“Tatya?”
Vanse’s voice roused her. Whatever trick Angelus was using to dampen their link, didn’t mean she couldn’t hear the love in Vanse's voice. “This isn’t over yet.”
“Oh, I assure you it is.” Angelus leaned toward her, bringing his lips to hers. She strained to twist away from him, from the agonizing pain where his lips pressed hers, but his hand gripped the back of her neck holding her immobile.
“Let her go!” Vanse struggled against the demons holding him. “You bastard! She’ll never be yours. I swear I’ll kill you.” And he let fly a stream of profanities.
Angelus released Tatya. “Silence!”
A guard brought his club down on Vanse’s head, and he slumped to the floor.
“Now the fun starts,” Angelus remarked over his shoulder as he moved toward his prisoners.
Tatya watched with horror as she frantically continued to dismantle the wall that separated her from her power. Please, don't desert me! She sent an anguished plea to her spirit guides. Otakay, come, she pleaded. Where are you? If ever I needed you, it’s now. Where were the Bandrui? She pictured Dhanu, Brigid, and Fidelma. Now you have a chance to finish your task, and take leave of this world. Please come to my aid. I need you.
At a sign from Angelus, the guards lifted Vanse to his feet. He was barely conscious and his head lolled to the side. Forked Lightning’s eyes were open, though he appeared unaware of his surroundings.
Angelus drew his sword. “Today you will feed well.” He stroked the silver and gold sigils into life as he stopped in front of Vanse. “Pay attention. I know you can hear me. I have you within my power, and I think it best if I dispatch you now rather than wait for the long slow death I swore to give you.” He turned to observe Tatya’s reaction. “No words in defense of this pathetic creature, my love?”
Tatya had a thousand things to say, but she didn’t want to antagonize him into acting precipitously. She needed to keep him pacified; only a few bricks more before the wall was removed.
“Of course, if you agree to surrender I might be made to see reason.”
“Don't believe him, Tatya.” Vanse’s words came out slurred. His eyes half opened as he raised his head and looked at her. “He's lying. He'll kill me whatever you do.”
"Neither of them mean anything to me." She didn't sound convincing even to herself, but every second’s delay counted.
"I’m happy to see you are learning the art of deception, but you need more practice. I'm afraid your words lack conviction."
"If you kill them, I will never surrender."
"We shall see." Angelus bowed. “Whatever happens next is up to you, Tatiana.” He raised Merrityu and the runes roiled up and down the blade in eager anticipation of another life to drain.
Chapter Thirty-One: Life and Death
Tatya tracked the black sword’s descent as she frantically tore down the last of the wall. Time slowed as her right hand tingled, and first a handle, then the rest of the white oak blade became visible. She looked up as Angelus continued to swing the deadly Merityu towards Vanse's neck.
Tatya reached into the glistening pool of power, and directed it into the blade, willing it to lengthen.
The pale blade grew, but too slowly, as Merityu continued its descent.
Vanse raised his eyes, full of love and regret to Tatya. “I love you,” he mouthed, his expression changing to hope as he saw the white knife.
The sudden confidence on Vanse’s face surprised Angelus. The demon halted the downward swing of his sword, and turned to see what had astonished his prisoner.
As the Bandrui magic flooded through her, the runes on the oaken blade shone, and a faint mist rose from the bespelled collar and chains as they slid off her.
A flicker of fear crossed Angelus's face as he recognized the blade as the one that had taken his life—twice.
Tatya didn't hesitate. She flung the dagger at Angelus's heart.
With a flick of his fingers, the blade clattered to the floor.
Her links to Vanse and Forked Lightning flamed to life, strengthening one and bringing the other to full consciousness. Before the guards could react, they ripped off their chains.
Vanse attacked the nearest guard with a sharp chop to the throat, grabbed his spear and plunged it into the next one's heart. Tension rippled through the rest of the guards, but they watched their master, waiting for his orders
Forked Lightning picked up the oak dagger from where it had landed near him and stuck it in his waistband. He grabbed the fallen guards’ spears, and yanked the swords out of their scabbards, tossing one of each to Vanse. “Not my usual choice, but under the circumstances…”
Vanse dropped the spear. “I’ll save that for later,” he said weighing the sword in his hand. “It’s been a while since I had reason to use one of these.” He blurred toward two guards and stabbed twice. “Clumsy, but effective.”
Two more sentries toppled.
"You think you two can defeat me?” Angelus sneered, his lips curling in disdain. “A pathetic wounded little werewolf who’s out of his depth, and a vampire who is master of none, and whom I should have killed a long time ago.” He turned to Tatya, hovering on the step behind him. “And, you, my angel. When will you learn? When they are dead? If that is what it takes, so be it.”
The guards hefted their spears, waiting for the command to attack.
“Move back," Angelus ordered, “these two are mine alone. A spectacle for my consort’s pleasure is an unexpected delight."
The troupe shuffled backward, leaving the central space empty.
The demon lord raised his arms and began to chant. As the incantation spilled from his mouth, the hardened muscles on his arms, legs, and torso bulged, and grew. His red-gold hair grew longer and brighter, sulfurous yellow glints shone in his vivid blue eyes, and he bared his vampire fangs. Spreading out above and behind him, a pair of immense raven black wings became visible. He flexed them, opening them wide and the soft red-tinted ebony feathers glinted as they caught the light. He bowed to Tatya, frozen in horror on the steps, "Do you like them, my dear?"
Forked Lightning flung the oak dagger straight into Angelus's back, striking the spot where his wings joined. A second later, the knife slid out of the demon's body and dropped to the floor.
Vanse picked up the spear and threw it forcefully.
The spearhead struck Angelus in the neck. Again, the weapon slipped to the floor, without a mark on the demon’s body.
"Here!" Forked Lightning tossed another reclaimed sword to Vanse, who caught it almost without looking.
Tatya saw her chance. As Angelus focused his attention on his two opponents, she ran down the steps, retrieved her knife, darted around Angelus and sped across the floor. The second she reached Vanse and Forked Lightning, she threw up a shield. “Quick,” she told the shaman, positioning herself between the two men, “we need a defensive shield, add your protection to mine, and together we can hold him off.”
Angelus’s shriek filled the room. “I am your maker!” he raged at Vanse. “Obey me.” He pointed his finger at the weapon in Tatya’s hand. “Destroy that blade and bring her to me!”
“I have never obeyed you. Why should I start now? And in case you’ve forgotten, on the last occasion we met our bond was severed.” Vanse flung the sword, and it cartwheeled through the air, burying itself, blade first, into the demon’s chest.
Angelus staggered backward but didn’t fall. Instead, he took hold of the sword’s hilt and slowly pulled the weapon from his chest, flinging it back at Vanse, as his wound healed.
The sword struck the barrier they’d raised and bounced to the floor with a clang.
"Let's have a little competition, shall we?" Angelus laughed, raised his hands, and a hail of missiles flew toward them. As they struck the barrier a rainbow of sparks burst outward into the room.
Vanse stepped forward, his body half outside their defensive shield.
Tatya grabbed his shirt and yanked him b
ack. "Stay inside the barrier. I can't protect you if you're outside it," she hissed.
"I can't see it. What do you expect me to do? Stand here and be target practice." He shook off her hand in exasperation.
“I don’t want to worry you, sis, but when something hits—see those," Forked Lightning pointed as more projectiles lit up the barrier, "they drain our power.”
Tatya flinched as a black vapor rose from the floor, and an icy coldness penetrated their feet and legs where it ghosted against them. “Quick. Stretch the shield beneath our feet, before we freeze.” She and Forked Lightning sent energy into the walls and extended the barrier underneath them.
As soon as the join was complete, the darkness disappeared from inside their insulated bubble, but outside, it thickened and rose till Angelus, his guards, and the assembly hall disappeared and they remained blind to whatever surprise the demon would bring. As the assault continued, bolts of dark energy crashed against their protected cocoon, but nothing defended them from Angelus’s gleeful mocking laughter.
"The oaken blade shows my link with the Bandrui is back. We need their help now. Can you hold our defense while I see if I can contact them?" Tatya asked Forked Lightning.
"Sure, I’ll try.”
Before Tatya could attempt any contact with her guides, the shield wall shuddered as a bolt of energy hit, illuminating the swirling darkness outside for an instant.
“There,” Vanse pointed to a growing fissure in the wall where the bitter cold vapor drifted in.
“Do what you can, Tat.” Forked Lightning closed the gap, scanning their defense as another bang resonated.
“Right above you,” Vanse said.
“I can mend the cracks and it will hold for a while, Tat, but call your guides before he demolishes our shield.”
Tatya closed her eyes, but every time their faces were clear in her mind, another blast distracted her, shattering the images.
“Tat, I need your help.” Distress edged Forked Lightning’s voice.
She sent a quick silent prayer to the Bandrui. She didn’t have time to do more, and would have to trust her guides would come before it was too late. She opened her eyes and saw what had disturbed Forked Lightning.
The leering faces of gargoyles loomed toward them out of the dark mist, and beside them, salivating Barghests threw themselves at the barricade, ravenously eager to tear their flesh to shreds. Their howling added to the cacophony of explosions and detonations striking their defenses.
“How long can you pair keep going?” Vanse directed Tatya to another split spreading its lacy fingers into a wide crack above their heads.
Already she and Forked Lightning were slowing, taking longer to mend the breaks. They all knew the odds favored the demon. This was his territory, and he could draw on the immense amount of magic he’d invested in his domain.
“We’ll tire before he does,” she gasped, breathless as she repaired more ruptures and sealed another fracture, amputating the gigantic paw a Barghest had insinuated into the gap.
The beast collapsed, roaring in pain as the nearest pack members tore it to pieces.
A blast of brilliant light sent them reeling as Otakay, Meoquanee, and Qaletaqa burst through the astral plane into their midst, banishing the glacial mist and every demoniac creature from the hall except Angelus.
"Changing Sky said you needed our strength,” Otakay’s voice blazed in her mind.
Angelus chanted, and the air heaved as he resumed his normal size while a second Angelus appeared—an exact copy in every way of the original. The two forms merged and separated again. "Doppelgänger?" both asked simultaneously. "I'll show you doppelgänger."
“With us here, the fight is more equal,” said Qaletaqa.
“He might sense our presence, but with your shields up, he can’t see us," added Meoquanee, as the three spirit guides formed a line behind the trio, placing their hands on their shoulders.
Vanse shuddered at Otakay’s touch, but he stood straighter and the doubts that had plagued him about their chances of winning disappeared. "Can you connect me to Fabio?"
"We could do with the pack's strength, too," added Forked Lightning.
"We will try," Otakay answered.
"Hey, brother, this means you can use your own weapons," she told Forked Lightning. "Call them."
Forked Lightning's grin was ferocious as his bow manifested in his hand, a full quiver on his back, and he felt the weight of his tomahawk and throwing knives in his belt. "I love you, sis. Aieee!" he yelled, as a doppelgänger rushed at him. Quicker than the eye could follow, he fitted and fired an arrow straight into the attacker’s chest.
Two more doubles appeared replacing the one Forked Lightning had dispatched.
“Tatya. I haven’t quite mastered that skill. Can your friends provide me with something? I want to fight, not watch.” Vanse demanded.
Tatya touched his hand, felt the strength of his feelings flood along the link. At least they were facing the demon together. “Think of what you want, and it will appear.”
Vanse closed his eyes, and an AA-12 fully automatic shotgun appeared in his hands. Hefting up the assault weapon, he settled it into his right shoulder, gripped the barrel with his left, aimed, squeezed the trigger and let rip at the approaching doppelgangers.
The air undulated and more doubles emerged. A curtain of black feathers rippled in unison as they stretched their black feathered wings.
“It’s challenging enough to keep our defense up, without having to fight with that racket in my ear,” Forked Lightning muttered as he continued sending arrow after arrow into the increasing number of doppelgangers. “Haven’t you got anything quieter?”
Vanse shut his eyes, replacing the shotgun with a flamethrower, and a couple of refill canisters on his back.
Forked Lightning and Tatya jumped as the roar of red and yellow flames raked the doppelgangers, who continued to hurl swords, spears, battleaxes, maces, and long bladed knives at them as they disintegrated. “That’s much better, but you sure you’re not compensating for something?”
A grim smile crossed Vanse’s face as his ally sent a line of flaming arrows at the doppelgangers hacking at the barrier with whatever weapon they held. Their wings turned to ash as they disintegrated.
Tatya pulled on her power and threw bolt after bolt into the doubles. “I’m not imagining it, but how many more can he manifest?” she asked Otakay as she took a breath and surveyed the doppelgangers filling the room.
“As you destroy one illusion, two more appear. But I doubt he can keep this up indefinitely.”
“This is a stalemate. Which one is Angelus?” Vanse asked. “We have a chance if we can strike him, otherwise this will end up the same as before—a contest to see whose power is greatest. Even with our allies, I doubt his strength will run out before ours does.”
“So, the good news is we don’t have to kill them all, we only have to kill one,” Tatya’s voice was barely audible. “The bad news is we don’t know which one that is.”
"And if they'd don't stop expanding, we won't have room to move." Forked Lightning strung and fired another arrow. "They'll smother us to death with those wings."
Vanse raised the flamethrower and annihilated a swathe of replicants, only to see more appear.
“Have you noticed he's not talking? Animating those copies must use a lot of his strength. If we can trick him into speaking, we can drop the shield and attack him together.” Tatya demolished another two figures. Four replaced them. “What do you think?”
“It’s worth a chance.” Flaming arrows streaked toward the closest doppelgangers to their left.
“Say the word.” The flamethrower burned those on the right.
A thunderous crack above their heads and several rifts opened as Angelus hurled a tremendous blast of energy at them.
"I'll fix—"
More explosions drowned out Tatya's sentence and widened the gaps in the bubble.
Several doppelgangers were now cl
awing their way up the sides and using swords and pickaxes to prize open the fissures. One was squeezing his head and chest through the thinnest of slits till his upper body detonated in a flash of white, and his body vanished.
“I have an idea, but it involves trying the doppelganger trick on him again,” Tatya said softly.
“That didn’t go down too well last time, did it?” Forked Lightning swung his tomahawk, the blade slicing off a hand that had insinuated itself into a tiny gap, as more blasts smashed into their shield.
“You got any better ideas? And this time we have our guides with us. Meoquanee, if we drop our shields, can you and Qaletaqa conceal Vanse and Forked Lightning so they can get close enough to grab him?" Tatya asked.
"For a short while, yes." Meoquanee’s whisper came from behind her.
Vanse gave Tatya a quick smile as the link between them flared. "Whatever you want. Just say the word.” Another group of doppelgangers shrieked as he barbecued them.
Tatya blew out a short quick breath. “Do nothing till I give the signal.”
Chapter Thirty-Two: Demon’s Nemesis
“Hey, Angelus!" Tatya scanned the myriad of doubles as she brandished the oaken dagger in the air. "As long as I've got this, you know you can't win." She sent a pulse of energy into the knife illuminating the runes and making sure she got his attention.
"You will never leave here," Angelus mocked. “Your friends are weakening, and their defeat is only a matter of time. Soon you and I will be alone again, and then what will you do?"
“Now!” commanded Tatya, hiding the knife behind her back.
The Kala Trilogy: An Urban Fantasy Box Set Page 66