FicWad

Chapter Seven

Ivy had been doing more then ignoring the conversation during her trip in the carriage up to the house. She had been getting a lay of the land thus seeing it again on a pretentious tour had been unnecessary. She was well aware of the many places where the train tracks and land ran next each other. So it was simple enough to guide the stallion in the direction she needed to go. She pushed the horse as fast as the breed could go and then screamed curses at the thing to go still faster.

Soon the natural horse had pulled alongside the iron one. Ivy reached out, grabbed a railing, and slung herself off the horse's back onto the side of the train crawling to the top of the last car she ran forward. As she had approached the train, she had seen the only car embossed with government insignia. She ran to it now and yanked open the hatchway at the top dropping into the car.

Her entrance was show stopping if anything Mugson dropped the bodyguard he was finishing with as she had entered.

"How did you get here, where is the Saracen."

"By horse and dead in order of your questions."

Brentwood ever the gentleman (although he was hiding behind Lake) cried out. "Young lady get out of here, the man is mad."

Lake scrambled to his feet pulling the old man behind him as he made for the exit "She can deal with this better then we can anyway"

As the two escaped, Ivy and Victor faced each other.

Victor watched the sword held in her hand, "You know we don’t have to do this. We can still share the dream like our fathers always wanted." he said slowly

Ivy snapped at him "Leo wanted as much to do with Carter and his stupidity, as I wanted to be involved with this mess."

"Well you are involved now and this is your chance to take charge of your fate. Work with me. I could help you find the SoulEdge. My resources could open doors. You wouldn't have to face your enemies alone I would provide all the back up you need to destroy your foes."

"And you would want the SoulEdge?" Ivy began to advance on him.

"That kind of power in the right hands can set the course of nations." Victor said backing away from her.

"And you see your hands as the right ones."

"You and I have the vision, why deny ourselves a place in history. A place we have a right to."

"And I'm to believe you wouldn't betray me because we share this great destiny."

"We are a part of great whole."

"You promised a place in history to Tripcott instead you sent men to bleed and kill him."

"He betrayed me, he stole from the family."

"You betrayed your partners who risked their lives and careers in service to your dreams of power."

"They were stepping stones along the road; Sacrifices that had to be made."

"You killed the man who gave you life because he was inconvenient."

"He was a fool I had to be free of him to secure my future."

"You tortured and brutalized me. Not because I could tell you anything. Not because I would even have stood in your path had I known or cared. You did it because you were afraid that if we fought I would be too strong for you."

"You won't stop me you don’t have the power."

"You don’t believe that, You're afraid of me, of my power, of what I will do to you."

"Not any more, I know you can be hurt. You destined souls can be hurt and killed just like normal people."

"You know something Victor, the only thing you have done right in all of this, the only sign you have given me that we are of common mind…you decided to be afraid of me."

"You are beaten, drugged, tired; you don’t have the strength to beat me."

"We will know soon enough Victor, won't we. The wall of the car is right behind you. So either you raise that sword in your hands and try to kill me; or I cut you down as you stand."

Victor's boot heel tapped against the wall. He looked into Ivy's eyes and saw nothing but cold fire he screamed and threw himself forward his blade singing around to strike at Ivy's head. She caught the strike on the armored arm of her dueling outfit. She turned snapped her arm out snagging his sword arm then darting her fist forward, she punched the man twice in the face. He slumped to the floor as Ivy stepped back.

She watched him get off the floor. "You're right Victor, I've been beaten, tortured, and drugged." She held up her hand beckoning him forward "So why are you the one on your knees with his back to the wall."

Victor sprang at her with more art this time. They traded blows, with Ivy catching his blade or deflecting his attacks with her sword. Victor saw an opening and darted in slashing at her middle she snapped her knee up catching him in the groin.

She backed off slightly and dealt him a roundhouse kick that sent him sprawling backwards. He came off the ground faster this time. A sneer on her face Ivy held up her sword as though waiting for the next attack. He stalked her, a dark look swimming in his face as he realized she wasn't attacking him out of anger. For her it was all about the pain, his pain. He darted close. Her free hand suddenly grasped the blade of her sword and flicked it out and downwards. The point smacked into his foot sending him stumbling to the ground she gripped his shirt front and pulled him close so she could bat him across the face again before sending him sprawling with another hard kick.

He came at her with a flurry of blows driving her back as she deflected them. He pressed his attack when she stepped back and lashed out the whip in her blade. Snaking it around him, she jerked it roughly causing him to stumble even as the links crushed and cut at him. Now it was Ivy launching blow after blow at one point snapping her arm backwards in a no look slash that caused him to stumble again although this time she reached out and grabbed his shoulder. He was set to belt her when she turned him around but instead she planted her foot in his back forcing him to the ground while she wrapped the chain around his neck and pulled hard. He felt himself blacking out. Then the foot was gone. He rolled to his feet and there she was standing, looking at him. "Did that hurt? " she asked with false concern in her voice.

His roar of rage filled the cabin. Now the blows came faster with ivy's arm moving like lightning to keep up with the flurry of attacks. He sensed she was about to grab for him again and he backed up she leapt into the air lashing the ivy whip downward. The strike pushed Victor off balance. Still he backed away. She landed on the floor and lashed the chain outwards to strike him in the middle. He charged her again. It looked like the links of the chain had become entangled in with her foot. He moved to strike her but she spun around, and around, and around. He had only a few seconds to realize the entangled chain had formed a whirlwind of singing metal death. Then the first links crashed into him throwing him backward.

Ivy slammed her foot down and snapped the chain outwards catching Victor's foot dragging him out of the air to crash on the floor. Stalking up to him she brought the sword around and slammed it into him hard. His body almost bouncing off the floor. He kicked out at her, catching her side. She backed away. He moved on her. She enfolded him in an intimate embrace. He felt the chain wrapping around them both. Then she pulled on the chain and the links ripped at him as they released him. He sank to the ground.

She pulled him to his knees. "I'll give you anything you want." He pleaded

"What I want is your heart." She said pulling back her sword for the final strike.

He smiled "Well then I'll see you in hell Isabella de Leon." Her scream filled the car, drowning out his laughter as she slammed the blade into his chest tearing out the fragment that had given the golem life.

The metal shard slid across the floor, coming to rest at the feet of a Conductor. She stared down at the thing that had been Victor Mugson. She looked at the conductor. "There is a reasonable explanation for this." She muttered.

"Of course there is ma'am, after confirming you and Mister Lake had just cause to board the train I left you and the Minister alone. A brigand broke into the cabin and assaulted the Ministers escorts. You bravely fought off the attacker who escaped after you had mortally wounded him."

The man bent and picked up the metal fragment. He straightened to find himself staring at the point of Ivy's sword. "You will, of course, give that to Me." she stated coldly

"The Gentleman was most adamant that…"

"I know who sent you and you can tell him that the fragment is coming with me. Or would you care to argue the point."

The conductor handed the fragment over and left the cabin.

She held the shard in her hand and looked at the body on the floor. "I have the fragment and you're dead, so why do I feel like I lost today."

"You don’t know if it was Ivy Valentine who won this day or the bastard daughter of the Blood Pirate." A voice in her head coldly replied

"Does it really matter." she asked herself.

" To you it does." the voice replied.

She wondered what really drove Leo Valentine mad. That he heard voices or was it that the voices spoke the truth.

"And she threatened to kill him if he didn’t give the fragment back"

"That's what the conductor said."

"Did you try and recover the fragment afterward."

"Unsuccessfully, the team members that survived indicate she was …reluctant to part with it."

"Where is she now?"

"Gone, Departed by ship to France last night. We are confident the trail can be picked up there."

"To what end, you obviously lack the resources to bring her down and until you do, she just raises our overhead by killing and crippling our best men."

"Are we giving up?"

"Not yet, but we should let this wait till we are ready. Now new business."

"But…"

"New business Mr. Addison" The Gentleman settled back in his chair. He had things to do; deals to make; lives to manipulate and innocence to corrupt. In the days to come, he would wonder if it had been the wisest thing to make an enemy of Isabella Valentine. The question would bother him only for a moment or two each day, but it would bother him.

The sun was shining on the terrace. Ivy had been here over a week and already the downtime was boring her. She had just finished reading Robert Lake's latest hard hitting article detailing the fall of various highly placed members of high society. These men and women had been involved with the rich anarchist Victor Mugson. He was still missing after more then a week. The waiter was standing behind her, had been standing there for a few minutes.

"Yes, what is it."

"A message ma'am at the desk."

"What is it?"

"From your solicitor." The waiter held out a slip of paper. Ivy took it from him and began scanning its contents.

"Thank you." She smiled thinly and pressed cash into his waiting hand.

The waiter moved away while the young countess sipped wine from her glass. A message from Poulson meant only two things. Either trouble back at home or word had reached him about information relating to the sword, either way, her vacation was over. Back to the chase. To fight and kill and perhaps to die all in service to the final request of her father. She had done much in Leo's memory and had suffered much due to her connection to Cervantes. Who was she Ivy Valentine or Isabella De Leon pretending to be a rich man's daughter. Whose whim would she serve today?

She stood up and walked to the shade locating the waiter. "Will you be checking out then Ms. Valentine?" The man asked.

"No, in fact I'll be with you another week. Send word back to London as soon as you can. She smiled and tipped gold into his hands.

He smiled "Thank you Countess Valentine, I shall send the message right away."

A woman who had stepped out on the terrace heard the exchange "Excuse me my dear did that man call you Countess Valentine."

"Yes"

"As in, daughter of Leo Valentine."

"Yes" she responded a little less enthusiastically

"Well bless my soul. I knew your mother at school, she was a lovely woman; fully a match for the formidable charms of your father."

"Thank you."

"You simply must join my friends and I for the day, it's a kind of reunion of old school chums it would be lovely to have the daughter of our dearest member join us."

"I wouldn't want to intrude."

"We can tell you such stories of your mother."

"That would be nice but I must be honest I am really adopted."

"Really, she once wrote to me of a foundling she convinced your father to take in as his own." She smiled and the two women set off to join a group of older women at a table. "You know dear." The woman said as they walked. "You do bare a striking resemblance to her. Something in the eyes."

"It has been mentioned. Perhaps I should pay more attention."

THE END