She took hold of Amanda’s far shoulder and rolled her over, bringing her face into view, her eyes open and lifeless.
Her stomach lurched as the reality hit Liz again. Was this it for her?
A roar from Horlack made Liz look up to see the Scion soar through the air and land with a crunch nearby. Essentia and green mist flared around Yasmin and hit Israel, smashing his weakened Aegis to bits. Her Magic lashed out once more and took hold of him, before ripping him apart.
Israel, or what was left of him, fell to the rubble with several heavy wet thuds, leaving nothing between Yasmin and where they crouched over Amanda.
“We have to go,” Maria said.
“I was just going to say…” Liz said and reached her hands under Amanda’s body.
Gentle Water stood up in front of them and blocked the path Yasmin had to Liz and Maria. Liz felt her stomach flip as she understood what Gentle Water was doing.
Would she lose him today, as well?
A scream to Liz’s left drew her attention. Scralex’s Magic ripped into a defenceless Aaron and tore open his body, ending his life.
~Magi, we are leaving,~ Maria called through the Link as she concentrated and worked her Magic.
Looking past Gentle Water, Yasmin’s Magic bloomed and rushed in towards him. A dark shape rose just beyond Gentle Water, rushing into the path of the Magic as Horlack tried to block it.
Gentle Water staggered back as some of the green mist from Yasmin hit him in the face. He yelled in pain and held his hands to his face as Maria’s Flux Magic wrapped around everyone. Liz’s last view of the battlefield outside Amanda’s Brownstone was of the green mist disintegrating Horlack’s body from the waist up. His dark, hulking torso flew apart like ash caught in the wind as the scene changed and they were suddenly no longer on Earth. They were on the main open rear deck of the Arkady as it hung thousands of miles above Earth.
Liz stood, holding Amanda’s body in her arms. Maria was beside her, her Flux Magic fading. Liz looked around to see Balor, Gentle Water, Sabine, Maya, and Tabitha, while the corpses of Israel, Stella, and Aaron lay motionless on the floor at their feet.
Liz felt sick looking at them. Israel had been ripped into bits, Aaron was torn apart, and Stella’s head lay two feet away from her neck.
Looking at Amanda, motionless in her arms, Liz could feel the tears welling up in her eyes as the emotion of what had just happened began to overtake her.
Maria approached, fresh tears already rolling down her cheeks as she helped Liz lower Amanda to the floor.
Footsteps rang out on the wooden decking. Liz looked up to see Mercy, Shaun, Vanessa, Matt, and Howie run out from inside the ship and onto the rear deck. They stopped and looked over the scene before them and the defeat written large on everyone’s faces.
“Holy shit,” Mercy muttered under her breath.
- A few minutes ago, Manhattan, New York.
Mercy ran up from the basement with Shaun and the others close behind her. She turned right, towards the front of the house, which was gone. It had been ripped away, revealing the devastated street beyond.
Essentia flared between her and the fighting out on the street, and Amanda appeared a short distance ahead.
Mercy led Shaun to the stairwell. “Go up the stairs into the Null Realm lobby,” she said before she looked back over at Amanda. “I’ll watch these,” she called out to Amanda, who nodded back at her.
“Thank you,” Amanda said before she turned and faced the fight against Yasmin and her Black Knights.
Mercy wanted to help, but she knew saving these guys was just as important.
As the last one, Matt ran up the stairs, taking two at a time, Mercy followed. Reaching the landing, she ran forward and guided him through the door into the lobby of the Null Realm where the others waited. She then led them all through another door where they stepped out into the interior of the Arkady. Mercy shut the door behind her and thought about the obvious weakness that this link back to the house presented.
“One moment,” she called out and went back through to the Null Realm.
She considered what she was about to do for a moment, and decided it was the right move.
She worked her Magic and severed the link between the lobby of the Null Realm and the house before she stepped back through to the ship and severed that connection as well.
They could Port up here when they needed to, she thought.
Mercy spent the next ten minutes checking the ship and the others, making sure they were all okay until Essentia flared on the rear deck. She ran through the ship towards it, unprepared for what was waiting for her.
Regroup
The Arkady, Earth
Liz knelt on the floor next to Amanda’s body, her hands resting on the decking as she closed her eyes and let the tears come. During the fight, there had been no time for tears. There hadn’t been time for grief or introspection either. There was only violence and chaos, and making sure she survived it. For now, the threat was gone and the reality of their situation snapped into sharp focus as she realised how much they’d lost.
Liz looked up to see Maya, who crouched down beside Amanda. Maya’s crimson Vampire tears were already staining her cheeks as she looked at her mother.
“I’m so sorry,” Liz said quietly.
Maya’s eyes flicked to her and a thin, forced smile spread over her face in gratitude for the sentiment, before swiftly falling away.
They looked at each other for a moment before, with no obvious signal to initiate it, they moved to hug one another. Liz pulled Maya close as another upswell of emotion gripped her and she sobbed.
“It’s okay,” Maya said quietly. “She’s at peace now, she can rest.”
“But, I don’t want her to rest. I want her back,” Liz protested. “We can bring her back, right?”
“We can try,” said Gentle Water from nearby.
Liz pulled back from Maya and looked over to see Gentle Water sitting on the deck, his hand over his eyes. With her Aetheric Sight still active, Liz could see the residue of Yasmin’s Magic still playing over his face.
“Are you okay?” Liz asked, with growing concern.
“I don’t know,” he replied, turning his head towards her. “What you see?” he asked as he pulled his hand away from his face.
The skin around his eyes was red and raw and covered with lots of small cuts. The whites of his eyes were heavily bloodshot, but his irises and pupils were milky and odd-looking.
“Holy crap, do you feel okay? Does it hurt?”
“Can you see?” Maria asked as she approached Gentle Water.
“I no see, no,” Gentle Water said. “And yes, it hurt a lot.”
“Here, let me try something,” Maria said and moved over to him, working her Magic. As Liz watched, the wounds healed, developing into scars, but his eyes didn’t change. Liz could see Maria’s Essentia flare brighter and brighter as she put more and more effort into it until she finally relented and stopped, gasping for breath as her Magic faded.
“I can’t fix them,” she admitted.
“What do you mean?” Liz asked.
“Whatever that Magic from Yasmin was, I think its effects are permanent and untreatable,” Maria said, catching her breath.
“I’m blind,” Gentle Water said.
“Until we can figure out a way to reverse it, yes, I think you are…”
The ship fell silent. Liz could feel the sympathy flowing off everyone, but no one said anything. After all, what could they say?
“I’m sorry,” Liz said, breaking the silence.
“It not your fault,” Gentle Water answered her. “You want me to try bring Amanda back?”
“No, no, Maria can do it, you look after yourself first. You have enough to think about,” she said, and Gentle Water sat back. “Maria?” Liz asked.
Maria nodded and reached out with her Magic. Liz watched the Essentia around her surge and rush out to Amanda, filling her body as Maria attempted to bring
Amanda back from the dead. Seconds passed, and Amanda didn’t move. Liz sat and watched, wishing with all her heart for Amanda to suddenly take a breath, but nothing happened.
Liz looked up at Maria. Her face was going red as she pushed as hard as she could with her Magic, until she suddenly stopped, collapsing in a breathless heap.
“I… I can’t do it. It’s too much,” she gasped.
“It’s okay,” Liz said as she dropped her head and closed her eyes. Taking a deep breath, Liz stood up. She felt like she could have sat there for hours, wallowing in the grief that was slowly consuming everyone, but she’d been through this before. She’d lost people in horrific ways and as shocking as this was, and as sad as she felt, she knew that nothing would be achieved by just sitting here and doing nothing.
Idle hands and all that, she thought.
She looked around at the people that were with her and saw people she loved and respected. These people were some of the most amazing people she had ever met, and she thought about what Amanda would want.
She’d want them to continue on, to fight the darkness and those who served it. She’d want them to recover from this setback, from this defeat, to regroup and find a way to beat Yasmin.
“We lost some good people today,” Liz said. “People I love and respect, but this is not the end. Amanda wouldn’t want us to give up. The loss of our friends at the hands of Yasmin—Amanda, Yoh, Israel, Aaron, and Stella—it cuts deep. But Yasmin is still out there. She will never give up until we’re all dead, and that is not something we can allow to happen. Amanda would want us to fight, to find a way to beat Yasmin, and end her reign of terror. So, I want to know one thing, are you with me?” Liz asked.
Around her, the faces of every single one of her friends changed. From the darkness of loss and grief, she saw hope and determination bloom. As she spoke, she saw their confidence reassert itself, and she knew they were with her even before she’d asked the question.
Everyone answered in the affirmative. From silent nods to yeses, to words of encouragement and defiance of Yasmin, they all agreed to fight.
Liz smiled at the feeling of love and camaraderie within the group. “Okay, then, let’s get started. We have a lot of work to do. Shaun, Vanessa, can you get Gentle Water settled inside somewhere?” she said, sniffing back her tears and wiping her cheeks with her hand.
Shaun nodded and set to work with Vanessa.
“Howie, Matt, go to the walk-in cooler and make some space, we need to keep these bodies on ice until we decide what to do with them,” she asked, pushing down another bout of rising emotion at the thought of Amanda laid out in the cooler.
“Maria, when they’re done, can you Port the bodies into the cooler? Also, have a think, there might be another approach you can use to try and bring Amanda, or any of the others, back.”
Maria nodded at her, a look of approval growing on her face. “Of course.”
“Balor, you’re on lookout duty. Tabitha, Sabine, Mercy, head to the bridge, let’s make sure the ship’s okay.”
Everyone nodded and started to go about their assigned tasks. They were still visibly upset, and emotions were running high, but they were channelling that emotion now and using it to fuel their forward march. Everyone also seemed to be happy to have something to focus on. Something other than the death of their friends.
Maria approached with a smile. “Well done,” she said. “I’ll help the boys prepare the cooler.”
“Thanks,” Liz said and watched her follow Matt and Howie into the ship.
Nearby, Shaun and Vanessa guided Gentle Water into the Arkady and sat him down on one of the sofas before Vanessa went to get him a drink. Above her, Balor climbed up over the ship and perched on the highest part to keep watch. She knew the ship’s scanners were likely better than he was, but she wasn’t confident in the use of them, and she needed to give Balor something to do. This would work for now.
She stepped into the ship and walked over to Gentle Water. “I wish there was something I could do to help you,” she admitted, taking a seat on the table in front of him.
He smiled, but his eyes remained unfocused. “It okay, little one. Better it happen to me than you.”
“Don’t say that,” she answered. “It shouldn’t have happened to anyone. It shouldn’t have happened at all.”
“But it did. And I would do it again.”
“Is there anything I can do for you? Is there anything I can get you?”
Gentle Water shook his head. “No, little one. I am okay. This take some getting used to, but I alive, so I grateful for that.”
Liz nodded and then realised he couldn’t see her. “Okay,” she added.
Essentia flared nearby. She looked to her right and saw the bodies on the deck being Ported deeper into the ship. She got up and walked back out to the decking where they had been moments before and saw the bloodstains on the polished wooden floor. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and Liz took some deep breaths, pushing her emotions aside and regaining control of herself as she calmed her breathing. With a thought and a working of Magic, a bucket of water appeared at her feet along with some cloths and sponges. Kneeling, she started to wipe it away and then clean the decking. She could have just used her Magic to do it, and it would have been gone with a single working of her focused intent, but that would have been too easy.
She wanted to focus on something; she wanted to do it properly. Using her hands and scrubbing seemed like the best way to do that. It didn’t take long, and after a short time, the blood was gone. She worked her Magic and disposed of the items she had conjured as a pulse of Essentia flared in her mind. It was from Maria. She opened the Link.
~Liz, come to the cooler. I have something to show you,~ she said.
Liz sent an affirmative thought back through the Link and closed it before walking through the main deck, deeper into the ship, past where Shaun and Vanessa were sitting with Gentle Water.
As she passed them, Shaun got up and intercepted her. “Liz,” he said, clearly keen to speak with her.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Look, I’ve been thinking and, well, I’m not sure how much use to you I am up here,” he said.
“What do you mean? You’re of great help.”
“Heh. Thanks, but I think we—Vanessa and me—would be more use back on Earth. All this,” he said, waving at the ship around them, “is very good and all, but I’m of little use to you here. I know what I’m good at, and what we really need are some eyes on the ground. I mean, I don’t know what you’re planning, but at least, down there, I can monitor the situation.”
“You want to go back down?”
“I think that would be best. We can go back to our hideout under Manhattan. I don’t think Yasmin knows about it, and we can try to track her from there, keep an eye on her.”
“You don’t like it up here, do you? In space, I mean.”
Shaun smiled. “No, I don’t. I just feel uncomfortable.”
Liz nodded. “It would be really useful to have someone monitoring Earth for us. And if you can track Yasmin…”
Shaun smiled. “So, we can go?”
“In a bit, yes. Maria wants to see me, and then we need to figure out our next move. Once I know what we’re doing, we’ll Port you back down. Okay?”
Shaun nodded, his body sagging slightly with relief. “Excellent, thank you.”
“No problem,” she said, and left him to return to Gentle Water’s side.
The walk-in cooler was just off the galley and as she walked in, Matt and Howie walked out, nodding to her as they left.
The cooler was used to store food usually, but there wasn’t loads of that, and what there was had been moved to one side of the room. Opposite the boxes and cans of food, the four bodies were laid out on shelves that Liz guessed had been conjured specifically for this purpose.
“What’s up?” she asked Maria, wincing as she saw Amanda lying on the cold metal shelf with the other three bodies
.
“I spotted something a few moments ago,” Maria said. “I attempted to revive Amanda again and noticed something odd. So, look, in the case of Israel, Aaron, and Stella we’re too late. If I brought them back—and I could, technically speaking—it would be Necromancy at this point as their souls have moved on. In part, that’s because their bodies were so badly damaged. They might also be somewhat… damaged by the experience as it breaks the natural order of things.”
Liz nodded solemnly. “Like Zombies. So, what about Amanda?”
“Okay, well, use your Aetheric Sight for a moment and look at Stella here, and then look at Amanda,” she directed.
Stella’s body had been covered by a sheet to hide the grisly sight of her severed head, while Amanda lay only partially covered.
“What do you see?” Maria asked.
Liz looked at Stella, and then at Amanda, focusing on the extra spectrums she could see with her Magical vision. There was so much she could focus on though, that she wasn’t sure what she was looking for.
“I don’t know. What am I looking at here?”
“Look at her Spirit energy, look at her Anima,” Maria said.
She nodded, refocused and looked at Stella. Predictably, as Maria had just explained, Stella’s Anima Mundi, or her soul, to use the common term, was gone. This was nothing unusual. When you died, your soul slowly separated from your body over the next few minutes, usually to pass into Sheol. Once that process—which could be instantaneous in the case of damage like decapitation—had completed, resuscitating them became more complicated, and crossed into the realms of Necromancy, which would mean, in the eyes of the Magi Council, you were a Nomad.
She then looked at Amanda and very quickly noticed that her Anima Mundi was still there. It had not separated from her at all. In fact, it was still strong and vital and showed none of the usual signs that it was about to break away.
Liz frowned and looked up at Israel and then Aaron, but their Animas were absent, as well.
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