Jason Willow: Face Your Demons

by G Mottram

  In a heartbeat, Dad dropped his wall and air-caged the demon once more.

  Jason whipped back around to Violet. What if she attacked them now? Dad couldn’t hold off two demons.

  However, it seemed there were other things on Violet’s mind. She knelt by the still smouldering body, its head in her hands and with one long, filthy fingernail she scooped out an eye. Jason turned away before she ate it.

  The training hall stilled. The searchlight behind Brash snapped off and red emergency lights flickered on. Low fires from the helicopter continued to burn everywhere, casting shadows over the spherical prison of air where Nazahirim silently writhed against the surface, his eyes flaring a furious red.

  ‘Good catch, Richard,’ Brash said, glancing at Nazahirim.

  Schmidt and Alicia moved to flank him, their weapons still out. Security guards moved to space themselves all around the hall now but their attention was torn between watching the black spirit squirm in its prison and staring at Violet playing with her victim’s head.

  ‘Tell me you haven’t done this willingly,’ Dad said. His shoulders were slightly hunched with the effort of keeping Nazahirim contained again.

  ‘Oh don’t sound so sanctimonious, Richard – Violet just saved your lives. And she’s so tame,’ Brash snapped his fingers once without taking his eyes from Dad’s.

  Violet’s head snapped around, her eyes narrowing to slits of burning hatred. A flash of tension in Brash’s face betrayed the struggle of wills between the Summoner and demon, then Violet stamped to her feet and sauntered over to Brash like a petulant child. She held on to the severed head by the remains of its ponytail and dragged it, bumping along, behind her.

  It made Jason feel sick. Violet was his friend, not some nameless soul that had been possessed by a demon. Somewhere, deep in her mind, did Violet know what she was doing?

  Brash took a step or two further into the room, his demon and shields walking in with him. Around the walls the guards shifted nervously, readying themselves for action. Violet was now looking curiously at Nazahirim struggling in Dad’s sphere.

  ‘You’re not going to make this difficult are you, Richard?’ Brash said. ‘This is the way forward - the key to finally cleansing the Brethren from the face of the Earth.’

  Dad shook his head, a bead of sweat running down his temple. He stared at Violet. ‘You’ve become the very thing we are fighting against…’

  ‘Don’t lecture me,’ Brash cut in, his rich voice thinning in anger. ‘The girl wasn’t anything before this and now she could live forever simply by… feeding. I have given her the knowledge of the ancients, the strength and powers to rule nations…’

  ‘She was your ward,’ Jason shouted, glaring at his mentor. ‘You were supposed to look after her, protect her. How could you…’

  ‘Don’t get upset, Jason,’ Brash’s cut in, a patronising smile playing on his lips. ‘I can get her back. I can redeem her - truly redeem her, not kill her. I’ve been able to summon for two years now although Violet is my first stab at joining a demon with a Gifted. I can make my friendly little demon hop out whenever I wish and young Violet can go back to being her boring, insignificant self.’

  ‘She will never be back to normal and you know it,’ Dad said, his voice hardly raised above a murmur.

  As Brash’s attention turned back to Dad, Marakoff whispered in Jason’s ear from his position just behind him.

  ‘We will need a hostage to get out. Anna is Brash’s daughter, yes?’

  ‘What?’ Jason whispered, hardly moving his mouth. ‘Yes she is but…’ Jason stopped to think. Was Brash such a danger now that he wouldn’t let them go?

  ‘Perhaps she won’t be without… memories,’ Brash said, his smile fading. ‘but a few need to be sacrificed to save the many. We’re losing the war, Richard – you’d know just how bad things are if you hadn’t been hiding for the last twenty years. We have to fight fire with fire to stop the Brethren spreading – set demon against demon.’

  ‘On three,’ Marakoff whispered, ‘when my foot touches yours, grab Anna and point your pistol to her head. I’ll cover the boy.’

  Dad seemed to know what was going on. He edged slightly away from Jason, drawing Brash’s attention. ‘ “Win at any cost.” That was always your way, Alan… but this time… you’ve gone too far.’

  Brash glanced down at Violet who was now pulling the tongue out from her prize head and his mouth thinned to a determined line. ‘Nothing can be “too far” if it means we win. I’ve simply joined Violet, a quiet, weakly Gifted girl, with Xaphan - a lowly second order demon, with a moderate penchant for fire...’

  Violet snapped her head up, eyes narrowed. Flame played around her fingertips but Brash ignored her and made a grand gesture towards the writhing black spirit Dad held captive. ‘…and by combining their powers they defeated a lieutenant of the abyss. Nazahirim is an old adversary of yours I believe, Richard – one you failed to destroy on a number of occasions despite your much lauded power all those years ago.’

  ‘One…’ Marakoff whispered, shaking his head and putting a conciliatory hand on Jason’s shoulder.

  Dad took a half step forward, keeping everyone’s attention on him. ‘The Watch will never allow this.’

  Brash laughed. ‘The Watch are desperate and I still have many friends there. When the Council see how my methods have wiped out everything the Brethren in Britain could throw at us they will welcome me back with open arms.’

  ‘Two…’ Marakoff whispered.

  ‘You planned all of this, didn’t you, you manipulative bastard?’ Dad said, edging closer to Brash and bringing Nazahirim’s air-cage with him. The security guards focussed on him and the demon spirit. ‘This whole bloody charade - luring Jason into the abbey as bait for the Brethren.’

  Brash shrugged. ‘Of course. I have to admit we were a little… taken aback by the number of agents and the level of equipment they could muster so quickly but that was kind of the point - to pull them all in.’

  Nazahirim’s prison sphere faltered momentarily as the demon threw itself against the walls. Brash snapped up one hand defensively but Dad gritted his teeth and the air shimmered solid again.

  Brash lowered his hand. ‘You are weak, Richard. Twenty years of hardly using your Gift will have taken you down to what… a quarter-strength… less?’

  Dad ignored the question. ‘You risked Jason’s life.’

  ‘Oh come now,’ Brash said, his hands opening wide in front of him, ‘there was no real risk. The Brethren wanted him alive.’

  Dad kept his voice very level. ‘Nazahirim was moments from possessing him…’

  Brash shook his head, his normally bouncy blonde hair, now heavy with dust. ‘Fair point,’ Brash said, nodding, ‘but we had contingency plans in place…’

  Brash’s eyes flicked to Jason’s transmitter pin. Puzzled, Jason looked down at the small, smiling monk’s face and yelped as a streak of silver blurred across his chest, flicking the transmitter away.

  Dad sheathed his Katana in the same motion.

  ‘Well done - you always were fairly handy with a blade, weren’t you Richard?’ Brash said. ‘The badge was only loaded with a paralysis drug, very low risk of any permanent damage.’

  ‘You are out of control, Alan,’ Dad began.

  ‘Three,’ Marakoff hissed and his foot flicked into Jason’s.

  Jason had no choice. He leapt behind Anna, grabbed her around the throat and put his pistol to her head. She tensed for a moment then, with visible effort, forced herself to relax.

  Eddie – confused, stepped towards them, but Marakoff drew a pistol from nowhere and he froze.

  Ilena was already in front of Dad, both her guns trained on Brash’s head.

  Like a delayed, knee jerk reaction, the guards around the walls snapped up their weapons.

  Stalemate again.

  Violet lazily raised her eyes up to Brash as she pulled out the tongue from her victim and began to chew on it. Her red eyes oozed
contempt.

  Brash carefully raised one hand. He was staring directly at Jason who held his daughter’s life within a quarter inch of trigger movement. ‘Disarm, Mr Schmidt.’ Brash said, calmly, as if he were announcing a break in cricket for tea. ‘Everyone will lay all their weapons on the floor and take four steps away from them.’

  Schmidt and his men followed Brash’s orders without hesitation. Brash turned to Dad. ‘There really is no need for this, Richard.’

  ‘We’re leaving,’ Dad said. ‘You’ll give us a vehicle and safe passage out of here.’

  ‘You’re making a mistake, Richard.’ Brash said, the smile slipping from his lips. ‘You’re dragging Jason back into a life of running, hiding - denying him his birthright to eradicate demons from our world. Together, the three of us would be unstoppable - we can turn the whole war around – take the fight back to the Brethren. We could scour the Carpathians, find the Rift and seal it off once and for all.’

  Brash stepped forward, a hopeful smile softening his face, his hands stretching out imploringly. ‘I can teach both of you to summon massively powerful demons from the very depths of the abyss, use them to hunt down...’

  ‘I am going to pass Nazahirim over to you now,’ Dad interrupted, not even looking at Brash but scanning the room, checking their exit route. Marakoff too, was searching along the walls, his brow slightly furrowed.

  Brash dropped his smile. ‘I already have a demon.’

  ‘Nazahirim is far too dangerous to be set free and you’re the only other one here strong enough to hold him,’ Dad said. ‘It’s just under two hours until dawn – holding Nazahirim will keep you occupied until the sun can do its work.’

  Inside his prison of solid air, the demon re-doubled its efforts to break free.

  ‘On three…’ Dad said, raising his half-cupped left hand. ‘One, two…’

  ‘Wait,’ Brash said.

  ‘… three,’ Dad opened his fingers and Brash’s hand shot out. Dad’s sphere disappeared and was instantly replaced by Brash’s.

  Dad slowly straightened up as if a mountain had been lifted from his shoulders. Nazahirim struggled violently in his sphere, eyes blazing and his body of black mist whipping around and around leaving trails of fire in its wake.

  Violet edged closer to Brash and stared up at her master like a cat waiting to sink its claws into an injured bird. Brash held a smile too set to be genuine. ‘Think, Richard.’ he paused for breath, glancing down at Violet and shaking his head. His lips thinned further as he fought to contain Nazahirim and retain mastery over Xaphan, the name he’d called the demon possessing Violet. ‘You will have nowhere to hide and no one to help you if you turn your back on me. Join us, this is the only way to win.’

  Dad ignored him. ‘Your men leave without their weapons. You radio ahead for a clear passage into the garages and…’

  Brash’s head dropped a fraction. His voice cracked just a little. ‘Richard, I’m not sure I can hold Nazahirim and control Xaphan.’

  Violet started plucking at his trouser leg with one razor sharp, elongated nail.

  Dad smiled coldly. ‘You’ll manage. Now tell your men to leave.’

  Brash held his pose for just a moment then straightened up. His voice returned to somewhere near its normal strength despite the sweat beginning to form on his forehead. He held Dad’s eye.

  ‘I may have to call your bluff here, old boy. Have you any idea how many armed men I have, how many of my own Gifted teams I’ve brought back in for this? You wouldn’t get half way up the drive if I didn’t want you to.’

  Dad’s voice came back, steady and cold. ‘We have your daughter at gun point.’

  Brash gave a short, harsh laugh and glanced at Jason and Anna. ‘Jason has my daughter at gun point. Anna is his friend and he owes her his life. Most importantly, he suffers from the same affliction of scruples as do you. Neither of you would harm a hair of her innocent head.’

  Marakoff suddenly slammed the butt of his pistol into Eddie’s temple, pushed Jason aside and locked one arm around Anna’s throat.

  Then he shot her.

  The bullet skimmed her forehead, burning a two inch welt across it. He moved the smoking muzzle to her temple. ‘The Willows are valuable to you, Brash and so enjoy some hope of safety. I however, was to be eliminated during this attack, yes? I need to leave and your daughter is my best hope of doing so. Tell your men to go.’

  Jason couldn’t believe it. Eddie lay unconscious and bleeding at his feet and Anna stood stock still with a gun to her head and blood dripping all down her face. Marakoff couldn’t kill her, he wouldn’t let him. Jason moved towards Marakoff but Dad stepped between them.

  ‘Enough,’ Brash said. Jason could have sworn a smile flashed across his lips. ‘Have it your way,’ he turned to Jason. ‘You see, Jason, I am not the only one who breaks the rules but at least I’m honest about it. There will always be a place for you with me, my boy, when you finally tire of your father’s hypocrisy and turning your back on those who need you.’

  ‘Save the speeches, Alan,’ Dad said, ‘you’re convincing no one,’

  ‘We’ll see,’ Brash said. He held Jason’s eye for a moment then simply said ‘Everyone out.’

  Schmidt led the security out through the wall at a jog as Brash tapped an ear piece that lay hidden beneath his now sweat-slick hair.

  ‘Jason Willow is to be allowed free passage out of the abbey – extend his access code. No one is to approach him or his party - two men, a woman and Anna Smith. Ready a Land Rover in front of the garages.’

  Brash touched his ear piece again to end the transmission. His sweating and just the merest twitch at the corner of his mouth, were all that showed he was under any strain at all.

  Violet still watched him whilst absently playing with her prize - this time stripping flesh off the skull and flicking it at Nazahirim’s prison.

  Alicia Sirensong stood quietly behind Violet, her face serene. Her twin machine pistols lay just a couple of steps from her black booted feet.

  ‘Don’t try to stop us,’ Dad said, ‘See Nazahirim burned, redeem this girl and give yourself up to the Council before…’

  ‘Before what, Richard?’ Brash snapped. ‘Before the Brethren manage to bring through a prince and the World ends? The Watch will stand with me and it will be you who has to “give himself up”. You can’t just wander around with someone as valuable as Jason in tow. After tonight, you will have the every low-life Brethren agent in the World desperate to be the one who brings in such a prize.’

  We’re leaving,’ Dad said.

  Jason took a last look at the demon that used to be Violet. Somewhere in there was the girl he knew. The demon raised one eyebrow back at him and winked.

  Brash breathed out deeply. ‘One day, Jason, you will understand why I have to do what I do. When that happens, join me – for the sake of all humanity, join me.’

  Jason didn’t even look at him but turned to follow Dad towards the blasted out doorway to the infirmary corridor. Marakoff and Ilena trailed behind, Marakoff limping backwards with Anna between him and Brash.

  ‘Release my daughter before you leave the village, Richard – it’s not safe in Drunken Abbot… the Brethren survivors are trying to escape through there and the gentle townsfolk are hunting down anything that moves.’

  ‘As long as your men are nowhere in sight,’ Dad said.

  ‘Oh they won’t be.’ Brash said. ‘Let her go at the pizza parlour – Jason knows where it is.’

  Jason gritted his teeth. How did Brash know that? So Tanya really had been part of the plan to draw him into the abbey. How far back did Brash’s planning go?

  ‘Concentrate Jason,’ Dad said and then they were out of the training halls and edging along the corridor illuminated only by faint, pre-dawn light.

  Ilena took over the lead. They saw no one, no one alive anyway. Jason tried not to look at the bodies pushed against the wall, there had been so much killing – Erin, Oliver, Carl and Sergeant Smi
th were all lying dead just a few rooms away. They’d all died to keep him alive and now he was turning his back on the war against the Brethren.

  Ilena made for the outside door at the far end but Marakoff called her back. ‘Wait, Ilena - we should try through the church. They will be less prepared for that.’

  Ilena nodded and ran up the shadowed steps to the church door. Jason caught his breath. A glimmerman had been waiting for him there less than an hour ago.

  ‘Clear’ Ilena called and they followed her up. Jason tapped in his code and pressed his thumb to the plate. The door clicked unlocked and Ilena edged it open with her foot, twin Kalashnikovs at the ready.

  Myers was waiting for them. He held a long barrelled pistol in one hand and a walkie talkie in the other. Two of the magnificent windows lay shattered over the floor and fresh air breathed through. Five black hooded bodies lay crumpled across the dais.

  Myers slowly holstered his pistol and stepped back, hands in the air. His eyes flicked over to Anna, still held by Marakoff, then back to Ilena who had him in her sights. ‘Good morning. Please come in, there is no one else here.’

  They stepped in carefully. The place did seem deserted and strangely peaceful - almost as if the night-long battle had never even happened. The church was even display-lit to best show off its stunning architecture and treasure-filled alcoves.

  ‘Please wait in the corridor,’ Dad said.

  Myers looked a little hurt but nodded genially. ‘As you wish, Mr Willow.’

  As he passed them he smiled sadly at Jason. ‘Look after yourself, Jason – I do hope to see you again.’

  And then he was out in the corridor and Dad closed the door. Jason wondered if he would ever see Myers again, or Eddie, Lance, Brash and Alicia or any of the others. Was this life, like all his others, to be totally left behind?

  ‘Stay focussed, Jason,’ Dad said, touching his shoulder. ‘We’re not out of here yet.’