I followed the trail through the grass until I came upon a log house on the edge of the woods. It was either two stories tall or just had a large roof. It could have been a lodge of some kind. Smoke was coming out of the chimney. I started to wonder if I was Hansel in this situation. Coming upon a lone cabin in the woods didn’t really work out well for too many people. At least, not in the kind of movies I watched.
The door was open as if he was waiting for me. I pulled out one of my swords and inched closer. The tip of the blade pushed the door further open. It appeared I didn’t have to worry about being ambushed. At least, not by Lucky. He sat at a long table meant to seat at least twelve people. He looked alone there at the massive table, a table that should have been crowded with friends or family.
He was drinking from a wooden flagon. Another cup and a pitcher of amber brown liquid sat in the center of the table. I thought about sheathing my blade, but something about this just felt so off. This wasn’t the demon I had been chasing through hell. This was someone else entirely.
As I moved into the room, he spoke. “This is my own realm. He doesn’t let me come here often, but when he does, I am allowed to remember what it was like before all of this happened.”
“Before all of what happened?” I sat down across from him and set my blade down on the table. His eyes moved to it for a second, but then he just shrugged. He seemed tired, and it took me a moment to realize it, but his skin was no longer gray. He looked just like a human, and maybe he was. He did bleed red blood, something none of the demons did.
“Oh, you know how it goes. The thief steals something he shouldn’t and then finds himself in over his head. It often happens, just not on this grand of a scale. Power corrupts, and pain and grief can be twisted into vengeance. Before too long, you don’t even know who you are anymore.”
“I know who you are.”
His eyes found mine. They were bright and intelligent. He seemed like the kind of person I would have been friends with. He seemed warm and caring. It was such a stark departure for the tittering laugh and the mind rape, that I almost couldn’t picture this man being the same person.
“I’m sure you think you do.” He sighed and poured me a glass of the amber liquid. “As I said, this is the only place that I get to be me.” He waved his hand around the room. “I used to share this place with my men. We stole from the rich and gave it to those who needed it most.”
He must have noticed my expression, because he added a caveat.
“Not that we didn’t keep more than enough for ourselves, mind you, but we earned that money. Without our help, a lot of good people wouldn’t have made it through the harsh winters. Not that our lords cared.”
“So you were like Robin Hood?”
“Robin Hood was a hack. I was Lucky.” He laughed, and the sound was rich and full of life. “Until I took a job I never should have and decided to keep something that wasn’t mine. It got all of my friends killed and turned me into that monster that you see sitting before you now. I’d like to tell you that I would have made better decisions, but I know me. Making good decisions was never my strong suite.”
“So what happens now?”
“Soon my time here will be over, and I will move on. The demon who controls me will continue to seek power, and next time he strikes at your world, he won’t hold anything back. Even now I can hear him calling to me.”
“I can’t let that happen.”
“I know.” His smile turned downward. The warmth in his eyes was replaced by longing and sadness. “That is why I brought you here. Only you can end this.”
He ripped the gem off his neck and placed it on the table in front of him. His body started to dry out almost instantly, and slowly, he crumbled into dust. I brought my sword up and smashed it down onto the stone. White light burst from it, and I felt as if I was being burned alive. Then there was nothing. For better or worse, it was over. I hoped that my friends would remember me as the man I was when they met me, and not the one who betrayed them to save my father.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
John
The demons were all shouting one name as the ground trembled, Baphomet. Sarah’s eyes moved to where our son was fighting the demon king. The king tried to run, but Jackson managed to cut his leg. If there was a chance that I could reach him in time, I would have gone, but there wasn’t, so I turned back toward the demons. This wasn’t the time to fight fair. They were distracted, and it was the perfect time to lash out.
I gathered my power and launched a fireball into their ranks just as the Baphomet broke from the ground. The thing was massive. I wasn’t sure how we would kill it. I just knew that we would. Jackson would do his part. That meant we had to make sure there was something left for him to come home to. Britta and the crew rushed toward us to help. As she came, she fired one of her remaining clips into the demons around us.
The Baphomet was something to behold. It was almost like a giant centipede, but its mouth had two massive pincers. It also had two massive arms that ended in hands. It was something out of nightmares, dreamt up during fever dreams while coming down in an opium den after a weeklong bender. Something of a cross between a sandworm and a dragon. The damn thing was terrifying, a twisted perversion of man and bug. That, and the thing had to be three stories tall and just as long. I’d never seen anything so horrible, not even while I was in hell.
It wasn’t exactly sporting to shoot the demons now. They had their backs toward us as they worshiped their idol, but at least Britta understood what needed to be done. I was about to join her. I launched another fireball and saw Marcus do the same thing. April and Sarah looked at each other and then started running forward. What was with us Blackthorns and fearless women? Were we doomed to spend the rest of our lives just playing catch up?
April created a shield around herself and barreled into a group of demons. As they fell to the ground, she moved with deadly efficiency, plunging her blade into them before they could stand up. Any she missed, Britta brought down from behind. April shot her a grin and then dove fearlessly into the next pack. Sarah grabbed a demon from behind and threw him into a group of demons. Strike. I had missed it, but she had changed again. This time, she didn’t bother with her sword. She moved about the battlefield, killing indiscriminately with tooth and claw.
Marcus had raised a few stone golems from the ground and had them charging toward the Baphomet. They trampled the demons who refused to get out of their way. The golems’ clubs rose and fell as they lumbered forward. He followed in their wake, casting spells to either side to kill off any survivors.
Now it seemed like it was just me who needed to get my ass in gear. It was time to show these demons what one of the Gifted forged in the crucibles of hell could do. I dropped my two swords into the ground and started to gather my power. The clouds that had been light started to gather together, and a slight drizzle began to fall on the battlefield. I continued to pull on the clouds circling the air faster and faster. A spout started to form, but that wasn’t what I wanted. I let the magic go, and water poured from the heavens.
It took all of my focus to call on the last part of the spell that I needed. I could see demons running toward me, but Sarah was right on their heels. I had to trust that she would be able to stop them. I reached toward the sky and brought my hand down in a violent arch. I had seen Jackson do this in the crucible, and I knew that it would work now.
A single bolt of jagged lightning came down and struck the Baphomet. The demon screeched as the water around it surged with electrical current. Marcus’ golems smashed into the creature and started bashing it. He had stopped short, but I could see him looking toward the sky. Bolts of lightning started to slam into the massive demon from all around the battlefield. Its scream of fury turned to anguish as the Gifted continued their assault. All of the Gifted must have abandoned the lessors and focused on the Baphomet. I looked down to make sure Sarah had killed all of the demons, and I felt the blade sink into my stomach.
After all of this, I was going to be killed by a lesser. The demon’s head disappeared in a splat as two giant paws slammed together. I could see the concern in Sarah’s eyes. That meant the wound looked bad. I didn’t want to see it. I kept my hands around the blade to keep it steady and used what little magic I could summon to try and stop the bleeding. Sarah scooped me up into her arms and started to run. The world slowly faded to black. At least I got to see them all again. Every night for nineteen years, I went to sleep hoping to see them again. My son was so strong, and my wife was my other half. I was going to miss you both.
Chapter Thirty
April
The demons had turned and started heading for John as if obeying some unheard command. Sarah was in pursuit, but even she wouldn’t be able to get them all. My type of fighting wouldn’t do much good against the Baphomet, so I turned and followed Sarah. For every demon she brought down, there were two more she sprinted past. I cut down as many as I could in her wake.
It wasn’t long before I was in over my head, but then the sound of gunfire filled the air. A quick glance over my shoulder told me that Britta was coming up behind me and saving my ass. Yeah, we had buried our differences for the most part, but it still chapped me to need her help. I guess I would always feel that way toward her, but every day she surprised me by doing something to help us regardless of how we had treated her in the past. I hated to admit it, but she was actually all right.
Sarah kept running, and I followed. John was concentrating on a spell, and when he released, I heard the Baphomet scream. The power of it seemed to shake the air around us. I wanted to look back to see what was happening, but I couldn’t risk it. Ducking under a blade, I ended two more demons before seeing John get stabbed through the stomach. I couldn’t tell if the blade went all the way through him or not, but either way, it was a devastating injury.
Sarah roared and killed the demon who had stabbed him. She picked John up and started running back toward our base. I followed her until the demons thinned out. She wasn’t in trouble anymore, but more of our people needed help. I turned to run back into the fray, and Britta stopped me.
“Go. Be with them.”
“I can do more good here.”
“Maybe, but they need you now more than we do.” She dropped two clips from her guns and fit two more into place.
“Just look after Marcus, ok?”
“Always.”
She turned and sprinted back into the battle. I could see Marcus in the distance, casting spells and killing demons left and right. The Baphomet appeared to be dead, but I wished that it had more holes in it. The steam rising from its body didn’t look like enough damage to me. Most of the demons appeared to be on the run now, but there was nowhere to go. We had them surrounded. Britta was right; this was over, and I should be with my family.
I sprinted toward the medical tents, and they were overrun with the wounded. Many of our men and the fey had been injured in the battle. Only the most grievously wounded were getting attention now. I moved through them, peering into the tents, looking for John. I didn’t spot him, but I spotted Sarah. She had turned back into her human form, probably because a Lycan standing around injured warriors made them nervous as hell. She was drenched in blood. Her shirt was ruined, and she had blood dripping down her arms.
As I got closer, I saw three of the healers working on John. If anyone could save him, it would be them. I spotted a bucket of water and a clean towel. I moved toward Sarah and started to clean the worst of the gore from her arms. She let me and didn’t move once during the entire process. Now I just needed to find her something else to wear. Being covered in your husband’s blood couldn’t have been comfortable. She ignored me the entire time, just watching the healers work on John, almost as if she were comatose. All of her thoughts had to be with John as he fought for his life.
I got her into a new shirt, so now at least she didn’t look like a murder victim. I pulled her against me and watched the mages work as I held her in my arms. They were speaking rapidly to each other. The three of them had hands on him, and one had hands on the blade. That would be the moment of truth. Until the sword was out, they couldn’t repair him. They might have been able to close off some of the worst wounds, but now they would have to reopen them and attach everything back together.
The mage yanked the sword free, and John let out a groan. Sarah surged forward, but I held her back. The man dropped the sword to the ground and had already put his hands back onto John. The amount of power they were using was tremendous. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them passed out from exertion soon.
Two of the mages pulled their hands back and swayed on the spot. They moved back to the edges of the room and sat down. Grim looks decorated their faces. It wasn’t looking good. Henry came running through the crowd. He spared us a quick glance but didn’t stop. He moved to John’s side and placed his hands on him. I always had just thought of Henry as Adam’s assistant. I knew he had been a warrior once, but I had never heard of him being a healer. It was amazing how even the people you had known for years could surprise you.
I didn’t want to get in the healer's way, but there was something I could do. I gave Sarah a squeeze and moved behind the man who had removed the sword. He was swaying on his feet, but I could tell he wasn’t willing to give up. I placed my hands on him, and I felt him look back for a second. He gave me a curt nod and turned back to what he was doing. I pulled on my gift and let the power flow through me and into the healer. I was shocked at how close he was to passing out.
I let him take the power and redirect it into John. I heard John groan again, and this time, he moved a little bit on the table.
“Someone restrain him,” the doctor shouted.
Sarah was there in an instant. John started to buck and writhe on the table. Sarah held him in place with quiet strength and determination. He fell limp soon after. The healer removed his hands, and soon after, the other man did as well.
“That is all we can do for now.” He took a step back and almost fell to the ground.
“Is he going to be ok?” Sarah asked.
The doctor didn’t answer her.
She turned to Henry. “Damn it, is he going to be ok?”
Henry looked up. His expression was grim. “I don’t know.”
Sarah fell to the ground in a heap, tears streaming down her face. Her body wracked with sobs. I flew to her and wrapped her in my arms. There was nothing I could say. He wasn’t dead yet, but it didn’t look good. “If he is anything like Jackson, he won’t ever give up until he is back in your arms.”
“I know he’ll never stop fighting for me. I just hope it’s enough.”
“It will be. It has to be.” We just lay there on the ground. Henry continued to let his power slowly trickle into John, keeping him alive. It couldn’t end like this. We deserved something better.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jackson
If everything hurt, you couldn’t be dead, right? At least, I hoped that was the case, because if I was dead and it hurt this bad, I was going to kill someone. Every breath was a struggle. It burned as the oxygen entered my lungs; it burned when carbon dioxide came back out. Yesterday, at least I think it was that long ago, I had tried to open my eyes, and it hadn’t worked. I felt a brief flare of panic before a warm sensation rolled through my body, and sleep consumed me.
Today I was going to try and open them again. If it hurt this bad to breathe and I had to work this hard to open my eyes, the rest of me couldn’t be doing much better. I could feel my fingers and toes. At least, so much as I knew they were there, but it was that phantom feeling you get like when your leg falls asleep. I chalked it up to the painkillers, and I hoped I was right.
My eyelids fluttered for a moment and then closed. I wondered if maybe I had something in place that was holding my eyes shut. The only thing I knew for certain was that I was tired of listening to the machines beep. Granted, they had been my steadfast companions ove
r the last five days. It almost felt as if we were old friends now. Sometimes I wished they were more of a silent partner.
When I tried to move my arm, nothing happened. Again, I felt the sensation of my fingers, but my arm felt restrained. Damn it. I just wanted to move, to see. I felt the warmness rush up my arm, and my will to fight slowly faded away.
There was no way to tell what time it was or how much time had passed since I had last tried to open my eyes, but I was going to do it this time. Just who did these fucking doctors think they were dealing with? If I couldn’t move my arms, maybe I could use my gift to remove whatever was keeping them closed.
My eyelids fluttered again, and light streamed in for a second, but it was hazy and washed out. That was probably ok. I wasn’t sure my eyes could take a full dose of sunshine right now. I blinked a few times and then tried again. This time, the room seemed darker, but the haze still clouded my eyes. A voice sounded to my right, and I almost lost it. This whole time, I had thought I was alone.
“This should help.”
I felt a quick tug, and then the haze was gone. So my eyes had been bandaged. I looked at the person who was speaking, but it was still too damn bright. I tried to ask a question, but all that came out was a croak.
“I already closed the blinds, so there isn’t much else I can do to make it darker. But I can help with that throat. Let me get you some water.”
I knew that voice. It was so familiar, yet I couldn’t quite place it. Each time I opened my eyes, I could see for just a little bit longer. It was almost as if I was trying to see for the first time. This time, I managed to catch a glimpse of some dark hair. Then it hit me all at once. It was my dad. I relaxed almost instantly. He held a cup out with a straw.
Redemption (Ascendancy Legacy 6) Page 21