Nightwalker

by Jacquelyn Frank

  “You’ll do fine,” Jackson assured him. “How many can you get?”

  “I’d say four…maybe five. It’ll wear me out. I’ll be shot for the day,” Kane warned.

  “Will you be rested for tomorrow night?” Jackson asked.

  “I should be.”

  “Good. Because I think I’m going to need that little teleport ability you have. I’ll talk to you about it later.”

  “Kamen, how long will it take you to cast the locating spell?” Jackson asked.

  “Not long at all. The trick is getting a hundred fighters to the staging area as fast as possible. There’s no telling how far away Apep is from us. I can only take two at a time in the streak and I don’t have the strength to do that fifty times. No one does.”

  “I can cast the streak spell too,” Docia said, bringing her Bodywalker Tameri’s abilities to the fore. “If Kane could contact more Mind Demons we could use them to teleport us all there in waves.”

  “That’s too slow. We will be in threat of discovery every moment. And it’s hard to say where exactly we’ll be able to gather that will keep us concealed until the last minute. No…a mass teleportation spell is needed,” Kamen said.

  “A spell of that magnitude could drain the caster to the point of barely being able to survive,” Docia said worriedly.

  “It is a chance I am willing to take.”

  “It would count you out for the duration of the battle. We are going to need you on the front lines, Kamen. Your skill with offensive spells far exceeds mine,” Docia said. “No. It makes more sense that I cast the mass teleportation spell.”

  “Docia, no!” Ram said.

  “Ram, it has to be done.”

  “Not by you.”

  “Yes, by me! You are going to need Kamen in the battle if you are to have any hope of destroying Apep. Kamen, tell them what you told me earlier.”

  Kamen had everyone’s attention. “I think I found a way to banish Apep from this plane of existence.”

  “What?” a chorus of cries went up.

  “I found it in an ancient scroll. It’s not actually about banishing Apep, but about moving energy from one plane of existence to another. It’s a very complex spell, but if we can get Apep into the circle that I will draw out to act as a portal, I think I can push him through it. But that requires holding him in place for as long as it will take me to cast the spell. So far I have timed myself at three minutes.”

  “That’s not too long,” Kane said.

  “It’s a long time to hold a god,” Kamen said. “I am researching a binding spell, but there’s no telling if it would be strong enough. How are we to know what will work against a god until we try it in the thick of battle?”

  “There’s no need for that. I can bind him,” Grey said. “I think. As you say, there is no way of knowing for certain.”

  “All we can do is have a plan and execute it. That means practicing it. I have a few ideas but as you said, it’s hard to know what will work against a god until we’re actually in the thick of the battle,” Jackson said. “I’ll need Grey and the Phoenixes and Viève.”

  “Me? What can I do?” Viève asked.

  “That deathtouch of yours is bound to at least weaken a god. He is in a mortal body after all.”

  “But that means I’ll have to get close enough to touch him!” she said, panic rushing over her.

  “That’s what I need Kane and Grey for. Trust me, Viève, we won’t leave you hanging out there.”

  “Why use the half-breed?” Felix asked snidely. “Has she ever even used her deathtouch before? How do we know it’ll even work? Why not use me?”

  “He’s right. I’ve never used my deathtouch before. And it’s not like I can practice on just anyone!” Viève cried.

  “Viève, we will be able to test it. That night. The first chance you are able to, I want you to use your deathtouch against an enemy. If it works then we’ll use you, if it doesn’t then…we’ll use Felix.” It was clear they didn’t want to depend on Felix. Viève couldn’t blame them. Felix just shrugged.

  “You’re wasting your time with her. Best to count on me. I’ve used my deathtouch before. It works quite well.”

  Jackson didn’t want to know who had fallen victim to Felix’s deathtouch. But the knowledge that he was able to use it effectively couldn’t be ignored.

  “Yes. Just use Felix,” Viève said as she nervously clutched her hands together before her. She didn’t want them to depend on her for something so critical when it wasn’t clear if her half-breed genes could perform.

  “Very well,” Jackson said reluctantly. “I won’t make you do something you don’t feel you’re ready to do. Felix, you can come out on the field and practice with us.”

  “Tameri,” Kamen said to Docia, “we need to prepare you for the mass teleportation spell. I’ll cast the location spell now. Then you will know where you’ll be sending everyone. We cannot practice the full spell, but we can prepare you for it as best as we are able.”

  “All right,” Docia said, rubbing her hands together anxiously. “I can do this.”

  “I know that you can,” Kamen said. “You are a powerful priestess. I have seen you do many incredible things. This is well within your range of ability. But, as you said, it will drain you until you are flirting with death. Someone will have to stay behind to care for you.”

  “I will care for her,” Ram said tightly.

  “Very well. Come with us, Ram. I will show you how best to care for her once the spell has drained her.”

  Ram nodded tightly and went to follow them into the house.

  “Everyone else needs to be contacting more forces or practicing on this field,” Jackson said.

  “I’ll be with you in just a second, Jackson,” Kane said as he hurried into the house after the others. “Kamen!”

  Kamen stopped halfway up the stairs and looked down at the Demon. “Yes?”

  “I need you to take me to the Doyen’s headquarters. I can only teleport somewhere I’ve already been. I’m not able to take the place out of someone’s mind like a stronger Mind Demon could.”

  Kamen nodded. “Meet me in my rooms in ten minutes. I want to get Tameri studying this spell first.”

  “Will do.”

  Kane turned around and went back outside. The gathering had broken up, most of the people going out onto the field to practice their offensive and defensive abilities. Jackson had pooled together his little contingent, which was made up of Felix, Viève, Kane, the Phoenixes, and Grey.

  “I don’t know why I’m here,” Viève was saying hesitantly.

  “You’re backup, in case something happens to Felix.”

  “Nothing is going to happen to me,” Felix drawled. “I’ve been in a battle before. I’m six hundred sixty-two years old. I’ve battled Nightwalkers before and I’ve certainly taken down humans.”

  “Still, I like to play it safe,” Jackson said. “My plan is simple. Ceara, Cordo, you’re going to distract Apep with sheer firepower. Kane, while Apep is distracted, you’re going to teleport Felix to within touching distance of Apep. Felix, you’re going to use your deathtouch on him to weaken him. And, Grey, you’re going to bind him and get him into the circle Kamen will be drawing.”

  “Sounds simple enough, provided everyone can do their part,” Felix said, eyeing Grey.

  “I can get him to the circle; it’s keeping him there that’ll be the problem. Hopefully Felix’s deathtouch will make it all the easier,” Grey replied.

  “Viève, I still want you to execute your deathtouch as soon as you can. If something should happen to Felix I need to know I have a backup.”

  “All right. I will.”

  But the idea of touching another being with death was a hard pill for Viève to swallow. She knew she would have to do it if she was going to be a part of this battle. And she did want to be a part of this battle. She would have to get over it. She wanted to prove her worth to these people more than anything.

  “
It would be better to use one of the other Wraiths that are coming as backup,” Felix said. “Wraiths with experience.”

  “I think Viève will do just fine,” Jackson said.

  “If you insist. If that is all, you must excuse me,” he said.

  “That isn’t all. We need to practice these maneuvers.”

  “We can’t. You heard him,” he said nodding toward Kane. “Transporting the other Wraiths is going to wear him out. He doesn’t have the energy to put into practice.”

  “He has a point,” Kane said.

  “SingSing can do the teleporting. She’s really quite good at it,” Grey said. “I would do it myself, but I fear all of my energy is going to have to be on holding this god in place.”

  SingSing was also unpredictable. It was exactly why Jackson hadn’t asked her to be a part of this from the beginning. He had carefully chosen participants based on what he had seen during their capture the flag games.

  “All right, if you think you can corral her,” Jackson said. “Now we need someone strong to play the role of Apep. Someone with a lot of firepower.”

  “Did someone say they needed firepower?” a strong male voice asked from the left.

  “Noah!” Kane exclaimed, going up to the Demon King and shaking his hand.

  “Kane. I heard you needed some help. So, Gideon and I came. Legna stayed behind, however. She is watching over the children.”

  “With you and Gideon here, we don’t need anyone else.”

  Jackson took in the sight of the brawny, black-haired Demon King and the taller, leaner built Gideon whose silver hair and eyes gave him a startling appearance. He was as young looking as his ruler was, but there was something very aged in his eyes and demeanor.

  “Anyway, if you need firepower…” Noah held out a hand and a ball of flame appeared. He pitched it hard against a group of landscaping rocks and they burst into cinders.

  “Nice,” Cordo said.

  It figured the Phoenixes would like the Fire Demon.

  They moved to an area of the lawn separate from where everyone else was practicing and, after Grey fetched SingSing, began to practice their skills, their timing, and what it would feel like to take a hit in the process.

  SingSing kept entertaining herself by disappearing and reappearing, a delighted “Tada!” accompanying each appearance. It grew old fast for everyone except SingSing.

  “SingSing, take this seriously,” Jackson scolded from the sidelines. “If Kane can’t do this for whatever reason, we may need you as a backup.”

  “Oh, I’m taking this very seriously.” She scrunched up her face and pointed to it. “See? This is my serious face.”

  Jackson sighed.

  “Let’s do it again.”

  Chapter 22

  Kamen was pacing. It was so out of character for the serene man she had come to know. He usually dealt with the world in such a calm and confident manner.

  Except when it came to her. He was confident, but he was also turbulent. Passionate. She liked it that way.

  But she didn’t like seeing him stressed out. Yet she knew there was very little she could do about it. Her odds of getting any sleep today were probably just as low as his.

  Tomorrow night would tell the tale. They would finally face this terrible enemy and the truth was…the truth was they weren’t all going to come back alive and intact. There were going to be casualties. On one side or another, there were going to be casualties.

  “Kamen, what can I do to help you?” she asked, moving to stop him in his circuit across the floor.

  He gave her a small smile, reached to cup her face in his hand, and ran a thumb over her frowning lips.

  “There is nothing to be done. Tomorrow people are going to die. Because of me. Templars, Politic, Demons, Djynn…I have wrought this terrible circumstance and others are going to pay for it.”

  “Blaming yourself isn’t going to solve anything. It isn’t going to help. If you spend all your time these next hours fretting about what guilt you bear, then you won’t get the rest you need and you won’t be as sharp as you need to be to stop people from getting hurt.”

  He sighed and pulled her in close. Held her tightly to the hard planes of his body and pressed his mouth down on hers.

  “Would that it were so simple,” he whispered against her lips.

  “I’m not saying it is simple or easy. But sometimes forgiveness has to start with the forgiven. You need to let go of the reasons why this has come to pass and focus instead on what you can do to stop it from getting any worse.”

  He looked down into her eyes, letting her see deep into the startling blue of his. She saw his pain there. His guilt. And she saw him suffering because of it. She didn’t want him to suffer anymore. She couldn’t wait for this to finally be over, for him to be free of this enormous weight that was dragging him down. She wanted Apep gone from their existence once and for all.

  “It will all happen as it is meant to,” she said softly.

  “I feel as if I am meant to die tomorrow. Oh, don’t worry. In another hundred years I’ll be back to cause more chaos again,” he said dryly. “But this life, I fear, is almost at an end. And there is nothing I will regret more than leaving you behind.”

  Fear gripped at her chest. “You’re not going anywhere! You’re not leaving me behind! Don’t even think like that. If you think that way then it is bound to happen. You cannot die until you have rectified this mistake, right?”

  “Right.”

  “And once the mistake is rectified, there will be nothing left to kill you. So you will be fine.”

  “Destroying Apep will not end the battle,” Kamen said. “There will be others to contend with.”

  “And they will be dealt with. By our others. You need to just focus on Apep. Tomorrow we will drag him down into that circle and you will purge him from this world.”

  “If all goes well,” he said with a sigh. “I’m not even sure—”

  “It will go well,” she said, silencing his fretting with a kiss. Then she deepened the kiss, taking his flavor onto her tongue, drawing him into her, coaxing him into being present in the moment with her.

  He lifted his knuckles to the rise of her cheek and pulled back to watch himself caress her there. She was so beautiful and he knew she had no idea that she was. Which somehow made her twice as lovely. She had come into his life two short nights ago and changed his world. With her forgiveness, her unabashed kindness, her damaged ego. But she had come a long way in just those two nights. All she had needed, he had come to realize, was some perspective. She had needed to draw breath in an environment other than her cell where she had been raised to believe she was nothing. Now she was growing confidence. It was still only just germinating inside of her, but she had stood up to Felix and that had been a major step for her.

  And now there was a chance he wouldn’t be able to watch the rest of her development. There was a chance one or both of them could die. For the first time he was grateful for Felix. He would much rather have Felix trying to touch that deadly monster than Viève. The closer she got to Apep the more chances she wouldn’t survive.

  “I want you to stay away from Apep,” he said suddenly.

  “But if Felix falls…”

  “There are other Wraiths. Jackson can use them. I don’t want you anywhere near Apep.”

  “All right,” she said, relief washing through her. She didn’t want to be anywhere near Apep either. She would much rather contend with the Templars. But could the Wraiths be trusted to do their part? That was the question. One that wouldn’t have an answer until they were in the thick of battle.

  Tomorrow night. A few short hours away.

  “I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she said fiercely, fighting back the sting of tears. “I want to be with you. If this is potentially our last day on earth, I want to spend it with you.”

  “And I you,” he said fondly, his knuckles stroking her. “I never thought I would find someone to be with. Ne
ver thought I would even want something like this. But now it is all I want. It is what will make all of this worthwhile. Before it was a duty, now destroying Apep is paramount to my…my heart. I need to make room for you, and the only way I can do that is by lifting this burden of guilt. I will feel every loss of life tomorrow, but it will be easier to bear knowing you are here to forgive me. Please…be here for me.”

  She knew he was asking her to survive. Even though he didn’t believe in his own survival, he was asking her to survive.

  “I am here for you and I will be here until you get sick of me.”

  “That will be a very long time from now,” he said, for the first time thinking like a man with a future. A future he had to have only if it could be with her. He had been going through the motions of life for so many centuries now and for the first time in a long time he wanted to be alive. He wanted to tell her, but he could not. Not until the burdens of guilt were lifted from his soul. She didn’t deserve him, but he was going to subject her to himself all the same.

  She looked pleased by his words, and so she should be. She should be made to feel special every minute of every night.

  He leaned down and kissed her pale pink lips. He savored the feel of her, the way she sighed with pleasure, the sweet strawberry smell of her. She had gotten her own toiletries from town the night before and included in that was a strawberry scented body wash. It took the mystery out of how she managed to smell so sweet, but he didn’t care. It was still uniquely Viève. And she added a warmth and depth to it that mere fabricated scent could never accomplish.

  He deepened the kiss, drawing her body into his. He was much taller so she had to perch up on the tips of her toes to meet him better. The feel of her lithe body against his took his breath away. Made him hard. He wanted her more and more with every passing hour it seemed. She had the power to ease his mind of all the weight it bore. A tremendous ability to be sure. Perhaps he shouldn’t allow it; perhaps he didn’t deserve to be unburdened, but he selfishly could not see himself bear any punishment while she was around.