Thursday, July 9, 2015

Walking Shadows Book 2 Chapter 26. Ian

“It ends today, Caelus. I will take you again. I will carry you back for judgment. With good behavior, your sentence may only be a few more thousand years.”

Caelus screamed, his voice echoing across the rocks. He charged towards Phoebe. A blade of dark energy formed in his hand. Phoebe threw up her own blade to stop him. The two blades flashed as they struck. Phoebe stumbled back from the blow.

Hidden from view by his own illusion, Ian looked down at his hands. Phoebe knew exactly what she needed of him. But he wasn’t sure he could do it again. He still remembered Doppelganger. He still remembered how good it felt as he sucked the kidnapper’s life away. He wasn’t sure he could contain himself, not against someone with Caelus’s levels of power.

I don’t have a choice, he told himself, but he knew it wasn’t true. Phoebe said they could not stand against Caelus any other way, but he knew he could do nothing. He could slip away, walk from the fight. He could leave Cyrus, Marilyn, Alli and the others to death at Caelus’s hands. He really didn’t know them that well. He could just find his way out, back to the world. Other men or women could stop Caelus.

I can’t leave them to die. The thought hit Ian like a brick. He felt like he should be able to go. He should be able to abandon anyone. That something inside him was used to doing just that. Maybe it was a memory of the past or just some kind of sense memory. He wasn’t sure, but he knew it was wrong.

I have to stay and fight. I have to help. Even if it costs me everything.

He took a deep breath and remembered Phoebe’s plan. He silently counted to three. Then he ran, but not away. He charged straight towards Caelus.

As he leapt into the air, Ian only had one thought.

I sure hope this works.

He landed against Caelus’s back. He threw his hands around the freak’s neck and head. He felt the energy below the Godkiller’s skin. He felt it surging through Caelus’s veins. Every ounce of his body craved it.

Ian closed his eyes and let it all flow into him. It screamed through his frame like lightning. Beautiful perfect lightning. It burned his veins, ignited every nerve ending. He loved it, never felt more alive. He couldn’t imagine a high ever as great as this one. No orgasm, no thrill and no drug could ever compare.

Ian let the illusion fade around him. The desert of Elsewhere faded into the ether Ian pulled it from. He didn’t need it anymore. He had everything he needed draining into his veins.

“Ian, get ahold of yourself and get away!”

Phoebe’s words broke him from his revelry. His eyes shot open. He could feel the halo of energy around his skin. It surged around him, strengthened him and intoxicated him. But he remembered the plan. He couldn’t take any more of Caelus’s power.

He released the Godkiller and dropped back to the ground.

“No!” Caelus screamed. “It will not end this way!”

He turned his attention to Ian. Ian met the Godkiller’s eyes. He could tell Caelus knew his energy levels waned. The Godkiller knew what Ian had done. But the sudden drain of his energy was purposeful.

Caelus raised his blade, ready to strike down Ian and regain his power.

He never even saw it coming. Ian watched the slice of blue energy rip out of Caelus’s heart. The Godkiller’s eyes widened. The blue faded.

Ian only had time to roll out of the way before the body dropped to the ground.

Ian pulled himself to his feet. His body still surged with power. But the power made him afraid. He backed away from the others as they closed around Caelus.

“Is he dead?” Marilyn’s words echoed across the emptiness of Hades. Ian still couldn’t quite believe they were in some mythical hell, but the army of the undead and the unconscious death god made it seem clear.

“He’s left this body,” Phoebe said. “But I wasn’t able to contain him. The spirit of Caelus cannot be killed, not by any means known to this galaxy. He’s out there somewhere and he will strike again.”

“If he’s not a fool, it won’t be here.” Cyrus’s words echoed across the field. He turned to the other woman there, the one Ian could only guess was Persephone. “Mother, will father be alright?”

The goddess bent down by the still body of her husband. She rested a hand on his shoulder. “He is greatly weakened, but he will live. But his control over this realm is already dangerously shattered.”

Phoebe looked at Ian. “His power is not lost, only moved. Caelus tried to leech it away, but we’ve taken back from him.”

Ian could see the grim expression on Marilyn’s face as she turned to him. He could feel her judgment. I killed again. For good or bad, they see me as just a murderer.

Phoebe walked to him and took Ian by the hand. He tried to pull away from her, but she held him fast.

“You won’t hurt me, Ian. But you can help me. You just need to trust me.”

She led him over to the prone body of Pluto and the goddess next to him. Phoebe bent down. Ian leaned over next to her. He watched her put her hand beneath Pluto’s dark cloak.

His body suddenly shook against his will. He could feel his muscles spasm as the power was pulled from them. He didn’t know how, but Phoebe was pulling the energy he took from Caelus back into the god.

In just a matter of seconds, it was over. Pluto’s glowing yellow eyes were open and Ian could barely keep his feet under him. Phoebe bent over to support him.

“Lord Hades,” she said. “It is good to see you well. Now can you free us from this death realm?”

He rose suddenly from his prone position. And with one swipe of his arm, the land of the dead faded around them.

Ian’s vision blurred at the sudden change of scenery. He was used to his own illusions, but this was entirely different. This was a shift from one realm to another. He began to think this was becoming far too common in his life. Teleporting, dimension hopping, escaping intergalactic prisons: it seemed a strange way to live life.

Pluto walked to his wife’s side as the manor lawn appeared all around him. Phoebe took a moment to make sure the world met her approval. Then she turned her attention to the prone Alli. She bent over her still body and placed a hand on her neck.

“Her breathing is steady. She’s went through trauma, but whatever hold her captor had over her is gone. With a little stimulation—” Her hand glowed blue for just a second. Alli slowly blinked her eyes open.

Alli stared up into Phoebe’s eyes. She seemed confused. Ian figured she remembered the attack on her, but Phoebe’s warm smile didn’t fit the monster that turned on them not that long ago.

Marilyn rushed to her fallen lover’s side. Alli’s eyes were drawn away from Phoebe as Marilyn reached her side. They quickly embraced. They mumbled thankful expressions to one another as they held each other tight.

The staff retinue rushed in on them, dozens of them. Several took Melinoe’s still prone form and rushed her away.

“Cyrus, come,” Persephone said. “Bring your human friends. We have much to talk about and I suspect the dining room will be far more accommodating.”

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