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Chapter 62

"Don't. You. Dare." Coal barely whispers it, and yet the sound rings out in the sudden and absolute silence like a gunshot.
And, for the split second when all is still, I see true fear register in the Beast's eyes.
That's before Coal wrenches the creature's tail from behind, actually pulling it back- This is a, like, three ton Beast, we're talking kids. Yeah.
Suddenly, I feel a vivid sense of dejàvu, and I see a sudden flash of Coal-No, Stone-Coal-Stone- AGHHH!!! HIM grasping the horned Beast by the tail at the cliffs by Pine's, ripping it away from me... Am I always the helpless victim? The damsel in distress...? Whoa, okay, no, no matter how pathetic I feel right now, nobody-And I mean nobody- calls me a damsel.
Somehow, I pry myself off the ground, and next thing I know, I shuffled over to where Coal's swords are lying abandoned on the ground, and I've hefted one over my shoulder, because my arms are too shaky to fully support it's weight.
Slowly, so slowly, in a dream-like state, I limp towards where Coal and the Beast are grappling with one another, the monster taking great swipes with it's tail and claws, Coal dodging and fighting like... A Beast...
The point, is that I move towards them like a shadow, our primal audience not even glancing my way, because I don't matter, I'm just the weak and dying little girl... Not on my watch, no, the show's not just about Coal...
"C'mon, give me a challenge!" Coal roars, manic with the strain and adrenaline he must be feeling, half grinning as he catches a single claw in the air, and grits his teeth as he forces the toe backwards, folding the great paw back over itself, until the bones snap.
Just a little further... My legs are shaking, and I wonder where Coal got the energy... Maybe he really has just lost all sense, and it's only his over-developed lust for blood... I stumble, but something forces me to keep going... Something, something is telling me that if I do this, everything will be okay... It will all turn out right...
And for some reason I don't quite understand, I know that if I stop, if I let myself be claimed by the desire to simply sit and rest for a bit, it's all over, that both Coal and me will die, and the Order will continue forever, the Rulers will always have total control... And I can't let that happen. Not when I can stop it.
"That all you've got!?" Coal is dancing, playing, with the thirty foot, blood-thirsty Beast. I want to scream at him to stop, because I know this can only last for so long, and one blow from the monster will hurt him a lot more than he's wounded the Beast... But if I scream, it will all be over, because that will draw attention to myself...
"I-" Coal begins, but his voice cuts off abruptly, and my heartbeat jumps to my throat. He's lying still in a heap on the ground... No...!
I open my mouth to scream, but he groans, and I sigh relief, until I see the two foot bloody gash torn down his chest, showing in stark relief against the white shirt.
Now the Beast has the upper hand. With it's broken jaw, and shattered paw, it's a sorry sight, but I feel no pity for it as it rises over Coal, rearing on it's back claws- And it plunges, it's one good front foot aimed right for Coal.
My scream splits through the air.