CHAPTER 189: CHAPTER 189: LAST BREATHS

******

The courtyard was chaos, a storm of blood, screams, and steel. Yet within it all, the battle between Aveline Vale and Lorraine Anderson could scarcely be called a fight.

Lorraine no longer moved like flesh and bone. She was something else entirely, fluid, ethereal, untouchable. Her silvery hair floated as though carried by a phantom wind, her glowing white eyes unblinking, her every step gliding rather than walking. She barely seemed tethered to the ground, yet every motion she made carried lethal intent.

Aveline lunged at her with claws bared, screaming her fury, but Lorraine swayed aside effortlessly, a whisper of movement, and Aveline’s strike hit nothing but air. Lorraine’s arm rose, a flick of her wrist, and Aveline staggered as though slammed by an invisible wall. Again she came forward, desperate, fast, but Lorraine was faster. A twist of her fingers sent Aveline sprawling, her ribs audibly cracking.

It was not a duel. It was execution.

Lorraine pressed forward, unrelenting, her movements smooth and graceful, yet merciless in their ferocity. Aveline tried to keep up, her breaths ragged, her body straining, but every attempt to close the distance ended with her choking on blood or slammed against the ground by unseen force. Lorraine was going to kill her. There was no other possible outcome.

*

Meanwhile, across the yard, Kieran fought like a storm unleashed. Crimson Hunt soldiers swarmed him, their blades catching the moonlight, but his claws and fangs ripped through them as fast as they came. Each kill was a blur of movement, his muscles burning, his mind only half on the enemies before him, half on the glowing, merciless figure of Lorraine beyond.

Astrid Voss appeared at his side, her sword slick with blood. She cut down one soldier, then another, before turning sharply to Kieran.

"My mother..." Kieran snarled, blocking a soldier’s strike and shoving his claws through the man’s chest. "What happened to her? Why is she back to her Ghosthound self?"

Astrid parried a blade and shoved the attacker away. "She wanted to save you at all cost, Kieran. She let it consume her again, for you."

Kieran’s stomach clenched. His heart hammered with fear and guilt.

And there she was, his mother, across the yard, tearing into Conan, the Leader.

*

The Queen was no longer recognizable. The Ghosthound had taken full control, and she was monstrous, terrifying. Her body moved with the raw power of a beast unleashed, her claws dripping with blood, her eyes feral and wild.

The Leader tried to fight, tried to survive. He dodged her blows, staggered under her assaults, but there was only so much endurance left in him.

"Calm down, Athena!!!" he shouted, desperation in his voice as he narrowly escaped her claws ripping his throat. But she didn’t even hear him. To the Ghosthound Queen, there was no voice, no reason, only prey.

She lunged again, her claws flashing, forcing the Leader to retreat step by step, his arrogance stripped away, replaced with raw fear.

*

Lorraine had Aveline pinned. Another flick of her wrist, and Aveline clawed at her throat, choking, her feet dangling inches off the ground as if held by an invisible hand. Her skin flushed red, her lungs screaming for air, her nails breaking as she tried to pry away what wasn’t there.

Lorraine’s face was expressionless, her white eyes devoid of mercy.

Then....

"Lorraine!"

A broken voice rang out across the courtyard. Adrian Vale stumbled into view, pale as death, his blonde hair still matted with dried blood, his skull barely healed from the fracture that had nearly killed him. He looked like a ghost of himself, but his voice carried desperation.

"Lorraine, please, let her go! Let my sister go please"

For a fleeting moment, his words seemed to hang in the air. But Lorraine wasn’t Lorraine anymore. She didn’t even turn her head toward him.

Instead, her hand flicked. The courtyard seemed to pause, a sharp silence falling for a heartbeat. Then came a sickening crack.

Aveline’s chest burst open, her heart ripped free from her ribs by unseen force. It hovered in the air for a second before dropping with a wet thud. Aveline’s body collapsed beside it, lifeless, her eyes wide and unseeing.

Adrian’s scream never came. His throat closed on it. He just fell to his knees, trembling, hot tears streaking down his face as his sister’s body lay sprawled before him.

*

Then came another sound.

A rip. A tear.

The Ghosthound Queen had her claws on the Leader’s arm, and with a furious wrench, she ripped it clean off his body. Blood sprayed across the yard, spattering her face, blinding her with its hot, metallic scent. She roared in triumph, her maw drenched crimson.

The Leader shrieked, staggering back, his body convulsing with shock and agony. He had no chance of winning now. He knew it.

And so he did the only thing left, he ran.

With one hand, he supersped across the yard, his body a blur, and seized Adrian Vale by the collar before the boy could even react. Dragging him like a ragdoll, Conan darted toward the surviving women in white, their faces pale, blood still dripping from their mouths.

"Get us out of here!" he barked.

The women, shaking, began to chant despite their weakness. Their voices rose in unison, power thrumming in the air, symbols glowing faintly around them. And then....

In a flash of white light, they were gone. The Leader, his bleeding stump, Adrian’s trembling body, all vanished.

*

The courtyard went silent. The enemy was gone.

And just like that, the glow around Lorraine dimmed. Her hair dulled, her eyes flickered, her body sagged. She slumped to the ground with a heavy thud, unconscious.

Kieran’s heart lurched. He tore through the last of the soldiers, his claws drenched in blood, and sprinted toward her.

But before he reached her, another collapse echoed in the yard.

The Queen. His mother.

She staggered once, her beast form wavering, before falling heavily onto her side. Blood bubbled from her mouth, thick and black, spilling down her chin.

"I’ll take care of Lorraine," Astrid called, kneeling beside the unconscious girl. "Go to her, Kieran!"

Kieran didn’t hesitate. He dropped to his knees beside his mother, his claws retracted, his heart pounding.

"Mother..... what’s wrong? Stay with me," he begged, cradling her bloodied face.

Her eyes softened, dim with exhaustion but still clear for the first time in hours. With a trembling hand, she lifted her palm and placed it against his cheek.

"Kieran... your father." Her voice was weak, rasping. "He’s still alive. I felt him... when my wolf.... the Ghosthound returned. I saw him.... trapped in a dark cave, with a waterfall. Promise me.... you’ll find him."

Kieran’s vision blurred with tears. "Mother no....."

"Promise me," she insisted, her breath rattling.

He swallowed hard, nodding furiously. "I promise. I’ll find him."

She coughed, a violent spasm tearing through her chest, more black blood gurgling past her lips.

Kieran held her tighter, desperate. "No, no, please..."

Her hand shook as she clutched his face one last time. "Tell... Lorraine that I.... I am sorry. For..... her arm.... I’m sorry."

Her voice faded. Her chest stilled.

And with her eyes still open, blood dripping from her mouth, the Luna Queen, the Ghosthound, died in her son’s arms.

Kieran’s howl tore through the night, raw and broken, a cry of grief that shook the blood stained courtyard.