My cell door is shattered to splinters.
Graves storms into the room with a vengeance.
Hilde is on her feet, shouting, "You can't fucking have her!"
With just a flick of her tail, a few sharp whistles whip toward us. The quills sink into Hilde's midsection and she gasps with alarm and pain. I panic, scrambling to my feet and nearly tripping over the blankets, wailing nonsense and stammering desperate pleads, practically screaming that I don't want Hilde to be hurt.
She drops to one knee, gasping for air. "Fucking… venom?"
"Shhhh." Graves strolls closer, tail curling around my waist. "Sleep."
"Damn it…" Hilde is slowing down, grasping at my robe. "No… No… Please… Don't take her from me… Crimz… Stay with me…"
"Shhhh." Graves pulls me away. "Sleep."
"W–W–Wait, this–" I choke on my words, similarly grasping at Graves' tight black clothing. "This isn't… Sleep as in death? Or–Or–"
"No, my little rose," Umbra whispers through her. "I would never break my promise to you. This venom is tranquilizing, and it would take much more than this to kill a titan.
lol Hildegard will only be unconscious. All the better to keep her out of the way and to prevent her from trying to be a hero, potentially getting herself killed in the process. More importantly, Graves made this slow acting. You have a moment to speak before she goes under."
I exhale a deep sigh of relief, clinging to her and hiding my face in her back. "Thank you…"
"Always."
"Please…" Hilde begs, struggling to move as she claws at my ankles and feet. "Please… Crimz…"
"I'm sorry, Hilz." I crouch down, lamenting the glazed over look in her crystalline sapphire eyes. I know time is precious, but I can't leave without saying anything. "The truth is, Umbra doesn't take slaves. She welcomes the wounded. The defeated. The broken. The abused. There is no puppeteering mind control involved in being Wretched. Every single one of us fights for her of our own volition because we believe in her cause. And I'm no exception.
"Umbra only ever told me the truth. And the truth is what inspired me to fight for her. Aurora is fucking evil. She has twisted everything, from public opinion to historical record, to make it seem like Umbra is the monster. But my Goddess is the total opposite. My Goddess fights for what's right. Your Goddess fights to maintain her tyranny and control. Through any means necessary. No matter how brutal.
"And you should know… I was never a mindless slave. I was always myself. I chose to destroy the Cathedral and kill Vitalius. I chose to join Umbra in the Hells. I chose to become Wretched. I chose to kill those Legends we ambushed. I chose to fight against the Church and Aurora. It was me. It was all me.
"You brought me here to recover, but there was nothing for me to recover from. In fact, I hated that Umbra released me from the Wretched Overgrowth. I was… so fucking mad at her for it. But now I see why. She was giving me an opportunity to reconnect with you. You wouldn't have welcomed me or embraced me if I was still Wretched. She knew you wouldn't accept me otherwise.
"Honestly, I was just… trying to play along to get you to think more clearly. To make you listen to me. I don't know if it worked. I was planning around a much longer timeline than this. But here we are. I can only hope you're listening now. And that you'll remember this when you wake up. If it's any consolation, I had no idea it would happen this way. I'm just as surprised as you are."
With a sigh, I run my claws through her hair. She's fading.
"I love you, Hilde. I really do. Being here with you has been so, so, so enjoyable. You took such good care of me. And I'm so happy we were able to reconnect the way that we have. I want you to know that I never lied to you about anything except when it came to being Wretched. All those things I said… I meant every word. It was only my participation in this rehabilitation program that was an act.
"It's me, Hilde. It was always me. Becoming Wretched did not change that. The thing is… All this time, you've chosen Aurora over me. You refused to listen when I tried to explain all this. You chose to believe the Church's lies rather than believe what I had to say. And… That hurts. That fucking hurts. But I'm no stranger to pain. I understand why you did so, and I don't blame you for it either. It's hard to change your entire perspective. It's scary. But this is how it drags. Aurora is the monster. Umbra is the monster's bane.
"And even after all this, if you cannot choose to consider a different truth, to consider my words, to consider my love for you, and instead you choose to continue remaining faithful to that glorified incandescent fucking snake… Then… I'm afraid that's that. I can't be with someone who fights for a tyrant–certainly not a tyrant that I fucking despise. And I can't be with someone who refuses to listen to me either. Umbra showed me what it's like to be heard, to be accepted with pride, to be adored without reservations. I am her Rose. And we will end Aurora's reign. With or without you."
"Her Rose," Graves mutters.
I nod. Time to wrap things up. "But I'd much prefer to do it with you. I hope with every fiber of my being that this is enough for you. I hope you see that I'm right. And I hope you decide to join us. To join me. Please. Just think it through. I love you, Hilde. I love you so fucking much…"
"Crimz…"
Graves sinks another barb into her shoulder.
Hilde goes under, fast asleep. Safe. Out of harm's way.
It breaks my heart to leave her behind like this.
But I have a Goddess to return to and a Goddess to kill.
Standing up, I rustle my wings. "What's next?"
"Archives," Graves hums, glancing at Penny. "Sword."
She nods, antennae rubbing. "The medical and psychiatric staff?"
"Asleep."
"And the guards?"
"Dead."
"Runners? Messengers? Heralds?"
"None."
"We're in the dark."
"Yes."
"Then let's get moving."
"No."
Graves sets a hand on my back.
A sudden rush of vitality surges through me.
Rose vines curl and tangle around my body.
Their bloodred blossoms bloom bright.
I am Wretched once more.
Then Graves nods to Penny. "Now."
"Right. Both of you, in my shadow."
I stammer, "I–I don't–I can't use that spell yet."
Graves tightens her tail around my waist.
The two of us melt into Penny's shadow.
Perspective inverts. I'm now looking up at her from the floor.
She doesn't waste another moment, grabbing her bag.
"Wait! Wait. Let me out! Just a second!"
I'm ejected back onto my feet. Ohh, that's disorienting.
I hurry over to the window and open the birdcage.
"Fly free, Scarlet. Maybe we'll meet again someday."
He chirps a quick song and then flies away.
It seems we're both being freed from our cages.
Graves pulls me back in and Penny heads for the door.
"This is it, Crimson. It ends today. Umbra is awaiting our signal to bring in the roses. Once we have the sword, they're invading. And we're taking it straight to the top."
Hells. I wasn't expecting that.
It seems we're going to war.