{"sf1_id":810373,"sf2_id":null,"title":"Dying in the Eye of the Storm","author":"StGeorgesHorse","words":5782,"posted_at":"2015-01-22T13:35:00.000Z","tags":["Death","Human","Plot Development","Rage","Story Progression","Werewolf","Wolf","battle"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/810373-dying-in-the-eye-of-the-storm","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/810373","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=810373\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#88 of The Moonrise Chronicles","content":"                Verona\nwas quite hot under the collar for being pressed into dressing so quickly, and for\nthe numerous layers she needed to be able to wear it. Once she was done, two cars were packed to the brim and off they\nsped. The crate was back in the trunk space of the Rover, in part because Billy wanted the stuff he had bought to remain concealed. This was a bad time for\nunwanted questions he had no answers to.\nHe wasn't driving to any\nparticular destination for the moment, only to a general area as indicated by\nhis message. He figured, as he had said, that the closer they were when they\nwere needed, the better off everyone would be. It was only later that he\nreceived a specific location. \n                He\nheaded east as fast as the speed limit would allow him, making sure the car\nfollowing him was always in sight. The crate was making his view out the rear\nwindow a little difficult, but he had wanted to make sure the suit could be\npacked away if the need arose. As it was, if they ended up getting stopped,\nthere would be a lot of explaining to do. Of course, they could always claim to\nbe heading to a comicon or something similar. A few members of the group were unconsciously sprouting hair in some odd places.\n                They\nmade for a certain state park, a place known for many things, not the least of\nwhich was a few reported sightings of an unusual creature matching the\ndescription of the Jersey Devil. Of course, wise people ignored those reports\nas pranks or the imaginings of lunatics. Wise people knew better than to believe in ghosts and ghouls.\n                In a\nsmall open area, sitting on a picnic table was a man. He had long hair and a\nbeard, but his present clothing was indicative of a modern style, not something\nfrom the bygone era of the hippies. For all anyone knew, he could have gotten\nthem off of a fashion designer personally, especially if any designers showed\nup in the police blotter as being missing. He had been sitting here a while,\nwatching the few visitors come and go. For some reason, no one seemed to notice\nhis presence.\n                The\nother man who carefully stepped into the clearing had no such bearing. He was\ndisheveled and dirty and emanating a particularly pungent aroma. Leeds would\nhave been offended by such a presence, but seeing as this man was likely\nattempting to allude someone, and he had had the courage to roll in something  quite - nasty, he would overlook such\ncommonplace filth and banter with him.\n                Edward\nhardly had the time nor the desire to clean up. He could have found a stream to\nwash in, but then again, why bother? This was likely to get messy in other\nways, so there was no point in sugar coating this. He saw the man on the table\nand ambled over, wearing nothing more than his pants.\n                \"I\nassume that you're William Leeds.\"\n                \"You\nassume correctly. Who are you? I sense that you have been giving me trouble as\nof late, and I must tell you that I do not appreciate it.\"\n                Edward\nstuck out his hand. \"My name's Edward Peterson.\"\nThe other man refused to extend his\nown. \"Peterson? I know of no Peterson clan. And you smell awful. Have you no\ncare for personal care? I would have thought you capable of at least a few primitive\npleasantries.\" \n   It was meant as a dig; a bit of\nsnobbery. \n                \"Some\ndays are better than others. I didn't have time to wash before our meeting.\"\n                Leeds\nwas already getting bored. \"What do you want?\n                \"I want\nyou to give up any claim you think you have on Maggie.\"\n                Laughter\nboomed around the clearing, bouncing off of the tree line in a seemingly\nchorused echo.  \"Give up my own kin? That\nis fool's talk.\"\n                \"And\nyet, it would be even more foolish to attempt to make her do something against\nher will.\"\n                \"And\nwhat would you know of this? What part do you play in all of this?\"\n                \"I\nhappen to be her father.\"\n                The\nanger that flashed across Leeds' eyes was palpable.\"If you came here to merely\nanger me before you die, then I must congratulate you.\"\n                \"Hear\nme out. I found her as an orphan, for no one knew any better about her\ncondition after the attack at the hospital. I didn't mean for it to happen, but\nit happened. In the end I adopted her.\"\n                \"That\ndoes not give you any claim on her.\"\n                \"Legally\nit does. But that's not the half of it.\"\n                \"Must\nyou prattle on? Say what you came to say so that I might kill you.\"\n                \"We\nfell in love.\"\n                There\nwas a moment of silence. \"I see you can manage to come to the direct point when\nyou wish to. But her feelings are of no matter. She is the new blood which will\nkeep my kind strong. As much as I hate to mix and dilute it, necessities have\nshown me otherwise. Even the impure blood of the likes of you still carries within\nit the components which will keep us great.\"\n                \"You\nmean that you don't really care about her emotions? What about what she wants?\"\n                \"Feelings?\nThey are useless. Look at all of the things humanity does with them. They\npointlessly kill, they abuse, they condemn. And for what? A little gain; a\nslight advantage over others? They live and they die as fools. I should know,\nfor I kill them all the time. It is a great pleasure to snuff out such\nmiserable lives. I did not take you for a fool, but I see now that you are,\nregardless of what meager power you think to possess.\"\n                \"I didn't\ncome here to fight. I came to talk in the hope of avoiding any violence. She\nwill not go with you, not if you ask nicely and not if you try to force her.\nShe is strong minded and independent. Therefore, the only recourse you have is\nto give up any claim on her forever.\"\n                \"WHAT!\nYou dare to dictate terms to ME!\"\n                \"I am\nonly trying to do what is best for both sides. A battle is not it. If you die,\nI'm sure she'll be upset, though I hardly think she'll mourn your loss, having\nnever known you. If I die, I'd like to think she'd be heartbroken. If she were\nto die, we both lose.\"\n                \"There\nwill be death, for I feel there will be others involved in this. I can smell it\nin the future. So much carnage.\" He said that as if in a trance before breaking\nout of it. His eyes narrowed. \"You will give me my daughter or I will take her\nby force. I have much time on my side, whereas you have none; but my patience\nwears thin.\"\n                \"Now\ndon't get your panties in an uproar. I broke your link with Kathryn, so finding\nher will prove to be difficult if not impossible.\"\n                \"So you\nsay, and yet, if she loves you as you claim, will she not look for you? Is that\nperhaps not the reason you smell so acrid? To hide yourself? If she comes\nsearching for you as you must surely fear, I will have her and you will still\ndie.\"\n                \"I\ndon't know why you assume that I'm the one going to die. I intend to protect\nher with every ounce of my being.\"\n                \"Good\nluck with that. You weigh less than my average meal.\"\n                Edward\nallowed one arm to morph, just as a slight display of his power. Leeds was\naware he was of the Kind, but he wanted to make sure there was no doubt. The\nman hardly even focused on the change.\n                \"I\nassume my daughter would have more sense than to connect with a typical mortal.\nI find her present choice to be appalling, but that will soon be corrected. I\nhave never doubted what you are. Like calls to like.\"\n                Edward\npondered that. They had been drawn together, and their adventures had led them\nto others of the Kind. Like called to like. There was a connection; a bond\nbetween them. It was a mental link; a shared experience. It was simply too\nfragile to feel on a conscious level.\n                Edward\nlooked around for a moment, knowing that this was going to get ugly soon. Words\ndidn't work well with this fellow, so the only other tool that was available\nwas violence. If there were any other people in the area, they would end up\nbeing casualties. He couldn't have that on his conscience. Leeds might not care,\nbut he did. This battle was to be between two men for the possession of one\ngirl. It was going to be a winner takes all.\n                He\nsearched the grounds and was mildly surprised to find it deserted. That is, it\nseemed deserted. He sensed that there were things lurking in the shadows that\nwould best be left undiscovered. He wasn't prone to idle nervousness, but he\nwas feeling the creeping sensation of spider legs crawling up his back. Try as\nhe might though, he could see nothing but thick bushes, hairy, moss covered\ntree trunks and open expanses of green meadow.\n                Edward\nturned back to Leeds. \"Given the choice I sometimes think that my old life was\npreferable. I don't like killing. I don't like being out of control. But I keep\ngetting into these situations where it becomes inevitable.\"\n                \"Not\nlike killing? Then you will make this much easier for me. I will find that lack\nof self-preservation to be a severe disappointment.\"\n                Edward\nstood. \"I didn't say that I wouldn't kill. I said I don't like it.\"\n                \"It's\none and the same. A werewolf of any sort that doesn't like to kill is an\nabomination. We have the gift and a gift that is not used is automatically\nuseless.\"\n                Edward\nwent to say something, but movement caught his eye. There was a lone figure\nstumbling towards their location. He appeared to be drunk. Leeds noticed him as\nwell. \n                \"Another\nfool enters the fray. We will feast well tonight.\"\n                Edward\nwasn't so easily taken in by the act. He held his tongue until Billy was\nleaning on the table, wavering in place like he had just come off of a three\nday drinking binge. \"Hy you  assholes!\nHow's it going?\"\n                \"Hey\nyourself,\" was Edward's stiff reply. This was most disturbing development. He\nwasn't about to let on that he knew this guy, for that might break down what\nlittle rapport he had built up. As it was, the smell of liquor was strong on\nhim. He must have dumped half a bottle down his front. Billy teetered and put a\nhand on Leeds. A screech split the night air.\n                \"Get\nyour filthy hands off of me!\" Slight wisps of smoke rose up from where the\nsilver rings had burned his skin.\n                \"Whoa\ndude!\" Billy lurched and grabbed onto Edward. No similar smoke arose. Leeds\nnoticed immediately. But his present anger was with the intruder.\n                \"Get\nout! I have no use for your kind!\"\n                Billy's\nact dried up. \"And I don't have much likes for your kind either. Some people\njust want to live in peace you know.\"\n                That\nbrought Leeds up short. \"And who the hell are you?\"\n                \"None\nof your business. I'm with this fellow, who thinks he's so smart in trying to\noutwit us.\"\n                \"Us?\"\nLeeds looked around. \"I sense only you. Did you bring my daughter?\"\n                \"Nope.\nShe has a mind of her own and slipped away. Not sure where she is at the\nmoment, though I'm sure she'll show up soon enough.\" \n                Edward\nfinally spoke. \"Billy, you should go.\"\n                \"Fuck\noff Eddie. I'm here. Even if no one else had come, I'd stick by your side.\"\n                Leeds\nimpatience was growing exponentially. \"I tire of this. Bring me my daughter and\nI might consider sparing your sad, pathetic lives.\"\n                Even as\nhe spoke, a few new people were emerging from the side of the woods. None of\nthem were in werewolf form, but one was dressed most peculiarly. Leeds sat\nupright and sniffed the air. \"So you have brought more with you. Good. There\nare many mouths to feed with all of the kin I have.\"\n                But his\neyes remained fixed on the female in the shining armor. That was an unexpected\nturn of events. Armor did no one any good, not now, and not several hundred\nyears ago. But this looked far older. There were tales that were still told...\n                As the\ngroup neared the three men, all but that female transformed into their most\nterrifying selves. In some cases, this wasn't as intimidating as it might have\nbeen in their heydays. Maria was well practiced, and Alexei's new form was\nimpressive, but Anna's was very grey around the muzzle. Kathryn's form was both\nmenacing and beautiful. Then again, the menacing part was understandable. She\nwas here to fight for her daughter.\n                Edward's\nparents only wanted to rush to his side and give him a hug, but they restrained\nthemselves. Verona's parents were side by side with them.  Edward shook his head in dismay. \nVerona stepped forward. \"This makes\nit ten to one.\"\n                Leeds\nsmiled. \"I've never been a betting man my dear.\"\n                \"I'd\nsay the odds are in our favor. Leave us alone. Turn and never come back.\"\n                \"Strong\nwords. But words are for poets and politicians. Ask my wife. Am I not a man of\naction?\" \n                When\nshe said nothing he let out a piercing cry that stabbed into the still air. For\na moment there was no answer. Movement could then be seen at the edge of the\nwoods. Actually, it was the edge of\nthe woods. The bark from the trees seemed to unwrap itself into new forms.\n                For the\nfirst time, Edward felt a lump in his throat. The mossy bark had been nothing\nmore than thick, grotesque hair. \nHair on expanses of thin dark skin stretched\nover a framework of freakish bone. \n                Whatever\nthese things were, they were not mere werewolves. There arose a host of them.\nEach was thin to the point of emaciation, with their wings stretching out like\na bat's. They had glowing red eyes, much like the Kind had when they were\nemotional, and ugly heads that did a disservice to the sharp and lupine werewolf\nfeatures.\n                Kathryn\nlet out a low growl. \"The Kindred.\"\n                Leeds\nlooked down on her. \"Did you expect them not to be here? They are my family,\njust as they are your family. We did not turn you out, you threw us over.\"\n                Edward\nwas sizing this up. His tactics had included many variations of a ground\nbattle, not one that was going to be fought from the air as well. \"Kathryn, why\ndidn't you tell me?\"\n                \"I\nwould have, had you not run off. There is only so much time in a day to go over\ndetails.\"\n                \"Wings\nare a pretty important detail to glance over.\"\n                As if\nto punctuate that point, several of the creatures launched into the air and\nmade a feint at Verona, perhaps attracted by the shining armor. She was\nill-prepared for being active thus encumbered by the suit, so while she was\nfumbling for the swords, a pair of feet; talons really, made contact with the\nbreastplate. A scream was uttered and the one who had touched the suit flew off\nwith her nails smoking and melting away.\nThe others flocked around her,\ntheir winged beating and their talons grasping. Verona had no training with a\nsword, but with a touch of luck, she severed the outer third of a wing off with\na clumsy but powerful blow.\n                The\nscreech was deafening as the affected creature struck the ground. It flopped\nabout like a fish. Verona scared off the others and stood over her victim. The\nthing hissed and clawed at her right up until it received the point of the\nsword through its belly. Smoke roiled upwards as the thing burst into flames.\nIn a moment all that was left was smoldering black ash.\n                Kathryn\nstood amazed. \"What is that sword made of?\"\n                Verona\nwas feeling petulant. \"Stardust and moonbeams! So who's next!\"\n                Leeds\ntook notice. Normal weapons were useless against the Kindred. One that could do\nthat sort of damage was very dangerous. He quickly reassessed his\nstrategy.  Apparently this seemingly\ninnocuous man was more than he seemed. It had been long ago when he had last\nbeen caught so off guard.\n                He\ndirected his kin to attack the one among them who was the weakest.  That would have been Anna. Though tough, she\nhad lived a less than rigorous life and was no longer hardened to battle. She\nwas immediately over whelmed. Verona couldn't move fast enough to come to her\naid, and the others got there only in the nick of time. The savagery of their\nattack was immediately apparent. Werewolf or not, the old woman was lying there\nin shreds. Blood was leaking into the ground. There were worse things, but not\nto be mentioned to an audience with a weak stomach.\n                A ring\nwas placed on her finger, and a vigil was maintained until she could recover\nenough to even sit up. Verona wielded her swords with much more assurance now\nthat she had seen what they could do. She merely had to make sure they didn't\ntouch any of her bare skin. That was presently pretty much limited to just her\nface. She felt like a ninja underneath the metal. She had been warned of the\nnasty consequences of it touching a were, and she had now seen it firsthand.\n                Overhead,\nthe airborne Kindred circled like vultures. \n                \"So\nEdward Peterson, we are presently at a draw. You seem to be equipped for\nbattle, though to leave your fate in the hands of such a woman seems ill suited\nto you. But then  I know nothing of you,\nand even that is too much.\"\n                \"It's\nnot my fate which concerns me. It is the fate of Maggie. Part of me wants to\nlet you just try to catch and control her. It might just be enough to convince\nyou to abandon this stupidity.\"\n                \"A very\nkind sentiment indeed. I need not your permission to do as I please. She will\nbow to my will soon enough. Now tell me where she is. I tire of this game.\"\n                Edward\ndidn't even bother stepping out of his pants. He transformed right up to his\nmaximum potential, splitting them out into tattered shreds of cotton fiber.\nThere was a slight smell of sulfur overlaying the other stink. \"You will have\nto go through me to get to her.\"\n                Leeds\nstepped back.\"So, there is more to you than meets the eye. It has been a very long\ntime since anyone with the ability to transmorph to that size has made\nthemselves known to me. Ancient blood indeed.\"\n                \"Old\nenough. Now, are you going to give this matter up or do I have to get ugly?\"\n                The other\nman's clothing began to bulge. His transformation was not nearly as rapid as\nhad been Edward's, but it was equally impressive. He went from looking human,\nto looking something akin to a werewolf, and from there to something closer to\nbeing a bat. His chest was thick and his shoulders broad. His height increased\nby at least a foot.  Those who saw him\nfrom the side watched as thin lines appeared along the sides of his back. The\nflesh separated and rippled as huge wings emerged. The long thin bones were\nstrung in between with thin membranes, but covered over with fine fur on the\nouter side just like the rest of his kind.\n                This\nwas what the legendary beast called the Jersey Devil looked like when he was in\nhis most feral form. There was not a single one, but many of them. They\naccounted for legends clear across the country, and over the entire world for\nthat matter. They were called by many names; demon was the most common, but it always had religious overtones to\nit. In more modern times, there were such names as Mothman, Owlman, the Van\nMeter Visitor; the Kongamato,\nImpundulu, Popobawa and Kikiyaon; and some even claim them to be the basis\nfor the Thunderbird legends. Heck, even\nmost of the vampire legends were actually centered on this most unique of the\nwerewolf clan.\n                They\ncalled themselves the Kindred. In the very old days, when learning was both\ngreater and lesser than it is today, they were referred to as Qui autem supra.\n                The ones above.\n                If you\nknow the movie titled The Mothman Prophesies, then you know a little about at\nleast one of the modern legends. Not all of the Kindred stayed together. Fights\nraged and members would leave, only to return later after their anger cooled.\nIt made for random appearances and local scares, especially if people disappeared\naround the same time. There were plenty of times and places where people\ndisappeared without a sighting. It all depended on the mood of the Kindred\ninvolved.\n                Since\nthey could assume human form, it also accounted for the randomness of the\nappearances, and was equal to explaining why they suddenly disappeared. They\ncould fly home in the middle of the night, or they could just take a bus home.\nThat made tracking them down nearly impossible.\n                This is\nhardly enough background for a proper understanding, but it will hopefully give\nyou enough to go on for now. Their history is long and obfuscated by poor\nrecords and their own propensity for killing witnesses.\n                Leeds\nwas about to launch himself into the air when there was a stir at the edge of\nthe woods. It was a sight almost equal to the legendary creatures presently perched\non the edge of battle. It was a mixed pack of wolves, being led by a naked\ngirl. Well, naked wasn't quite right. She was wearing a backpack and was\ncarrying a large, neon-colored squirt gun. Overall, it was as anticlimactic as anything\ncould get. Still, everyone watched her as she approached.\n                The\npack moved as one across the meadow toward the picnic tables. Maggie had a look\nof disgust as she passed by the severed wing. She stooped to her grandmother\nand added her ring to the other. From there she walked right past Edward and\nstood in front of her father; her real father. The wolves spread out around\nher.\n                \"So\nyou're it huh?\"\n                \"It?! What\ndo you mean by such disrespect? I am you father!\"\n                \"Sounds\nlike an overused and clichéd movie line to me.\"\n                Despite\nher audible contempt, she was examining him with a critical eye.  \"Wings! Nice! I could see where those might\ncome in handy. I can't say much for the rest of the ensemble, for overall\nyou're one ugly mother fucker.\"\n                \"How\ndare you!\"\n                There\nwas a gruff laugh from Edward. \"You have no idea what she's like.\"\n                The\ntension was mounting. Now that Maggie was here and in the clear, the others, on\nboth sides, were feeling the pressure. On Edward's side there was the need to\nprotect, and on the other, the need to retrieve what they felt was theirs.\n                One of\nthe Kindred swooped in like a harpy and made a grab for her. Maggie had already\npumped the oversize squirt gun and with a quick dash to the side, let loose a\nstream of liquid at the monstrosity. It splashed in an arc across the left\nwing. In the next instant a keening cry similar to the one who had suffered the\nsevered wing ripped through the air. The creature hit the ground and bit at the\nwing, but desisted when its mouth began to smoke as well. The sounds were blood\ncurdling. \n                Leeds\nroared in outrage. \"What have you done child?!\"\n                \"I came\nprepared. I don't like being used as a tool, and I don't like being treated\nlike a child. I am my own person, and I'll make my own damn choices.\" This\nentire time she had been ignoring Edward. It was obvious that her statement had\nbeen meant for both men. \n                \"A\nchild of mine will listen and will obey!\" roared Leeds, his voice rough and\nhoarse from his transformation.\n                \"Tough\nshit daddy-o. I'd rather die than listen to the likes of you and your flying\nband of misfit gypsies.'\n                He\nroared and lunged at her, but the plastic muzzle of an otherwise impotent gun\nheld him at bay. He stopped with his face no more than an inch away from it.\n                \"What\nis in that toy?\"\n                Her\nsmile was wicked. \"The one thing none of us can stand. Silver.\"\n                His\nface was a contorted mask. \"Liquid silver would melt that pathetic plaything!\"\n                She\ngave him the barest of nods. \"It would, if it was liquid silver. I figured a\nsolution of silver nitrate would be just about as effective. It wouldn't kill\nany of you in small quantities, but you'll think twice before you try attacking\nme again.\"\n                \"Mags?\"\n                \"Shut\nup Edward. I've had my fill with your shit. We did some great things together\nand then you had to spoil it and run off. Oh, look at me; the big hero! Macho\nbullshit is what it is. I don't need it.\"\n                He returned\nto silence. Her words hurt him more than that liquid ever could.\n                \"And\nyou! I don't know who the hell you think you are, and I really don't care. I\nwill never ever go with you, no matter how hard you try. Just because you poked\nmy mom between the legs while she was in heat doesn't make you my father.\"\n                Leeds\nwas becoming enraged. He was already finding himself in a battle that was,\nagainst the predicted odds, fairly evenly matched. Now he had his own daughter\ntelling him what he could go do with himself. He figured he'd chance her\nnoxious liquid and make a grab for her. He was fast and he was skilled.\n His effort was rewarded with a slight spattering\nof the stuff, which immediately began to burn into his skin. The pain was like\nthat caused by the big man's rings. His daughter was a little witch!\n                He\nbacked off then and lessened the aggression in his tone \"Little one, you must\ncome be with your family.\"\n                \"A\nfamily is like a coin. It can have two sides. I happen to prefer my mother's\nside.\"\n                \"I will\nnot allow it. I will hunt you down wherever you go. I will give you not a\nsingle moment of peace until you acquiesce.\"\n                \"Yeah,\nI kind of figured you'd be that way.\"\n                \"I have\ninfinite patience!\"\n                \"You'd\nhave to live forever, and no one does that. Not even my friend here.\"\n                Leeds\nhad noted the old were who had slunk in last, but had dismissed him as\nirrelevant.\"\n                \"And\nwho is he?\"\n                \"No one\nan old degenerate such as you would know. He's a good and kind person. I would\nrather rather call him father than you any day!\"\n                The\nmaster looked embarrassed.\n                \"It\ndoes not matter. If I must kill every person who has come to keep you from me,\nI will do it. I will make their lives a complete misery. I will tear out their\nstill-beating hearts and consume them before their dying eyes.\"\n                \"Yeah,\nI kind of figured that would be the case. I'm afraid that I can't allow you to\ndo that.\"\n                He\npuffed out his chest, conscious of the healing wounds caused by the silver\nsolution. \"You cannot stop me!\"\n                \"And\nyou cannot catch me!\" She stuck out her tongue, turned and ran off towards the\nwest, back the way she had come. Her back-pack weighed her down, but she made\nthe speed of a cheetah regardless of the hindrance. She only stopped when she\nreached the top of a deep ravine. In the lessening light, it was getting\ndifficult to see, but the obscured bottom was easily some fifty feet below.\nEdward and her real father caught up with her quickly enough.\n                \"This\nis where it ends. I will not live with you,\" she said, pointing to Leeds, \"because\nquite frankly, you appall me. You have all this power and you can't manage to\ndo anything good with it. It's like being rich and hoarding your money. What's\nthe point in having it if you aren't going to do something with it?\"\n                She\nfinally turned on Edward. \"And you! I've had it up to here with your crap. I\nhave high expectations from a mate and I mean the highest standards. I can deal\nwith all sorts of stuff. I know getting used to being feral like me has been\npretty tough on you, and I weathered through all of the mating you've done,\nwhether it was with Verona or Maria's grandkids back in Russia. But when you\nturn your back and you leave me, that's it. It's the end of the line. My heart\nwas invested in you, and you just ignored that.\"\n                \"I did\nnot ignore that! I came here to try and save you. To save everyone, including\nthis freak right here!\"\n                \"I wish\nI could believe you,\" she said as she pumped extra pressure into her gun. \"I\nreally wish I could, but you see, even if I stayed with you, we'd be on the\nrun. Albert Fish; Cardinal Medici; those battles would all mean nothing\ncompared to what this guy can do. I don't have that kind of patience, being pursued\nuntil the end of my days. So as I see it, there is only one solution.\"\n                She\npulled a large, half gallon bottle from her pack and unscrewed the metal cap.\nEdward recognized it as being from a chemical warehouse, and he had to assume\nit was more of the silver nitrate solution. Her gun could hardly be empty at\nthe moment.\n                \"I\nfigure it this way. I don't want to go with either side right now. I will be\nunhappy either way I look at it. Therefore the only logical solution is the\nsolution I'm holding in my hand.\"\n                She tipped\nthe bottle to her lips and chugged. Leeds roared in a rage touched with horror,\nbut he got a direct hit in the face from her gun. He fell to the ground clawing\nat his eyes. Edward jumped too, knowing full well that without her ring on, she\nwas doomed. He too took a hit in the face, and while it burned like the fires\nof hell, his fear and loathing at what she had just done burned him even more. \nThe last thing he heard before she\ntumbled over the edge was;\n \"I did honestly love you father.\"\nBy the time a few more participants\nmade it to the edge, she was out of sight. There were cries from both sides,\nthough none had any full knowledge of what had transpired in that brief moment.\nThe smell of smoke and sulfur rose from the ravine, and in the dimness, a few\nsparks could be seen. The bottle was laying on its side, the contents dripping\nonto the grass.  Kathryn kicked it over\nthe side.\nShe grabbed Edward by the shoulders\nand shook him. \"What did she do?\"\nEdward was waiting for his eyes to\nheal, all the while on guard for an attack from his adversary. His words were starkly\nsimple. \"She killed herself to end this before it got out of control.\"\n                He couldn't\neven cry at the moment. His tear ducts were still rebuilding from the chemical\ndamage.\n                She\nturned to her former lover. \"Now you see what happens when you try to force\nthings. Now neither of us have her! I hope you're satisfied.\" She had no\ntrouble producing tears, nor sorry her anger. She kicked him repeatedly in his\ncrotch until he crawled away, muttering and cursing.\n                He was\nnot recovering as fast as he would have liked. He had never been hit with such\na chemical attack before. \"If she is gone, then do the same. She was the only\nhope this line had. Now time will see us fade to nothing.\" He was incapable of\nemotions, but he was getting choked up none the less. Overhead the Kindred\ncircled and screamed in frustration, but without direct orders to attack, they\nremained at bay.\n                 Billy and Leonardo were both silent, as was\nMaria and Alexei. The tragedy had put a halt to everything. Anna couldn't yet\nmove, but no enemy made a move to molest her anymore. The air was heavy with\nthe disaster that had befallen them. This had all pivoted on Maggie, and Maggie\nwas no more.\n                No one\nmoved for a while, until the faint sound of sirens could be heard in the\ndistance. Edward tried to talk, but his voice was gone. He finally croaked out,\n\"We need to go.\"\n                Gentle hands\ngrasped Anna and carried her to the parking lot. Verona was too shaken to even\nconsider taking off her armor. They piled in and slammed the vehicles into\ngear. Headlights sent a spray of harsh light on the trees as the cars lurched\ndown the stone drive and onto the access road.\n                The\nsilence in the cars was so complete it was almost harsh on the ears. The worst\noutcome had happened, just as Edward had foreseen it. This power was a curse,\njust like he had said. Of what value was it if it could be put to no good use?"}