Chapter 27 

The clanging of their swords echoed across the room like claps of thunder.

The noise cut through their grunts as Krista blocked another attack, feeling the strike reverberate up her arm.

The commander attacked with precision and strength as he drove her back across the room, her sandals slipping on the marble floor as sweat dripped from her skin.

"Aaar!" Krista grunted as she raised her sword and blocked an attack towards her neck.

Pushing forward on her blade, Krista forced the commander back.

But he barely flinched as he deflected a strike to his knee before continuing with his own assault.

Sensing a strategy in the commander's thoughts, Krista tried to outmanoeuvre him when her blade slipped and the commander slashed the skin open on the back of her thigh.

With first blood spilt, the commander sensed victory in the air.

Shifting the weight off her injured leg, Krista hobbled away from his ferocious attacks.

Her sword grew heavy in her palm as her arm ached with exertion.

Her attacks were futile as Niclaus easily defended himself, before running the edge of his blade across the inside of her arm.

Hissing in pain, Krista pulled her arm back, leaving her side open to a fierce jab beneath her armour.

Her stomach churned as her shoulders hunched forward to protect her body, her chest feeling as if it was on fire and her limbs as if they were weighted down with rocks.

Looking up through her lashes, Krista saw the spit dribbling from the commander's mouth, his lips pulled back to bare his teeth in anger. 

Rage overcame Niclaus's good reason and instead of reaching for the kill, he held her sword away from her body and left her exposed to his fist. 

Her lips parted in shock, as she felt his fist ram into her soft abdomen, knocking the air from her lungs. 

Krista's heart was hammering inside of her chest as Niclaus sent a hurtling amount of pain into her body, her mouth filling with blood.

She could not believe she could withstand much more as Niclaus hurtled a punch into her jaw, knocking her head to the side as she collapsed to her knees.

The commander released her, throwing her to the ground with disgust.

Krista remained there, knelt on the ground with her sword out to the side of her, as a wave of defeat racked through body.

For the first time since she could remember, Krista was overcome with guilt and shame.

She had thoguht herself ready to face the commander, but as she looked up and saw him approaching once more, she knew she had been fatually wrong in her decision.

The sound of his flesh pounding against hers resumed before eventually sizzling into silence, her thoughts transcending from her body and thinking of death instead. 

She would feel no more pain, Krista told herself, she could see her family again.

She could see Lazarus and her pain would be over.

Making her decision, Krista closed her eyes and dropped her sword, allowing the numbness to descend across her body. 

Krista welcomed the darkness that began to creep over her eyes when, from a distant corner of her mind, she heard Lazarus's voice calling to her.

His voice was not soft and welcoming, like she imagined. It was angry and appalled.

He was ashamed, Krista realised in shock as her child-self recoiled from this seething entity of rage.

He didn't want her there, Krista felt like a dagger had pierced her heart.

Stumbling away from Lazarus, the darkness left her and light poured into her thoughts.

The first thing Krista noticed was the searing pain, but that was not what hurt her the most.

What hurt her the most was the feeling of herself dying- No, it was the feeling of herself giving up.

Krista had never surrendered a day in her life, and she was not about to surrender to the man that butchered her family and placed her here.

Opening her eyes slowly, wincing silently against the pain, Krista spotted her sword lying on the ground a small ways away from her. 

"I'm sorry," Krista apologised to Lazarus, blood dribbling from her lips.

"You're what?" Niclaus whispered, as he pressed his face close to hers.

"Talk! You're what?!" He sent a punch hurtling into her jaw causing her head to snap back, her hair falling away from her face. 

Gazing up at Niclaus, Krista saw the way his broad and arrogant face was twisted in anger. But there was also triumph there as his skin shined and his eyes, a deep green, were blazing.

Blazing, Krista narrowed her eyes at his. Blazing, just like her village had been before he carried her away to a life of slavery and death.

"What did you say?" Niclaus gripped her chin roughly.

"I wasn't talking to you." Krista spat at him, a glob of her blood settling in the middle of his breast plate.

She saw his lips pull back in anger as he realised she was not as beaten as he thought.

Knocking his hand from her chin, Krista quickly reached for her sword as Niclaus raised his own over her head.

Swinging her blade up to protect herself, Krista halted his sword from slicing her in two. 

"I was looking forward to the amount of money your death in the arena would have brought me," The Commander gritted through his teeth as he bore down on his sword, hoping she would slip and kill herself.

"But it seems I shall have to settle with killing you myself," Niclaus snapped.

His strength was unwavering unlike Krista's, whose arms were trembling from exertion, when a memory of a similar situtation sparked to life in her thoughts. 

"Not today," Krista grunted as she knew what she had to do.

Loosening the grip on her sword, Krista felt his weight topple forward, pushing his sword towards her scalp.

Quickly rolling out of the way, Krista left the commander to fall to the ground, too unstable to recover his balance. 

Pushing the pain away, Krista stumbled to her feet and circled out of the corner he had pushed her into.

Waiting for him to stand once again, Krista took the moment to regain much needed breath.

As she waited, Krista caught sight of Niclaus's moss green eyes watching her from across the room.

And it was only then that Krista realised he too was growing tired, he was not as young as he once was.

The first thing Lazarus had taught her was to watch the eyes. They would tell her everything she needed to know about her opponent's next move.

But any good swordsman learnt to mask their expressions.

And the Commander was better than good, which he showed as he fooled Krista into diving left, straight into his attack rather than away from it.

Her heart skipped a beat as she saw the sword slicing through the air towards her neck.

Reacting fast, Krista kicked herself off the floor and over Niclaus's head, their swords clashing in mid-air.

Landing with her back to the commander, Krista stretched her blade over her shoulder behind her, the blade connecting with the commander's as he performed a similar move.

Pushing him away, Krista quickly spun to face him, a moment of silence falling between them.

The commander's skin had turned clammy as an unhealthy layer of sweat covered his face, his green eyes burning fierce with anger.

Krista blew a strand of damp hair out of the way as she kept her eyes trained on Niclaus; each of them waiting for the other to attack.

Krista could not remember how long they had been duelling. Minutes? Hours?

Krista did not know, but it easily felt like days as both their chests rose and fell in difficulty, blood marring their bodies as each earnt a small victory over the other.

Furniture around the room lay sliced in half, and feathers littered the floor from where the commander had sunk his blade into a cushion.

But as Krista blocked numerous attacks, it felt like they were the only people in the world.

Nothing else mattered as Krista ran the razor-sharp edge of her sword across his arm, his tainted blood coating her blade.

Krista was so enveloped in the battle that as she spun away from an attack she was shocked to find someone watching them; Pompeia.

Now dressed in a silk robe, her blond hair braided over a single shoulder, Krista's anger found a new flame.

As much of a message to Pompeia as it was to Niclaus, Krista turned back and brought her sword directly down on the commander's with strength she did not know she possessed.

Their swords clashed like a crack of thunder against rock, Niclaus's arm quivering from the strength behind it.

Not waiting for him to recover, Krista ran directly for the wall less than ten feet away.

Darting past Pompeia, who remained motionless like a statue of a deity, Krista pushed herself up the wall until she was almost parallel with the floor.

The soles of her sandals barely grazed the stone wall as she ran across it.

Niclaus and Pompeia watched in horror as she planted both of her feet against the wall, and pushed herself off the flat surface.

Sailing over the top of Pompeia, Krista spun in mid-air as everything seemed to move in slow motion.

Krista saw every fleck of colour in the marble floor and every white feather blowing softly in the wind.

But her gaze was glued to the commanders as she took in the look of shock in his eyes, his head tilted back to watch her fly directly over his head.

Spinning through the air, feeling weightless and free, a smile came back to her lips as she refound her love for the fight.

Landing behind the commander, Krista did not wait for him to turn before she made her move. 

Gathering all of her strength, Krista gripped her sword with both hands and drove it hard into the middle of his back.

Images of her family being impaled with swords flashed before her eyes, as a scream of anger was torn from her lips.

Pushing her sword deeper into his chest, feeling his bones crack, Krista felt the tip of her blade protruded back out the front of his chest.

Looking over the commander's shoulder at Pompeia, Krista twisted the sword in his chest and revelled in his pain.

Soon her sword would be inside of Pompeia, and then both Krista's demons would be dead, unable to haunt her anylonger.

But the Commander deserved the most pain as it had been he who had set Krista upon her path all of those years ago. If he had not rode into her village that night how many things would be different now?

Krista would have grown up friends with Lazarus's daughter. She would have fallen in love and married. Krista would have known a simple life of love and joy.

But instead she knew a life of only pain and loss.

Pompeia and Krista would never have met and, therefore, she would have been unable to threaten Artorius into sharing her bed with her.

So many things could have been different but Niclaus had ripped that from her the very same moment he decided to attack her village.

It would have been better if he had just killed her along with her family. By keeping her alive he had signed his own death warrant.

And she would not give him any coins of Charon's boat, the same way he had not given any to the many people he had killed.

Yanking her sword from his back, Krista raised the sword towards her face to watch his blood run down the length of her blade.

Deep red in colour, Krista had half expected it to be black. 

Niclaus stumbled forward, his hand clutching at his chest.

Krista watched him warily as he began to turn, his sword slipping from his fingers and crashing against the marble floor.

His green eyes watched her strangely, as if surprised she had actually beaten him, before he crumpled to the floor.

"You- You-" Niclaus choked on his own blood.

Stepping forward, Krista stood above him and watched him die.

"You- You're monstrous!" He found a last tendril of strength to condemn her.

Krista crouched by his side and spoke softly, "If I'm monstrous then I was made monstrous, by people like you."

Niclaus spluttered, trying to speak but could not form the words as blood filled his mouth. Krista revelled in his agony.

Looking down at his golden breast plate, Krista noted that her sword had not penetrated it's hard shell.

The only blemish it contained was a small circle of half-blood and half-saliva that stained it's centre, where she had spat at him.

But other than that, the commander appeared unharmed and untouched.

With the mortal injury to his back, Niclaus looked as if he was simply sleeping, but Krista's family did not look peaceful.

Her loved ones, and the families of others he murdered, had not been given the gift of a pleasant and swift kill. 

Many were burnt, others were disfigured.

Gazing at the circular slob of her blood that tainted his breast plate just to the left of his heart, Krista used it as guidance as stood and tapped the tip of her blade to his chest.

Niclaus looked up at her with eyes wide with fear. Good, Krista thought, now he knew how his victim felt. 

Never taking her eyes off of his, Krista pushed down on her sword. Going as slowly as she could, Krista wanted him to feel every inch of her blade as she drove it into his heart.

Waiting for the fire to leave his eyes before she removed her blade, Krista turned to Pompeia.

Krista lifted her blade and pointed it towards the empress, "Your turn."

Krista smiled as Pompeia began to scurry away, her head shaking in fear.

"I am the Empress of Rome!" Pompeia screeched, her hands knocking everything to the ground as she searched her desk for something to defend herself with, "You cannot kill me!"

"Oh, but I can, which you so expertly proved with Emperor," Krista growled as she remembered the scene, only a few steps from where they were stood now.

"I can offer you riches! Gold! Piles and piles of gold!" Pompeia bargained for her life, but the feeling of the empress dying upon her sword was something all the gold in all the world could not take from her. 

Krista was within an arm's reach of the Empress when Pompeia's lips parted and she shouted the one word that ruined Krista's plans.

"GUARDS!" Pompeia screeched at the top of her lungs.

Anger flared in her chest as she reached out and wrapped her fingers around Pompeia's throat, feeling her squirm as Krista tightened her hold.

"I'll kill you before they even get here," Krista pressed her sword against Pompeia's abdomen, thinking of the slowest way to kill her.

"Krista!"

Krista looked up to see Artorius, dressed in his gladiator armour, running straight for her.

"Krista!" Artorius shouted, barely glancing at the commander that lay dead on the floor.

We need to leave," He froze as his eyes flickered over her face, taking in the multitude of injuries that marred her skin with unease.

"I am not finished," Krista turned back to Pompeia, not about to let her go when she was in her grasp.

"We have to leave!" Artorius hurried to her side as he looked over his shoulder, "The guards are right behind me."

But Krista did not turn her gaze from Pompeia who was finding comfort in the knowledge that her guard were close.

"They'll kill you, Krista," Artorius's voice turned hoarse, begging her to leave, but Krista could not move from the spot and once again she was weighing the options.

After she killed Pompeia, would it matter what happened to her? She had done her duty, but even as she thought it Krista knew there was still one very good reason for her to live; Artorius. 

The sound of footsteps filled her ears, making her heart beat fast as she tried to think of what to do. Time was running out.

If she did anything she had to do it now; she had to act fast if they were to get away in time.

"Krista?" Artorius grew frustrated at her unresponsive nature.

But when she did not respond again, Artorius swiped the commander's sword from the ground just as a dozen guards turned into the room, swords drawn.

Krista's jaw clenched in regret as she realised her time was up.

Changing her strategy from attack to defence, Krista turned her sword from Pompeia's stomach to her throat. 

Krista saw archers line up behind the guards, their bows armed and pointed directly at them.

"Shoot and she dies," Krista shouted.

Krista felt trapped, her mind furiously trying to think of a plan when a quick glance over her shoulder eased her mood and brought a smile to her lips.

Catching Artorius's gaze, Krista flicked her eyes towards the balcony behind them.

Knowing he would understand, Krista trusted him to find a way around the hundred foot drop to the ground.

"I need time," Artorius told her as he slowly stepped towards the balcony.

Krista tried to buy as much time as she could with the only way she knew how, "Tell your guards how you who killed your borther, Pompeia." 

"No?" Krista arched an eyebrow when Pompeia was reluctant to speak, "I'll tell them then. She sunk a blade into his back! She planned the entire thing to become Empress of Rome."

"Preposterous!" Pompeia screamed, "She's insane!" Pompeia felt the pressure as Krista spotted a few awkward glances between the guards.

"It seems your guards don't trust you, Empress," Krista whispered in Pompeia's ear.

"I will kill you for this," Pompeia growled back at Krista, knowing she was in no position to threaten anybody.

Krista pulled the sword tighter against her throat, halting the guards when they began to move forward.

Ignoring Pompeia's hollow threats, Krista glanced over her shoulder at Artorius, checking his progress.

"You will never be free of me, do you understand?" Pompeia continued, "You will live the rest of your short life being hunted like an animal."

"We're ready," Artorius returned to her side with the good news.

They began to move towards the balcony once again when a flurry of movement behind the guards caught Krista's gaze.

"Is someone with you?" Krista frowned but before he could answer fear gripped her chest when she saw who it was.

Their eyes locked across the room. Krista begged for them to turn and leave but it was too late.

"Over here! Oi, over here!" Myra screamed.

Krista closed her eyes briefly at the young girl's actions. Hoping to distract the guards away from Krista and Artorius, Myra continued to act in a threatening manner, drawing the guard's attention.

And it worked, but only for a second as Krista watched the guard's release three arrows into her chest.

Krista heard the dull thud of each arrow as they hit Myra's chest, ending her life in a matter of a few seconds.

Krista breathed heavy into Pompeia's ear, "This is not over. I will kill you."

Pulling Pompeia back towards the balcony, the cold air biting at her skin, Krista went against her better judgement and released Pompeia, pushing her towards the guards. 

The guards were occupied with the still-warm body of Myra as Artorius held out his hand to Krista. 

Throwing the commander's sword to the ground, Artorius gripped her hand and pulled her up beside him, pressing her body against his.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, anchoring her against his chest, Krista gazed across the room to the see the archers arming their bows once again. And this time they had a clear shot.

"Hold on," Artorius shouted as he ripped a dagger from her belt and sank it into the rich fabric of, what appeared to be, a curtain draped over the side of the balcony.

And then they were falling.