by J L Lawrence
She briefly read an image from Gregory’s mind, that they were also concerned about how much power they could use, not wanting to attract another set of demons and become truly outnumbered. She shuddered as she watched furniture, collectibles, tables, and anything else in their path become destroyed. She kept her focus on Xander. Ready to help whenever needed.
* * *
Xander had the leader. He glanced at Gregory, who had the other two in his sights. Xander ducked. The demon’s blade narrowly missed his shoulder. He returned a front kick that sent him flying. These incredibly fast creatures were also highly skilled assassins. The Omega had sent out his best for Kate. Not a good indicator of what else was probably on its way. The red eyed demon returned within seconds, trying to get to Kate. Their blades met in a battle of wills.
Xander tried to stay connected to Gregory, so he could stay focused on all the demons. His main goal was to protect Kate at all costs, but he also had to conserve his powers. They had a long way to go, and he couldn’t be weakened. Gregory was highly frustrated, avoiding kicks and punches, as well as fighting off their swords. Every time Xander or Gregory gained an advantage, the tables would turn before they could make the kill.
“Xander ...” Gregory’s thoughts came through. “We’ve got to go offensive and end this before we attract too much attention. We’re not exactly being quiet or even winning for that matter. And where the hell is Xavier?”
“He is protecting our magical traces and rerouting them so we don’t get any more visitors. You’re right, this isn’t going to end any time soon without changing the dynamics.” Xander couldn’t read Kate’s thoughts, but through Angie he knew they were ready to fight. One thing he could do was open and project his own thoughts into Kate’s mind. “Kate ...” He directed his energy so she could pick up his thoughts, while avoiding getting killed.
Kate briefly met his eyes “What can we do?” she whispered.
Xander paused momentarily to force his opponent back once again. These were some cocky little suckers. “With limited movement, we can only do so much. If we move to kill these things, we run the risk of one breaking through. Can you handle it long enough, if you have to fight?”
She stiffened. “Of course, we’ll hold our own.” Xander swore he could hear the straight pride in her voice. She better be ready. It was time to end this.
* * *
Kate couldn’t tell who’d been doing what at this preternatural speed. The fighting became more intense. The clash of swords and grunts of pain as blows landed overpowered everything. Xander had been right. When Gregory went for the kill shot on one of his opponents, and Xander went for his, the third demon slipped through and launched at her. Because Xander and Gregory had re-engaged their opponents, they wouldn’t be coming to the rescue any time soon.
Since she’d already mapped out a plan while watching the guys fight, she was ready. She connected mentally to Angie and sent it to her. They both had guns tucked into the back of their waist band.
As the demon approached, they drew their weapons, and Kate hoped for a miracle. The creature quickly knocked the weapons out of their hands. She ducked out of the way of his sword and aimed a strong kick at his midsection. It didn’t seem to slow him down, but his ugly face revealed his surprise that she was fighting. These idiots didn’t know who they were messing with. With a smirk, he lunged at her.
She narrowly jumped out of the way and turned to take the demon’s feet out from under him. Time seemed to stand still.
Angie grabbed her weapon. She shot the creature from behind, to get his focus off Kate. When the demon turned to lunge at Angie, Kate grabbed her ceremonial sword from the wall and sliced through its neck. The body burst into flames, like it had been thrown into an incinerator and, with an explosion of smoke, it was gone.
Only a pile of ash remained.
Breathing hard, Angie looked at her gun. “Well damn! This is the first time I’ve ever wanted to toss my gun and embrace the sword. By the way,” she glanced at Kate who was also out of breath, “thanks for dragging me to the weaponry classes at the dojo.” She exhaled and leaned against the wall.
Gregory grinned at Xander and put his arm around Kate. “Your girl bagged her first demon.” He sniffed and mockingly wiped at his eyes. “It’s a Kodak moment.”
Kate shrugged him off, but Angie glared at him. “A real smart ass, aren’t ya?”
Gregory shamelessly grinned again. “Born and bred!”
Once they’d all taken their moment to deal with everything, Kate sheepishly glanced at Xander and Gregory. They were covered in cuts and blood from the fight. She felt torn. Part of her wanted to apologize for being a pain and for being wrong, but part of her wanted to slap him for not telling her sooner. Pride. A huge sin to overcome, and she had it in spades.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders. “I want to apologize to everyone for being slow to believe and putting everyone at risk. A part of me knew you were telling the truth, and I could see the honest intentions in your aura. I wanted it to not be true. I’m afraid I gave into that selfish part of myself and had a little denial going on.”
When Xander still didn’t respond, she walked closer to him and looked into his eyes. “Look, I’m still not saying I believe everything, but I do know I’m being hunted. We’ll go to your safe location and sort all of this out. Truce?” She held out her hand and waited.
Sighing, Xander gripped her hand, but Kate knew she hadn’t been forgiven. “There are more on the way. This was a small posse that got lucky. They may have communicated our position. We need to move quickly. Grab a few necessities and we’re outta here.”
For once, Kate held her tongue and didn’t argue. She grabbed her emergency pack that she always kept in the closet and threw Angie hers. “So what do we do from here?”
Gregory scanned the room, taking in the damage. “Scouter demons are basically assassins sent to find their mark—which is you, Kate. That’s why I was telling you we had to get out of here.”
Angie stabbed her finger into Gregory’s chest, getting fired up in Kate’s defense, but he held up his hands “I know, I know, back down, Cujo. This city is full of innocent victims, and the Scouters don’t care if they kill every single one to get to the Mystic. We can’t allow demons to run rampant through the city.”
Xander’s face clouded over, and he looked far away. “Xavier shielded the majority and threw the scent,” he said to Gregory. “But it will only buy us a little time before we get hit with the next wave. We’ve got to move quickly if we want to survive.”
“Who is Xavier?” Kate asked wearily. She’d reached her breaking point.
“He’s my twin. He keeps to the shadows dealing with his own personal demons, but watches over us vigilantly and provides an extra layer of protection for you. He was blocking the energy we used, both ours and the demons, to avoid us attracting further attention. He’s using our essence to lead the next pack across town, but it won’t be long before they figure it out. These are highly trained assassins like we’ve never seen before, which just made our travel plans a lot more challenging.”
“Of course, Xander and Xavier. There should be a law against naming twins almost identical names. As if looking the same wouldn’t cause enough chaos.” She’d been snide and a bit childish, but in her opinion, she’d earned the right to be a little pissy.
Gregory leaned back and stretched his neck, his own frustration evident. “Ladies, we’ve got to move a little faster, if you please. We don’t want the second round of our beauty contestants coming to visit anytime soon.” Kate and Angie rolled their eyes at his attempt at humor. “Let’s go. We’ll drive out of the city to a safe remote location.”
After years of waiting and searching, Kate had finally started getting answers, and they were not what she wanted to hear. With the information pouring in, she’d eventually face a demon much worse than what she saw tonight, and it would be her responsibility alone, to win a demonic war, or plunge the
world into darkness. First, she had to become the Mystic. How was that going to work? What would happen to her? Who the hell wanted that destiny? She most certainly did not!
Xander had basically told her she’d gain more powers, have to train for battle, and learn all these new things in a new world. She felt stuck in a Harry Potter movie, and someone had delivered her letter way too late.
She looked back at Xander “Where will we go, if they’re tracking every move we make. How do we hide?”
“We will travel mostly at night when the majority of the demons will be searching for us, so we are constantly moving and harder to track. We’ll sleep as much as possible during the day. Scouter and assassin demons can only operate in the dark and are adept at tracking magical traces. Especially if they are confined to one area. We cannot risk sitting still and hoping they don’t trace us. Although we can still expect some attacks during the day, they should be minor in comparison, and much easier to kill since they will mostly be humans under the control of demons.
“Xavier will be watching to give us a warning. We will try to stick to large state parks, farm lands, and other less populated areas, to lessen the likelihood of innocents being involved. We may go into a city, if we need to get lost in a crowd, but we can’t stay long and risk the humans.”
“I’m human,” Kate muttered. She took a deep breath, feeling overwhelmed and defeated.
“Not for much longer,” Xander said, and she glared back at him. Gregory rolled his eyes and grinned. “We have ways of getting other things you need along the way, if you forget anything.”
Opening the door, Xander glanced over his shoulder toward Gregory. “Is the car ready?” Gregory nodded in return.
Kate stepped out of her apartment, struck with an overwhelming feeling this would be the last time she’d ever see it. Her heart shattered. She finally admitted to herself that the normal life she craved was only a dream. She’d just been bitch slapped by reality.
Chapter 4
While driving toward their new destination, Xavier broke into Xander’s thoughts. “The demons have broken off the fake trail. They haven’t latched onto your new location yet, but it looks like they’re heading out of the city, which I honestly can’t explain. I’ve never seen them break off from a trail this early.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Why would they leave a big city with a hot trail, without a solid trail to follow?”
“Beats me, it’s like they were notified she left, but not where she’s going. Weird. I guess it’s possible they have a Seer of their own that the Council can’t block.”
Xander stretched his back and flexed his hands over the steering wheel, going over the possibilities in his mind. It didn’t add up. “Micah would know, wouldn’t he?”
“Who knows? Things have blocked his vision before, but something doesn’t feel right. I’m leaning toward insider or possibly a spy that is tracking one of you. The demons are smarter this time,” Xavier said with hesitance.
“That’s impossible. Micah would definitely see that, and they wouldn’t be able to enter the Meadows. No one else even knows her whereabouts to be that kind of an informant.” Xander knew Xavier was trying to look at all possibilities, but they had enough evil to fight without accusing the good guys.
“Xavier, we don’t need any more conspiracy theories. The battle has always lined up as it should, and there is no history of a traitor or spy. Focus on the demons and keep them off us, or warn us. I know you’ve already read my thoughts from the fight. You saw what I saw, and so did Gregory. The assassins carried his mark. Fury is their leader, and my guess is he still holds a grudge that you and I condemned him. He can only serve the underworld now.” Xander hated to sound so condescending, but his brother had been in and out of the shadows for over twenty years. He needed to come out and face reality. Fury was the threat, and a powerful one at that.
“You stupid prick! I realize you think because I haven’t been fully in your world for several years that I don’t understand things. You forget all that can be seen in shadows, and how potent a weapon it can be. I’ve got news for you, you need to pull your head out of your ass and realize there are traitors everywhere. We are not immune any more than anyone else, and who are you to say there has never been a traitor. Maybe they have just never been caught. There’s a difference. And I’m not stupid; of course I saw the mark. He’s still alive because we couldn’t kill him the first time.”
Xavier sighed and continued, “I’m tired of dealing with your thick skull. Be careful. Your camp area is clear. Stick to the areas that have a camouflaging spell. Demons are still trying to pick up the trail, and you know Fury is very good. You should have the day to sleep. Most of the scouters are full demons and can’t travel during the day. The others you can handle, and they won’t be able to break through the protective spells.
“When the sun starts to set, the demons will be ready to head your direction. Your site is in a state park two hours from here. By the way, don’t forget I’m fully connected to you through our twin link, so I can read your thoughts at will. Try to keep your condescending crap better protected.”
“Xavier, thanks for everything.” Xander paused “I know I don’t understand what you’re going through, but you never gave me a chance to try.” He sighed inwardly, realizing Xavier had faded back into the Shadows and broken off communication. Xavier hadn’t been that angry at him in long time. He guessed some emotion was better than none.
The rest of the drive, he went over and over what Xavier had said. Could there be a traitor who had the ability to scrape the surface of evil and stay clean? Could someone have been tracking Gregory or himself, knowing they would be with the Mystic? He hoped not. If someone could stay off the radar, they would be nearly impossible to catch, and Kate would never be safe. If she died, he died.
When he finally pulled into the parking lot, his head ached from all of the theories circling endlessly. His greatest concern was that it would be impossible to keep Kate and Angie safe from the most feared team of assassins in all the realms.
While they had blocked Fury’s entrance through the portals to most realms, he had made his home in the Human and Hell realm, recruiting minions and torturing humans who held true traces of power. He possessed many powers similar to Xander and others that served on the Council. Fury would be difficult to beat, but maybe they could contain him or get to the Meadows in time.
The moment he shut off the car, Kate sat straight up. She’d been incredibly jumpy, and not being able to read her mind was infuriating. He didn’t need that particular power to know she wasn’t planning to trust him anytime soon. He wanted to hate her, but was drawn to her spirit and loyalty. If his stupid tattoo would quit glowing and ripping apart his flesh, he would probably be more tolerant to her mood swings and pigheadedness. Instead, he was a ticking time bomb, dependent on her ability to accept her new destiny. Yeah, my future is looking bright.
“Where are we?” Kate finally asked. She opened the door and stretched her body.
“At a state park in West Tennessee. Gregory called ahead and booked a room. It is pretty isolated, so not many bystanders, just in case. We will hang out here for today and move to another site tonight. I realize you have a million questions, and that is completely understandable. But for now, I say we get settled and get some rest.” Gregory had checked them in, so Xander led them to their room. All he wanted was a few minutes to clear his head.
“May I ask why we’re all piling into one room?” Angie asked. She had been unusually quiet, though he had kept tabs on her thoughts. She wasn’t ready to run, but she wanted answers. He wasn’t sure he had them all for her.
“Safety. If anything happens, we are all together and can run fast. Plus, as long as we stay close to each of you, we can use simple shields to confuse any of the minions that may try to track us. That being said, before you decide to throw any more hissy fits, you will have to sleep next to us.” Xander could have counted on one hand the seconds
before the girls started mouthing. They didn’t get the whole concept of dying by the demons’ hands.
He watched their mutinous expressions and crossing of the arms. Something snapped inside him. He had endured enough. He flung back the covers, lifted both of them off their feet, and dumped them in the beds. They stared at him, too stunned to speak. He glared back. “Any questions? I thought not. Shut up and get some sleep.”
He turned to storm off, but found Gregory standing behind the bathroom door laughing his butt off. “Nice. Real smooth delivery and excellent trust building exercise. I was riveted.”
“Shut up. I’m going to do a perimeter check and get some damn space.” He didn’t care if he was being a jerk. Although, it probably didn’t exactly win him points toward her saving his life. He stepped outside in the cool breeze and pushed the emotions aside.
* * *
Furious, Kate jumped up to chase after Xander, but Gregory caught her around the waist. “You actually do have the right to be a little upset this time. I’ll give you that, but try to understand. He was given this mission to protect you at birth, which was one hundred and fifty years ago. Then, he knew when you were born, but not where. We have spent the last twenty-eight years searching for you and trying to protect our people along the way. He carries a huge responsibility, and so do you.”
She took several deep breaths and tried to digest what he’d told her. Xander’s resentment toward her made a little more sense now. He’d sacrificed a lot of his life. Still, she hadn’t exactly asked for this. And how old did he say he was? “Xander mentioned earlier negative energy feeding the demons, what did he mean?”
Gregory shrugged, but finally answered as he ushered her back toward the bed. “Basically, all the crimes, evil acts, selfishness, all the negative things in the world produce a negative energy that demons funnel down and eventually build up enough to break through the seal of the portals. When--”
“So you’re saying,” Angie interrupted, “all the bad crap that happens here in our world feeds the demons? Have you seen the news lately?” She shook her head in amazement. “Well, we’re screwed every which way.”