by A. Catherine
I rotated left, avoiding a shard, as it shot past me on the right. Kale jumped away from his right as a shard shot past just below his left knee. I focused my ears as best as I could to listen for the loudest taps, avoiding shards as they zipped through the wood. The frame of the gazebo was being shredded open. I would be surprised if it stayed standing much longer.
I jumped when my back slammed into Kale’s chest, I whipped and gripped his forearms.
“We need to get out of here, we can’t dodge them forever.”
A much stronger tap sounded right next to our heads, loud enough that our eyes bulged in sync and we both dropped to our knees a mere second before an entire line of sharp darts shot through, both of us panting.
“I’m open to ideas.” Kale said.
I looked around and saw that in some parts where the shards burst through light was flooding in. Cracks in the shadows, openings. I pointed to them.
“Maybe we can get through one of these openings.”
Kale huffed. “They’re hardly big enough for a person to get through.”
“Help them along then,” I suggested. I looked down at his glowing arms. “Let the fire out, let it burn a way through.”
Kale shook his head. “Even if I can manage to do it, it will spend most of my mental reserves. It’ll leave us vulnerable,” he explained.
A sharp tap beneath our feet and we were moving to avoid the shards that now were starting to shoot upwards.
“We’re vulnerable now!” I yelled.
Kale grunted in agreement and gently pushed me off of him.
“Fine. Leave yourself some space,” he instructed.
He approached the nearest wall, avoiding shooting darts and shards as best as he could. He placed his palms against the edges of the cracks and dipped his head—eyes closed.
I watched as his skin cracked and split and what looked like molten lava started to pool through the openings towards his hands.
The shooting shards halted, and with them so did the taps. The creature doing this knew what we were trying and began shifting its focus on it. The molten fire went into Kale’s fingertips and then from there began burning and melting away at the edges of the wall.
A hissing noise signaled that it was working, but I didn’t have a chance to celebrate it when the taps resumed. This time they were all a solid constant covering every surface around us. The structure of the gazebo moaned against the pressure.
If I had to guess, we only had seconds before shards of crystal and glass impaled us from every direction.
“Kale, hurry!” I yelled.
He opened his eyes and looked around, realizing the trouble we were in.
He pulled his hands away from the wall, the liquid fire in his hands coming with it. I was about to tell him not to stop when he swore.
“Shit. We don’t have time. Get down!” he yelled.
I did as he said, crouching into a ball. He knelt down, hovering over my body as he planted his hands on the floor on either side of us. I kept my eyes down, watching what his hands where doing.
I heard the shattering of wood as the sharp black darts whizzed towards us.
Fire erupted from Kale’s hands, whooshing upwards and around us, shielding our bodies from the incoming danger.
I felt its heat around me, could smell the sulfur and coal as it burned. The fire was consuming all the air, making it hard for me to breathe. I glanced up at Kale’s face—his eyes were tightly closed, the muscles of his face tense in concentration. His skin was darkening, and the veins on his neck were beginning to glow.
His power was threatening to burst from him, to erupt from every inch of him, and he was fighting against it, keeping its energy in his hands. His breath was ragged, coming in short bursts.
I watched in awe as his skin continued to shift and crack like the hardened surface of a volcano, lava threatening to burn through.
How close was he to showing his true form? And if he couldn’t keep it under control, would I even survive long enough to see it?
His face started to relax, and that’s when I realized that the shield of fire had receded. I looked around to see that there was black dust and sand spreading away from us as if from a large blast. And that we were no longer in the gazebo.
No, the gazebo had burned along with all of the shards and shadows. Leaving only the two of us in a barren field.
When I looked back at Kale, he was taking in short panting breaths, his skin no longer cracking open, and all evidence of the fire gone. His eyes were closed, and his forehead was close to the ground.
I stood and surveyed our surroundings, no sign of the shadow creature. Maybe he managed to kill it—or put it back to sleep at least.
“Well that worked,” I muttered.
He chuckled lightly, the sound was struggled. “Yeah, but now we have another problem,” he replied.
I looked back at his crouched form. “What?”
He sat up and winced, his hands clutching his right side where a shard of black crystal had stabbed him deep. He tried to rise again but groaned against the pain.
I gasped and knelt in front of him. “Shit. Can you heal?” I asked.
He shook his head. “I just spent everything I could spare in here. At this point, I can’t even get us out.”
He cried out when I pressed against the wound to help stop the bleeding.
He winced with each breath, clenching his fist against his forehead. I took another glance around our location—my mind. Whatever he did may have eliminated the one danger, but in reality, we didn’t even know if that thing was actually gone.
And we might be stuck in here.
THIRTY-SEVEN
Seere
SO FAR THEY WERE LUCKY.
No one had yet returned to the warehouse in the fifteen minutes that Kale had been inside Heather’s mind. They would soon find out how much that luck would last. Seere had already pulled out a piece of charcoal and started drawing binding wards on Kale’s arms. Small and simple ones that would keep his fire under control if he couldn’t do it himself.
Iaoel sat on a stool a few feet away from them, waiting for a vision or for someone to show. Their eyes never leaving the two now unconscious figures.
Once Seere finished her work, she touched the charcoal to the floor and drew a circle around the two, and then marked five protective runes on its edge.
“I have a bad feeling,” Iaoel stated. They hadn’t spoken for a while, so the sound of their voice made Seere stiffen.
She gave the AOS a side glance. “I can’t say I have the warm fuzzies either.”
“They should be done by now.”
“It must be more complicated than anticipated.”
Iaoel looked towards the pentacle. “Jade says they’re almost done in heaven.”
Seere sighed. “Great. Well let’s hope they’re delayed a little longer,” she replied.
Seere was already prepared for a fight if it were necessary, but it would be much preferred if they could avoid it. Plus, if a fight ensued, it would throw off their progress in making allies with the angels.
Looking Iaoel up and down, Seere knew that they were likely to be their easiest prospect, as they were already warming up to her with ease.
But the others were wild cards, they needed more time with them to develop rapport. Time that Seere wasn’t sure she had much of anymore.
Kale needed others on his side, people he could call friends. Especially when Seere left his life, he would destroy himself if he dealt with that loss alone.
“Can you see when people are going to die?” Seere asked Iaoel out of the blue.
Iaoel’s eyes widened in surprise. “Not always. It depends on its relevance. Usually we only see mortals ends. Why?”
Seere shrugged. “Just curious.”
Iaoel narrowed their eyes in suspicion and then they softened when they observed Seere fidgeting with her braids, a nervous movement that meant she was anxious. “You’ve exceeded your life expectancy, and your end day
s are worrying you?” Iaoel asked, though their tone was less in question and more in statement.
Seere shifted her gaze to Kale, her best friend. “I’m not worried about dying, Iaoel.”
“You’re worried about your friends.”
Seere nodded quickly. “You couldn’t see my death, even if you tried?” she asked.
Iaoel shook their head again. “I can’t control what I see. I’m sorry.”
She waved them off. “No worries. I guess not knowing just makes things more interesting.”
Seere whipped to fully face Kale when she heard the sound of sizzling. She walked closer to see some of the binding wards on his skin burning under intense heat. Seere barely touched his forehead and quickly retreated the hand to avoid a burn herself. Iaoel was tense on their stool, watching.
“He’s expelling more power than he should be in there, leaving little to protect his physical form from the fire underneath. His outer shell is beginning to breakdown,” Seere explained.
“Those wards aren’t helping?” Iaoel asked.
Seere clicked free a small knife. “They’re holding for now, but I should place some deeper ones to help.”
For good measure Seere put on a pair of leather gloves before she began carving the wards into his hot flesh. He’d heal from them easily enough.
Seere could withstand the burns if she needed to, but she scarred when healing, and she didn’t feel the need to add to her extensive collection when she didn’t have to.
She carved out three of them. One on his arm, one on the back of his neck, and the other on his knee. They should hold him long past when the charcoal wards burned off.
Iaoel began to approach the table. “He’s not burning Heather is he?” they asked.
Seere took off her gloves to check their held hands. Both of them were mercifully cold in contrast to the rest of him.
“No, whatever he’s doing, whatever power he still retains is keeping her unharmed.”
“Gabriel will be happy about that.”
Seere glared at the AOS. “Kale is a lot more capable than you all make him out to be.”
Iaoel threw their hands in the air in surrender. “I meant no offense, Seere. I’ve seen how much the Prince has grown over the years.”
A sharp inhale drew their attentions back to Kale, who was now tense, his body trembling. Lightning and fire licked across his shoulders and feet. Not long afterwards the charcoal marks burned completely off, smoke following in their wake.
Seere and Iaoel tensed as his veins began to light up, fire surging just under his skin, threatening to break through. Seere’s heart thundered in her chest when she saw blood begin to pool from a wound in his side.
Even the carved marks began to sizzle. Seere and Iaoel backed away as the protective circle around Heather and Kaleus began to glow a deep orange color, the five protective wards pulsing, being hit again and again with flame.
“That’s not a good sign,” Seere said out loud.
Iaoel eyes were wide, no longer sitting on the stool.
“Where’s Daevas?” they asked.
“He’s with Duma.”
“Call him back, he may need to go in and help,” Iaoel instructed.
Seere didn’t look convinced that that was a good idea. “Duma will try to stop him.”
“Well it’s a good thing you’re armed this time.”
Seere rolled her eyes and then reached into her own mind for that taut connection she occasionally used with Daevas.
Daevas, wherever you are right now, we need you back at the warehouse. She said into it.
Immediately she felt him accept the connection, What’s wrong?
Seere sent the memory to him as a better means of explaining and then followed it with, Try to get here before Duma, or he’ll get in your way.
Daevas didn’t hesitate before saying, I’m on my way.
Seere locked eyes with Iaoel who asked, “Is he coming?”
Instead of replying, Seere pointed to the pentacle at the very moment a column of dark smoke and flickering embers signaled Daevas’ arrival.
He didn’t waste any time before rushing towards them, his face collected and calm, but urgent. Daevas took in the entire situation, observing the circle and protection marks that still pulsed.
He then looked over Heather and Kale, his gaze pausing longer on Kale’s wound that was now leaving a pool of blood on the floor.
“He shouldn’t be hurt out here,” he stated.
He crossed the protective circle and paused as a wave of heat hit him. He took a deep breath and moved closer to Heather’s unconscious body, standing on the opposite side of her from Kale.
A pillar of light flashed across the room and then Duma was charging for their group. His eyes already assessing what was about to happen.
“What on earth do you think you’re doing?!” the angel demanded.
Seere intercepted his path and put a hand up to his chest to stop him. “That’s far enough.”
“Gabriel forbade you from doing this again, why weren’t we informed?” he asked Iaoel directly.
Iaoel maintained their distance, choosing not to be involved in the physical portion this argument would most likely end up in.
“Duma, you have to understand—” Iaoel started.
“Understand what, Iaoel? That you went against direct orders and let the hellborn son go inside the mortal’s head? And what is Daevas about to do? Is he going in too?”
Daevas half-turned to the angel. “Yes, to get them both out. If you were wise you wouldn’t try to interrupt,” he said.
“I can’t allow you to do that,” Duma stated firmly.
Seere tilted her head with a feline smile across her face.
“Get a move on Daevas,” she said without looking away from Duma’s angered expression.
Daevas nodded and gripped Heather’s free hand and closed his eyes. Duma watched and pressed further against Seere’s restraint. But it was too late, the demon was in.
Duma looked at Iaoel with fury and then turned that sharp glare towards the small demon before him.
“Let me through,” he ordered.
Her smile grew, an eyebrow raised. “Not gonna happen,” she purred.
Another flash of light and Jade appeared in the pentacle. Her eyes scanned the room and then did a double take when she saw all of their bodies, tense and unmoving.
“What’s going on?” she asked, rushing over to us.
“Heather, Seere, and I went to the Library of Alexandria to find some clues. But Heather was affected by something there, some old wards that reacted badly against her angel blood. She is locked in her own consciousness. We brought her back her so that Kaleus could figure out what was going on and bring her out of it,” Iaoel started to explain.
Jade’s eyes flicked to the three inside the circle. “Kaleus is bleeding,” the angel stated plainly.
“Something is going wrong inside. We needed Daevas to go in and help,” Iaoel finished.
Jade observed Seere and Duma, facing each other like territorial apes.
“Why didn’t you call for Gabriel and me?” Jade asked.
Seere was the one who answered. “The urgency of the situation determined a different order of priorities,” she said with a smile.
Her feline eyes daring Duma to make a move. Duma’s attention shifted when a double-edged sword slipped into Seere’s free hand—ready to strike.
“Well he knows now. And I’d like to see you stop all three of us when he arrives,” Duma challenged.
Excitement flicked across her dark eyes. “Or I can put you down before he arrives,” she countered.
Duma and Jade physically tensed.
“Seere, there doesn’t need to be violence right now,” Jade stated, her gaze flicking over to Iaoel for support.
“I agree. So back up and let them work.”
“Put down the sword,” Duma retaliated.
Seere raised the sword, pressing one of the sharp ends agains
t his chest and then used it to push him back. He willingly backed up but only as far as she pushed.
“Not. Gonna. Happen.” She enunciated every consonant.
“You’re saying that if I try to get past you, you’ll utilize your weapon against me?” Duma asked carefully.
Iaoel locked eyes with Jade, both of them knowing what that action would mean. Seere never lost eye contact with the Spectral angel who had only a couple days ago invoked her demon name, bloodied her on the mats and then yielded like a coward to save her pain.
