by Lola StVil
We call out to Pryor but it’s like she doesn’t hear us. From the look on her face she is picturing the horror she walked in on when she found Sam laying dead. She’s too wrapped up in her emotions to stay clearheaded.
She could lose this battle...
Harm holds the chain out and whips it towards Pryor. It extends and wraps itself around her waist. She cries out as the chain eats through her clothes, and then her flesh. It’s as if a rope laced with acid is binding her.
Harm yanks on the chain and brings Pryor down to the ground. I bang on the invisible barrier, but it doesn’t break. Bex and the rest of the team pound on it too, but the “fight or flight” line remains intact. Harm looms over her while letting out a cold, twisted laugh.
“Pryor, damn it, get up!” I scream at her.
She starts to stir a little. Harm could have let the chain eat through her until she died, but he was too sadistic to let her off that easy. He takes the chain from around her waist and placed it around her neck. He yanks on it yet again and hurls her to the other side of the barrier.
We call out to her to get up before Harm gets to her again, but she barely has enough energy to unwrap the chain from her neck, let alone use her power. Every time she touches the chain it burns through her fingers and eats away at her flesh. She tries to Pull Harm but she’s in too much pain; she can’t focus her powers enough to kill him.
“Pry, you have to use the pain like you did the night you found Sam,” Key suggests.
It’s too late. Harm has come for her yet again. He picks her up in the air and lets her dangle like a carcass in a butcher shop. She squirms and flares her arms out wildly.
“He’s gonna break her neck,” Randy screams.
“Get the fuck off of her,” I rage, pounding so hard on the barrier my right shoulder snaps out of its socket.
Harm doesn’t break her neck because he’s having too much fun with her. Instead he flips her down to the ground and proceeds to bash her face in.
“HARM, I SWEAR TO OMNIS I’M GONNA KILL YOU. I’M GONNA FUCKING KILL YOU!” I vow as I smash my left hand against the glass.
Bex and Swoop look around for something to strike the barrier with but nothing works. Tears spill from Randy’s eyes as he watches his best friend getting pummeled to death. Enraged, Key peels the skin of any nearby demons and reduces them to spots on the ground. The Kasters, overjoyed that Harm has won, fight us back with glee.
Harm looks down at Pryor’s bloody, swollen face and smiles. She looks back at him; only one of her eyes can open fully. It’s hard to tell if her nose and lips are still on her face. There’s so much blood, it’s hard to make anything out. Harm gets inches away from what’s left of Pryor’s face and yells for everyone to hear.
“Not as tough as you thought you were, huh bitch?” he spits.
She remains still; it’s possible she will never move again...
“Do you know what the little crybaby wanted as I was taking his pathetic life away? He wanted you. He begged for his big sis. I wish I killed him in front of you,” Harm says.
Pryor mumbles something. Harm can’t make it out, so he comes closer so he can hear her pain and anguish.
“What did you say?” he says, reveling in his triumph.
Without warning, she marshals what’s left of her strength, reaches into Harm’s face, and scoops out his right eye. He jerks around in pain, drops the chain he was holding, and places his hand over the oozing hole that once held his eye.
Pryor rolls away from Harm and manages to get the chain off her neck. She grabs the chain and holds it by its safety handle. The blood on her face is seeping into her eyes, making it difficult to see clearly. She can’t make out where Harm is, so we yell out for her to go a few feet to the left. She finds Harm doubled over on the floor.
Harm’s pain quickly turns to rage as he goes to attack Pryor. However, this time the chain is in her hand. She wraps it around his left wing and yanks with all her might. The chain starts to eat away at the flesh between his shoulder blades and the base of his wing. He shakes in pain and calls her every name he can think of.
No matter what, though, she refuses to let go of the chain. Harm fights as hard as he can, but the mixture is eating away at the bone that connects his wing to his back. Pryor could have Pulled the life out of him, but that was not the kind of death she wanted for her brother’s murderer.
“I know you can’t see well, so I’m going to show you what I’m taking from you up close,” Pryor vows as she plants her foot firmly in the middle of his back and yanks one final time on the chain.
“Aghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!” Harm bellows as his wing is ripped from his body.
Harm’s blood springs into the air like a geyser. He falls back in anguish and shakes uncontrollably. The blood from his back forms a pool all around him. He’s alive, but barely.
“I told you I’d let you get a closer look,” Pryor says as she shows the Kaster his severed wing.
Harm is shaking only slightly now. He’s stopped crying out and now it’s only a low moan that escapes his lips. Pryor holds his face in between her blood-soaked hands. Harm’s eyes are starting to glaze over. Death is coming for the Kaster.
“Hey, wake the fuck up! I’m not done,” she orders.
Harm opens his eyes slightly and his head slopes over to one side. Blood spills out from his nose and mouth. She places the chain on the tip of Harm’s disgraced wing. It eats through the feather and flesh, revealing the tip of a long bone that makes the curves at the end. Pryor pulls it out savagely and plunges it into Harm’s skull. The Kaster dies with eyes wide open.
She’s exhausted and badly hurt, but it doesn’t stop her from making an announcement to the Kasters that are now fleeing the area.
“KASTERS, IF YOU COME AFTER US AGAIN, DEATH WILL BE CERTAIN AND UGLY.”
Like any great leader, she waits until the enemy is no longer in sight, before she sinks to the ground and gives in to her many wounds.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE ALAGO
The Angel world heard about our victory moments after it happened. It was the first piece of good news angels have had since Malakaro made his presence known. Our victory helped them feel encouraged in the midst of all the evil that had surfaced recently. Angels all over were toasting our names in bars, singing our praises on social media and gossip blogs were tripping over themselves to interview us.
From New York, The Face had arranged for us to have the entire fifth floor of the hospital to ourselves. She made sure no one was allowed to see us. The angel media hovered just outside our windows for days.
All of us were able to get help for our injuries, but Pryor and East were hurt far worse than the rest of us. It took six days and three different Healers to fix her. Harm had shattered her nose, collarbone, ribs, and nearly most of her right side. And the venom in Manic’s teeth poisoned East. Luckily Key got to him and was able to slow down the poison. We were in India for nearly a week before Key approved us to fly.
Randy was torn between horror at what happened and absolute joy. On one hand, he was so scared he had lost Pryor, he scolded her for hours for drawing the Fight or Flight line. On the other hand, he thought she was really badass for what she did.
“Randy, I’m sorry about Oden. But I promise we won’t let anything happen to you,” she assured him.
“Pry, are you kidding? You killed a super demon with the bone from his own wing! I will never doubt you. Ever,” he said as he jokingly bowed down at her feet.
Randy wasn’t the only one who was happy. Although the team was injured, everyone was in great spirits. It was the first time we truly had to work as a team and it went very well. We were able to put everything aside and work as a team. Better still, we showed the Kasters why it was a bad idea to take us on. And although repairing the bridge was proving more difficult than anyone thought it’d be, at least the Guardian children can handle themselves until their parents returned.
When we get back to New York, The Face is waiting to scold us fo
r a number of infractions. Frankly, I’ve learned to zone her out. Looking at the group, they’ve learned to do the same thing. The fact is we did manage to get rid of a Kaster, and even The Face has to admit we did a good job. Or more importantly, Pryor did.
Yet, I could swear under that stern expression, The Face is relieved to see that we are all still alive. But I could be wrong because once again, she sends us to detention. It doesn’t matter that we fought Kasters and were victorious. What mattered was that we missed a week of school.
The next day, as we head home after the first day of detention, Randy announces that he’s in charge of lights for the big event.
“What event?” Pryor asks.
“The ‘Have a Heart’ dance,” he says.
“I don’t think we’re going to that,” Key says.
“Like hell. I’m there,” Swoop says.
“Make that two,” East confirms.
“Really, a dance?” Bex says disapprovingly.
“C’mon, Bear. It’ll be fun. And The Face said we should blend in. What better way to do that than to go to a dance with other humans? Please?” Key says as she snuggles up to her boyfriend.
“Well count me out,” Pryor says.
“We’re raising money for the American Heart Association. All the proceeds go to help fund heart disease research. Are you really going to opt out? I mean, is that the angel thing to do?” East says, teasing her.
“East is right. That doesn’t sound very angel-like at all,” Randy adds.
“Oh no...” Pryor says, rolling her eyes.
“We’re putting on this laser light show display at the dance. I designed it. But if you won’t support a friend...” Randy says with a melodramatic sigh.
“Okay, okay, take the ‘guilt blade’ out from my back already,” Pryor says.
In the end, everyone decides they’ll go and support the chosen charity. Well, everyone but me. I promised I would buy a ticket so they could get the cash, but I wasn’t into dances. Pryor looks at me and before I can gauge her expression, she looks away.
******
A few days later, while in class, The Face calls out all our names on the loudspeaker and instructs us to be in her office promptly. It’s been ten minutes since we gathered in front of her and she has yet to say a word. She just stares off into space pensively while fiddling with her collar.
“Mrs. Greenblatt, you wanted to see us?” Key reminds her gently.
“What? Oh yes, yes, I did,” she says, looking out at us.
She turns towards Pryor and a quick flash of regret appears on her face. Before any of us can comment, the look disappears as quickly as it came. She clears her throat, straightens up her already perfect posture, and speaks with a forced “official” tone.
“Fate left me with a Pandora box for your team,” The Face says.
“What’s that?” Randy asks his best friend.
“It’s a box that reveals secrets, but on a timetable predetermined by the being that created it. Pandora boxes usually hold bad news, hence the name,” Pryor replies.
“How does it work?”
“There is a specific time and date the box is set to open; only the creator of the box knows exactly when that time will be. And when it does, a secret is revealed. In this case, I was told that while the box belongs to your team, I was to guard it and reveal information when prompted,” The Face says.
“Why didn’t Fate just tell us what we needed to know when he was here on Earth?” Pryor asks.
“As you know, Fate does not know everything. The pattern of life is simply too vast. Only glimpses into what is to come,” The Face reminds her.
“When did Fate give you the Pandora box?” Swoop asks.
“The day Pryor enrolled in school here; it just opened up this morning.”
“You knew there was bad news coming and you didn’t tell her?” Bex snaps.
“A Pandora box doesn’t always hold bad news..” she replies.
“So this one has good news?” Pryor asks.
“No, it doesn’t,” she admits.
“Naturally,” East quips.
“So what is it? What was the message in the box?”
“First I should explain something,” she begins.
We all look over at each other, certain of one thing: whatever she is about to say will suck in so many ways.
“We found out what Malakaro is after: it’s a force whose existence would destroy Omnis,” The Face says with an expression even more serious than usual.
“What are you talking about? There is no force stronger than Omnis, right?” Randy says.
“No. Not one force. But there is a combined force that can obliterate Omnis and life as we know it. When Malakaro and the Alago join forces...it all ends.”
“The Alago, who or what is that?” Key asks.
“Mrs. Greenblatt, please start from the top and don’t leave out anything,” Randy says.
“As I’m sure you’ve been told, Randy, Paras are among the most powerful of angels. But in addition, many of them are scientists, creating most of the mixtures that we use and enjoy today. The most celebrated in the field S&D, that’s Science and Discovery, is a Para by the name of Pinter Gable,” she informs him.
“Pinter’s a legend. He invented The Holder, to keep beings trapped. The Triplex to hide things in plain sight, and—”
“—Coy; Angel alcohol. He invented that. And that’s why I’m grateful,” Swoop reminds Bex.
“I bet you are,” East teases.
“Yes, we’ve all heard of Pinter,” Key says.
“He died from injuries he sustained in a lab accident, just as he was about to create his ten thousandth mixture,” Pryor confirms.
“That’s what most angels believe, but the truth is a little different,” The Face confesses.
“Of course it is. All the ‘powers that be’ do is withhold the truth,” I snap.
“There was a good reason for not revealing the real story of Pinter,” she replies.
“Yeah, I’m sure,” I reply sarcastically.
“I can appreciate the difficulty you and the team are facing, but your tone needs to change, Mr. Case,” she challenges.
“Mrs. Greenblatt, he’s sorry. Can you just continue?” Pryor says.
The Face looks over at me and presses her lips tightly in disapproval. Thankfully though, she continues her story.
“Pinter did finish his ten thousandth creation. In fact it’s the reason he died,” The Face informs us.
“What are you talking about?” I ask.
“Pinter was always more of a scientist than he was an angel. He had an insatiable curiosity and was absolutely obsessed with two things: one of them being the study of evil. And the other being a woman he loved, known to us only as the Blue Rose,” The Face says.
“In what way was he obsessed with evil?” Swoop wonders.
“He thought if he could get inside the mind of evil, he could study and understand it. That understanding would lead to conquering evil once and for all,” she replies.
“How did he plan to do that?” Randy asks.
“Pinter decided to study humans because unlike angels and demons, humans are not born good or bad. That means if they are evil it’s because they choose to welcome darkness. The fact that a human made that choice fascinated Pinter. It helped to further convince him that humans were the perfect specimens to study. So Pinter devised an ingenious method to gather evil and research it.”
“How was he able to do that?” Key inquires.
“He sought out dying dictators, mass murderers, and child abusers. They were the worst humanity had to offer and could give him the most insight into darkness.”
“What did he do once he found them?” Swoop asks.
“He distilled their essence into a mixture he created called Rye. He started to combine Rye with other powerful elements. He did this because he wanted to create an evil that was more powerful than Omnis. He thought he would drink the Rye mixture and
then he would be able to understand evil because it would be inside him.”
“How did this Rye mixture work?” Randy asks.
“Once it’s administered, the being takes on the dark sprit of the original human it was distilled from. In other words, if Pinter drank the Rye of a murderer, he would suddenly have an inexplicable need to kill.”
“He really didn’t see how dangerous his experiment was?” Pryor asks.
“As I said before, he was obsessed. In fact, Pinter was not happy with the darkness that came from just one vial of Rye. It was not strong enough,” The Face says, shaking her head in dismay.
“An overachieving mad scientist. Perfect,” Bex spits.
“In many ways, yes. He combined the Rye vials together. It worked; the Rye had enough power to take on Omnis. However, when Pinter drank it, it nearly killed him. The mixtures became unstable and his experiments failed.”
“That’s good, right?” Randy asks.
“Yes, but Pinter was a very determined Para. After many failed attempts to ingest Rye, Pinter finally realized his mistake. It wasn’t the mixture that was unstable but rather it was too strong for one being alone. He learned that there is no one force to rival Omnis; evil needed a partner. Pinter referred to this ‘perfect partner’ as the Alago.”
“I so don’t like where this is going,” Bex says.
“Yeah, same here,” Pryor confirms.
“Okay, so what happened?” I push.
“Pinter desperately sought out beings who were daring and curious enough to drink the Rye and become the Alago: the perfect partner to evil. When Omnis found out, he was furious. But Pinter insisted he was doing it for the greater good and that the Rye would someday put an end to evil everywhere.”
“Omnis wasn’t buying it,” I guess out loud.
“No, he sent the Omari to destroy all the vials of Rye Pinter had created and to capture the scientist. But when they got there, Pinter had fled, taking five of the strongest Rye vials with him.”
“Did the Omari catch up with them?” Swoop asks.
“Knowing the Omari, yeah they did,” I reply.
“Aaden is correct. The Omari always find the being they are hunting. But in this case they found him too late. He had already added Nor to the five vials of Rye,” The Face says.
