by Amy Braun
“You think she can do that?”
I glanced at Max, quickly considering his question. “Yeah. I don’t know what she’s fully capable of, but I know she’s a dangerous bitch.” I looked away from him, thoughts still churning through my mind. “She’s being all buddy-buddy with the demons of her own free will. And that it’s been making her powerful. Really powerful. The demon she’s serving is giving her more strength than she needs.”
“Do you know which demon it is?” Sephiel asked Max.
The kid shook his head. “Whenever I look, all I get is a vision of the shadow-guy. But I don’t think he’s anyone I want to shake hands with.”
Sephiel said nothing more, going back to his own thoughts.
“We need to get more weapons,” I said. “Can you guys get us some?”
Sephiel nodded at me. “We shall return shortly.”
He glanced at Rorikel, who frowned, but blinked out of existence with him. I looked at Max again. He was hesitating.
“What about Drake?”
The name burned in me again. “She probably hired him after he escaped the border. Probably offered him more money for Dro than the Blood Thorns did for me.”
“Drake is mine,” Warrick said, making me turn my head to where he was sitting next to me on the mattress. There was no humor on his face.
I narrowed my eyes. “How about we call it first come, first serve?” I was half serious.
He didn’t even blink. “No.”
I frowned. I was going to make sure I got some literal kicks in Drake before Warrick killed him, but getting revenge wasn’t my real concern at the moment. Saving my sister’s life was.
The air shivered and the angels returned with an arsenal. They had silver knives, holy water, salt, sage, silver bullets, handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, rock-salt shells, full body weapon rigs and clip-on flashlights. The only thing we were missing was a tank.
“Holy shit,” said Max. “Did you guys raid the angel armory or something?”
“More or less,” smirked Sephiel, placing the weapons on the bed next to me.
I stood up and went for one of the rigs, sliding it over my shoulders and clicking together the buckles around my hips and thighs. I adjusted the shoulders straps so they were tight, then grabbed all the knives I could and slipped them into the rig. There were two sheathes at my ribs, two on my hips, and even a sheath for my hatchet. A girl could never have too many blades when she prepared to hunt demons, but I decided to slip a bottle of holy water onto my belt. You never knew when it could come in handy.
While I put on my lucky jacket, Warrick was going for the sawed-off shotgun and filling it with shells. He took a handgun and loaded it while I glanced at Max. His eyes were closed again, so I assumed that he was pushing his ability to find out more about the shadow-guy. Or more likely, trying to see what was happening to Dro.
Sephiel suddenly asked, “Why do you use a hatchet?”
I looked at the auburn-haired angel, who’d been staring at me. “It was my father’s,” I said. That was all I was going to say.
Sephiel seemed to understand. He glanced at the hatchet again, then met my eyes.
“Would you like me to bless it?”
I stared at him for a second. It made sense that an angel could bless whatever he wanted, but I hadn’t exactly been expecting to hear it.
“What difference would that make?”
He grinned a little. “The blessing of an angel would be more powerful than the blessing of a mortal priest. It would cause demons infinitely more pain.”
He sold me there. I turned the hatchet in my hand and held it out to Sephiel, handle first. He took it from me and examined the weapon from top to bottom. Once he was done assessing it, he closed his eyes and began blessing.
“Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio, contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperat illi Deus, supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen.”
After finishing the prayer, Sephiel looked in my eyes. “Anima potentis, cor sororis.”
I took my hatchet back from Sephiel when he handed it back and looked at it. The weapon didn’t look any different. Same ratty wooden handle, same chipped and scratched blade. But it felt strange. Almost alive, eager for me to put it to good use. Knowing I would do anything I had to with it to rescue my little sister. I don’t know how, but I knew that this weapon in my hands was much more dangerous now than it was before. I lifted my eyes to look at Sephiel.
“What did that last bit mean?” I asked.
“It means ‘soul of a warrior, heart of a sister’,” he answered.
I held Sephiel’s eyes. It was no secret I would do anything for Dro, that I had fought and killed for her and would do so again. But Sephiel was looking at me with something that wasn’t only respect, but gratitude. I assumed he was grateful I was keeping a Nephilim alive, but at the same time, it seemed like more than that.
“Thank you,” was all I could think to say to Sephiel. I looked at the rest of the group. “Can you get in touch with Dro? Tell her we’re on our way?”
His bright blue eyes were sad. “The connection has been closed. Whether or not due to a spell or unconsciousness, I cannot tell.”
My heart ached. “Can you do that blinking thing? Teleport us to Athens? We can’t waste anymore time.”
Sephiel hesitated. “It is possible, but it will be extremely uncomfortable for your human bodies.”
“I don’t care,” I said, stepping forward. “Do it.”
He looked over his shoulder, at presumably Warrick and Max. I didn’t need to know what they were doing. All I had to do was find my sister. The blue-eyed angel met my eyes again, nodding once.
“As you wish.”
He reached out and took my hand. The effect was almost immediate. I felt as though I was being sucked through a vacuum hose. My entire body seemed to snap and compress, and I sucked in a breath to keep from crying out in pain. I snapped my eyes shut as we tumbled through… I don’t know what. Time and space, I suppose.
Then my feet hit solid ground, and I was rolling away from Sephiel. As fast as it happened, it was over. I almost thought I had imagined it. I staggered to my feet and breathed in deep, feeling my body tremble and twitch away the uncomfortable sensation of teleporting. I slowly lifted my head and inhaled, then looked at the ghost town.
I’d never been to Athens before, but I had heard some old stories about the supernatural here. Ghost hunts, grave robberies, animal mutilations, black magic cults, satanic rituals, and of course, the underground tunnel system shaped like a pentagram.
These days it was known for its paranormal society, being a little more secretive about its history when it came to the supernatural. I hadn’t expected many people out this late at night, but I also hadn’t expected the town to be so empty. No lights were on in the shops and restaurants, no people were walking the streets, no dogs were barking, no cars were driving by. There was nothing but empty buildings and flickering street lamps.
My first thought was maybe the whole town had been massacred by the demons that were summoned at the border. It was possible, and it was also possible some of those people had managed to escape. But I hadn’t seen any blood. No stench or decay or death.
It felt wrong.
I looked over my shoulder to see Warrick and Max handling Rorikel and Sephiel’s teleportation about as well as I had. Warrick was on his feet, but looking incredibly uncomfortable. Max looked like he was going to throw up.
“You guys okay?” I asked.
Warrick’s face was tight, but he nodded. Max blew out some air, lifting his head and looking a little more grounded.
“Angel Airlines is not gonna be my first choice for travel, that’s for sure.” He looked at Sephiel. “No offence, Seph.”
Sephiel waved it off. “None is taken, Max.”
Wa
rrick walked from Rorikel to me, looking at the surroundings. “Where is everyone?”
I glanced forward again. “Good question. Not sure I wanna know the answer. Max, how far is it to the tunnels?”
He walked up to my side, closing his eyes and focusing. A couple seconds later, he opened his eyes and pointed to our left. “That way. Half an hour’s walk and we’re there.”
“What about Dro? Can you sense what’s happening to her?”
He looked nervous and shook his head. “I tried, but I can’t see anything.”
His sounded guilty, but I didn’t blame him. He was having a hard enough time as it was.
“Okay. Then let’s go.”
I didn’t wait for them to follow me. If I didn’t start moving, I was going to lose my mind. Dro had been gone for way too long because I hadn’t been able to protect her. I focused on ways to ruin Isabel and Drake’s day. It was easier than thinking about all the shame weighing on me.
***
I made it to Fuller’s Park in less than half an hour because I ran. The guys only caught up with me because I slowed down when I saw the grave plot, which was surrounded by brick pillars linked by heavy chains and metal bars to obviously encourage people away from this place.
Just in case the two heavyset men standing in front of it didn’t work.
I stayed off the trail and crouched low in the bushes, watching them carefully. They looked like two cliché trucker guys. Red plaid shirts, dirty jeans, trucker hats. They might have been men from the town, but there was something wrong with them. Namely, they didn’t seem to be moving, or even blinking. I stayed where I was until I was sure no one else was going to show up. I tensed when I felt someone come up behind me, turning my head to see Warrick appear at my back. In the distance, I could make out the shapes of Max and the angels.
“They’re probably from the town,” Warrick whispered. He frowned at them. “They might be possessed.”
“Then they don’t deserve to die.” I looked at Warrick. “Take my hand.”
He blinked at me, green eyes flashing. “Why?”
“We’ll pretend we’re on a date and got lost. When we’re up close, we’ll be able to know for sure.”
Warrick read my eyes, then quickly nodded and took my hand. We stood up and started walking toward the men. He put his other arm over my shoulder as we moved out onto the main path.
I was abruptly aware of how well built and warm Warrick was. I could smell his earthy, musky scent, and it was easy for me to tilt my head to the side and rest it against his shoulder.
In another life, this might have been something I would have searched for.
But it was a cover now, and nothing more. I faked a smile and let him lead me on. It wasn’t long before the men noticed us.
“Maybe they’ll know,” I said, trying to sound like a ditz. “Excuse me, my boyfriend and I are looking for the grave site that’s supposed to be here. Is this the right one?”
The two men said nothing, staring at us blankly. I would have been unnerved if I didn’t have to get past them. I edged us closer.
“It’s supposed to be, like, haunted or something, and we thought it would be cool to check it out.”
Their eyes fixed on me and flashed black, the Possessors revealing themselves.
“Well, look who showed up,” the one on the left said. “We were wondering if you would make it.”
I pulled away from Warrick at the same moment the possessed men attacked us. He took the one on the right while I took the one on the left. He charged me, getting ready for a tackle. He was a big guy, and if I let him get his arms around me, I was screwed.
So I stepped off to the side at the last second and kicked him in the head.
Shock rippled up my leg when my foot connected with his face. He stumbled and roared in fury. I was reaching for holy water to try and expel the demon, but the possessed man whipped around and swung his huge fist at my head. I ducked low, feeling air sweep over my hair. I leaned back when he tried to knee me in the face, but wasn’t able to avoid his meaty hand slapping onto my skull and twisting my hair.
My head was jerked up painfully, but the short distance gave me the chance to drive my elbow into his face. His head rocked back and he lost his grip. I kicked him once in the ribs and then spun in a roundhouse kick. My heel connected with his cheek and dropped him. I reached for the holy water and poured it on the man. The demon inside him screamed as the blessed water burned it. He started thrashing wildly as I dropped to my knees next to him, gripping his chin to pry his mouth open and pour the holy water down his throat.
Black smoke exploded out of the possessed man’s mouth, the demon unable to take more of the holy water. I stepped back as the Possessor darted for me. It stopped abruptly, hissed, then spiraled over my head and into the darkness. I pressed a hand to the sigil inked over my heart. I couldn’t be possessed again. Thank God.
I turned my head sharply to see Warrick still fighting the other possessed man. Warrick was matching him evenly, blocking every punch and never letting up his attacks, but never seeming to have the chance to get his own.
Then the possessed man drew a hunting knife.
I don’t even remember moving. One second I was watching Warrick fight, the next I was grabbing the knife and punching the possessed man in the face. He growled and lashed out at me, but I drove a sidekick into his stomach. Warrick finished him off with two more jabs to the face and a splash of holy water. The Possessor ripped out of the man’s body, coiled up toward the sky, and disappeared into the night.
Warrick and I were breathing heavily as we looked at the two men on the ground, and then at each other. Respect and gratefulness filled his eyes, but there was also a trace of impatience.
“I had him,” Warrick said.
I rolled my eyes. Manly men and their pride. “You could just say thank you.”
I turned and started walking away.
“Thank you,” he muttered quietly.
I turned again, seeing the respect come back into his eyes. I smirked. “See? That wasn’t so hard.”
He grinned and I quickly turned my head away so he wouldn’t see the sudden blush I got in my cheeks.
“Can you check on the others? They should have made it here by now.”
While Warrick walked off the path to find Max and the angels, I knelt down by the man we had both fought. He was dazed and in pain, since Warrick had broken his nose.
“Hey,” I said, getting his attention by nudging him with my boot.
He blinked up at me, looking around with confusion. “Where am I? What the hell happened?”
“You’re from Athens?” I asked, ignoring his questions.
“Yeah, I… Oh, God, what happened to the town?”
That should have been my question. “Tell me what you remember.”
He pushed himself up and collected his thoughts. It was torture to sit there patiently, but he had been possessed. The Possessor inside him had been expecting me, so the man might have information that I desperately needed. He might know how to get in the tunnels, and even better, he might know where to find Dro.
“They came out of nowhere,” he said. “There was this lady, she did something that made this door out of thin air, and these black mists came out of it. They started taking over people. Some of them ran, but most couldn’t get far.” He cringed. “I tried to get away, but that smoky mist thing took me over.” He started to choke. “It was horrible. The things it made me do…”
“I know,” I said. “It happened to me once.”
He turned his head to look at me, eyes wide. “You believe me?”
I nodded. “Tell me why you were you waiting for me.”
The man nodded. “We got told someone might come looking for the pale girl.”
My heart started beating faster. “Do you know where she is?”
“In the tunnels, last I heard.”
I held my breath. “Is she alive?”
I relaxed heavily whe
n the man nodded. I couldn’t allow myself to think that Dro was all right, but I’d needed to know that she was alive. Hang on, little sister.
The man flinched when he saw the rest of my group come out of the bushes. I looked over my shoulder.
“What took you guys so long?” I asked the angels.
“We were confronted by a small horde of possessed,” said Rorikel blandly. “Complications ensued, and were dealt with.”
Max looked uncomfortable. I had the feeling that ‘dealt with’ meant ‘killed.’ I turned back to the traumatized man.
“Do you know how to get in the tunnels?”
He looked at me with horror. “Are you crazy?! You can’t go in there! They’ll kill you!”
I stared at him with so much intensity he backed down. “The pale girl is my sister. I’m going in there whether you help me or not. Considering we got rid of your demon without killing you, I’d say you owe us.”
The man became flustered and started stammering. I just waited. He looked at me again. “There’s a pentagram marking in the brick back there. You put some blood on it and say this phrase, ah, spes relinquite omnes, o vos intrantes, and it’ll open.”
“Good. Can you get your friend out of here?”
He looked at the unconscious man. “Yeah, I think so.”
“Then do that. Call the cops if you want, but then get the hell out of the state.”
I started to stand up and he followed me quickly. “You know what this is? Tell me.”
“Trust me, buddy. You’re better off not knowing.”
I turned my back on him and walked for the brick pillars. I could hear Warrick giving him some advice. As the resident demon slayer, he was probably telling him how to deal with life after possession. The poor man was in for some hard times.
I crouched down and looked at the pillar, trying to find where the pentagram was. I plucked the flashlight from my belt and switched it on. The dull light illuminated the brick, and the pentagram etched into it. The symbol was covered in dirt and faded from time, but there was no mistaking what it was. I brushed away some of the dirt so the pentagram would be clearer. I stood up, took a throwing knife out of my jacket and sliced open my hand.