Astrid, Nathan, Nyx, Priss, Sabre, & Ashtoreth.
Nyx turned her head and then stepped forward as the scene around her flickered and changed. There was a floor, extending forever into nothingness. Black surrounded them, lit but impenetreble. Her sibs looked at her, almost identical frowns on their faces.
"Not me."
"No, it was me," Ashtoreth said calmly.
She crossed one leg over the other and Sabre tilted his head slightly as her robe slid up her thigh.
"What do ye want?" he growled softly.
"I want...the world. And you know I will have it."
Priss swayed her fingers through the air, and looked at Sabre.
"We're not really here, brother mine."
"Little white pussy's quite right," Astrid said, gliding out from the darkness behind Ashtoreth's throne.
"She is though."
Astrid curled her fingers around the hilt of her sword.
"And you're here to watch her die."
"You're nothing but a hireling," Priss hissed.
"Didn't you hear? Or did you not understand?" Astrid said in a cold voice.
"From the skies, She comes. The Black Winged One-"
"Wreathed in flame, upon a dragon," Priss continued in a horrified voice.
"With a nothing to her name. Crow calls, horns blow, the world ends, time ceases to flow. A sword releases the darkness without a name, into a vessel of White."
"Which is...me," Astrid said.
"You will fall," Sabre snarled.
"Not exactly true."
Astrid stalked over to Nyx as the cat readied herself to fight, claws sliding out in anticipation.
"I have one thing to do first."
Priss screamed and made an abortive move towards her sister. Ashtoreth made a negligent movement with her hand.
"Stay there, pretty. You're just here to watch."
Sabre roared, claws sliding out of his hands.
"Ye have na right!"
"Right is on the side of might," Astrid said.
"You're playing a dangerous game, Ashtoreth," Nyx said warningly.
"Let me leave and we call it quits for now."
"Ringed in blood, the skies will fall," Astrid whispered.
"The world weep and the cats scream. For one of their own dies in battle with an ageless fear."
She drew her sound with a ringing sound, holding it two handed.
"The stars tremble and the earth moves. A profanity enacted against the night. Blood spilled and darkness fed. Black wings spread, feline eyes dim. For nothing will be as what it was, and nothing will stay the same..."
"Day, change place with night," Priss said hoarsely as the winged terror stalked her sister across the room.
"Land, change place with sea. Soul, desert us for this is no place for light to see. Darkness, devour till naught but thee is left. Thy thirst, unquenched. Blood spilled till all the world is naught but blood..."
"And it begins...now."
A deadly serious fight began. Nyx twisted and turned while her littermates watched in horror and furious blinding rage. Astrid hissed in a breath as Nyx's claws scored along her cheek and struck back. Nyx backflipped and spun herself rapidly away from the avenging stroke of Astrid's sword.
***
Priss's body jolted on the bed, eyes flicking open as she screamed, long and loudly in a wail of loss.
***
Sabre threw his head back on the bed, and roared the angry despairing snarl of a large cat in utter pain.
***
Mouse rocketed upwards in bed, and the babies screamed in sorrow and fright.
"NYX!"
***
Nyx looked down at the sword that had slid into her stomach, and choked slightly. It burned. Like ice, spreading out in feathery delicate patterns of burning glacial cold. She looked up at Astrid and pure gloating evil looked back at her. She knew that look. She'd seen it before, once, a very long time ago...
"You."
"Me. You didn't get rid of me as well as you thought."
Astrid slid her sword out of Nyx's stomach and brought it around in a backhanded swing. It sliced cleanly through the cat's neck and Nyx's body slowly fell to the floor.
"And we are done."
Ashtoreth felt a small pang of remorse as she looked at the fallen goddess. She banished the keening littermates back to their bodies and slowly slid herself and Astrid out of that plane of existence.
Blood crept slowly across the floor.
A hand stirred.
***
In the world, a blood rain began to fall. Clinging thickly to all surfaces and smelling of death and despair. Red streaked down the windows and the skyscrapers of the wall looked like they were cloaked in a deep crimson silk. It continued for an hour or so, everywhere, then gradually died away. Leaving the reminders of its downpour sliding along the streets and fields of the world.
Nathan stroked RK's head softly as he watched the blood drip against the window.
"So, it has begun. The Queen of Spades plays her first hand. And it's a good one too."