I asked, “How did you find out where they were?”
“Someone that used to be loyal to the Red Cavern is helping us. He joined the Sendals but we can still track him. This information is as good as gold.”
Hmm. Were the demons at the Red Cavern setting me up? It seemed too good to be true that they were relaying information to me in good faith.
It was in their best interest to eliminate the Sendals considering the Spirits were a direct threat to everyone. However, trusting a devil or demon still didn’t seem like a good practice to start.
I warned him, “I better not find out you are lying.”
“If I’m lying, the entire city is in danger. And don’t think they will stop at that. Humans will be driven out of all the cities eventually. People will become dependent on the Sendals to keep them alive. A starving man will do just about anything for a morsel of food even if it tastes like shit. They will turn the human race into slaves. There is no reason for me to lie to you.”
“You must have a lot of faith in me. Why would you depend on me? It might be a good idea to give me some help.”
He shook his skull. “The devils aren’t prepared to lose anyone over this. They are poised to move to another city.”
I argued, “But you just said that the Sendals will just go to the next city, and the next after that. Here’s the deal. I’m going down there tonight. I will have a small crew joining me, but we very well might lose. It would be wise for the Cavern to throw us some expendables. If not, you might as well go back to your underworld and get comfortable.”
He stood up tall, puffed his big chest out, and straightened his pinstripe suit jacket. “I will give this message to the devils. I know the devils and would instruct you not to hold your breath on the matter. I’ve never wished a human good luck in a fight before, because I’m usually the one fighting them. Good luck, kid, because you’re going to need it.”
Kind of a backhanded compliment. I didn’t want to believe the truth and face reality. My ragtag crew was no match for the Sendals. I didn’t want to put anyone else’s life in danger and thought about going alone.
Aka Manah shifted back into Socrates and waddled up my steps, shivering in his burgundy robes, and jumped into the back of the Hummer limo with a helpful push on the backside from the werewolf chauffeur.
Two vamps, a wizard, a mage and a Normal. We didn’t walk into a bar, but we were clearly outclassed by a group of ancient spirits. Then I tried to figure out what we would do with Satoku during the battle. I couldn’t leave her alone or take her with us. Both were too dangerous.
I debated whether I should call Gretchen for backup from the po po. Considering none of their conventional weapons had worked on the stone men, they would be useless against the spirits. I now had issues with my father, my girlfriend and my best friend. Not a good mental place for a wizard who’s about to go into battle.
I needed to go somewhere to get my head in a better place. I settled on a spot that I had been neglecting since I’d moved to Pittsburgh. Life moved so fast, it seemed like I had only blinked once, and a year disappeared off the calendar.
I finished making the insurance claim and went back home to get ready for my little trip.
A few hours later, I dropped down to my right knee, staring at the tiny gravestone at the cemetery in West Virginia. Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t peruse the area to make sure I was alone. At this point, I didn’t care who heard me.
The two-foot rectangular stone was succumbing to the elements and chipping in certain areas. The dull gray marker only had a few fading words etched in to it.
In Loving Memory
Brighid Parker Boyle Merlino
Mother. Wife.
That was it. My mother deserved better.
“I know it’s been a while since my last visit. I wish I could come more. I’m lying, I probably could come more, but I convince myself that I’m too busy to do it. I feel like a terrible son. You raised me better than that. I love you. Miss you like crazy too. If you don’t know by now, dad busted out of jail. He’s running with some dark spirits right now and he’s on a quest to kill me. But he’s not going to. I hate to say it, but I have to put a stop to him. He’s gone past the point of no return. He sold his soul, probably a good deal for him.” I chuckled, knowing my mother would have enjoyed the verbal jab.
“I’m doing it for you. I’m doing it for all the times he hit you. Maybe a little bit for all the times he hit me too. I wish I had done this a long time ago. Maybe you wouldn’t be gone if I had. I know about the night you died. I know that dad hit you that night. And I know that you ran out of the house and ended up in Houlihan’s Square. And everyone knows that George killed you. Most people don’t know that he was a crafty warlock. He probably used mind control on you to lure you into his territory before he—did what he did. Enough of that talk. I hate to sound grim but my life’s pretty gritty these days. Taking care of the people of Pittsburgh is a rough job. In the rare event that things don’t go the way I want, you need to know that I love you more than anything. Just as much today as the last day I saw you. I remember it like it was happening in front of me right now. I always think about what could have been. What should have been. You should still be with me. I’ve finally made something of my life and I know you’d be proud of me. I’m running my own business and everything. I was hoping dad would be proud of me, but that didn’t go so well. I’m having problems with my girlfriend right now. Sure would be nice to have you around to give me some advice. I really hope we can work things out. I really like her and she’s good for me. I’m going to start visiting you more often, I promise. I sometimes wonder if you went into Houlihan’s Square on purpose that night, just to get away from all that nonsense. I wouldn’t blame you one bit, that’s for sure. I missed you like crazy after it happened, but hopefully you were and are in a better place now. I love you, mom. You’re everything that’s good about me and I’ll never forget it. I’ve got to go do something I’m not very proud of, but I must get rid of a necessary evil. Our evil. He won’t hurt anyone anymore.”
I stood up and took a few deep, chest quaking breaths. I didn’t want to tell her about the fact that my father had turned to murdering police officers after escaping from jail. My head buzzed as the chilly winter air danced on my scalp. I blew a kiss to my mother, held back the tears, and headed toward my car.
I tried to concentrate on the upcoming battle, but my thoughts were scattered more than ever now. I got into my car and got out on the highway. I still wasn’t sure if I wanted to call Gretchen for help from the Pittsburgh Police. The more I chewed on it, I realized having cop blood on my hands wouldn’t bode well for my future in this city.
The police wouldn’t be able to do anything with their conventional weaponry anyway. Best-case scenario was that they would scare the bad guys away from the sirens. Looked like it was up to my ragged crew and me. My heart of hearts still held out hope that Alayna would come through with some badass creatures from the Deep Burrow to help, but I was preparing to fight without them.
Someone in a black Cadillac zoomed up on my ass. After it had ridden my tail for about thirty seconds, I figured out it was my friends, Ernesto and Victor, who finally went to pass me. I prepared to flip the driver off, but he didn’t zip past me. Instead, I heard a loud metal thunk and my tires screeched as my car was jolted into the emergency thunder strip, adding another element that surprised me.
I held the wheel steady, turning slightly to the left, not jerking the wheel and ending up in the left-hand lane. The joker had hit my rear passenger door, and I looked in the rearview mirror to find the car. Another thud of metal on metal was followed by a wailing scratching sound. The rearview mirror showed my bumper skidding across the road and into the concrete raised impediment in the middle of the highway, leaving a trail of bright orange sparks in its wake.
A silver Honda swerved out of the left lane to avoid the long bumper. Alright, where you at, Ernesto? The terrible dr
iver seemed to be going for the rear quarter-panel trick, but his aim was terribly off. I couldn’t find the hitman for the spirits as I craned my neck around while keeping an eye on the road ahead.
No black Cadillac anywhere. Almost as if it had vanished. They didn’t scare me, they got my blood boiling for a good brawl. The tiger inside roared, ready for battle. I flew the rest of the way home, continually checking for the men in black to come back but they never did.
I’d called everyone and told them to meet at my house so we could all roll downtown together. I walked through the front door and found Carolyn, Reg, Satoku, Felix and Colossus in my living room. “Thanks to all of you for doing this. I’m not going to lie, some of us might not come out of here alive. If you want to back out now and avoid that risk, I would totally understand.”
The room remained silent. I turned to Satoku, and said, “Can I talk to you for a minute in the kitchen?”
“Sure.”
Chapter 26
COLOSSUS FOLLOWED US into the kitchen, scurrying around on the linoleum near our feet. I took a deep breath, and said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything. I know I don’t always say the right thing and I have this stuff with my dad hanging over my head, but that’s no excuse.”
I moved closer and gave her a gentle hug. It felt so right again, and her flowery perfume wafted into my nostrils. She rubbed her silky fingers up my arms as I continued, “I know I messed up and I totally understand if you want to be with...” I gestured very conspicuously with my head toward Felix.
A confused look came over her face and her eyes narrowed. I whispered, “Felix.”
She burst out laughing and spun around, tapping her knee. I didn’t get the joke. She clued me in, and said, “We’re just friends. He has a girlfriend anyway. I tried a bunch of times. Ha, just kidding.”
I got that joke. It was like a ten-ton weight had been lifted from my shoulder. Sorry Atlas. Too soon? Confirmation that nothing had been going on between them while she was staying with Felix sent a surge of energy though my sore body.
I asked in a playful manner, “So are you going to stay mad at me forever?”
“Hmm, that’s a tempting offer, but I think we can get past this. Asking him to come down here to help was a big step for you.” She leaned up and pressed her velvety lips against mine.
I planted my hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer. Her luscious lips danced on my bottom lip, pulling it in and finishing with a quick lick of her tongue. She wrapped her arms around my neck, brushing her velvety cheek against mine, and everything seemed right again.
I whispered, “Take this.” I slipped her a spray bottle of the magic mist. “Spray it on yourself to disappear so you can stay safe while we’re down there.”
If I could avoid getting killed tonight, maybe we could get back on the right track. Big if, but now I had extra motivation. We finished our cuddling and rejoined everyone in the living room. I went upstairs to get my gear on and grab my weapons. The protection suit felt weird at first, but once I began to move around, I got used to it.
We took two cars down to the city and parked three blocks away from the U.S. Steel Building/Tower. My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. Text message from Jonathan.
He said he was ready to start the ceremony and would wait for me. I let him know that I wouldn’t be able to make it and told him to carry on without me. Thankfully, he agreed, and I hoped he could thin out the herd of Sendal Spirits before we got into the Tower.
I turned to Satoku, “What are you going to do?”
Her eyes widened in terror. “I’m not leaving you guys and staying in the car, that’s for sure.”
I agreed, but that added another worry to the situation. “Make sure to use the mist to stay hidden. It will hide all your clothes and anything you are holding.”
Even with the invisibility, I anticipated a lot of flying shrapnel. I’d be more concerned about her getting injured from the collateral damage than killing bad guys. Receiving killing clearance from the Gods was great, but I still needed to be careful not to kill any innocent people. Surprisingly, the streets were free of traffic.
We started heading toward the tower and I found out why. The earth was shaking from a horde of stone men marching toward us. The men in black were also interspersed with the stone men that had been raised from the dead. There were about a hundred of them, and the magic thickened the air.
I took a few deep breaths, pulled my triskele amulet out and kissed it for good luck. I tucked it under all my layers, and the suit held it firm near my heart. I quickly turned to Reg and Satoku and handed each of them one of my enchanted knives for protection.
“Do not lose those. If either of you do, I’m a dead man. No pressure. Satoku, make sure to stay behind us in a crouched position so we can take the impact of whatever comes at us. The knife will disappear if you are holding it.” I winked at Satoku, and touched the grip on my sword and the knife next to it for reassurance.
The small army controlled by the spirits got within a block and I looked at the cloudy sky with snowflakes falling to the ground. I took in the chill and crafted a frozen wall in front of us. It wouldn’t stop the opponents, but it would slow them down so we could formulate a plan.
“I formed a wall in front of us. Felix, see if you can reinforce it so we can come up with a plan.”
The mage closed his eyes and bright blue gusts of wind came shooting from his fingertips. Felix opened his eyes as a heavy force crashed into the temporary shield. I looked around. Carolyn had her fingernails out, and Reg had the fire in his eyes that I’d grown to love. Satoku was crouched behind us and Felix appeared ready to go.
The wall was cracking under the stress of the enemy’s magic. “Felix, you and I will go up front and defend everyone against what they throw at us. Reg, hit them with some fireballs. Carolyn, not sure what you are capable of, but you know what to do.” I looked at Felix, “Let’s hit them with an invisible wave of fire.”
I felt Felix’s warmth and noticed he didn’t have his wand on his person, only a curved blade sword resting in its scabbard. The wall finally collapsed, and Felix and I flung the flaming magic at the stone men in black. It crashed into the front of the crowd, knocking down a bunch of men until the more advanced practitioners sensed it and deflected it away from them.
Carolyn, the maniac, rushed into the mix making it harder for me to target some flaming purple orbs. I peeked back at Satoku, who had a frightened look on her face, and turned back to the action. A wave of complicated magic came hurtling toward us. I turned around to Satoku, “Spray yourself. Now.”
I could see a grid of bright green lines, intersecting with straight multi-colored lines. Oh no, it was a net. I fired my purple orbs toward the enemy so I could go in another direction. I reached into the defense bag and pulled out a spell to counteract the net.
The remaining enemy kept pushing us back, and although we had taken out about half of the men, that left the strongest ones. I kept checking for Satoku as a power pocket crushed into me, forcing me back even further. This was not looking good. How did they build this big an army in only a few days?
I heard a distorted voice coming from a distance behind me, “Hold them off for a little longer.”
I looked over my right shoulder at a surprising sight. The Jersey Devil, Aka Manah and a swarm of ugly demons, who had never looked so beautiful, stomped down the road toward us.
The Jersey Devil led the pack and fired a bolt of lightning from his wooden staff. It broke the net around us, and the variegated electricity smashed into a group of stone men, instantly charring them.
The demons swung the tide back in our favor and I saw Carolyn emerge from the other side, blood splattered all over her. She spun around with a low side swipe and shredded straight through a man’s midsection, and he fell to the ground in pieces.
Reg was emboldened and raced around on his wheelchair about ten times faster than I had ever seen him. The vampire ju
ices were already kicking inside him. I was waiting for sparks to shoot off the wheels as he cruised up to a man in black, tucked and rolled forward, did a front hand plant, holding himself and his chair upside down and unleashed an invisible (I could see it) spinning blade shaped like a buzz saw.
The man in black didn’t see it coming until the blade made contact and blood shot out of his chest, showering the snow on the street. Reg pushed down, flipped around and sprung back upright in an amazing feat, the likes of which I’d never seen before.
He burrowed into the enemy as the demons rushed into the fray. A reptilian palm landed on my shoulder. The Jersey Devil said, “You gotta get inside and kill the Sendals. We can take this from out here and the more damage you do, these vessels will lose power. Go.”
I took two steps and stopped. Satoku. I ran over to her. “Keep spraying that stuff. The effects must be getting weaker over time. I have to go in the building to fight the spirits.” I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t find Felix to ask him to keep an eye on her as Carolyn rushed over.
The vampire said, “Go. I’ll protect her. Go. Go.”
I had trusted her with my life before, so why should this be any different? I kissed my girlfriend and moved to phase two.
I stopped, spotting Ernesto and Victor. I took one out of Reg’s book and conjured up a blade of fury. The two men didn’t see me, and it felt kind of cheap to catch them off guard, but that was what battles were. Head on a swivel.
I waited until they were in a straight line and heaved the rotating blade at the two nuisances. The buzz saw zipped through the cold air, leaving a trail of steam in its path. Ernesto still hadn’t detected the blade as it buzzed through his neck and continued toward his associate.
Victor turned but didn’t have time to get out of the way as the blade took his head clean off. His body crumpled to the ground, steaming blood pouring from the neck. That was what happened when you tried to kill me.
Bloodline Awakened Supernatural Thriller Series: Books 1-3 Page 38
