by John Corwin
"Who the hell?" someone said.
The gig was up. I turned toward the voice in time to see one of the men on the ledge levelling a rifle my way. I ducked. Blurred forward, and gripped the barrel of the rifle just as he fired. I tore the rifle from his grasp, swung it, and slammed him in the side of the head. He bounced off the curvature of the roof and fell over the side with a fading scream.
The other man with the rifle stood ten feet up the dome. With his precarious balance it took him longer to aim. I didn't give him time. With a shout, I shot a web of Murk at him and jerked, sending him the same route to hell as the first guy. Pat pulled a pistol and shot me.
The bullet slammed into my shoulder, penetrating the damaged armor beneath Gavin's shirt. Searing heat bit into my flesh as the impact drove me back a foot. Unfortunately, I didn't have a foot of ledge behind me and found open air.
Gravity took me in its unforgiving embrace toward the hard, stony ground below. I tried to move my arm. Pain blinded me.
Mom. Elyssa.
I couldn't let them down. Using my other arm, I shot out an aether rope and snagged the side of the building. Willing the coil to stretch, I let myself fall as if on a bungee cord. As I felt the rope go taut, I willed it to collapse. The effort threw me up twenty feet. I shot out another web and caught the lip of the ledge. My injured shoulder slammed against the side of the building. Agony tore through me and I lost my concentration. The rope remained, but without allowing it to stretch, I couldn't slingshot myself upward.
It was time to get creative. I willed the coil to shorten, concentrating my efforts on the center of the rope, lest I accidentally loosen it from the side of the building and send me falling again. The rope dragged me up the side of the building.
As I neared the ledge, I heard Jarvis shouting. "One more row of satchels. Hurry!"
My injured arm was so stiff I could hardly move it. I needed to feed on soul essence to enable my supernatural healing. Despite the searing pain caused by moving my arm, I swung it up and caught the ledge. It hurt so bad I thought I might black out.
Releasing the aether rope, I reached my other arm up. All the weight on my injured side sent consciousness fleeing as black dots danced across my vision. I choked back on a scream and flailed with my other hand. Somehow it found the ledge. Using every last iota of willpower, I pulled myself up. I heard a gasp and saw Pat draw the gun.
"No," I said, and held out my hand, fingers splayed, as if that would stop her from killing me. Instead, something entirely unexpected happened. Her eyes went blank and the gun dropped, clattered down the roof and went over the side. Her left hand rose straight up in front of her. Ultraviolet light spilled from her fingers and into mine. I felt the urge to raise my other arm. Despite the pain, I did so. Her right arm rose in time with mine and milky white essence poured from her other hand and into mine.
Strength roared back. I felt an odd pinching sensation and looked at my right shoulder as the flesh pushed a dented bullet from within the bloody T-shirt. The wound healed. I felt flush with life and ablaze with power.
Pat groaned. Veins strained against her skin. Darkness and light pulsed beneath her skin. I cut off the connection. Her body toppled toward the ledge. I caught her and threw her over a shoulder. There had been too many deaths today. I spotted Jarvis standing on the flat roof adjacent to the dome. He leered and held up a red trigger.
"Too late, boy. You lose."
I opened my mouth to speak but it was too late. His fingers tightened. I had nowhere to go so I leapt the gap toward him, expecting to feel the burn of an explosion behind me. Nothing happened. I landed on the roof, dropped the woman to the surface.
Jarvis cursed like a sailor. I dashed across the open space toward him. He looked up, saw me coming and flicked something on the device. With an evil sneer, he pressed hard on the trigger.
"No!" I sent a beam of destruction. It incinerated the trigger and punched a hole through the man's chest. He went down without a sound as steam boiled from his mouth and nose.
I heard dozens of simultaneous beeps and turned to face the roof. Red LEDs atop the explosives blinked. I simultaneously thought there was nothing I could do, and did something about it anyway. I channeled Murk, scraping explosives off the roof and into a huge bubble just as they detonated. Pressure swelled in my hands as the shield blossomed with fire.
It was too much to contain. Like a boy flinging a live firecracker, I shifted the entire shield. It warped into a sphere boiling with contained energy. I swung it down at the mass of Nazdal and ghouls standing outside the building, and released it. The shield hit the wall of the building below, warping like a soap bubble. The ultraviolet surface cracked. Orange flames spilled from inside like a dying sun. With a tremendous boom, the shield shattered. The explosion demolished half the wing of the fortress and sent remains of monsters scattering like ghastly rain. The side of the quarry caved in, and cracks ran beneath the fortress. I felt the dome shake beneath me. Saw the earth shift a fraction and realized with horror the cliff beneath the arch chamber was crumbling.
If that happened, everyone inside would still die. I hadn't saved anyone, I'd just killed them all.
Chapter 41
I ran to the back edge of the fortress and was about to leap off it when I remembered Dad.
He's gone. I can't save him, but I can still save everyone else.
I had to leave Dad's body. I knew coming back for it later would probably be impossible. His tombstone would be this cursed place.
The ground lay far below. It didn't matter. I jumped. Just before I hit the ground, I shot a coil of ultraviolet Murk at the wall and rode it to the ground.
Not allowing fear to control me, I raced along the back ledge and through the hole in the back of the arch chamber. Two Templars flashed steel at me, then checked themselves when I shouted Elyssa's name.
"She's over there," one said, pointing toward the battlefront. I raced in her direction. A chasm had formed near the front of the cavernous chamber. Nazdal scurried away from the widening gap, trying to get through the exit, but it was jammed with bodies. The creatures fell to their deaths as the ground vanished beneath them. Any enemies trapped on the side with the Templars were quickly dispatched with swords and spells.
A circle of minders hovered near the back of the army. Faceless black warriors—our very own dreamcasted warriors—helped the Templars squash the remaining enemies.
A horn sounded and Templars retreated at a steady pace toward the arch. Arcanes climbed down from their platforms, and joined in the general retreat. The minders broke their loose formation and floated toward the hole in the back of the chamber. One drifted over to me and touched me with a tentacle.
We saved your asses, Minder Justin informed me in a smug voice.
I appreciate it.
Any time. He flashed the mental image of a grin. We're getting out of here before this place collapses. If you're ever in the Gloom again, look me up. We'll grab a beer.
I would have laughed if not for the trembling ground signaling imminent death. I'll be sure to do that.
By the way, Elyssa's minder is hot. I'd totally hook up with her if I didn't lose my free will once you leave the Gloom. With that final pronouncement, my minder drifted after his retreating brethren.
I spotted Elyssa and ran over to her. "This entire place is about to fall into the quarry."
She gripped me in a tight hug. "Oh, Justin. I tried calling you but you didn't answer." She wiped away a tear. "I thought—"
"I'm fine," I said in a brusque voice. But Dad's dead. I told her Jarvis's plan to drop the roof on them.
"I should have known the explosion had something to do with you," she said, sounding proud.
"Yeah but now this entire place is going to take everyone with us." As if to underscore my point, the ground buckled beneath us, and a large chunk dropped into the earth.
"We'll be out of here before that happens," she said.
Templars streamed at top spe
ed through the arch, moving with such order and precision, I dared to believe her. I spotted blonde hair and saw Mom standing next to the arch. Her hand extended toward the rune. It spun from its socket in answer.
"Where are Ivy and Nightliss?" I asked.
"Through the portal already," Elyssa said. "Your mother has prepped the rune for removal. Once everyone is through, she'll remove it."
"And trap herself here?" I shook my head. "Not without me."
"Justin, she has a flying carpet. Even if this entire place collapses—"
"The building will fall right on top of her!" I shouted. "She doesn't have time."
"Alysea!" A woman screamed in a voice that overpowered the sounds of destruction. "Betrayer!"
I spun and saw something right out of nightmares flying across the collapsing chasm. Daelissa had returned.
Mom looked up at her former BFF, and her face blanched.
Daelissa glowed with unholy light. "I'll kill you and your family, you filthy whore!" White hot beams speared from her fingers and into retreating Templars, reducing some to ash. She raked the streams of Brilliance across the back line.
Without thinking, I threw up a wide shield of Murk and blocked her attack. Light washed across my barrier. I felt the heat traveling down my hand and into my arm with a painful jolt. Blazing blue eyes settled on me.
"You insignificant speck!" Daelissa screeched. She pointed a finger and bolt of lightning speared toward me. My shield blocked part of it. A loud crackle nearly burst my eardrums. The blast threw Elyssa and me back onto the floor.
She pointed her finger again. I willed a bolt of my own. Brilliance burst from my finger and met hers. The two forces exploded, sending a disc of destruction shearing into the floor and ceiling. The shockwave shook the chamber and knocked me backwards. A huge chunk of earth near Elyssa dropped into the ever-widening chasm. I saw the dome above Daelissa crumble as she crossed to our side. I aimed a bolt of Brilliance and punched through the weakened structure. It fell toward the crazed angel. Insane as she was, though, she had the presence of mind to throw up a shield and deflect the massive debris.
She couldn't stop it all. A huge curved section of roof slammed to earth right on top of her. A roar went up from the retreating Templars.
"Did you kill her?" Elyssa asked. "I can't believe—"
A scream of pure rage echoed from beneath the section of roof. Granite shrapnel exploded in all directions. Daelissa burst from within, a halo of bright white glowing all around her. I grabbed Elyssa's hand and raced for the arch. The ground tossed and shook. A bolt of lightning blasted the ground just in front of us.
"Hurry!" Mom shouted. "Hurry!"
I made a snap decision as I ran toward her. Another beam of Brilliance nearly turned me to burnt toast. I threw up a shield of Murk behind us, channeling enough energy so it would self-sustain for a few precious seconds. As I raced through the arch, I grabbed Mom and dragged her through after me. The other Templars were already through. I spun. Daelissa streaked toward us on wings of cloudy white. She raised both palms and sent a meteor of Brilliance toward us.
The ground just outside the arch fell into the chasm. The deadly pulsar streaked toward us. Before I could deactivate the portal, chunks of the Shadow Nexus fell to the ground and the gateway winked off. The arch must have broken apart or fallen into the quarry. Daelissa wouldn't be able to follow us.
"I didn't take the rune!" Mom said. "Daelissa—oh god no. She has it. She has it."
"Maybe it fell into the chasm with the arch," Elyssa said.
Ivy raced from a throng of Templars and gripped me in a hug. "Justin, you made it back! I was so worried about you. Well, and our deadbeat father, of course." She looked around "Where is he?"
Elyssa's eyes flashed wide. "Justin?"
The weight of the world seemed to collapse on my shoulders. I slumped. My chest constricted to a knot.
"David?" Mom's mouth dropped open a fraction. She looked around the control room. Templars streamed out of it and into the way station, but of course, Dad wasn't here.
My throat closed and the world blurred with tears.
"Please, no." Mom's voice sounded weak and scared. "Where is he?"
I hugged Mom tight and buried my head on her shoulder. "He's dead, Mom. He died killing the minders."
Her body shook with sobs as she clenched me tight. "No, not David. Please, no."
I wondered how much longer she'd want to hug me after hearing my part in his death. All because I wasn't fast enough. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked at Elyssa. Tears filled her eyes. Pain and anguish tied my insides to knots. I killed him. "It's my fault."
Mom released me and backed away, shaking her head. "Don't blame yourself, Justin."
A wave of anger swept over me. "It's my fault! I tried to save him. I almost had him. I almost had Dad—" I choked on the word. "He let the minders grab him so I could get them inside the disruptor. I didn't pull him out in time before the disruptor went off and—" I could hardly finish the sentence. "It killed him."
Mom looked at me for a long moment. She took my hand in both of hers and squeezed. "It wasn't your fault, son. You did your best, and so did your father. The two of you saved us."
I wiped my face and took a deep breath, hoping to clear the anger and grief from my system for a moment. It didn't help much, but I was willing to take it. Mom's words soothed some of the pain, but not the regret. If only I'd done things differently. If only.
Mom gripped my shoulders. "Justin, you need to stop blaming yourself. It'll only lead you down a dark road. Believe me, I've blamed myself plenty for allowing Daelissa into this world. How do you think it feels knowing all this started because of my stupid curiosity?" She released me and looked away.
"You never would have met Dad if you hadn't activated the Grand Nexus," I said.
A smile flickered across her face. "True, though I don't think my love life was worth wholesale destruction and the enslavement of the entire human race."
Elyssa kissed my cheek. "I'm proud of you, Justin." Her eyes filled with emotion.
I hung my head. "I couldn't save him."
"Your father knew what he was doing. He sacrificed himself for the greater good." She pressed a hand to my chest. "Never, ever, lose sight of that."
Ivy tightened her hug around my waist. "You're a good person, Justin." Tears welled in her big blue eyes. "I kinda wish I'd had a chance to get to know him. He seemed like a cool dad."
"He was, Ivy. He really was." I ran a hand through her hair, choking back more tears. "I need to go back and get his body," I said. "I can't just leave him there."
Elyssa nodded. "I spoke to my father. His troops successfully secured the Exorcist church." Her lips tightened. "We still have access to the Gloom arch, but I don't know how safe it would be to go back to the fortress."
"I don't care." I slashed a hand through the air. "I'll take a carpet and fly to the roof, pick him up, and bring him back."
"I'll go with you," Elyssa said. "We can do it now while it's still night."
"Perhaps we could still retrieve the rune," Mom said. "If it fell into the quarry, it's possible we could reach it before Daelissa."
"Absolutely not," Elyssa said. "It's too dangerous."
"I want to go too," Ivy said. A yawn seemed to catch her by surprise, and her eyelids drooped.
Mom hugged Ivy. "No, daughter. You need to recuperate. You're not used to using so much power." She looked at me. "Be careful, son. Don't take any unnecessary risks."
I kissed her on the cheek. "I will, Mom." I took out my phone and called Shelton.
"Holy butt muffins," he said. "You're alive."
"Yeah." I tried not to sound terse, but it was hard. "I need you to open a portal with the omniarch. I'll send you a picture."
"Everything okay?" he asked, a note of concern in his voice. "Meghan got us patched up so we're ready to go if you need help."
"Just peachy." I didn't feel like talking. I just wanted to retrie
ve Dad's body and bring him home. I hung up and walked through the control room. I thought of looking for Vallaena. She needed to know about Dad, although his death might be a plus for her since she could assume full control over House Slade. I sent Shelton a picture, and a portal opened a moment later.
Elyssa and I stepped through the portal and into the omniarch room in the cellar of the mansion in Queen's Gate.
"What happened?" Shelton asked, a concerned look on his face. "You don't look so good."
"Too much to talk about right now," I said. "We need to go back to the Exorcist church and take care of some unfinished business."
"Alright, kid. Spit it out." Shelton's forehead pinched. "You look like somebody popped your balloon, knocked ice cream out of your hand, and stole your lollipop."
"Dad died, I need to go back to the Gloom to retrieve his body." My voice sounded flat. I felt emotionally exhausted.
A look of sympathy erased his brusque look. "Oh, man. I'm sorry. Anything I can—"
I held up a hand. "No, Shelton. We're good." I turned to the omniarch and, using a picture of the inside of the church, opened a portal to our destination. We stepped through and into the sanctuary. Borathen Templars were all over the place. I noticed the statues the Exorcists had used to ambush us earlier were smashed to bits or knocked off the upper ledges to reveal tunnels in the walls. Elyssa walked over to a Templar and requisitioned a flying carpet from the woman.
She rolled it up under one arm, but said nothing, apparently recognizing my maudlin mood. After speaking to a Templar guarding the Gloom arch, I opened a portal and we stepped inside the shadow world. The air was clear of fog since it was still night in Atlanta. Even though I doubted we had anything to worry about, I rode the carpet like a surfboard about ten feet above street level, using buildings as cover.
Elyssa held onto my waist but remained silent.