The only advantage that I had now was it was injured and I wasn’t. The demon charged at me, using the hill to its advantage. It used its legs and hands in combinations that wouldn’t have been possible if it couldn’t balance with its tail. I focused on blocking the demon’s strikes, and moving in a semi-circle. If I could at least get even with him, it would negate some of his advantage.
The demon continued to press me, and I continued to focus on defense. I didn’t have this kind of time to fuck around. I needed to get to the portal. The demon didn’t seem to be tiring from his wounds, so I needed to do something else. I focused on creating a ball of ice behind the demon. The ice floated in the air, and then I shattered it, pulling the shards to me.
The razor-sharp shards tore through the creature's back. It screamed in pain, but instead of turning around or dying, it came at me with renewed fury. I blocked the next three blows and then used the same trick I had earlier. I shifted the ground under its pivot foot and brought my blade around in a wide arc. The demon’s head flew from its shoulders, and I incinerated the body as I ran for the top of the hill.
Britta was still cutting down the sand demons as they tried to make it to my mom. Sarah was locked into battle with the massive demon. She was bleeding from several wounds, but I knew they would heal soon enough. I didn’t know if they had the battle in hand or not, but I hoped so. Marcus had killed the injured flying demon and was working on the other one. April brought down her demon as I crested the hill. Immediately she ran to Marcus’s side to make sure he was safe.
I heard the demon cry out as I pulled the stone from my vest. It was already burning hot. I increased the shield I had around my hand, and it immediately grew cooler. Now was the time for the stone to do its work. I started to pull power in from the world around me, and I channeled it all into the stone. My shield started to fail, and there was no time to fix it now. My skin started to burn, but the edges of the portal started to flicker. It was working.
Marcus and April fanned out around me, and then Britta and my mom appeared over the crest of the hill. It was good to know they were both safe. Sarah was limping slightly and covered in blood. Hers or the demon’s, I wasn’t able to tell which one. Having seen a tiny bit of their fight, I would have guessed both. Even as she drew closer, the limp started to melt away. By the time she reached me, it was gone. Britta had switched to the smaller guns she kept in her shoulder holsters. I didn’t even want to know how she carried all of that ammo around, but she did.
A little blue flame was coming out of the stone now. There was nothing I could do but hold on and hope that the healers could restore my hand. If not, at least it was my left hand. I could learn how to function with only my right. Who knew? Maybe in the next few years we would be able to integrate magic with machines and I could have the coolest cybernetic hand on the planet.
The portal flashed again and drew in on itself. This time, it budged slightly, and a man emerged from the portal. He flew over us and landed twenty feet away. I would have known that silver gray suit anywhere. It was Ryan. He rose to his feet from where he had landed outside of the portal and turned to face us. A smile spread slowly across his face, and he adjusted his suit before addressing us.
“So we meet again, son of John.”
I focused more of my power into the stone. As the portal flickered, I stared back at the archfiend. “The first time was enough for me. I don’t suppose you would consider just climbing back into the portal and calling it a day?”
“So rude, especially when I come to you bearing gifts.”
The portal flashed again, and this time, a female demon appeared. She was holding a man whose wrists were tied behind his back. His head hung low against his chest. Long black hair covered his face, hiding it from view. The man groaned when she poked him in the side with her dagger, forcing him to look up. I knew that face from somewhere; the startled cry that issued from my mother’s mouth confirmed it. It was my dad.
“John!” she shouted, starting forward before April restrained her.
“Well, at least someone knows the value of what I decided to bring with me,” Ryan said smoothly. “Now all we need to do is discuss what to do with him.”
I could feel the stone throbbing in my hand. Even with the skin on my hand melting away, it was hard to focus on anything but the man standing before me. I’d never seen him in anything besides a photograph before. It must have been harder for my mother. He had been the love of her life for three hundred years. Ryan moved to stand next to him. He ran a finger down the side of his face, burning the skin and forcing my father to cry out.
“What do you want?” I shouted at him, forcing him to focus on me instead of John.
“Why, the stone, of course.” The smugness oozing off of him was almost staggering.
“Not going to happen.”
“Maybe I underestimated how much you cared for him.”
“Cared for him? I’ve never even met the man.” My eyes locked with my father’s, and he tilted his chin slightly in acceptance. I could see the burning intensity in his eyes. He would fight with everything he had to be free, but he knew exactly what was at stake here.
“Maybe I’m talking to the wrong person, then. Can you say the same?” He pointed at my mother. “Would you take the stone from your son to save your husband’s life?”
I turned slightly so I could watch Sarah. She was a wreck. Tears were streaming down her face. When our eyes met, she silently pleaded with me to get him back. She turned her gaze back to John, and he mouthed I love you to her. Then his look turned hard. In his own way, he was encouraging her to fight.
I couldn’t even begin to imagine what it had been like for him if he had been trapped in hell since I was born. And now, even when all he had to do to be free from that torture was convince us to help him. He fought. This was a man that was stronger than I would have imagined possible. How many people could be trapped in hell and come out relatively unscathed? I had spent some time hating both of my parents for abandoning me when I found out that I was adopted, but seeing him here, now, I knew what he had given up for me to have a chance at a normal life. He was still fighting for our world even after everyone he knew left him for dead. This was a man I could be proud of.
I continued to pour my power into the stone, and the portal flickered and wavered again. Ryan’s mask cracked just for a second. Obviously, the demon didn’t know as much about human nature as he thought he did. All of us had sworn to give our lives to protect humanity. We had to be willing to die, and to let our loved ones die if it meant that we closed the portal. That didn’t mean we wouldn’t fight like hell to keep them alive.
“Since we have no further use for him.” He looked over at his female partner. “Abilene, would you do me the honor of eliminating him?”
A wicked smile spread across her face, and she plunged her dagger into John’s side. He fell to his knees, screaming. She tilted his head back to slit his throat, and then my mother was on her, knocking her away. She didn’t even look back at John but continued after the female demon. I had the feeling we wouldn’t be seeing Abilene again.
Ryan took a step toward my dad, and then I had one of my swords out and stepped between them. Marcus moved in behind me, dragging my dad away. I could feel the distinct pull of his power as he started to heal him. Britta faded back to cover Marcus, and I could see her casting glances at my mom. April moved to stand by my side, pulling John’s other sword from the sheath on my back.
The archfiend took a step back, watching us closely. He wasn’t worried. If anything, he seemed to feel as if the outcome was already decided in his favor. Ryan’s hand moved down toward his side, and a black hilt appeared there. The blade unfolded from it, and the runes along the blade flashed a few times before dimming to a steady red glow. He held the blade straight out as if we were starting a duel, and then bowed.
I pulled the stone in closer to my body even though the heat coming off of it was almost unbearable. My feet moved
reflexively into a defensive position. All I had to do was keep him away from me long enough for the portal to close. Then it didn’t matter what happened. I didn’t want it to end here, but if it did, it had to be after we had won.
I looked at April, and she had her swords in hand and ready to attack. “I love you.” I saw the smile tick up on the corners of her mouth, but she didn’t turn to face me.
“I love you too.”
As she finished saying the words, she was already in motion, moving between me and the fiend. I kept channeling my power into the stone as she attacked. Slowly, I circled around them so I could get closer to the portal but still be in range to help. I was in awe of April’s abilities. Watching her now, I had the distinct feeling that she had been holding back on me when we practiced together. For all of her talk about bringing it all to the session, she had achieved another level of skill right now. If April fought like this with me on a daily basis, she probably would have gone back to winning ten out of ten matches.
Her feet flowed like water. Every step she took had meaning. A pivot there, and her blade snuck through the fiend’s defense. A back step there, and she blocked four rapid swings of his blade in a row. Her style was so fluid that it had transcended combat and became more of a dance. She was a deadly ballerina.
The magic I was pouring into the stone was having a greater effect now than before. The portal was closing faster. Now it was only a ten-foot circle. There was nothing I could do to speed the process. I just had to maintain my focus.
Sarah returned from where she had defeated Abilene, carrying her head in one of her massive paws. She tossed it back into the portal, sending a warning to the demons on the other side. Not a moment later, she was by John’s side, cutting the bonds on his wrists and pulling him into a hug. She shifted back into her human form and gave him a kiss. My heart broke for the two of them. After being separated for so long, they were finally together again.
Marcus moved away from them and started casting spells to make life harder for the fiend. Since his magic couldn’t penetrate his defense, he worked on making it hard for the fiend to move. He shifted the ground under his feet. Made the sand open up so he would stumble. Once he even made a small rock curb that nearly sent the fiend sprawling into the dirt.
The fiend tore his attention away from April for a moment, and Marcus fell to his knees gasping for air. A moment later, his hands fell to his sides and he fell forward onto his face unconscious. Britta was by his side in an instant, putting her hand against his chest and trying to bring him back around. My mom started to move forward, her sword raised. She stood in front of them, ready to attack if necessary. John stood by her side. Despite his injuries, he wouldn’t let her fight the fiend alone.
Without Marcus’s help, April was falling back. The fiend seemed to sense time was growing short, and he stopped the game he had been playing. He lifted his left hand out, and April’s body rose into the air. He twisted his hand, and I heard something break. Then with a motion, he tossed her over the side of the hill. He turned to me, a smile pulling back from his face. Sharp teeth lined that smile, making me think of a great white on the hunt for a tasty seal.
He raised his sword toward me one more time and charged. I managed to deflect the attacks as I watched John and my mom run behind the fiend to check on April. I couldn’t worry about her now. Any lack of focus in the face of this threat, and I was dead, and the demons would have free rein over our world.
The portal glimmered again and pulled just a little bit closer together. It was only six feet around now and closing quickly. The fiend lifted his arm toward me and then tilted his head as if he didn’t understand why his spell wasn’t working. It was the stone. It protected me from his magic. I lunged forward, taking the attack back toward him as I saw my mom bring April’s limp body over the top of the hill. My heart broke at the look on her face. She couldn’t be gone, not now. Not after I had finally found her.
John crested the hill behind them, looking every inch the warrior that I had seen in the pictures he left behind. He had her swords in his hands. He gave them a twirl and then rushed forward. I attacked the fiend again, keeping his attention focused on me. John’s sword erupted from his chest in front of me, and the fiend’s next strike faltered. I slid my sword through the other side of his chest. I twisted the blade hard and pulled it free. Ryan’s sword faded away, and then the hilt disappeared. With his lifeblood draining away quickly, he could no longer keep his demon blade on this side of the veil.
“What do you say we get rid of this trash and then get the hell out of here?” John said with just a hint of humor as he walked toward the edge of the portal. He tossed the remains of the archfiend through the portal and turned to face me. “It’s good to see you, son.”
A huge clawed hand shot out of the portal, wrapping around John’s waist. He lashed out at the hand with his sword, managing to cut one of the fingers, but whatever had him wouldn’t let go. He brought the blade down again and again without any better results. Slowly, the hand dragged him back toward the portal. He threw the sword down toward my feet.
“Take care of that for me, will you?” He winked, and then he was gone.
Before I could even think of what to do, the portal closed. The stone in my hand cooled instantly, and the burned flesh from where I held it started to knit back together. As my hand became whole, what had just unfolded in front of me started to settle in. I had finally met my father after all of these years, and now he was gone, again.
Sarah stood there in shock, but she didn’t let April go. I knew exactly how she felt, but I imagined her pain was a hundred times greater than mine. I tucked the stone back into my jacket and picked up my father’s sword. Don’t worry, it’s safe with me, Dad.
I walked across the field to where my mother stood. Marcus had made it back to his feet, and Britta looked fine, minus a few scratches. April moaned in my mother’s arms. I moved a loose strand of hair away from her face and gave her a kiss. I didn’t know if she could hear me or even feel the kiss, but I wanted her to know I was there. “We’re going home.”
I met my mother’s eyes, and I could see the heartbreak there. “Don’t worry, we will get him back.”
She shook her head. “He’s gone.”
“He survived in hell this long, and as long as they think they can use him to get to us, they’ll keep him alive. We. Will. Get. Him. Back.” I said it with conviction that I didn’t necessarily feel. Knowing my dad was alive gave me a sense of purpose. Maybe it was time we took the fight to the demons on their own turf. Maybe it was time they learned to fear us. I knew one thing; I wasn’t going to rest until I knew my dad was dead or he was back in my mother’s arms.
Sarah met my gaze as I finished speaking. “I’ll stand beside you.”
“We all will,” Marcus said.
That was all a guy could ask for. He wanted to go to hell and save his father, and his family offered to be right there by his side. I looked at all of their faces, and I couldn’t help but think I was the luckiest guy in the world.
CHAPTER 22
JACKSON
Today was the day. I almost couldn’t keep from bouncing off the walls as I walked down the hallway. April had been stuck in the medical ward for the last month, but today she was coming home. It wasn’t as if I hadn’t been to see her. I’d been there every day. But knowing that she was coming home made all the difference.
I made it to the medical ward without running anyone over, and I couldn’t help but smile as she came into view. She still looked shy about her new set of wheels, but they could have brought her out on a gurney, and I still would have been in love.
I bent over to give her a kiss. “Hey, hot stuff, ready to blow this joint?”
“I can’t wait to get home. Get to pushing, young man.”
“Push you? I was thinking of sitting in your lap and having you wheel me around. We have to work on that upper body strength, you know.”
Her fist rocketed out
of nowhere and caught me in the stomach, almost doubling me over. “Maybe the arm strength is just fine,” I wheezed out, slipping into place behind her chair.
“You just remember to take it easy with our lady. She’s not out of the woods yet.”
“You got it, Doc.”
“Tallyho, my young steed.”
I pulled her wheelchair back into a wheelie and took off. The doctor gave me a threatening look. Fuck him. I had my girl, and she was coming home. We darted through the hallways at breakneck speeds. I was ready to get her home and get her comfortable. I had the whole place set up.
It hadn’t taken much to get a few bars installed. One bar in the shower and another by the bed and the couch. It had to be easy for her to get in and out of the chair. Plus, it wouldn’t be forever. She was starting physical therapy in a week, and would be back to normal in a few months. At least, that was what the healers had said. We had gotten her back to the arena just in time. Her spinal column hadn’t been severed, and magic had been able to reverse all of the damage. Now we were just taking it slow and letting her body regroup. After another week of rest, they would do some more healing and get her walking again.
Looking down at her, I was just thankful that she was alive. When I had seen the archfiend Ryan toss her over the side of the hill, I had been sure she was dead. Every day we had going forward from now would be a blessing. It wouldn’t be long before she was kicking the crap out of me in the ring again. It was crazy what we could look forward to.
I wheeled her backward into our place, and a smile beamed across her features. Yes, I had the place cleaned, and no, I didn’t do it by myself. There was a delicious smell coming from the oven, but that had another hour or two to go. Right now was all about her getting back into the house and being comfortable.
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