Forged Destiny [Book 7: Ch. 14]

My stomach tensed and I grabbed the bars in front of me, slowly heating them, trying to keep the heat low enough that I could hide the reddening metal against my palms.

To my surprise, she ran straight past me and knelt by Lisa's cage, grinning down on the sobbing woman who had long since hidden her face in her hands. Her legs were splayed out, shoulders hunched.

"Those were all your people, you know," Vernal said. "They wouldn't have been out there if it wasn't for you. They were fighting to save you. How ironic is that?"

"Stop it!" I hissed. "Lisa, don't listen to her!"

"Oh, but she can't help it, can you, Lisa? You know the truth. You were the one who made them passionate, you were the one who started New Dawn. You're the one who, through your own weakness, allowed it to come to this. Hundreds are dead, maybe thousands once the fires take their toll. All because of you and your daddy issues."

"N-No. T-That's not true!"

"It is, though. You know that. Listen, can you hear their screams even now? Some of them are trapped in the buildings burning to death. Adults, children, there are probably plenty who will die in the coming days, losing their battles with injury and disease."

"Nooooo!"

"And it's all your fault, Lisa. You did this."

Above us, the clouds began to darken, swirling inwards. An oppressive atmosphere settled atop the tower, a tickling in the back of my head that I dimly recognised. Some of the Greycloaks grunted and one fell onto one knee, pushed down by some invisible force. Despite it being the middle of the day, the sunlight was blocked out entirely.

Realisation dawned on me, and with it, horror. A thick, inky portal of purest black had already begun to form in the air behind Lisa.

"Lisa, no!" I yelled. "Don't listen to her, don't let her trick you. She's trying to use your pain to summon-"

"Your pain?" Vernal interrupted, shouting over me. "Your pain is nothing compared to the pain of those who believed in you. They trusted you. They relied on you. You brought them ruin, Lisa. More ruin than your father ever could have!"

"Don't listen to her!"

"Lisa Lavender," Vernal crowed. "Or should that be Lisa ap' Falar, illegitimate daughter of Galan ap' Falar, princess of Vale. No wonder daddy dearest banished you. You've brought his Kingdom to the edge of civil war, and now slaughtered the people you were supposed to protect!"

My mouth fell open. "P-Princess…?"

It proved the final straw. Lisa's body shook. Her hands gripped her head. One long, painful wail escaped her throat, piercing through the sounds of combat, the screams from below and even the distant roars of flames overtaking the city.

It was swiftly echoed by a cry from Qrow as he fell to one knee, a vicious cut across his thigh exposing muscle and bone. His weapon was gone, his shoulder hanging low, blood pooling down from his elbow. Raven stood before him, my sword having completed its cut now hanging in the air over her shoulder.

"Such a shame. I once admired you more than any other. A Druid forced to fight in a way he shouldn't by a tribe who refused to let go of tradition, yet you equalled me each and every time. With everything against you, you were still able to fight me to a standstill. I was in awe of you, Qrow. You amazed me."

"A-And I used to respect you," Qrow bit back. "But you've changed. Not in a good way." He clenched his teeth and tried to stand, only to slump back down, spent. "You let me, Summer and Tai down. You let Yang down, too. You're not the same person you used to be, Ray."

"None of us are, Qrow."

The sword swept down.

I couldn't watch. Through all the blood and death and people I'd been forced to kill, Qrow was someone I couldn't watch fall. As little as I knew him, I still knew him. The sound of his body falling to the floor was damning.

"Not even a single level." Raven said sadly. "Oh, Qrow…"

Too much. It was too much. I couldn't even bring myself to stop Lisa's grief. It didn't matter. I was just as bad and if Ruby saw this… Without thinking, I kicked out, snapping the bars that I'd already weakened. I caught one and surged out of the cage.

—Forged Destiny [Book 7: Ch. 14]