Vanquished

by Andy Lewter

  My eyes grew wide. “He electrocuted them?”

  “I started taking people out then Edmund, and the others came soon after. Nicholas made the streets flood in seconds. When they continued to pull you away, he brought the hail and tornadoes. Cars were flying, people were screaming.” Eyes that I’ve always known to be fearless clouded with tears of liquid lavender. “He didn’t stop until you were in his arms.”

  The elevator door opened, and she brushed away her tears like nothing had happened. As we stepped out of the lift, we were welcomed with plush carpets and tall, pastel walls. The somber hallways below were seemingly out of place next to this façade.

  I followed Athena’s lead as she padded to the left, and my attention shifted to the light textures and pictures on the walls. As we turned into what looked like the living room, Olivia and Damian came walking through the front door with multiple brown bags in hand.

  Our eyes met, and Olivia dropped her bags at her feet. Cupping her mouth, she burst into immediate tears and ran into my arms. “Abby!” she sobbed, her fragile form collapsing against me. “You’re okay!” She pulled back and smoothing my hair.

  “I’m okay,” I said, feeling her emotions in a rush. Desperation, happiness, and fear.

  “You’re so brave.” She beamed, standing tall. “Ray healed you?” she asked hopefully, glancing to Athena at my side.

  I nodded, feeling my shoulders slump. “Miles though…” I said, my voice catching.

  “Is healing,” Nicholas said as he stepped up behind me.

  I looked up at him and swallowed my emotions before facing Athena. “Where’s Edmund?”

  “Abby,” Edmund muttered as he stepped into the room. “Wow, what a relief to see you well.” He chuckled lightly, scratching his head.

  “It’s nice to see you, too.” Sighing, I folded my arms. “We have to think of a way to get the humans to side with us.”

  Clenching his jaw, his somber eyes met mine. “Abby… I’m not sure that’s possible.”

  Releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I cupped the back of my head and started pacing. “We need to make it possible.”

  Two small, smiling forms appeared a moment later. “Lady Everett!” Navi beamed.

  Moui tapped her temple. “It’s about time,” she giggled.

  I kept my expression blank, tiring of the charades. “Moui, what do you see as the future?”

  Her aged features fell. “Future changes so much.”

  I clenched my jaw. “Is there something you see more often than not?”

  Moui opened her mouth to speak, but Athena interrupted by rudely clearing her throat. “Time to eat, homegirl.” She grabbed my inner arm and guided me down the hallway into a long, narrow kitchen. Aromas of fried foods, meats, and a hint of sweets peppered the air. An assortment of foods rested on a long, chrome island made to keep food warm.

  “Why didn’t you let her answer me?” I asked, eyes locking on Athena.

  “What? I’m hungry.” She shrugged, handing me a plate. She started piling as much food on her plate as she could muster.

  “Tell me.”

  “Woman! You know better than to come in between a girl and her food.”

  Feeling heat bubble through my cheeks, I clenched my knuckles around my plate and glared at her.

  Athena glanced back toward me when she noticed my unmoving stance. Letting out a frustrated sound, she set her plate on the island and put her hands on her hips. “It isn’t good. Nothing about anything Valens is good. I wanted to eat before bearing the heavy news. So, sweetheart, if you must know, this second, we’re all doomed,” she snapped, popping a piece of chicken in her mouth. With one shake of her head, she held up her hand and rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’ll still enjoy my meal while you brood over things you can’t control.” Grabbing her plate, her haughty gaze held my eyes until she turned toward a table.

  Loosening my grip on the plate, my mind drifted as I ran through every possibility to fix the current situation. My heart sunk in my chest as every thought came up empty. Biting my lip hard, I picked through the foods on the island, not noticing what I was dropping on my plate.

  Scuffing my feet toward the table, I quietly took a seat next to Athena. “There has to be something we can do…” I muttered in thought.

  Avoiding my gaze, Athena lifted her fork. “Mmm, food,” she said with a mouthful.

  The scent of warm, invigorating musk filled my lungs, making my thoughts fall flat. I turned my cheek and watched Nicholas pull up a seat next to me.

  “Moui wants you to train with her,” he said quietly.

  My brows shot up. “But she’s an Elder…”

  Athena stopped chewing and held back a laugh. “You’re afraid you might break her?”

  I shrugged.

  Nicholas’ eyes roved over me like a caress then stopped at my hand as I pushed my food around my plate. Frowning, he reached his arm across the back of my chair and ran his thumb gently across my shoulder blades. A warm rush of tingles erupted in its wake, making my heart hammer in my chest. “You need to eat, love,” he murmured in my ear.

  Pushing away the desires Nicholas sparked inside me, I speared a piece of fruit and took a bite.

  Athena’s eyes grew wide and she pointed her fork at Nicholas. “How did you do that?”

  “Do what?” he asked, perplexed.

  “She did what you told her to do.”

  Ignoring her gaping expression, I buried myself in my thoughts and took another bite.

  “You need to stick around, lover boy. You’re going to come in handy,” she said with a smirk.

  Slouching in his chair, a knowing grin crossed his features.

  Stepping outside on the soggy ground, I took in the sight of the evergreen forest before me. My eyes fell on the tall pines as I breathed in the moist, fragrant air. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear we were in Alaska.

  Athena led us away from the house and guided Nicholas and me through towering pine trees. Catching view of a narrow trail, we fell into step behind one another silently. The trees started to thin, and a small opening appeared. Moui stood to the side in a pastel sweat suit, watching us sternly.

  We came to a halt and waited for instruction. When Moui didn’t flinch, Athena cleared her throat. “What did you want us to do?”

  Holding her stern features, Moui’s arm moved in a blur as she pointed to me and motioned me onto the field. I could see Nicholas and Athena’s eyes grow wide in my peripheral vision.

  Confusion coursed through my veins as I stepped into the opening. A slight breeze picked up, pulling my hair away from my face. Moui’s gaze was piercing me from across the field, and she remained in place like a statue.

  In a blip of a second, a sudden rush of wind blasted around my body. Shock ricocheted through my mind as my eyes fell on Moui inches from my face.

  An involuntary gasp filled my lungs as I stumbled backward. “How did you get here so fast?”

  “Summon all things within yourself,” she said.

  Running my fingers through my hair, I took another step back. “I mean, I’ve seen Valens move fast. But not that fast…” I mumbled.

  “Summon all things within yourself,” she repeated with a hint of frustration in her tone.

  My eyes fell back on her aged, brown ones. “How?”

  “Aye-yai-yai,” she barked then got into a ready stance. “Show me what you’ve got.”

  My brows shot up. “I don’t want to hurt you…” I said uneasily, glancing toward Athena and Nicholas, pleading for help.

  Moui giggled. “Hurt me? You’re silly. Now put up your dukes,” she insisted, nodding toward my hands.

  I bit my lip in response and let my hands hang loose at my sides. “Maybe I could get Athena—“

  “Put up your dukes!” she screamed at me with a thick Korean accent. I pulled my chin back and brought my fists up, placing my footing in a sloppy stance. Moui danced around, sending fake jabs. When she saw I
wasn’t moving, she released a frustrated breath and moved in a blur to my back, pulled me by the neck to my rear and tightly wrapped her arm around my throat.

  “One,” she thundered, releasing my throat and walking in front of me. I coughed and rasped, grasping my throat as I stumbled to my feet. When I got into a ready position, she spun in a blur to my back and swiped my legs out from behind me. My hip landed on the soft grass with a thud, and my eyes landed on Moui’s deep expression of disapproval.

  “You ready yet?” she grumbled.

  Wiping my forehead with the back of my hand, I pulled in a calm breath and homed in on my abilities. Eyes intently on her, I crouched to anticipate her attack. She started with a couple fake jabs I was too slow to block, and then with a move too fast for my eyes to see, her foot kicked me in the stomach and air rushed out of my lungs in a whoosh.

  “You too slow! Summon all things within yourself!” she crowed.

  I winced and crumpled my frame out of reaction to my recently healed injury. Running a hand over my stomach, I realized the only pain I felt was from her kick. The rest was in my head. “Now that I’ve reached supremacy, I can easily access all my gifts at once. But I’ve never moved as fast as you,” I panted from exertion.

  “Try,” she insisted with softened features.

  I furrowed my brows and gritted my teeth. “Again.”

  With no hesitance, she swung her fists in a counterpunch without as much as a wince. I was quicker to block, but fell short as she side-kicked my leg out from under me.

  “Two,” she roared.

  I crumpled pathetically to the ground as dull, searing pain pinged up and down my leg like a boomerang. After a long moment, I gathered myself and stood, wiping the sweat from my palms on my pants.

  “I literally just got out of a hospital bed, you know,” I grumbled.

  Sudden footsteps neared, and I turned, expecting to see Athena coming to reprimand my sloppiness. My brows shot up when they landed on Olivia’s determined blue eyes.

  “What are you doing here, Liv?” I asked, furrowing my brows as I took in her fitted spandex attire.

  She met my eyes with a devious smirk as she tightened her grappling glove. “This isn’t just your war, Abbs. ‘Bout time we humans step in and join the fun.” She nodded once toward Moui, and they both got into a ready stance.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Moui threw fake jabs much slower than before. Olivia blocked Moui’s punches with ease, and she maintained a strong defense. Her concise moves held a graceful balance between a predator and a dancer, and her features lit up as she took the upper hand.

  Throwing in a side-kick with a counterpunch, she thwarted Moui with a quick strike to her sternum. Moui released a forced breath and toppled to her rear on the sodden ground in defeat. Standing with a bright smile, Moui squeezed Liv’s shoulders with glee.

  Athena stepped up behind me with a wicked smirk. “Your human sister’s got game.”

  Liv turned toward me with a devilish grin I hadn’t seen in years. “You’re next.”

  3

  “What are you doing?” I asked Liv in exasperation.

  “What does it look like, genius? C’mon, let’s go.” With a quirky grin, she bounced around on her feet.

  “How long have you been training?” My eyes were wide and my mind was spinning. Someone that extruded such delicate joy, full of innocence and sunshine, should never be subjected to a battlefield.

  Her arms dropped as she read my features — her expression turned slack. “Since you left for New York. I couldn’t sit around and watch anymore.”

  My thoughts shifted to the humans forced to side with Kayla. This was everyone’s war, and my heart swelled with pride as I realized her devotion to a world she was recently thrown into.

  “Okay,” I whispered, raising my fists slightly. “Show me what you got.”

  Her lighthearted smile turned dark, and her eyes narrowed. She started out with counterpunch blows to my stomach. I frowned, wondering why she was going slow and easy on me. It took me a moment to realize she was going human pace, and she was trying her hardest. I anticipated her movements and started dodging every throw.

  Dancing around her, I threw light jabs at her shoulders and ribs, careful not to hit too hard. I felt protective of her, and my defense strategy betrayed my instincts to keep her safe.

  Deep creases appeared on her forehead as she pushed herself harder. Frustrated grunts started escaping her lips as her jabs became faster and stronger. I allowed her to guide me backward as I eluded her swings to assure she didn’t get hurt.

  We had gotten to the edge of the field and my eyes started falling back on the others watching us. “Liv, let’s move back.” Her scowl deepened as she continued to grapple with me, pushing me back more.

  “Liv, we need to stop and regroup,” I declared with a sternness in my tone.

  Sweat beaded on her brows, and I sensed feelings of bitterness and anger. Her lip curled with animosity, and a dangerous glint in her brilliant blue eyes made me realize these were pent up emotions she held against me. And she’s not going to stop.

  I started to weave around trees as she incorporated wickedly fast kicks to my hips. Ducking under a branch, I finally threw a punch and connected to her ribs. “Liv. Stop,” I hissed through my teeth.

  She continued to press forward with determined fervor. Huffing hard, I checked another kick and lobbed a punch to her liver. “Stop,” I snapped, my nostrils flaring in frustration.

  Gritting her teeth and releasing an anguished moan, she fell to the ground holding her torso. Her breathing was heavy and raspy – I kneeled down next to her to examine her. “Are you okay?” I asked, smoothing my hand lightly across her shoulder blades.

  A discontented yell bounced off the treetops. She jumped to her feet again, and threw a weak punch to my face.

  “What are you doing?”

  She stopped moving and stood tall, lowering her chin. Her angry eyes pierced my heart, and her lips curled into an unfamiliar snarl. Tipping her head to the side, she clenched her fists and sized me up. Not a moment later, she charged.

  My instincts took over — I grabbed her shoulders and lunged my knee into her abdomen. I used that momentum to turn our bodies in a semicircle and threw her away from me. She stumbled for a good fifteen feet before she ran into a thick bush and disappeared.

  Her piercing screams rung in my ears — I moved as fast as my feet could carry me. Trudging through the thick bush she just went through, I stopped when my toes suddenly hung over an unseen fissure in the ground.

  My eyes widened in horror. “Olivia!” I shrieked. Strong hands immediately wrapped around my abdomen and pulled me back. Fighting to stay put, I dug my toes into the ground and pushed forward, only to watch my feet drag on the ground even more.

  I whipped around and locked eyes with Athena’s fierce gaze. “Stop!” she demanded.

  Tears sprung to my eyes. “But Liv! She’s down there!” My voice cracked. I could feel myself nearing the edge desperation. Moui and Nicholas stood quietly by the fissure, peering down into the unknown darkness.

  Athena met my eyes with intensity. “You need to calm down. I know you. You’d have jumped in after her by now.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her and clenched my jaw. Ripping her arms away from my stomach, I huffed in animosity. “Please. I don’t even know if she’s okay.”

  Her intense expression softened, and she pursed her lips. “Don’t make me hold your hand.”

  Releasing a breath I didn’t know I was holding, I ran through the brush to Nicholas’ side. “Liv! Can you hear me?” I hollered through the dark crevice.

  No answer.

  Biting my lip hard in panic, I turned to Nicholas and pleaded with my eyes. “I need to go after her.”

  His copper eyes shifted from outrage at my statement to a tranquil calmness within seconds. Our connection buzzed warmly against my skin, but I refused to succumb. Not this time.

  His eyes narrowe
d, and he moistened his lips as his eyes drifted back down the fissure. “I’ll go,” he croaked.

  “What?” I asked, unsure of what I heard.

  “I’m loving this idea,” Athena chimed in enthusiastically. “Better you than her.” She nodded, waving him down there.

  Nicholas turned to her and scowled. “I’ll go so Abby stays safe.”

  “Wait! Can’t we get some rope? Let’s be logical about this…” I backpedaled, the idea of Nicholas going down there didn’t settle well with me.

  “You’re not gonna stop me,” he argued.

  Moui started nodding and waved for him to go down. “You go.”

  I sighed and rocked on my heels as I dug for another solution. “Moui, can you see? Is she okay?”

  Her cool, aged eyes met mine. “If we hurry.”

  Burning tears stung my eyes as I watched Nicholas dip his legs into the fissure. A charming grin crossed his lips as his eyes fell on mine. “I’ll see you soon,” he said sweetly before plunging into the black abyss.

  4

  After the fifth agonizing minute of silent pacing, I lost my calm and threw my hands up in frustration. “What is taking so long?”

  “Calm yourself, woman. He’s probably being careful as he climbs down.” Athena stepped toward the gap and peeked over. “Evil one! What’s your status?” When he didn’t answer, Athena picked up a dirt clod and threw it down. “Your girlfriend is getting antsy!” I shoved Athena’s shoulder and glared.

  “I got her!” Nicholas’ distant voice echoed through the surface. “It’s really narrow down here. I’m going to need rope and a flashlight.”

  I dropped to my knees and peered over the side. “Moui’s on it! She’s also getting Ray. Is she okay?” I asked with a tremor in my voice.

  “She’s….”

  After a deafening pause, I couldn’t help myself. “She’s what?”

  “She’s okay. She’s… upset.” He said the last word so quietly I could hardly make them out.