The Del Montague knights had fallen. They had fought hard and valiantly.
Sadly, most of them were young and had never faced such a large and coordinated attack before. They dropped in 2's and 3's until there was only one left who was fighting back to back with Bonnie.
The Holy Sword was doing most of the winning.
Jumping, spinning and darting between the attackers, Bonnie used Goddess Kartara's weapon to slice off limbs and blades. Both of which were reduced to the consistency of butter under the weight of the magical sword.
Even after her comrade had fallen, she wasn't discouraged. Alexander's limbs moved in a sharp and graceful manner.
She was in awe of the skill she had at her fingertips.
Slicing the throat of another assailant, she watched the remaining three flee for their lives. Or perhaps to report to their master. She couldn't afford to chase them as it would leave her sister and their nanny completely vulnerable.
Loud voices filled the air as neighbors began to step outside. Some screamed and fled back inside. Others were calling on each other to fetch the city guards.
Just as Bonnie was turning around, she heard a sharp sound cut through the air and an arrow pierced through her stomach before she could even raise her sword.
The pain was unlike anything she had ever felt before. It took her breath away and she immediately crumpled to the ground.
Her vision spun as she struggled to stay afloat.
No...no, no! I have to survive! This arrow isn't enough to kill me. I need to go check on...
Her thoughts drifted away as silence and darkness overcame her.
Bonnie struggled to push through it and regain control when a faint hum filled her ears before suddenly growing louder. It was the drumming again. The pounding lasted no more than a few minutes before she heard a frantic voice call out her name from what sounded like a great distance.
Her eyes snapped back open and her senses returned full force. She felt the heat of the sun, the hard ground underneath her, a myriad of voices, but most importantly the agony that had her body in a vice.
She coughed and tried to move to ease some of the pain, but everything hurt that much more.
Hands were pressed down on her injury. She looked to the side and saw her sister crying whilst trying to heal her. There was a white light that came out of Dixie's hands, similar to what they saw in that first vision.
"Dixie, what---" Her words broke off as the white light flared. Her eyes bulged. She screamed as a hot current shot through her body, heightening the pain in her stomach.
In the next moment, she was no longer aching. The pain was so completely gone she wondered if she had imagined it.
As the brightness faded, she blinked the spots out of her eyes and gasped at what she saw.
Dixie was bleeding out of every single one her orifices!
Before Bonnie could get a single word out, her sister collapsed right on top of her.
Feeling a bit dizzy, Bonnie turned to her side, carefully cradling Dixie in her arms. They were both covered in blood, Bonnie significantly more. She ripped off her shirt and pressed it under her sister's nose, trying to stop the bleeding.
It wasn't working!
Dixie's entire body started trembling.
Bonnie was startled when she saw Nanny Hildegarde drop down in front of her. Her eyes were laced with panic and she looked them over.
"Get help!" Bonnie cried out. "She's bleeding out! I don't know how to treat her!"
"Let's take her inside. I have medicinal supplies." Hildegarde tried to touch Dixie, but Bonnie immediately stood up, lifting her sister. They rushed inside as quickly as they could, not bothering to close the door.
"Put her here," Hildegarde instructed, clearing her dinner table and fetching a bucket of hot water. Thankfully, she had already heated it up earlier in preparation for her bath.
Laying Dixie on the table, Bonnie watched their nanny move with efficiency. While she continued to halt the blood flow, Hildegarde got a pair of scissors and began to cut Dixie's dress.
Bonnie quickly grabbed her hand. "Stop, she's not injured on her body; she's only losing blood from her head!"
"Still, I have to check to see where else she's bleeding out of before I apply the hemostatic herb." She nudged Bonnie's hand away. "I can't believe those cowards actually bloodied a woman!"
"They didn't do this to her! They were already dead when she came out! She used her holy magic to heal me and overexerted herself!" Bonnie tossed aside her shirt which was soaked and yanked off her inner shirt. She pressed it back under Dixie's nose which was still leaking like a faucet!
"Damn it! How do we stop the bleeding?! She's going to die!"
"Sit up her, it'll help with the nosebleed!" Hildegarde instructed. "I don't know what to do about her eyes and ears. Why is she losing blood from there as well?"
Gently pulling her sister up, Bonnie cried miserably at how helpless she was right now. She had the sword so she could fight, but there was nothing she could do to heal.
Dixie was the Saintess with the healing ability, not her!
She had healed Bonnie from an arrow that nearly killed her. Why couldn't she heal herself? She could save another, but not herself!? What kind of cruel twist of fate was this!?
"This is my fault!" Bonnie sobbed. "If I had been stronger, if I was more self-aware and had fought better, then I wouldn't have gotten shot! She wouldn't have drained herself to heal me!"
Hildegarde wiped her tears. She couldn't fathom the idea of Lady Felicia dying.
I should have stopped her from leaving. But if I had then Alexander would be dead! I don't want either one of them to die for the other!
"How badly were you stabbed? Are you sure you're not in need of treatment as well?" Hildegard asked as she stuffed some medical herbs directly into Dixie's ears.
"I'm completely fine. One of those scoundrels shot me with an arrow that pierced through my stomach. I thought I was a dead for a second, but then I awoke to her healing light surrounding me," Bonnie gritted. "Why would she do this to herself? My life isn't worth more than hers!"
Hildegarde smiled sadly. "You are her brother, Alex. She would not choose to save herself over you. Just as you charged out there to fight in order to keep her safe."
"No! Her body is getting cold!"
Hildegarde covered her face, not willing to witness the demise of Moniqua's only daughter.
"No, baby girl! Please! Heal yourself! Save yourself! What can I do!? There has to be something!" She raised her head up. "Goddess Kartara, help us!"
Bonnie gasped in pain as she felt a burn on her wrist.
It was her infinity symbol.
Why was it suddenly glowing?!