by Kimbra Swain
As I watched him take her around the corner into the warehouse, I jumped to my feet to follow him. I tried to focus and talk to her, but I couldn’t make the connection. I rushed toward the door despite what she told me to do. I couldn’t let them take her without a fight. Even if I went down immediately, I would have tried. Another dark figure stepped out of the junkyard in my path. He held his hand to my chest, and I stopped in my tracks.
“No, Proxy Castille, I will get her,” his deep soothing voice said.
I snarled, “You can’t stop me from going in there.”
“I can, and I will. She will need you when she gets out of there. Please do not put yourself in a position where you will die,” he said. I turned and saw several other figures approaching through the junkyard.
He waved his hand at Tony and Tommy. They woke up and stood quickly. “Go check on Jay,” he said. They walked up the street where the car idled.
“Please, Lincoln. I can’t live with myself if I just stand by and wait,” I said, recognizing him by Abigail’s description of him.
He sighed, “My team and I are going around the back. We found a small opening where the homeless go in and out of the building. We will get in there. I need a small distraction.”
“I can do that,” I said.
“Lukas, if you die in there, she will never forgive me,” he said sadly.
“I understand,” I said. Frankly, I didn’t care if she forgave him or not. I just wanted her back alive, no matter what I had to do. If that meant working with Lincoln, so be it. “She will probably never forgive me when she finds out I sent for you before we even left the lofts.”
When I had gone into the weapons room with Tony, Tommy and Jay, I told them to call Lincoln first. I knew she wanted to check it out and then call him. I couldn’t take that chance. Not with the lives under my watch at stake.
I should have told her, and he recognized the struggle within me. Backing away into the shadows, he and four other figures slipped behind the building. I put my hand on the ring she gave me once more and focused on her.
I thought about her golden hair falling down around her shoulders. I imagined the light in her green eyes when I teased her. I concentrated on the smoothness of her skin as she laid in bed with me. I remembered her laughter. I felt her fire when she would get angry. I covered myself in the warm blanket of love I felt in every kiss she gave me. Raising my gun, I walked to the warehouse door and pushed it open. She was the reason I was here, and she was the reason I had to try.
I felt a wave of force rush past me, denting the corrugated steel wall behind me. I narrowed my eyes at the leader. He wore a headdress shaped like a jaguar with spots. Feathers surrounded it. His body was covered in blood, dripping down his chest and arms. On the table before him, a young man laid with his arms stretched wide. From what I could tell he had tanned skin and inky black hair. His features indicated he was either Mexican or some other sort of Central American native. Blood flowed out of multiple deep cuts on his body. He obviously wasn’t breathing. As I approached, I could see a gaping hole in his chest. The shaman laughed at me. Four priests knelt before him and continued their chant. Abigail laid at his feet with a blood-covered neck. I couldn’t tell if it was hers or just from the hands of the shaman. She lay motionless, not breathing.
“Get away from her,” I yelled.
“She belongs to you, yes?” he said.
“Yes, she is mine. Move away,” I growled in demand.
“No. No. She belongs to my master. He wants her,” he said.
“Tell your master to fuck off, because she’s engaged to me,” I responded. I kept waiting for Lincoln and his team to make their move, but nothing happened.
“He is coming for her. We have made the blood sacrifice, opening the way. He is coming,” he smiled as blood dripped out of his mouth. It coated his teeth, and he laughed at my disgust. I heard the other girl whimper at my left. She jerked at her bonds frantically.
Looking back to the shaman, I threatened, “Last chance. Move away or I blow you to bits.”
“Your protections keep me from harming you. However, I know all too well at that your weapon cannot harm me. My master will use my body as a vessel.” He reached his hands out wide and turned is face to the sky. The voices of the priests echoed louder in the warehouse.
Then suddenly a cool breeze blew through the whole warehouse. Five men appeared behind each one of the priests and the leader. The cloaked men slit the throats of the priests. Lincoln reached up to the shaman, who still had his face turned upward awaiting his master. He spoke a word quietly, and the shaman’s eyes flashed open too late. Lincoln, grabbing him by the top of the skull and chin, twisted his head off his neck with a quick crack. The headless body slumped to the floor. Lincoln held the severed head, looking freakishly creepy. I ignored him and ran to Abby. Tony and Tommy entered the warehouse, releasing Kaylee from her bonds. She latched on to Tommy as he carried her outside.
Bending down over Abby, I touched her face. It was cold. “Abby, please wake up.” Tears rolled down my cheeks. I tried to find a pulse, but my hands shook. Lincoln knelt down on the other side. He waved his hand over her from head to foot and back.
“She lives,” he said softly. “We should leave before his master arrives. The demon is still coming, and we are not prepared to fight him.”
I nodded and gently reached under her. Lifting her up, I cradled her body to me as we hurried out of the warehouse. Jay sat in the car waiting for us. Tommy had the girl in the car with him.
“Tony take the girl to Lucky. Get her whatever help she needs. I will take Lukas and Abigail back to the lofts,” Lincoln ordered knowing the name of my coordinator at the bar. Tony nodded and jumped in the car with Jay. They sped off down the road.
“You have a vehicle?” I asked.
“Yes, let’s get Abby back to the lofts quickly. I’m afraid he entered her mind,” he said. “Come this way.” We crossed the street to the same alley where we parked the Ducati. He waved his hand and a large black passenger van appeared. He looked to the end of the alley, then back at me. “Did she ride with you on that thing?”
“Yes,” I said.
“You are better than I thought,” he smirked. He waved his hand, and the liquid metal blanket lifted, forming into a ball, then racing to his outstretched hand. Once it landed on his palm, he stuck it in the pocket of his leather jacket. He nodded at one of his guys, who ran to the motorcycle to drive it back to the lofts.
Lincoln helped me climb in the van with her. I laid her across the seat and sat next to her. Brushing her hair out of her face, I could tell now that she was breathing, but her eyes jerked back and forth like when she had nightmares. I cringed, because I knew her nightmares. The blood on her neck was not hers, and she did not appear to be otherwise injured.
Lincoln drove the van swiftly down the road toward the lofts. He knew where to go without me telling him. I clearly got the stalker vibe from him, but truthfully, I thought about Abby. I would do anything for her, and if that meant keeping an eye on her from a distance, that’s what I’d do. I felt bad for him. I felt like I was about to be him. Once she realized that I ran it up the ladder over her head, I knew there would be hell to pay, but she lived. She breathed. That’s all I wanted. I sank to my knees beside the seat and covered my face. The thought of losing her overwhelmed me. Holding her hand, I listened to her breathing all the way back to the lofts.
In our bedroom at the lofts, Lincoln excused himself as I took off the blood-stained t-shirt and jeans that she wore. I cleaned the blood off her body as he talked to someone on the phone in the other room. His watchful eyes followed my every movement from the time he coalesced in the warehouse until I shut the door to the bedroom before I cleaned her up. He said that I had time to do that before he would try to help heal her. Ashley came into the room, looking terrified.
“What can I do to help?” she said.
“I need to put something on her. Some clothes. I don’t
know what,” I choked out.
“I’ll find something. Don’t worry,” she said. She didn’t sound confident, but she tried. She found a loose t-shirt and some cotton shorts. I helped her put them on Abby and gently laid her head back down on the pillow.
I touched her face, and whispered, “I love you, Abby. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t start that Lukas. You did the right thing,” she said. “She trained you to run it up the ladder. You did what she trained you to do.”
“Doesn’t matter. I didn’t tell her, and she’s always told me the truth about everything important. From the very first day, she’s been honest with me. Tonight, was supposed to be a happy night.”
She opened the door, allowing Lincoln to come in. “Thank you for helping, Ashley. Now let me look at her.” He closed his eyes, waving his hands over her body. He grimaced, and I waited to see what he said.
“It’s a nightmare spell like the one after she died. She’s asleep and living in her nightmares. It’s a dark spell that flows through her veins like venom,” he explained.
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“We need to prepare a circle. I will need to draw the nightmare out of her. It will be a painful process for her. It will take some time to heal. Please prepare yourself for that,” he said reluctantly. I swallowed and nodded.
“There is a circle in the floor in the main room under the rug. She keeps candles, incense and other items in the spare bedroom. I can show you,” I said.
“No, you stay with her. Ashley will show me,” he turned to Ashley, as she led him out of the room.
I held her hand and waited. Speaking to her softly, I told her that we saved the girl and that she would be better soon. She laid still and quiet except for her eyes twitching under her lids.
“I don’t know where you are Abby, but I want you to come back to me. You promised to always come back,” I whimpered. I don’t know if it was my imagination, or an involuntary reflex, but she squeezed my hand.
Lincoln quietly entered the room after I sat with her a while. “Please, Lukas, bring her,” he said and turned back into the main room. I carried her into the room. Inside the circle, a white candle sat at the north position.
“Lay her head near the north candle,” he instructed. The candle had a silver ribbon tied to it. I gently laid her down. He took another piece of silver ribbon and tied it around her wrist. After I stepped out of the circle, he pricked his finger with a knife and powered it. A strong gust of wind blew through the loft. I closed my eyes and prayed.
My parents went to church every Sunday, and when I was younger, I went as well. In my teenage years, I had other things on my mind. Mom and Dad always let me choose whether to go or not, so I never went. I remember prayer though. It seemed to work for some people. I didn’t think it would work for me, but I tried anyway. Ashley walked up and put her arm around me. The entire team stood in the room waiting for Lincoln to begin his ritual.
Lincoln had two sticks about a foot and a half long. Feathers adorned them and symbols were carved into them. They appeared to be very old. A strand of green beads circled the center of the stick. He stood at the edge of the circle and started to chant. Her hair moved with a slight breeze that blew inside the circle.
After about ten minutes of chanting, Ashley walked up to him, placing her hand on his shoulder.
“It isn’t working, Lukas,” she said to me. “We must take her.”
“Take her where? I’m going too,” I said.
“Lukas, you are the proxy in Los Angeles. You need to stay here. It may take some time for her to come out of this. When we get her back to Boulder and let her Grandfather take a look at her, we will know better what we can do to help her. It may be that Lincoln will have to take her to the island. I promise, I will keep you informed,” Ashley reasoned with me.
“I can go and come back. Please don’t do this to me,” I begged.
“She is right, Lukas. You know Abigail would have you stay here and watch the city. We took care of the larger threat, but the moment you leave the city the evil that lurks here will know. You must stay,” Lincoln encouraged.
I knew they were both right because Abby had always stressed my duties above our personal relationship. The two had never come into conflict before though.
“Okay,” I muttered helplessly.
“I promise, I will call,” Ashley said.
“Can I have just a minute?” I asked.
“Sure. I need to grab a few things. The team will stay behind and pack up some of our gear. They will be here for a couple more days,” she said.
“You all are leaving now?” I asked.
“Yes, we stayed, because she wanted to stay. We have work to do, Lukas,” she said.
Lincoln approached the circle, putting his hand through the barrier. It released with the gust of wind. He nodded to me and left the room with Ashley and the team.
I knelt down next to her. In that moment, I wished she would berate me about something stupid. Or make fun of something I said.
I held her hand in mine. The ring I gave her caught the light and flashed on her finger. I looked at the ring she gave me. It saved me. The shield it put around me kept me safe until Lincoln arrived. I tried not to plague myself with what ifs, but they rushed through my mind. I reminded myself that she lived. That’s all that mattered. “Abby, I love you. You told me before you went to Guatemala that you would come back to me. I’m going to hold you to that promise this time too. I knew very early on that you would leave me one day, but my hope rested in that you would always come back. I’ll wait until the day I die for you to come back.”
I heard the elevator door open. Ashley and Ichiro stepped into the room with Lincoln following. “I’m sorry, Lukas. We need to go,” she said.
I stood up with her in my arms. Lincoln approached me and waited for me to give her to him. Reluctantly, I handed her over to him. He stepped back inside the circle. Ashley hugged me. “Take care of her. Remind her about how much I love her,” I said.
“I won’t have to remind her. She won’t forget, Lukas. She loves you, too,” she said, joining Lincoln.
I turned and shook Dr. Maki’s hand, “I’m glad you are going with her.”
“Thank you for allowing me to join her team. I promise to do what I can for her,” he said.
“I know you will, Doc.” He joined them in the circle. Ashley powered the circle with her blood as she held a red glowing crystal.
“Goodbye Proxy Castille,” she said, then spoke a word in Latin. A gust of wind blew around them inside the circle and they disappeared.
Anguish flooded over me as I stood there in silence. Calling the office, I left a message on Mrs. Lambert’s phone saying that I needed to be home today. I told her she could call me if anything urgent came up. I went back into the bedroom, lay down on the bed, and buried my face in her pillow, which always smelled like honeysuckle. I drank in the smell and fell asleep as my heart ached.
Gregory Theodoard, my grandfather, Hyperion, Greek Titan, appeared at my side. It was good to win every once in a while. Cyrus’ cool demeanor evaporated with the entrance of Gregory.
“Cyrus, I am disappointed,” Gregory said. “When Abigail told me of your involvement in this whole shady matter, honestly I did not believe her. However, it is abundantly clear that you mean to undermine me, my power and our stability.” I contacted my grandfather through a mental bond in the few moments it took us to walk from the plane to the spot on the tarmac. Once I mentioned Cyrus’s involvement, I knew he would arrive.
“Hyperion, please, forgive me, but the network is failing. We run the risk of losing control. I only attempted to strengthen it by exploiting its weaknesses,” he talked smoothly, but I could hear a tremble in his voice. No one remembered Ler. He had no power besides being a member of the Six. A power that Hyperion could rip from him.
“She is your problem. She is your weakness, Gregory. Surely you see that now! She started all of this and just
left it to crumble and die,” he tried to deflect the blame on me.
Angelo and Vito stared at the confrontation silently. Gregory stepped between me and Angelo. I cut my eyes to him and motioned for him to move. He scurried out of the way and pulled Vito along with him. Nothing stood between Gregory and Cyrus. I felt Cyrus pull in power.
On the island, we were close to the ocean. He wouldn’t have to reach far to have a source. However, he wasn’t dealing with me. He dealt with the Master of the Watch, the Keeper of the Rising and Setting Sun, and the leader of the largest undercover agency on earth.
I spoke to Tadeas clearly. I did not want him to mistake any meaning, thought or feeling going through my head. “Gregory will not kill him here unless something unexpected happens. If he does, you make contact with me, skin-to-skin. Clear?”
“I understand,” I filled in the holes of information with thoughts directed to him. I did not want Grandfather to know what I was preparing. I owed him for barging into my home and trying to take me without consent. I also knew that if he could rope me into being one of the Six, he might kill Cyrus without a trial. Grandfather was the master manipulator. He needed to know I was his equal.
“Cyrus MacCormack, descendant of Helios, you are a traitor, and I will no longer look upon you as my own kin. You will return to the Six and explain your actions. We will decide your fate,” Gregory said. I felt the power stirring in Cyrus. If Gregory yanked it out of him, Cyrus would cease to be. I nodded my head slightly. Tadeas slowly placed one of his pistols into his jacket. He wrapped his left arm around me. I put my left hand under his, and his fingers intertwined with mine. He pressed against my back. I felt his breath on my neck.
“Are you sure?” he said.
“Yes,” I replied. I felt him tense and have doubts for the first time in the confrontation.
“No, I will make it up to you Gregory. I swear it on my life and my power,” Cyrus started to beg.
