Fionn’s heart soared at the sight. Morrígan still didn’t seem to notice, and all it would take would be one lance, one of those blessed, brave knights to hold fast and end all of this for once and for all.

As the riders approached, Morrígan’s wings unfurled.

What Fionn had thought was a cloak was instead great, black-feathered wings emerging from Morrígan’s shoulders. Once covering her body, now they stretched out, like the branches from a blackened tree. Morrígan raised her arms, and the wings beat, causing her to rise above the ground. She rose until her eyes were level with Fionn’s. Far below them, the charging cavalry came to a lurching halt, some riders falling from their mounts.

“The Truth has been hidden from us,” she said. “I will kill every last man, woman, and child to learn it.”

A rumble came from beneath them. At the edge of the clearing, the ground appeared to shift, bulging upwards.

No, thought Fionn. What is she doing?

The ground shook again, this time more violently than before. Beneath the feet of the cavalry, a fissure formed. Then, like a yawning beast, the ground opened up.

Those in the centre fell right in, disappearing into the blackness below. Others tried to flee, but the cracks grew wider, until those running were consumed too.

Fionn look on helplessly as elks, horses, Humans and Simians alike shrieked, calling for help as the earth itself betrayed them. Walls of dirt rose high around the perimeter of the clearing, then moved inwards, closing in on those who had managed to outrun the crevasse.

Soon, the entire battlefield was consumed by the terrible cavity, as every soldier, knight, and animal that braved the charge against Morrígan fell into it. Now only Fionn remained, floating above the carnage, face to face with the Godslayer.

“You are nothing,” she said, reaching a hand to Fionn. Slowly the ice that encased him started to melt. “The Crown, the Church, the Triad, are all fleeting things in the face of the gods themselves. But I will rise above them too.”

Fionn’s body was abruptly freed from the prison of ice, and he found himself helplessly tumbling towards the ground.

But the ground was not there to greet him.

Far he fell into the pit, in silence and darkness. Then with a cracking thud, he landed on something hard, like steel. It writhed beneath him. Voices groaned and called and cried out all around him.

Bodies. He was surrounded by bodies, helplessly lying broken in this dark chasm.

I need to get out, he thought, scrambling to stand. Only now did he notice the pain in his legs, his arms, his back. Bones were surely broken, but a growing, pounding fear in his heart made it difficult to him to pinpoint exactly where the pain was.

He looked upwards towards the light, so far away. He reached for it, in vain, for he may as well have been trying to reach for the clouds.

Then, from either side of the hole high above, dirt began to trickle down upon him.

In the air, Morrígan now floated and stared down into the mass grave. Amidst the sound of desperate screams turning hoarse with terror, her cold smile was the last thing Fionn saw before the dirt covered his face. Before the walls closed in.

And the light faded.

***

“No,” muttered Farris, his knees growing weak.

By his side, Nicole remained silent. Along with the rest of the soldiers who had waited at the camp, they could do nothing but watch as the ground opened and swallowed the army that rode out to meet the girl.

“Fionn,” muttered Farris. “Plackart….”

“What do we do?” asked Padraig. “How can we fight her like this?”

Concerned mutters ran through the rest of the soldiers. Some Farris recognised from the Churchguard, those who had rode out under his command.

My command, he thought. I brought them here. To fight without plan. To lose without hope.

Crippling anxiety shook Farris’s chest once more, bringing water to his eyes. His lower jaw quivered, and another wave of terror moved up his spine.

She’s coming. She’s coming for the rest of us.

“We still have the Reapers,” said Nicole. “We make a last stand at the temple, to protect the Lady.”

“Fuck the Lady!” said Farris. “We need to protect ourselves.”

“But we promised!” said Nicole. “We said we’d do it even if it cost us our lives. Even if we—”

She was cut off by a surge of flames that soared over their heads: a bolt of fire that came shooting from the battlefield, colliding with the airships of the docks.

And as the gas of the ships ignited, a huge fireball engulfed the southern side of the camp.

Farris was knocked off his feet. Disorientated and dazed, he squinted through the camp. A ship ignited and burst ahead of him, huge plumes of smoke billowing forth and spilling into the sky.

He looked up to see the bodies of the docked airships burn. Massive flames leapt from vessel to vessel, tearing through the cotton skins of the ships and leaving only the steel bodies of the rigid frames beneath. These quickly melted, losing their shape and collapsing among one another.

People fled from the inferno, as others called for water and for help.

Panicking, Farris stood. Nicole was nearby, looking up at the fires.

“The gas,” she muttered. “It’s burning faster than any Pyromancer could hope to replicate. More than—”

“Nicole!” rasped Farris, pulling her to her feet. “Take everyone you can and run. Get out of here. Go to the Academy and hide, just… fucking hide, and I’ll come find you.”

Nicole looked about her. Indeed, many who were still alive ran back and forth aimlessly. Padraig seemed to have gathered his battalion again, but he lacked the confidence he had demonstrated before the fighting began.

“But what about the Lady?” she said. “We can’t leave Her.”

“Don’t worry about Meadhbh,” said Farris. “I’m going to pay Her one last visit, then I’ll meet you in the Academy. Lead everyone there. We’ll be safe for a little while at least.”

“Farris, do you have a plan?”

“Yes, just trust me. Just this once, please.”

“Okay,” Nicole said. “Just this once. I’ll believe you.”

Once Nicole turned to alert the others, Farris patted his waist, feeling for the concealed knife there. Of course he had a plan.

Morrígan came here to kill the Lady, but she’ll fail. I’ll do it first.

Farris ran from the burning camp, making his way to the stone structure. As soon as he was out of sight of the others, he let the forced smile leave his lips. Anxiety turned to rage in his chest, and he tightened the grip on his dagger with each step.

We risked so much to protect Her, he thought, descending the stairway two steps at time. And this is how She repays us?