Warrior from the Shadowland

by Cassandra Gannon

  Tharsis slid into the room after her and Nia slammed the door closed. “Help me block it.” She ordered.

  “They broke in the front door. If we lock ourselves in, they’ll just break down this one, too.” Tharsis nevertheless dumped Ty onto the ground and dashed over to push at a massive dresser. The very haphazard way he laid Ty down told Cross a lot. Namely, Tharsis thought that they literally had only seconds left to barricade the door before they were all dead. Otherwise, Ty would have been carefully arranged somewhere softer than the tile floor.

  Cross glanced down at Ty. It looked like the mob had tried to take off her head. Not surprising, since it was the surest way to kill a Phase. Blood stained her clothes and skin, bruises covered her body. Her breathing had a shallow, raspy quality that Cross knew from experience meant internal damage. How the hell had she survived like this? His eyes went to the wound at her neck. It was deep and caked with dried blood. It should have been enough to finish her off without fast medical care. Why wasn’t she bleeding out?

  Tharsis and Nia shoved the dresser into place as the mob began beating on the door. “It won’t hold for long.” Tharsis repeated and scraped a palm through his hair. “Do we have enough power to take her to the human realm?”

  Cross knew that they didn’t. Jumping to the human realm usually took two or three Phases all contributing energy. Nia and Tharsis might have been able to go, but they couldn’t drag Ty with them. And they’d never leave her. Tharsis and Nia treasured Ty. He could see it in every move they made as they huddled over her, inspecting the damage.

  “We can’t risk jumping.” Nia ran a hand over Ty’s cheek and let out a whimpering sound. “Thar, look what they did to her.”

  “God.” Tharsis hunched down with his elbows on his knees and his forehead in his palms. He was struggling not to cry. “She’s just a baby. She’s not going to make it and she’s just a baby.”

  Cross would’ve agreed with that assessment had he not seen the girl alive and well just an-hour before back in reality.

  “She’ll be fine!” Nia’s bit off, angrily. Then, her eyes widened in sudden urgency. “Did she stop breathing?”

  Tharsis pressed two fingers to Ty’s pulse. “Nia, she’s not breathing. I don’t think she’s breathing.” His voice got too high. “Oh, Gaia. Please. Ty? Honey?” He bent over her and started doing human CPR.

  One one thousand.

  Two one thousand.

  Three one thousand.

  Breathe.

  Cross was willing to accept that human technique would work on Phases, since they had very similar physiological systems. But, he had no idea why the air that Tharsis provided didn’t rush out of the hole in Ty’s throat. It made no sense when Ty suddenly jerked back to life.

  “Ty?” Nia shouted, although she was only inches away.

  Turquoise eyes fluttered for a second, as if Ty heard her and tried to respond. Then, she passed out, again.

  “Thank you.” Nia whispered to the room at large as Ty resumed breathing on her own. “Thank you. Thank you. I can’t lose Ty, too.”

  “Nia, watch the door.” Cross ordered, because she was way more centered on her cousin then the angry mob.

  “She’s okay. She’s okay.” Tharsis kept his fingers at Ty’s pulse. “We should put her on the bed…” He trailed off as he realized what he’d just suggested.

  He and Nia both turned to look at the body of their father, lying under the blankets on the mattress.

  “Oh, God.” Cross breathed, the horror of the situation rushing in on him from all sides. The mob was slamming against the door, Ty was struggling to stay alive, and the corpse of Nia’s father was locked in the room with them.

  How the hell had his Match ever recovered from this?

  Maybe she hadn’t. The Fall still haunted her so much that she was determined to find the damn Quintessence to fix things. This was why.

  “Daddy won’t hurt her.” Nia said, finally. “Put Ty on the bed.” There was a determined glint in her eye, now. That ‘damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead’ fire that defined the very core of her. “We need to stop them, Thar.” She gestured towards the door as her brother lifted Ty into his arms, again. “You’re right. They’ll get in if we don’t do something.”

  “I’m open to suggestions.” Tharsis carefully placed Ty on the edge of the mattress, as far away from his father as he could. He kept his eyes averted from the body, his jaw locked tight. “Any ideas?”

  “Yes.” Nia declared. Turning back to the door, she unlocked it and twisted the knob.

  Cross stifled a shout at the move. He could feel her gathering energy like the pull of a current. Even before the door cracked all the way open the ice was forming. A thick, impenetrable, frozen barrier between the bedroom and the mob stretched across the threshold.

  “You watch X-Men II way too much.” Tharsis reported as if trying to play down the tragedy raining down on them. He didn’t seem surprised by the incredible feat Nia had just pulled off, but Cross certainly was. The mob couldn’t break through with Nia’s work. They didn’t have the energy. Cross had never seen another Water Phase freeze water molecules that fast. Ice was primarily the Cold Phases’ dominion. It was an extraordinary display of power and Nia didn’t even blink.

  “Wolverine’s hot.” Nia kept her eyes on the block of ice protecting them. The other Phases were just shadows against the white frozen center of the frigid wall. “Thar, you want to try something that might hurt them a lot?”

  “Yep.” Tharsis crossed the room so he was standing next to her. For all his wisecracks about comics, the guy looked like he was about two inches from a total breakdown. “Every fucking one of them is dead. If the Fall doesn’t finish them off, I will.”

  Nia reached down and grasped his hand. “Throw your energy behind mine, okay? We’re gonna jack the House.”

  “What?” Cross and Tharsis demanded at the same time.

  Phases didn’t do that. Not without incredible power.

  “Don’t you dare.” Cross snarled, even as saw her gearing up for the attempt. She was going to try and steal the Water from the other Phases. Drag the weight of it away from them, so she and Thar and Ty supported the entire House. The other Phases wouldn’t die, but they wouldn’t be able to control the Water anymore. Jacking a House essentially left its victims impotent, their energy usurped and redistributed.

  “They’re sick. Their energy’s weak. They can’t stop us.” Nia smiled, grimly. “Nobody hurts my baby cousin –the Queen of the Water House-- and then gets to share my Element.”

  “It’s dangerous.” Tharsis reminded her. “If we go down, we leave Ty unprotected.”

  “If we don’t do something, they’ll get her anyway.” Nia’s eyes narrowed. “If Parald could do this, then so can we.”

  “He had Gion!” Cross roared. Gion was five hundred years old and one of the most powerful Phases alive.

  Tharsis might have pointed that out himself, except Nia launched her attack.

  Right then, Cross saw exactly what Job meant about Nia. Why the oldest Elemental in the universe still got swept under by the force of her will. Nia wouldn’t give up or back down. Ever. She’d keep going, even when the odds were stacked so high against her that the fans began leaving the stadium for the drive home.

  And she’d win.

  Standing in Nia’s memory, surrounded by death and panic, Cross laughed for the first time in forever. He couldn’t help it. His Match was so damn beautiful and stubborn.

  And she was about to kick ass.

  Using Tharsis’s power as well as her own, Nia ripped the weight of the Water away from the mob. She did it fast and painful, like tearing off a bandage. The other Phases all had the Fall, so most of their grips on the Water were frail. Still, it was an incredibly difficult maneuver and she executed it brilliantly. Gion had nothing on Nia in that moment. Cross could feel the power she needed to pull the weight of the House free. It landed on Nia, Tharsis and Ty with enough force that Nia hit
the ground. She lay there, dazed, as the mob’s screaming reached new heights.

  Hands beat on the wall of ice.

  Voices begging Nia to stop.

  Threats against her.

  Prayers to Gaia.

  Crying.

  Coughing.

  Cross crouched down next to his Match, shocked by the strength in her. Even sharing the load with Tharsis and Ty, the pressure of the Water must’ve been hard to balance so suddenly. He knew from experience. He’d never been prouder of anyone in his life. She was amazing. “I love you, baby.” He whispered. The feelings were so clear that they filled his heart and soul.

  Tharsis stayed on his feet, breathing hard. His turquoise gaze glowed with triumph. Cross felt him expending a great rush of energy, sucking up the Water like a sponge. It was a reverse tsunami of power, the Water all pulling back towards him. Cross knew, without even looking, that Tharsis had just evaporated every drop of drinkable liquid in the Water Kingdom. The land blessed with bottomless crystal pools and fresh running streams was now bone dry.

  It was the drought to end all droughts.

  It had happened in less than ten seconds.

  And the Phases outside couldn’t do a damn thing about it.

  “Thar.” Nia said weakly, still recovering. “You’ll kill them without water.”

  “The plague will kill them.” Tharsis corrected, without an ounce of pity. “They’ll just die thirsty.” He marched back over to the bed and sat down next to Ty’s still form.

  Wow. Cross arched a brow. He hadn’t realized his seemingly doofy, pseudo-brother-in-law had a cruel streak in him. Good for Thar.

  Nia closed her eyes and let out a long sigh. Cross could tell that she was going to try and convince her twin to show mercy now that they’d won. With the power of the entire House, they could easily keep the mob at bay. And she’d probably get Tharsis to relent with her persistence, because Nia just plain outthought and outlasted the competition.

  Cross smiled, slightly.

  Princesses fought.

  Chapter Twelve

  Moreover, they made the most energetic reprisals on their opponents, and

  as they were distinctly the tough and fighting element, justice came to her

  own with a whoop.

  Theodore Roosevelt- “An Autobiography"

  “Look, can you use it or not?” Abel gestured to the walkie-talkie, rapidly losing his patience. “You are a damn Wave Phase, right? You should be able to use whatever GOS bullshit this thing is emitting to find the other one.”

  “The GPS is working fine.” Story didn’t bother to look up from her video game as Princess Peach skidded across frozen blocks in Super Mario Bros. II. “God, buy a TV or something, Abel. It’s embarrassing how little you know about the world.”

  “Story.” Chason wanted to go back to his kingdom and hide in the gloom. He did not want to be stuck at the Wave Palace, arguing with a lunatic. Story was addicted to vintage video games and even the repetitive synthesized beeps and sound effects were too close to music for Chason’s peace of mind. He felt a clawing sensation inside of him and struggled to ignore it. “Can you help or not?”

  “Theoretically, yes. It’s a really high end little device, with the GPS and all. Anything that works off a satellite like that, I can manipulate. And, since I’m soooo talented, I can probably defy some laws of nature and find the other one of those things for you.” She arched a brow and shot Chason a quick glance. “The question is… what’s it worth to ya?”

  Chason didn’t blink. “I’ll pay whatever you want.”

  “Oh, let’s not be trite, Chase.” Story frowned in concentration as the Princess balanced on a stream of water from a digital whale. “What is it worth? I mean, unless the Reprisal sucks at war games, you’re not going to convince me that you guys just accidently lost one half of your little toy there.” She waved a distracted hand at the walkie-talkie. “You’re looking for somebody who has the other one. So, who is it and why do you want them?”

  “Why do you want to know?” He retorted. Story wasn’t interested in much beyond her Nintendo and Atari collections, so it sure wasn’t any concern for other Phases making her ask.

  “I don’t know. I just think it’ll be fun to make you tell me, since you obviously wanna keep it secret, so much.” She grinned.

  Chason stared up at the vast ceiling of the Wave Palace and sent up a brief bid for help, even though he no longer believed in anything that might assist him.

  Story was such a pain-in-the-ass.

  Unfortunately, there were very few Wave Phases left and she was actually the most agreeable of the lot. The Wave House controlled electromagnetic waves. Microwaves, infrared waves, radio waves and so on, came from them. Like most Wave Phases, Story was tall and slim, with a golden brown hair. The streak at her temple was bright pink.

  Things would have been so much simpler if the Reprisal had ever recruited someone from the Wave House. Then, they could have their own Phase tell them where Nia, or whoever had left the walkie-talkie, went after the hospital. Wave Phases were notoriously odd, though. You never knew when they might up and switch sides on you. Chason would’ve allowed them join the Reprisal, anyway, if one had actually asked. He didn’t care who fought and died as long as they took Air Phases with them. He’d let in a Radiation Phase, after all, and that House had always been aligned with the Wave House, since they took care of X-rays, UV, and radiation.

  And if Chason gave that radioactive bastard a sword, he would’ve armed anybody.

  “The walkie-talkie is part of an investigation.” He said at length. “That’s all you need to know.”

  “Investigation of what? The Air House? Wait… Are Parald and Gion having sleepovers, now?” She guessed. “Calling each other from their sleeping bags on little radios?” She chuckled at her own image and adopted a static-y voice. “Come in, Air-hole. This is Rubber Duck. Over. Hey, did you ever see that Convoy movie? I mean wow! Classic cinematic cheese. Speaking of which, Chase, don’t get too close to my electronics, huh? You’ll wreck my Blu-ray player with your energy.”

  Abel’s jaw clenched, obviously wanting to go for her throat.

  This was why Chason had been forced to leave the safe cocoon of his own personal Fortress of Solitude and traipse over to the Wave Kingdom. Because, Story and Abel just didn’t like each other. Nobody actually got along with either one of them individually, but putting them together just magnified the dysfunctional personalities. When Chason had to be the rational one in a conversation, you knew things were bleak.

  He shot the television another glare. A little slot machine game had popped up awarding Story extra lives. The jangly tune it emitted as it spun had Chason cringing. “Can you turn that off?” He snapped, more harshly than he’d intended. “Just shut the fucking noise off.”

  Story glanced at him, sharply.

  Oh shit.

  Chason glared back, even though he now expected her to kick him out of her kingdom and then release the hounds, for good measure.

  Instead, she dropped the controller and crossed to the sixty-eight inch plasma TV hanging on the wall of the throne room. She jacked the volume as high as it would go, so the sound echoed endlessly in the cavernous room.

  Abel covered his ears with his palms and cursed fluidly in Elemental.

  Story smirked, triumphantly.

  Chason felt himself pale. It wasn’t the Andrews Sisters, but the music was still unbearable. Listening to it was like having a sandblaster turned on high and aimed at his skin. The sound reverberated off the empty spaces inside of him, until he couldn’t even think. He backed away from the TV so fast that he hit a table and knocked a vase onto the marble floor. It shattered into a million, irreparable pieces.

  Chason didn’t care.

  The small part of his missing heart where his Match still lived moved under the sounds. Like it might remember and feel something other than hatred.

  No. No. No.

  Turning, he headed for th
e door. He’d explode if he didn’t leave. And if he exploded someone would get hurt. Chason knew his temper and what it could do. He didn’t want to harm Story. Mara had always liked the girl. Besides, then he’d be utterly screwed, since Story was the only one who could find the other walkie-talkie. The noise overwhelmed what little control he managed to hang onto in his fragmented life, though. He couldn’t know what he’d do if he stayed.

  The music shut off.

  The sudden secession of noise was almost as jarring as the pounding video game soundtrack had been. But, at least, there was no more music.

  Chason stopped, his hand on the door. He whirled around to confront Story.

  She stared back at him with iridescent blue eyes that saw far too much. Then, she swore and backtracked to pick up the walkie-talkie. “GPS works off radio waves. I can bounce radio waves like Pong, simple and easy. The rest of it…Well, you’re just lucky, I’m a super-being and all. The Geek Squad doesn’t offer the services that I do. Hang on.” There was a large pulse of energy and then she grinned. “Oh, yeah. Hail to the queen, Baby.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” Abel demanded, still pulling on his ears as if his hearing had been damaged. “Did you find it?”

  “You didn’t get that?” She looked over at Chason. “If I had an army, they’d watch Army of Darkness all the time. I’d make them. I mean, it’s a given. You suck at leadership.”

  Chason ignored all of that and refocused on the only things that mattered.

  Capturing Nia and Ty.

  Getting the Quintessence.

  Killing Parald with the Fall.

  Ending the world.

  His vengeance. His simple, beautiful path to utter silence.

  “Did you discover where the other walkie-talkie is or not?” He demanded, coldly.

  “Yeah, I got it.” She went back to the sofa and picked up her controller. “God, don’t be such a dick. I’m being nice to you, aren’t I?”

  Actually, yes. For a Wave Phase, she was being very nice, as a matter of fact.

  But, Chason didn’t care.