Legion

by Catrina Burgess

  I heard a low grunt to my right, and Luke dropped to his knees in exhaustion. His banshees faded from existence, and the two Redeemers his banshees had been holding at bay advanced on Luke gleefully. The Redeemers bled from a dozen small cuts, but their wounds didn’t stop them. They hastened forward to even the score.

  “Caleb, look out!” Jacob raised his hands, and the Redeemers walked into a wall of fire. It lacked the intensity to overcome their defenses, but it finally convinced them that it was time to run.

  First in ones and twos, then in a crazy rush, the Redeemers who still lived pounded out onto the dock and onto the ferry. Only the old Redeemer still stood his ground, swearing at his fleeing friends and trying to order them back into the battle.

  “Get back here, you cowards! We’re doing the Lord’s work, we cannot falter!” His voice began to rise steadily in volume and become less rational. “You’ll pay for your cowardice in the fires of hell. You have run from God’s good work and into the arms of Satan!” Spittle flew from his mouth with every screamed word.

  Eventually, even he saw that it was hopeless, and he turned his madness on the closest available target: Jacob. “You have betrayed us, demon! Was this your plan all along? Was this the reason you told us where to find her? You’ll not profit from your treachery.” Jacob merely ignored him, instead focusing on Luke.

  Jacob didn’t know that his brother was no longer alive. The last time we’d seen Jacob, everyone had thought Luke dead. Jacob had rushed forth to protect his brother and instead saved Luke’s life. Jacob was so intent on getting to his brother’s side that he didn’t see the madman pull a long knife from his shirt. Before Jacob could turn and protect himself, the Redeemer buried the knife deep into Jacob’s back.

  Dean was there in a heartbeat, clubbing the attacker to the ground, but it was too late. Jacob slumped to the ground. His head lolled over to the side. He was facing me, and I watched the light of life slowly disappear from his eyes.

  I forced myself to my feet. A cry escaped my lips, and a pair of strong arms encircled me. Luke pulled me close.

  “Is he dead?” I asked. I knew the answer even before I asked the question. I’d seen Jacob’s lifeless eyes. He had brought the Redeemers here in an attempt to save Wendy.

  Wendy. I pushed myself back and cried out, “He can’t be dead, she loves him.”

  Luke’s arms were still around me. “He saved my life.” Jacob had died protecting Luke, who he thought was his brother.

  I looked at Jacob’s body, and then I looked away. I realized there were tears in my eyes. I wiped them away. I wasn’t crying for Jacob; I didn’t really know him. He’d been kind to me back at the mining camp, but I’d always thought of him as one of Gage’s henchmen. My tears were for Wendy. My friend had fallen in love. I had seen happiness in her eyes for the first time when she and Jacob were together. When I’d met Wendy in the insane asylum, she’d always seemed so sad, so alone. But she wasn’t anymore with Jacob at her side. I knew what it was to lose someone you loved—it had almost destroyed me. I was certain it would destroy her.

  We gathered around Jacob’s lifeless body. Dean stood a few feet away, breathing heavily as he fought down the power that raged through him, the glow slipping slowly from his eyes. Mildred walked out of the trees, holding Jamie’s hand. We were stunned, confused, and exhausted. No one seemed to know what to say.

  The sound of roaring engines turned our attention back to the ferry. It lunged forward, jerking the mooring ropes tight. For a second, nothing happened, but then the ferry broke free, slowly moving toward the open sea and taking twenty feet of the dock with it. A large van broke loose from the car compartment, slid off the ferry’s deck, and splashed into the water as the ferry moved away.

  “Colina, my dear, I knew you’d come back to me eventually.”

  I turned to see Gage striding out of the darkness. His fine clothing was blackened and shredded, showing large expanses of newly healed skin. He strode up to me without pausing, and before I could react, he wrapped his arms around me and kissed me.

  And in that one moment I forgot all about Luke. Gage was still alive. My heart sang with happiness. As his lips pressed against mine, I could feel my body humming with excitement.

  Gage is so strong, so smart, so handsome. The thoughts rang through my head. I could barely breathe, I was so full of happiness. I felt intoxicated.

  And then Gage stepped back, holding me at arm’s length with a huge smile on his face. He didn’t even see Luke’s flying fist. It struck Gage firmly on the side of the head, knocking him out cold with one blow.

  Chapter 11

  “Nice right hook,” Dean said, looking down at Gage.

  Gage was lying on the ground, unconscious. I started to go to him when a pair of strong hands pulled me back, shoving me across the lawn.

  “Stop it!” I cried out.

  Luke looked at me in silence until I came to my senses.

  Now that I was away from Gage, I could finally think clearly again. I raised a trembling hand to my temples. “I told you about the spell.”

  “I know you did, but Goddess, Colina.” He ran a hand through his hair. “The way you were looking at him. As soon as he put his hands on you I wanted to throttle him.”

  “He sure seems like a hard guy to kill.” Dean came and stood next to me. “Maybe we should try taking off his head with an axe.”

  “I don’t think we’ll be able to kill him.” A part of me was happy at the thought. “I’ve seen him take a lot of damage and somehow he can always heal himself.”

  Dean looked over at Gage. “He does some heavy black magic and he seems pretty cozy with the demons. Maybe he got some kind of power from the beasts.”

  Luke was watching me intently. “There has to be a way to kill him.”

  I was desperate to change the subject. I knew concern flashed through my eyes every time they talked about hurting Gage. And I knew that Luke had seen it.

  Mildred joined us.

  “We could’ve used your help,” Luke said.

  “You were doing fine on your own, boy. I thought it best I stay and protect the girl,” Mildred answered.

  Dean gestured toward the lawn with its collection of haphazardly strewn dead bodies. “Now what?”

  “I think it’s time we storm the castle,” Mildred said.

  I looked up at the castle. I could see dark figures outlined in the light of the windows. “Do you think there are more of Gage’s henchmen waiting for us?”

  Mildred reached out and patted my hand. “Nothing so dire, child. Nothing up there has the power to hurt us. Not yet. “ She reached down, took Jamie’s hand, and started walking toward the castle.

  “‘Not yet’? That’s not very comforting. What do you think is up there?” Dean asked.

  “There’s only one way to find out.” Luke reached out and grabbed my hand.

  There was a loud moan. I turned and watched the old Redeemer lying on the ground start to move.

  Dean motioned toward the Redeemer. “We could kill him. He would have killed us, given the chance.”

  Luke shook his head. “No, we’ll find something to tie him up. Maybe get some answers out of him. I want to know if there is another wave of Redeemers heading for the island.”

  Dean walked over and kicked Gage hard in the rib cage. Gage didn’t move. “I think we’re going to need something stronger than rope for this one.”

  “Agreed. You stay and keep an eye on them, and we’ll go see what we can find inside,” Luke said.

  Dean picked up an axe. “Don’t take too long.”

  I walked alongside Luke toward the castle. I looked out at the dead. Bodies scattered the ground around us. How many death dealers had died? How many Redeemers? The Redeemers had come here to take on Gage. Jacob had led them here, probably told them about Gage’s powers and the magic Gage’s mage’s held. The Redeemers had come prepared with magic of their own. Jacob had said himself he had come to save Wendy, but why had Jacob tur
ned to the Redeemers for help in the first place? And why had the Redeemers been carrying protection pouches blessed by a shaman? Had Jacob also told them about my powers? Had he turned on all of us?

  * * *

  Through the center of the lawn stretched a path of fitted rock, worn smooth by hundreds of years of heavy traffic. Narrow ruts ran in straight lines, showing where carts had traveled. I wondered what kind of person would load up these ancient stones, ship them thousands of miles, and then rebuild them so perfectly that the wear patterns still lined up. The footing was slick and uneven in the moist sea air.

  As we walked toward the castle, we passed Sonja. She stood beside the path, her expression of fear and confusion quickly replaced with hatred when she saw me. She stared at me as we walked slowly past, but I decided to ignore her. She had nowhere to go, and we could take our time asking her any questions we liked. Without powers of her own, she was no threat to us. I felt her eyes trying to bore into my back.

  I looked up at the tall blocky form of the castle in front of us. It was a looming dark shape, outlined by moonlight. A few of the small windows glowed with light. I was dimly aware that Sonja stepped onto the path behind us.

  The path led to the base of a long line of stairs, stretching up into the darkness beside the castle. We started up the worn treads. I held tightly to the wall of the castle, one hand sliding along the towering, solid bulk of it. As we neared the top, a rectangle of light shone on a narrow landing. We took a hard right through an arched entrance and a heavy door. I looked up at the ceiling as we passed through the short hallway, and I saw narrow slits—places where archers could sit and rain down arrows on unwelcome visitors. The dim lighting made them look black and ominous. We crossed an echoing drawbridge to another heavy old door banded with steel.

  I breathed a sigh of relief as we crossed out of a space clearly designed to kill and into an open entry hall. To the left side, an open door showed a wide spiral staircase winding upward in a tight right-hand circle. To the right, an ornate arch revealed a small chapel, empty except for the smashed remains of antique wooden pews. The icons and stained glass had been painted over with arcane symbols or just smashed outright. It must have once been beautiful, but now it was oppressive. Directly ahead, large double doors loomed. On the other side, I could hear women talking in quiet, anxious voices.

  Luke stepped forward, shoving the doors open violently. They slammed into the walls on either side and bounced back, creaking and vibrating. All conversation stopped, and ten stunned young women stared back at us. For a moment, Luke and I stared back in shock.

  The room was luxuriously furnished, with expensive overstuffed couches and chairs grouped around a huge fireplace at one end of the room. The room was tall, almost two stories, with small windows buried deep in the thick walls. Stone arches rose above every window and door, and long, ornate tapestries hung on the walls. Everything looked expensive but older and neglected. Dust coated all of the hard to reach surfaces.

  The women also looked to have seen better days. They were dressed in black and looked tired and drained. They watched us warily, but without the will to fight. Many had injuries, bruises, and healing cuts. They were the broken remnants of what had once been beautiful young women.

  And they were all heavily pregnant.

  Sonja moved into the room, walking in a wide circle until she stood between the girls and us. I didn’t feel like she was protecting them; more like she was showing her ownership. The pregnant women all lowered their heads, pulling together in a tight protective circle.

  Luke surprised me by breaking the silence first. “Sonja, we don’t need to hurt you or anyone here as long as you stay out of our way. You don’t have enough power to stand against us, and Gage will suffer if you try. Don’t even try to get near him. Don’t make any moves against us, and we’ll be gone before you know it. “

  The door creaked behind us, and I looked back to see Jamie step through. The child looked around the room with curiosity. Jamie’s gaze fell on the huddled women, and she started walking toward them.

  Sonja looked up as Jamie passed, suspicion obvious on her face. She looked from the girl to me and her surprise turned to anger. “What have you done to the demon?”

  Jamie made it to the pregnant girls. She moved through them, speaking quietly to each, and immediately became the center of attention for the small group. In a few moments the mood of the group lightened, and they began to smile at her shyly. She touched the bruised face of a girl younger than the rest and said something quietly. The girl laughed gently, almost against her will.

  “The demon is gone,” Luke told Sonja. “Now where is Wendy?”

  Sonja looked at us coldly. Without a word, she pointed toward a door on the far side of the big room. I looked where she pointed, not sure if we should trust her.

  I walked to the small door and stepped through. Behind me I heard Jamie’s clear voice as she began to sing. Four doors opened off of a small hallway, but only one was open. A small but comfortable bedroom had only one lone occupant, who was sitting in a chair by the window.

  The girl sitting with her back to me had long black hair. I realized I was holding my breath as I moved quietly across the room. When the girl turned, would I see the eyes of my friend looking at me? Or would I be filled with disappointment again?

  The girl’s head was bowed down, and her hair fell like a waterfall, covering something she was cradling in her arms. I could hear soft sounds coming from her lips. She was singing, no—humming. That’s when I noticed the infant in her arms. She was holding a baby.

  This can’t be Wendy, I thought. I’d gotten my hopes up again only to have them dashed brutally. The girl was too preoccupied with the baby to look up. My foot scraped against a chair, and a pale face looked in my direction.

  I was staring into the eyes of my friend.

  “Wendy?” I said, moving forward.

  “I knew you would come,” she whispered back.

  “I thought I would never find you.” My knees were shaking as I sat down next to her.

  She gave me a smile, and there was a small whimper from the bundle in her arms. She bent her head and said, “Hush, little one. Quiet, my love. I told you everything would be okay. I told you she would come.”

  Wendy was holding a baby. And then I realized the way she was beaming at the infant with so much love radiating from her eyes—Wendy was holding her own baby.

  I stared, transfixed in complete shock. I leaned in to take a closer look, and that’s when I noticed the baby’s eyes. They glowed with an unnatural light. It was a trick of the light, of the shadows in the room. I shook my head and looked down again.

  Two small yellow eyes stared up at me, and something protruded out from the small forehead—a small rise on either side of the baby’s head. It took my mind a moment to catch up with what my eyes were seeing.

  Horns. There were two small horns growing out of its forehead.

  Wendy saw me staring at the baby. “Isn’t she beautiful?” A proud smile lit up her face.

  “The baby…” my words faltered. So many questions were swirling through my head.

  “My child,” she said.

  I shook my head. “It can’t be. It’s only been a few months since I saw you last.”

  “I was pregnant back at the mining camp, but I didn’t know it then. She is mine. Mine and Jacob’s.”

  “It’s not possible.”

  “You more than anyone should know anything is possible when it comes to magic.”

  Had Gage used some kind of spell to get an infant to develop and be born early? “Her eyes…”

  Wendy interrupted me. “She is Jacob’s and mine.”

  All the girls in the other room, the ones with rounded bellies, the pregnant girls, are they all carrying things like this inside them?

  “My baby is not a thing!” Wendy’s free hand clutched down hard on my arm. I’d forgotten for a moment that she could read my mind.

  Instead o
f pulling back, I moved closer and lowered my voice. “I’m sorry. Of course, she’s beautiful. I was just surprised to see her. And you. I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

  Wendy let go of me. She leaned in and kissed the baby’s cheek. “I knew you would find me. Find us.” She looked behind me. “Is Jacob with you?”

  I took a step back and wiped my mind of all thought. When I didn’t answer, her eyes filled with panic.

  “I haven’t been able to feel him. Not since…” She reached up and touched her forehead with a trembling hand. “Not since… It’s all blurry. I’m having a hard time remembering.”

  The last time she’d seen him, Jacob had been buried under a pile of rubble at the mining camp. But now his body lay just outside the castle.

  I forced the thought away the moment it slid across my mind. The last thing I needed was for Wendy to pick it up.

  She hadn’t read my mind, for the next question she asked was “Is Dean with you?”

  I nodded. “Dean and Luke.”

  She looked confused. “I don’t understand. Can you still feel Luke’s spirit? I thought the hellhound took his spirit to hell.” She stood and walked over to a nearby crib. She carefully lowered the baby into the crib. When she was done, she turned and faced me. “I’m so sorry, Colina. It was a terrible thing that happened. I know how much you loved him.”

  “Luke isn’t dead,” I whispered, but I don’t think she heard me, for she suddenly looked over my shoulder and rushed forward.

  “Caleb, where’s Jacob?” she demanded.

  She was standing in front of Luke. Luke was now in Caleb’s body, but Wendy didn’t know that.

  Before Luke could say a word, Wendy reached out and touched his arm. The moment her fingertips pressed against his skin, she hissed and took a quick step back. “That’s not right. Who are you?” she whispered, shaking her head. Then she looked over at me.