by KJ Robinson
“We have no time for these unnecessary dramatics,” Azrael said. The way he used my stepfather like a ventriloquist dummy was unnerving. How he could go from his voice to the one I knew almost my whole life unsettled me each time he did so.
The room was thrown into pitch blackness. At first I thought that I was once again being transported to the NetherRealm, but I could still feel the wood post at my back. When the darkness receded all that was left in the room were me, the guys, and Ogre one and two from the club, great!
“So, you wanna do this the easy way or the hard way,” Ogre One asked.
“Yeah, last time we didn’t get to finish our…” Ogre Two started and then cleared his throat. “Business”.
I looked to the guys and made a salute with my hand, then said, “Let’s dance!”
The Ogres weren’t playing games this time. They were set to one singular objective. Squash us like bugs.
Ali flitted around the massive Room like a lightning bug I couldn’t keep up with where he was, but I guess who’s trying to disorient the ogres. One of them lumbered towards where I was standing near the bed I ducked out of his way under his arms. I don’t have to worry though he wasn’t trying to get to me he was trying to get to the bed.
He picked up the bed as if it weighed less than a postcard and hurled it towards where Demetrius was standing Demetrius maneuvered out of the way quickly and the bed slammed violently against the side of the wall.
Chase took out of his gun and started unloading the ogres which seem to bother no more than flies at a picnic. They swatted him the bullets away as mere nuisances and lumbered closer toward Chase stood.
“Chase estimation point” I screamed. “Watch out!” Chase tried to get out the way but he was too slow for the hulking ogre who grabbed him by his neck. If he didn’t let go soon he was going to crush his larynx, or worse. Let my magic engulfed me and shot out through my fingertips blue lightning at the ogre the ogre paused and dropped Chase turned around and started towards me.
I could see Chase on the ground gasping for air, but I didn’t have time to help them. I started to blast the ogre barreling towards me again which only slowed him down slightly. “A little help here X nation point” I screamed to Ali.
Ali appeared on the back of the ogre. He looked like a kid playing piggyback with his dad. I saw him try and jabbed his fingers into the oversize but the ogre just flipped him over onto his back and to the hardwood floor with the borrowed loud crack.
I close my eyes trying to concentrate all my power and used a freezing spell, which finally stop the ogre in his tracks. Now I could help chase I started to where he was still kneeling on the floor when a chair flew near my head. I automatically stuffed it midair and hurled it at the ogre who wasn’t frozen who had thrown it at me.
When I made it to Chase I pressed my hands on his throat trying to heal the damaged ogre had done. “Don’t worry about me,” he said.
“Of course I’m worried about you silly I don’t understand why you come to a demon fight with the gun,” I said.
Chase tried to laugh at my joke but the pain was too much so it came out strangled.” Don’t laugh yet. Will have plenty of time to laugh later,” I said. I could hear behind me the sound of Demetrius fighting the other ogre but I knew that my freezing spell would not last long with this one.
“Are you gonna be okay?” I asked Chase. He nodded his head yes, so I went back into the fray.
Tall dark and gruesome or ogre to head Demetrius pinned to the wall Demetrius his eyes were glowing green and I could see the smoke coming from the ogre’s hands. Demetrius was heating up body temperature trying to burn the ogre, but it seemed to have no effect on him. I use my magic to rain fire on his back hoping that the combination of the heat we were both generating would get him to let Demetrius go.
“Ali can you get us out of here?” I asked him.
“I don’t know we need to be closer together,” he said.
If I could just get Demetrius and I closer to chase, then Ali could teleport us all out of here. But I guess the ogres learn from last time because it seemed like they were purposely keeping us away from one another.
I touched the ring Demetrius and Dave me again using the amethyst to amplify my power I ensconced myself in a force field and went to where Demetrius and the monster stood. I placed my hands on the back of the monster intensifying the heat until he disintegrated into a pile of ashes.
“Come on let’s go estimation point” I screamed at Demetrius. Demetrius and I ran over to where Chase was on the floor last. But then we saw that the frozen over had gotten reanimated and was looming over Chase. “Get away from him I screamed” the ogre chuckled and I unleashed all my power on him vaporizing him as well into another pile of ashes. I ran over to chase, but it was too late. Chase was dead.
Chapter Thirteen
We made it to my house. Oddly had teleported us all. All of us except Chase his power didn’t allow him to transport the dead it was against his magic. I hated to leave Chase in that house, but there was nothing else we could do we needed to get out of there fast and find Tyler and as real.
And when I did I was going to kill him. Not only had he taken my son for me but now he had taken the man I loved as well. The adrenaline pumping through me with so much that I was unable to cry. My heart still raced as if I was in the heat of battle.
Demetrius and Ali looked battle worn as well. Demetrius is things were starting to heal bruises lighter than they were in the heat of battle. One of the great advantages of being a demon. I was banged up pretty bad as well and could feel it all the way down to my bones. I knew it would take a few hours for me to feel brand-knew, but I didn’t have that type of time. I need to define Tyler fast.
It was almost midnight and Tyler will be turning eighteen. I figured that’s why Asbury was not able to go through his whole plan. He needed Tyler’s full power as a man to execute his hellish vision on earth., But where could they be where would they go to amplify Tyler’s power? I asked myself.
Sheba came into the room me wing as if she was in morning herself. As if she knew what happened in the battle at my father’s house. I absentmindedly patted her on her head. When we teleported I made sure to have my mother spell book, but I had lost the lesser key. But that was of no matter at this point. What more could it tell us that as we all had already told us. They were going to use my son to bring about the end of the world as we know it and I wasn’t going to let that happen.
“Traylor are you okay?” Demetrius asked me touching my shoulder gingerly. I couldn’t find the words to say how I felt so I just looked him in the eye. I knew he could see it all there, he knew me better than anyone else.
“If it’s any consolation,” he said “I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?” I asked him.
“I should have never let him come with us, but he was insistent. He said if you were in trouble he needed to be there to help you.”
I shook my head and gave a rueful laugh. That sounded just like the chase I knew and loved. Even knowing he was going up against supernatural forces and he was only human he still ran in to save me. I didn’t know what I would do without him.
Ali grown from the couch. “I think I have an idea of where Tyler and your stepfather might be,” he said.
“Where?” I asked him.
“Where in this county do all delay lines run and intersect at?” He asked me.
Of course, I should have thought of it from the beginning the Ordinal House. All of the Ley lines converge there, that was where both Tyler and Azrael's magic would be the strongest. That’s where we needed to go.
Energized with this knowledge. I went into my room to throw some water on my face. To get me ready for the battle I knew was to come. Not just the battle for the world but a battle for the soul of my son. I knew deep down that he could choose whether he wanted to be evil or good. And he was just in the throes of an evil madman. Who was telling him the things that he had always
wanted to hear.
I blamed myself. I should have been there for him. And showed him the ropes. I was too afraid to use our magic that I caused this. But not anymore. If we got through this, I was going to teach Tyler how to be the supernatural being that he was meant to be. For him to follow his own path instead of a path set out by an evil madman who was hell bent on destruction.
I don’t know how I was going to convince him that reanimating Jacinda was wrong. I know that given the choice I might do the same thing for Chase. But that was a bridge I would have to cross when we got to it. First I was going to have to save him.
I walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet to cold. I needed the coal to shock me into reality. All of this seemed like a dream except for the very real bruises and pain I now felt. As I was splashing my face with water I heard the soft Paul steps of Sheba my cat. She jumped on the sink and rubbed her blank against my arm to comfort me. I rubbed her head in return.
“Sheba, I don’t know what I’m going to do when I get to Tyler.” I said to her. Sheba touched the grimoire of my mother that I had lying next to me on the sink when her paw touched the grimoire the grimoire lit up and glowed.
“You’ll know what to do when you get there,” Sheba said. I shook my head in confusion had I been so battle weary that now I was breaching the territory of insanity. Sheba had never talked to me before, this was impossible.
“I know what you’re thinking,” Sheba replied to my unasked question. listening further I realized the voice coming from Sheba was the voice of my mother. How could this be? I asked myself. Was it something in the grimoire that was making her talk.
“Traylor I’ve been watching you all along trying to take care of you and not knowing how. My powers are limited in this body. Before I died I created a spell that could take my soul and put it into the body of another. But my magic was too weak from disuse that I was unable to put it into the body of a human. But I knew your cat, your familiar, would be your constant companion and if I could transmute my soul into hers then I could always be with you and protect you,” She said.
I shook my head trying to get a ho.” He said
? What you mean? How could you?” I asked him again.
“It’s not what it seems.” He said. “Benjamin had gotten himself into the wrong crowd. He was with some kids who fancied themselves demon worshipers. They ran upon some bad magic and tried to do a summoning spell for a demon. Who they summoned was me. But before they had summoned me they had used Benjamin as a sacrifice. He thought they were his friends but they weren’t. When I was summoned I was angry and what they had done there is no need for human sacrifices. So, to give Benjamin back his life I possessed him.”
“I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” I said. “So are you telling me that right before we met you had possessed Chase’s brother.” I asked him.
“Yes, that’s what I’m telling you. I never knew go back to his family in the state that I was in. They would know he was different, that something had changed.”
“But they never have closure,” I said to him.
“I know and I’ve always felt bad about that, but I felt that I was giving him a second life. His life force is weak but it is still within this vessel. I can access memories of his past. However most of his actions them since I possessed him have been my because he was too weak to act out on his own volition.” He said to me. I didn’t know
I didn’t know what to think. On one hand, he had saved Benjamin’s life. But on the other hand, what type of life was Benjamin living. It was if it was as if he were a coma patient to where he could see and witness what was going on, but was not an active participant in his own life. This is not the time to dwell on this issue. I was glad Demetrius had told me. But we needed to find Tyler now.
“Demetrius, thank you for unburdening yourself of this. I didn’t know what to think when Azrael had told me that you were Benjamin. I thought the worst,” I said.
Ali stepped in between us and checked an imaginary watch on his wrist. “Guys, I hate to interrupt, but it’s getting late,” He said.
“You’re right,” I said. “Let’s go!”
Chapter Fourteen
We wanted lead to teleport us to the location, but he said that there was too much magic interfering with his ability to do so. So, we did the next best thing and had him teleport us to my shop. It seemed like ages ago since we were in here and Chase had told me about the case he was working on.
The location of the Ordinal House made it a target that was hard to sneak up on. It was literally across the street from my shop. It was midnight so there were no people milling around. So, we didn’t have to worry about that.
We peered out the shop window into the darkness of the night. I could make out two figures under the structure that made up the skeleton of the Ordinal House. The only remnant left of the original house. It wasn’t quite midnight yet.
“So, what’s the plan?” Demetrius asked me.
“I don’t know. I thought something might just come to me once we got here.”
“Well, we better think of one quick,” Lee said to us.
“You’re right.” I said.
“What if we all approached the Ordinal House at different angles?” Dimitri asked.
“That’s a great idea,” I said. “They won’t be expecting that.”
“That leaves one area unmanned,” Ali said. I put my head down as sadness washed over me aknew. We could have used Chase on this mission. Although it was just as dangerous as the one he had just embarked on and paid with his life for.
There were for major entrances although the whole structure was open but if we each took an entrance of the structure we could use our magic to enclose it there would be only one way out which would make it easier to save Tyler and to defeat the real and my stepfather.
We stalked our way to the frame of the house. Azrael still in the body of my stepfather and Tyler were so entranced by their own chanting they did not hear us creeping about. As we got closer I saw something that stopped me in my tracks. It was the figure of Chase’s body lying in the middle of the dust floor of the Ordinal House.
How could they? How could they desecrate his body like that? What did Azrael have in mind for him? I didn’t want to wait to find out.
We had all manned our stations Tyler and Azrael still did not notice us or if they did they work too deeply entranced to stop what they were doing. We all used our individual magic to create an enchanted wall on each of our sides to enclose them. I use my magic to ask for Lee project over to Tyler.
“Tyler stop this! You don’t know what you’re doing!” I said to him. Tyler continued to chant as if I had said nothing at all. I did a silencing spell and tried to stop the chanting, but that did not work either. Tyler and Azrael’s magic together was too strong for me to defeat.
I projected back into my body and ran over to where Demetrius was. “I can’t do this by myself,” I said to him.
“You know I will do anything I can to help. What do you want me to do?” He asked me.
I waved him over to where Ali was situated outside of the structure. I then ensconced us all in a protective force field. What I needed was the strength of their older magic combined with mine. In doing that it would leave them weaker and subject to danger, but it was the only way I could think of to defeat him.
“I’m down for anything you want to do,” Ali said. “We’re not just saving your son, we’re saving the world, both human and supernatural. Azrael would not be satisfied just to lead. He would make us all slaves beneath his feet. And I will not go through that again.” Ali said.
I was so happy and proud to have these two men by my side. We could and we would defeat him. We would never let Azrael’s vision for earth come to pass. There had to be a way supernaturals and humans could live at peace with one another. There had to be a way and without having to hide our powers and without them fearing us. That vision of a world was worth saving.
I closed my e
yes and siphoned the power from both of them. It felt like there were electrical pulses running through my veins. The power was almost unbearable to hold in. In response, my tattoos lit up white like lightning. The glow from them lit up the structure as if a million lights were on. I used that power and dug my hands into the dirt floor causing a reverberation into the firmament that shook Tyler and Azrael.
The earthquake I made shook them from their feet and they were unable to continue their chanting. Chase’s body still lay between them. “You can’t stop what we’ve already put in motion,” Azrael screamed.
“Tyler you don’t have to do this. Your father and I will show you the way. You can use your magic but not in this way. Don’t destroy this world,” I pleaded.
“You don’t understand,” he cried. “This is my destiny.”
“It doesn’t have to be. Your destiny is not written in stone. It is created by the choices you make.” I said to him.
“I don’t know what other choice to make,” he said tears running down his face. Looking at him now I saw the little boy that he was. I opened my arms to him and he walked towards me. Azrael roared in anger and then appeared between the two of us, using his magic.
He turned towards Tyler. “It will not be that easy to get out of this,” he said to Tyler and then he violently pushed him through the barriers of the Ordinal House breaking through our magic walls.
Tyler flew through the air and landed on the hard ground with a loud them. I saw no movement as he lay on the hard-packed soil, still. I screamed in rage at what Azrael had done.
“You leave my son alone!” I yelled at him as I unleashed the full fury of the power of myself, Demetrius, and Ali combined. The force of our magic opened a portal to the NetherRealm. I was going to send him back to hell one way or another. If it was the last thing I did.
Azrael pushed up against my magic. With the combined powers, we were equally matched, but I had another trick up my sleeve. I took the ring that I wore on my hand and dragged the sharp edge of the amethyst stone across his face and then punched him puncturing his skin. While he was injured I used my magic to further push him towards the portal it was as if I were pushing a boulder uphill, but I couldn’t stop for all our sake.
