Raeza/J.A.: Fog Rolls In/Water Under the Bridge

     Her escape to the other corridor appeared to go unnoticed, thanks to Avalyn running into the wall with a loud and dramatic thump. She continued on quickly, dragging along J.A., who had probably absorbed most of the impact. Raeza winced slightly at the thought. She still couldn't see how someone could do that, accept others' pain with her own, and act as if it was nothing. Raeza wasn't sure whether to pity or admire that.
     It didn't take her long to find the mechanism and figure out how it worked. Now to trigger it... She'd planned on pressing a key on her computer to trigger it, so there had to be a receiver for the signal. That was a place to start, anyway. Or if she could broadcast the signal again somehow... Raeza whipped out a phone and typed quickly, hacking into Mevolent's computer systems in a matter of seconds. Pity he didn't keep much there. The small red button in the corner of the touch screen would do it, she hoped. All she could do was wait and see.

*******

     Avalyn led them around several corners and opened a door. "Staircase," she explained when she saw J.A.'s questioning look. "I'm hoping to lose them on our way back so we can get in the corridor and seal it before they come close. Better not to take chances if we can avoid them."
     They hurried down the stairs, then around a few more corridors. No one appeared to be behind them, anymore, and they were almost there. Unfortunately, at that moment, a door in one of the corridors behind them opened.
     "Hurry!" Seth hissed, but it went without saying. The three of them hurtled forward faster than they thought they were capable of running, the man in the white coat on their heels.

*******

     Raeza heard the running footsteps and she let her finger hover over the red button. Avalyn, Seth and J.A. rushed towards her, past the point where the wall and ceiling would collapse. Raeza pressed the button, but nothing happened. She gasped, looking down at her screen, and saw a pop up asking for the administrator password. It took her a moment to remember it, it felt like so long since she'd had her computers, and in that moment, the man in white also reached the point where he would be sealed in with them.
     More footsteps from the other direction, and Raeza typed faster: j0-Sf3yT_1gHLk-7.qBi6Jh_R.a3 RETURN. She waited. It was loading, and claimed to have three minutes remaining. She didn't have three minutes, though, so she hoped that wasn't the case.
     The army rounded the corner, into view, and Raeza closed her eyes. There was a slight cracking noise, then thuds and crumbling as the ceiling fell and part of the wall caved in, sealing off the tunnel. Raeza sighed in relief, then gasped slightly. Her shirt felt wet suddenly, as if she'd been pranked by an Elemental, but it was sweat, presumably. And then she heard Avalyn scream behind her, and a man's grunt, and she opened her eyes, realizing that her shirt wasn't wet with sweat but blood.

*******

     J.A. slit the man's throat in one swift and deadly motion, but she was too slow. Raeza opened her eyes and stared dumbfoundedly at the sword that had pierced through her torso. Even if it had missed everything vital, she'd still probably die from the blood loss. There was no way to take her to a healer, and even if they could get out it would be too late. J.A. had long since made a decision, though, and now she spoke up. "You'll be alright, Raeza." She

     "No, J.A." Raeza smiled mirthlessly. "I know a death wound when I see one. You were right though," she whispered, gasping slightly as J.A. slowly pulled out the bloodstained blade. "I am human. And sometimes humans make stupid mistakes. And sometimes we die."

     "Raeza--" J.A. found herself choking up. She hadn't cried since who knows when, but she had a feeling she was about to start. "I can take your place, if you just let me draw the symbols."

     "No, J.A." Raeza smiled sadly, then grimaced in pain. "You can't."

     J.A. nodded grimly and took off her jacket, using it to stop the blood the best she could. "Aevil won't let you die."

     "Of course she won't. I'll be fine." Raeza's agreement seemed two enthusiastic to be true. She sighed at J.A.'s raised eyebrow. "She let both of my sisters die, there's no reason for her to do more for me, and I'm not certain..." She trailed off, but the rest of the sentence would definitely have been doubt that Aevil could hold her own against Mevolent in his own castle.

     J.A. looked at her friend, tilting her head slightly, then took a deep breath, reaching for her pen.

     "I can't let you do that, Jule." Seth pinned her arms back, and she struggled unsuccessfully.

     "But the prophecy..."

     "I bought you all some time, maybe that counted as a tide. Or maybe the words that ruined my life simply aren't true." Raeza paused. "I never wanted it, anyway."

     "Let me go," J.A. whispered. She'd intended to shout it, but it hadn't come out that way. Seth didn't respond, and she was about to elbow him very very hard when Raeza whispered again.

     "J.A.?" 

     "What is it?"

     "What are the initials short for? I've been wondering..."

     "Julianne." That came out in a whisper, too, and J.A. wondered if she was capable of speaking any louder. Probably not.

     "Beautiful name." Raeza smiled weakly.

     "Yeah, it is. It never really suited me, though."

     "It..." The rest of the sentence was lost. Raeza's eyes fluttered for a moment, then she opened them again. "How...?" She blinked slowly, then her tone turned from confusion to disgust. "Mother. I'm done being your pawn. You want a tide, you're going to have to turn it yourself." She exhaled loudly, her eyes fluttering again. "I finally did it, I... Don't let her do anything stupid."

     Raeza reached upwards, then her hand went limp, and for a moment, J.A. was frozen, tears she didn't know she had pouring down her cheeks. Seth was still holding her back, as if she'd try to take Raeza's place in death somehow. Her magic wouldn't stretch that far, and she wasn't sure she'd even be able to grip the pen.

     After several minutes of agonizing silence and stillness, Avalyn leaned over and closed Raeza's eyes. Raeza looked so much more frail now, not like the strong brave friend who'd led the plan for breaking them out of the jail. Maybe it was better, though, to pretend this was someone else. J.A. had known death before, sure, and it hadn't gotten to her like this. Not even when she'd thought Seth was dead. Just pretend that the body lying in front of her was a stranger. 

     J.A. finally shook off Seth's grip and whirled to face him. "Who do you think you are? Did you even try to do a thing for her?"

     "I couldn't--"

     "You could have saved her! You could have let me save her! You could have at least tried to slow the bleeding!"

     "J.A., I couldn't."

     "And don't try to tell me your powers aren't working, I saw you experiment in Aevil's castle, with the beetle."

     "She was ready to die, couldn't you see it on her face?"

     "Maybe the beetle was ready to die, too. Maybe I am!"

     "J.A., you're hysterical. That's understandable in these circumstances, but--"

     "If it had been me lying there,  covered in blood, would you have stood there like that? If it had been Avalyn?"

     Avalyn was off to the left, scooting backwards. Good for her, she could run away all she liked. That wouldn't help her in the end. 

     "Of course not, Jule! I... I..."

     "Seth, we both changed while you were gone. I'm not as strong as I once was, I'm not as friendly. But you... When did you become the kind of person who would sit there and watch someone die?"

     "J.A., I..."

     "When the time comes, and we unseal this corridor, you won't be coming with us."

     "So you're not mad at Avalyn?" 

     "She can't heal people with a glance. You can."

     "What do you want me to do? I can't raise the dead!

     J.A. shook her head sadly and turned to go as far away from him as she could with their limited space. Avalyn came behind her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She, too, was crying. Then she frowned slightly.

     "Did you feel that?"

     "What?" 

     "A change in the energy. Like...I don't know, even. I don't usually sense things like this."

     J.A. frowned, concentrating for a moment. "I don't feel anything."

     "There's nothing now, it was like a bubble of power, making everything start to tingle, and then it popped or simethig, and everything stopped."

     J.A. swallowed. So much for the last hope she'd had of getting her friend back. "I think it was the duel, then," she said. "I think Aevil just lost."

     Avalyn nodded grimly.

((So this is it. The chapter I've been anticipating in excitement and dread. I'll probably regret this later.))