Betrayal

by Amy Meredith

  ‘Alanna,’ Jess said.

  Eve nodded. ‘She knows I can get power from electricity. She did this.’ She pulled in a deep breath. ‘Doesn’t matter. I have juice. But it’s not like I plan on using it. Alanna’s still a human. She just better not try to hurt Luke. She does that, I’ll use everything I have.’

  ‘We’re going to park round the corner,’ Carlos said. ‘The squad will be watching, and be able to get to you in seconds whenever you need them.’ He radioed instructions back to the van.

  Eve scrambled out of the car. Callum and Carlos started to get out behind her. ‘No,’ she told them. ‘You’re staying here too. This is my town. This is my responsibility. This is my fight.’

  ‘You’re going to let me help though, right?’ Jess asked as she stepped out of the limo. ‘I want to bring my kung-fu down on Alanna. I’ve never trusted her.’

  ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ Callum said, peering out though the open door. ‘Jess, you don’t have any training.’

  ‘She has training. On-the-job training,’ Eve shot back. ‘She’s been with me for every demon fight. And she’s going to be with me now.’ She grabbed Jess’s hand, and they ran down the dark street and round the corner.

  Eve could see flames on the old Medway property. As she and Jess raced through the gate and across the wildly overgrown lawn, she realized that Alanna had placed torches on either side of the ancient stone portal.

  When they reached the portal, Eve’s eyes darted back and forth as she tried to take in everything at once. Alanna leaned against the stone arch, all casual, a little smile on her smug face.

  And Luke! Luke lay on the ground, his hands and feet bound with rope. But even worse than that was the figure who stood over him. Eve tried to see who – or what – it was, but a hood was drawn way down over the face. Could it be Simon? That was definitely the demon-hunting sword he held pressed against Luke’s throat.

  The portal was definitely open. The web of power that Eve had placed across it months ago had always given off a slight electric buzz. That sound was gone now. Was Alanna going to call something out of there that she’d have to fight? She’d probably learned some methods of summoning demons while she was with the Order.

  ‘I’ve been waiting a long time for this,’ Alanna said. ‘And I’ve been looking forward to it.’ She pushed herself away from the arch, but didn’t move closer to Eve.

  Jess touched Eve’s arm, drawing her attention over to Luke. He kept looking back and forth from the portal to Alanna. He was trying to tell her something, but Eve wasn’t sure what. Maybe that Alanna had opened the portal. She gave him a little nod then turned her full attention back to Alanna.

  ‘What do you want?’ Eve said. ‘Just say it and let’s get this over with.’

  ‘Feisty,’ Alanna commented. ‘You’ve always been a feisty little girl.’ She took one step closer to Eve. ‘Here’s what I want. I want to kill you.’

  ‘You’ll have to go through me,’ Jess told her.

  ‘I thought you’d be way too mad at Eve for ruining your prom dress,’ Alanna said. ‘But if you want me to kill you too, I suppose I can manage it.’

  ‘It was you who destroyed my dress!’ Jess burst out, furious.

  ‘And you stole the sword too!’ Eve cried – the sword, which was now pressed against Luke’s throat. Eve didn’t allow herself to glance back over at him. She couldn’t get distracted. Not now.

  ‘I had a little help,’ Alanna said. ‘Sadly, I wasn’t able to do everything by myself, much as I’d have loved to.’

  Eve glanced at the hooded figure. It must be Simon. He must have been helping Alanna with everything, from killing the animals to destroying Jess’s dress.

  ‘Why would you do that?’ Jess demanded. ‘I know you don’t like me, but that’s what you spend your time doing? Mutilating dresses?’

  Alanna said with a shrug, ‘I thought it would be nice to force you and Miss Eve into a fight. That way, your friend wouldn’t get any help from you or—’ She jerked her head at Luke.

  ‘Well, it didn’t work,’ Jess snapped.

  ‘It almost did, admit it,’ Alanna teased her. ‘You thought your little friend was jealous enough to ruin your pretty dress.’ She looked over at Eve. ‘You should know that I had your boyfriend convinced you were dangerous and evil. It wasn’t hard. That distrust was already in him.’

  Luke gave a sound of protest through his gag. Alanna wagged her finger at him. ‘Now, now. You know it’s true. I saw it on your face. You believed that Eve called those vulture demons to her. You believed she stole your sword. You believed everything I wanted you to believe.’ She winked at Eve. ‘If that’s not love, what is?

  ‘So what do you think, Eve? I like the idea of battling you without your entourage. After all, my last fight with the Deepdene Witch was one-on-one.’

  Alanna was getting crazier by the second. ‘We’ve never fought,’ Eve told her.

  ‘Not you. Great-great-great-grandma.’

  Eve’s mind raced for a second, then understanding slammed through her. She stared in horror at Alanna. ‘You’re the girl. I mean, you’re the demon. The demon the Deepdene Witch zapped hard enough to bury inside a human.’

  ‘Ah, there you go. You figured it out. Finally. You’re feisty, but you aren’t exactly quick, are you?’ Alanna asked.

  ‘A demon. Well, now a lot of things about you are making sense!’ Jess exclaimed, awesome as always. Eve was going to make sure nothing bad happened to her.

  ‘You want to fight me alone. Fine. Let’s do it.’ Eve met Alanna’s gaze directly. ‘Let Luke and Jess go. You said you didn’t want them with me.’

  ‘Oh, they’re already here. I think they should be allowed to watch,’ Alanna said. ‘Not that it will take long. I’ve studied your fighting style, and you were nice enough to tell me some titbits I didn’t know, like the way you can suck down electricity. Killing you won’t be difficult. You’ve noticed I shut off the power in town.’

  Jess started to rush at Alanna, but Eve caught her by the arm. Alanna laughed. ‘I’m happy to use her as a warm-up before the main event.’

  ‘No. You said it was me you wanted. Just me.’ She kept her grip on Jess’s arm.

  ‘I did go to a lot of trouble for that,’ Alanna mused, then gave another little shrug. ‘She can fight or she can watch or she can run. It doesn’t really matter.’

  ‘Let Simon go too.’

  ‘Simon? I almost laughed when I heard he was the one you suspected. No, Simon’s not my helper. Doesn’t matter who it is. Time to dispose of him anyway. Possessing him takes too much strength.’

  Eve gasped as Alanna reached towards Luke. She didn’t touch him. Instead, she made a grabbing motion in the air, and the hooded figure slumped to the ground with a grunt, dropping the sword.

  ‘No!’ Jess cried, cringing as the sword clattered on the ground. The hood slipped off, revealing Peter’s face, unconscious. Jess rushed over and dropped to her knees next to her little brother. ‘How could you do this to him?’ she cried.

  ‘He was the perfect choice,’ Alanna answered. ‘Possessions are a little tricky, but I had an in, since your friend there had frightened Peter so badly back when she was fighting Amunnic. A few emails and phone calls about my fears for anyone around Eve, and he was nice and loosened up. It wasn’t hard to take it from there.’

  ‘Possession? You possessed Peter?’ Jess shouted. Eve could see she was torn between staying at her brother’s side and attacking the demon.

  ‘Mmm-hmm. It was so convenient,’ Alanna told Jess. ‘Peter had no problem getting inside your house to destroy the dress, because he lived there. And it was easy to have him feed you the lies that made you doubt Eve more and more.’

  A rush of nausea passed through Eve as she realized what had happened. ‘You made him kill all those animals for the ritual too!’ she cried.

  ‘Oh, I had him do all kinds of things. The ritual was crucial, obviously. I’ve been waiting to fight
you for so long, and when the Order put up the barrier it did create an additional … challenge. Just as it kept you in, it kept me out. I knew I needed someone inside the town to get rid of it for me. Peter summoned those vulture demons in the gym, too. When I heard about that slimy demon you fought, I realized the ritual had also knocked down the barrier over the portal. Those birds were a great way to make Luke trust you even less.’

  Luke gave another grunt of protest. Alanna picked up the sword. ‘Time for me to get my life back. I’ve been waiting a hundred years for the new Deepdene Witch to appear. That’s why I joined the Order. I knew they would have the information I needed to find you and the details about what I would have to do to be free. And it turned out to be easy. Kill you. That’s all I have to do.’

  ‘Then why don’t you stop talking and bring it on?’ Eve challenged. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jess rise to her feet. ‘Stay with Peter. He needs you,’ she called. ‘Alanna wants this one-on-one, which is fine with me!’

  More than fine. All Eve wanted was to take Alanna down.

  Alanna raised the sword up, both hands wrapped around the hilt. Then she rushed at Eve, bringing the blade down, aiming for the top of her head.

  Eve ducked, and threw out both hands, shooting lightning into Alanna’s belly. Alanna screeched. As Eve spun to the right, Alanna followed her motion with the blade, making a thin, shallow cut on Eve’s side.

  Eve gasped in pain. It felt like the sword was carved from dry ice. It was so cold, it almost felt hot. Steam billowed from the cut as Eve backed up. She needed a little distance from Alanna. The range of Eve’s power was a lot longer than the range of Alanna’s sword.

  Alanna shook her head, her hair going from smooth and sleek to snagged, coarse and greasy. ‘That feels wonderful!’ Her voice had changed too, deepened and roughened.

  As Eve continued to back up, Alanna advanced, swinging the sword in wide, whistling arcs. Eve took aim at one of Alanna’s shoulders. Alanna twisted her body and intercepted the lightning with the sword. Balls of fire bounced off the blade. One grazed Eve’s cheek as it sped back.

  She’d already been hit twice, and hadn’t managed a successful attack on Alanna. ‘You’re doing half my fighting for me!’ Alanna crowed in that horrible new voice of hers. Her mouth opened in a manic grin and Eve could see dozens of sharp little teeth. The demon was coming out! With each blow Alanna struck, she was regaining more of her demonic self.

  Eve aimed her next blast low. She shoved her power out in a straight stream. It sizzled as it hit Alanna’s kneecap. Eve kept blasting. Alanna howled with pain, but she managed to get the blade in the path of Eve’s power. For a moment it was like a laser light show. A thin red line of fire hitting the sword, then being shot back at an angle.

  Eve raised her hands, bringing the stream of power up. Alanna followed it with the sword, and her power continued to shoot back towards her.

  Her hands! I have to go for her hands, Eve realized. If she could get Alanna to drop the sword, she could turn this round.

  She did something she hoped Alanna wouldn’t expect. She hurled herself at the demon. In a split second she was upon her, wrapping her hands round Alanna’s. Eve was so close, Alanna couldn’t get the space she needed to strike.

  Alanna’s skin went red as Eve sent her power right into the demon’s hands. Eve could see the bones glowing white-hot. But Alanna didn’t drop the sword. Eve needed more power. But Alanna had taken away every source.

  Then suddenly Alanna stamped on Eve’s instep. Startled, Eve stumbled back, losing her grip, and before she could recover, Alanna was on her, slashing, slashing. She got Eve on the thigh, and then on the calf of the other leg. Both wounds turned numb with cold, making it hard for her to keep her balance.

  ‘I should have let you bring your friends to the fight,’ Alanna called, her skin withering as she spoke, withering and taking on a sickly yellow-white tone. Her pupils widened until they blocked out the irises, and the whites of Alanna’s eyes turned red. ‘You obviously need backup.’

  ‘I’m coming in!’ Jess yelled.

  ‘No!’ Eve shouted. ‘Stay with Peter.’ Alanna was beating her despite her powers. Jess wouldn’t stand a chance.

  When Alanna slashed at her again with the sword, Eve managed to leap over it. But when she landed, her numb legs wouldn’t support her. She fell onto her back.

  Alanna stepped up and put her foot on Eve’s chest. She was almost fully transformed now, her back humped, talons where her perfectly manicured nails had been.

  Eve glimpsed something behind Alanna. She couldn’t see well from the ground, but she thought the Order squad was approaching.

  ‘The things I’m going to do now that I’m rid of that weak body,’ Alanna crowed, and as she spoke droplets of acid dripped from her mouth, landing on Eve and slowly beginning to burn through her clothes. ‘I know the location of every known portal. I’m going to use the ritual to free every demon in existence. This world will finally be ours!’

  A branch cracked, as if someone had stepped on it. Alanna jerked her head towards the sound, the pressure of her foot lessening. Eve rolled out from under it, breathing hard.

  ‘Callum!’ Alanna exclaimed, spotting the Order head. ‘What a surprise! How does it feel knowing you had a demon right in the heart of the Order without ever realizing it? A demon who is going to destroy everything the Order has built.’

  ‘You were deeply buried inside the girl,’ Callum answered calmly. ‘We never suspected you. Things will be different now that you’ve revealed yourself. You know many of the Order’s secrets, but you have no idea of all we’re capable of.’

  As Callum spoke, Eve used both hands to shove herself upright. She swayed on her unsteady legs, catching sight of Jess, Peter and Luke, crowded together at the base of the portal.

  Alanna had tried to take away the people she loved. She’d used Peter as a puppet, making him do horrible things, making him perform the hideous ritual that allowed her to enter Deepdene. She’d tried to make Luke and Jess hate Eve. Hate her! Eve was not going to let Alanna win, no matter how hurt she herself got in the process. Hot power exploded inside her, her love for her friends more of a power boost than any session at the power plant. It banished the coldness from her body.

  With a shout of fury, Eve launched herself at Alanna. The demon was facing Callum, and that allowed Eve to grab her from behind. She locked her hands together, pulling Alanna back against her. The sword couldn’t touch Eve now.

  Her power erupted with a light so bright and white it blocked out everything else. It shot from her entire body. She could feel it flying from the ends of her hair, shooting from her belly, her head, her arms, her legs.

  It felt like her body was dissolving into pure power. Like soon there’d be nothing left of her.

  If it killed Alanna, it would be worth it.

  Eve didn’t hold back. She turned herself over to the power. The world went silent – white and silent.

  Then, faintly, she heard Jess calling her name. Eve followed the sound back. It felt as if she was returning from another galaxy.

  She managed to blink, then blink again. The blinding white blur that surrounded her faded. Eve stared around, drinking in the sight of Luke, and of Jess, cradling Peter in her arms, of the portal, Callum and Carlos, of the squad who had come to her rescue.

  She didn’t see Alanna anywhere. ‘Where is she?’

  Jess pointed to the ground. When Eve looked down, she saw the sword – the sword and some bloody shreds of flesh and tiny bits of bone.

  ‘That was … astonishing,’ Callum said, eyes wide.

  ‘Yeah,’ Eve agreed. All she felt at that moment was empty, as if she’d been hollowed out. Killing Alanna had almost killed her too.

  ‘Well, we have a lot to discuss, but for now, let’s get the portal closed up.’ Callum waved over the other members of the Order. They all formed a line in front of the arch and began to chant.

  ‘Eve!’ Jess called agai
n.

  The sound of her voice pierced Eve’s numbness. She hurried over to her friends. ‘Is Peter OK?’ she asked Jess.

  Jess nodded, her eyes shiny with unshed tears. ‘He’s in and out, but he’s OK.’

  Eve turned to Luke. He’d managed to work the gag free and spit it out. ‘I was wondering if my girlfriend could untie me,’ he said, his voice husky. ‘If she’s through saving the town – again.’

  ‘On it.’ Eve went to retrieve the sword. Girlfriend. He’d called her his girlfriend. Girlfriend had to be the most wonderful word in the world – at least it was when Luke was saying it about her.

  She returned to him and knelt down. ‘By the way, it wasn’t just the town this time. It was the world. Didn’t you hear Alanna say she was going to release all the demons and take over the planet?’ she asked as she carefully used the sword to cut Luke free.

  ‘Are you OK?’ he asked, running his fingers down her cheek as soon as his hands were released. ‘Saving the world. That’s quite a job.’

  ‘I think I’m OK,’ Eve said. ‘I had these numb spots from getting cut by the sword, but they feel all right now.’ She felt her side, where the blade had sliced her. Her skin felt smooth and warm. ‘What about you?’

  ‘Well, physically I’m fine. But I feel pretty stupid. Alanna manipulated me so easily,’ Luke replied. ‘In addition to the world-saving, you think you could manage to forgive me?’

  ‘Absolutely,’ Eve told him. She balanced the sword across her open palms and held it out to him. ‘This belongs to you.’

  Luke’s green eyes were solemn when he took the sword from her. ‘I’ll always be there, with this sword, whenever you need me,’ he promised.

  ‘Eve,’ Callum called. Reluctantly she looked away from Luke. ‘We’ve done what we can to seal the portal. We need you to finish it off. Do you think you have enough power left?’

  That explosion of power had left her feeling somehow cleansed inside, scrubbed clean. But she could feel a spark in the centre of her ribcage. ‘Let me try,’ she answered.