Fallen Angels

by Stephen Kenson

  Kellan stopped in front of Midnight, and Midnight handed her the necklace. She could feel the muzzle of Midnight’s gun pressing against her stomach, the elf’s dark eyes as cold as stone. Kellan unclasped the golden chain, slipping it around Midnight’s pale neck and smoothly fastening it in back before taking a step away from her.

  "Now what—?" Midnight began, but the rest of her question was choked off. The jade amulet burned with a fiery light, and the elven woman staggered back as if struck. The gun slipped from her suddenly nerveless fingers to clatter onto the ground as light poured from Midnight’s formerly dark eyes.

  Yes! Kellan heard the triumphant call in her head, as Midnight gave a strangled cry.

  There was a clap of thunder outside that echoed in the cave as the spirit Morningstar seemed to dissolve into a golden mist. It transformed from a glowing, angelic being of light into a figure out of nightmare: horns and claws and bared fangs, burning with the color of a forge fire. Kellan only saw it for an instant before it flowed into Midnight’s eyes and open mouth, pouring into her as the amulet glowed and she stood, frozen. In an instant, the shining form of the spirit was gone, and Midnight stood alone, head bowed, dark hair veiling her face.

  Kellan hesitated only a split second before going for the gun on the floor, but that hesitation was enough. As she crouched to reach for the weapon, Midnight’s hand came up like a striking snake, grabbing Kellan by the throat in a grip like iron. Kellan looked up to see her eyes open, the cold black replaced by a hot, white-gold glow shining from within.

  "Ah, Kellan," she said, and her voice vibrated in Kellan’s head, a buzzing blend of Midnight’s own voice and Morningstar’s. "Still with so much to learn."

  "I did what you said!" she rasped. "Finish her off!"

  "I’m grateful. Unfortunately, you have heard my true name, and I cannot risk you ever telling anyone. You felt what I felt when your father bound me; you will understand that I can never allow myself to be so bound again. It’s too bad your father isn’t here for this, but you will have to do in his place." The hand gripping Kellan’s throat began to squeeze, cutting off her air. Kellan’s vision began to swim.

  "Get the frag away from her!" someone yelled from the mouth of the cave, the shout followed by the thunder of gunfire. Blood spattered over Kellan as the bullets struck Midnight, causing her to lose her grip and stagger back against the wall of the cavern. Kellan gasped and coughed, twisting as she fell to her knees to see Orion standing just inside the cave entrance, soaked to the skin, pistol in hand. Right behind him came Lothan, G-Dogg and an Asian man Kellan didn’t recognize.

  "Kellan—" Orion shouted, but G-Dogg called out.

  "Look out!" he said, drawing his own weapon.

  Kellan automatically rolled to the side as Midnight surged out from against the wall. Though her vest was dark with bloodstains, she could see the wounds made by Orion’s shots already closing, fiery light burning in Midnight’s eyes and from the jade amulet.

  "She’s possessed!" Lothan called out from behind the others.

  Orion and G-Dogg both opened up on Midnight, guns roaring in the close confines of the cave. She jerked and danced like a puppet with broken strings, bullets tearing through areas of her close-fitting suit where the armor was weak, pounding flesh and bone where it was not. Midnight collapsed to the floor, dark blood pooling around her.

  "Kellan!" Lothan called out, "Everybody! Fall back now!"

  Orion ran forward to grasp Kellan’s wrist, pulling her up and helping her out of the cave onto the ridge.

  "We should have made sure she was finished!" Orion yelled at Lothan, who shook his head.

  "Mere bullets can’t kill something like that," he said. "She’s possessed by a powerful spirit."

  "It calls itself Morningstar," Kellan told them, and Lothan grimaced.

  "I know. We need to banish it, but the file doesn’t have the necessary—"

  "Its true name is Seterin’ranshae," Kellan gasped out, careful to pronounce it correctly.

  Lothan beamed like a proud father. "My dear, you’ll be a master of the Art yet! We—"

  "Incoming!" G-Dogg yelled.

  Lothan instantly raised the Staff of Candor-Brie in a warding gesture, its crystal flaring in the darkness and pouring rain. They heard the dull roar of an explosion, and it seemed as if the very air was on fire. Kellan flung up her arms to shield herself as the force of the blast knocked her down.

  She hit the ground, but quickly regained her feet as the flames cleared. Lothan stood unmoved, though his robes were singed and burned in spots.

  Morningstar, in Midnight’s body, stood just outside the entrance of the cave. Light streamed from her eyes as the remnants of mystic flames shimmered around her hands.

  "Well done, magician," the spirit sneered in its combined voice, "but I wonder how long you can maintain such a defense against me."

  "Long enough," Lothan countered. Planting his staff firmly on the ground in front of him, the troll mage pointed his other hand at Morningstar. "By the power of the elements, and by my will, Seterin’ranshae, you will be banished from this plane!" he shouted above the wind.

  Rather than recoiling from Lothan’s use of its true name, Morningstar merely laughed, rolling thunder echoing the sound across the mountains.

  "I will not be bound again, and I will not be banished!" the spirit cried out, and raised Midnight’s hands to the roiling sky. A bolt of lightning split the heavens and struck the ground at Lothan’s feet with a tremendous burst of thunder, sending rocks, dirt and the troll mage flying. He collapsed in a heap on the ground, nearly sliding down the ridge.

  "Lothan!" Kellan cried, rushing to his side. The others responded by opening up on Morningstar with a hail of gunfire. It drove the spirit back a step, bullets tearing into Midnight’s flesh, but the damage healed before their eyes as quickly as it was done, the burning light growing brighter around Midnight’s hands.

  "Lothan, are you all right?" Kellan asked, crouching at her teacher’s side. Lothan groaned loudly, pushing himself up and nodding.

  "I shielded myself from the worst of it," he said. "Ye gods, it’s powerful. We might not be able to stop it, Kellan." Lothan looked at the spirit as Morningstar raised Midnight’s glowing hands.

  "Shield the others!" he rapped out, and Kellan concentrated on extending her magical defenses around her fellow runners as the spirit lashed out with another shimmering bolt of mystic power. It stabbed into G-Dogg, who howled in pain, clutching the side of his head with his free hand and dropping to his knees.

  With a battle cry punctuated by a rumble of thunder from above, Orion drew his sword, casting aside his pistol, and rushed Morningstar, blade held low in a two-handed grip. The spirit turned, but too late to unleash a spell against him. The enchanted blade slashed across Midnight’s outstretched arm, laying it open almost to the bone. A dual scream of pain was torn from her throat, and the spirit retreated, but the wound was already starting to close.

  "Orion’s blade may be able to destroy it," Lothan said to Kellan, climbing to his feet. "We must defend him against the spirit’s magic long enough for him to accomplish it."

  Kellan focused on cloaking Orion in a shield of protection against any magic Morningstar might use against him. So when the spirit lashed out at the elf with a sweeping hand that trailed a scythelike arc of mystic force in its wake, it dashed against the combined power of her and Lothan’s spell defense, leaving Orion unharmed. He struck again with his sword, but this time Morningstar was prepared for the attack, apparently drawing upon Midnight’s considerable agility and skill in hand-to-hand combat.

  "Why didn’t its true name compel it?" Lothan asked, brow furrowed, concentrating on the defense spell. "It should have been enough to banish it." He and Kellan looked at each other almost simultaneously. "The amulet!"

  At that moment, the clouds split, and another massive bolt of lightning struck. This one hit Lothan directly. His magical shields sent most of the energy flowing around h
im and into the ground, but the troll mage was blasted to his knees by the force of the strike, and he nearly lost his staff. Morningstar dodged and weaved around Orion’s attack. He managed to tag Midnight with a shallow cut along the shoulder, but the injury immediately began to heal.

  "Orion!" Kellan shouted. "The amulet!" Morningstar turned on Kellan, eyes burning with fury, and the moment’s distraction was just long enough for Orion to lunge in and grab the amulet hanging around Midnight’s neck with his free hand. With a howl of rage, the spirit flung out Midnight’s hand, and an invisible force sent Orion flying like he’d been struck by a car. But the adept managed to hold onto the amulet, and the golden chain snapped, the two ends of it fluttering from his closed fist as he flew back, hit the edge of the ridge and rolled. He dropped his sword, but kept hold of the amulet as his free hand clawed for purchase in the rocky soil.

  Kellan ran to Orion, as Morningstar, arms raised, shouted to the sky above. Kellan extended her defenses, bracing for another lightning strike, hoping she could protect them both against it. Then shots thundered in the dark as Akimura emptied his pistol’s clip into Midnight. The rounds could do little more than distract the spirit, but that distraction apparently was enough to spoil whatever magic it had been planning. As Kellan reached Orion’s side, he opened his hand and held out the amulet as she pulled him up onto solid ground.

  "Are you alright?"

  He shook his head, clutching his side with his free hand. "I will be," he said through clenched teeth. "Just do what needs to be done."

  Kellan snatched up the amulet as Akimura’s pistol clicked on empty. He ejected the spent clip and jammed in another, but the delay cost him. Morningstar lashed out again, and he, too, went flying from the force of the magical blow.

  "Seterin’ranshae!" Kellan called out, brandishing the amulet like a talisman. The words she’d heard in her vision seemed to spring fully formed into her head. "By the power of your name, by the power of this token, by the power of my will, you are bound! I command you . . . begone! Begone from that body, and from this world, forever more!"

  "No!" the spirit and Midnight cried out as one, and suddenly Morningstar surged forward, its elven host crumpling to the ground. The spirit appeared in the form Kellan had last seen it: skin rocky and scaly, open maw filled with teeth, gnarled hands tipped with claws, eyes burning with hate and power. It swooped toward Kellan like a bird of prey, but stopped just out of reach, held back by the power of her will, joined with the magic of the banishing ritual and the amulet holding a portion of its essence.

  I.. . will. . . not... be .. . banished! Morningstar howled in Kellan’s mind. She could feel tremendous pressure—all the energy of the spirit bent on destroying her, defying her attempt to cast it from the material world. It fought like a cornered animal.

  "You will!" she countered, pushing back with all her might. But even as she strained to impose her will on the spirit, Kellan wasn’t sure it would be enough. Morningstar was like a raging beast, barely contained, and she didn’t know how long she could hold it.

  Lothan shook off the effects of the lightning strike, raising his head to see Kellan locked in magical combat with the spirit’s astral form. The blazing Morningstar hovered before her, fiery wings spread, burning gaze trained on her. Kellan stood firm, holding the glowing jade amulet out in front of her, eyes narrowed in concentration, but it was like a tree standing against the fury of a storm. He felt a surge of pride in her abilities, but next to the unleashed power of Morningstar, she looked so small. . . .

  Lothan, a voice whispered in his thoughts. Lothan. ... It took a moment for the mage to recognize the voice when separated from Midnight’s voice—Morningstar was speaking to him directly. Lothan levered himself to his feet, leaning on his staff.

  Lothan, the spirit repeated. Aid me, and you will be rewarded. I have power such as you have only imagined. I know secrets of the netherworlds, of realms beyond mortal imagination. I will grant you knowledge beyond your wildest dreams!

  Images filled his mind, of standing atop the highest pinnacles in the metroplex, commanding legions of spirits; reclining in a thronelike chair, surrounded by rare tomes and objets d’art; of fine wines, rare delicacies, the touch of a beautiful woman. . . . Lothan glanced in the gilt-edged mirror beside his throne and saw the handsome, distinguished, human face looking back at him, so very like the face of his father, but with the bearing of a king. All he needed to do was strike the amulet from Kellan’s hand—or, better yet, take it for himself. . . .

  "Ahhh!" Kellan cried out, dropping to one knee in front of Morningstar. She thrust out both hands in front of her to ward off the spirit, directing all of her will against it, slowing pushing back to her feet. Lothan took one lumbering step toward her, feeling the bulk of his metahuman body, the creak and ache of every joint, his age in the depths of each bone. How he hated the cruel humor of nature! How fondly he recalled his childhood, before the Awakening twisted his body as the price for his power.

  I could restore you, were it your wish, said the voice in his thoughts. You could be human, young and handsome. It is within my power.

  Lothan was no fool. He knew the spirit would say anything, promise anything, in order to save itself. He also knew such spirits were treacherous. They would go back on their word unless bound with certain rituals, and even then they would seek to use the letter of the agreement to escape from it, to find an opportunity to turn on their erstwhile "ally."

  But with the amulet, and knowledge of Morningstar’s true name, there was a good chance Lothan could bind the spirit, enslave it to his will like any other servitor, and freely command its powers. Such power would be his, and his alone, to wield. He would need to subvert Kellan’s attempt to banish Morningstar, and then prevent her from ever doing so again. Of course, if he succeeded, would that matter?

  In only a few steps, the troll towered over Kellan, who was barely maintaining her stance, wavering before the onslaught of the unleashed spirit shining like a fallen star before her, almost too bright to look at.

  "Lothan . . ." Kellan breathed, looking up at him— no longer the lost girl G-Dogg brought to him, her face now lined with determination and experience, creased with pain and effort. Lothan reached out for the amulet with one massive hand, closing his fist over Kellan’s.

  "Not safely is such a servant taken on," he muttered. Then he intoned, voice carrying over the thunder and rain.

  "By the power of this token, by the power of my will, and by the power of your name, Seterin’ranshae, thou art banished forevermore! Leave this world and trouble it no longer! We command thee, begone!"

  As a surge of fresh power flowed into the struggle, Kellan straightened and pressed with all of her remaining will. Morningstar shrieked like a damned soul, recoiling from the combined power of the two magicians. Its shape flickered between its two forms, fiery wings folded in around it like a cloak, hands reaching out, as if pleading, trying to find anything to hold on to as it was pulled into an invisible vortex.

  No, please! It cried out. Please! I will give you anything you wish—anything! I will serve and obey you, please, I beg of you, do not. . . Noooooooo!

  The spirit’s remaining pleas were cut off in a wailing cry as its astral form collapsed, swirling like glowing smoke drawn into a vent. White-gold streamers of light formed a whirlpool in the air, then suddenly winked out in a flash and a final booming crack of thunder from the clouds overhead.

  Kellan slumped against Lothan’s side, the amulet dangling from her hand by its broken chain. The jade stone was charred and cracked. A thin trickle of smoke rose from it, dispersed by the steady rain. She breathed a heavy sigh of relief and exhaustion.

  "Is it . . . ?"

  "It’s over," Lothan replied. "It’s gone."

  Kellan raised her head and surveyed the area scarred by lightning, brushing rain-soaked strands of hair out of her eyes. Suddenly, her head whipped around.

  "Oh, frag, where’s Midnight?"

  * * *r />
  With the rain still coming down, the mountain slope was treacherous, but a slim shadow moved alongside the ridge, out of sight of the cave mouth, toward the northwestern side of the mountain. From there it would be a slow climb down to the relative safety of the tree line and a long trek back to civilization, but she still had contacts and connections, arrangements for a safe haven and an opportunity to recoup. From there it would just be a matter of time.

  "Leaving so soon, Aerwin?" The voice stopped Midnight in her tracks as surely as the sound of a pistol being cocked. Toshiro Akimura stood nearby on the ridge, his weapon trained on her. She straightened up, hands held loosely out to her sides, and smiled, knowing Akimura could see as well as she despite the darkness. She slowly shook her head. "That gun’s empty, Silk, and we both know it."

  "Are you sure of that?" he replied flatly.

  "Don’t be a fool," she said. "You know I’ve made arrangements, should anything happen."

  "Things worse than you’ve already done?"

  She only smirked. "You can’t even imagine."

  "Maybe I just don’t care."

  "You know I won’t believe that," Midnight said. "We’ve both worked the shadows for too long. It wasn’t personal, it was just business. I’m sure we can make a deal. . . ."

  When Midnight whipped out the small holdout pistol, there were three shots in rapid succession. The first two caught her in the shoulder and arm, scattering sprays of blood in the rain. The third slammed into her midsection. She stumbled back a step, booted feet finding no purchase on the slick, wet slope; her arms windmilled, grasping at nothing, and she fell.

  Toshiro Akimura stepped up to the edge of the slope, looking down into the darkness as a flash of lightning illuminated the still form lying far below. He slowly holstered the gun, rainwater running down his face and dripping from his nose and chin.

  "You understand," he said into the darkness. "Nothing personal." Then he glanced up at the sky and sighed. "Rest easy, Marc, Mustang. Rest easy."

  Epilogue