Knowledge Protects

by D. S. Williams

  “Charlotte!” Ben caught me in his arms and leaned his forehead against mine, his dark eyes glittering as the others created a barricade around us on the battlefield. “Do not let him win. You're braver than this, stronger than he is!” he yelled. He snatched his Hjördis from his belt and quickly marked another fearless sigil on my chest and I stared up at him silently. Despite our perilous situation, Ben offered me an amused smile. “You didn't think we would guess what you would do?” He gently turned me on the spot. “One is more than enough though.” And he returned to the fight.

  Cut and thrust, block and duck, weave, and twist – one step forward, two steps back, three steps forward, five steps back. I was sure we would never win this fight, that the odds were stacked too highly against us, when three things happened, almost concurrently.

  An immense explosion erupted from the direction of Epi's fight with Bran, and all around our position, the strange, fearsome creatures Bran had magicked up vanished. Mom voice reverberated in my ear, sounding elated. “Bran is destroyed! Epi has killed him!”

  From behind the enemy lines – far down the mountain and appearing from hiding places along the cliffs, thousands of little creatures ran towards the rear of Archangelo's troops. Although scarcely visible from this distance, their short bodies, and the sea of red-soaked caps confirmed what I hoped, even before the spirits confirmed it. The Red Caps had arrived and they were fighting on our side, creating a pincer movement, and trapping Archangelo's people between them and us.

  I didn't get too long to experience relief however, as voices yelled in unison, frantic warnings from the spirits almost bringing me to my knees. I surveyed the area nearby, and saw Archangelo.

  He was standing on a slight incline, maybe twenty or thirty feet from where we fought. He locked eyes with mine and grinned, his green eyes cold and empty. Turning his back to me, he drew a final sigil on a pentagram he'd created on the rock face beside him, stepped through the portal and disappeared.

  “He goes after my children.” Nememiah's words boomed in my ear and my heart clenched painfully in my chest.

  Chapter 43: The Ending

  “Conal!” I shrieked his name, my heart pounding in my ears and my body rigid with panic. “Archangelo! He's gone to Zaen!”

  Tearing the Hjördis from my belt, I dropped to one knee on the muddy ground, scrambling to draw a pentagram. “What is he doing?”

  “This is his endgame. Bran is dead. The Red Caps have joined the Fae. He has nothing left to lose,” Lucas warned.

  My worst fears were realized. Archangelo was going after Patrick and Kazuki, and probably Misaki. I needed to warn them.

  The portal opened and I stepped into it, not waiting to see who would follow. I'd tried to warn Conal, and I could only hope that in the melee, he'd heard the warning. I couldn't do this on my own, I needed Conal's strength with me. When I stepped out of the portal in the center of Zaen, I wavered for an instant, nauseous, and weak at the knees. I was relieved when Conal appeared directly behind me, and along with him, Nick, and Nissa. The portal closed and I crouched down to lock it off.

  Even before we started to search, I knew I was too late. All around us, alarms sounded, and people screamed and shouted in terror. I ran, as swiftly as my legs could carry me towards Matt and Misaki's cottage. I'd left my son there, with Misaki. I silently prayed the spirits I'd left with them when we travelled to Pelathrad had been able to protect them from Archangelo's rage.

  Any hopes were dashed when we arrived at the cottage and I shoved past the groups of people milling around in the doorway.

  Misaki was lying on the floor motionless, bleeding profusely from a head wound. The spirits had been banished by Archangelo, and I heard their voices, apologizing for their failure to protect their charges.

  “She lives,” Nissa said hurriedly when I emitted a little moan, horrified by what I was seeing. “She would not still bleed, if her heart had stopped.”

  “The doctor is on his way.” One of the women kneeling beside Misaki spoke, offering me quiet reassurance.

  Surveying the room frantically, I knew the answer to the question I didn't have the courage to voice.

  Patrick and Kazuki were gone.

  Hurrying back out of the cottage, both Conal and Nick watched us, and Conal's eyes spoke the words he couldn't say in his wolf form. “They're gone,” I whispered, struggling to hold back a sob.

  “Where would they go?” Nissa questioned. “Think, Angel. Where would he take them?”

  I stared blankly at the cobblestones beneath my feet, trying to figure out what Archangelo's next move would be, but I came up blank. Panic had overcome me, and I seemed incapable of forming a single coherent thought. I glanced down at my chest, saw that the fearless sigil had depleted again and I grabbed the Hjördis, remarking it, and adding a second one for good measure. I was going to have to face Archangelo, and defeat him to save my son and my brother. I'd need all the courage I could muster.

  Speaking frantically to the spirits, I demanded answers. “Lucas, where is he?”

  “You've seen him there before,” Lucas grunted the obtuse response, still battling against Archangelo's hordes in the Realm and desperate to keep from being banished by Nememiah. “Call me back, Charlotte. I must protect my son.”

  “He's at the lake——” I recognized Holden's voice, and groaned in frustration when he broke Nememiah's covenants and told me outright where to find my son before his voice abruptly vanished. Wherever Holden was, lost in the eternity of a consciousness without end, I hoped he would be aware of my heartfelt gratitude for what he'd given up protecting us.

  “He's gone to the lake.” I worked to draw Lucas back from the realm, through my mind and into corporeal form here at Zaen, simultaneously scratching a new pentagram onto the cobblestones outside Matt and Misaki's cottage.

  A split-second later Lucas stood in front of me. His shirt was covered in demon blood, and his jeans were torn, but he offered me an anxious smile. “Hurry.”

  Visualizing the lake, I added the final sigil to the pentagram. When the portal glowed, we stepped into it, leaving Zaen behind.

  I swallowed back bile when I stepped out of the second portal journey in less than ten minutes, my tender stomach reacting badly to repeated assaults. Archangelo stood by the lake's edge, holding Patrick in one arm, Kazuki in the other.

  Lucas growled, the sound chilling, and his cool power began to grow as his anger peaked. Heat flared around Conal and Nick as they too, began to draw on their power. Archangelo laughed, the sound hollow, and stepped into the water.

  “If you come closer, I'll kill them both. You know I will, Angel.” Patrick was wailing in his arms, and Kazuki cried loudly, slapping his little fist against Archangelo's shirt.

  “What do you want?” I asked, grateful for the fearless sigils on my breast.

  Archangelo chuckled, the sound frightening a flock of ducks who hurriedly took off from the smooth lake surface, quacking their alarm. “The answer to that question used to be you. But that would seem to be a moot point now, wouldn't it? Now, my goal is to kill everyone you love. I'm more powerful than you'll ever be and you're just too stupid to get it through your thick head that you can't beat me. You've never won against me, and you never will.” He took another step into the water, one foot slipping and I inhaled a sharp breath, holding it until he regained his balance. “Besides, there are only five of you. You're too weak to bring anyone else back here to help you, not without losing control of those you've got on the ground.”

  What he'd said was true, but I couldn't let him see it. I was struggling, the effort of keeping the spirits on the ground in the Realm, and bringing Lucas back to Zaen, along with the energy I'd consumed in fighting had drained any reserves I might have had. I'd taken to clasping my hands in fists, to hide the fact that they were trembling. “It's over. Bran is dead. The war is ending. The Red Caps have joined the Fae. You've lost, Archangelo. Give me my son, and my brother.”

  “I don't
lose!” Archangelo shouted. Conal took a step toward Archangelo, but came to a swift standstill when Archangelo took another step into the water, his jeans soaked up to his knees.

  “Charlotte, be careful. He intends to drown them,” Lucas warned. “We have to outflank him.”

  “How?”

  Archangelo grabbed one of Kazuki's legs, and in a quick movement, twisted the little boy so that he was dangling upside down, just inches above the water. Kazuki cried, twisting back and forth, struggling against Archangelo's hold. “Enough! Don't think I'm going to stand here and wait while you and that vampire bastard discuss tactics. I'll drown the kid, if you try anything.”

  I shrieked when Archangelo lowered Kazuki, dunking his head under the water briefly. “No!”

  He lifted the little boy out of the water again, and Kazuki screamed, shouting for his Mommy. All his panic did was make Archangelo laugh and he flipped Kazuki upright again, gripping the struggling little boy firmly against his hip. “Slippery little bastards, aren't they?”

  I thought hurriedly, struggling to figure out how to deal with this situation. Out of all the scenarios we'd considered… this hadn't been one of them.

  “Fortunately, I'm good at multitasking.” Archangelo flicked his hand casually in our direction, and Nissa screamed. An energy orb had struck her in the chest, and she got flung backwards, her lithe figure coming to rest some eight feet behind us. Before she could get to her feet, Archangelo threw a Katchet and the weapon struck Nissa in the middle of her stomach. She slumped to the ground, gripping at the Katchet and blood poured from the wound, dripping onto the sandy ground beneath her feet. “One down. Three to go,” he announced casually. “Who's next?”

  “Get Patrick and Kazuki. Nothing else matters,” Lucas said.

  Before I had a chance to question him, Lucas ran towards the lake, and I screamed when Archangelo flung Kazuki and Patrick, throwing them towards the deepest section of the lake before Lucas barreled into him. The sound of their bodies impacting almost drowned out Kazuki's fearful shout and Patrick's cries broke my heart as he seemed to drop towards the water in slow motion. I focused on their little bodies and using any remaining resources I could dredge up, used telekinesis to stop their rapid plunge towards the icy water.

  Both boys hovered in the air just above the lake, dipping and weaving as I fought to keep them out of the water, using what little energy I could muster to bring them drifting slowly towards the bank of the lake.

  The sounds of fighting reached my ears in the background. Risking a quick glance, I saw Lucas and Archangelo splashing and fighting in the water, neither one of them able to gain the upper hand. Turning my attention to the boys, I brought them closer to the shore, relieved when Nick reverted to human form and splashed out into the lake to retrieve them, gripping both boys in his arms after I released my tenuous grip.

  Lucas was gone when I turned back to Archangelo, and the vampire angel hybrid was striding through the water, intent on reaching me. “This ends now, Angel. I grow tired of this shit!”

  I stumbled backwards, trying to center my energy on creating an orb, but I had nothing left to give.

  Archangelo was having no such problems, and a powerful orb spun lazily on his palm, growing in power as he splashed through the water. From the corner of my eye, I saw Conal running towards Archangelo, biting, snarling, and growling and Archangelo lifted his hand, thrusting the orb he'd been intending to use on me towards Conal. The orb burst as it hit Conal's body, pummeling his body with explosions of brutal power, leaving him motionless on the sand. In a scene eerily reminiscent of another time and place, Archangelo snatched a Katchet from his belt and stalked toward Conal. “I'm sick of this,” he panted. “It's time to end this dog's pitiful life.” Raising the Katchet above his head, he readied himself to plunge the blade into Conal's chest.

  “No more,” I stated quietly. Staring at Archangelo, I spoke the words calmly, fingering the weapons belt. “No more.”

  “Do you honestly believe you can stop me? I've won this war.” He glanced over to where Nick was crouched with the two boys and laughed scornfully. “You think he's going to save them? You think anyone can save them? You're wrong. I'll kill the dog, the shifter, those boys… and then you.”

  I stood tall, lifting my chin defiantly. “No more death, no more killing. No more fighting.” I took a step towards him. “No more you.”

  Pulling the Taser from the belt, I took aim, watching as the barbs flew across the gap and landed on Archangelo's chest, clamping onto his skin. He stared at me, his expression confused at first, then stunned, when the first bolt of electricity coursed through his body. His eyes grew wide when the Taser made by the Cal-Tech guys produced a far greater effect on Archangelo's vampire and angel hybrid body than anyone could have predicted. Being drenched in water seemed to be increasing the Taser's effect, and he stood for a moment, shaking wildly before his knees collapsed and he fell into the water, 50,000 volts of electricity running through his body. Still holding the trigger down, I crept closer by increments, convinced that he'd leap to his feet and grab me at any second.

  Twelve feet. Ten feet. Eight feet. Six feet. Releasing the trigger on the Taser, I dropped it to the ground and took a Katchet from my belt. This had to end.

  “Let me, love,” Lucas demanded. “Conal needs you.”

  Alarm flared in my chest and I tore my gaze from Archangelo to Conal, terrified to see that he'd reverted to human form. Dropping onto my knees I cradled his lifeless body in my arms. “Conal!” I cried. “Conal!”

  The sounds of portals opening could be heard over my cries, as some of our people returned from the realm and came to offer aid. At the point where the sand gave way to grass, Nick was sitting with Kazuki and Patrick, and pressing a hand to the wound on Nissa's stomach, desperately trying to staunch the flow of blood. Voices reached me as though through a tunnel, but all I could focus on was Conal, my beloved Conal, lying still and dead in my arms.

  Lyell joined me at his son's side, his expression filled with sorrow, and Mom and Phelan ran towards where Nick sat with Nissa and the boys. Mom scooped both boys into her arms, and Phelan threw his jacket over Nick's naked shoulders then worked with him, trying to save Nissa. I could tell by their anxious expression that things weren't hopeful.

  “Archangelo's not dead, love. Release me, please. Let me end this.”

  I kept one hand pressed to Conal's chest, seeking a heartbeat which no longer existed. “Conal… please,” I begged, tears running down my cheeks. “Please, Conal. I need you!”

  “Please love,” Lucas begged, but his voice was fading as I struggled with crushing grief.

  “I'll do it.” Lyell got to his feet and took a Katchet from my belt.

  I watched, distanced from what was happening as Lyell stepped out into the water, where Archangelo's limp body was being rocked back and forth by gentle waves approaching the shore. His curls were straightened out by the water, his eyes closed, but none of it mattered. None of it mattered because Conal was dead.

  My heart was cold in my chest and no emotion touched my mind when Lyell leaned down and plunged his hand into Archangelo's chest in a rapid motion. He felt around for a couple of seconds, before twisting his wrist back and forth rapidly and retracting his hand.

  Archangelo's bloody heart rested on his palm, still beating and I watched with a sense of detached fascination as Lyell gripped the heart between his fingers and squeezed, reducing the organ to so much blood and pulp. Lyell reached down a second time, and with a roar of untainted fury, he ripped Archangelo's head from his body and flung it far out into the middle of the lake. Something floated to the surface, quite near to where Archangelo's head landed and fingers reached for the head, grasping it, and dragging it down beneath the water.

  I stared blankly at Lyell, beyond understanding what was happening.

  “Mermaids.” The comment seemed incongruous with everything I'd seen and experienced in the past few days, but I didn't argue. It was
just another strange creature. What did any of it matter?

  Lyell dropped to his knees beside me, taking Conal's limp hand in his.

  We'd won the war, but I'd lost everything that mattered.

  “You have your son,” Mom reminded me quietly, but I was inconsolable. Conal had been my heart, my soul and he'd been my life mate. The true love of my life would be gone forever, leaving only a memory in my heart. Beside me, Lyell slumped to the ground, gripping Conal's hand to his own heart.

  Epi hurried to my side and settled on his knees beside us. “My Child… I am so sorry.”

  I couldn't respond. Couldn't think of any words to begin explaining how I felt. Instead, I railed at Nememiah. “You bastard! You took everything I've ever loved! You've got to save him! Please, Nememiah! I've done as you asked, I stopped the war! I need you to give Conal back. Please, bring him back to me!”

  The silence was overwhelming, and I cursed Nememiah, tears dripping from my cheeks and running in shallow rivers across Conal's chest. Someone came up behind me and wrapped a blanket around my shoulders, someone else lay a blanket over Conal's naked body, providing him with a modicum of decency in death.

  Lucas's voice reached my ears, his words spoken softly in a sea of emptiness in my mind. “We can save him Charlotte. Use my essence to bring him back to life.”

  I turned to Epi, a spark of hope blooming. “Lucas says he can help me bring him back.”

  “That would not be wise,” Epi countered immediately.

  “Why not?”

  Epi shook his head sadly. “The two men would need to live together for the rest of Conal's life, sharing one mind. It would not be wise to attempt it. I suspect it would not be what Conal would want.”

  “It would be a mistake,” Mom added. “Conal struggled when he heard Lucas' voice in his head for mere minutes, to subject him to a lifetime of that would be unfair.”