“Like my daughter,” Michael replies with pride.
I can’t articulate why, but the thought brings a smile to my face. I don’t really care much whether or not I have Michael’s approval, but it still means something to me that I do. “What do I do with these things now?”
“We head home.” Michael bows his head to Krystal, and says, “Thank you for bringing us here. We’ll be taking our leave now.”
“Yes sir,” Krystal says innocently. Michael doesn’t notice, but I detect a hint of annoyance behind her tone. She may not be willing to bow to him, but at least she knows better than to mouth off to an archangel. The three of us arrange ourselves on the moving platform, and Krystal presses a spot on the wall, which triggers our upward movement. On our way out, I fill Krystal in on some of what’s been happening, from the depopulation of New York City, to training with Michael, to breaking up with Nick, to my dedication to wiping Lily off the face of the Earth. When I’m finished, she asks, “What makes you think killing Lily will make everything right?”
I look at Krystal, confused. She’s a direct victim of Lily’s wrath. How could she possibly agree with Nick? “What makes you think standing by and doing nothing will make things right?”
“Fighting fire with fire will leave you with nothing but ashes. Believe me, I’ve been there. And you’re better than that, Heather. If you’re gonna be angry, at least direct that anger in the right direction.”
“Yeah? And where exactly is the right direction?”
Krystal won’t say. I have a feeling she knows more than she’s letting on, which isn’t uncommon for her. But I know better than to press; if she’s withholding information, it’s probably with good reason.
When we’re back in the field where we started, Krystal offers me one last hug, and I whisper to her, “I’m sorry for everything I said, before you-“
“No need to apologize,” she whispers back. “We’re good.”
“Okay. I’ll be back someday.”
“You better be alive when you do. If you die and wind up here too soon, I won’t hesitate to smack you around.”
Michael coughs to grab my attention, and says, “It’s time for you to try what I taught you earlier.”
I nod, and let go of Krystal, who stands back to watch me work. I hand Michael my new sword and shield, then try to recall the process he taught me. I visualize Earth, with trees and buildings towering over the mass of people rushing by. Then I feel around in front of me for the nexus point as Michael taught me, and pour my energy into it, trying to tear open a doorway to my home. It takes a little more effort than I expected, but a few seconds later, a crack in the fabric of the universe appears, glowing a lively green as it widens to accommodate Michael and myself. I turn and wave to Krystal one last time before stepping through the doorway.
On the other side, I look around, confused by my surroundings. I was expecting to see Michael’s house, with Lake Ontario just beyond it. Instead, the two of us are perched atop a steel building, high above a city I’ve never been to. I glance at Michael, then down at the ground below. “What happened?”
“You must have pictured a general location when opening the doorway. We were sent to an approximation of what you imagined.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket, and turn on my maps so I can at least figure out where we wound up. Two words pop up on the screen almost immediately; Cleveland, Ohio. I look around us excitedly, hoping to see some skyscrapers and huge apartment buildings, but I don’t find many. I was expecting a Manhattan-esque skyline, but it seems like any city that isn’t New York is just cute by comparison.
I’m about to suggest we head home when I take note of the massive energy radiating from a point in the city below. It’s much larger than anything a normal spellcaster could produce, but it isn’t Michael or myself. Even without process of elimination, my second sight doesn’t lie. I remember her wavelength very well. Lily is here in Cleveland.
Michael seems to realize this mere seconds after I do, but it’s too late. I vanish from his side before he can warn me not to, and cloak my power so that he can’t find me even if he tries. Thankfully, I wind up in an empty men’s room, where no one could have seen me appear out of thin air. Not that it matters; soon enough, I’ll be making my presence known.
I twist the enchanted storage bangle around my wrist, and summon forth the black and red leather outfit I wore the last time Lily and I faced each other. The leather pants are a little looser than they used to be, but they’ll still serve their purpose. The hoodie vest, on the other hand, fits just as easily as it always has. I slip on the mask before pulling the hood over my head, then pull on the fingerless leather gloves. Lastly, I step into my boots, and store my everyday clothes within the bangle. The old, familiar feeling of invincibility returns in increments with every piece of my old suit that I slip on, even though I know now exactly how breakable I am. I flex, and my wings explode from between my shoulder blades, ripping through the leather and stretching out behind me. I’m ready.
I teleport to the roof of the building, satisfied to see that Michael has left the scene. I’m glad; I don’t want him interfering. I step onto the edge of the roof, and lean forward, diving towards the concrete below. My wings spread out wide, and carry me through the air, my feathers rippling in the wind. I angle myself towards Lily’s location on the ground, and it comes into view as I round the corner of a building. I realize I’ll need to get closer to the ground, and fold my wings as I angle my body downward.
Just a few yards above the street, I spread my wings again, and they swell as they struggle against my downward momentum. People on the streets see my shadow passing overhead, and several of them point and shout. Several of them even take pictures of me. I pay them no mind; my target, the only person I care about at the moment, is straight ahead.
I straighten my body so that it’s vertical, and land heavily on the ground near Lily’s table at an outdoor café. Several of the other diners scream and run indoors, but Lily stays rooted to her seat. Her eyes lock onto mine, reflecting the fear I’d hoped I would see in them. After what she’s done to my city, to my friends, and to me, she’d better be afraid.
Because when I’m done with her, there will be nothing left of Lily Charbonneau but a memory.
Part Two: The Fallen
11
Lily and I stare each other down for a moment, neither of us saying a single word. We don’t need to; she knows what she’s done wrong, and I know what I have to atone for. All that’s left is to get this show on the road. I summon Krystal’s guns from the bangle’s storage space, and aim them right at Lily’s face. At long last, she moves, diving under the table to protect herself. I aim downward, planning to shoot through the wood, but she releases a burst of energy that sends both me and the table flying. I contort myself so that I land on my feet, narrowly avoiding getting hit by a passing bus. If this is where we’re going to fight, I’ll have to block the streets somehow. Get people out of the way.
Evidently, Lily has other plans. Her own wings unfurl, and she takes to the skies with a running jump. I quickly follow after her, wondering just how she managed to get so high so quickly. I can’t tell if she’s trying to flee, or if she’s taking me to a battleground of her own choosing. Either way, I won’t allow her any control over the situation. I fire at her repeatedly, surprised by the lack of recoil from the pistols. I suppose it makes sense; they’re firing bursts of my own energy, not bullets.
Despite being the guns’ new owner, I’m not a very good shot. Out of the twenty shots fired, only one of them makes contact. It’s a graze, at best, but it’s enough to cause her pain. To my dismay, I find that she isn’t even bleeding; Krystal’s design renders these guns entirely un-lethal. I suppose they’ll do. At the very least, if the opportunity arises, I can put her through a world of pain before I finish her off.
I fire at Lily a few more times, this time shooting straight through her left wing. Her body spasms, and she drops out of th
e sky, her right wing flapping wildly to try and keep her aloft. She disappears into an alley between two squat office buildings, and I seize the chance to finish this quickly. I’m not even sure if what I’m planning is within my power, but I try it anyway. I focus all my energy on pushing one of the buildings into the other, in the hopes that Lily will be crushed between them. Beads of sweat roll down my face with the effort, but the shorter of the two buildings shifts, and slides reluctantly against the ground, until it slams into its neighbor with a satisfying thud.
I land on top of the second building, trying to feel around for Lily’s energy. I can’t sense her anywhere. Could this really have been so simple? I consider congratulating myself, but before I can, I feel her power emanating from behind me. I whirl around to find her on the other end of the roof I occupy, with her hands up in front of her. “I know what you’re thinking,” she says, “but you need to believe me… I’m not the enemy here.”
“On the contrary,” I reply. “You’re the only one I see.”
“Heather, we don’t have to do this-“
“Shut up!” I shoot from the hip, narrowly missing a direct shot to Lily’s face. She dashes towards me, and I send the guns back into the storage bangle. Lily crashes into me, and we sail from the roof, seemingly hovering over a highway before gravity takes hold of us both. I can’t fly, not with Lily hanging onto me for dear life. I bring my fist down on her back several times, trying to pry her loose. She eventually releases me, and disappears to a point further downtown. I spin around and spread my wings just in time to avoid crashing into a semi truck as it rumbles down the highway. I run along the top of the trailer for a second or two, before leaping into the air and taking flight.
It takes a moment to pinpoint Lily’s new location. I fly in her general direction, but I can’t see where she’s hiding until the glass pyramid comes into view, along with the imposing metal structure behind it. She’s taking refuge in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I dive towards it, and teleport through the glass structure before safely landing near a group of terrified tourists. She’s somewhere up ahead, in one of the exhibits. I pay no heed to the security guards shouting and running my way. I dart in the opposite direction, further into the museum.
I’d have thought my wings would be a hindrance, but to the contrary, they’re making my life easier. As it turns out, when people see a leather clad woman with wings running their way, they clear a path. I finally spot Lily trying to blend in with the other visitors in an exhibit dedicated to the Beatles. I call her name, and she turns to face me, looking more panicked than ever. Maybe she assumed I wouldn’t dare chase her to such a public space. She assumed wrong.
When my mere presence isn’t enough to scatter the civilians, I allow my energy to manifest as bolts of electricity running along the length of my bare arms. Most of the museum’s visitors run screaming from the room, but a few press their backs to the walls, too terrified to move. Lily stands on her side of the room, and I stand on mine. Then we run towards each other at the same time, quickly closing the distance between us. I cease the electric flow running down my arms as I stretch my palm towards the wall. With a little tug, I pull a Gibson acoustic guitar out of its glass case, and wrap my fingers around the neck of the instrument once it’s close enough to grasp.
With all my might, I swing the guitar at Lily’s face, a sharp musical strain ringing through the air along with the sound of splintering wood. The body of the guitar separates from the neck entirely, and hits the ground at the same time as Lily does. She’s bleeding profusely from a gash over her left eyebrow, but she’ll live. Hopefully not for long. I toss aside the useless piece of wood in my hand, and grab Lily by her shirt, dragging her onto her feet. Before I can hit her again, Lily spits out some of the blood trickling into her mouth, globs of it hitting me in the eyes. As I wipe away the blood, she takes the opportunity to punch my unguarded stomach. I double over, and she knocks me onto my back with an uppercut to the chin.
I hadn’t planned on fighting dirty, but if that’s how Lily wants to play, so be it. I unleash one spell to dissolve the floor beneath her, until she sinks in to her ankles. The next one reverts the floor to a solid state, to the point where she’s trapped. Now that she isn’t going anywhere, I’m free to hit her as many times as I’d like. Lily tries to evade and deflect every strike, but with her feet embedded in the ground, there isn’t much she can do. Eventually, she gets frustrated enough to knock me backwards with a spell of her own.
I’m not finished with her yet, though. Not by a long shot. While she struggles to think of a way to free herself, I use a spell that turns my left palm into a powerful magnet. I point it at her face, and a satisfied grin creeps onto my face as Lily’s piercings rip through her skin one by one, each followed by a scream of agony. Her belly piercing is the most reluctant, but before long, she’s been stripped of all the metal that once adorned her body.
Lily clutches at her bleeding ears, her septum, her belly, trying to stem the rivers of ruby flowing from within. While she’s distracted, I dissolve the ground beneath her again, and uproot her, levitating her an inch or two above the floor. Only then do I wrap my fingers around her throat, and hold her there manually. I look her up and down, equally sickened and thrilled by how much of her copper skin is coated with red. “Isn’t this familiar,” I muse. “This is exactly the way you held me moments before you destroyed my city.”
Lily grabs at my arm to pull me away, gasping for air. All she manages to do is leave bloody handprints along my arm. “I’ve been trying to make up for that,” she says as clearly as she can manage with a crushed windpipe. “Heather, I didn’t know what Lucifer had planned, all I did was make the sigils-“
“Bullshit!” I toss her to the ground, standing over her as she sputters and gasps. “You took everything from me. My home, my friend, my boyfriend, my future child. My future. You don’t get to explain yourself.”
Lily’s gaze fixes on something over my shoulder, and I look behind me for what’s drawing her attention. A few security guards have pushed through the panicking crowds, and are approaching me with their guns drawn. It occurs to me how bad this must look; a violent, clearly dangerous woman dressed in black leather with wings on her back, antagonizing what looks like an innocent civilian. And I get the feeling that they won’t give me time to explain. I reach down, pull Lily onto her feet, and teleport us out of the building before the guards can close in on us.
We’re standing outside the main entrance now, surrounded by hordes of people either entering or leaving the Hall of Fame. Lily tries to run, but I halt her progress with a spell, pulling her back. “Oh, no you don’t. We’re settling this. Right here, right now.”
Lily wipes some of the blood from her face, and nods slowly. “Fine. Let’s finish this.” Without even looking behind her, Lily lifts her arms into the air. Simultaneously, a moving bus behind her does the same, soaring above the other cars in the road. Lily makes a throwing motion, and the bus hurtles towards me, moving quickly enough to injure or kill everyone on board if it hits the ground. I panic, and latch onto the bus with a spell of my own, slowing its forward momentum until it’s suspended a few feet in the air in front of me. Before I can gently lower them to the ground, Lily tackles me, her arms wrapping around my midsection. My concentration slips, and the bus slams down on the concrete below.
I don’t have time to worry about anyone onboard; Lily’s got my full attention now. She puts all of her weight into sitting on my chest, punching me over and over in the jaw. These punches don’t leave much of an impact, though; I can’t tell if I’ve become more durable, or if she’s inexplicably holding back. I throw her off of me with a spell, and she uses one of her own to carry her thirty feet into the air. She brings out her wings once more, and glides closer to the street. Once I’m on my feet, I sprint after her, until I have enough momentum to get myself airborne.
Lily sticks low to the ground as we fly through the streets. I get the feeling she’s still
trying to lose me; she weaves between cars and trucks, makes sharp turns when I least expect it, even tries maneuvering vehicles into my path. Despite her best efforts, I manage to keep up, and eventually wind up gaining on her. Lily notices that the distance between us is becoming smaller and smaller, so she angles upward, and flies toward what looks like the tallest building in Cleveland. I may be faster than her, but her wings beat more powerfully, giving her the advantage when it comes to gaining altitude. She lands on a ledge just below a neon key, where she stands waiting for me to do the same.
The moment my feet touch the same surface she’s standing on, Lily charges toward me, and tries to catch me off guard. I’m well aware of what she’s doing, though, and catch her fist before using her momentum to flip her onto her back. I go to stomp on her face, but Lily rolls out of the way, and is back on her feet before I can properly consider kicking her while she’s down. I aim a punch in her direction, but she twists to the left, and my fist leaves a dent in the building’s metal crown.
Lily darts around me, and suddenly I’m the one pressed against a wall, deflecting incoming attacks. I’m not quick enough to stop the blow to my kidney that makes me drop my guard. Lily kicks me once in the gut, then knocks me down with a punch that nearly dislocates my jaw. Before she can straddle me again, I clasp my hands together, and pummel her in the stomach once, bringing her crashing to her knees while I get back on my feet.
From where she’s kneeling, Lily lashes out at me with a jet of concentrated energy, which I protect myself from with a hasty shield spell. Three months ago, in a similar situation, we both felt how superior her strength was to mine. Now the reverse is true; even at her best, she can’t penetrate my defenses, and we both feel the difference between then and now. I haven’t just surpassed her, I’ve outranked her. Michael’s archangel blood may have been the best gift he could have given me.
Scarred (the Spellbound Series Book 3) Page 9