by J. L. Oiler
"Witch, release us now!" he bellowed again, only to be met with her laughter from the rooms above. He was not certain what deal she and the Obsidian had worked out, but it did not bode well for them. Barak had heard rumors that the witches of the outerplane managed to create an elixir allowing them to invoke and control some of the lower order demons from the inworld. That in itself was bad, but the rumor centered on the fact it came from the ground ashes of other demons. Thinking on that bit of information for a moment, Barak grumbled in realization. Without a miracle, their clan never stood a chance, even with him finding his Zi mate.
What seemed like several hours passed with Barak pacing about their cage, wallowing in self-blame. "Rest and save your strength," Adrik said, placing his hand on his commander and friend's shoulder. "Outerplane has a saying that it is not over until the bat woman springs. I do not see springing."
Barak had to chuckle at his friend's mistake, but rather than correct him, he sat down against the heavy bars to rest.
A loud crash and shouting echoed from the floor above, just before a blood-curdling roar split the air. The door at the top of the stairs bust apart, showering the floor with wooden splinters, as a large Obsidian demon was propelled through it and crashed to the ground at the foot of their prison. The fallen male attempted to struggle back to his feet, only to have a female dressed in the military uniform of this plane jumped from the top stair and landed on his chest, driving the blade of a large knife through his heart.
Using the leg of her pants, she wiped the dark blood from her blade and placed it into a sheath at her side before standing and giving them a slow, ponderous look. "Hey, Kat, I think I found your friends. If you're done playing patty cake with that psycho-bitch, we should probably get them out of this cage!" the female yelled before she stared for a long moment at Adrik, who had moved to the front and stared back at her.
****
Katrina held the witch by the hair, her knees against her chest pinning the hissing woman to the floor. When they arrived at the run-down building, she had the feeling they were in for a fight. However, she never imagined they would find not only a crazed and angry witch, but also three large, black demons with bad attitudes, none of which intended to give up the captives they held.
It had been a tense few minutes when the demons sprang at them, swiping and snapping with razor sharp claws and teeth. Luckily for them, male demons, like human men, tended to underestimate a woman. In the end, a few well-placed roundhouses, a strike or two with a cast iron skillet, and the sharp-edged blade Sara had on her side, vanquished the bastards in short order. Which left only one person to deal with — the witch. The woman made a dash for the back door once she realized they were going to lose, and ran headlong into Herron, who sent her sprawling across the floor with a hard push. She understood the Zironet rule about hitting women, though she was certain if one was attempting to kill you, all bets should be off. Either way, when the witch tried to spring back up, Kat had been there to make certain she didn't get far.
Staring at the spitting female who struggled beneath her, Katrina weighed her options. If she killed the witch and embodied her powers, she would make certain the Zironet could remain in the outer plane to search for their mates, thus saving the clan. However, if she did so, that would mean giving up not only her job as an officer, but also losing Barak when she could not journey across the portal with him. In the end, there could be only one real choice.
Grabbing a decorative dagger nearby on the floor, Kat yelled back to Sara who'd called that she found Barak and the others. "I'll be there in a second. There's something I have to do first."
Chapter Eleven
Slicing through the chest of the witch, she pierced her heart and felt the rush of white-hot energy surround her. The small hairs on the back of her neck stood on edge and goose bumps covered her clammy flesh.
"Do you accept me into thee and invoke thy power?" The whisper echoed in her mind, soft like the flutter of butterfly wings.
"I accept you into me as part of what I will become. I, as your host, granted the benefits of your divine gifts." Where the words came from, she did not know — she only understood they were what she must speak. Instantly the energy began to pulsate and move through her, increasing in intensity, until a million colors burst before her eyes like fireworks. Screaming as a sharp pain pierced her body, she collapsed unconscious, the body of the dead witch still beneath her.
Kat awoke back in the soft bed she shared with Barak. Her head throbbed, and she felt as though she might throw up with the slightest movement. The energy coursed through her blood, and she knew she now held the means for the Zironet to survive. Still a sense of sadness plagued her, knowing what she sacrificed. Never had anyone made her feel so desired, protected, or loved. It was the last of these that struck her hardest, because she understood now why she had made such a decision. She loved him. As brief a time as they had shared, she knew with every ounce of her being that this was true.
"Are you well, my Zi-mate?" Barak asked from the chair he'd pulled alongside the bed. From the looks of him, it had been a while since he slept or showered.
"My head hurts and I think I'm going to be sick," she said, covering her eyes with her arm.
"It is the magic that now runs through your body. It will take time for you to adjust," he told her while bringing a cool rag to her face in an attempt to alleviate some of the discomfort. "You have made a great sacrifice for my clan."
"But I won't be able to go with you across the portal," Kat said sadly, peeking at the gorgeous male seated at her side.
"No, but you will be able to allow my brethren to search the outerplane for their Zi. You have made it possible for my clan to flourish rather than face extinction." He moved from the chair and slid into the bed beside her, holding her tightly against his chest.
"But I can't be with you," she stated, moving in tight against him, as though she feared she could never feel his touch again.
"Not in inworld, but I never planned to take you there. I could not ask you to change, and you would have no freedoms there. I had thought to stay here in outerplane with you and serve as a guide for my people." She smiled as Barak brushed a gentle kiss against her head. She could not believe that he would choose being with her over his home.
"We could make a safe house for the Zironet over in the Red Light district. No one would notice us there. I'm certain Sara would help set up security, and I know a guy who deals in false identification," she said optimistically, forgetting about her headache.
"I think that would be a perfect idea," he told her. He moved forward to seal the deal with a kiss, "but your friend has her hands full at the moment with Adrik." He chuckled.
"Adrik and Sara? How is she taking that?" Kat asked in wide-eyed amazement.
"Let's just say she's had him thrown off the military base twice in the past twenty-four hours."
Epilogue
Randy Jones moved the largest of the three crates of contraband weapons into the storage compartment of the small houseboat. This was the last run they would need to off-load the entire stash they stole from the police evidence lockers. Stepping back onto the deck, he nodded to Malcolm Forest before taking his seat and grabbing another cold beer.
"The buyer is to meet us at Shaffer Point. I already plugged the coordinates into the GPS, so we should be there in about an hour," the heavyset arms dealer told him as he took the seat across the table and sat down his wine glass.
"Good," he said, taking a slow sip from his bottle, "I want to lay low until they find Katrina Dash. She already managed to take out the others. But they were all weak, just means a smaller division of assets," Jones said, opening the box on the table and pulling out a cigar. Just then, a loud snap and strange buzzing caught both men's attention, "What the hell—" was the last thing he said as the red and yellow ball of fire engulfed the small vessel.
****
"You do realize that was your last chance of clearing your name?" Sa
ra said as both women leaned against the car, watching the explosion send fiery debris several hundred feet into the air.
"That life was over anyway," Kat told her as the glowing wreck flickered then disappeared as the ocean swallowed it up. "Police work was beginning to leave a bitter taste in my mouth, and the department thinks I died on that boat. Kind of sickening to be associated with those two."
"Yes, well, I'm sure having that sexy male in your bed will make you feel all better," Sara said playfully before they turned to leave.
"It does make life a whole lot more interesting," Kat replied as they climbed into the sports car and left.
The End
About the Author
JL Oiler lives in the mountains of West Virginia with her husband, two children, and boxer. She began writing stories at a young age, but did not begin sharing them until her late teens. Her first release came out in January. When not writing she enjoys the outdoors and teaching
Readers can contact her at [email protected]