Transformation

by Jaliza A. Burwell

Energy flooded the city, metaphysically unable to accommodate so many gates. Then I felt it. The way that energy swirled around and around, narrowing down to one small point.

  “He’s dead.” I barely recognized myself as I spoke. “He’s so fucking dead.” I didn’t wait for a response and ran.

  I ran hard, using everything inside of me to get to him quickly. His spell was dangerous and while it’d curse everyone, I had a feeling it’d also use everything this city had to cast it, leaving nothing behind.

  My speed picked up. I wasn’t aware of anything but the location I needed to get to. Nothing else existed to me but the image of Baron’s head removed from his shoulders.

  Energy coursed through my body, attracted to all the energy. Running through the city was fast, everything a blur. Along the way, I felt the surrounding energy seep into my body, adding to how much was already inside of me. I was full, my body fighting to hold it in, and still determined to collect it all.

  No more games, no more running around. I was ending this tonight. That determination spurred me on until I came to a halt in a field. Torches were set up all over the field, filling the darkness with a warm light instead. Baron stood there, hidden behind a barrier. His expression had an extra layer of craziness to it as light and shadows danced over his face. Lackies in hoods were in a circle facing the barrier, hands up. Energy fed into the circle, into the people, and from there, I could feel the pull of it all going into Baron.

  Seven children were unconscious at his feet, my newly sensitive ears picking up the light pitter patter of their heartbeats. Still alive. Each of them wore ratty clothes, looked to barely weigh nothing when they should at least be around eighty pounds for their size. Gaunt skin stretched over pale features. Baron had gone after the children in the homeless community. My bet was no one missed or cared about them being going.

  “Nyssa, aren’t you looking awfully scary tonight,” Baron said with a wicked grin, his eyes lit with pure madness.

  “Let me through and I’ll show you how scary that really is.” My words felt thicker and it took me a moment to realize my teeth had sharpened. My claws were out at my side too and there was a slight burn on my back, like the remnants of a whipping.

  I’d had to go through one of those once in the Woodlands. It was one of my sharper memories. I pushed it back now, needing to focus on Baron, not the bite of a barbed vine as it smacked against my skin, turning my back into a mess of raw meat.

  I was fine. And I’d be more fine as soon as I removed Baron from the equation.

  “Try, little bird,” he said and then gave me his back, showing me that he didn’t consider me a threat. I snarled and charged forward smashing into the barrier, my vision going red with fury.

  All I cared about was getting my hands around his neck. He caused me enough grief and I needed to return the favor.

  The ward shoved me back and I slid across the ground on my ass, the damp grass seeping through my clothes, cold against my heated skin. Smoke rose from my skin, but I didn’t bother caring.

  He was right fucking there.

  I ran, gathered what energy I could, and smashed into the ward again. At the very moment of impact, I released all my energy and shoved it into the ward.

  There was a moment of suspension as my energy fought with the ward, sending a ripple through it. For a moment, I heard it, the light chanting of voices, all in sync. They were starting the process.

  “Nyssa!” someone yelled as the rest of the cavalry caught up. Instantly, I knew Landus, Slade, the vampires, and shifters were all there. It’d take more time for the mages and witches to catch up.

  I had managed to outrun them all, which should have been an impossibility. Determination and stubbornness had a way of making the impossible happen. They all came to a halt at my back. If the mages and witches were here, we could have pooled all their magic together to dismantle the ward. It’d take time, and he’d be able to pull off the curse by then.

  But they weren’t here and I was too impatient. I was tired and I was ready to just be done with all this. The battle against Baron should have been a sprint. I preferred sprints, but weeks had passed and it turned into a marathon. The finish line was now in front of us and I was going to be the winner.

  I grabbed all the energy I had collected and let it get worked up inside of me. The air around us whipped around as if a hurricane approached, ready to wipe us all out. People yelled, but their words were stolen by the winds.

  Running, I focused on a small part of the ward, determined to break it. If there was anything I was good at, it was brute force. The ward came into contact with my boiling skin and all the energy in me attacked. A screech broke through the howling and whistling of the wind.

  The smallest of thoughts slipped through, a small realization that had little room in me to exist. It was still there and it was enough to tell me what was happening. That screeching came from me. I made that noise.

  My back burned, molten pain seeping into my spine. I thought the ward was doing it, that it was tearing me apart.

  I screamed, but it came out as a screech. I lifted off the ground, my claws still digging into the ward. A new reserve of energy broke free and shoved into the ward. It rippled and moaned underneath the strain until it finally shattered. The men who had created the circle all flew onto their backs. Some of them were quick to get back to their feet, ready for battle.

  It was like I had an out of body experience. Everything became numb as I went into my quiet place that ensured death was inevitable for any of my opponents. My view changed as it grew aerial. I could see down on everyone, seeing the tops of their heads. Something that should have been impossible in the middle of the night.

  Something made a whooshing noise behind me, wind spiraling downward. All the little ants covered their heads, ducking, trying to protect their faces from the debris that kicked up into the air and whipped around, stronger and faster than any bullet could be.

  Some took hits, filling the air with the scent of blood. I took in a deep breath, drowning in that scent of blood and impending death. A screech echoed across the night sky, the flapping of wings and the loud rustling of breaking branches the only clue that the animal life took flight away from us.

  I went higher and higher, something pushing me up and up. Another screech and finally I realized it. That sound, that promise of suffering, the battle cry that scared all the animals in the Woodlands; it came from me.

  The force that pushed me up into the night sky—so high I could practically reach up and nip a star out of the sky—was because of my wings.

  I screeched in delight, losing myself to what I really wanted. To end those who had hurt me. To hunt. And then to be free.

  My wings tucked close to my body and I nosedived into the ground, loving the feel of the arctic wind rustling my feathers. The ants came into view and I got closer and closer until they turned into human shape. Some ran, others fought, and my target, he was still trying to set off the curse, using a small shield around him and the children to keep anyone away.

  I wanted to eat him whole. I felt big enough to do it and I was willing to try.

  I was only a few yards from the ground when my wings snapped out and a burst of energy pushed out of me, slamming into any unlucky fool who was around me. They all flew backward. I opened my mouth and screeched.

  Fire didn’t come out of my mouth like a dragon. No, this was better. Instead, my body was so hot that anything nearby caught on fire. The grass lit up easily despite being damp and I went right at Baron. The ward was nothing as I swiped at it, my claws tearing right through it as easily as it did living flesh.

  Baron’s face was twisted in fury and fear. He understood exactly what he saw.

  Energy and magic gathered around him as he made an attempt to run.

  No!

  Not again.

  I dove again and this time, instead of energy exploding out of me, it pulled it in, feeding my beast. That included the energy Baron wanted to u
se to escape. That left him stranded.

  He snarled, a small green flame flickering the dark depths of his eyes. He lifted a hand and sent out a ball of magic my way. It slammed into my side and I stumbled, rolling against the grass as pain burned along me.

  It didn’t last long. I could feel my skin knitting back together, healing at a crazy rate. Baron noticed it too, because he went into a defensive stance. I stood up, shaking my feathers and then rose onto my hind legs, letting my wings beat, stirring up the air.

  Baron’s lips moved and another attack came my way. I beat my wings, sending energy and wind in his direction. The magic attack fell apart, never getting close to me. My wind slammed into Baron, sending him flying through the air, landing on his side, and sliding against the field.

  I ran a few steps until my wings took on my weight and I soared through the air, shooting toward Baron. Smashing into him, I made sure my claws and beak did as much damage as possible.

  He grabbed onto my neck and released his magic, shoving it inside of me. The pain went straight to my brain, messing with my senses and sense of direction. We smashed into the ground and tumbled, rolling around. Baron lost his grip on me and I slammed into a tree.

  It took a moment for me to find myself again, and when I did, Baron stood a few yards away. Others ran toward us, but the cruel smile on his lips told me they wouldn’t make it in time.

  “You are truly magnificent. It really is such a shame.”

  Both his hands came up as magic bundled together. I tried to find my feet again, to defend myself, but my body was still adjusting to the last attack and didn’t want to work right.

  My eyes were automatically drawn to three people. My brain couldn’t completely comprehend who they were to me, but I knew they were important. The way my heart beat when I saw them, the way my instincts rose, were enough to tell me they were important. That meant they needed to be protected.

  The man before me, he’d do everything in his power to make sure they were killed. That was unacceptable.

  The attack released and aimed straight for where my heart banged against my chest. I wrapped my wings around my body in a last-ditch effort to protect myself. The attack hit it and I screeched in pain as my wings took on damage. All around me, smoke billowed as the plants caught on fire. My wings barely worked, painful to move. They tried to flap, to work, but the damage was too much, too extensive, and barely protected me.

  I unraveled my wings, got to my feet and charged as the final attempt, before I got too lost in the pain. Wings were the sensitive part of the body, apparently. I tucked them close to my body, knowing they were useless to me until they healed.

  Baron hadn’t expected me to fight back. He had somehow forgotten how determined I was as a person and thought he had me. The smoke helped to mask the attack until I was already on him.

  We went down to the ground and without hesitation, I buried my claws into his stomach.

  He bellowed, eyes wide with disbelief. He truly thought he was an immortal man, someone never to be killed. Having the four species mixed into his DNA had given him a god complex and I was more than happy to tear that away from him. Maybe it was because I was only supposed to be a myth that made it easy to kill him. Or maybe because I wasn’t one of the four factions who had put him together. Either way, I was going to kill him and I was going to make sure he felt everything on his journey to his death.

  I clawed into him, excitement thrumming through me as blood gushed from his mouth. I drew out his suffering and he knew it too. The air turned rancid with his fear. Death was not beautiful, not even when someone died peacefully. I made it especially so for Baron as I took out all my anger onto him.

  Even after his body became nothing but bloody meat, I didn’t stop. I wanted him to feel the pain even in death. I wanted to touch his soul and scorch it. He deserved it.

  “Nyssa! He’s dead!”

  I whipped my head around and met silver eyes. I was supposed to know this man. I knew I was supposed to, but I couldn’t get myself to dig up the information. He tried to come closer and I screeched at him, warning him to stay away.

  “Nyssa, it’s over. He’s dead. It’s over.”

  His voice was deep and soft, calming the fury inside of me.

  I turned my head, wanting to hear more of the voice. It had something about it that made me want to listen.

  “Nyssa, please, come back to us. Calm down. Remember who you are.”

  I made a purring rumbling noise that seemed to shake the earth around me.

  “Yes, Nyssa. You know me. I know you know me.”

  I lowered onto the ground as the energy left me, finally understanding that it was no longer needed. My back burned and then the hot air and ground pressed into my naked body.

  “Good girl.”

  “Landus,” I mumbled.

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  “Hurts.”

  “I know it does. We’re going to take care of you. It’s over. Baron’s dead.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed.

  He was finally dead.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I remember coming across a couple. They dug into the wet dirt with just their bare hands. Tears streaked down the females face. I watched as they dug and dug, not caring that fingernails were torn off as they scooped up the mud. I remember a small bundle by their feet, wrapped tightly in a white dirty cloth. Blood had soaked through in different spots.

  —Nyssa’s Journal

  I didn’t leave the house until our next council meeting to make sure all the loose ends were tied up. My understanding while I recuperated was that they had to hunt down all of Baron’s lackies to take care of them. There was a tension that rippled through the city as gates were closed, the gate hoppers making a fortune off everyone.

  If I weren’t so hurt, I’d have been out there helping too, charging just enough to undercut everyone and still make a nice amount.

  But Cecil knew me, and so did Slade. So the moment I was strong enough to at least hobble around my house, still taking in all the damage that had been done to it, Cecil put up a ward to keep me inside and Slade had a shifter always outside watching us.

  But they could only push me so much, so the day of the meeting, I broke the barrier, easy now that I had come fully into my phoenix powers. Signs of it showed up around my house with scorched ceilings, crispy furniture, and scattered empty fire extinguishers. My room didn’t even have a mattress anymore. I’d been sleeping on piles of blankets since accidentally burning my bed after having a nightmare that got me worked up.

  The guards stopped trying to come into the house to check in on me when I had burned the hair off one guys’ head. He was fine, his shifter healing fixing the damage I had done to his skin, but his hair was going to take longer to grow back. I didn’t even feel bad. He was a stranger and should have stayed out of my house.

  The other guards learned from his mistake.

  My territory. Stay the fuck away.

  My skin felt raw as the light warm breeze brushed against it. I shivered and walked around the park, needing to feel like I was a being again. Walking was slow, exhaustion still just underneath the surface, but I was good with running my body ragged, so I ignored it. I needed the air.

  Two guards followed, and I knew they let Slade know that I was out and about. The moment I broke the ward, Cecil knew too. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them showed up soon.

  “Nyssa,” Slade called out.

  I snickered.

  Not long at all.

  “You had to have been nearby,” I said.

  “You should still be resting.”

  I shrugged. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re still stiff.”

  “My back is still healing.”

  “Your wings were nearly burned off.”

  I shrugged. “I needed a walk. So I took a walk. Be glad I waited this long at all. You know I could have made this a lot more difficult for you.”

  “We just want
to make sure you heal. That battle was a hard one. We lost a few people and you nearly died too. You pretend like you didn’t come close, but Baron almost killed you.”

  I sighed and looked up at the sun. “Maybe I should have let him.”

  “Nyssa!” Slade snapped, growling.

  I shrugged. “You know I’m too stubborn to just roll over and die.”

  “Come on, if you want to be out and about then join me. I’m on my way to the shifter burial service for those we lost against Baron. There are some people there who will want to give their thanks for helping them.”

  “No thanks. I don’t want to watch you bury your dead,” I grumbled.

  “Do it for me?” he asked.

  I sighed, caving. “You don’t play fair.”

  Slade grinned, as his evil side slipped out. He always had it but he did well in hiding it. I’d only seen it a handful of times since meeting him. “I know.”

  The devil incarnate brought me to his car and shoved me inside, then we were off before I really had a chance to object. I wasn’t paying attention to where we were going; instead, using the little bit of energy I did have to stare at Slade.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Is Baron really dead?” I asked. I had asked it before, but struggled with the reality of it. For some reason, it didn’t click in. Maybe it was because I had lost myself to my phoenix during that time. My beast had completely taken over, and it felt more like I was thrown into one of those immersive movies. I think Cecil said they were 4D shows, where they added in the senses to bring the movies more alive for you.

  “Nyssa, you left him as a completely mashed pile of meat and bones. He’s not coming back from that. I’m also pretty sure you ate his heart.”

  My nose wrinkled in disgust. “That would explain my indigestion.”

  “Next time you eat a person, don’t include their clothes. That shit isn’t digestible.”

  I shrugged. “Can’t say it won’t happen again.”

  We had a laugh over that. The drive was over all too soon and I found myself nervous. My new level of sensitivity was good enough to tell me Landus was there. My heart ached for him. I no longer had Baron to hide behind and that made the pain all too real now. My chest tightened, my phoenix making her emotions known. She was hurting. I could feel it in the way my heart skipped beats, the way it convulsed as Landus’ face flashed through my mind. She knew the deal.