Lily harper complete s.., p.258
lily harper - complete series, page 258
All at once, Bill and Mehta came back in the room with Franz in tow. Mantis flew behind them and for once, chose to land on someone other than Bill. The metal bug gently alit on Poly’s shoulder and made gentle buzzing noises while rubbing her cheek.
“Hey, don’t look so flubbergasted,” Bill said, holding up his hand. “Your aura gave off a serious blues-pression I could have seen from Dis, yo.” He jabbed a stubby finger at his pet weapon. “An’ whatever I can see, so can my little pal.”
Looking uncomfortable with all this emotion, Franz cleared his throat and asked, “Will you require anything else of me, Frau Director?”
Poly shook her head before saying, “The background checks are currently running?” At Franz’s nod, she added, “Then tell our newly arrived Soul Retrievers that we will soon be debriefing them, possibly within the next half-hour.”
“Jawohl,” the little man replied before shutting the door behind him.
Mehta gave the proceedings a cockeyed glance. “So how much of the conversation did we just miss?”
After a few minutes of filling her and Bill in, the huntress started pacing around the room, keeping time with Sally. “You know, I do seem to recall certain wards that restrain that kind of energy.”
“And maybe an arch-Druid could supply enough force to contain it indefinitely,” Annice said with scorn. “But as it stands, we both know that the ones we can assemble would only hold it back for a short time.”
“But mayhap long enough ta free everyone an’ keep them safe?” Tallis said, the wheels in his own head turning.
“Doesn’t change the fact that this energy will continue to build,” I pointed out. “Could we maybe redirect it? Possibly toward something that’s already been petrified?”
“Clever ideation, Nips,” Bill told me. “But c’mon, that’s delusional.”
“Afraid Billy’s right,” Sally said with a sigh. “It’d be like asking a wet sponge to soak up the ocean.”
All that talk of water made me think of the stone storms we’d endured on the way in. “What if we aimed the energy toward the sky?”
“Ach! An’ let the clouds soak it back up?” Tallis argued. “That’d be askin’ fer trouble.”
“Not if we aimed at it at a clearing,” I said. “Poly, is there anything in the plans—”
“There is,” Poly said, stabbing the relevant parts with triumph. “Assuming we can find a proper target, we can possibly avoid getting pelted by yet more stones.”
While that issue was being settled, Annice stroked her chin in thought. “We’d still need to customize the wards to get the flow just right.”
“But it could absolutely work,” Mehta concluded triumphantly. She pulled me into a sudden embrace and planted a quick kiss on my cheek. “Annice has the cleverest niece in the whole afterlife.”
Annice gently pulled the huntress back to her. “And I have the kindest woman for the love of my life and death,” she whispered back before giving Mehta a deep kiss and embrace of her own.
Poly frowned again. “Still, I have to wonder how feasible this plan actually is.”
“I thought you wanted to save your sisters,” I said dryly.
“Which we can still accomplish by merely taking their petrified bodies out of Alaire’s greedy claws,” Poly said. “But this plan? I cannot shake the notion that one archangel and seven Muses might be pushing the issue.”
“Well, I, for one, can’t stand the thought of any of them staying in that state for a single second longer than necessary,” Sally asserted. “Can you?”
“I’m with Sal there,” Bill added. Then he looked over at me. “But, uh, y’know, I think our Herald oughtta be the one makin’ the call, yo.”
And just like that, all eyes landed on me. I couldn’t have felt more vulnerable if I were naked. I waited a minute before saying anything. “We’re all here to save the Kingdom and everyone in it. To me, this is just the first step to accomplish that.”
“Despite the added risk?” Poly asked.
“As opposed to what?” I asked rhetorically. “Playing it safe never got me anywhere when I was alive. Better to make a mistake with the best intentions than to act on fear ever again.”
“Aye,” Tallis said with a grin. “Coomes a time when ye gotta stop runnin’.”
We all looked around at each other for a minute. Then Bill said, “Well, looks like the Mission Impossible tape just destroyed itself. What are we waiting for?”
“Oh, that’s easy, Billy,” Sally said. “We have to debrief the Retrievers.”
“Particularly as to the location of the van’s keys,” Poly said with grim determination as she went over to the phone.
TEN
Tallis
A warrior’s life consists of many hard tasks, but the one I found hardest was waiting.
As chaotic, terrifying and treacherous as battle is, it’s also a cathartic release. The critical moments before entering battle can be as trying as clashing with any army. While I’ve come to pride meself on having some patience, lying in wait for the enemy never ceases to be a chore for me.
Our present hiding place was no exception. Lying side by side with me Besom was always a joy, but doing so inside a dumpster? Much less so. We kept the lid open, allowing both of us to peek over the edge and see the AE building across the street. The smell of waste was overwhelming, worse than the foulest, rotting carcass of the Dark Wood. That would have been like a fresh bouquet of wild roses compared to this reeking pong!
“How in the name o’ Bran can we be sure the Muse sisters are still here?” I muttered, keeping me voice low enough to avoid an echo from inside the dumpster.
“All I know is Poly was pretty confident in her tech,” me woman whispered back. “Plus, you heard that same call I did after the debriefing.”
“Ye mean, we heard one side o’ it. ‘Tis unlike Sally ta reserve the details fer what may turn oot ta be important.”
“Well, since Alaire knows we’re here, she was probably just being careful not to tip him off.”
I grunted me agreement. “Even so, ye’d think her inside man coulda tole us when the—”
The outer door suddenly opened and a pack of Lemures marched out. The square formation they quickly fell into made me hackles rise. They reminded me of the Roman legions that overtook me home so long ago. Seeing the horse-hair helmet barely above the mob, I understood why that was so. Sure enough, a man fully armored as an officer of Caesar’s legions moved to the front and began to direct the Void beasts down the street.
A soft hand fell on me forearm before its owner whispered, “Easy, my love, easy.”
I didn’t realize I was gripping me blade as if I were ready to swing it any second. Me fingers felt damned sore as I loosened me grip. “Is that some o’ yer Herald magic figurin’ me oot?”
“Why bother with that when your body language tells the same story?” Besom asked, squeezing me arm. “Can you keep it together long enough for us to do this right?”
At her words, I felt great shame washing over me. In order to protect me love from the worst these neds could throw at her, I had to keep me thoughts on her instead of me revenge. “Do it, Besom,” I said with a voice thicker than normal. She gave me one last squeeze before closing her eyes.
As both of us feared, the Blade of Power on her back began to emit a soft indigo glow. The foul box we were in was tall, so most of the light was contained in the metal walls ‘round us. But the humming that it also emitted was a bigger worry, echoing off the sides louder than was safe. I once more grasped me blade as I looked for any sign that either the Lemures or their Roman commander could hear it. I needn’t have been concerned for their own footfalls were loud enough to drown it out. And that fool officer was far too concerned about the statues carried off by the center members of the pack.
Oy! Watch it, ya plank!” an Englishman’s voice rang out from the center. “That’s valuable property, ‘tis!”
The Roman looked at the voice’s source with obvious disgust. “Is there a problem?”
“Well, aside from maybe droppin’ one o’ them stone birds ‘ard enough ta break ‘em? Nah, guv, no problem ‘tall! Not a fing!”
The legionnaire held up his fist, halting the formation. “Did they actually drop one of them?”
“Dunno fer sure but ‘tis ‘ard ta tell with this box o’ toys rattlin’ about.”
Me lips curled into a smile as I watched this pair of dunderheads bickering. If they stayed in the same place long enough, we’d easily have the chance we needed to get what we came for. No one would expect any outside threats now.
The waning blue light allowed me to see Besom when her eyes opened. “What’d I miss?”
I tilted me chin at the Void beast crowd the Roman was wading through. “One o’ their gaffers thinks the Void beasts got a case o’ butter fingers.”
She pressed her lips as tightly as I was gripping me blade. “Did they?”
“Cannae say from here.”
She began rubbing her face like she was wiping off something awful. “Wish Bill were here to tell us for sure.”
“Ach, we’ll find oot soon enough… assumin’ it went well with ye jist now.”
A high-pitched shriek came from the sky and a wicked grin shone on Besom’s face. “See for yourself.”
I actually smelled them before I saw the first one. The stench of Griffin shite was unmistakable, no matter how far away it were. A second later, a tangle of feathers and claws slammed into the Lemure at the front right corner. A dismayed clicking arose as it fought back against the monster slicing it up before the rest of its flying pack joined the aerial stampede. The Void beasties broke formation completely as soon as they caught wind of their natural enemies. The Roman and Englishman tried to maintain order but to no avail.
The sharp whistle of an arrow flew through the air before it found its target, specifically, the legionnaire’s neck. He barely had enough time to look shocked at getting hurt before he toppled towards the ground. He faded out of sight completely before hitting the ground, already on his way to Shade.
“Bollocks!” the Englishman cried out just as another arrow whistled past him before landing in his chest. The gurgling noise he made prompted me to leap out of the dumpster and draw me blade in a fluid motion. Besom’s blade was once more glowing blue when she did likewise, and both of us rushed into battle.
Despite their broken morale, we didn’t have a hope in hell of beating these bastards. The best we could do was carve our way through them to get to the petrified sisters they were escorting. Thankfully, the light from Besom was intense, making every one of them big bugs avoid us. If they got too close, we fed them me own steel or Besom’s. Mantis’s arrows struck the ones ahead of us, helping us carve out the path we needed to get to our prize.
Soon enough, we were at the center with the Muses, who were cast aside like unwanted dolls thrown out by cruel children. Which wasn’t too far from the truth. Besom’s Herald light did a lot to push the Lemures away, as did the Harpies still ripping and tearing their way through the hardened carapaces. I spotted more than one bird-woman getting thrown to the ground, followed by agonized cries of death. Soon, there were only four from the original Harpy flock, and I wondered if our ride was getting close.
A loud horn sounded in the air just a second before the big white van smashed its way through the oversized bugs. Formidable as the Lemures were, not one of them could match the strength of a huge vehicle plowing into them. Besom did her best to pick the statues up when the van came to a halt in front of us.
The side panel slid open and we saw Sally, waving us inside. “Get them in!”
A quick look around indicated that was easier said than done. Despite Bill’s steady shots from Mantis, many of them Lemures stayed up and about. And the Harpies were just about spent from all the fighting. We needed more time. But who could give us that?
“Buaidh na bas!” I yelled out before charging into the thick of Void beasts. I gave the nearest one a head butt that rattled me teeth before slicing another in two on me right. Old battle songs rose from me lips as I continued to plow me way into them. It was the release I’d been craving for far too long. Even without Donnchadh, I was more than a match for the likes of them. They were mere beasts from a place that was naught. I was a respected Scotsman with a cause to fight for once again.
A sharp spike tore at me left side, and I cried out as I sliced off the offensive barb. Another one went into me back, lifting me off the ground as the tip drove deeper inside me. I roared with fury and kept swinging me sword at the fools that got within me reach. I was high enough to see the last surviving Harpy desperately holding her own against our shared enemies. She was as wild and fierce as any berserker, slashing out with her talons no matter how many tried to clutch her. Her screams echoed off the fabricated canyons around us, in a final dirge of defiance that dared the ruthless killers to do their worst. Above her, I spotted a flock of winged beasts descending. No doubt, these were true Griffins or, worse yet, Seraphim, coming to finish the job. I looked at the Harpy and she locked her fierce eyes on mine. In that instant, we conveyed an understanding between us. We knew we were about to be slain and neither of us would have it any other way. I watched Lemure claws finally drag her under, swallowing her whole in their throng of nightmares.
A bright burst of blue light erupted behind me just before the claw that held me let go and I fell to the ground. The pain of me wounds was enough of a jolt to launch me back on me feet. When I glanced up, me heart leapt with joy to see the latest visitors coming towards us. A fresh wave of Harpies swooped over the Lemures, slashing away at the insects before soaring higher than bugs’ claws could reach them.
“Goddammit, would you get in here?” Besom’s outraged voice squealed above the din. I ignored me wounds in order to run to her. Falling into the van, me head barely missed the stone feet of one of the Muses. The door slammed shut behind me, followed by a pair of hard raps on the inner door.
“Go, Poly, go!” Sally exclaimed.
The van took off once again, and the sound of the beasties being run over and trying to get away was a cacophony that made all of us smile. Every jolt from the ride came with a fresh spike of pain though and I had to clench me teeth to keep from yelling. Taking a deep breath through me nose, I started reciting a healing spell I’d learned long ago. More pain followed when me flesh began to pull itself back together, binding skin to skin once more. It hurt almost as bad as the original wound but I grimaced and finished the spell. Slowly, the pain faded and that’s when I realized I no longer heard any banging from outside.
A harsh slap on the face gave me cheek a fresh pain to winge about. “What were you thinking, you stupid man?” Besom asked me, her voice nearly breaking in tears. Throwing her arms around me, she grabbed me chest as though her life depended on it. I returned her hug. “Ah had ta do somethin’, Besom,” I told her. “Ye all right?”
Her tear-stained face and glistening eyes looked up at me. “Now I am.” Then she blinked and her eyes seemed more worried again. “Bill…”
“I see him up ahead,” Poly called out from behind the wheel. Her voice was so calm, she could have been talking about a lost file in her office. The van pulled over to the right before coming to a halt. Sally flung the door open, and there stood the stookie angel with his trusty bow. I glimpsed a Harpy departing behind him, and Bill gave her a quick wave.
“Yeah, smell ya later!” he yelled before taking Sally’s hand. Once he got inside the van, the bow changed back into Mantis and Sally slammed the door closed again.
Besom gave our resident pain-in-the-arse a sweet hug before pointing at our liberated captives. “Are they all okay?”
Bill squinted hard to view their auras. After a few tense moments, he relaxed and said, “Well, being stuck in a rock like that ain’t my idea of ‘okay’. But, yeah, no heavy violations I could detect.”
Sally sank to the van floor in relief.
“Hey, hey, keep it together, kiddo,” the stookie angel said. “The scary part’s over. Now we just gotta cure ‘em, right?”
Mantis jumped onto Sally’s arm and buzzed its encouragement. Sally sniffled before saying, “I know, Billy. It’s just, oh, I don’t know… if anything had gone wrong...”
“Never mind that, Thalia,” Poly said in a firm but sympathetic voice. “Assuming that Annice and Mehta did their job, they shall all be free soon enough.”
Everyone was accounted for, so Besom got up off the floor and joined Poly in the passenger seat. “How far away are we?”
Poly glanced down at the map in her lap. “Roughly four blocks. I daresay your pet predators definitely bought us some time.”
I looked at the back doors of the van as though I could see our opponents behind us. “Mayhap it’ll be enough time to keep us from further harm,” I muttered.
###
It wasn’t long before Poly drove the van under a familiar arch. The false fountain babbled in the courtyard but there appeared to be something bloody lying right in front of it. When Poly gradually slowed to a halt, I wasted no further time. Opening the panel door swiftly, I kept me sword at the ready. A fine blade blocked me path, however, before Besom pushed her way forward.
“Ya cannae be serious, woman,” I grumbled from behind her. “If somethin’ were ta happen ta ye…”
“Not likely anything will, brother,” Mehta replied before she walked over to the other side of the fountain. She went directly to the unknown corpse. Now that I could see it, I realized it was a dead Griffin. Three arrows were lodged in its heart and a couple more impaled its exposed side.
“Annice?” Besom called out, peering her way around the machine.
“Over here, darling,” her aunt replied. “Just finishing the last wards we’ll need.”
I knelt down and took a closer look at the fallen flying beast as Annice pulled the arrows from its side. “If only it had remained with the rest of them instead of surrendering to its curiosity, it might have survived.” She shook her head as she examined the unfortunate beast. “But it’s too late for that now.”
