by James Somers
Brody West stood next to the gurney where Sadie had been strapped down. His gaze found Adolf instantly. His eyes took in Malak-esh in Adolf’s hands. He saw Anna Parks standing there as well. She was obviously with child. He hadn’t realized what had happened to her, that she had been with Adolf all of this time. He was shocked by it all.
Adolf spoke a word. “Proficiscor.”
Brody wasn’t sure, but he thought it might be Latin for depart.
A radiant light whirled around Anna Parks and tore her away from the room. Some kind of portal. Adolf was sending her away.
Brody began to stalk toward him. “It did not have to be this way, Adolf. You should have left well enough alone.”
“I still owe you, old man, for the death of my father!”
Adolf ran at him with Malak-esh raised high. Brody could see the blood upon his hands. He assumed this must be how he was controlling the sword and why Sadie was unconscious on the gurney. A brilliant maneuver, but it wasn’t going to help him. Not if he had anything to say about it.
However, Brody still hadn’t produced his own Angel Fire sword.
“Time to die, old man!” Adolf shouted.
But when he drew within twenty feet, Brody whipped out a Sten MK3 submachine gun from beneath his duster. Adolf’s eyes grew wide with surprise and horror. He hadn’t expected such a thing.
Brody opened fire. Adolf attempted to deflect bullets, but Malak-esh had only been given the power to absorb magical attacks like those produced by Superomancers and angels. In this situation, it was only a sword.
Bullets tore into Adolf’s body, driving him backwards. Malak-esh fell away from his hands as they were hit multiple times by gunfire. His uniform was bloodied, but he wasn’t dead yet.
Adolf picked himself back up, standing defiantly to his feet again. As he straightened, he laughed. Blood ran down his face and stains spread on his shredded khaki pants and jacket. He gained strength every second.
“Did you forget my ability to heal, old man?!” he shouted.
Brody’s mouth turned up in a slight grin. “No, Adolf, I didn’t forget.”
He tossed the submachine gun with its spent magazine down to the concrete floor. Then he dashed across the space between them as a blur. Three broad blindingly fast steps closed the gap. Adolf held out his hands to deliver a death grip. Brody called his own Malak-esh to his hands.
The mercurial blade drove through Adolf’s chest as he laid his hands upon Brody’s face. Brody released the sword, breaking the grip Adolf was trying to hold upon him before any damage could be done. Adolf staggered backward with Angel Fire still driven through him.
He fell to his knees finally, his healing power unable to overcome the blade. Adolf fell forward onto his face as Malak-esh vanished from the wound, returning to Brody’s waiting hand. He shut his eyes, unwilling to take any chances on the man rising again. Brody sent a fire into Adolf’s body, burning him to ash in seconds with a white hot flame.
The deed was done.
Brody lifted Sadie’s weapon from the floor. There was no danger. The sword would not obey him, even if he had decided to use it, but he could still carry it.
He brought the blade back to Sadie and placed it with her. She had been drugged and there was nothing he could do for her except allow whatever it was to wear off. Brody cut her chains with his own sword and then placed his hand upon his daughter. A moment later, she was transported back to their home in Tennessee. She would wake up the next day in her own bed none the worse for wear.
Brody, however, still had a loose end to tie up. Anna Parks had been sent away. A woman who was apparently working with Adolf and probably carrying his child. All of these problems had been caused by Grayson Stone’s child. He wouldn’t have Adolf’s unborn son one day rising to do the same things. It was a terrible business, but it had to be done.
He strode back to the place where Anna had been standing when she vanished. A portal trace was still present. He would be able to follow her through to wherever she had gone. She had only been gone ten minutes. He would arrive after her by only that much. Even if she tried to hide herself, it would be unlikely that she could be successful in that amount of time.
Applying the necessary energy to the portal construct still in place, Brody watched as the spell took hold. The portal energized once more. Brody West walked through.
