by Matthew Roys
“It is a shield. So long as Annis has the strength to maintain it we will be unable to pass. Not without another magic user to counter it.”
Kai cursed angrily and hammered at the wall with his fists. “Let me in!” he raged.
“Find Niall and the others,” Déaþscúa shouted. His voice sounded distorted through the shield. “Help them rally and get them back over here.”
Arteeru nuzzled his hand, indicating for the young man to climb onto his back. “Déaþscúa is right. We can do nothing here.”
Kai cursed again. “Don’t you dare die on me, KT!” he shouted before clambering onto the lycan’s back. Arteeru padded over to a discarded spear and flicked it up for Kai to catch. Then, in a burst of motion, they were off.
KT watched her brother leave from the corner of her eye and was repaid by gaining a sliced cheek. Annis looked distracted though. She had begun to chant under her breath. Even so, the witch was still more than a match for KT.
Annis lunged her talons at KT’s face. KT let herself fall back and rolled away, kicking up at the witch as she did so. The kick did nothing. Annis slashed again, opening up cloth and skin along KT’s collar. The necklace that her Aunt Susan had given her came loose and tangled in Annis’ nails. The woman looked down at it and a smile grew.
“Well, isn’t this just divine? I’ve held this very lump of metal before. Do you remember when I told you of another dark haired girl who had been Déaþscúa’s pet before you? This belonged to her. Tell me, what are the chances of that?”
Pain stabbed at KT’s brain. Memories throbbed in her head. She had been forced to skim through hundreds of memories that involved women but now, with the necklace as a focal point, a specific face resolved itself at the front of her mind. It was a face eerily similar to her own. Ava Peterson.
She could remember Ava fighting against Annis at Déaþscúa’s side. She remembered Déaþscúa’s pride at unlocking her magic and teaching her to master it. She remembered the love and passion on nights beneath the stars and the crushing sadness as he looked helplessly at the crumpled wreckage of a car.
It was strange to remember memories that were not her own but it was stranger still when the memories involved someone who could have been her double. She struggled to shrug off the residual emotions and her own discomfort from them.
She shook herself to dispel the haunting memories. Annis had used her distraction to carve a symbol into the dirt with her foot. It was only now that KT noticed the glowing runes around them. Annis and her symbol were at their centre. KT’s lip was twitching. She realised that her entire body was quivering with rage. There was her own rage, Déaþscúa’s rage and the rage of everyone who had had their lives affected by the woman who stood before her smirking.
“DIE!” she screamed. The white hot anger was her fuel. It burned in her head and in her muscles. She slashed and stabbed at Annis then threw her doublesword into the air to punch and kick at the woman before catching it again like a cheerleader’s baton.
She felt different. Ghodot’s power merged with her own and a sensation like a thousand heartbeats bubbled through her. Light blazed from her, each thin beam heralding the appearance of a fairy. They jibbered in their own strange language as they dove at Annis like a swarm of hornets.
Annis’ smile was wiped from her face. A seriousness settled across her features. No longer did she rely on her metallic nails alone but instead wove small shields of magic and cracked the earth beneath KT’s feet. While KT was resistant to magic, she was not invulnerable to it. Fire joined the earth, forcing her back. The fairies skittered around the attacks, obscuring Annis’ vision and blasting her with tiny bolts of magic.
“Your efforts are futile, girl. I am the prophesied one who will end Déaþscúa’s life. It is my destiny. No matter how strong you are or what you do, fate cannot be changed,” Annis snarled. She was starting to lose her composure.
Déaþscúa took note of all of this as best as he could while fighting for his life. His breath was rasping now and his body protested his every movement. His sword was beautiful and powerful but it was also twice the size of Saint’s and so took twice the effort to swing. The other man was faster than him, there was no doubt in that. Even if he had been at his prime this would have been a hard fought duel.
As it was, it was taking all of his effort just to stand his ground. Increasingly he was having to rely on parrying one handedly with his sword while his other hand jabbed at Saint with spiked bone. The pain was unimaginable as the bone tore through his skin without his healing factor working to counter the damage. Bone ripped through his knee for a kick. Against a normal sword he could have used the bones to block attacks but Saint’s blade would slice clean through them.
“You disappoint me, Déaþscúa. I expected so much more from the one known as the shadow of death,” Saint told him in a sad tone. He was not even breathing heavily. “I lived my life to become the greatest swordsman yet only feel anger that my crowning achievement is so mundane.
Déaþscúa was forced to keep moving backwards. He made sure to direct his steps where he wanted to go though. His body might be damaged but his mind still ran laps around the younger swordsman. He was almost back to back with KT.
“I am not known as the shadow of death because I am a killer. I have killed more than my fair share of people but the name is more passive than that. Anybody within my shadow dies, be they friend or foe. Unlucky, eh?”
Saint glanced around as he realised that the light from a burning building was casting Déaþscúa’s shadow across his own body. Déaþscúa smiled at him pleasantly.
“Now!” he shouted. He locked arms with KT and they both span. KT’s doublesword sliced deep into Saint’s gut while Déaþscúa’s blade lunged for Annis’ heart. She dodged nimbly, the sword only biting into her ribs instead. Guts spilled from Saint’s wound. He staggered, the sword falling from his fingers. His eyes were already glazed when his body finally collapsed.
A look of pure wrath twisted Annis’ face. Blood oozed around the sword. She howled with pain then lashed out with magic. Her own blood rose up and solidified into daggers that plunged into Déaþscúa’s exposed chest. She grabbed the blade in both of her hands, slitting open the palms and fingers, and yanked it free. More blood flowed from Annis to stab into Déaþscúa. She threw the sword behind her and it clattered out of sight.
KT dashed at Annis. The witch splayed her fingers and Saint’s body convulsed. Blood tore from it as a dozen razor-tipped tendrils that stabbed into KT’s back. Pain lanced through her and she came to an abrupt stop. The fairies came to a sudden halt then swarmed around her. Blood gushed from her mouth. She struggled for breath, her body becoming limp, held up by the spikes alone.
Annis cast KT from her mind instantly. She raised her hands into the air and swirling energy surrounded her. Her body began to glow with a blinding light as the power lashed out in every direction. The runes on the floor shone back with equal vigour. The very air crackled. Shapes began to form in the sky above. A deep droning noise hung at the edge of hearing. The light around Annis started to fade as the shapes in the sky grew brighter.
“It’s done,” Annis panted. The first seal of Heaven’s Gate is almost broken. Another few minutes and the magic will begin leaking out.”
She took the few steps to stand toe to toe with Déaþscúa and grabbed him by the throat. Her metal nails drew blood as they dug into his skin. She pulled his head down to her level so that she could look him in the eyes.
“It’s been a fun few centuries but it ends tonight. Skara’s will shall be done and your death will herald the dawn of a new era. An era of peace.” She leaned in slowly until their faces were an inch apart. “One final kiss, for old time’s sake.”
Her lips pressed against his and Déaþscúa’s mouth opened slightly. Then blood splashed his face. Annis stood staring at him with wide eyes. Their lips were still locked but crimson leaked from their mouths and from Annis’ nose. She pulled away, her han
ds moving to clutch at her own throat. A sharp, white spike formed from bone stuck out from Déaþscúa’s mouth. It too was drenched in blood. It shuddered, then retracted back inside of Déaþscúa’s body.
Neither spoke. Annis dropped onto her back making choking noises. The magic around them spiralled erratically. Déaþscúa was breathing heavily. He limped and swayed with every step but slowly made his way along the battlefield to where Annis had thrown his sword. He recovered it then returned to her, using it like a staff. She stared up at him as he stood over her.
“Why did you say that name? Skara is dead. I watched him die.” His voice was hoarse and his face was set into a snarl. He placed his sword tip against her throat and prepared to force it down. “Tell me!”
Lightning blew a hole through his chest. Annis hadn’t moved. A hammerblow of magic slammed into his head, knocking him away from her. Suited men suddenly jumped at him, pinning him down as magic and metal wrapped around him. The ruined village began to fill with important looking people and more suited men and women.
One old man with grey hair wearing a pale blue robe laced in gold strode towards Déaþscúa. His face was contempt hidden behind a mask of grim indifference.
“Déaþscúa the nameless, you are under arrest for the murder of Andrew Christie, the disobeyal of direct orders issued by the Grand Moot, the raising of an unregistered army in a time of peace and the severing of an essential thread for our race’s very survival. Do you have any words of defence for your actions?”
Déaþscúa stared at the man incredulously. He half sighed and half snarled. “You’ve got to be shitting me? One more second and all of this would be over. At least finish her. Do what you should have done long before now.”
The man wagged a crooked finger at Déaþscúa. “I’m afraid that is out of the question. Aevumancer Protellious Avus spoke new words of prophecy a short while ago. Annis is needed alive.” He smiled at Déaþscúa cruelly. “There was no mention of you being a necessary thread of fate.”
“You scheming bastards! Everything truly is a corrupted mess. How long since you officials abandoned your morality and pride?” Déaþscúa spat. The old man backhanded him without a flicker of emotion.
“As we speak, your surviving followers are being rounded up. They may escape major punishment. That depends on your cooperation.”
Déaþscúa struggled to move so that he could see KT. She was still slumped limply nearby. As he watched, the last fairy touched her and dissolved into lights that glistened against her skin then faded. The old man followed his gaze and chuckled dryly.
“Another young woman led astray by your supposed charm. You really must learn to control yourself. We’ll see to that. It’s no matter through. She’ll be dead soon.”
“Help her,” Déaþscúa growled. “She’ll only die if she’s left there to bleed out.”
“I think not. She is a loose end that needs tying. Her death is the simplest way to deal with that particular problem.”
Déaþscúa’s bonds, both physical and magical, strained. The men pinning him cried out in surprise as he struggled to his knees. His eyes contained pure murder. His guards redoubled their efforts but Déaþscúa was still able to force himself onto his feet. Black fire flared around him.
“You will help her or I will slaughter you all like the worthless curs that you are. There’s a lot of strong people here. You might find a way to kill me. How many can I cut down before that? Help her and I’ll go quietly. Your choice.”
The old man snorted. “You are in no position to threaten me, mongrel. You're at my mercy.”
Déaþscúa sprang, headbutting the man square in the nose. Once more, bone jutted up out from his mouth to brush against the old man’s throat. The black fire grew, forcing back the men restraining him.
A new voice cut into the sudden silence. “Stand down Déaþscúa. We both know you don’t want to unleash that power. Of course we will heal the girl. Isn’t that correct, Councillor Lokstone?”
The voice belonged to a tall man who looked younger than the man before Déaþscúa but still bore a greying beard and hair. Both had once been black and still contained dark patches. He too wore elegant robes, although much of it was covered by a thick cloak. The bits that were visible were a lush scarlet colour.
“Of course, Arch Councillor Forenine,” stammered the old man.
Reluctantly, Déaþscúa took a step back from Lokstone and slid the bone away. The fires receded back into his body, leaving him looking gaunt and broken. The guards clustered around him, doubling the chains and magical restraints.
“You have my apologies for all of this, Déaþscúa, but laws are laws. You knew that killing Christie would land you in trouble,” Arch Councillor Forenine told him solemnly.
“He was about to kill the girl,” Déaþscúa said blandly.
Forenine shook his head. “You are a skilled man, Déaþscúa. You could have dealt with him in a hundred different ways without resorting to lethal measures should you have chosen to. It was your bloodlust that pushed you to these events now. You will have a tough time getting out of this grave that you have dug for yourself.”
“We’ll see,” Déaþscúa grunted sourly. “Make sure that the girl and her brother are cared for.”
“You have my word,” Forenine said as Déaþscúa and Annis were led away. “Councillor Lokstone, find somebody to see to the girl. I have a mountain of paperwork to fill out and no doubt a horde of very angry people to speak with. That isn’t to mention how we will deal with that,” he said, pointing at the sky.
Chapter 27.
Kai roared. Adrenaline coursed through him like liquid fire. Everything was a blur. He rode atop Arteeru and used the spear like a lance to stab at any enemy that he could reach. Arteeru trampled goblins underfoot and swung powerful paws at anything too big to crush. His fangs bit at men and monsters alike.
From Arteeru’s back, Kai could see most of the battlefield. Niall’s force had retreated to a large, helicopter that had barbed wire fencing set up in a ring around it. It was hard to tell faces in the flurry of snow but the simple amount of figures showed that the battle hadn’t been going well up to that point. Judging by the strange shapes in the sky, things weren’t going too well against Annis either.
The spear wedged itself into a furred creature that was slightly bigger than a man and snapped in half. Kai threw the remaining part away and swung his shotgun around, blasting at a particularly ugly goblin. They were fast approaching Niall’s warriors now.
Kai could make out Ailia up ahead. She chased after goblins who fled from her in terror, ripping off their limbs like a sadistic child torturing insects. Close to her was a woman who fought with a staff. Kai had noticed her for her looks back in the camp but had been too occupied to pay much attention to her. He thought that he would rectify that now.
He jumped from Arteeru’s back, landing on a goblin whose bones shattered under the weight. He ran toward the woman, gunning down anything in his path before skidding to a halt at her side with a charming grin on his face.
“You need a hand?” he offered.
“Nah, I’m good,” the woman replied as she grabbed a man and rammed her staff up his arse. The weapon glowed for a second then fired a laser that shot up through the man’s body and exploded his head. Kai gulped. “Feel free to help the western lines. Me and Ailia have this side covered.”
Kai moved to do as the woman said when he hit another invisible wall. He looked around in confusion. A similar look passed over both Ailia and the red headed woman. The shield cut off the majority of Annis’ forces. It looked as though it encompassed the entirety of the battlelines.
Magic and gunfire rained down on the army outside of the shield. Men and women in suits or cloaks appeared from every direction. Annis’ minions ran screaming. The newcomers didn’t stop killing but nor did they bother with those that fled. It was only a matter of minutes until there was only the new force and a sea of corpses beyond the magical barrier.
“Shit,” Kai heard the red haired women exclaim. “The Grand Moot’s found us faster than I thought. Déaþscúa better have dealt with Annis already.”
The shield started to fade from the top down to the ground. The Grand Moot soldiers advanced on them with the same severe looks that they had worn against those working for Annis. They surrounded the ragtag group.
“You are all henceforth in the custody of the Grand Moot,” announced a magically amplified voice. “Lay down your weapons now or you will be executed. This is your one warning.”
“Fuck me sideways with a flaming bargepole. We were so close to winning,” the woman huffed. She dropped her weapon without argument though. The staff beeped angrily as it hit the dirt. Seeing everyone else comply, Kai dropped his shotgun.
From then on there was a lot of being herded around like cattle and plenty of arguments. Kai tried asking after KT several times but never received a reply. If he did manage to get one of the stern faced guards to speak it was usually to tell him to shut up. He was getting sick of being shoved around too. He was tired, half frozen and ill with worry.
Another guard ignored him when he tried again and he finally snapped. “Are you fucking deaf you ignorant prick?” he shouted. Grabbing a stone he hurled it at the man’s head.
The man rounded on him in a fury. He swung a thick truncheon into Kai’s ribs. His arm pulled back for another attack when a boot caught him in the head and he dropped like a sack of potatoes. The boot belonged to the mercenary woman.
A crowd had quickly gathered. A dozen of the guards were advancing upon them which caused a handful of mercenaries to stand at Kai and the woman’s side. Men and women were taking fighting stances all around them on both sides.
“Break it up. Calm yourselves. We are rational adults who should be on the same team, not squabbling children,” boomed another magnified voice.