Kessler flicked Regan off the point of her sword. She hit the ground on her hands and knees. A gout of blood spilled from her chest and splashed across the concrete. She took a choking breath and watched a trickle of blood creep along the ground in front of her. Her vision blurred for a second. She heard footsteps coming towards her. 

Regan's sword was just beside her hand. The distance seemed insurmountable. Her bones felt like they were made of lead. With effort, she lifted her hand and gripped the handle. Her fingers were beginning to go numb. She knew it was from blood loss. 

A few steps away, Kessler made a disappointed noise. 'I wouldn't bother. The outcome won't change no matter how many times you try.' 

Regan ignored her and pushed herself to her feet. Every move was a conscious effort. She gripped her sword. Blood spilled down her left arm and dripped off the tips of her fingers. 

Kessler watched her struggle, but made no move to attack. 'What are you now? You're not one of them, and you're not one of us. Too soft to be a wolf and too vicious to be a dog.' 

Regan stepped backwards and almost stumbled. 

'Did you think you could use your craft to read me? You're a foul mess, Regan. You thought that was enough to carry you though, but my ambition was never going to be defeated that easily.' 

Regan wiped her bloody hand on her skirt and gave her sword an experimental swing. Sharp pain radiated out from her shoulder.

'I don't remember your killing having so much prattle before.' 

'Your resistance isn't impressive. It's just self-denial. Look over there,' Kessler pointed though the flames with her sword. 

Regan followed her gaze. On the other side of the carpark, Sarafina and the others were hemmed in against the burning inferno that had once been the motel. Regan could see dark shadows moving against the flames, closing in on them like sharks. It looked like a window into hell. 

'That's what real defiance looks like,' said Kessler. 'They know they're weak, but they're fighting for every extra second of being alive.' 

'It won't help.' 

Kessler shrugged. 'No.' 

Each breath was like razor blades dragging inside Regan's chest. She felt like she was dangling over a deep abyss. 

'They're fools. Stupid fools.' 

'You're not any different. You were too impatient and you walked right into a trap.' 

Even from a distance, Regan could see that Sarafina and the others were in trouble. They were bunched together like cornered rats. Sarafina was kneeling beside Forester's prone body. He wasn't moving. 

Regan gave Kessler a hard look. 'There's no utility in killing them.' 

Kessler cocked her head. 'Have you suddenly found a conscience? It's like watching a dog try to walk on its hind legs. Or have you forgotten that it was you who threw them into the fire?' 

Regan gripped her sword. Her left arm hung at her side. Kessler's blade had pierced the muscles in her shoulder and left it near-useless. The pain was a red curtain that threatened to close over her. It brushed the edge of her mind like a creature swimming past in the darkness. 

'Everything I do is for a purpose. Killing is a tool. Pointless slaughter is for panicking weaklings and psychopaths.' 

'Don't try to manipulate me, my student. Words were never your weapon.' 

Kessler pulled back her sleeve to expose the lumpy gashes on her arm. She gripped one of the wounds and gasped. Behind her, the body of the spider creature twitched. Its fingers clutched at the empty air as the corpse gave a violent spasm. It started to scream; a wrenching sound that was like a shard of glass twisting in Regan's stomach. Its body contorted and it rolled over onto all fours. Stale blood dripped from the wound in its head and spilled through its mouth like drool, staining its pointed teeth black. It turned its sightless eyes towards Regan and hissed. 

Regan looked at the wounds on Kessler's arm. Thick, clotted blood oozed from the wound closest to her hand. 

'Your craft is full of surprises,' Regan said. 'But it looks like it takes a toll.' 

'Pain is only a price to the weak. My craft connects these creatures to me as much as if they were my own limbs. While I'm alive, you'll never be able to kill them.' 

'Nice of you to give me the problem and solution in one package.' 

Kessler didn't react. Her mask of icy indifference was unbroken. 'You're going to die here, Regan. You know it and I know it. You're trying to work out what you can salvage before I cut you open and show you what your insides look like.' 

Regan clenched her teeth as a surge of pain threatened to plunge her into unconsciousness. 'Are you sure you should be celebrating? I'm pretty sure I can jam a sword somewhere unpleasant before you take me out.' 

'Nothing you can do will stop me from killing you and your friends,' Kessler ran a finger across her lips. 'Should I really call them that though? I'm not sure what they are to you. Tools? Pets? Toys?' 

'They're nothing.' 

Kessler looked at Regan from under hooded lids. Her expression was a mask. 'You always sound like your mouth is full of cotton wool when you lie.' 

'Believe what you want.' 

Kessler looked towards Sarafina and the others. The spider creature's head turned to mimic her movements. 'I wonder how they see you. I'll have to ask them when I make them my slaves.'  

'You've turned yourself into a ghoul.' 

'Someone who has killed as many people as you isn't in a place to judge. People don't suddenly become sacred because they're dead. All I'm doing is tugging on the strings of life.' 

'I don't work well with people who play with dolls. It's a trust thing.' 

Kessler shook her head. 'Don't worry. I have plans for your friends, but I think I'll simply kill you. You've been a disappointment alive. I can't imagine you'll be any more effective when you're dead.' 

Regan lifted her sword. The point was steady. 'You talk as if killing everyone here is like checking a box on a form.' 

Regan saw no outward movement from Kessler, but the spider creature suddenly pounced forward, sprinting away from them towards the small group of cornered fighters. It moved on all fours, in an unbalanced tangle of limbs, but it was fast. 

Kessler looked at her. Her eyes were cold. 'I don't think I'll miss you Regan. I look forward to thinking back on you years from now and realising I've forgotten your name.' 

'Don't make long term plans, Kessler. By the time this night is over, you and I are both going to be dead, and they're going to walk out of here.' 

'You think the edge of desperation will be enough for you to kill me? A stupid way to use your last moments.' 

Kessler looked away for a second. 

Regan launched herself forwards. 

Kessler staggered as Regan hit her like a storm. Regan's attacks rang against her sword and showered them both in sparks. Her slashes were savage. She moved like her veins had been filled with acid. 

Kessler faltered as Regan's sword almost sliced across her throat. She tried to stand her ground, but Regan's speed was increasing with every attack. 

Regan and Kessler clashed, and their swords locked together. The blades screamed as they scraped together. Regan's gaze could have melted steel. 

Kessler spoke through clenched teeth. 'This level of speed will put stress on your body. Every attack cuts minutes off your life.' 

Regan threw Kessler backwards. Blood spilled from the wound in her chest like a tap and splashed across the ground. Dark shadows swirled at the fringes of her vision. 

Kessler twisted and lifted her sword as Regan attacked. 

'It's too late for last attempts at redemption. Even if you win, those protectors you're so desperate to save will probably die from their wounds anyway.' 

Regan could see Kessler struggling to match her speed. Her sword flickered as she attacked with relentless ferocity. The speed of each slash seemed to take Kessler by surprise. She blocked one and jumped out of range. 

'I don't need to defeat you. I just need to wait for--' 

Regan's sword caught Kessler across the mouth. Her head whipped to the side like she'd been hit with a sledgehammer, and a fine spray of blood misted through the air. 

Regan slid to a stop with her sword raised. She looked behind her. Kessler was doubled over clutching her face. 

'You should probably concentrate on fighting instead of talking, Kessler. If you don't, the next one is going through your neck.'