Stumbling to my feet, I lean over and brush Bennet's hair from his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Bennet. You didn't deserve to die."

I close his eyes gently and put the locket into his open hand.

Then I go. Running through the darkness, I soon remember, I am lazy and hate running. I start panting before I make it up the second flight of stairs.

Crap.

Once I am out of the library I realize I don't know where Charis' study is.

I turn to go left.

Feeling as is I have been shot in the leg, I scream. But no one comes.

Wrong way, dear.

The pain is gone as fast as it came. I turn to go right. An invisible bullet hits my shoulder. I scream again.

Wrong.

I go straight.

Bravo pet. Would you like a treat?
I walk down the hallway only to come to another intersection.  A door on the left, a hallway on the right and stairs sttaight ahead.

My lip starts to tremble. If I get this wrong she is going to shoot me again.

I try to think of where I am. I know the hallway leads to the dining room, but there is a separate entrance in the dining room that leads who knows where.

I am growing tired of your stupidity, Ember. Do hurry up.

Right, I decide. No more stairs.

I nearly pass out from the pain as I am shot in the gut. I lean over, clenching my stomach and shriek, "Stop! Stop!"

Weren't you the one that said you deserved to die?

Sobbing I run up the stairs. The pain is gone but the ghost of it still haunts me.

I don't stop at this intersection, I go left. Then up. To the right. Left. And into the door at the end of the hall.

Charis remains silent and so is the gun pointed at my heart.

I walk into the room and see Marie, Elizabeth, unconscious on the floor.

"Ah finally." Charis is sitting in a red velvet armchair, setting her book down she saysc "Did you know its not polite to keep someone waiting? Didn't your mother teach you any manners? Oh wait. She is in a mental institute. Yeah, even if she still cared about you, I doubt she'd be proud of you, her mindless, murderous daughter that can't even drive." She grins evilly as she reads my thoughts.

"Shut up." I say and feel Elizabeth's neck for a pulse. Its there, nearly gone, but there.

"Is that the best you can come up with? I know you have half the brain of an average person, but I thought you'd be able to come up with something better."

"Elizabeth. Elizabeth! Liz, wake up!" I shake her shoulders. "Please Lizzie, please wake up." I beg.

A sharp pain appears inside my head. "Move girl." Charis commands.

A force shoves me back against the wall. I feel my arm snap as it breaks. I cry out.

Charis elegantly walks over to Elizabeth's side. She doesn't show any sign that she is struggling.

I try and push myself up with my good arm but the pain in my head intensifies. With my left arm I scratch at my scalp, desperate to make the pain go away.

Charis stands at Elizabeth's side and clicks her tongue. "Well isn't this entertaining? Sadly all good things must come to an end." She couches down. "Goodbye, servant."

A slit opens in Elizabeth's legs and spreads up and up until her entire body is covered in bloody cuts.

I scream. "No!"

Charis just blinks at me. "Is something wrong, my dear?"

"You killed-" I break off, my eyes wide, not knowing how to express my grief.

"What was she worth anyway? An old lady, frail and mortal, what use could she possibly have?"

"She was my friend." I whisper, my heart breaking. "My best friend."

"She was a mortal. Therefore she has no more worth to me than the dust."

"Who do you think you are? " I choke out.

"Did I forget to introduce myself?" She bows dramatically, "My name is Dabria, Goddess of Death." She smiles maliciously, but it is cut off by a cough. "It reeks of death in here."

She maintains eye contact with me as Elizabeth bursts into flames.

"No!" I try to stand and get to her but my knees collapse beneath me halfway there.

"This is too pathetic to watch." Something pulls me toward her, she grabs my broken arm and merely smirks at my shriek.

"We are done here. Come, Ember this kingdom will soon be in ashes. I have a beautiful paradise awaiting us."

With some unknown strength, I push her. I grind my right shoulder into her gut and push her with my left hand. She falls backwards and shatters the window. I push again and sje is barely hanging on to the jagged windowsill. "You will not hurt anyone," I slam a piece of glass into her fingers, "Ever again!"

She falls.

Flipping through the air, she tumbles down and down until her body hits the cobblestone far below.

She's gone.

I slid down against the wall, sitting in broken glass, I let the flames envelope me.