Abomination (The Path to Redempton Book 1)

by Kimbra Swain

  “He has her.”

  “Good. One less thing to worry about.”

  “Please. I’ve always wanted to meet the famed Abigail Davenport. Sweetheart, I know you are here with your little pet. Please come out and play,” she purred. “I won’t hurt you, much.”

  I looked at Tadeas. “Ready?”

  “I’m with you.”

  I stood and walked toward the ring. Tadeas stood, and I felt the breeze as he shifted into the spirit world to get behind her. As I walked into the light of the center of the room, she tilted her head to the side and looked puzzled.

  “I didn’t take you for a Tony Ward kind of girl,” she said talking about the dress.

  “No, generally I’m not. I prefer Mr. Murad, but alas he had nothing for me at such short notice,” I replied.

  “I also know that you are a ravishing blonde,” she commented. “The glamour is quite impressive, Miss Davenport.”

  I let the glamour fall, and a murmur went around the room. Most of these people only knew me as Annalise Madden. This was a charade I’d never be able to use again. “I’m sorry I did not catch your name. Would you mind introducing yourself to this entire room? You seem to know quite a lot about me, but alas, I have no idea what insolent twat has decided to interrupt a perfectly good auction.”

  She smiled, “Oh honey, you are going to talk dirty to me, and I won’t be able to contain myself. Where is that beautiful man of yours? I do hope he isn’t doing something unadvised. Or perhaps he had enough of you and moved on. I know a certain woman who would love a second shot at him.”

  I raised my right hand to her and unleashed a small bit of force, “Your name!”

  She stumbled back into the book display and it jostled, but did not fall.

  “Now that is not very nice. Do we not have rules of hospitality in this place?”

  “We do not. You are here at your own peril. I will not ask you again. What is your name?”

  “My name, my sweet beautiful Abigail, is Vanessa Vaughn. I have been the apprentice of Mr. John Mwenye for almost 50 years, but recently I decided to strike out on my own. It is liberating to get out from under the men who hold you down. But of course, you would not know what that is like since you still bear the mark of your grandfather Gregory Theodoard. It’s a shame,” she sauntered toward me with her hands dripping in blood. I had no idea who she gutted, but she made a mess in the floor. The bill for this was going to skyrocket.

  “Focus,” I heard him say in my head. I smiled.

  I calmly said, “Miss Vaughn, I do believe Mr. Mwenye received the invitation to this event, not you. If you do not mind, I am asking politely that you leave on your own accord, or you will be removed forcibly.”

  “I’m not leaving, sweetheart. Not that anyone here could remove me,” she turned to her left and motioned into the darkness. Out of the crowd a wiry, dark-haired young girl stepped into the light. My heart sank. Samantha Taylor stood there with a huge gash in her mid-section. Blood poured out of it. Several people screamed, and people started moving to the exits. “I believe you know my little friend, Miss Taylor, correct?”

  “Last warning, Miss Vaughn. I am going to kill you if you do not leave this place,” I said. I knew in my heart Samantha was dead already. She was pale and barely standing. She hung her head down, and I could not see her eyes.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not done here. Samantha, go see your old bunk mate. I’m sure she misses you,” Vanessa said.

  Sam looked up at me, and her eyes were completely white. The life had long left her. The necromancer controlled her body. She turned and started walking toward me. I caught movement toward the outward edges of the light. Five more white-eyed hulking men formed a circle around us. Behind them in the darkness, I could see the green eyes of my protector and partner. He had both 9mms poised and ready to pounce. I let Samantha walk toward me. I stepped back a little like I tried to get away from her. Vanessa laughed.

  “She just wants to have a little match like you guys used to. I think she felt quite betrayed when she found out you were far her superior. That you let her offer to help you multiple times, when actually you should have been helping her.”

  She was right. I should have tried harder to help the students in Tadeas’ class. It was just a few days ago, she was alive and giddy for us in a tavern in Boulder. “Abby, don’t you dare listen to her. You focus. Sam is gone. There is nothing we can do for her now. You take this woman out. I can handle the undead.”

  “I’m ready whenever you are,” I said.

  “You make your move, and I’ll follow,” he said.

  Sam stumbled into me, and I caught her body. It was cold and dead. She took a half-hearted swing at me, and I plunged my dagger into her heart. Her body sunk to the floor at my feet, and I lifted my eyes to the solid black eyes of Vanessa Vaughn. I called my orbs to my hand. Tadeas moved from the back of the room, as the undead started to advance. He picked two off immediately and then was blindsided by a wolf. I saw him shift to jaguar and bury his teeth in the wolf’s neck as it tried to pin him. The wolf yelped, and shifted to dead naked human. Tadeas jumped to his feet and shifted back, taking another shot at one of the undead on my left. I stood still and allowed him to work without worrying about hitting me. I kept my eyes on Vanessa who twirled around to each blow laughing and pointing at the action like a mad woman. She turned to me, “He really is sexy as hell. Please tell me you fucked him before I kill him. I would hate to take that opportunity away from you.”

  I forced the iron ball toward her like a bullet from a gun, “Ecfundo.” She tried to dodge and it struck her in the shoulder. Black blood dripped down her arm. She laughed, and hurled a dark black shadow at me.

  I tapped the bracelet on my arm, and it cast a golden reinforced shield around me. The shadow surrounded me, but then dissipated. One of the undead lunged at me and stopped short as Tadeas who was dealing with another wolf put a bullet between his eyes. I never took my attention off the necromancer.

  She pulled out a black knife. She ran it across her tongue. “Mmmm, I can almost taste you on this knife. You probably recognize it.”

  Chills ran down my spine. I did recognize it. It was the same knife that slit my throat. The one that the dark master wizard used to kill me. I cut my eyes to Tadeas.

  “It’s just a knife. Put her down, or run. You decide. I’m handling this.”

  “I do recognize it, and as you probably noticed it didn’t work,” I said. I sensed there were very few people left in the room. There were several who looked like they intended to steal the book once we were done here. There were a couple who I wasn’t sure what side they were on. I decided to address them all. Behind me I heard another gunshot, and the wet chomp of fang to neck. I focused on Vanessa again as she waved the knife around. She did not look like a skilled fighter, but I did not want to underestimate her. I closed my hand, and my orbs vanished. I opened it again and whispered, “Fulmen.” Just above my palm a ball of pure white lightning strobed in my hand, and I amplified my voice for the whole room. I could hear sirens in the distance.

  “I am Abigail Davenport, descendent of Helios, son of Hyperion. I represent the Agency. Hear my voice.” The sound echoed through the room. I saw multiple figures starting to advance on the center area. A black jaguar bounded out of the darkness, brushed against my leg, curling his tail around it as he went. I had to smile. I felt his human body morph, and he stood back to back with me and pulled the two 9mm pistols from his side. He watched my back. “For too long the darkness has been allowed to creep back into our world. I will no longer stand by, and allow any of you to destroy the lives that we hold dear. This is a warning. You carry it out of this place to every evil you know. You tell them I’m back. You tell them I have a deadly partner. You tell them we will hunt them all down.” The lightning ball in my hand expanded and enveloped Tadeas and I in an orb of light and flashing streaks. “Impingo” I said and the orb crashed down to the ground searing a perfect circle on the floor a
round us.

  “Oh, we are running,” Tadeas said.

  “There are too many of them,” I replied. He pressed closer to my back. I just had to bend down and empower the circle with my blood. I had used my knife on Samantha. I knew Tadeas had a knife strapped to his leg. The position we were in would not allow either of us to pull it without taking our eyes off the approaching enemies. Vanessa started cackling again.

  “How cute, a girl and her kitty. Meow. That’s hot. Are we all supposed to cower in fear that you are back in the game? We aren’t. We are glad. It’s time to rid this world of you once and for all,” she said. I spoke in Tadeas’ head telling him my plan.

  “Shit,” I heard him respond as I dropped to my knee. I pulled the knife slitting my finger in the process. As I lunged to empower the circle, she made her move. She was fast. I knew as a necromancer, she could shift to the spirit world and back. She bent space by pulling the veil open and shifting closer to me.

  The knife plunged into the back of my left shoulder and a burning fire sensation ripped through my whole upper body. I grabbed her leg and spoke the word, “Discutio” which would dispel or shatter any shield or personal protection she placed on herself. Tadeas spun and shot twice. One in the chest, one in the head. In her madness, she must have considered herself invincible. She fell backwards away from us, knocking the table with the book over. The book disappeared as part of the protections I had put on it. Those remaining in the tent murmured at the disappearance of the book. I looked down at the black blade protruding through my shoulder just above my heart. Tendrils of inky blackness spread outward along my shoulder and chest. The world started to spin. I reached for the circle, touched it with my finger and a wind flew up around us empowering the circle. I rolled over on my back. I could see the dark figures backing away from the empowered circle. Tadeas stood above me watching them. Both guns poised to shoot. He never looked down at me. I pulled the blue crystal out of my bra and focused on home. The darkness spread across my body and down my arm. I looked down at the crystal and saw my hand and the veins in it turning back.

  “Abby, now!” Tadeas yelled. I looked down at the end of the knife as the blade evaporated into dust, and left a long black wound on my shoulder. The wound closed up on its own, but the tendrils of blackness continued to spread. I lost control of my hands, and the crystal tumbled on to the floor. I looked up to him. His beautiful green eyes. I wanted that to be the last thing I saw as I died. He dropped to a knee still holding one of the guns up in case someone tried to charge us. He picked up the crystal. I heard his voice in the distance. He spoke the word I taught him yesterday.

  “Don’t you dare do this to me, Abigail Davenport. You know I can’t live without you. Don’t die. Hang in there. I’ve got you. I promise. I’ve got you.”

  I felt a strong burst of wind, and the darkness consumed me.

  I felt the rush of wind taking us back to the island. I bent down to her as her eyes rolled back in her head. The moment I saw the basement of Casa Del Sol I screamed, “GEORGE!” He was already there waiting for us. I picked her up off the ground. The black lines extending from the knife wound had stopped moving, but they covered most of her upper body. They had crept up her neck, and I could see them on her thigh where the designer dress did not cover her legs.

  “Bring her. Hurry,” he hustled up the stairs, and I followed him. Her body felt heavier than it should as if the blackness spreading through her veins was lead or iron. I followed George into the dining room. “Lay her on the table,” he said. The table glowed with a large circular symbol with strange words and patterns. I could feel the power flowing around it. He had a tray with a knife, scissors, a wet cloth and basin of water.

  “Now what,” I asked trying to remain calm. I could hear her heartbeat slowing down. “She’s dying. Her heart is slowing down.”

  “I know, Son,” he said handing me the scissors. “Cut the dress away.”

  I started cutting the sheer upper part of the dress from around her neck down to the thicker fabric covering her breasts. I stopped there, and tore away the sheer parts opening up the place where the wound had closed off. There was no blood. No real wound there. Just the darkest place on her body where the knife struck. Blood streaked down the once beautiful dress where Samantha’s body slid down it. George was taking the cloth and cleaning Samantha’s blood off of her hands. I heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.

  “No time, Tadeas. Cut the dress off of her,” he spouted.

  I ran the scissors down the center of the dress, and he pulled the edge of it while I lifted her up. It made it easier to get it off her. In the distance, I heard a storm approaching. It was loud and thunderous. The double doors in the adjacent sitting room swung open as did the set in the dining room. Wind swirled around the room. The night sky ignited in ripples of white light. The lights flickered like they were candles. The circle on the table glared with a blinding golden light.

  “Move the tray. Get the scissors,” I picked up the scissors and put them on the tray. I picked it up. Then George put his hands on my shoulders and started pushing me out of the room.

  “No. I’m not leaving her. No, George let go of me,” I cried. “She’s dying. I promised I wouldn’t leave her”

  He was much stronger than I gave him credit. “Tadeas, he is coming. Back away.”

  A white light filled the room, and the immediate report of resounding thunder shook the house. I fell to my knees, and George turned his back on her lying on the table. He put his hands over my eyes. I wanted to see, but a blinding white figure approached her on the table. I looked down and began to pray.

  “Ángel de Dios, mi querido guardián, a quien su amor me compromete aquí, siempre esta noche estar a mi lado, para iluminar y guardar, para gobernar y guiar. Amén.”

  “Amen,” George echoed.

  I opened my eyes and the blinding light was gone. I could not hear her heartbeat. I did not get her here fast enough. She was gone. I gritted my teeth and wanted to scream. George put his hand on my shoulder, and pulled me up off my knees. I approached the table and the black tendrils that were up and down her body disappeared. The bright circle’s power faded and left the charred imprint of the sigil on the table. She laid there still and quiet. George stood behind me and watched. I would have given anything for her to cuss me or make fun of me. Her face illuminated in the strange way as before when Gabriel visited her. He came to heal her, but I didn’t get her fast enough. A piece of her blonde hair laid across her mouth. I brushed it out of the way. My finger barely touched her skin. She drew in a deep breath, and lurched up and forward. She gasped for air like something was choking her. “Abby!” I grabbed her and pulled her toward the edge of the table, and she lunged forward again causing us both to tumble to the floor. Her heart pounded extremely loud. It made my ears hurt. Her body was rigid, and she lurched forward again. Black inky fluid poured from her mouth. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and held her up the best I could. George waited beside us with a white sheet. The blackness stopped surging out of her body after the third wave. The black mess covered the floor. She leaned back into me.

  I spoke to her the whole time. “I’ve got you. Just get it out. I’m here. Just breathe. Breathe, Abby. Thank God, you are alive. Please breathe.” She breathed quietly now. Her body still felt cold. I looked over at George, and he wrapped her in the sheet. I got my legs under me, keeping my arms around her waist, and hoisted her up. She felt significantly lighter to me, and I carried her to her bedroom. George stopped at the door as I carried her in. I looked back at him.

  “There are things in the bathroom and the closet to clean her up. Get her some clothes, too.”

  “You can’t come in,” I said realizing that she told me the room was warded. I just didn’t realize it kept George out, too.

  “You have her. I’ll be right here if you need anything.”

  It took me a little while to get her cleaned up, and in a pair of long flannel pants and a b
utton up pajama shirt. I had cut the dress off of her earlier, but we did not remove any of her undergarments. I felt awkward taking them off of her. She was not lucid. Her eyes were focused on something distant. They were open, and she breathed. Beyond that I didn’t even hear her in my head trying to talk to me. I finally got her cleaned and dressed. I pulled the covers up around her on the bed and brought a chair over to sit next to her. I turned all the lights off. I could hear George breathing just outside the door. I bent over her and whispered, “Rest, beautiful. I’m here. Just rest.” When I pulled back, her eyes closed, and her body relaxed. I could not hold the emotion back no longer. And I sat in the dark, holding her hand as tears rolled down my cheeks.

  I don’t know how it was possible, but I slept sitting up in the chair. As the sun started to creep in the room. I stood up and stretched. I moved the chair back to its original spot. George appeared in the door and startled me.

  “Can I get you anything? She might sleep for a while,” he said.

  “No, George, I’m fine.” I looked down and my suit and shirt had blood and inky goop all over it. He smiled at me and held up a duffle bag. I swear he pulled it out of thin air. I took it from him. “Thanks, George.”

  “I’ll be back with some food and drink,” he said. I started to tell him no, but telling him no was about as difficult as telling Abby no. I turned and looked at her. She still rested. I felt her heartbeat steady and getting stronger. I ducked into the bathroom and ripped the clothes off me. I turned the shower water on, and jumped in and out in less than a minute. I threw on the clothes that George had in the bag. It was all casual and comfortable. I went back in the room and sat on the edge of the bed.