Necessary Evil

by Donald Hanley

  Susie shook her head as she lowered her hands, looking tired. “I don’t know him well enough.”

  “He’s coming,” Mrs. Kendricks told us, her attention fixed on Nyx, who stood absolutely motionless. “Tara warned us there was a powerful demon near the river.”

  “Nyx!” Lilixandriel snapped in frustration. “Make haste!”

  Nyx tapped the staff again and the ground bucked under our feet. Cracks radiated out in all directions and something large splashed into the river. One more of those and the entire bridge was probably going to collapse. All of the pentagrams and shields shattered and Olivia popped, gasping as she tried to cover herself with the tattered remnants of her nightgown.

  “Witches, attack!” Mrs. Kendricks shouted, raising her hands to the sky, and suddenly Nyx disappeared beneath a bombardment of fire and ice and lightning and rocks and wind and probably a whole bunch of things my eyes weren’t equipped to detect. It was like watching a fireworks factory go up all at once, blackening the ground and filling the air with cinders and smoke.

  Bit by bit, the barrage diminished as the witches sagged in exhaustion. A few cries of dismay went up as the haze dissipated and Nyx was left standing there, completely untouched and unfazed. Lilixandriel crouched behind her, looking up with a shocked expression that probably matched mine. The misshapen stone on the staff glowed brightly, casting an ugly green-blue hue all around.

  “We have to get everyone out of here,” Mrs. Kendricks murmured to Susie. “We’re no match for her.”

  Susie set her jaw stubbornly but before she could argue, one of the witches pointed back down the road. “Someone’s coming!” she called out.

  In the distance, a pair of headlights lit up the highway, approaching at a speed far higher than the posted limit. The roar of the vehicle’s engine grew quickly louder and I started to worry whether it was actually going to slow down. Some of the witches seemed to have the same thought and they scurried to the railings on either side, but the driver of the black SUV slammed on his brakes and it squealed to a shuddering halt just inches from the Mustang’s rear bumper. The doors flew open and Prescott and Singh jumped out, brandishing their wands.

  “Everyone get back!” Prescott ordered as his silver pentagram flashed under his feet.

  “Ryan,” Singh said in shocked disbelief. “I think that’s Nyx.”

  His back was to the SUV’s headlights so I couldn’t be certain but his lips seemed to form a short, single-syllabled word. He scanned the area quickly, assessing the situation, and his gaze fell on us. “Arial?” he asked incredulously. “I thought you were at home!”

  “Later, Ryan,” Mrs. Kendricks told him tersely. Her pentagram reappeared around us. “Susie, can you beat her?”

  “No.” Susie sounded irked by that.

  “Peter?”

  I shook my head. “I’m not strong enough,” I admitted, “and she’s blocking most of my spells.” The tightening of Mrs. Kendricks’ lips said it all. We were in over our heads. “Amy!” I called out. “We really need you!”

  The only person who didn’t look at me oddly was Nyx, who just stood there watching us, and I wondered why she wasn’t attacking us. Lilixandriel realized the same thing at the same time and she stepped out of Nyx’s shadow, indicating all of us with an angry sweep of her arm.

  “Whyfor dost thou stay thy hand?” she demanded with a shrill edge to her voice. “Slay them and retrieve the soulstone!” Nyx didn’t react and Lilixandriel reached for the staff herself with an angry snarl. Nyx’s head turned slightly towards her and Lilixandriel recoiled, snatching her hand back as if Nyx had threatened to bite it off.

  “Get out of here!” I told Susie urgently. “Take as many of the witches with you as you can.”

  “You need me, Peter,” she argued. She reached over and took hold of the Philosopher’s Stone. Her rings flashed and a piece of the roadway the size of a water cooler vanished and reappeared a hundred feet in the air, right above Nyx’s head. It dropped like a meteor and shattered into rubble before it touched her. Lilixandriel yelped and covered her head but Nyx didn’t even blink. “Fudge,” Susie grumbled.

  “Where the hell are you, Amy?” I muttered. I looked around with a sickly knot in my gut and spotted a brand-new problem to add to the pile. Red and blue strobe lights flashed in the distance, heading our way, and the wail of a police siren hung right on the edge of audibility.

  Mrs. Kendricks saw it too and her shoulders sagged. “Ryan?” she asked pleadingly but he just shook his head grimly. As soon as Nyx decided to attack, we were all dead. “Goddess grant us a miracle,” she said softly.

  Forget the miracle, we need Amy, I thought, but it was obvious she wasn’t coming. Maybe she really was a figment of my imagination after all. Regardless, my plan had failed badly. No, worse than that, it put everyone else at risk and there was only one way to fix it.

  “Lilith!” I called. “I give up. You win.” I walked towards her, pulling the chain over my head.

  “Peter!” Mrs. Kendricks called out, aghast. “What are you doing?”

  “Peter Simon Collins!” Daraxandriel caught me by the hand and tried to haul me back into the pentagram. “Has thy sense abandoned thee? Nyx shall slay thee!”

  “It’s the only way.” I pried my hand loose and then took her by the shoulders, looking into her fearful eyes. “If I don’t do this, you’ll all die.”

  “Yet what of thine own life? Is it of so little worth to thee?” Desperate tears ran down her cheeks, vaporizing into steam. “What shall I do without thee?”

  “It’s the only way,” I told her again. “Right, Lilith?” I called over my shoulder. “If I give you the Stone, you’ll let them go?”

  Lilixandriel’s smug smile was back in place, now that she knew she’d won. “Certes, Peter Simon Collins,” she assured me smoothly. “I bear them no ill-will.”

  “Don’t let her have the Stone, Peter!” Prescott told me. “You don’t know what she’s capable of doing with it!”

  I had a pretty good idea, actually. I also knew that Lilixandriel was lying. She’d kill everyone here just out of spite, except that she needed Nyx to do it and Nyx couldn’t seem to be bothered. I could only hope that she’d just deal with me to get the Stone and then leave.

  “Goodbye,” I whispered to Daraxandriel and I bent to kiss her on the forehead, feeling her horns scrape against my skin.

  “Peter –” Her voice broke but she didn’t try to stop me when I released her and stepped back. Susie was frowning at me, as if she wasn’t sure what I was doing, but Mrs. Kendricks and Olivia were both staring at me in dismay. I turned away resolutely and faced Nyx.

  “Here it is,” I told her, holding up the Stone by its chain. “Do what you have to do.”

  Nyx ignored me. Instead, she looked up at the sky over our heads as if there was a particularly fascinating constellation up there. I followed her gaze, wondering what was going on, and my breath caught in my throat.

  Melissa hovered there, still clad in her black slip, outlined in shadows blacker than the night sky. Her hands were spread to either side and her hair snapped and waved in some private breeze. There was just enough light to tell that she was looking right at me, but her eyes were solid black.

  “Kill her!” Lilixandriel shrieked in equal parts rage and panic. “’Twas she who slew Bellaxragor and weakened Orixnador nigh unto death!”

  Nyx pursed her lips and I flinched as she raised the Crooked Staff again. Its stone flared, casting its cold light in all directions. “Melissa!” I shouted in horror. “Watch out!”

  I needn’t have bothered. Black flames shrouded Melissa’s hands and Lilixandriel scampered out of the way as shadows leapt out of nowhere to engulf Nyx and her staff, or at least they tried to. The light from the black stone shredded the wisps of darkness as they swirled around her and none of them touched her. Melissa’s attack intensified as the flames spread up her arms but it was no more successful and the shadows faded away into nothingness.
>
  Behind us, the police car roared up and turned sideways, boxing in Prescott’s SUV, and the officer jumped out, crouching behind the hood with his service pistol drawn. To my horror and dismay, I realized it was Dad.

  “Nobody move!” he ordered sternly. “Keep your hands in sight!” He scanned the crowd arrayed in front of him with a doubtful scowl. It probably looked like an outdoor slumber party with all the girls standing around in their nightclothes. Thankfully he spotted Lilixandriel first instead of Susie or me. “Lily Cantrell,” he said sharply, “you’re under arrest for suspicion of murder, attempted murder, and kidnapping. You with the light, step aside.”

  Lilixandriel’s lips curled in a sneer. “Kill him,” she told Nyx, “and take the soulstone. Make haste!”

  “Don’t move!” Dad barked, shifting his aim to Nyx as she lifted the Crooked Staff again. “Drop that weapon! I’m prepared to use deadly force!” She ignored him and let the staff drop to the pavement.

  The boom was deafening and all of us were thrown to the ground as the vehicles jounced and rocked with the quake. Somewhere in the darkness behind Nyx, another section of the bridge groaned and snapped off with a deep-throated crunk, sending up a sheet of spray as it hit the river.

  Above, Melissa’s black aura flickered and faltered and she dropped halfway to the ground before she recovered. A roiling sphere of black smoke burst from her hands, speeding straight at Nyx’s head. The succubus watched it come and then took one step to the side. The sphere missed her by inches and silently gouged a deep rut in the roadway behind her before fading out.

  “What the hell?” Dad finally noticed the girl hovering overhead, although it wasn’t clear if he recognized who she was.

  Coils of shadows surrounded Nyx, trying to bind her, but they fell apart. Finger-lengths darts of inky blackness shot at her from all directions and every one was snuffed out before striking. The ground under Nyx’s feet turned into a murky, roiling pit of darkness, sending Lilixandriel retreating again, but Nyx didn’t even seem to notice it was there. Every attack Melissa threw at her failed and her shadowy aura thinned as the flames wreathing her hands flickered out. Melissa’s face was pale and gaunt, as bad as Olivia’s had been in her hospital videos.

  “Melissa, stop!” I shouted.

  “Peter?” Dad gasped in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “Give up!” I insisted heedlessly. “You’re not strong enough to beat her!”

  For a moment, I thought she was going to listen to me, but then her face hardened and she raised her hands. Her aura deepened again as, all around her, the witches gasped and stumbled, falling to their hands and knees. Dizziness swept through me and the world turned gray as I staggered, trying to stay on my feet. The Philosopher’s Stone flared brightly in my hand and I gripped it desperately, feeling its warmth spread up my arm.

  “Stop! You’re killing them!” Even Lilixandriel swayed on her feet but Nyx remained unmoved and unaffected. “Melissa!”

  She ignored me. She clenched her fingers into a burning fist and a column of black fire slammed down on Nyx, engulfing her into raging darkness. The shock wave knocked everyone back but the staff’s light burst through a moment later and dissipated the shadows. Nyx stood there untouched but now she looked annoyed.

  “Oh, crap,” I muttered. I searched through my spells for anything that might at least distract Nyx but I had nothing.

  Nyx raised the staff again but this time she pointed the stone at Melissa. The green-blue light gathered itself in for a moment and then burst out in a blinding beam, striking Melissa like a wrecking ball and sending her spinning through the air. Her aura flared, absorbing the impact, but Nyx’s attack sapped whatever energy she’d stolen from the rest of us. Melissa’s shadows vanished and she tumbled heavily to the ground not far from Dad.

  “Melissa!” I ran towards her but skidded to a confused halt as I realized Amy was standing right there beside her. She hadn’t been there a moment before.

  “This is perfect,” Amy chuckled, rubbing her hands together in glee. “You actually made her mad. Get up, Melissa!” she urged her. “You’re almost done.”

  “I can’t.” Melissa levered herself up painfully. Blood dripped from ugly scrapes on her arms and legs. “She’s too strong.”

  “You’re stronger. Finish the job.” Amy reached down and hauled Melissa to her feet.

  “How?” Melissa looked around vaguely, like she was waking up from a bad dream.

  “Take the Philosopher’s Stone. Use its power.” Amy looked right at me and smiled, exposing her fangs.

  “Amy, what the hell are you doing?” I asked, aghast. “Kill Nyx and Lilith! That’s what you wanted!”

  “That’s Amy?” Mrs. Kendricks asked wonderingly. “She’s real?”

  “The Stone will give you the power to defeat anyone, Melissa,” Amy said into her ear, “anyone who thinks you’re weak or worthless. Peter doesn’t deserve it. Take it and make it yours.”

  “Melissa, no!” I shouted. “Don’t listen to her!”

  She turned to look at me and a cold shiver ran down my spine. Her eyes were pitch black again and her teeth were bared in rage. She gestured and the Stone shot out of my hand into hers, its chain nearly ripping my fingers off. She gripped it in her fist and black flames exploded around her, almost obscuring her from view. Everyone scattered for safety as she faced Nyx once more. Nyx’s icy gaze, though, was fixed on Amy.

  “Amaryx,” she said like she wanted to spit out a bad taste. “By what means art thou freed from thine imprisonment?”

  “Does that really matter now, Mother?” Amy sneered. “You’ll be dead in a moment. Kill her!” she ordered and Melissa raised her hands.

  This time, the flames burst out of the ground and enveloped Nyx like writhing thorns, grasping and clawing and stabbing at Nyx from all directions. They snagged her hair and the fabric of her skirt but none of them seemed to be causing any damage.

  “Kill her!” Amy shrieked, stamping her feet. “Kill her, kill her, kill her!”

  “I can’t,” Melissa gritted through her teeth. The staff’s light tore the shadow thorns apart and more sprung up in their place, but her assault was beginning to falter. “She’s too strong.”

  “Then kill Peter and take the Stone for yourself!” Amy ordered. “Snuff Nyx out.”

  “Nay!” Lilixandriel shouted angrily. “The soulstone is mine!”

  Melissa turned her inhuman gaze back to me and lifted her hand, but then she hesitated. “Peter,” she whispered.

  “He doesn’t love you,” Amy told her insidiously. “He knows what you are and he despises you. They all do. Take the Stone.”

  “Do it,” I said, spreading my hands. “Amy’s right. Kill me, it’s the only way to beat Nyx.” My voice was a lot steadier than I thought it would be. “Save everyone else. Please.”

  “Peter, no!” Dad stared at me in anguish.

  “What are you doing?” Mrs. Kendricks asked in dismay.

  Melissa’s hand came up again. “I – I’m sorry, Peter.” Black tears trickled down her cheeks. “I have to kill her.”

  “I know,” I told her quietly.

  “Hurry!” Amy demanded.

  “I wish things were different.” Melissa’s lips quivered. “I wish I was a better person.”

  “Don’t,” I told her. “I love you just the way you are.” I took a shaky breath and stood up straight, hoping my demise would be painless.

  “Do it!” Amy screamed.

  I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for Melissa to obliterate me, but nothing happened. I peeked cautiously and saw her staring at me.

  “What did you say?” she asked in disbelief. The flames shrouding her faded away and the shadows attacking Nyx dissolved into nothingness. “You love me?”

  “No, he’s lying!” Amy grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. “Kill him! Kill her! Kill everyone!”

  “Enough,” Nyx said in a voice colder than the Antarctic. The stone dimmed into a solid
black lump as she lowered the staff to the ground, but this time there was no earthquake. “Are we not done with this charade?”

  “We are.”

  That deep male voice rolled and echoed all around us, with no hint as to where it came from. We all looked around for the speaker but nobody new, demon or human, appeared in our midst.

  “Who was that?” I asked Mrs. Kendricks but she just shook her head. Then her eyes widened and I spun around.

  The wall of darkness Nyx had been hiding in was still there but now its entire surface was covered with eyes, thousands of them, all gleaming brightly. I’d seen something just like this a month ago, trapped within a pentagram with Susie and Dr. Bellowes.

  “Oh, shit,” I whispered. It was Metraxion.

  24

  Contrary to popular belief, the Peter Principle wasn’t named after me, although it certainly explains a lot about how my life is going. It was actually developed by a sociologist named Dr. Laurence Peter, who observed that competent people continue to be promoted into higher and more challenging positions within a company, until they finally end up in roles they’re not qualified to handle. At that point, they either stay where they are forever, struggling to make it through the day, or they get fired for incompetence.

  A variation on this theme is No good deed goes unpunished. If you’re the kind of person who enjoys helping others out, you’ll quickly find yourself inundated with requests for assistance. Over time, people will automatically expect you to pitch in whenever they run into trouble and they’ll start resenting you if you balk for any reason. You can go from hero to goat in the blink of an eye, even if you’ve done absolutely nothing wrong.

  Pretty much the only way to avoid these situations is to keep your head down, don’t make waves, and avoid eye contact with anyone. Do just enough to get by and don’t call attention to yourself. That way, no one expects you to be particularly useful and your name never comes up when there’s a special project to be done. Sure, you’ll just be an office drone your entire life but drones can live long and contented lives. That’s a big plus, in my mind.