She was a warrior.
Her lineage had preordained her and her training had prepared her but only she could make the choice; the ultimate decision to stand and fight, to claim her destiny and wage war on those who tried to destroy her family, or, to cower and flea, to allow lawlessness and revenge to reign supreme.
Brandishing her weapon, she raised the broad sword overhead and called upon her tutelage for strength as she battled the king of the sea.
Thunder boomed and lighting crackled against the dark sky outside, as a streak of blinding light illuminated the molten steel in her raging grasp. With one deft swoop, she felled one of Poseidon's minions and turned to face the rest of his encroaching army.
Valiantly, she raised her blade in ruthless defense of the innocent as the slippery circle of evil coiled tighter around them. She could feel her strength waning, knew that each of her successive blows were less fatal as sweat drenched her body and stung her eyes until she felt the final prick of metal slice her skin.
Just before darkness claimed her, she heard the fearful whimper of the innocent crying out for her as rivulets of her royal blood ran free over the common floor.
He'd never seen his best friend so frantic.
Sonny's silence added to his sense of foreboding as he waited for the inevitable explosion of rage. He'd already seen the carnage left in the normally pristine kitchen. Splatters of blood had been sprayed across the custom made cabinetry and stained the imported tile where it had pooled under the dead man.
His name was unknown but his nationality was unquestioned as they'd identified the prison tattoos that marked him is a former Russian convict. The trident on his forearm wasn't something they'd come across before but eventually they'd determine its significance.
But right now, he was more concerned about what the intruders had taken with them than what they'd left behind. Security footage had detailed the attack, the violence seeming more brutal in black and white as he'd witnessed the petite nanny courageously try to fight off the attackers. She'd shown a remarkable amount of skill as she'd wielded one of Sonny's prized chef's knives. However, her movements were obviously based on practice not just instinct and that was something their background search hadn't disclosed about the young woman.
And nothing he knew about Kristina's nanny explained why the intruders took her limp and bleeding body with them as they'd kidnapped Sonny's daughter.
A quick glance around the room showed Alexis pacing by the open door to the patio, her voice fraught with the overwhelming fear she felt for her only child as she advanced upon her estranged husband.
"You did this," she seethed. "You're the reason they took my baby. You're incessant need for power and money destroys everyone around you."
Her voice gained venom as she pummeled Sonny with her words, "No matter what you promise or what you do, you always have blood on your hands. There's always some other mobster vying for your criminal empire and now my little girl has become your latest victim."
He saw the torment and guilt swirl through his friend as Sonny reached out toward the mother of his child and she struggled against him, his unwelcome touch claimed the last of her rage as she collapsed against him.
Authority trembled in Sonny's voice as he assured his wife, "We'll get her back."
He saw the deadly promise held in his boss's gaze as Sonny nodded toward him, silently giving the order to bring his daughter back alive no matter the cost or the eventual body count.
He clenched his jaw in understanding of the unspoken command and stiffly left intent on finding Kristina Corinthos and her mysterious nanny. Hopefully, they'd still be alive when he found them.
She fought the cloying darkness and struggled against the inferno of heat that weighed her down. The heavy Russian accents seeped through the open porthole as she heard the vessels crew preparing for their departure.
Pain radiated from her injured side as she opened her eyes through the foggy haze of fever and saw her worst nightmare. The woman's pale features glowed with malevolence as she brushed a long, parchment thin finger down Kristina's cheek and crowed, "Oh, my dear child, I have such plans for you."
Her young niece didn't understand the danger she was in but Elizabeth surely did.
She'd been tutored since birth in the deadly and mercenary wiles of her father's wife. Helena Cassadine had killed her mother; slit her throat when she'd been just a baby. And Mikos had done his duty to protect his daughters; Alexis had joined his household as a distant relative while she'd been sequestered with the Webber family.
And when her nephew Nikolas had been assassinated earlier in the year, she'd known that Helena would never allow the vast Cassadine holdings to rest easily in her sister's hands. Alexis was a woman grown, unmovable in her opinions, and filled with hate toward the evil matriarch.
That would never suit Helena's purposes but her daughter Kristina was a different matter. She was young, malleable, and a direct heir to their ancient Greco-Roman holdings.
She would protect her family's heritage even if it killed her and she forcefully pushed the warning past her lips, "Leave her alone."
Her nemesis smiled in triumph as she boasted, "Such a lovely sentiment from such a troublesome little nanny but it will do you no good. No one will find us, not even the invincible Mr. Morgan for I've left a misleading trail to my underling Mr. Karpov."
She wouldn't let her knowledge show and she wouldn't panic. She couldn't let the Trident know that she was aware of her dual identity so soon. Nor would she reveal her secret heritage either, she needed to conserve her strength and help shelter her niece.
She had no doubt that Jason Morgan was already searching for his boss's daughter; she just hoped that she'd still be alive when he found Kristina.
