by MJ Fletcher
“You’re going to pay for that.” I wanted to race off the porch and pummel her, but I held my ground.
“Get that bitch back to Mr. Tower.” She waved at Erin and two of the men ran forward and Erin struggled as they took hold of her. “Someone kill the cousin and I’ll take care of Chloe.”
Faith stepped forward as the men started to carry Erin away. I wanted to move, but I remained patient. The current of new energy was moving under the house, and I had a pretty good idea of what was coming next.
Jess inched forward and I placed my hand on her arm, slowing her down. We’d fought together so many times that all she needed was that slight motion, and she stopped and waited.
The ground shook and rumbled and huge chunks of Earth exploded around us. Most of the people with Faith were flung in the air as a massive glowing golden dragon soared up from under them. It roared and threw its head back. I recognized Edgar’s cartography symbol immediately and smiled as I jumped from the porch and activated my energy whip, snapping it out toward Faith. She rolled to the side and my whip seared the ground where she had been standing.
“Get Erin,” I called over my shoulder to Jess.
She leapt off the porch, her Skeleton Key a curved blade of startling beauty. It spun in her hands, making quick work of the first man who tried to stop her. Then she went straight for the two men holding Erin. She brought her leg around kicking him in the neck. He stumbled from the blow and before he could recover she thrust her blade forward, impaling him. She spun away from him, her sword dripping with blood, to face her next opponent. He looked her up and down and gulped deeply, dropping Erin to the ground and pulling out his own Skeleton Key.
“Walk away and I’ll let you live.” Her voice was firm and cold.
The fool didn’t take the offer. Instead he twisted his Key, the sound of a lock clicking echoed around and he opened a portal right beneath Jess. She pivoted on the one foot that had remained on the street and brought it around for a short kick to his abdomen. The man bent over and Jess punched him in the back of the skull, knocking him forward into his own portal. It slammed closed with a boom, and she reached down and grabbed Erin.
Edgar rounded the corner of the house and rushed forward. His golden dragon was making quick work of the remaining members of Faith’s party and he came to Jess’s aid, helping hoist Erin off the ground.
“I think I surprised them.” He smiled at Jess and she returned it.
“Chloe, we need to get out of here,” Jess called out to me.
“I know,” I replied as Faith and I circled one another.
“You still think you’re going to survive this?” Faith asked.
“You’re damn right I do.”
“How cute,” —Faith smiled— “and so very wrong.”
I got a very bad feeling. A boom exploded all around us and in the middle of Mission Way a portal tore open, not a normal portal mind you, a massive one, at least twenty feet high. Reams of energy and power flowed from it, and it took everything I had not to let the strength of it overwhelm me. I’d never seen anything like it in my life and never wanted to again. It felt wrong like a cut in the Universe that shouldn’t exist.
Mr. Tower walked over the bridge that jutted out from it onto the street and on either side of him were Gremlins, tall and ferocious, with their mouths hanging open and teeth bared. Tower glanced around and saw me, his eyes catching with mine.
“You lose, Miss Masters.”
I ignored my own rules and it cost me. The bite of an energy whip cracked across my neck and I flipped forward, having foolishly ignored Faith and focused on Tower. Searing pain ran over me and I thought about all the people I had hit with my whip over the years. Damn, they must really hate my guts if this is what it felt like.
“Get the girl.” Tower waved at the two beasts and they rushed toward Erin.
Edgar moved his arms in a slashing motion and his cartography dragon closed the distance and slammed one of the Gremlins into the ground. The monster didn’t give up, biting and slashing at the Dragon as they fought. The other Gremlin leapt into the air howling as it came toward them. Jess stepped in front and spun her blade with such speed it became a swirl of crimson light.
The Gremlin extended its claws as it attempted to get around the fury of Jess’ blade. It screeched in pain whenever the crimson light sliced into its flesh, but didn’t stop. It pushed forward, swinging its claws over, under, and to the sides, pushing to find an area where it could break through. Jess’ skill with her blade was quickly becoming legend, but even she could only move so fast. A claw here or there snuck by and scored the occasional hit. Blood ran down her arms, but she never stopped moving the blade.
The monster pushed forward, and she changed tactics shoving off with her right foot, she launched herself into the air and away from the beast. It quickly leapt after her, extending its arm wide and baring its fangs. Jess only smiled and aimed directly for the now wide open chest of the beast. Her blade pierced skin, and the Gremlin screamed in agony as they both fell to the street in a tumble of arms and legs.
Faith and I faced off, she was itching for a fight and I only wanted to get my sister and get the hell out of there. My body was still sore from the whip she had hit me with, but I rolled my shoulders and prepared for a fight.
Ms. True walked out of the portal coming up behind Mr. Tower who pointed toward Erin. Ms. True ran toward her and my breath caught in my throat. She reached her swiftly, slipped her arms under her shoulders, and began dragging her off.
Jess was still covered by the body of the Gremlin, while Edgar was trying to maintain control of his cartography dragon.
Faith smiled as she saw me watching Erin being dragged onto the Bridge beside Mr. Tower.
“I told you that you’d lose.” Faith snapped her whip toward me.
I snatched it out of the air with my mechanical hand and yanked it pulling her toward me. She spun and came around with a blow that caught me on the cheek and sent me stumbling to the side.
It rocked me sending my senses into overdrive. I could reach out and feel the flow of the Universe and connect with it. But now it felt as if I was under assault, energy flowed around me and attacked my every thought making me struggle to regain my fighting stance. She came in again with another blow into my midsection. The air exploded from my lungs and I gasped for air. Her fingers slid into my hair, and she yanked my head back peering into my eyes.
“Like you always said, you should be prepared to fight.” She lifted her hand and underneath her Doorknob I could see a glove covered in thin metal fibers running up under her shirt. She was wearing something that was enhancing her power that was why her blows were unbalancing me.
She let loose, her fist connecting with my chin and my mind reeled. It felt like the world was spinning sideways as she dropped me to the ground and I hit with a hard thud.
Jess pushed the remains of the Gremlin off of her and raced toward the Bridge. Ms. True dropped Erin at Mr. Tower’s feet and stepped in front of him, blocking Jess.
“If it isn’t my favorite pupil, you had such potential.” True let her Skeleton Key slip into her hand.
“You talk too much.” Jess swung her blade at True who created a shield barrier.
“And you don’t realize when you’re beat.” True laughed as Mr. Tower leaned down, his hand slipping under Erin’s chim and lifting it slightly. His other hand slipped into his pocket and pulled something out. He activated it and a small halo formed around Erin’s head... a Forget Me Not.
“NO!” Jess and I screamed in unison. I tried to get up pushing off the street. Faith met me with a boot to the stomach that flipped me over. My senses scrambled once again, and I writhed in pain. Whatever it was, she was wearing was wreaking havoc on my abilities.
“Stay away from her you, bastard,” Jess said through clenched teeth.
“What a mouth on you,” Ms. True scolded.
“You’ve hurt my family for the last time.”
�
��Is that so?”
“Yes,” Jess leaned forward and her crimson blade sprang to life.
“Enough, True, return and continue as I instructed.” Tower waved his hand at True who smirked in Jess’ direction, then she walked through the portal at the top of the Bridge.
“Leave the girl alone,” Jess ordered Tower.
Tower didn’t bother to respond, he leaned forward and whispered into Erin’s ear. Her lips moved, but I couldn’t hear what she was saying. Her eyes remained closed the entire time. He grinned and turned toward me.
“The ring,” he said and pointed to me.
Damn it, they knew. It took all my willpower, but I forced myself to stand. Faith came at me. I tried to focus and create a shield, but she raised her hand and clenched it into a fist and my stomach churned. I couldn’t concentrate.
She hit me with a right cross and I stumbled to the side. I couldn’t fight through the haze that she was holding over me. My abilities were of no use to me, so I did the next best thing. I balled my fist and swung back, catching her in the chest with my mechanical hand. She groaned and took a step backward.
“Doesn’t feel good, does it?” I moved in and swung again connecting with her side. But she was prepared this time and wrapped her own arm around mine. She yanked me forward and used a short jab to my stomach to halt my momentum. I doubled over and she brought her knee up into my chin. Everything went dark for a moment, and then I felt the cold street hit my back.
Faith was above me holding the ring in her hand. I struggled up to my elbow and Faith activated her energy whip and raised it high above her head. The blue hue of the weapon raced toward me, and I wanted to kick myself for letting her beat me. I couldn’t let it end this way.
A crimson blade smashed into the whip, stopping it before it could reach me. Jess stood over me, her blade shimmering in contrast to Faith’s whip.
“Get the hell away from my cousin.”
Chapter Thirty-eight
Status: I hate losing.
“Edgar, don’t let them leave,” Jess called out as she hovered over me.
Edgar was sitting calmly in front of the Bridge, a map spread out before him, scribbling furiously on it. One after another of golden cartography symbols; a dragon, a sea monster, a griffin, a unicorn poured from the page and surrounded him.
“You think you can beat me, boy?” Tower stepped away from Erin and stood at the base of the Bridge.
“That’s a dumb question,” Edgar said calmly, never looking up from his writing.
“What did you say?”
“Dumb question, I thought you were a teacher? Aren’t teachers smart?”
“You think you can insult me?” Tower’s voice rose in anger.
“I don’t think so.” Edgar shrugged. “I just did.”
“You think you’re smarter than everyone... that’s a mistake.”
“Not everyone,” —Edgar finally looked up from writing and smiled at Mr. Tower— “just you.”
Tower grimaced and waved his hand, a torrent of crimson energy roiled toward Edgar who sat patiently, not moving. His cartography dragon flew in front of him, taking the full onslaught of the wave and disintegrating under its power. The remaining energy bounced away harmlessly as it reached the Map.
“You’re powerful, I’ll give you that.” Tower stalked to the edge of the Bridge.
“Power is subjective, I prefer knowledge,” Edgar retorted, placing his hand on the map. Lines of golden power shot out racing along the street and attaching to the Bridge. The street rumbled as the two powers met and fought for control.
“You’re trying to anchor the Bridge, clever.”
“Why is it when someone does something obvious, people think it’s clever? Even you with all your plans, I’m sure you’re convinced that you’ve thought of every contingency. But yet here we are fighting you to the end.” Edgar shook his head, looked back down at his Map, and began scribbling again.
“Your friend is defeated. I have a Grimm and a Masters and the Artifacts. All I need to complete my plans. What do you have?”
“History,” Edgar said.
“What?”
“As history moves on, every group of people learns to specialize, to refine their craft. The First Kind is history because their children— us—learned how to hone our abilities toward one thing. And we used that to create the Artifacts and defeat you. We’ll do it again. It’s simple really.”
“No, I’ll return the First Kind and wipe you all from existence.”
“Unlikely, you’re an anachronism, a footnote in the march of time. Once you’re defeated, you’ll be forgotten.” Edgar shrugged as if dismissing Towers as irrelevant and kept writing.
The energy around Tower shifted and began to build at an alarming rate. Edgar didn’t budge. He just sat there, writing on his map. Golden symbols floated off of it and danced in the air around him as he worked on one calculation after another. I just hoped he knew what the hell he was doing.
Faith slipped my mother’s ring into her pocket and backed away from me as Jess stalked her.
“Look at you, Jess, no longer just the pretty face. I hear your cousin gets you to do all the dirty work.” Faith smirked, but Jess didn’t take the bait. She stepped over me, giving me time to catch my breath and try to regain my senses.
“How is it, Faith, that you are such an incomparable bitch?” Jess asked.
“Please, this from the so called prettiest girl who could never hold onto a man. I wonder why that is?” Faith snapped out her whip and Jess deflected it with her blade.
“What is your problem exactly? Is this all because Chloe is more talented than you? If so that’s sad.” Jess moved sideways, attempting to block Faith’s path to the Bridge.
Faith cracked the whip at Jess’ feet and rushed her, squaring her shoulder and aiming for Jess’ stomach. Jess swung her blade toward her and Faith ducked below it and slammed into Jess, sending them both careening to the street.
They rolled, a jumble of arms and legs, but Jess came up on top. Faith reacted quickly, grasping Jess’ wrist that held her blade. Another surge of energy burst from her and I felt like I was in a tornado unable to make sense of anything. Jess yelled and her blade dissipated as her hand trembled and she struggled to hold onto her Skeleton Key.
“The suit is set for Polymorphs, but it doesn’t take too long to switch to a specific type of Old Kind, say like... a Guilder.” Faith swung, punching Jess in the jaw and sending her tumbling over.
Faith marched toward the Bridge, but Jess wasn’t done yet. She reached out, grabbing Faith’s arm and yanking her back. Faith swung around and belted her again, but Jess didn’t let go.
Faith swung again, hitting her in the stomach. Jess dropped to one knee, but continued to hold on. Faith grabbed at her hand twisting and pulling, trying to get Jess to release her grip.
She raised her hand and brought it down again, back handing Jess across the cheek. Blood sprayed from her mouth, but Jess refused to let go.
“Let go of me!” She screamed in Jess’ face and hit her again.
Jess’ cheek was swollen and blood dripped from her mouth and her knuckles were white from straining to hold on. “Never.” Was her only reply.
Faith activated her Doorknob, her energy whip unfurling and falling to the ground. She flicked her wrist and snapped it across Jess’ shoulder. A scream tore from her mouth as her shirt shredded and her skin sizzled from the blast. Yet she still held on.
“Let go now.” Faith’s voice was low and angry, but I saw something in her eyes, surprise. She hadn’t expected this much of a fight. I wanted to pull myself up but I wasn’t able to, all I could do was watch my cousin hold on, as if her life depended on it.
Faith raised the whip once again, it hovered over her head and she gazed down at Jess with a look of hatred and admiration in her eyes. “Let go.”
Jess raised her chin and smiled as blood dripped down her chin. “No.”
Faith cracked the whip slashi
ng it across Jess’ chest. It flipped her over leaving her lying in the street, smoke billowing from her chest.
I tried to yell and a groan was all I could manage. My limbs refused to do as I bid and I could only stare on in naked hatred.
“I told you that you’d lose.” Faith called back to me as she walked to the Bridge to join Mr. Tower. Tears streamed down my face, switching from Jess to Erin.
Edgar sat, his legs crossed only a few feet from Tower and Faith. I wanted to yell to him to tell him to run, to save himself, but even if I could, I knew Edgar would never do it. None of my friends would.
“You’re all alone, Mapmaker.” Tower pointed to Erin. “Take her.”
Faith scooped her up and nodded toward Edgar. “What about him?”
He gestured toward Jess and me. “I’ll kill him myself and the rest as well. Now start the preparations.”
Faith scurried up the Bridge and disappeared through the portal with Erin. My heart sank. Mr. Tower walked forward, stepping off the Bridge to stand directly in front of Edgar.
“No smart remarks, little Mapmaker?”
Edgar didn’t look up, he kept writing on the Map laid out before him. Golden calculations rolled off the edge of the Map floating in all directions around him. His cartography beasts circled around him and pawed at the ground nervously.
“Very well, die in silence.” Mr. Tower raised his hand and it shimmered from red, to blue, to green, careening through all the colors of the spectrum until it was ink black.
Edgar stopped and placed his hand on the ground. “Protect.”
His cartography beasts raced forward. Tower spun and grabbed the neck of the sea monster first, squeezing until it burst into a shower of golden sparks. The Griffin reared back screeching as it flapped its wings. Tower released a bolt of black energy that soared through the air and tore a hole in the griffin’s massive wings. Its beak hung open in a silent scream as it too shattered in pieces. The final beast, a unicorn dashed forward pointing its horn toward Tower’s chest. He simply smiled and held up his glowing back hand. When the unicorn reached it, it cracked like a branch snapping under too much snow, disappearing in a flash.
