“Yes; dark, uncontrollable spirits that destroy everything in their paths.”
“Okay, got it. What else?”
“The lock is about fifty inches on all sides. It’s got a pattern embedded in it. The Prim is a silvery flat layer that looks like a screen protector. Once the Prim and the pattern on the lock are perfectly aligned, the Prim will start to configure.”
“How will we know if it configures?”
“It will glow. And since the other two conditions have been met, the only thing left after the Prim is configured is Rahell’s hand print. You can’t let Rahell’s hand get on that lock, Marcus,” Tony warns.
He’s about to give me more information but we are interrupted by a text, from of all people, the Sage.
I gather the team and read it to them.
“If you don’t interfere with my plans, I will spare your team. One time offer.”
“Wow, he has really lost it,” Miku says.
“Write him back and tell him go screw himself,” Rio says.
“Wait, why don’t we make a deal?” Rage asks.
“What about the millions of people who stand to die?” I ask.
“How is that our problem?” Rage replies.
“The fact that you need to ask that is why she deserves someone better,” Wolf says as he walks towards us.
Wolf offers to come with us but I tell him we need him here in the field.
“What do we say to Sage?” Miku asks.
I text him back and ask him how he plans on controlling the Goumy.
He relies shortly.
“Control? No. Want to unleash the Goumy. Kill all humans & Angels. Start over.”
I text him back that we’re not interested in a deal. Just then, Jay comes out of Bianca’s room and says she’s sleeping. We fill him in on the latest from Sage.
“What did he say after you turned him down?” Jay asks.
As if to respond to Jay, I get one last text from the Sage.
“You will fail. I have seen it. They all die.”
Tess, the city on the coast of the Black Sea, is a city like any other. It’s filled with skyscrapers, parks and homes. But Tess does have two things that separate it from any other place. First, it’s covered by a glass dome, making it impossible to get in or out. And second, it looks like a slew of mini tornados are surrounding the city. But, as we now know, the ‘tornadoes’ are really the Goumy.
We scout the location before we go charging in. We find the Demons hovering over the glass dome. Although the Sage sends only six of them, I’m sure what the Demons lack in numbers they make up for in powers.
There are a set of triplets that scan the air, making sure there are no Angels near. The other three Demons are camped at the base of the glass dome. A red headed girl with expansive black wings has Rahell tied up with Samson string.
The last two Demons work on opening lock that holds the Goumy prisoner. The lock is exactly like Tony said it would be. The blonde Demon tries to place the Prim over the lock, but he’s having trouble aligning it. The last Demon, a tall bald guy, goes over to help him.
“Remember what Tony said, once they align the Prim and place it over the lock, it will configure. Then the only chance we have to stop the glass from breaking is to stop them from placing Rahell’s hand on the lock,” I remind them.
“All we have to do is secure Rahell,” Ameana replies.
“Yes, but, we also want to get the Prim back. If we leave it with them—”
“—It’s only a matter of time before they hunt down another Para and try to free the Goumy again,” Jay finishes.
“Exactly; Jay and Miku take the triplets. Ameana and Rio, get Rahell back from the redhead. Rage and I will go after the Prim,” I order.
Everyone agrees and takes to the air. Jay Glides over to the triplets. He captures one of the three brothers in a choke hold. The other two quickly come to their brother’s rescue, but Miku is close enough to them to start singing. Soon, the wailing and crying hits the air as the triplets begin to rip apart their own flesh.
Although they are in serious pain, somehow the triplets manage to make contact with each other. The minute they do, a massive power surge emanates from them. The surge turns into a lasso and quickly snares both Miku and Jay by the neck.
The triplets manipulate the lasso so that it now spins the two angels around at inhuman speeds. They then fling them with across the sky. The force with which Jay and Miku are being thrown makes them look more like comets than Angels.
I call out for Ameana to redirect them towards a safer landing but Ameana is in no shape to help. She and Rio are being drained of their power by the redhead. She opens both of her palms and my teammates’ powers funnel into her palms. Rio doesn’t even have enough strength to put up his shield.
“Rage, can you get Ameana; I’ll get Jay and Miku.”
“Got it,” he replies as he swoops over to his girl and Rio.
Meanwhile, Miku and Jay are about to hit the side of the mountain at a speed that will definitely end their lives. I cut through the air and make it just it time to place myself between them and the mountain. While they still crash, I’m able to slow them down so their crash isn’t fatal.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“I’m alright; Jay?” Miku asks.
“All good, baby. Let’s do this!” Jay replies.
They fly back towards the triplets, more determined than ever to take them down.
I look over and find Rage hurling power balls at the redhead. She tries to counter attack and drain Rage of his power but she’s having a hard time getting a clear shot.
Rio takes advantage of the distraction Rage has caused. He uses his shield and covers Rahell so that she doesn’t get hurt in the cross fire. Ameana sends the redhead flying into the dome. She bangs her head on the way down, leaving smears of blood on the glass.
“I got this, go help Marcus. Don’t let them configure the Prim,” Ameana tells Rage.
He flies over to me. Together, we head for the lock at the base of the dome. There, we find the two Demons trying to align the Prim with the lock. As soon as they see us, they stop what they’re doing and charge towards us.
“I’ll take baldy. You take the blonde guy,” I tell Rage.
“Got it.”
The bald Demon comes after me with great fury. He wields a machete with red trim that glows.
I’m not sure what the machete is laced with, but I know it’s probably a bad idea to come in contact with it.
“I’m just gonna cut off all your limbs and then I’ll feed them to my Fire Swans,” he says, his voice dripping with hate.
“I’m right here,” I challenge him.
He lunges at me wildly. I manage to dodge him but, I have to admit, his speed is impressive. The machete cuts through the air with the skill and precision of a samurai sword. It’s as if the Demon and the machete are one.
This is going to be harder than I thought. I can’t get close enough to him to tackle him or Reflect his fear back to him.
A few yards away, Rage has his hands full with the blonde Demon. He curses at Rage and calls him a traitor. Then he summons up a red power ball unlike any we’ve seen before. Rage goes to hurl a fire ball at him, but it’s too late. The red power ball coils around him like a snake and starts to electrocute him.
The volts are so powerful I can smell Rage’s wings burning from here. The bald Demon is on my tail with the machete, making it impossible to help Rage. I hear him cry out as the power ball continues to sear into his flesh. Judging by the volts zapping through Rage, he only has a few minutes to live.
For a quick second, I wonder if Rage dying is such a bad thing. He is a Demon, after all. But then I think about Ameana. For whatever reason, she’s truly in love with him and if he died, she would be inconsolable. I can’t let her go through that. And I also refuse to let the blonde Demon kill anyone I came with; team member or not.
The blonde Demon is too busy with Rage to pay attentio
n to me or the bald Demon chasing me.
That’s what I’m counting on. I tackle him to the ground. The bald Demon, not giving a damn what happens to his teammate, sends the machete slicing through the air, although it could hurt both me and his Demon pal.
I flip the blonde Demon over at the last second and use him as a shield. It works. The machete slices clean through the blonde Demon’s back. His flesh slides off the edge of the blade like slimy meat.
Realizing he’s out numbered, the bald Demon rushes back to the lock to align Prim. I go to stop him but then I hear Rage call out. Although the Demon that made the red power ball is dead, the ‘red snake’ power ball is still alive and killing him.
I run over to intercept the snake; but there is no way to get it off of Rage. There is no way to do it without touching it. I reach out towards the red coiled ‘snake’ and hope I am strong enough to get it off before it kills us both.
“Hang on,” I shout.
I place my hands around the red power ball’s ‘snake’. The second I make contact with it, I jerk out of control. The volts travel through my body, scorching my insides like marshmallow on an open flame. My teeth feel like they’re on fire and I can practically hear my blood boil.
“You’re crazy. It’s gonna kill you, Guardian,” Rage warns.
“Shut up!”
I use every once of strength I have to uncoil the power ball from Rage’s body. I summon up as much will as I can not to let go of the very thing that is trying to kill me.
Finally, I am able to uncoil the ‘snake’ from around Rage’s body; I hurl the power ball away and sink into the ground, too weak to move.
I force myself to turn my head slightly and check on Rage. That’s when I see him getting ready to launch fire ball straight at me.
Rage is going to kill me…
“What the—”
I don’t get to finish my sentence because Rage throws his fire ball directly at me. Or so I thought. The fire ball goes flying past me and lands in the center of the bald Demon’s chest. He would have sliced me in two with his machete, if not for the Akon.
“Ah…thanks,” I mutter not sure what else to say.
Rage shrugs. He’s just as uncomfortable with this as I am; maybe even more so.
With no time to waste, I run over to the gate and find the Prim has not only been put in place but it’s glowing, meaning it’s been configured.
“Damn it! All they need now is Rahell,” I rage.
“Never gonna happen,” Jay says confidently as he flies down with Rahell in his arms.
“You got her?” I ask, in disbelief.
“We switched off. Miku and I took care of the redhead. We tortured her until she agreed to untie Rahell. Then Miku sang an oldie but goodie,” Jay replies.
“Yup and what’s left of her is spread all over the mountain,” Miku says proudly.
“What about the triplets?” Rage asks.
“Rio and I took care of them. Once he blocked their lasso thingy with his shield, the rest was easy. Or ‘cake,’ as Jay would say,” Ameana replies.
She flies down with Rio by her side. I go over to inspect Rahell.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, just a little shaken but, I’m fine. Thank you for such a timely rescue,” she says hugging me.
“It’s okay. We were long overdue for some good news,” I reply as I embrace her in return.
“Marcus, you really should have taken my deal,” a voice says coldly.
We turn and find the Sage midair, on his Port. Without warning, he swoops down and grabs the machete lying beside the dead Demon. He then whizzes by Rahell and heads for the lock.
It happens so quick we don’t notice anything is wrong until Rahell cries out in pure anguish.
That’s when we look and realize her right hand is missing.
The team goes to help Rahell and I bolt over towards the Sage just in time to watch him place Rahell’s severed hand on the lock.
“NO!” I roar.
But it’s too late. The glass begins to crack. The shadows seep out from the city under glass. We have failed. The Goumy are out. The end isn’t coming; it’s here.
“Marcus,” Rage calls out to me. I don’t answer.
“MARCUS!” Rage shouts.
“WHAT?”
“Elle texted me; the human is awake.”
BOOK II:
EMERSON BAXTER
"Compromise is but the sacrifice of one right or good in the hope of
retaining another - too often ending in the loss of both."
—Tryon Edwards
(Submitted by contest winner, Sheila Roth)
CHAPTER NINETEEN: COMA GIRLS
The first thing I see when I wake up is a Goth like Demon girl looking down at me.
“If you’re going to kill me, can I pee first?” I ask.
Before she can reply, an Angel speaks from the doorway.
“Elle can’t kill you; she’s on our payroll.”
I turn my head and find Marcus standing at the door. He’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long time. He tells the Demon to wait outside and that he’ll take care of her payment in a moment. She leaves the two of us alone. Marcus moves so quickly, I don’t even see him approaching the bed. All I know is one minute he was at the doorway and, the next; I’m wrapped in his arms.
“It’s a good thing I’m in the hospital; you’re holding me so tight, I may need a doctor,” I warn him.
He doesn’t care. He continues to embrace me tightly. I can feel the relief and joy in his touch. And long after he’s supposed to let go, he’s still holding on.
“You’re gonna have to release me at some point, First Guardian,” I inform him gently.
“No,” he says, stubbornly.
And true to his word, he holds me longer still. When he finally does release me, he won’t let me out of his reach.
“What is it?” I ask.
“I just want to look at you,” he says studying me.
“Why; I’m a mess, right?”
“You’re perfect. The mixture allowed your hair to grow back, you have color in your cheeks and your eyes are still stunning.”
He holds me once again and swears he’ll never forgive me if I die. I promise to do my best.
“The team wanted to see you, but I had to send them to the battlefield.”
“It’s okay, I understand.”
“How are you? I mean, do you feel a hundred percent or do you need to rest? Should I come back?” He asks, fussing over me.
“No, I feel great and I’ve rested enough. How’s Ty?”
He flinches slightly at the mention of the boy’s name.
“He didn’t make it,” Marcus says with his head down.
“I’m sorry,” I reply, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Don’t worry about that for now. We need to get you new clothes and something to eat.”
“How’s the mission?” I ask.
He avoids my eyes.
“Jay says as soon as he can he will cook for you again. And Miku said something about going on a shop-athon.”
“Marcus…”
“Also, Rio has a girl. Well, it’s not official but she’s really—”
“—Marcus Cane, talk to me.”
He sighs heavily, runs his hands through his hair and plops down on the bed.
“We won the battle but we’re gonna lose the war,” he replies with deep regret.
I sit down next to him, take his hand and make him tell me what I missed. After he’s done, I try to make all the pieces fit in my head.
“So, the Goumy even scare evil Lucy?”
“Yes, and now they’re out in the world.”
“Yes, but, maybe they’re not as horrific as Dalce made them out to be. I mean, since I’ve been awake, everything has been normal. Maybe their powers were weakened after all that time under glass.”
“No, they weren’t,” he replies.
He takes the remote on th
e side of my bed and turns on the TV.
Every station is reporting the same thing: random unexpected hurricanes, floods, tornadoes and in South East Asia. Thousands of people are injured and hundreds are dead. The meteorologists are baffled by the sudden bad change in weather patterns.
One of the TV anchors said, “It’s as if Mother Nature wants us off her planet.”
“That’s not far from the truth,” Marcus replies miserably.
“You can’t catch them?”
“It’s like trying to hold on to a shadow.”
“So, what’s being done, right now?” I wonder.
“The team is in South East Asia, trying to help the survivors. Some of the Foundation Soldiers are there as well. It’s actually a brilliant plan the Sage had. In order to keep the death toll for the humans as low as possible, I’ve had to send most of the army to help them. So now, we’re losing on the battlefield because we just don’t have enough soldiers.”
“Do they know about Dalce yet?” I ask.
“No, but sooner or later, they’ll start asking questions.”
“Why is the Sage killing humans, I thought he wanted us as followers?” I ask.
“He does, but he’s willing to kill a billion or so humans and start over.”
“How long before they come around here?”
“At this rate, it shouldn’t be long. And if by some miracle we were to defeat them, we’d still be out of the time to find the Shoma. So, we’re out of luck on both fronts.” I’ve never seen Marcus so down before. The weight he’s carrying shows itself in his shoulders and the furrow of his brow. His wings are practically dragging on the floor. He keeps massaging his neck, as if that will somehow make all the bad things go away.
“I’m sorry this is what you woke up to,” he says.
“Me too.”
“I guess it’s no wonder you didn’t want to wake up,” he replies, almost to himself.
“What do you mean?”
He tells me what Elle said to him when the mixture turned black and grey.
“I get it, Em, believe me, I do. Who would come back to this?” He asks.
“Me.”