by A McKay
“We should run,” Zach yelled
“Not without my mate.” Slade yelled punching a soldier in the face his machete almost too dull now cut through their armor.
“Delays, right,” Zach, said now figuring out what he meant. A screech echoed through the air. Harpies clawed and grabbed for the two brothers, only to be tacked mid-air by Phoenix.
Now the dragon cried out a battle cry that shook the ground like an earthquake, “Find and kill Gabrielle.” The voice echoed in Slade’s mind. “Let get Gabrielle,” Slade yelled to Zach who just jumped up, grabbed a harpie, and looked to beat plucking her wings.
“Okay,” somebody swung nicking Zach’s neck. “The bitch got me,” blood flowed from Zach’s neck as he stabbed a harpy that got him. He sliced, stabbed, and kicked the body long after it died. “Bitch,” he said, than spitting on the mutilated body. Slade looked at the scene around them fire erupted anything that could burn, harpies attacking everyone in sight even the soldiers that they were suppose to help.
Than a laugh was heard behind them, “finally away to kill these idiots that try to help me,” Gabrielle walked from the kingdom, her dress the color of blood, she wore a crown that was encrusted with the Sanctum’s branding.
“Whatever Robertson had promise you, he can’t do it, he won’t be able to, not as long as I stand here.” Slade yelled.
Gabrielle started to laugh, “You think he is in charge, that fool listens to me, and now he will pay.” Her eyes now pure red, “he had failed me, and now I have to use my own blood to kill you,” she took small like razor blade that was connected to her fingers and dripped the blood. “The queen of the underworld, the wife of pure evil, I call forth two demons that are ready to fight. I command the portal, now appear.” She screamed the last part and a portal opened behind her. Two demons appeared in front of them from the hole, the stench of death rolled off them in thick black clouds. One looked like a black metallic beast, his claws were of all blades, and his many eyes surrounded his head. His mouth drooled something that sizzled into the floor. His razor sharp teeth shone. The sky turned to red with flames shooting over their heads.
The other demon looked more like a knight; it rode a horse and looked hateful. The knight’s eyes seemed to glow with the color of bleached bones. His waist-length, straight, fine hair was the color of pine needles and was tucked underneath his black helmet. His sword as large as Zach and the demon wielded it in one hand. His armor was worn with black and red symbols that were as ancient as the kingdom itself.
“See you when you die my love,” Gabrielle said blowing a kiss to Zach. Zach spat at her the spit landing feet at her. She eyed it and then walked to the portal and with a thunder like sound, she vanished. The portal closed and the demons stared at them.
“I’ll take the knight,” Slade said to Zach.
“Great, I get ugly,” Zach said and then he took a big breath, “Dear god, he needs a breath mint.”
Slade moved opposite direction from Zach causing the two demons to follow and separate. Slade wanted to make sure the knight followed him so he took a kukri in his right and threw it at him.
He didn’t even try to block it; it just bounced off his armor. “Crap,” Slade whispered under his breath. The knight kicked the horse that now ran on a stream of fire at Slade.
Slade took off running from him, his pace catching up slowly to Slade. Slade could hear the gallop of the horse; feel his breath on his neck, making him dive to the side, the demon’s massive blade missing his head. “I got one that big,” Slade yelled back drawing his machete with two hands. The horse and rider just stared, Slade stared back, the knights eyes gleamed of death.
Without a word, the horse hauled ass at Slade. He tried to duck out of his way, trying to slice at the horse’s leg but was caught by the knight’s blade that sliced a groove in Slade’s shoulder causing blood and pain to swarm Slade’s body. Slade shot up on his feet his shoulder crying in pain, the knight licking Slade’s blood from his sword. Dropping the machete as his shoulder was sliced, Slade grabbed a kukri and threw it trying to catch the horse, but the demons blade shot down stopping the blade with a shriek of metal on metal.
“So much easier, if I had a gun.” Slade sighed as the blade hit the ground.
The horse charge at Slade again, Slade’s heart started to pound in his ears, that’s when the horse seemed to slow, the knight seemed to move in slow speed. It was if someone hit slow speed on the remote, but Slade was still moving normally. With only having one kukri left he drew, it out and charged the horse, dodging the knight’s blade and slicing the horse’s tendons. He took a breath and time snapped back and the horse tumbled to the ground causing the knight to go flying forward off his horse. The knight’s sword dropped by where the horse cried for mercy, Slade turned first to the horse and sliced his neck, blood exploded out, and the horse quieted.
The knight got up and the sword flew to his hand, “that was cool,” Slade, charged back at the knight. Slade could feel power, power of numbers like the ancients ones were charging with him. Time slowed and he was able to see the blade coming down fast. He jumped his feet on the knight’s blade, Slade doing a back flip and his kukri cutting from the demons chest up and through the head. Slade landed, taking a breath and time back to normal. The knight dropped his sword and with one last breath, he dropped to the ground his wounds bleeding out.
His body laid there, his own blood eating at his skin, smoke coming from his body. Then a scream echoed through the grounds from Zach and Slade ran to help his brother.
He reached around the corner, he couldn’t tell if he was winning or not, Zach’s sword bouncing from the demon’s body, the demon striking attacks at him just missing his mark.
Slade was about to charge forward when he felt an arrow hit him from behind. He looked down and saw the point striking through him. A perfect shot from the archer, Slade thought as he turned and threw the kukri at the archer catching him between the eyes. “I should be Mr. Chopsticks,” Slade said falling to the ground.
Slade noticed a bow on an agent who lay on the ground with their upper body half ripped off from what looked to be harpy claws. With strength that was leaving him, he threw a bow back at Zach with the arrows. He saw the weakness in the eyes of the demon if only Zach could see it. He might die, but his brother would live dammit.
“Zach,” Slade coughed blood out, as Zach saw the weapon thrown to him. Slade propped himself up on the dead guard as he watched Zach go for the bow. The demon was too slow to catch up to him, and he turned around and fired two arrows into the demon’s eyes.
The demon put his hands up and ran like a woman running from the battle. A weird cry came from the demon, “I don’t think so, get over here you stupid thing.” Zach bolted at the demon, he ran up a wall and drew close to him where he jumped and in a single action, he grabbed one arrow and drilled it in the things skull. “There,” Zach said getting up from his knees.
Zach looked back at Slade and bolted for him. His image was fuzzy when he reached him. “Hang on brother,” Slade looked down and noticed the arrows tip covered in his own liquid. He saw Zach in his military clothes on the helicopter. The wind whipping at him, “You can make this,” he said reaching for the arrow.
Slade felt a sharp pinch as he broke the arrow and pushed it through him. The burning sensation came quick, but he knew he had lost too much blood.
He looked up at Zach who had a small cut above his right eye, the blood slowly dripped and mixed with a tear that ran down his cheek. Slade looked down and saw the hole was slowing with the bleeding but the hole was still there. Then an instant flash of heat, he guessed he wouldn’t live with the queen as he first thought. Zach was thrusted off Slade with one of her hands, as she knelt by her only mate. Slade smiled seeing her face.
“Guardian, you love me, you must prove it now, don’t die.”
Slade could only smile back at her as he felt his lungs filling with blood. Then tiredness took hold of him, and his eyes gr
ew heavy. “Don’t you dare close those eyes,” Slade smiled and for the first time he couldn’t listen to direct orders.
“I am sorry queen, but I don’t take orders.” He whispered.
“Damnit, listen to me, don’t fall asleep, we can heal you.” Slade’s eyes became too heavy and he closed them.
Zach and Phoenix stared at Slade whose eyes had closed, and Phoenix cried again. Fire came out of her human form; she would burn him in the respect of his human flesh. Zach just stared his eyes full of tears, as he dropped to his knees.
Then as she did for his brother, she started to put her fire on him. Something was different though, his body didn’t burn. Slade thrusted in pain his body heaved, and his eyes opened. He took a deep breath and screamed as loud as he could. Phoenix watched, giving as much as she could to him. His body was engulfed in flames, Zach backed away from the heat.
Slade thrusted and pounded the ground, Phoenix knowing not to let the fire die. Something in her now demanded her actions as his wounds bleed again and healed. “Holy shit,” Slade cried and sat up. Phoenix stopped exhausted from the intense flame she just produced. “Now that hurt,” Slade said looking back down and saw his body half burned together. He was still weak and bleeding from different spots, but his major life threatening injury was almost healed. He still could feel like a hole was in him, but for now he was healed. It felt like an adrenaline shot was slammed in him.
Zach moved in and Slade looked over to Phoenix who was weak. She looked like she just had been hit in the gut and had no air to breathe. “Zach help her up.”
“Yes sir,” Zach said going to Phoenix to help her. He went for her arm; Phoenix hesitated then let him help her.
“Let’s get Slade to the gate; I think I can open it.” Phoenix said
Slade nodded and with putting most of his weight on Zach, he stood with him. The kingdom was destroyed behind him, no one stood behind them, so they walked towards the gate.
Slade didn’t know why but he felt like the gate was calling for him. It appeared to be a stone archway, but that didn’t seem to have a purpose standing where it was. Slade hobbled over there, still resting his weight mostly on Zach.
“This is the portal,” Zach pointed out the obvious, even though it wasn’t active.
“We finally found it,” Slade couldn’t help but smile. He looked at Phoenix’s face, and began to worry again. “What is it Phoenix?”
“The portal is not lit. It is not on. We can’t get back. Gargan was the only one that knew how to use the damn thing. It should just open when we brought the guardians”
“That sucks,” Zach, answered back, shifting his weight, making Slade realize he wasn’t the lightest thing in the world.
He got off him, shifting as his weight rested on several broken parts on him. The pain was sharp, but Slade knew it would heal. He walked up to the archway, and looked at it; it seemed to draw him to it. Zach soon joined him on the side, and studied it. They could see something on the bricks, something that was standing out.
“The gate protected by man and beast alike to unite the worlds, shall only relive with life.”
“What the hell does that mean?” Zach asked.
“I don’t know; see if you can see anything over there.” Zach walked to the right side of the archway as Slade started to examine the left side.
“Man, I don’t want to be stuck here for life.”
Slade looked over to Zach and he just smirked, wiped his head, with the sweat and blood. He touched the stone to re-position himself. The ground shook like an earthquake, but only for several seconds.
“What was that?” Phoenix now by Zach in the next instant examining the part he just touched.
“I don’t know,” Zach said.
“Life,” it said, “This place needs life,” Slade grew a smile.
The two just stared at Slade as if he was the one insane, “What do vampires need to live with?”
“Blood,” Zach said, making the ground shake again touching the stones again with a little bit of his blood.
Slade grabbed for a kukri, but he had nothing remaining, “Shit, I need a knife.”
“A kingdom for a knife,” Zach grinned out, Phoenix came over, and sliced Slade’s arm with her nail. Blood started to trickle out, from the deep cut, and the ground started to shake fiercer. Slade fell to the ground, the weight of his own with the ground shifting being too much for him, Zach rushed over, and Phoenix tried to help him back up.
“Can you hear it Zach,”
“Yes, it needs more blood, it needs more life.”
“Slade, you don’t have enough life,” Phoenix moaned out.
“But I do,” Zach didn’t wait and grabbed Phoenix’s hand and cut his arm down too where blood trickled out, and the ground shook more violently, the sand rose and flew around them surrounding them. Slade could hear the portal awaken. “It demands a queen, Phoenix show yourself to it.” Without hesitating, the queen blew fire to the portal. The opening lit with red fire as the three gave their life’s force to it.
21He saw pictures in the sand that surrounded them, of all that was before them; even Phoenix could see the pictures. Queens, Kings, and guardians swarmed the sand, and ran together to protect the land. At the end of it though, the last images they saw had Zach and Slade in pain. Not pain for a physical force but pain as they missed their fathers. They were in front of them; they were standing there looking at their sons, Slade’s dad staring at him with his big eyes, and Zach’s dad with his beady eyes squinting like always.
They didn’t say anything, they just stared for a moment and then smiles crept on their faces. Soon the images disappeared and the sand died. Slade could hear doors opening and the circle of fire turn to a blue pool of cool air and liquid showed itself.
“We did it,” Slade celebrated it in his head, Zach held his arm and stood up, Slade soon stood with the help of his family.
“Ready?” Zach smiled.
Phoenix looked at him and smiled back to both of them. “Of course,” she walked through the door her body then theirs absorbed.
The warm ooze and darkness filled him for a brief second, but then it cleared and he could see the kingdom. Phoenix stood there looking at it for a bit. “Good to be home, Queen.” Slade said to her, as they stood there looking at everything.
“Better than I ever imagined,” Zach said coming through the opening. It took awhile before a subject noticed where they were and stared at them blankly. Then noticed Phoenix, and dropped to a knee.
“Sorry queen,” her head to her knee, “I didn’t know you were there.”
“Rise”
“Subject,” the queen said before Slade said something back to Zach, “go to the bell and tell him to ring it that the queen has returned and an announcement needs to be made.” Phoenix still holding Slade’s weight with his arm over her shoulder and his pain was easing. Slade was not ashamed of his pain; he was not ashamed that a woman, not a human, but not a beast neither, helped him. Bells sounded as they started to walk to the main hall, he might have been hurting more, but Zach was limping and Phoenix had a split lip. The bells sounded in the background and soldiers and subjects of kingdom came running.
Cheers for the queen’s return echoed in the kingdom, soldiers came right away to take his weight off the queen, “We’ve got you sir, don’t worry you’re home.” He was home, a home he would never leave again.
He looked to Zach, he was being treated for his cuts and scrapes, and a brace was being put on his arm. Then he turned to the queen who had double the people they had working on her, he swore she had only minor scrapes but the scene made it look like she was close to death. Several guards waited at the portal, it took Slade awhile to realize they were waiting for Gargan, not protecting it.
The queen turned her head and a tear ran down her cheek. “We did not all come back, the evil bitch killed my brother.” The crowd gasped and cheers erupted for the fallen soldier.
He heard through the crowd a fema
le servant asked about the other woman, Phoenix still hurting from her lost, she kicked the woman so hard that she went flying backwards. The pure strength of Phoenix making him remember that she wasn’t a beast, but nor was she human.
The guards helped Slade to where they left their regular clothes, Zach following Slade with no one helping him. Slade was lead up into the tower, and they stopped by the door, Zach was right behind the group. “You can change, and we will help you back down, the wounds should heal faster with the bandages that are on you. The wizard created them especially for wounds like yours.” Slade limped through the doorway and Zach closed it behind them as Slade went to the chest that the clothes laid upon, they seemed to have been cleaned.
As they began putting our regular clothes on, the coat feeling better then the ancient clothes, the pain starting to fade as Slade’s body kicked in its own healing process with the magic bandages. “Zach you know what?”
“No,” he said straight back to him as he slid his boots on.
“I don’t think I want to take this one off.” Slade said sitting on the bench.
“Too bad, it’s our era’s clothes.”
“Yes, but aren’t you proud of our ancestors,”
“Yes, but I can do it in these clothes, come on don’t tell me you don’t feel more comfortable in our own clothes.” Slade then saw the same crest that was on the outfits appear on Zach’s coat and shirt.
“I guess you’re right,” Slade pointed to his shirt.
“Son of a bitch,” Zach yelled. Then he took a breath, “I guess it works.” Zach stood wiggling his feet a little in the boots. “You know what else?” he didn’t wait for Slade to answer. “Maybe I won’t be locked up for a week now. Let’s see since I’ve joined you, I’ve been shot, my body broken, captured numerous times, and who knows what else.”