“Aaah, shite,” Amanda grunted to herself.
Amanda used her Magic as a third hand and used it to push the girl’s head back, keeping those wicked-looking teeth from biting her. The Aegises of both women fought against each other, preventing them from truly touching each other for the moment, but Amanda knew if they continued to fight, that might change. Amanda used all her strength to push against the raw power of the girl. She’d maybe doubled in body mass while her nose and mouth distended and became more dog, or wolf-like.
A loud bang sounded to Amanda’s left. She turned her head just in time to see three men enter the room. Two of them wore all black special forces style clothing with balaclavas, while the third and last through the door, wore light coloured slacks and a shirt. He had swarthy skin and dark hair, tied back in a ponytail, and Amanda immediately noticed his strong connection to Essentia, meaning she faced another Magus. The men wasted no time, the two guards opened fire on Amanda and the Scion the moment they saw them, peppering them with Essentia-infused bullets.
The girl took a good share of the initial opening salvo, the slugs hitting home and slamming into her body while their Magical energy started to overload her Aegis. The few that hit Amanda bounced off her kinetic shield, but not before damaging her own Aegis as well. The girl immediately leapt off of Amanda and withdrew into a cowering ball on the far side of the room.
“Whoa, feckin’ hell!” Amanda exclaimed in shock as she braced herself against the attack, and rolled away from it.
The guards concentrated on Amanda, ignoring the werewolf. They sprayed her with gunfire that hissed and popped off her Magical shields. The bullets slammed into the concrete walls and kicked up dust all about her.
At the same moment, the Nomad called on his Magic, and a huge kinetic blast slammed Amanda into the floor, winding her as it forced the air from her lungs. The tile beneath her cracked like a spider web from the force. Her Aegis held, though, keeping the worst of the attack from hurting her.
At the same time, he released a powerful blast of Essentia at her, trying to overload her Aegis and open her up to further attack.
Amanda rolled onto her front and picked herself up, moving away from her attackers. Using two of her minds, she pulled Essentia into her Aegis to bolster her protections. She gritted her teeth and lashed out with her Magic, attempting to crush the guns the guards were using. The Nomad must have seen it coming though and used his own Magic to block hers.
Amanda grunted in frustration. Her red hair fell about her face in a hellish mess, her dusty, dirty, and ripped clothes looking little better than rags now.
The Nomad blasted her with a Kinetic Ram. Amanda leaned into it, her feet skidding over the dusty floor as they lost their grip. She dropped and put a hand to the tiles to keep from falling over. But her shield held, flaring with energy briefly as it washed over her with minimal pain.
Amanda jumped forward as the two guards advanced on her.
They dropped their weapons, which swung on their straps to their hips as they moved to defend themselves in hand to hand. Amanda lashed out at the man on her left. He parried her attacks, his wrist guards releasing small Essentia blasts into Amanda’s Aegis as the other guard rushed in.
Amanda held her own against both of these highly trained men, fending them off. Momentarily distracted, she missed the concentrated hammer of Essentia that struck her from the Nomad. Her Aegis held, but only just.
The metal cage Magically flew across the room. It smashed into Amanda and the guards sending her crashing into the furniture behind her. The world tumbled around her, crushing her under the debris of wood and metal, until she came to a stop covered by the remains of the attack. What the bloody hell had just happened?
She lay in darkness, battered and bruised. Her Aegis flickered, failing under the pressure of the chairs and tables she was buried under.
A hundred things seemed to press, crush, or stab into her and her right arm felt decidedly wrong. She dare not move it, fearing that the numbness would fade and be replaced with even more pain.
Magic flared close by. A loud crashing of wood and metal followed as the debris shifted and dim light streamed into her field of view.
The majority of the stuff that had been on top of her was thrown off in one magical feat of strength. Now Amanda could make out the figure of the Nomad standing over her.
“Well now, Amanda, seems like your little crusade didn’t quite go according to plan. Shame, I thought you would be more of a challenge than this.”
Amanda spat blood from her mouth.
“Funny fecker, aye?” Amanda choked and coughed. Talking hurt, but if she could keep him talking, maybe she could turn this around. “What’s your name?”
“Heh. Sure, why not? You can call me Joaquin, and I can tell you something else. I’m gonna enjoy this,” he gloated.
Amanda’s mind swam with pain. She struggled to bring her thoughts together in a coherent way to make some Magic. She shut her eyes and tried to get a hold of herself before this psycho ended her for good.
“Enjoy it? Enjoy what?” Amanda asked, attempting to keep him occupied.
The killing blow never came, though. Instead, Joaquin disappeared from view as Amanda heard what sounded like a very angry and very large dog growling, snarling, and barking mixed with the sound of several heavy thuds.
“Oh, sounds like ye might be busy,” Amanda joked, using the time the werewolf had bought her to concentrate.
As the seconds passed, she pulled her thoughts together, finally getting control of herself. Quickly, she restarted her Multitasking effect, setting one mind to healing her broken body.
Her right arm had been crushed and broken in several places. Cuts and bruises called for her attention too. But with a powerful wash of Essentia through her body, the bruises faded, the cuts closed, and with some stomach-churning sounds, her bones knitted back together and popped back into place.
With a grunt, she pushed herself up and conjured a new Aegis. Opening her eyes and feeling much better, she surveyed the room. A little way off to her left, the body of Joaquin lay upon the floor, his torso ripped open and crushed while a look of wide-eyed surprise sat frozen upon his face.
The thing responsible stood a short distance away, backlit by the light streaming through the high window beyond. Its huge furry bulk brought back images of Horlack and the alleyway. Suddenly, Amanda wasn’t a Magus anymore, as the fear and terror of that night flooded back. She saw it attack and kill Stuart and loom over her. She hadn’t known of Scions or Magi or Magic back then. She’d just been a girl trying to make her way on the streets of New York.
She shuffled back in fear of the half-human, half-wolf thing that towered over her.
“No, no. Not again. Please…” Amanda stammered.
It shrank then, shifting form and changing back into the dark-haired girl that Amanda had found in the cage. She stepped forward, her face moving into a shaft of light, allowing Amanda to see the smile on her face as she offered Amanda a hand.
The images of Horlack faded, and Amanda remembered where she was.
“Here, let me help you up,” the girl said in an American accent.
Amanda hesitated for a moment and then took the girl’s hand, allowing her to pull her off the pile of debris and back to her feet. She had a surprising amount of strength.
“I’m Celest,” the girl introduced herself.
“Amanda,” she replied shaking the hand she already held.
“Sorry for attacking you, I… I had no idea who you were or what you were going to do to me.”
“Not a bother. I’m just grateful ye came to my aid when ye did,” she said, looking down at the remains of Joaquin. “That could have ended much worse for me.”
“What are you doing here?”
“The Nomads who use this place kidnapped my friend,” Amanda explained.
“They bring people here all the time. If she’s here, she’ll be through that door,” Celest indicated the ope
n door that Joaquin had burst through moments ago.
“Thank you, Celest, ye’ve done more than enough for me.”
Celest raised her eyebrows. “You think I’m going to run and leave you here?”
“Well…”
“I’m coming with you. These men have held me captive and tortured me for weeks. I want revenge.”
Amanda looked at the heavily-muscled girl standing before her. She stood a good half foot taller than Amanda, making her an imposing opponent even before she shifted forms. Amanda could clearly see there was no point in arguing, and frankly, after that last attack, she’d be grateful for the help. Celest’s clothing had been reduced to little more than rags, though, and did nothing to cover her up.
“Then, may I suggest...” Amanda said as she walked to a table, hovered her hand over the top of it where a pile of clothes appeared.
Celest walked over and smiled. She looked at Amanda and pulled her in for a powerful hug.
“Thank you,” she said as she pulled off the dirty rags and quickly got dressed in the newly-created clothes that fit her perfectly. “You could do with a wardrobe change yourself, though.”
Amanda glanced down at the remains of her skirt and top and shrugged. “All in good time.”
Moments later, the pair approached the door that led deeper into the east wing. The Aegis remained in effect, but the open door created a way—a portal—through the Aegis.
Beyond, they found a long corridor lined with heavy metal doors on either side, each with a barred window set into it. Amanda looked through the first one, finding a small room with a single bed, a toilet, and a washbasin. They were cells. This one was empty, but Amanda wasted no time walking up the corridor, looking in each one. She only walked three doors up before she found one that was occupied. A young woman in her mid-to-late teens lay on the bed inside. She wore only a dirty vest and underwear, and her left wrist was chained to the wall. She could see marks on her arm where they’d injected her with drugs, the effects of which were etched on her face.
“Jaysus,” Amanda gasped. With a swift use of Magical force and enhanced strength, she pulled the door from its frame and stepped into the room, crouching next to the girl. “We have to get her out of here,” Amanda said.
She’d never seen anyone treated like this before and it made her sick to her stomach. If this was how Lucian ran his business, it became just one more reason to shut him down. This girl needed their help. She pulled the chain from the wall and went to lift the girl from the bed.
“Amanda.”
“Yes?” Amanda answered, looking up.
“We should sweep the rest of the building. Take care of any of Joaquin’s men who are left. The prisoners are safe here. We need to finish the job first.”
Amanda deflated slightly, took a breath, and nodded.
“You’re right, let’s finish this.” Amanda looked back at the girl on the bed and took her hand in her own. “We’ll be back, I promise.” Amanda stood up, and concentrating, she sent out her senses and counted maybe half a dozen more girls along this corridor. Stairs halfway along led upstairs. The room they led to sat empty, with only a few bits of furniture scattered about the bare floorboards.
Another door up there stood closed, with another Aegis surrounding the room it led to, blocking her magical sight.
“Upstairs, there’s another room that’s shielded from me,” Amanda said as she walked from the cell and along the corridor. She climbed the stairs and soon caught up with her senses, which she cancelled as she reached the closed door.
Wasting no time, Amanda used her Magic to blast the weak and hastily erected Aegis with Essentia. It fell in a matter of seconds.
Amanda stepped forward and kicked the door. The lock broke as the door swung open and slammed into the wall revealing the room beyond. Beds lined each side of the long room, covered in unwashed sheets. On each bed there were anywhere from one to four children chained to the metal frames, their eyes wide with fear.
The feeling of horror and sickness that washed over her nearly dropped her to her knees.
Young women were one thing, but kids? Amanda could barely process what she was seeing. Some of the children looked as young as three or four years old.
“Amanda,” yelped a voice from the back of the room.
Amanda looked up and saw Liz. She sat on a chair, her hands tied behind her back, and her face awash with relief.
Amanda’s eyes flicked to a man standing beside Liz just as he lashed out and punched Liz hard across the face. Amanda took a step forward as anger flooded her body.
But Liz, her head bowed to her side from the hit, spat blood on the floor and looked back up, defiant and strong. Amanda felt proud of her apprentice’s grit and determination. She might be a captive, but she clearly wasn’t going to be a victim.
The man stared at Amanda, his stance ready for her to make the first move. He had black, slicked-back hair, pale skin, and dark eyes. He wore all-black, apart from the priestly white dog collar he wore around his neck. He held a young boy of maybe five or six years old in front of him by the neck.
Amanda could see from the Essentia he had stored within his lifeless body that he was a Vampire.
“Amanda, I presume?” he asked. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, your apprentice has told me so much about you, not least of which that you were coming to save her and kill me,” he said with a smirk.
Amanda smiled and worked a bit of Magic, creating and then strengthening an Aegis around the room. This Scion would not be leaving here. Not today.
“Maybe,” Amanda answered.
“I take it from the presence of Celest, that you have dealt with Joaquin? Shame, I did so enjoy my little visits here.” He crouched down next to the boy, placed his right hand on Liz’s leg and caressed her inner thigh while pulling the boy’s face close to his and licking it.
Amanda moved a step closer, adrenalin pumping hard through her body. She wanted nothing more than to pummel this pervert into a bloody mess. The moment she moved though, the man gripped the boy’s neck tighter as claws extended from his fingers, biting into the boy’s neck and Liz’s flesh where he held her bare leg.
“Ah-ah-ah. Careful ladies, you wouldn’t want me to break these precious things, would you?”
Amanda stepped back and took a breath.
“You’re right,” Amanda answered, “I wouldn’t.”
Amanda worked her Magic, making use of the Multitasking effect to Port Liz and the boy across the room. They appeared to Amanda’s right with a snap. Simultaneously, she Ported herself directly in front of the vampire and smashed her fist into his face. Essentia flared, and the Vampire hit the floor, his face a bloody mess.
“Hi there,” Amanda said brightly as she stepped forward, relishing this moment of revenge. “Ye were saying?”
The man moved quickly, springing to his feet. His body started to shift, growing and bulking out very quickly. Not wanting to fight fairly, Amanda called on her Magic and threw him up against the far wall. His Aegis sparked as he smashed into the plaster.
Amanda focused, holding him against the wall, while her Magic tore at his Aegis.
The kids on the beds were screaming and pulling on their restraints. Amanda could hear Liz and Celest trying to calm them down and break the chains that held them in place.
The man had shifted into a half-man half-wolf form, similar to Celest, only smaller. Amanda had heard the legends of Vampires able to shift into Wolves and such—she’d seen the films of it, too—but seeing it in real life turned out to be a great deal more unsettling, even with the knowledge of Magic.
As the man struggled in vain against her Magical grip, his Aegis finally gave way, popping like a bubble.
Amanda pulled on the Essentia inside him, ripping it out from him. A few seconds later, as the energy that fuelled his shift seeped away, his body shifted back to human.
Amanda moved closer, lowering him to the floor.
“Go on, do it. I don’t c
are. Kill me, torture me, I want you to,” he hissed.
She didn’t speak to him, she couldn’t. She couldn’t listen to him, either. She blocked it out. That would humanise him, and she didn’t want to have any sympathy for this thing. Scion or not, anyone that did this to kids gave up their right to life.
Instead, she hit him as hard as she could. Then she hit him again, and again, taking out her anger and frustration and horror at the things these people did. She didn’t count how many times she punched him, but he wasn’t making coherent sentences anymore, and his face had been reduced to a bloody pulp.
Amanda let his limp, but still living body drop to the floor and she stepped back. Her fist was grazed and covered in his blood. It hurt too.
“Hey,” said Celest, who had somehow managed to walk right up to her without Amanda noticing. “Liz could do with your help. There’s a lot of children here.”
Amanda looked up. She’d heard what Celest had said, but for a moment it didn’t register. Now, with her reverie broken, she looked back at Liz and the kids. Most of them stared at her, their eyes wide, their mouths agape at the violence she’d displayed. Even though she couldn’t think of anyone more deserving than this paedophile, and despite the horrors that these children had faced, seeing them looking at her like that made her feel ashamed.
By beating this man half to death, had she lowered herself to the Nomad’s standards? She wanted to save these kids, she needed them to trust her and feel safe while she got them to safety. Being covered in blood would not help that.
She’d done enough. She’d spent her anger. She’d found the payback she’d wanted. Now, she needed to do some good.
Amanda looked back to Celest.
“Sure, I can help. Will you… take out the trash?” She gestured at the bloodied Scion.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’ll take care of him,” Celest said. “You just worry about the kids and the girls downstairs. Get them out of here.”
Amanda nodded. “Will I see ye again sometime?”
“Maybe,” answered Celest.
Magi Legend Page 39
