Evenstar

by Darcy Town

  “A purge.” Apple tightened the bindings on Lucifer’s wound. “Back to the Dark Ages we go.”

  “I doubt the timing of this is coincidence.” Berith looked grim. The car bounced past Benaroya Hall. Berith fought with the car for control. Blood on the pavement made the car slide before it stopped in front of the Seattle Art Museum. “Someone’s out there.”

  The Chulyin jumped out as the car came to a rest. Apple ran after him before Berith could grab her. Both Lilliam knelt over the body. The Chulyin rolled the figure over; her scaly skin punctured by iron bullets, her body cold and stiff. The baby in her arms just as dead. The smell of blood and offal tainted the air.

  Apple and the Chulyin surveyed the area; the streets showed signs of a slaughter. Blood painted the street in swirls of red, black, and opalescent green. Bodies had been drug into the deep shadows of night, more adults and children. Their corpses dumped without care for who might find them. Apple’s eyes burned red. “Find where these monsters have gone now.”

  “Yes Princess!” The Chulyin flew above her. He called down, “They are near. They attack the pier!”

  Apple dashed back to the car and spoke to Berith, “The outpost is under attack.” Her body shuddered, reformed.

  Berith grabbed Apple’s quiver and bow and handed them to her. Apple shook her head. “Make sure Lucifer gets in. Go inside the pier, the entrance will be obvious.”

  Lucifer reached for her. “Apple, get inside.”

  Apple backed away from the car. She looked at her people, the innocents butchered as they had tried to flee. She tore off her shirt as black-webbed wings stretched and expanded from her shoulder blades. Red horns shot out of her skull, and flames hovered over her head. Black scales formed on her skin from feet to kneecaps. Her toes lengthened into talons. The terror of the unjustly killed surged through her blood, forcing her to do one thing. Punish.

  Lucifer called to his progeny, “Appleadris! You have been forbidden to do this anymore! You have a duty to your people to live!”

  Berith put a hand to Lucifer’s chest and held him at bay. “She won’t listen now. Not as a Fury.”

  Apple leapt into the air with a blood-curdling screech.

  Berith leaned forward in the seat. Multiple flights of stairs and a few concrete decorative barriers separated them from the next street down. He looked back at Lucifer. “This is going to get very bumpy.”

  ***

  In front of the pier, a knot of City Guard stood firm against an onslaught of humans. They held open a narrow corridor for fleeing Lilliam refugees. Beyond the Guard, the way inside the pier stood open, waiting. Lilliam raced or flew across in small groups, knowing being left behind was far worse than a quick death at the hands of maddened humans. But escape was not easy. The passageway the Guard held shifted and moved as the favor of the battle went from one group to the next.

  Solomon Soldiers had taken over the streets. They used controlled humans: bar patrons, the homeless and runaways, and those unfortunate enough to get caught in the riots. Unaffected humans hid in their condos and offices, terrified and confused. Abandoned police cars were on their sides, occupants converted to the cause. A fire truck was similarly empty and used as cover.

  The moon hung in the sky overhead and the shadows cast by the tall skyscrapers were thick with wandering humans and wreckage. The Solomon Soldiers had overrun the buildings and spaces on either side of the pier. Their ranged weapon bearers camped out and took aim at anything that swam or flew by.

  The mind-controlled humans crashed against the Guard in waves. They were armed with rudimentary iron weapons and under the direction to kill anything that was not them. Against the Guard, the humans fell easily, but more were ready to replace them.

  A Molotov cocktail sailed over the heads of the Guard, smashing a glass window of the pier. Fire splashed and spread over the front of the building. A fleeing naiad blasted the spot with seawater, putting the flame out instantly. An iron bolt pierced him in the spine; he went down with a cry.

  An armored ogre grabbed the fallen Lilliam and handed him off to other refugees. The ogre turned and plowed into the dazed humans. His blows knocked them into the street or into the water. His hide was peppered with arrows and bullets, but the thick blood of an ogre was not easy to poison.

  A group of gossamer winged fairies used the distraction to take their chance; they crossed from the buildings across the street. They soared, gunning for the Guard. Iron bolts flew up at them. Four of the eight fell, three children among the bodies to hit the concrete. A cheer went up from the Solomon Soldiers.

  Apple dropped a taxicab on the celebrating humans. She slid the car along the street, leaving a streak of red and moans of pain. She screamed and launched the vehicle down the street. The car soared over the burnt out hulls of cruise liners and into a gift shop turned arsenal in Pier 54. The explosion and fire that followed sent armed men into the street and water below.

  Humans jumped at her. Her wings sliced through men like razors, throwing body parts into the throng. The Chulyin soldier dropped down beside her and drew his twin blades. He stabbed and pierced anything she missed.

  Her eyes caught on the men that attacked the City Guard. She snarled and leapt at them.

  The Lilliam recognized their Princess. One of the Guard blew a horn. Lilliam stopped and cocked their heads. A chorus of hopeful voices rose up from the alleys and pilings.

  Nodin leapt outside and saw his older sister. He grinned and ripped a door off its hinges. He jumped the line of the Guard and slapped humans back. He amplified his voice, “Lilliam come now!”

  Lilliam that clung to buildings, flew overhead, or hid in the water surged forward.

  Solomon Soldiers searched for targets as the night came alive with them.

  Fire raced over Apple’s body and along the ground. She pulled a fire whip off the concrete and whirled in a blur of light. Humans were thrown back, bodies on fire, clothes and skin torn open. They hit buildings and went through glass and concrete. Apple flew into the air and snapped the whip in a blur, shooting fireballs at any humans in sight. In turn, the Solomon Soldiers took aim at the Fury, but their iron weapons were useless against her.

  Berith’s car hit the street, nearly totaled from their ride down. He plowed the beat-up vehicle into the backs of the attackers. He kicked his door out and pulled Lucifer from the back seat.

  Lucifer tried to take in what was going on, but his vision doubled and sweat poured into his eyes. His fever spiked and his words slurred, “Where are we going? Why are we here?”

  Berith wrapped Lucifer up in a blanket and ran straight for Pier 57. “We’re going to Dahlia.”

  Lucifer pulled the blanket away from his face. “She will be in there?”

  Berith nodded. “She’ll be waiting for you in the City.” He ran through humans like a linebacker. A Lilliam child ran away from the fight blindly. Berith grabbed her with his free hand and pulled her with them.

  The City Guard saw him coming and redoubled their efforts to keep the corridor open. Berith dashed through unscathed. Nodin followed them inside as his sister lit the street on fire. “The passage is open, go!”

  Berith shook his head. “I must stay to help!”

  Nodin pushed him back. “No, this passage will not stay open long. There are more Solomon Soldiers on the way. We have no time!”

  “I will not leave Appleadris!”

  Nodin grimaced. “She would not want you to stay. Leave, Berith!”

  Around them streams of Lilliam rushed past. They had one destination. Past the shops, near the arcade, the ground opened up. Instead of more building or water, the hole opened to a faint blue glow. Lilliam leapt into it and disappeared. Berith could see the light from where he stood. He turned back to Nodin. “We still have time, I will wait for her.”

  Nodin scowled, but said nothing more. He ran back outside. He pushed the air currents and tossed himself to the roof. Lilliam crossed the water or raced through the city. Speedboats an
d cars followed both groups. “Appleadris! They come in boats! We will get the cars!”

  Apple leapt from the city street and raced to the water’s edge. Her feet touched the water as she flew, leaving burning marks in the liquid like an arrow to their destination. She hit the first Solomon boat, cutting it in two. Apple landed on the deck of the next; the boat lit on fire as she jumped to another. Men and woman jumped overboard in terror. Naiads and mermaids pulled them below the surface, choking them beneath the water.

  Many died at once, but to Apple she felt each one and knew what they had done to deserve death. The tally of fatalities opened her senses to more that deserved to die. The heat inside her increased and the desire to fight became overwhelming. Sentient fire flew away from her and streaked along the water. Those that deserved to die drew her manifest anger like magnets. Humans jumped away from flaming boats only to be hit with fireballs.

  Berith watched from a window. He couldn’t help but grin at her.

  Lucifer tried to focus on her flaming form. His voice cracked, “Thousands of years since a Fury raged, and even then I never saw them together.”

  “The triplets were a sight to see.” Berith turned away and set Lucifer down near the edge of the portal. He thought about kicking him through.

  Lucifer eyed him. “Do not.”

  Berith turned away and picked up a carousel horse. He leaned out a broken window and aimed. He threw. The horse went through the windshield of a speeding car, causing it to veer into a van. Berith picked up another one and looked for an easy target.

  Lucifer tried to stand. “I need to help as well.”

  Berith put his foot on Lucifer’s leg and pinned him to the ground. He threw another horse. “No, you sit.”

  Lucifer panted. “What kind of father am I if I cannot help?”

  “The sick and weary kind, sit.”

  Lucifer watched Lilliam rush past him. Some stopped to gawk, recognizing his face, but most were too terror and grief stricken to do anything other than run. His heart ached. “We have not had a purge like this for centuries.”

  Berith nodded. “We will survive.”

  “Of course we will, we are immortal!”

  Berith threw another horse. “They will survive. You will be healed and we will make humanity suffer for this.”

  Lucifer clutched at his burning wound; the raw spot had grown larger. “They all die this time. Everything above the surface will be obliterated and we will start anew. Dahlia and I will recreate it from the barren earth.”

  Berith stopped in his attack. “Do not talk like that.”

  Lucifer sucked in air. “I will do it with the song.”

  Berith threw another horse. “Do we need to talk about this right now? Oh shit.” He leaned out the window. “Nodin, you have incoming artillery!”

  Two trucks stopped in the street. National Guard raced down the streets behind them. Solomon Soldiers opened fire on the pursuing vehicles, hitting and disabling the first row of cars. The National Guard returned fire and stumbled out into the street. Solomon Soldiers converted them in a flash of white light and set the new recruits against the Lilliam. Men with rocket launchers took aim at the pier.

  The first of the trucks let off a rocket. Nodin sent a blast of air at the missile and knocked it into the Seattle Aquarium. Alarms from that building added to the cacophony that already engulfed the street. Sniper fire drove Nodin from his spot on the roof. He scanned the buildings around him, but could not see the source.

  Berith pointed. “On the viaduct!” He threw a horse to show where he meant. The horse slammed into an emptied car next to the sniper. The Chulyin dove at the shooter. The human sniper was tossed over the side of the overpass. The Chulyin followed and took to the air, his black form invisible against the night sky.

  Two rockets soared through the air. Nodin’s whirlwind took one down. The other clipped the roof, blasting a chunk into the water beyond and setting a portion of the roof on fire. Nodin sent soldiers to put out the flames. He jumped to the roof and watched the progress of the escape. The Lilliam from the water were inside or dead. Apple danced across the Puget Sound, lighting up boats and fleeing human swimmers.

  Nodin closed his eyes. He could feel Lilliam spread out, waiting, terrified, running, and in pain. Nodin felt the pulse from the City, his father’s last warning. He raised his voice, “They are closing the passage! Come now or it’s the Old Road! Move!” He concentrated on the refugees, on the spots just behind them. He focused on the air and pulled them to the pier, aiding weary limbs.

  A bullet hit him in the shoulder. Nodin ignored it and worked with the wind. An elf wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him down to the ground. “Sir, you are injured!”

  He pushed her hands aside. “There are more that need help!”

  The elf pulled him inside and threw him towards Lucifer. “The Prince is injured! Get him out of here!”

  Lucifer looked at his great, great grandson. “You are leaving now.”

  Nodin tried to resist the command in Lucifer’s voice. “I need to stay and help!”

  Lucifer snarled. “Why do none of you listen to me? You are going home!” He pointed towards the portal. “Now!”

  The building shook as a rocket hit the wall. Berith called to Apple, “Appleadris, come!”

  Apple threw herself at the rocket launchers, unable to hear anything but rage.

  Nodin grabbed Lucifer as his feet carried him to the portal. “You are coming too!” The pair fell to the ground as a rocket tore through the gift shops in the building. The structure jostled violently. The portal flickered.

  Berith looked from Apple to Lucifer. He picked Lucifer up off the floor. Lucifer looked over his shoulder. “What about her?”

  Nodin stood at the lip of the portal. “She will take the Guard on the Road. They will not have troubles.” Iron coursed through his system. He swayed. “Get through before I do or this is closing.” Berith grabbed Nodin’s arm. The roof collapsed. They jumped.

  ***

  Belial sat in the middle of a concrete street. She had not said a word in hours. Jacob, Tracy, and Celeste sat on the sidewalk and watched her. Tokala lay at their side, sleeping. A car raced down the road and ran into Belial.

  Belial flipped the vehicle and threw it down the street. The car slammed into a growing pile of metal and smoke. Some cars contained moaning passengers others were silent, crushed, or burning. Belial stared at the burnt home of Spider, a woman she considered a friend as well as family.

  Belial raked her nails along the pavement, ripping up chunks of the road. She stood up, grabbed an empty car, and hurled it down the street. Jacob, Tracy, and Celeste ducked. Belial tore at her hair and shrieked. The glass in the houses would have shattered, if it had not already shattered from her screams upon their arrival at the scene.

  The houses lay empty, occupants fled or dead. Small fires burned on the wreckage. Police and firemen were too busy with larger fires and riots to come to this place. Belial threw another car.

  Celeste stood up. “Her body wasn’t in there. She could be fine.”

  Belial responded with a shriek.

  Celeste looked down. “Just saying.”

  Belial rounded on her. “What do you know, you idiot!”

  Celeste’s eyes turned reddish. “I am sick and tired of you calling me an idiot! You are a bitch!”

  Belial growled. “If I cared what you thought I might stop, but I don’t. You’re an ignorant, mouth-breathing, poor excuse for a Lilliam!”

  Celeste stalked over. She got in Belial’s face. “You’re a broken, temper tantrum throwing bitch! Fallen Angel or not, you’re a whiny brat!”

  Belial punched her.

  Celeste tasted blood. Her eyes shifted scarlet. Excess fat disappeared, leaving behind lean muscle. Her bones hardened and became dense like stones. Her skin thickened and darkened to a deeper shade of brown. Celeste roared and punched Belial in the chest, sending her tumbling down the street.

  B
elial flipped to her feet. She snarled and leapt at Celeste. The two met mid-air and came down in a tumble of smashing fists and claws. The girls wrestled down the length of the road, landing blows that would have killed others. Celeste’s wounds healed just as fast as Belial’s did, but Celeste did not feel pain.

  Belial broke Celeste’s jaw. “I hate your voice!”

  “That’s because you hate hearing when I’m right!” Celeste landed a kick that broke Belial’s ribs.

  Belial spat blood and broke Celeste’s leg. “You’re a baby! You know nothing!” She threw Celeste into a house and jumped in after her.

  Jacob and Tracy followed them with their eyes. He nudged her. “So do we intervene?”

  Tracy shook her head. “I’m thinking no.”

  “You sure?”

  They heard the flapping of wings. A raven landed in the street and turned into an armored soldier. The rustle of fabric accompanied the appearance an old woman robed in blue cloth. She sat down next to Jacob and Tracy. She smiled at Jacob. “Always heed the Yakshini, Sylph. If they say stay away, it is best to stay away with them.”

  The pair jumped to their feet. The woman smiled. Her dark face was lined with fine wrinkles, and her black hair peppered with gray. She had only two teeth, clear fangs that poked out of gray gums. Her black eyes followed them. “Do not worry. I am not going to drain you. You’re family.”

  Tracy giggled nervously. “You’re the spider lady Belial told us about. She thinks you’re dead.”

  Jacob pointed to the house that fell in on itself. “They’re fighting about it in there.”

  The woman smiled. “Oh Belial. She’s such a doll, destructive, but adorable.”

  Tracy and Jacob gaped. “Adorable?”

  The woman smiled. “Hand me my great nephew please.”

  Jacob and Tracy gave her Tokala. The woman looked down at him. “This may disturb you or fascinate you. You spend time with Belial, so perhaps the latter. Watch if you’d like.”

  Jacob and Tracy turned away from the Lilliam. They kept their backs firmly towards her as the sound of sucking commenced. Tracy made a face. Jacob peeked and turned greener; whirlwinds whipped up dust and debris on the street. The Chulyin watched them amused, but alert.