by Shen Hart
“How much do you know about the cult?”
We’d assumed that she was a key member due to her role as the first to get things moving, but we could have been wrong, and I didn’t like the little flutter that hoped we were wrong. She looked away and tucked her hands in her lap while I kept my arm around her shoulders, anchoring her to the physical world.
“The whole thing was Alistair’s doing. He told them about the great powers they’d all have, how they’d change the world and rule it.”
She sniffled, and her breathing started to become shorter and sharper as her chest heaved. She choked back the sobs.
“I was supposed to be the first. They carved these sigils into my arms and legs. They said they were going to forge my true non-human spirit with my body. They said I’d become what I was destined to be, and I’d be the light to guide the others.”
Tears began streaming down her cheeks. “I didn’t want anything to do with it, but Alistair convinced me. He was so charming and charismatic, I fell into his trap.”
I stroked her hair and whispered meaningless platitudes to soothe her. “We’re going to take them down. We need your help to do that.”
She nodded her head. “Their next meeting will be soon. It was supposed to be fourteen days from the ritual you crashed.”
I tried not to growl at the memory of that ritual, the angels using the humans like puppets.
“They’re supposed to begin the blood sacrifices. They said that I could be connected to my real self because I was special, but there needed to be ceremonies and blood sacrifices for the rest of the coven.”
She swallowed hard and began sobbing again. “They’re going to kill innocent people, and somehow I thought it was ok, I was sucked into their pretty words.”
I pulled her close to me and tried to calm her again. “I need you to tell me where they’ll be meeting, Lucy. We can save their lives.”
I used her name to get her attention and anchor her to what I’d said. It seemed to work. She swallowed hard.
“The meadow. They said something about it being energetically active.”
I rolled my eyes when she said ‘the meadow,’ as though there was only one meadow within driving distance. I found myself kissing the top of her head before I realised what I was doing.
“Thank you. We’ll be able to save people, thanks to you.”
She rubbed her eyes and smiled. “I’m glad this wasn’t all for nothing.”
We retired to the living room and discussed everyday things. I didn’t want to worry her with everything that was going on. She had a reasonable sense of humour and made me genuinely laugh a couple of times. It was a shame that she’d gotten herself wrapped up in the whole mess. Nik would have a hard time ending it. We knew that from the start, though.
“Are the men always so noisy?”
I laughed quietly. “Yes, I’m afraid they are.”
She giggled as Nik walked in the room. He looked between us with Lucy curled up next to me. I squeezed her shoulders in a gesture of comfort. He gave me a questioning look, to which I stood and gestured for him to take a seat.
“I assume you’re done with your training for the moment.”
“It went well. Ryan picked it up reasonably quickly, Dan had to show off, but Alex swatted him, so it was about as expected.”
He slipped behind me to sit next to Lucy. “How’ve you been?”
I left the room without a comment. I reminded myself that he was doing no harm, and she’d given me at least a little bit of useful information.
Ryan and Dan were arguing about Dan’s supposed prowess before Alex swatted them both around the back of the head.
“Enough. No one was killed or maimed, so it wasn’t a bad starting point.”
“It went that well, then?”
He simply shrugged. “As I said, no one was killed. How long do we have?”
“Thirteen days, maybe. She said they’ll be meeting in a meadow.”
“A meadow. That’s it?”
I shrugged and began looking for some food. “Your guess is better than mine, you know the area better.”
Ryan said quietly, “There’s that meadow near the foothills, Ark and Adam talked about it being potent or something. I think it had some special flower there? Or maybe a rock… something important to elves.”
I held back my laughter at the elf comment. “Can you show it to us on a map?”
He grinned. “Mhm, it’s kinda easy to get to, really. Not great for a stealth mission, though.”
I glanced at Alex. “Show us on the map, we’ll think about the details once we’re sure that’s it.”
Alex’s muscles were tense. He bit into an apple and stared into space. I shoved aside the desire to ask what was wrong, instead watching Dan cleaning his gun. Ryan reappeared with a large map of the area. I wasn’t sure where he’d picked it up from or if it was even his. The boys crowded around the map, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit left out as Ryan pointed to the map and the others planned a route to it. I concluded there was no point in fighting over it. With nothing better to do, it seemed logical to go and practise with my own guns.
~*~ ~*~
It felt slightly odd picking up the Glock. It was a lump in my hand rather than the sleek, elegant blades I preferred. I took it out to the garden, allowing my hand to mould around it and adjust to the sensation again. It came back quickly, much to my relief. I couldn’t have the cubs out-shooting me. I settled my breathing and focused, slowly bringing the gun up, where I held it for a few moments to give my muscles a chance to remember how to hold their form. I looked down the sights, finding my target, two slow breaths before I squeezed the cool trigger on the breath out. The kick was a little more than I remembered, bringing the gun to jerk up a little. I smiled to myself. I enjoyed shooting more than I remembered. I took my time with each shot, just getting the feel for things again. I doubted I’d be able to take such care during the melee, but there was no reason to dive in and screw things up if I didn’t have to.
I was frustrated to find that my fingers fumbled a little on the reload. I’d have to practice and perfect it again. There was no time or room for errors in a combat situation. The anger at myself began to grow as I looked back over my refusal to carry a gun or keep myself trained and ready with them. I took a deep breath and reminded myself that that was reasonable, that it was unusual for supernaturals to carry guns. Yet, I was an assassin, I was supposed to remain trained and fluid with all weapons. I’d hidden from the Sisters, knowing they’d find me. It was foolish. I calmed myself while idly wondering if I had been the sole instigator of those thoughts. I never had quite grasped just how much control the Sisters had over me. I knew they loved their little games, though.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Once Dan got past his bravado, he was quite a good teacher with Ryan, not that Ryan appreciated being the baby of the group again. Alex had started taking Nik to one side and began practicing with rifles so they could take up the position of snipers if need be. It was all coming together. Even Lucy was relaxing and fitting in a bit better. That was what concerned me. Her fitting in was going to make the end more difficult. She was smiling and good-humoured, but the worry lines around her eyes were growing deeper. A couple of days had already passed and we had thought she’d only have a week or so to live. She was strong though, and Ark helped as best as he could.
Nik was out with Alex and Dan was with Ryan, leaving Lucy and me with Ark when he arrived. The small smile didn’t quite reach his eyes when he glanced over her energies.
She bowed her head and curled up a little when I asked him, “It’s not good, is it?”
He put his hand on my shoulder and said, “Well, it’s better than I’d expected, but, as I’m sure you’ve noticed, she’s still disintegrating.”
She gasped at that final word. I put my hand on her knee and gestured for her to come close to me. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders and held her close for a minute while her breathing eas
ed. She took a deep breath through her nose, pulled back from me and gave Ark a look of grim determination.
“I was put on this Earth to do something good. I am not going to fall apart yet.”
I stroked her hair and smiled. She wasn’t the weak little pet I’d initially thought. Ark knelt before her and handed her a bright red liquid in a pretty little vial.
“Drink this. It’ll relax you and allow Thalia and I better access to your energies so we can help you.”
She glanced at me, looking for reassurance. I gave her a small nod and smile. She pulled the stopper out and threw the liquid back. She slumped back into the chair almost immediately. I looked to Ark and hoped that he had a plan. He visibly relaxed his body and focused his energies.
“You stoke her fire, I’ll fix the shards.”
I couldn’t help but smile. It’d been a while since we’d worked together like that. It was almost thrilling to be back to the old ways. I focused my mind when I looked back at Lucy’s peaceful face. I hoped she’d remain peaceful for at least a little while longer. I closed my eyes and carefully called up my fire. It filled my very essence, the passion spread through my veins, but I kept it tightly under control. She was too delicate to deal with the full inferno. I could feel Ark’s cool, soothing energies working, pulling together the shards of her primary energies.
I formed the images within my mind and stepped into the heart of her. It was pitch black, but I could feel her strength, her determination. It echoed around me in the great space. I walked into the darkness, and after a moment I saw her own mental visualization of herself. She smiled at me, in her pretty, pale-pink dress. She was faded and almost translucent, but still she stood proud and strong. I walked to her and placed my hands on her arms as I carefully wrapped her in delicate threads of fire. They sunk into her body and made her brighter, more solid.
Ark’s voice pulled me out, and I came to on the floor. I’d given her too much.
“Thalia, you should know better,” he scolded me.
I gave him a wan smile and he helped me up onto the sofa while I recovered and we waited for her to wake. He remained close to me, but I glared at him when he tried to give me some of his energy to help me. He’d given so much already, not just to me, or to Lucy; to all of us.
He laughed softly at me. “You always were stubborn furball.”
I simply grinned at him and watched Lucy.
“There’s still a chance, you know,” Ark said softly.
I looked at him questioningly.
He patted my knee and met my gaze as he said, “To have cubs, or kids, or whatever you furballs call them.”
I couldn’t help but smile, more at his phrasing than the potential. I closed my eyes and tried to push away the hope. I couldn’t do that to myself. Lucy came to slowly, with a smile on her face.
She looked around the room with an expression of wonder. “The room only has small fuzzy edges around it, I feel like I’m completely here. How…?”
I moved and sat next to her, putting my arm around her shoulders. “Ark, there, is a miracle worker.”
“Thank you, Ark. Thank you so much.”
A tear ran down her cheek. I wiped it away with my thumb.
Ark simply said, “I’m a healer, it’s what I do.”
He couldn’t keep the sadness from trickling through into his voice. We all knew it wouldn’t last, but she’d been given a bit more time. That was something.
~*~ ~*~
Nik remained as close to Lucy as he could get away with. He made her laugh, and her eyes shine; they were good for each other. That made it all the harder. I tried not to growl as I bit into my apple when I heard her laughing uproariously at something he’d said, again. Dan tilted his head at me and watched as I bit into the apple again, subconsciously taking my frustration and grumpiness out on the fruit.
When I tossed the core away, he said, “Why does the human pet bother you so much?”
I squared my shoulders and glared at him. “Lucy shouldn’t have got wrapped up in all of this.”
He pursed his lips and approached me slowly, his eyes slightly lowered. His pace slowed when he got within arm's reach of me, yet he kept coming closer. I ground my teeth together but allowed him to continue. I was curious about where he was going.
He placed his hand on my elbow and said, “Let me in.”
The jaguar snarled at his pushing, at his insolence, but the raven appreciated his calm, soft tone. I turned away from his grasp regardless and was almost pleased when Nik was called away to do some more training with guns. Alex breezed through the kitchen and told Dan to join them, leaving me with Lucy. Her energies were starting to pull apart again. The next ritual was approaching, and with it her final moments. I told myself I was being foolish and melodramatic, and yet the thought remained in the back of my mind.
I joined her in the living room, and we talked about normal human things. The sound of gunshots somehow managed to almost fit in with the movie. It was as though I had a simple life. We laughed about stupid things, and gossiped about celebrities before we shared our favourite foods. It was comfortable, and that terrified me. I was torn when Nik walked into the room, a smile spreading across his face when his eyes settled on Lucy. On one hand, I didn’t want to leave the happy little bubble we’d formed, but on the other I knew that getting too attached would make things much worse.
I didn’t look at Nik as I stood and left. I refocused my mind on the real world and the task at hand: making sure that my gun work was up to grade so I could kill the angels.
~*~ ~*~
Lucy had started having nightmares, and even struggled to wake from them that morning. Nik’s panic had rippled through the downstairs of the house and made me run to her side. Her face had been contorted in terror and Nik wasn’t helping things. I had to push him to one side and ground her, to bring her back and calm her. Tears had streamed down her cheeks while I wiped them away and tried to soothe her. Nik hadn’t appreciated being pushed away from her, but I had to help her and his panic was exactly what the situation didn’t need. He accepted my muttered apology, not that I was convinced he’d deserved it.
I tried not to think too much about the maternal feelings that were forming all too quickly. I drove them back as much as I could and cursed the Sisters for denying me one more thing.
I tried to leave her with Nik. I saw nothing good coming from encouraging those maternal instincts. I’d taken Ryan to one side once we were all happy that everyone’s shooting was as good as it was going to get in the time we had. They weren’t perfect, but they could hit a large moving target with pretty good accuracy. That would go to shit in the actual combat situation, they’d never done it before, but we did what we could. I took a deep breath and told Ryan to do the same.
“I know we’ve been neglecting your training as my shadow as of late, but you need it right now. You can’t forget your value to the pack. Now, calm, and focus on the air around you. Feel it on your skin and in your mind.”
He closed his eyes and took a long deep breath, the flicker of a smile passed across his lips and I felt the air shift a little around him.
“Good, now try and form small cushions under your feet. Don’t get too ambitious.”
His face tightened a little in concentration. “Not too much force, air is fickle and delicate.”
Each element has a very strong personality and must be handled in a specific way. The users’ personalities tended to fit well to the element; it had to for them to get anywhere. He exhaled slowly through his nose, and the air around his feet shimmered a little, but not quite enough.
I moved closer to him and ran my hand down his back. “Relax down. You need to be gentle. Think of the air as a duckling. Be delicate, but firm.”
Being tactile with the cubs was becoming more natural and normal, particularly with Ryan since our experience in the fight club. Our bond had become much closer since then. He felt like pack. The others were slowly getting there, but I couldn’t sha
ke the mistrust in the Sisters and the memories from my last pack. I stroked down his back again in time with his exhalation, and his muscles relaxed under my touch. I wanted to praise him, but remained quiet so as not to disturb his concentration. That time his feet lifted a little off the ground, only a centimeter or so, but I wasn’t expecting miracles.
He looked at me with a small frown that turned to confusion when he saw my grin.
“You made progress, you formed small air cushions under your feet.”
He looked down at his feet slightly suspiciously. “I did?”
I laughed. “Now do it again.”
He closed his eyes and took another deep breath. It came much more easily to him that time. He was still only a centimeter or so off the ground, but it was enough for then.
I kept my voice quiet to try and keep him in the moment. “Now maintain it while walking.”
I was quite impressed that he did it with ease. I felt a small pang of jealously. I’d always admired air elementals with their freedom. I adored fire, and it was part of me, but I couldn’t help wanting that connection with air. The raven huffed at the thought. I focused back on Ryan rather than getting into an argument with one or more of my aspects. He was grinning at me now. I looked over to the far side of the garden, where Dan was sitting looking into the forest while he formed small fires in the palms of his hands. He had his back to us.
I leaned in conspiratorially to Ryan. “Now, maintain those air cushions and sneak up on Dan.”
A look of sheer glee filled his face as he turned and slowly crossed the grass.
“Surely I should be the one teaching him to work with air, given I’m an air elemental.”