A/N: I see no reason to set this up! Enjoy!
Chapter 8: The Night Queen
Edom drove his SUV outside of Sleepy Hollow, following Gate as he led him to Desdemona and, hopefully, to where Abbie was being held. His mind went to how all of this was his fault. The news of Golan had been in Sleepy Hollow on the orders from Migron did leave him more than a little disturbed. He should've been faster or, rather, he should've known that Desdemona would be up to more than simply unleashing the Bound One to cause simple destruction. Edom knew he had to make this right and he would. He would save Abbie then deal with his other failures.
After nearly two hours of driving, Edom followed Gate as they went off of the main road and into another forest. He stopped in the woods where Gate was waiting for him. He looked around and felt several demons not far from where they were. He got out of the car and looked at Gate, who nodded to confirm that Desdemona was nearby. Edom walked to the trunk of the SUV opened it up and removed the bottom covering to reveal a small weapons cache. He grabbed a revolver, a bolo knife, a Bowie knife, and a sawed-off shotgun known as a lupara. He put on a leather holster, placed the revolver underneath his left arm, the Bowie knife at his right side, the bolo knife at his back, while he opted to carry the shotgun.
They walked for another mile until they came to even older looking house than Sir Book's, where Edom's journal was hidden. Edom could feel the evil so strongly, he could practically taste it.
"Gate," Edom said.
Gate looked up at him.
"Watch from here. If I don't come out in three hours, go get Jennifer. She'll know what to do if she sees you without me. Then, Gate, and this is the most important part, you come back here and fight with everything you've got and save Abigail. Do you understand?"
Gate nodded.
Edom nodded, "Okay." He placed his hand on Gate's head. "God be with you, my friend. God be with us all." He looked back at the house and walked toward it.
Abbie looked at the face of Desdemona, who appeared human. Abbie knew better, though; there was probably quite a bit of ugliness covered by the fake beauty. Abbie could feel the evil radiating off of Desdemona. It felt almost as deep as the darkness that was surrounding them.
"Such strong fire in your eyes," Desdemona said. "You must be a fierce warrior."
Abbie didn't say anything.
"But you must be broken. And I will break you."
"Do your best," Abbie replied. "Better than you have tried and failed."
"Oh?" Desdemona chortled. "Is that so? Maybe you will show me the strong warrior you are. That is, when you're not playing chambermaid to Ichabod Crane."
"I'm nobody's chambermaid."
"No. More like slave."
"I damn sure am not a slave!"
"Really? Do you not drive him everywhere? Have to teach him to live in this world?"
"I'm his…" Abbie stopped. She took a breath. "I'm his friend. His partner."
"But yet you pause? Do you not know what you are?"
"I'm his friend!"
Desdemona laughed again. "Are you even sure you're that?"
"You don't know anything about us!"
"Think so?" Desdemona smiled.
Abbie saw Desdemona's smile stretch further than it should have and saw her teeth were actually fangs.
"Let us find out. Shall we?"
Ichabod awakened with a start and looked around, dazed. He felt a slight headache as he had a nightmare that Abbie was in trouble. But he wasn't sure if was a nightmare or something happening right now. He saw Jenny sitting in the chair. "Jenny," he said, weakly.
Jenny looked up, "Crane?" She got up and went over to him. "Did you need something? I can get the nurse."
"I do not require a nurse." He struggled until he sat up. "I need to know the Leftenant is safe."
"Edom's on his way to get her. You know he won't come back without her."
Ichabod ran his hands over his face as he thought for a while. He lowered his hands. "Do you recall… how we almost lost her to Pandora's Box?"
Jenny nodded.
"I was so frightened. It was her in the Catacombs all over again. But… so much more permanent."
"Yeah, it was scary."
"I can't imagine life without her. How could I ever live in a world without her?"
She smiled. "How could either of us?"
"I cannot lose her. Not now, not ever. Not when there's so much I need to say." He looked at Jenny. "You're right. Edom's right. I do love her. More than anything. And I have been afraid to say it. Afraid of her rejection, afraid of failing her, afraid of not being the man she deserves, afraid of all that could happen, that can still happen." He stopped for a while. "I've… even been afraid of the possibility of being in love. Katrina's betrayal has left me… fearful in that arena."
Jenny grabbed her chair and pulled it closer to the bed, "No one can blame," she sat down. "Abbie's scared, too."
Ichabod's eyes widened. "She told you?"
"She didn't have to. I know my sister. When she wants something, she goes for it. And only one thing ever stops her and that's fear. She doesn't get it often but she does get it. We both have a lot of experience with it."
"Let us hope that Edom is successful. For all of our sakes."
She smiled. "No, I don't think we need to worry. Edom's got this."
"You have certainly come to trust him quite a bit in recent weeks. You and Joe have become close with him."
"It's hard to explain. It's like… he looks out for all of us. He's like an older brother or…"
He nodded, "Or like a father."
She paused. "Just… it feels good to know what that feels like. I mean, besides August, of course. It's just… good to have someone you can count on."
"Agreed."
Jenny looked and remembered that Ichabod's relationship with his father was strained as well. "Sorry. I keep forgetting I'm not the only one in the room with daddy issues."
Ichabod smiled. "Think nothing of it." He exhaled. "I am… having a bit of trouble holding on to faith, Jenny. I need your help in believing that Edom will save Abbie."
"It's because you love her so much. You don't want to lose her."
"That's true. Can you help me?"
"I'd be happy to." She took hold of his hand. "Abbie's going to be fine. Edom's going to go get her. He hasn't let us down so far and I don't see him starting now. She'll be back and you guys can work this out."
"Thank you, Jenny."
"Anytime, Crane."
Edom slowly opened the door and walked in the house, listening carefully for any danger. He tucked and rolled when he saw a knife flying his way, firing his shotgun immediately upon getting to a kneeling position. He caught the demon responsible for throwing the knife right in the chest with the gunshot. Two more rushed out at Edom, tackling him to the ground. Edom punched one in the face then kicked the other; then followed up with two shots, catching both demons in the head.
Edom huffed as he got his bearings back.
"Could it be?" voices echoed. They seemed to be coming from the house itself but Edom knew better.
"Is it him?" the voices went on. "The ascender. Betrayer. Murderer."
Edom got to his feet. "Demonic pests. Your tricks won't work on me. I already know what I am. And you vermin are nothing. I came for your mistress and the warrior she abducted. Return Abigail Mills to me and you will all be allowed stay in this world a little longer. Refuse me and I force my way to her and execute the lot of you."
"Your threats mean nothing, seraph," one demon warned.
"You will die here, archangel," another demon hissed.
Edom looked all around as he knew the fight was about to begin. "You will soon learn, cretins: I don't make threats without the promise that they will be carried out."
"You cannot save her, seraphim," the voices called out. "You will fail! You are nothing! Powerless! Worthless! You have no way of stopping us! The woman is ours and you can't save her."
"Is that so? There's a certain song that exists is pop culture these days and it has one line of lyrics that fits this occasion: 'Don't believe me? Just watch.'"
Desdemona could feel Edom was inside her domain. 'Too soon,' she thought to herself. 'He's here too soon! I must hurry.' She turned her attention back to Abbie. "What do you know about Ichabod Crane?"
"Plenty," Abbie said, defiantly.
"Hm." Desdemona reached toward Abbie; her hand became thin, very nearly skeletal. She grabbed Abbie's face by her cheeks faster than the Witness could react. "You mean nothing to him, you know? You are nothing but another in the long line of women he's had and lost."
"You're full of crap! Why should I listen to a damn thing you have to say?!"
"Do you care for him?"
"You could never understand. Ever. Your kind never does."
Desdemona giggled. "Oh, you're so adorable."
"Shut up."
"You truly believe that he cares for you beyond anything more than another guide for this world?"
"Shut your damn mouth, you bitch!"
"If you mean so much to him, why does he not tell you? Because, you know the truth, in your heart, Abbie: you are no one special to him."
Abbie shook her head. She couldn't figure out why but something Desdemona said sounded like the truth. Abbie knew for a fact that she meant more to Ichabod than that. She meant the world to him.
Didn't she?
Edom fought his way through the house, shooting and cutting his way through every demon that attacked him. He could sense that their numbers were dwindling but so was his energy. His guns had been destroyed along the way and he was down to just his bolo knife and his Bowie knife. He just slaughtered a few demons and sensed that Desdemona and Abbie were somewhere beneath the house.
Edom growled, "Of course. Rats always hide in the basement." He headed downstairs. He made it to a cellar when he found a dozen demons waiting for him, all of them in human-like forms and the size of professional football linebackers.
"Oh, wonderful!" Edom said, sarcastically.
"Turn back now, fool," one of the demons said.
"You will taste no victory here, angel," another said.
"There is no salvation," another demon said.
"Choose a few more precious moments or choose death."
Edom looked at them all and, defiantly, replied, "I choose death."
The demons laughed.
"That's just what we wanted to hear," the first demon said.
Edom rushed at the closest demon and ran both knives into his chest, killing the demon instantly. The rest swarmed Edom at once. Two of the demons grabbed him and threw Edom back. Edom got his bearings back and managed to kill another incoming demon before being punched by another. Edom kicked another demon away and threw himself against two of the demons, knocking the down. Edom got back up but was kicked in the back, punched in the gut, then thrown to the ground.
One of the demons walked up and kicked Edom hard enough to send him sailing into a far wall. "Stupid angel."
Edom struggled to push himself up.
"You have failed. The Witness belongs to our mistress. And you will die here."
Edom rushed up and started attacking again. He managed to land a few hits on the demons but they began fighting back even harder. Another a round of combat, Edom was kicked into the wall again. He managed to kill two more demons but suffered cracked ribs in the process.
Edom growled. 'Stay focused, Edom. Stay focused. Will you fail Abigail? As you failed Kenya? As you failed Kaya? You weren't there for August or Lori. You can be here for their children. You can be here for Abigail. Do this for her. For Ichabod! For Jenny and Joe! GET UP!' He took a deep breath and looked up.
One of the demons laughed. "Still have some fight in you?"
Edom exhaled and slowly got to his feet.
"Good. We'll enjoy bringing your more pain before you die."
"You chose death," another demon said. "Prepare to go greet your Father."
"You fools," Edom tightened the grip on his blades. "I am more than prepared to meet my Father." He shook his head. "But not today."
"You will fail, angel."
"I have failed before. I will not fail now!"
"You are going to die! There is nothing that can change that, angel!"
"SILENCE!"
With all he had, Edom charged against the demons and fought with everything he had. The demons attacked him, cutting him in various areas, and Edom responded in kind. After minutes of fighting, Edom came down to one last demon.
"Your death will come soon enough, angel," the demon said.
"Perhaps," Edom replied. "But not at your hand."
The demon rushed at him but Edom charged in, stepping up his speed at the last second, to gain an advantage and cut the demon's head off.
With all of the demons dispatched, Edom fell to a knee as he struggled to catch his breath and not vomit. He was successful in the first mission but not so much in the second. He wiped his mouth with the edge of his shirt and stood up. "I'm coming, Abigail. Please. Please, be alive." He hurried to find Abbie, going deeper into the cellar until he found a ladder that led down further.
Desdemona felt all of her guards had been destroyed. She didn't know how Edom accomplished that but it hardly mattered. He was coming. She needed to hurry. "You are nothing, insignificant." Desdemona circled Abbie. "Face it, Abbie! You exist only as a guide for Ichabod! You are nothing! No one! Replaceable!"
Abbie was trying to focus but it wasn't working. The voice in her head sounded just like hers telling her that she meant nothing as well but it was wrong. All of that had to be wrong. "Shut up!" she shouted. "SHUT UP!"
"If you died, he wouldn't care! The world would go on! His world would go on! Ichabod would not miss you."
Abbie looked up and saw Desdemona was smiling.
Desdemona could see it. She was starting to break her. "He would find someone else. He's lost loves before. You're no different. Just another person. That's all you are."
"That…" Abbie took a breath. 'Why can't I think clearly?!' she thought to herself. "Th-that's a lie!"
Desdemona laughed, condescendingly. "Oh, look at the cute little Witness! Did you want him to love you? Take you to his bed? Marry you? Were you willing to take his name? Abigail Crane? Or Abigail Mills-Crane? Oh, what a lovely fantasy!"
"Shut up!" Abbie shouted. "You're just a liar! That's all you are! SHUT UP!"
Desdemona leaned closer as she formed more shadows. "I speak the truth," she whispered. "You know that."
"No!"
"You only lie to yourself." Desdemona looked at the pendant around Abbie's neck. "And what is this?" She took hold of the pendant. "Oh, dear." She snatched it off.
"Give that back!" Abbie demanded.
Desdemona laughed. "A trinket from your 'beloved' Ichabod?"
"It's mine!"
"You think this means anything?! This!? He probably found it on the street!"
"No! It means something to him! I mean something to him!"
"YOU LIE TO YOURSELF! He married Katrina, made love to Katrina, had a child with Katrina. Do you think he will ever do any of that with you?"
Abbie shut her eyes tight and slammed her hands over ears, "Shut up! Shut up!"
"You must stare the truth in the face. Ichabod Crane will never love you. And, if he can't love you, what have you been all this time? Nothing more than another proxy. You are nothing, Abigail Mills. You are no one. You are no one at all."
Abbie struggled to hold on to herself but so much was making sense. She couldn't distinguish between her own voice and Desdemona's voice anymore. Abbie couldn't help but think that Desdemona was right. Maybe she was wrong all along. Maybe she would never be more than a partner to Ichabod. He would never see her like she saw him. She wasn't Katrina or Betsy. She never would be. Who was she?
She had to face the reality.
"He will never love you," Desdemona whispered.
Ichabod would never love her.
Desdemona smiled then laughed. She had a hearty laugh. "And, now, Abigail Mills, you are mine." She surrounded Abbie with her shadows.
Exhausted and pained, Edom hurried as fast as he could down the tunnel. He came to a heavy door where he could feel a strong evil power from the other side but also he felt Abbie as well. He seethed and pushed the door out of the way. He came to a room and found Abbie seating on her knees, surrounded by a cloud of shadows.
"ABIGAIL!" Edom screamed.
Desdemona chortled, causing Edom to look around. He couldn't see the Night Queen as she was hidden but the shadows in the chamber were starting to grow all around him. "Well, well, well! If it isn't Lord Edom! It's been so long, dear lord angel."
"You perverse witch," Edom gritted. "You will release the Witness at once or suffer my wrath."
"Your 'wrath'? My, my. So angry, lord angel. Why, one must wonder." Desdemona materialized and moved around Abbie. "Is it to save this woman?"
"Get away from her, you damned piece of excrement!" Edom shouted.
Desdemona laughed. "Are you trying to save her? Redeem yourself for the many, many souls that you haven't saved?"
"I'm here to save her. And rid the world of you, at long last."
"She's broken. Useless."
"You confuse her with yourself. She has many more years of fight in her. You hardly have the next five minutes."
"You amuse me, Edom. I will feast on your soul right after I take hers."
"You will do nothing but die!"
"We've done this before, Edom. You lost. What makes today different?"
"Because, tonight, I will not stop until you are nothing more than a rotted corpse."
Desdemona growled.
"Prepare to meet your end."
"Not by your hand, fool!" She rose to a height rivaling that of the Bound One, her beauty fell away, revealing a skeletal face and her limbs became elongated.
Edom's eyes widened and he took a step back in shock. It had been a long time since he had seen her true form.
"She is mine!" Desdemona roared.
"No. She is not!"
Edom and Desdemona charged at each other but Desdemona grabbed him and threw him against a far wall, causing him to drop his blades. Edom sat for a second as the pain he had already sustained was multiplied exponentially upon on impact. He looked back at Abbie still suspended in mid-air.
Edom gritted his teeth. Pain would have to wait. He had to keep fighting. He grabbed his blades, stood up, and jumped at Desdemona. She grabbed him out of the air and slammed him to the ground. He sliced her arms with knives, causing her to scream in pain and release him. He rolled away from her to prepare for another charge as she recoiled from the injury. He jumped at her again once her back was to him and drove both knives in her back. She screamed in pain and reached for him but was unable to grab him. She then threw herself against the back wall. She backed away and watched as Edom sank down to the floor.
Edom felt himself still hurt. But he wasn't out yet. He had one trump card left and all he needed was the chance to play it. And, taking into account Desdemona's arrogance, he knew that chance would come as long as he stayed down.
Desdemona removed the knives from her back and tossed them away. "Enough of this! I will tolerate you no longer!" She grabbed Edom by the throat and lifted him closer. "Do you have any finals words, Edom?"
Edom smirked. The chance he needed was here. "Just two." Faster than Desdemona could track, Edom slammed his medallion in her sternum and shouted, "SANCTUS LUX!"
Desdemona screamed as the holy light seared through her entire body, causing her to drop Edom. Desdemona clutched at her chest as the dark powers she had consumed over the years slowly left her body, which also caused the shadows around Abbie to fade.
Desdemona's body reverted to the form of a decaying human corpse.
"I did tell you I wouldn't stop until you became a corpse," Edom said out of breath. "You should've listened."
Desdemona looked at her hands as she started shaking. "Im…impossible."
Edom stood up, "No." He walked over and removed his medallion, peeling out of her sternum. "Just unfortunate for you."
"H-how…"
"Did I find my medallion? It proved to be slightly difficult. You did well hiding it. I found where your minions hid it over two centuries ago. Probably shortly after Pandora trapped you in that infernal Box. I didn't have it when I faced you in Osaka, you genocidal witch, but I have it now. Your end has come, Desdemona. Accept it."
Desdemona struggled to move but she had no power left. She had lived too long with her power sustaining her. She should've died long ago. "Killing me won't stop what's coming, Edom. You will not stop the Summoning. The Call has already begun."
"I don't care about your words, demon wench. Whatever is coming, it will be negated. Just like you will die here."
"Then your God be with you, angel. Kill me. But your war? It hasn't even begun."
"Tell me something I don't know."
He morphed his medallion into his sword and plunged it into her chest. Desdemona let out a grunt but before falling over. Her body dissolved into dust seconds later.
Edom exhaled. "At last." He looked up and saw Abbie was sitting on her knees with a faraway look in her eyes. "Oh, no!" He ran over to Abbie and kneeled in front of her. "Abigail! Abigail!"
She didn't respond.
"Abigail! Can you hear me!"
She didn't move.
Edom had seen this before. Many of Desdemona's victims looked like or worse when she was trying to take them or remove their souls from them. He arrived in time but he needed to bring Abbie back from the broken state Desdemona left her in. Fortunately, he knew how but it wasn't always guaranteed success. He prayed it would succeed this time. "Look at me, Abigail!"
She looked at him.
"Who are you?"
She leaned her head to the side. She couldn't comprehend the question.
"Say your name."
She opened her mouth, struggling to speak. "I… I… I am no one."
"YOU ARE NOT!" He calmed down and took her hand. "Abigail. You have to remember who you are! The last thing you are is no one! To those around you, the ones who love you, you are irreplaceable! Do you understand?!"
She was still showing almost no recognition to his words.
"Abigail, you need to remember! Remember who are! Remember what you've accomplished! You've fought with gods of evil, endured against powers far beyond you, walked with angels, and you've kept your stride. You are an incredible person. More than incredible. There are beings like myself who will never accomplish your feats! More than that, you continue a legacy that is as great as any. I have walked with the strongest men and women in history and you rank among them." He devised a way to bring this closer to home. "And I have walked along side women of your same background and you make them all proud! I freed slaves with Harriet Tubman, sat with Rosa Parks, I even once watched Maya Angelou pen a masterpiece." He stared in her eyes, "And I have had the distinct honor of fighting alongside Grace Abigail Mills. A woman as strong, if not stronger, than any other person in history."
"I… I don't…"
Edom struggled to think of anything else. He looked down and saw the Okodee Mmowere pendant. His eyebrows shot up as he snatched it quickly and presented it before her. "Do you know what this is?"
A flash of recognition came to Abbie's face.
"Yes!" Edom said, relieved. "You do know. Now, who gave it to you? What is his name?"
She looked back at Edom.
"His name. The name of the man you are physically and mentally exhausted by. He drives you crazy. You get frustrated with him, you can't help but want to hit him at times, and he thinks he's always right. And you wouldn't trade him for anything in this world. The man you have guided, who you have protected and who has protected you. He is not defined by you, he's been made better because you. You are not defined by him, he challenges you and you found someone you could truly trust. You know this, he knows this." Edom took Abbie's hand again. "The man you love and who loves you. Say his name!"
She struggled to speak as a tear fell. "Crane," she whispered. "Ichabod Crane."
Edom nodded, "Yes. Now, name your sister. Name the person who would happily share all of your trials. Your sister, who shared your fears, your joys, your triumphs and tragedies. The sister who would go through hell for you and you for her. Name her."
"Jenny Mills."
"Good. Good! You know those closest to your heart. Know your heart, know yourself. Now, say your name!"
She stared at him. "Abigail. Grace Abigail Mills." In that instant, her clarity came back. She breathed in sharply then took a few deep breaths. She looked around amazed. "Edom?"
Edom smiled, "Welcome back, Abigail."
She fell back into a seated position and placed her hands over her eyes. She groaned. "I feel like I was asleep for years then woke up from a nightmare."
"Keep thinking of it that way. It's always worked for me."
She moved her hands, "What the hell was that?"
"Desdemona. She was trying to take your soul but your will was too strong. She had to break you. She probably used the one thing that meant the most to you against you."
"Crane."
"He's definitely the most power force to use against you." Edom looked over where Desdemona dissolved. "But still, she was much stronger than she had ever been before." He looked back at Abbie. "Her influence should've been broken when I destroyed her. She probably just had the power stored up from her time in the Box."
"It was like…" Abbie said, trying to figure how to describe it. "I was in here but… but didn't know it."
"It's what she does." He corrected himself, "Did. Had she taken your soul, it would've taken much to get it back. But she more of… placed your mind and soul in a room, locked it, and hid the key from you."
"How'd you find the key?"
"The maddening part of her power, which, actually, doubles as its genius, is that you have the key in your pocket and you don't realize it."
She looked around, "Where's Crane?"
"Hospital. Waiting for you."
"I need to talk to him."
"I suspect that you do." Edom held up the pendant.
Abbie smiled and took the pendant. She fastened it back around her neck. "Know your heart…"
"Know yourself. It's true in any life." He placed a hand on her shoulder, "Let's get you back to your hearts, shall we?"
"Sounds good."
Cairo, Egypt.
Migron was walking up the steps to the National History Museum. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. He stared toward the east.
"Leader?" Golan asked him. "Is something wrong?"
"Not sure. I feel something happening back there. In Sleepy Hollow, I think. Something is shifting. A power was suddenly eradicated."
"Should I return there?"
Migron shook his head, "No. We have work to do. It was probably no more than just a demon has been destroyed. Nothing to be concerned with. For now." He knew, somehow, though; soon, he and Golan would have to return to Sleepy Hollow.
A/N: I hope you guys liked it!
By the way, if any of you are wondering if Desdemona's insults at Abbie were my dig at the writers of Sleepy Hollow, you're damn right they were. And, if you were wondering if Edom's speech were how we, the fans, feel about Abbie, again, you are correct.
Now, then. You wanted, you've begged for it, you waited for it. Yes. Next chapter, you get your Ichabbie. Be here for it.
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