by T. G. Ayer
“Go around. Maybe we can cut her off but be careful. Let’s try not to kill each other in the process.”
Just as Ria took off, an explosion rocked the ground, shattering a few windows in the vicinity of the alleyway. Maya’s heart tightened and she parked the bike and raced down the narrow lane toward the sound of roaring flames. As she turned the corner, Maya stumbled to a stop almost falling on her face. She caught herself in time, and just stared at the scene before her.
She’d found Joss.
Sabala came to a stop at Maya’s side where she stood frozen in place at the entrance to the alley where the car had taken a sharp turn. Now Maya forced her panic deep inside herself as she stared down the alley at the two demons she faced.
I suggest you take care how you deal with these two. They have come with a purpose and are certainly no low-level buffoons, despite their appearances.
Sabala’s words were spoken in the same tone one would use when attempting to cajole a wild animal. The hellhound certainly knew Maya well enough to understand that the only thing she wanted to do at that moment was to rip these two creature limb from limb.
They’d emerged in the alley as if from nowhere but it made sense now.
I don’t think Joss would have anticipated running off would bring these creeps out of the woodwork,” Maya said, eyes focused on the creatures staring her down right then, “They were on Joss’s tail for all that time, running her down at the end of a dingy alley in a questionable part of town where secrets and innocents go to die.
Waxing poetic are we? asked Sabala, a smirk in his voice.
Maya’s lungs burned and she ignored the smartass of a hellhound. Her ankle hurt where she’d twisted it when she’d almost fallen on her face, and so did her hip, but she ignored the injuries and the pain. These assholes wanted Joss for whatever reason and Maya wasn’t about to let them take her friend.
The demon on the left—pale skin glistening with sweat, red eyes narrowing—shifted his head slightly to meet her gaze, his lip curling, his expression almost impatient and very much arrogant, as though he couldn’t be bothered to waste his precious time dealing with the likes of her. Arrogant, as though he believed she was a mere human he could squash beneath his heel without a care in the world.
Well, he certainly had another think coming.
Sabala snuffed and tossed his head as though he knew what Maya was thinking. All the same, the hellhound had cloaked himself in a glamor that was strong enough to protect him from the demons now staring at Maya.
Good plan, hellhound.
Maya stiffened her spine as the pale demon moved his broad-shouldered bulk, turning to face her head on while his partner backed away a couple steps. The pair were dressed in garments that were definitely not of this world; pants that were a patchwork of multi-shaded strips of leather all sewn together with ragged stitching, and a matching waistcoat revealing bare skin carved with tattoos and dark markings.
Gold, silver and copper rings and studs dotted every available surface of their bodies including their bare toes, the sight making Maya choke down her laughter at the incongruity of seeing a demon’s bejewelled toes.
Beyond the pale demon, Maya saw the Rover spotlighted by the glow from a back-door security-light. The car had stalled diagonally across the alleyway, the front left corner crumpled like an accordion, having met the wall at high speed.
Steam escaped from the hood, though the engine still rumbled loud enough to spell more danger, especially with air pungent with the stench of burnt rubber mixed with gasoline.
The vehicle had taken a beating and Maya’s heart tightened. The state of the car implied Joss may not be in the best of health—if Maya ever got around to saving her.
Then again, almost-vampire Joss may well be unhurt.
Still, what would Maya do if Joss was hurt? Or worse, what if she’d lost her best friend who she’d just believed she’d saved.
Maya gritted her teeth and refused to think those thoughts. It was unthinkable. Not after everything she’d been through since she’d received these powers, not after all she’d done for the various gods who’d asked her for help. Would they leave her in the lurch, remove their assistance when she needed them most?
She truly had no idea. And she had no time to stand around praying for a fracking miracle. Joss’s life was at stake and no amount of praying and bargaining was going to change the situation. Only Maya could change it, if she did something herself.
God helps those who help themselves, right?
Fire hummed within Maya’s veins and she was ready to take on this oaf and get him out of her way. She had to get to Joss before the car exploded.
Don’t get cocky. These guys aren’t your average layabout loser rakshasas. They are well capable of giving even the Hand of Kali a run for her money. And perhaps it would be wise to consider that this could be a trap. They could have used Joss to get you to come right to them. Sabala’s words reined in Maya’s reckless thoughts and she clenched her jaw.
She hated that the hellhound was right. And Sabala was saying nothing that Maya herself had not already considered. And she’d still walked right into what could have been a trap because Joss was more important that Maya’s own life.
Joss had fled the safehouse, probably under some misguided intention of keeping Maya and everyone else safe. But Joss hadn’t realised she would be exposing herself and the people she wanted to keep safe, to a terrible danger.
Maya was beginning to wonder now if these demons were after Joss at all. Their sudden appearance reminded Maya of another pair of minions summoned by Kripal in the toyshop basement.
Were these demons just tracking their mistress?
But nothing mattered now other than making sure that Joss was okay. And of course wiping the floor with the two demon asshats staring her down.
Now, Maya took a deep breath and focused on the air before her. She didn’t want to give away her fire just yet, so instead she streamed the heated energy from within her core into the air, guiding it into the general size and shape of a badass sword. Or so she hoped. She wasn’t skilled enough with this type weapon formation, having stuck with what she knew worked for her. And now cursed her previous reluctance to learn.
One day her stupid stubbornness was going to be the death of her.
She watched the air, willing the energy to obey her command. If movement hadn’t been out of the question, she would have crossed her fingers for good luck.
Maya held her breath and focused. To her own eye, the air between herself and the first demon shifted and undulated like liquid, revealing the shape and form of the weapon—but only because she could read her own energy emissions so well.
Still, she couldn’t assume these demons were not trained enough or skilled enough with magic to sense what she was doing. Which meant she needed to work fast in order to take them by surprise.
As she let out a low breath, she thrust the sword of heated air at the first demon, catching him off guard because she hadn’t move a muscle. As if out of nowhere, a wound appeared in the demon’s face, his left eye and half of his cheekbone sliced clean off.
The odor of cooking meat filled the alley, churning Maya’s stomach enough to make her want to throw up. She focused instead on the injured demon who stared around him, stunned at the wound that had come out of thin air. Spinning on his heel, he glared at Maya and then boosted into a run, some part of him certain that she was the cause of that injury.
He didn’t get far.
After two steps he faltered and let out a stunned croak. Then he came to a standstill, hands reaching up to his throat where his skin simmered. A bloody gash appeared, skin bulging and bubbling, blood spilling out and onto his chest.
His eyes widened, just as red as the blood now leaking from his body, though they held just enough surprise to confirm that Maya had succeeded and caught him unawares.
She’d caught herself unawares too.
She hadn’t meant to use her fire to slit
the demons throat. The act seemed brutal, something she didn’t consider part of her job. But she’d done it, and she’d succeeded in eliminate one of the two obstacles to saving Joss.
And she probably wouldn’t be so lucky with the demons friend who was now growling and flexing his muscles, eyes flicking to his partner and then to Maya, filled with both fury and doubt.
The first demon now toppled forward onto his knees, the bones cracking loudly as they hit the concrete. Maya’s magical sword had carved a gash in his throat through which she could see Joss in the front seat of the Rover, finally regaining consciousness.
Sabala, make sure she doesn’t move and draw their attention.
The hellhound didn’t respond though Maya had confidence in him enough to know he’d already be at Joss’s side attempting to keep her calm.
The remaining demon let out a guttural laugh. “So you know some magic, pathetic human. I can show you magic.” As he spoke, he thrust out his palms producing half a dozen spikes which he let loose in Maya’s direction.
She couldn’t play games anymore. Not when this demon decided to play hardball.
Chapter 40
Maya moved fast, arcing her hands around and drawing her fire from the deepest parts of her. Her hand glowed hot with fire though she’d keep the flames at bay, toning down the ferocity to appear more magical than something capable of decimating the entire city.
Just as the barrage of spikes reached a foot from her, she thrust her hands apart then brought them together slamming palm against palm to create a burst of heated energy that rippled through the alley with a loud thunderous clap.
She’d wanted her fire to create a sound so loud that the demon would be incapacitated, only that wasn’t what happened. The deadly spikes disintegrated into dust and floated to the ground, while the demon froze in place, stunned as the spokes on his arms also disappeared in dozens of puffs of dark smoke.
Maya ignored them and strode forward, casting her hands around again before flinging a burst of power straight at the remaining demon. She didn’t have time to play games anymore and if she left him alive he’d most definitely make it hard for her to get Joss to safety.
She was getting so tired of having to keep fighting to keep herself and her friends breathing.
Maya’s fire spewed forth and hit the demon again, this time turning him into a cloud of dust and embers, but even as the remains of the creature floated to the ground she was walking on, striding through his remains straight to the car.
A part of her brain wanted to know what was wrong with her. Was she losing it? Or simply taking out her grief at Joss’s condition on these two unsuspecting demons? And even if that were the case, how was she able to deliver their deaths with such ruthlessness?
Was she going to end up turning into something the she wouldn’t like, that Kali wouldn’t like?
Maya had to focus, had to stop distracting herself. She could feel the heat boiling near the engine and she swallowed hard. “We have to get her out of there fast. This things gonna blow.”
But as Maya rushed toward the car, the air beyond the crumpled vehicle shimmered and another demon appeared, this one amored and armed with a sword in each hand.
Crap.
What she wouldn’t do now for a trip out of this crappy situation from Chayya or Nik. But neither of them were available and Maya was most certainly on her own here. And so was Joss. Ria hadn’t arrived yet, and neither had Maya’s dad who’d been in the second Rover just behind them.
The heat emanating from the car increased to a point that made even Maya flinch. And then something exploded and the front of the car was engulfed in flames.
“Joss!” Maya screamed and ran forward, no longer caring that she’d reveal to these creatures what powers she possessed. Her only thought was for Joss’s safety. And Sabala’s, though she was pretty certain the hellhound was capable of getting to safety just fine.
As she ran, Maya flung half a dozen balls of flame at the demon who’d been standing on the other side of the car and smirking. Asshole. Did he really think one explosion would stop Maya from taking him on?
Yes, if that explosion had killed Joss.
Maya ignored the thoughts, extended her hand and tipped her palm open. As she uncurled her fingers she flung a thin line of molten fire at the demon, imbuing her magic with enough heat that when it struck the creature’s neck it did exactly what Maya had wanted—it took his head clean off.
Though satisfied with her work, both the intention and it’s execution, Maya kept walking, moving past the demon, she ignored the thudding of the creature’s head as it hit the street and rolled to the side, ignored the hollow thunk as the demon’s body fell to the ground.
She shifted into a run and raced to Joss’s side of the car, registering the pulsing of heat that billowed out at her from the front of the vehicle as she approached the driver’s side door. Maya knew full well the danger it spelled, but she needed more than anything else to get Joss to safety first.
But inside the car, Joss’s head hung, chin to her chest as she leaned unconscious, and at an awkward angle over the centre console. “Joss,” Maya shouted as she tugged on the car handle, uncaring now even if a host of demons decided to materialise around her. “Joss, you have to get up.”
Maya reached through the broken window, avoiding the jagged shards of glass that still remained embedded within the doorframe. She grabbed her friend’s shoulder and squeezed gently, holding back the urge to shake Joss awake.
Inside the car, Joss moaned, eyes fluttered open as she turned to look around her. “What….?”
“Stay still, I need to know if you’re injured before I move you,” Maya said, her mind awhirl with trying to figure out how to get Joss free from the car. It wasn’t as though she had a jaws-of-life in her back pocket, ready and waiting to be used at just the right moment.
Joss grunted and nodded though she didn’t obey Maya’s instruction. “I’m fine. I’m not hurt. What in the world is going on and why is it so hot?”
Maya snorted. “The car’s on fire, for one. And two, I’m using my fire to kill the demons who want to kill your ass, so if you don’t mind, can we get you out of here? You can complain about the weather later.”
I suggest we get away now. The conflagration has reached its hottest point and will soon explode.
Maya rolled her eyes as she faced the door, eyes scanned the crumpled metal. It was pointless trying to figure out how it was wedged in and which particular direction she had to pull to get it free.
There wasn’t time to think things through anyway. Maya focused the head of her fire into her palms, then placed her hands onto the metal. Joss was slumped near the centre of the car so she was far enough away to not be burned.
Still, Maya kept one eye on her BFF as she sent a steady pulsing of heat into the metal. It didn’t take long for her to feel the metal give and then sag away from her hand just the tiniest bit.
If someone had told Maya a year ago that she’d be able to melt a freaking car door, she would have laughed in their face. But then, she had begun this whole journey by burning a guy to ash so she supposed a car door was nothing in comparison.
Yet, Maya still felt a ripple of excitement as the metal dulled, as it changed to a soft pliable form allowing her to shove it aside. It folded in on itself, turning solid as Maya removed her heated energy and focused on Joss.
She leaned into the car and grabbed a hold of Joss around her waist and began to drag her out. As her friend slipped free from behind the wheel, Maya let out a breath of relief.
Holding tight to Joss, Maya turned on her heel and began to walk away. Then she stilled and her eyes widened.
Perhaps it was the hair on her arms that stood on end, or the odd buzzing in her ears, or maybe it was the way the air around the car sort of sucked in on itself and became a vacuum of sound.
But Maya just knew the car was about to explode.
Pure instinct took over and Maya drew her fire ene
rgy around her as she dropped to the ground on her knees, arm still tight around Joss’s waist. Her only though being to get Joss out of the blast radius when the car blew, she’d moved fast, taken no care to ensure that Joss didn’t get hurt as they hit concrete. But a few bruised knees were the last things they should be worrying about.
Buffeted by the force of the explosion, they landed on the now warm ground, both breathing hard. Joss lifted her head, twisting to look around and let out a oomph as she stared at something beyond Maya’s shoulder, her face a picture of stunned surprise. “Maya? What are you doing?”
Maya frowned. “Saving your life, bestie,” she replied sharply, the lull in her energy getting to her. “Geez, this is the thanks I get?”
Joss scowled at Maya briefly before her gaze focused above the girls’ heads. “Will you shut up and look?”
Maya frowned at Joss’s bad language but she obeyed and looked up, curious at what had stunned her friend so badly as to call forth expletives.
“What the frack?” Maya whispered as she stared at the small shield of shimmering air she’d created which that encapsulated the two girls. It was small, just wide enough to allow a handbreadth of space between the girls’ bodies and its surface.
Protected by the dome, neither of the girls felt the heat of the explosion or the roaring fire that surrounded them.
Chapter 41
The living room of the safehouse was silent as Maya paced, her anger simmering dangerously close to the surface. “What the hell were you thinking, Joss? You could have been killed.”
Joss only shook her head. “I didn’t want you all to continue to be in danger because of me. So I figured I’d leave you all and take that danger away.”
“Why would you do such a thing when you know we’re working on a plan to kick that demon out?”
Joss looked away and her eyes settled on Ria who bore a bruise on her forehead and wore a sling around her left arm. She been broadsided by a small pickup as she’d rounded the block, though strangely enough the owner of the truck didn’t seem to exist.
