by Vega Lizzie
“Let her go,” Shannon pleaded Darien. “I mean it.”
He swung the wand toward Shannon, the golden glow of the staff began to hum. “Someone’s gotta pay. Someone must set this right. She’s the closest to dead anyway…”
“No,” Terra cried out, “Don’t.” She took a step forward, “Take me instead. She’s an innocent to all of this.” The electric hum of the bat stepped up a notch.
“Hardly,” he chuckled deeply as he kept them at bay, “she’s a nobody. Just another sheep in the ever-widening herd. I can’t believe you spent a moment’s time on her.”
He let go of her hair and Chloe slumped to her knees. As her hands fell lifelessly to her sides, she tipped and fell to the ground.
Both Shannon and Terra took a step forward, “Chloe,” Terra screamed as she watched her new friend’s open eyes staring fixed in one spot, “no, please.”
Her hand suddenly jerked in a spasmed signal of life, but Terra had already crouched as Darien began to bring his club back, grabbing the ceremonial crook with both hands.
“I send you forth,” he called out as the weapon reached the peak of its windup, “to uphold the authority of our agreements.” Then he swung towards Chloe’s head.
“No,” Terra screamed as she accelerated out of the darkness, “Chloe, I’m sor-”
Terra’s quick attack moved her from the edge of the trees and across the yard in a blur. Shannon summoned her last ounce of power and targeted for his club. For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still. Chloe’s hand came off the ground as Shannon’s final burst of energy missed the leading edge of the weapon.
There was a sickening thump just before Terra collided into Darien. In her acceleration, she hadn’t seen the smallest of light flashes as the jagged crook struck Chloe. Terra slammed into Darien knocking him off his feet as her serpent unfurled. For a moment, they were both airborne.
“Terra…no” Shannon screamed, lunging toward Chloe to protect her as Terra reached out as the two of them tumbled off the porch. Her fingers reaching toward the horizon, all that was heard was Terra’s guttural wail as together, she and Darien disappeared into the black void.
Shannon threw her arms around Chloe and tried to spin her away from the attack, “I’ve got you…I’ve got you, hun. Be safe, please be safe,” she said, panicking that Terra’s attempt had been in vain.
Suddenly, Robin and Tatsumi were at her side with Robin carefully cushioning Chloe’s head. “Did you see?” Robin asked Shannon, “her hand came up in a split second, I swear to God…”
“Look at her hand,” Tatsumi said but his gaze was off to the side of the hill, “I think she deflected some of it with a small shield, but…Terra…took him.” He sighed heavily, “May the Gods help both of them.”
Chloe’s arm suddenly popped up, her knuckles bloody and fingers twisted from the strike of the club. She tried to put it to her head, but Robin steered her hand away from the oozing wound on the back of her head, “We’ve got you honey. You’re going to be fine.”
“Did…did I do it?” she asked groggily, “like Ollie showed me…did it work?”
“You did, honey,” Shannon whispered as she stared off the hill watching Tatsumi, “just like Ollie showed you. We’ll get you home and fixed up.”
“I…I don’t want to…go home,” she whispered as she slumped back into Robin’s arms, “I want to be where you are…with all of you.” She started to cry as Robin gently put her fingertips to Chloe’s temple, “We’ve got you. Sleep now.”
Robin looked up then over to Tatsumi as he signaled and gestured toward a shimmer in the dusk. He looked to Shannon, “Sensei,” he pointed out over the rocks, “there.”
A quick vertical flash of blue plasma lit up the rocks as Terra emerged from the lifeless droning of the void and instantly dropped to her knees. Running towards her, Shannon could already tell that Terra was in trouble. She was hunched over against the final light of the day, her shoulders heaving. Shannon’s unflinching warrior had acted as she would have done. She had sacrificed herself for the life of a young woman they barely knew.
Shannon slowed as Terra put her hand, “Stop. Don’t come any closer…I I can’t…”
Her voice was distant and was devoid of her customary defiance. It sounded childlike, “I didn’t ask for…any of this,” she whimpered, “I only…I only wanted you.”
“You saved her, sweetheart. Chloe’s…she’s gonna be fine.”
Terra sobbed, “It could have been Ollie, it might have been you…I had to…the monster,” she whispered, “the monster is back.”
By the time Shannon reached her, they were both sobbing. Terra was covered in blood. She was shaking violently. Shannon took Terra’s arms gently and tried pull her close.
“I…I killed him. He’s…”
“Terra,” Shannon said quietly, “Shhhhh. You saved Chloe. You may have saved all of us.” She reached out to gather Terra in her arms, but she pushed Shannon away.
“It’s horrible, I’m horrible…don’t touch me.” She doubled over crying, trying to wipe the gore from her face, “stay away from me.” Shannon pulled her back up.
“Never.” Shannon took a deep breath and summoned what she could of her robe to wipe Terra’s face. “There’s a brook at the base of the hill. I’ll get you cleaned up and we’ll head for home.”
“Shan,” Terra whispered raggedly, “What I did…I meant to do it. I wanted him gone.”
“I know,” Shannon said as she hugged her, “You saw his evil and took him exactly where he needed to go. We’ll talk about it, a little at a time when…when you’re ready.”
“I didn’t hesitate, Shannon. I did what was needed to be done.”
“But you didn’t do anything wrong. Chloe was going to die, Terra, I’m convinced of that. I would have done the same thing if I knew how. Just sit down for a second. When you’re ready, we’ll talk about monsters.”
“I can’t. I can’t do anymore tonight.”
“You don’t have to,” Shannon squeezed Terra’s shoulder, “It’s over…almost. We’re going to send a message, but we’ll send our message. Not the one that’s expected. Not that we own, or that we intend to rule over anyone.” Shannon pulled her up and held Terra quietly, “that there’s an equal place for everyone.”
She wrapped her arms around Terra, and they stood motionless watching Tatsumi and Robin carefully carry Chloe down the vehicles. From the rise they could see down into the city. Despite the full-on magic battle that had just taken place, the city was strangely quiet.
Shannon slid her phone out her pocket and punched in a number, “Hi Sweetie, we’re …mostly okay up here. Everything good where you are?” There was a pause, “I see. You finish up. I’ll wait.”
Not seconds later a giant ball of plasma erupted towards the outskirts of the city. It’s colored webs pulsing with a screech into the evening sky. Then it was silent.
Exhausted, Terra looked toward the city lights, “Shan…that was big, who?”
“It’s okay, hun. Just wait. Ollie and Eliza had a couple of holdouts.” A soft smile crossed her face, “Now the signature.”
Three red orbs rocketed up from the skyline then crossed at right angles and began to braid themselves in a series of streaking triangles. With each layer a shape quickly materialized and hung suspended in the crisp evening air.
“Ollie thought it was important that those who witnessed anything tonight know to not be afraid. Can you sit for a minute? I won’t go far.”
Terra nodded as she watched Shannon begin to take a series of deep breaths.
“Are you alright,” Terra asked cautiously, “You gave it all tonight. How can you have anything left?” She paused and sighed, “you used the moon thing, right?”
Shannon turned to Terra, and shook her head, “I didn’t. I just held some back and I needed a moment to get my bearings. Watch this, Terra. This is for you. I love you so much. You might not want to look directly at this next part. I’ll just be awa
y for a minute or two.”
Terra found her smile for the first time that evening, “You’re kidding? I’m gonna watch every move you make.”
As Shannon made her way to a flat section of ground, she brought her hand up and touched her chest. The sudden surge of soft light caught Terra’s eye as the crescent pendant materialized, “Looks like you found the owner’s manual.”
“Might cause a ruckus with this,” she called to Terra, “might get the powers that be, all riled up.”
Terra began to stand, “I don’t care. I’m with you…whatever you choose to do.”
A burst of air pressure rattled the side of the hill. Shannon calmly raised her phone, “Liam, you all set?” She smiled again, “start us out.”
A white rail of light shot up from the foot of the hillside as Shannon continued to call the roll, “Jesse and Iris, go.” Another bolt mushroomed from west of the airport, its dazzling light hanging in the air before slowly dissipating. Another shot up from the South.
“Eliza, Tess, Ryan,” she continued, “Go.” Three more bolts of light rose from the perimeter of the city.
“Angela and Alex, if you please?” Two more pronounced light rails rocketed silently up from the flatlands along the interstate highway, then intersected quietly over the city. “Beautiful, thank you. Now Elin, If, you would honor us with your creativity.”
Suddenly, an arching globe of green light rolled up from the edge of town, headed toward the downtown area then looped and spun separating into three balls of light that hung over the city. Shimmering for a moment, they vanished without a sound. Shannon looked at Terra, “Okay, here we go.”
Shannon blew a kiss back to her as she raised her crooked arms, palms flat to the ground and tipped in to form a triangle. There was a bright glow from her neck as the crescent necklace pulsed once. A matching shape shot across the ground, cutting through the rough terrain and rocks in a laser edged golden light. Shannon pointed out over the city and Terra instantly saw it, “It’s the Lightland,” she gasped, “Did you dream this?”
Shannon nodded, “This…and a few other things.” She smiled, softly whispering to herself, “and a couple of them are pretty cool.”
Terra heard a groaning sound and the earth around them began to shake. She gasped thinking that Shannon was opening the void. At the far peak of the triangle, a boulder rolled away as the point of an obelisk began to rise out of the rocky turf, the three-side top on the column pushing against the surrounding shale and granite as it climbed up into the darkening sky. The growing brilliance of the column lit up the side of the mountain behind them. Terra walked up behind Shannon, “It’s beautiful,” she said, looking back down the hillside, “I’m sure they can see it from the city.”
Shannon smiled but pointed up to the side of the translucent obelisk, “Look on those two sides,” she said, her eyes wide as the obelisk began to rotate slowly in the air, “it’s cracked. It isn’t perfect.”
Terra surprised Shannon by chuckling, “Neither are we. What’s it do?”
“Tonight,” Shannon whispered, “it’s a beacon.” She turned to Terra, “But in the near future, it might be a weapon. It’s all about our intentions.” She stepped away from Terra, “There’s one more part to this. Don’t be afraid, I’ve seen it in my dreams.”
Terra took a step back as well, “Do what you need to do. The only place I’m going, is home with you.”
Nodding, Shannon turned toward the obelisk, straightening her shoulders and stared up at the towering figure of light, “Here goes,” she huffed, taking a deep breath, “Mitte luce…-” Shannon stopped, shaking her head and turned to Terra, “Screw the Latin,” she grinned devilishly, “from now on…this is on our terms.” She stood still for a moment, her hair blowing back in the cool breeze, “You are my guardian,” she shouted to Terra, “the one that stands beside me. You are the true lion. The one that protects our flock.”
She snapped her head around to face the open ground, then bounced on her feet once, eyeing a flat boulder twenty feet away. “Send the light,” she shouted, then took off running.
Sprinting at top speed, Shannon gauged the distance to the flat rock perfectly. As she ran, energy orbs began to glow on her hands. Catching the rock, she leapt into the air. Her hands balled into fists, they painted a streaking arch as she came down to the ground, striking the earth with her fists.
The low thunderclap rattled rocks and dirt around her as a sky-blue energy pulse burst from her hands. It shot to the obelisk, thrusting the pointed javelin into the air and they watched it shoot silently over the city as a fire-lit spear.
Shannon rose from her crouch, her fists clenched to the sky. She turned back to Terra. “I love you,” she shouted, then looking up at the missile, she opened her hands. The hurtling obelisk shattered into a thousand sparkling pieces and began to pinwheel and streak down from the sky in a blinding exhibit of colors. High enough to be caught in the breeze off the mountain, the brightest flares drifted slowly until they flared in a flash of white light.
Terra reached out her hand as Shannon walked back to the shack with her. They could hear whoops of appreciation from the road down below as the final lights of the display ended. Shannon was in a hurry but had to tug on Terra’s arm to get her to move. “She’s okay. Robin said so.”
Still Terra was reluctant, “What happened before…” she whispered, her voice shaky, “What if Darien did something…worse. I can’t face her, Shannon. I encouraged her…it’s all my faul-”
“Stop it now,” Shannon said softly, “We’re all in this together. Whatever happened, we’ll be there for her.” Only then did Shannon slow, sighing heavily, “whatever it is.”
Approaching the open tailgate of Robin’s rental, Shannon and Terra were stunned to find Chloe wrapped up in Robin’s arms. Face to face, they were having a quiet conversation. As they got closer, both Robin and Chloe looked over, but Chloe’s painful expression caused Terra to break down on the spot, “I am so…so sorry,” she sobbed, “it’s all my fault.”
Chloe ignored Terra’s tears, “Stop it, Terra.”
Terra immediately hung her head.
“No, that,” Chloe said quickly, “the guilty faces…both of you.” Had it not been for the sly smile on Robin’s face, Shannon would have joined in the waterworks. Chloe looked back at them as Robin inspected the gauze on the back of Chloe’s head, “Really, I’m okay.” She winced as Robin adjusted the dressing.
“She’s fine, you two. Chloe has been giving me a play by play rendition of how the two of you were broadcasting your intentions ever since you hit this mountaintop. It’s quite disturbing as to how accurate she is.”
“What, huh?” Terra exclaimed, raising her arms to rush to her friend. Robin held up her hand, “She’s fine, but not perfect. We need to get back into town and on the road. I can treat those cuts and bruises on the way home. Bad sprain and I’m watching her for a concussion.”
Liam rolled his eyes at the thought of the long road trip home, “We’ll have hours…and hours. It’s a thousand miles.”
Shannon smirked, “More like twelve hundred, since we’re taking the scenic route just to keep a lower profile.” She reached out to Chloe, “Will you come home with us?”
Chloe nodded vigorously then winced again, “I packed. I hoped you would ask.” She glanced at Robin, “Don’t tell ‘em I knew they would ask.”
Robin just bobbed her head and grinned at Terra and Shannon, “Yeah, that. Imagine what she’ll be like with some practice and encouragement.”
As they climbed into their rental cars, both Shannon and Terra’s phones went off. It was Olivia. “It was so cool, Mom, but you gotta call Marcus…he’s sounds really upset.” They were on speaker phone instantly, “Lil Bro. We’re all good, what’s going on?”
He got straight to the point. “Shannon you’ve got to make everyone you came in contact with, forget they ever saw you. Something has happened…I traced an email, it’s…oh shit, it’s gonna…it could
be really…”
“Deep breath, Marcus and slow down. What did you find?”
“The sheriff,” he began, his voice still agitated, “did you wipe the sheriff’s memory yet?”
“Robin took care of him already. Most of Darien’s crew as well.”
The obvious question came back quickly, “What about Darien himself?”
“Um, handled,” Terra broke in as she dug through the glove compartment for something to clean herself up, “wiping of a different nature is required but…never mind for now.”
“He’s not an issue, Marcus. What’s the problem?”
“The sheriff has been getting money for years from a holding company in Colorado. I figured out who it is and it’s a bad thing. There are deep crime connections here almost like the Mob.”
Shannon was quiet, “Like organized crime? Or more like Conclave? Uh, any chance Denver has been mentioned?”
“Well, no but I can’t break through the firewall for their main addresses. It’s heavily fortified and I’m afraid of tripping something. I...um I could try…”
“Marcus,” Shannon almost shouted, “it’s okay. We’re coming home and we’ll be there, um, late tomorrow. Terra can Travel if you need her.”
Marcus continued to talk as Terra’s head jerked toward Shannon, “I could shower and come right back. I wanna ride the bus with all of you.”
Shannon grinned, “That’s a good idea and it’s not exactly a bus. Marcus,” she continued, “It will be fine. We’ll talk about it when we get home.”
“Okay, but it’s important, Shan.”
Shannon shared a long look, first to Olivia and then to Terra, “Yes, Marcus, I know it is. We’ll talk all about it, and soon. You take the night off, I mean that.”
Driving into the city, they were careful to obey traffic signs and not draw attention from the many squad cars they saw. Meeting the crew at an old warehouse, she waved to her father as they pulled up, “Got it?” she grinned.
He hugged her, “Gassed up and fridges are packed. It’s the biggest one they had.” His eyes narrowed, “You sure everyone is okay?” He watched as Terra slowly extricated herself from the passenger side of the car and with a quick wave, she disappeared right in front of him. “She’ll be back in fifteen minutes. A shower was definitely needed.”
