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Ao Qin swept down from the sky, trailing fire lit clouds behind him. Sat on his back Zhao could just see the Jade Cat, wearing what looked like the armour he wore, except it caught the lights and sparkled like a gem.
Zhao grinned and looked across at Morrigan, “Call them off, Morrigan!” he gestured up at the descending dragon, “Your entertainment is over.”
“I answer to the Queen of the Light Fae only, Dubh Raicleach. You have no power over me, my warriors or my pets.” She seemed unfazed by the carnage in front of her.
“We ALL answer to the Upper World, Morrigan, even you must know that.” Zhao said.
“I refuse to answer to anyone other than the Banríona.” Morrigan turned to watch Andrew disembowel a tourist.
“FAE WOMAN. STOP THIS DESTRUCTION.” Ao Qin’s voice echoed around the plaza. The tourists that were left cowered back against the buildings.
Morrigan ignored him. Her warriors closed up around her, protectively.
Ao Qin dropped low enough to the ground for the Jade Cat to jump off. She strode over to Zhao and Tabatha. “You’re going to have to do something, Phoenix. If you want Melanie to survive this, you’ll have to help.”
Faidren shook his head, “Don’t interfere, Glascat. You have no say in what the Golden Phoenix does.”
“I’m head of the Triang Council. If she and the rest of you want to claim refuge from your Queen, you’ll do as I say, Faidren.” Jade Cat said in a flat tone.
He frowned and would have said more, but Tabatha stood up, “She’s right, Faidren. I have to get involved or I make a mockery of what I told Mother.”
He nodded reluctantly.
She strode forward to the line of the barriers, “Morrigan. Call them off, that’s an order.”
“Princess, we will have to have another chat it seems; you are not the Banríona, and I don’t have to do as you order.” Morrigan tossed her head.
“Then I will do it. Ghouls, stand down. Stay exactly where you are.” Tabatha snapped out in such a strong tone of command that even the tourists stopped moving.
Melanie stopped, one hand deep inside the bowels of a tourist. She looked disorientated as she dropped the body to the floor and stood still, idly licking the gore from her fingers. Andrew slowed in his fight but shook off the compulsion to stop with a groan and a shudder.
“Melanie, sweetest pet. Do as I command only.” The Morrigan said, “Carry on with your feast.”
Melanie looked around and dashed after the nearest warm body, a teenage girl who had slowed to take photos of the carnage on her phone.
The girl screamed and ran, Melanie catching up with her rapidly.
Tabatha ground her teeth together and before anyone could stop her, she vaulted the barrier and ran after the ghoul.
Faidren snapped out “Cosain do Bhanphrionsa!” and a group of the golden tabarded warriors left what they were doing and headed toward Tabatha.
Melanie caught the teenager’s long black ponytail with one hand, a knife appearing in the other.
“Melanie, I order you to stop, in the name of the Banríona!” Tabatha yelled again. She caught up with the ghoul and yanked the teenager out of her grasp, pulling her behind her back as the warriors surrounded them.
The young woman cried out as the move pulled on her hair but quietened quickly when she saw the knife in the ghoul’s hand.
Melanie looked at the strands of black hair in her hand and sighed, “I was going to enjoy playing with her. Why stop me?”
“Because this isn’t you, Melanie. This isn’t the aunt I know and love, the woman who gave me a chance to get away from the politics of dad’s position and become myself...” Tabatha sounded choked up under her mask and helm, “...who argued with him that I should be able to study what I wanted.”
“This has always been there though, I’ve just been able to allow myself to enjoy it more.” Melanie was beginning to look less like a monster and more like a human again. She looked at the girl with such longing that Tabatha felt sorry for her.
––––––––
AO QIN HOVERED OVER Andrew, “GHOUL. STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY OR SUFFER THE MOST PAINFUL DEATH POSSIBLE.” His voice held enough command to stop Andrew killing the SDO he was fighting.
The SDO scrambled away, blood dribbling from various wounds.
“You don’t command me, creature. Only my Mistress or the Queen can do that.” Andrew turned and pursued the SDO again.
“I WILL DESTROY YOU UTTERLY. YOUR SOUL WILL NOT LIVE ON AND WILL NEVER REJOIN THE GREAT WHEEL.” Ao Qin’s fire spurted from between his lips as he spoke, heating the air around them.
Andrew’s clothing began to blacken, but he ignored that, concentrating on the SDO he was chasing.
Jade Cat strode past them to confront Morrigan, “Do you want to lose your pets, Morrigan? I know how they are connected to you. If they die, you will be in such pain that you will want to die, but you won’t be able to.”
“I don’t care; for every death they cause, I get as much pleasure and energy as they do. That rush is worth the pain... and to be completely honest, I get a lot of pleasure from pain.” The fae woman’s eyes glowed as the SDO scored a hit on Andrew with his blade and blood began to flow from it.
Jade Cat shuddered.
“STOP OR I WILL BURN YOU AND YOUR SPIRIT.” Ao Qin said to Andrew.
Andrew had grabbed the SDO and held him by the throat. The SDO was limp in his grasp, “I only respond to the Queen or my Mistress.” He said without looking away from the man in his hands.
“SO, BE IT.” Ao Qin took a deep breath through his nose and the flame that trickled from his lips began to change from yellow-red-orange to blue-green.
“Do you see that, Morrigan?” Jade Cat pointed to the Dragon King, “You are about to lose one of your pets. Stop him and you may be allowed to keep him.”
Morrigan got down from her seat, pushed through the warriors around her and walked up to Jade Cat, “I will not do anything you say, Kai-Lynn Riordan. Note this however, If you kill my pets, I will kill you.” Her breath smelt of rancid meat and old blood.
“None of you scare me, Morrigan.” Kai said quietly, “You can hurt me, but you cannot kill me. Call off your pets and you will all survive to serve your queen.”
Morrigan stepped back from Kai and raised her voice, “Andrew, Melanie, attack and destroy any and all who get in your way. I release you from all constraint, rampage on my darlings! Only the Banríona can countermand this order.”
Andrew howled in delight and with one move ripped the SDO’s throat out. Then he dropped the SDO and dashed for the next person closest to him, which happened to be a fae warrior in black. Ao Qin finished his preparations and before the ghoul could reach the warrior, let out a narrow blast of blue-green flame, engulfing Andrew completely.
Surrounded by flame, his clothing turning to ash, Andrew looked round. First, he looked at Melanie and called to her, “Keep Killing Darling, kill for me. I love you...” Then he looked at the Morrigan and stretched one hand out toward her, “... but I love you more, Mistress.”
Melanie screamed as the flame began to melt the flesh from Andrew’s body. She dropped to her knees, howling in pain and loss, then curled up in a ball on the paving weeping toxin tainted tears.
Morrigan took a deep breath and shrieked as well, but as well as the pain, ecstasy wove through the sound, “Oh my sweet Queen, this is exquisite! Emotional pain from Melanie and physical pain from Andrew, thank you my darlings for blessing me with such amazing feelings.”
Andrew melted and as the flame continued to burn, became a pile of ash. Above it, just visible in the flame, his spirit hovered then with what looked like a puff of smoke, it disappeared. Ao Qin stopped breathing flame and turned to look at Melanie.
“What of this one?” Ao qin asked Kai in her mind.
Kai shook her head, “We may be able to save her. She is linked to Tabatha and may be able to become like Edward.”
The Dragon King nodded and with a woosh of air, settled himself on the roof of the nearby shrine.