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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

A to Z Challenge - V is for Villain

This is part of an ongoing story throughout the Challenge.
If you're just joining me now, please start with A is for Abby.

V IS FOR VILLAIN

Abby started to move to check on Demetrius, but had to stop as Burrows rounded the desk. She couldn't turn her back on the thing no matter her desperation to know if Demetrius was dead or not. It had killed one of the Fearless when Burrows was a girl, and she wasn't a young woman. That meant it had several years to get stronger.

"I have no qualms about killing Burrows to kill you." Abby had several, but she wasn't going to let the monster know that. Perhaps if Tawa was with her, she might be able to tell her a way to kill the thing without killing Burrows too, but she was on her own.

She heard Demetrius then, stomping up the stairs and growling curses. Abby felt a warmth spread through her. No, she wasn't alone. She had Demetrius.

"I didn't think you would. That's what makes this even more thrilling." Burrows stopped in front of her desk and pushed her glasses up her nose. It was a silly human gesture, but somehow chilling in this moment. "I've always wanted to be the villain, the big bad wolf of the world. It's hard to do stuck in a pathetic little body."

"So you want Abby's? Not going to happen." Demetrius limped, but it seemed his pride was hurt more than anything else. He readied himself for another charge, but Abby put a hand on his arm.

"It doesn't want my body. It can't leave Burrows." It seemed easy enough to just kill the host to kill the beast, but Abby doubted it was going to be that easy. Something else was going on. Something she hadn't figured out yet.

"Then let's get on with the fight." Patience wasn't one of Demetrius' virtues. He ran head-on again, but wary of the dark tendrils this time. He dodged two and was smacked back into the bookshelf with a third.

There was no point standing around playing Twenty Questions. Abby used the fae's distraction and dove in, targeting Burrows' mid-section. She was swept back, stopping herself just before she fell down the stairs.

Demetrius and Abby made a second attack together, and then a third and fourth. Each time, they were knocked back. Neither of them were able to get close enough to land a hit on Burrows. The attic was small. There was only so much room to maneuver and the monster was aware of every tiny movement.

Abby threw one blade as Demetrius bellowed and swung from the opposite side. He was thrown back and Burrows caught the glowing sword. She held it in one hand, examining it with a childlike fascination.

"Interesting. It burns my essence, but human flesh can hold it. Perhaps it isn't so bad being trapped in this form." Burrows gave Abby a sly look. "Or maybe it's a sign that you can't kill me after all."

Abby recalled her sword and it re-emerged from her palm. "I don't know. Let me run you through with it and see what happens."

34 comments:

  1. Let's see what happens. Indeed! :)

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    1. I thought it a fitting line to leave off for the post. :)

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  2. Replies
    1. The monster is a devious thing. I'm curious if anyone will be able to figure it out!

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  3. Another awesome ending... talk about your cliffhangers!

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  4. i am sure she is right--nothing is ever that easy---great stuff

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    1. Thanks! Nothing is ever easy. Whatever will Abby do?!

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  5. Yikes, this is getting darker all the time. I can't wait to see what happens!

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  6. Great action in this scene! I laughed when I read "There's no point in standing around and playing Twenty Questions!"

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  7. Replies
    1. I love writing a villain who's crafty and evil all the way through!

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  8. I'm always nervous when she loses her sword until I remember "Right, she can summon it back".


    The Golden Eagle
    The Eagle's Aerial Perspective

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    1. It's handy, but I don't know how much since the swords don't seem to be working against Burrows!

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  9. Nice. I wanted to read more.

    Love your new banner.

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    1. Thank you! I tried all different sorts of things and I decided just to go with something simple since I didn't have Michael Whelan on-call as my personal artist. :)

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  10. Thanks for stopping by! This was a fun piece.

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  11. Replies
    1. Evil. Yup. Evil always wins. We have to cheer for the writer, right?

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  12. Great tension. Will I find out who wins in W? I guess I will go find out. :)

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    1. Maybe, maybe. Okay, you won't, but there's still a few letters left!

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  13. I haven't read any of this story since the beginning, so, um, I don't know any of the characters! Looks like I arrived in the middle of the action!

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