Air and Darkness: A Blackstairs fan fiction, Fan made third book

Chapter 23

A river of blood.  Crimson, metallic scent, flooding the street, Cristina, drowning in it. Mark lying dead cold, as it washed over him. Julian. Julian looking at something, a bloodstain appearing on his chest, as he pulled out Cortana from the wound. Looking at her. She shook out of the grim vision, as she realized the river of red flooding the entrance of the Tower of London, were blood red poppies. The sounds of flashing cameras, and chatter drowned out, as she saw Annabel's ebony hair flutter, in the midst of the poppies. Her matching dress billowing. The horrific vision plunged back in Emma's mind, as she saw Cortana in Julian's chest again.  She shuddered. Someone pulled at her arm, and she turned to see a worried Jake,(if that was even his name...) 

"The poppies represent all the death surrounding the tower," He explained, pulling her out of her grisly mind. She grimaced.

"She should never try for a real estate job, her top picks would be in a graveyard." Jake wasn't listening, he was watching Annabel stride into the poppy flooded entrance, unnoticed.

"So much for CCTV," He sighed, as he drew an invisibility rune on both of them. "That place has the crown jewels in it, and Annabel just walked in through the front door, that has a sign that says NO TOURISTS." They took the route around the poppies, and walked into the arched front entrance. The walls of stone emitted waves of misery and death, making  her uneasiness escalate.

"What's next on her schedule, tea, a future dead people party? Its's way past tea time, and I'm too young to die," She grumbled.

"I thought your motto was "Quip fast, die young?" 

"I find it disturbing that you know that." As they mead their way to the large, arched oak door, with multiple black locks embedding into it, the air turned warm. For Emma, at least. Her parabatai rune stung, causing her breath to hitch, Turning Jake's gaze to her. His eyes slid to something behind her. Or, someone. Her heart thudded in her chest, as her mind calculated what words her parabatai's mouth would form. She shakily turned her head, and caught sight of those unruly curls, lush and a shade darker than walnut--his ocean green eyes, bore in hers. It was pleading, before. But something had changed. A lot of things had, in fact, in the past few days. An innocent girl died. The mortal sword, was broken. Two hearts shattered to pieces. A mysterious ally. And a war that formed before they knew it started. And suddenly, there were four sides. Which no one knew about it. A heartbroken boy's army, who was building an ice palace around his heart. A rogue shadow hunter, with a powerful book in her possession. The darkened consul, and its new tyrant. And the last, a girl who heart had been through too much, with a raging fire burning, until, it finally burned out, when the fire's ice had melted, and would leave the world in tatters. Julian's eyes reflected all of those things. They weren't the ones she craved anymore. The warmth and love, disappeared, into the depths of his mask, which was turning more and more into less than a facade. Hard, cold, stony. Broken. Betrayed. She inhaled sharply. 

So familiar were those words, playful and warm, which brought smiles and warm memories. but how different they were, now. Like a knife pushed into your heart, like losing the surface, as you're dragged under, into the darkness. But Julian had saved her that time. No one could save her know, as she felt the weight of the cool, angry words directed at her.

"No, Emma."