "What?"

"You're growing up," he said grudgingly. I was about to retort cuttingly, but a thought- the thought of whether I could have done this whilst fresh from my reaper days- silenced it.

I looked over to Arielle, talking to Levy softly. "Arielle... she's not bad, you know. Though she isn't my type."

"Yeah," said Aster. "But she's not mine, either," he added gently. I gulped. Poor Ari.

Nicco hovered somewhere around my left ear. "Blake? I saw the gorgon from behind. She was very scary. I helped Levy help Arielle."

I grinned. "Well done, little guy."

"Hey, I never thought you'd do that," Aster said. "Smile."

"I didn't think I'd do a lot of things," I said, in a very quiet voice. "But I'm glad I did."