Veketh glanced through the doorway into the main stairways of the building he appropriated. Silas stepped inside the room and gently closed the door behind him. The room was considerably well-kept despite being in the abandoned part of the old town. Veketh had selected it for that exact reason.
Erinea jumped down from the desk in the main room. "About time you showed up. What took you so long?"
"I…"
"You're having second thoughts." Erinea walked up and poked Silas's nose. "You don't want to go ahead with this plan."
Silas hesitated, his response hanging on his lips. "You're seriously willing to die for this bastard's plan?"
Erinea shook her head. "It's more like what I don't have left to live for."
"There's something out there for you, Erinea. You just have to look!"
"Where does a demon look for acceptance, Silas!? We're not lucky enough to be blessed with amnesia like you!"
Silas's face turned red. "That isn't a good thing! I don't get to know where I come from!"
Erinea snubbed her nose up at him. "You act like we're happy knowing our roots. If Veketh wasn't tied to his past he wouldn't have done this. Demons aren't evil because of their birth rite. Their humanity is what corrupted them."
"Your crime was only wanting to die! What kind of sick God would damn you for hating the way your life went, Erinea!?"
"Would you fight against a being like that if it were the case?" Erinea's words stirred Silas's heart. "Would you resist a Creator like that?"
Silas's mouth went dry; he was unable to respond to her that time. He couldn't even discern the reason why.
Erinea shook her head. "I didn't fall to Hell because I was condemned, Silas. The powers my brother summoned just happened to be demonic."
"That's only because demons bother to recruit new blood. The magical world decays so long as foolish witches rely on births alone to swell their numbers. The fact our boss has nearly eradicated all magical beings from this entire county says a lot to the extermination of their kind." Veketh was haunted by the horrific things he had seen and done; both in his current boss's name and previous ones. "Good magic is a dying breed the way the Elders are going. So long as The Source has power, Heaven's one bad war away from death."
"And that's why Whitelighters are being made so frivolously." Lily stepped into the room carrying a leash that led to a chain around the young witch's neck. "Maria here is under compulsion to grant the wish Marina's certain he'll request. Silas, you just keep her in the back room and wait until he gets here."
Silas began to panic as things continued derailing. "Why!? Why is she doing this!?"
Lily responded with no emotion in her voice. "Her exact words boiled down to the fact it was fun. She wants to see the destruction it causes on him."
"All it's been doing is making him want me dead more. Just because Marina had a death wish doesn't mean she needs to drag me down with her!" Veketh growled, knowing Marina cared not for his future.
After leaving Maria in the back room, Lily began to shimmer. "Either way, good luck on your guy's end. Oh, Veketh; the Cuentas siblings are preparing the ritual to revive Javier soon. Once he's on the field, make the move we've agreed on."
As she finished shimmering away, Silas faced Veketh. "Your plan?"
"I'm done being Marina's plaything. I'm taking half the team I've made and preparing myself for war. The siblings need to be defeated at any cost and Marina's just in the way now." Standing tall, Veketh turned to Erinea. "Her collusion with us is necessary."
Silas's feathers had been ruffled too much. "Erinea, why the hell are you agreeing to this plan!? You'll get revived in the end!"
"Perhaps; perhaps not. If I can trick him into absorbing me; it'll end there." Erinea solemnly admitted her own plans. "If I somehow survive all this… I'll figure it out from there."
"You don't owe Veketh! You don't have to agree to this! Just walk away, dammit! I don't want to see you die!" Silas felt his voice crack as Raviel's smiling face entered his mind. "Not again!" Another face drew near, obscured by fog. He couldn't quite grasp it; no matter how he tried. Memories of a past life fell through his fingers; like grasping at water from a heavy storm, it never lasted.
Veketh smirked at Silas as he shimmered out; he already knew the end result.
He was done being the manipulated. He was the mastermind now and Silas loathed every bit of him.
Erinea took on Veketh's form and picked up his weapon of choice; Veketh's bayonet made from the remains of his father's military weapons. The bayonet had been reinforced into a cutlass-like instrument with a large handle to grip. The sides were serrated and imbued with a rare kind of magic that was toxic to demons.
"I'm sorry it has to end this way, Silas. I just… Demons can't just reform. You know what the heavenly bodies all say on the subject, right? Even someone as kind as Geiney; his sister wouldn't hesitate to destroy me." Erinea felt guilty reopening an old wound. "She did it to Raviel, didn't she?"
Silas's hands tightened. "You know; I was looking for an opportunity to kill her. Security at her work meant I'd have a chance."
'Veketh' shook his head. "You couldn't kill someone, Silas."
"I… I know. The thought was only in passing. I just… I hate it. I hate that he had to die because he made one bad decision years ago. It's not fair!" Silas kicked the chair in front of him into the wall, splintering the wood as it crashed into an adjoining room. "Why do we have to suffer like this!? If we could just live normal lives in society, it'd be alright."
Sitting down in the chair, the shape shifter answered in her own voice one last time. "Some by-the-books witch would kill us in the end. No matter how good we act, the Elders have made their stance clear. I don't have the same idiotic hope Luke does. Once you're damned, it's over. You either join the raucous murderers in the underbelly of this world… or you find yourself purged for breaking the mold."
Silas stomped his foot down, feeling hot tears fall down his face.
The plan was simple; Erinea as Veketh would fight and die to Luke, giving Veketh enough time to ensure Javier's defeat by Geiney and his sisters. Veketh absorbs the boss, rallies his troops, and takes down Varland and Miria himself. Once the seal is broken, he'll turn on the siblings and finish the job.
Meanwhile, Luke will fall into despair after killing someone he saved again and become nonfunctional. Then… Then hopefully Veketh won't have to fight him.
He had been training; even absorbing powers himself. Veketh was far stronger than he was before.
Was Marina privy to her charge's plans? Silas didn't know.
What Silas didn't like was the end result. If Luke chose to sacrifice Maria as planned, her special power could revive a dying Erinea. The question wasn't that he would; Silas knew he'd save her. He just wondered the effect it would have if he had someone kill themselves for his sake.
All Silas had to do was deliver the girl and await his response. Marina wanted Silas to witness this firsthand. Why; he had no clue.
It was the worst betrayal of his friend he could ever commit. Silas had already decided to accept whatever fate was in store for him after this.
A grim thought came to mind that Silas couldn't just get rid of.
Maybe I'm better off dying before ever knowing who or what I was…
…
His family was gone. That was the simplest thing in the world to ever understand.
Geiney and his family were back and hopefully getting in touch with their ancestor around now. It was the perfect time to strike.
Glancing down at his backpack, Luke tossed it aside. Where would he even live now that his parents were both gone? He'd have to do something. Getting a normal job would be fine to keep up appearances but it'd just be easier to kill demons and rob the places they control.
"Screw that." Dropping to the floor by his bed, he glanced down at the floor where his dog used to sleep. Sometimes he'd trip over nothing in the night and curse her name out like she was still there tripping him up with a weird dog grin on her face.
But there was nothing. His mom wasn't going to wake him up and tell him he's late for school any longer. His dad wouldn't be driving him to any of the school events anymore either.
He didn't even wake to see a cat sleeping on his speakers since Chubster had run away.
Erinea had moved her stuff out too. Said she was moving on in life. Just left a note at the table in the living room.
Luke wished he had the opportunity to tell her what had happened at least.
His plan had been held back a couple of days due to the circumstances. First he had to wait for his mom to be cremated. Both of his parents were on the mantle above the fireplace in nicely decorated urns. Luke was hoping Silas would upkeep the place. Since he had a stable job and could afford the rent, he could hold the fort all by himself now.
The time to end the Eight of Blades was at hand.
…
Sara stared at the trinket she was holding in her hands. Chris's necklace had white marble orbs linked together with gold clasps. Each orb was a half inch in diameter and had a unique wave of a purplish color passing through. It resembled a rosary or the prayer beads that monks would use.
The actual pendant piece was a round, flat piece of stone with a depiction of a man in a lotus position; his body in the form of a triangle. The diamond symbol was raised within the body of the man. An appealing blue crystal in the form of a rectangle was on the man's forehead. A quick search in their Book of Shadows revealed that it was Celestite, a crystal believed to have calming energy and used to open up certain Chakras and the third eye.
Sara felt calm and collected when the necklace was in her hand. She thought back to the events, to Chris's mangled body back at the campsite. But logic and reason flooded her mind when she felt a tickle of sadness in her throat. This necklace had power behind it. The longer she held it the more she was able to think clearly about the Skinstrifer situation.
They fought the Skinstrifers and prevailed. They should have used their powers sooner. But they couldn't change the past now. They had to live with their mistakes. Her thoughts travelled to Geiney's friend, Luke. Luke used his powers in the open to save people and fight demons. Maybe if they were more like Luke their family would still be alive.
Geiney grunted out in frustration and slammed the Book of Shadows closed. He had flipped through the book several times but there was no mention of what he was looking for.
"There's nothing in the Book of Shadows that says anything about the necklace." Geiney confirmed. "There isn't even a portrait of that necklace. Who else could we ask?"
"Our parents." Sara said, never taking her eyes off the pendant.
"I guess that makes sense if the necklace came from our family; our coven."
"Yeah. Growing up they always had these treasures or artifacts belonging to the family for generations. Like that seven point diamond that belonged to Crone, Mother and Maiden. The one that helped seal the Source back in the underworld."
Luz walked into the attic holding the phone, "That was Uncle Greg. He made it back home safely. He said that he would see us again soon."
"That's good to hear." Sara smiled.
"Then let's go ask them. If the book gave us no leads, we go for the logical option." Geiney turned to Sara.
"What are we doing?" Luz inquired.
"We're gonna ask our parents about the necklace. They would be the only other people to point us in the right direction."
"Alright. Let's follow this lead. I'll drive this time." Luz placed the phone on the bookshelf next to her.
Sara fished through her pocket, pulled out her keys and tossed them at Luz. She caught it just above her head. She turned on her heel and started for the stairs.
"Lea! We'll be back." Geiney called out.
From within Geiney's room Lea gave his response. Unbeknownst to the three siblings, Lea fidgeted with the collar in his hands that he wore around his neck when he was a cat. He had tricked them with his transformative capabilities and failed to protect Geiney sufficiently. Lea needed something more to help. Training perhaps or just more experience... Thinking to himself, he wondered if Sherry might know something.
…
Approaching the outskirts of Old Valentine, Luke's teeth gritted as he found he had been targeted long before he made it inside. Outside of the front area stood Donavihk, leaning against an old hotel in the dilapidated front buildings.
"You're here for Veketh and his gang, aren't you?" Donavihk knew enough by now. Veketh had told him the plan.
That being said, Donavihk thought it easier to just kill him.
Luke felt his magic flowing through him. He had not yet mastered his skills; to the contrary, he still struggled to subdue the souls of those trapped inside. Ailyn's training was far from enough to reform him into a full-fledged magic user.
Smiling to himself, Luke challenged him. "If you want to die with him, go ahead and step in my way."
Donavihk gathered power to the surface and unleashed a stream of fire. Luke reached his hand out and caught it in his hand, letting it soak in and burn. The pain staggered him as he struggled to take it in. "What?"
"I'm making myself clear. I don't intend to make it out of this alive… But I will take Veketh with me. It's your decision whether you die too."
"Cocky brat!" Donavihk powered up again and shot an ice spike. As it flew forward, it exploded; shards grew into more spikes as they splintered into the air, becoming a violent torrent of shards and icicles flying forth.
Luke leaned towards the ground and burst forth, using wind magic to propel him forward. Engulfing himself in a fire that licked at his flesh and left burns along the top layer of his skin, Luke forced his body through the attack and moved for a hard punch. Donavihk felt the gravity around him intensify as Luke's magic rooted him to the spot. Donavihk managed to break free and tried to dodge out of the way.
A bolt of lightning to his right side caught him unaware and Donavihk ended up falling instead into the punch, being launched back into the hotel wall and shattering the bricks making up the left side.
Crash landing hard onto the rotted-out wooden floor, Donavihk rose to his knees in time to be struck with a blade of wind that tore through his shoulder, sending blood splattering across the room in a shower.
Luke casually watched this as he stood in the hole in the wall he'd just made; his blank expression bringing Donavihk further into panic.
"You may have learned some new tricks kid… But I'm the superior here!"
"You have one chance." His gaze hardened. "I don't care much for your boss. It's a shame you work with someone like that. I don't intend to be her pet. I just want Veketh; nothing more."
Donavihk grimaced as he forced himself to stand. He was hurt far more than he'd originally thought. "If Marina offered him up to you, you'd join her then!?"
Pausing to think on his words, Luke sighed. "You're so short-sighted. I came here for Veketh alone. I don't want to join anyone's team. If she tried to hide Veketh from me… I'd get the info out of her soulless corpse."
As the dark energy in Luke coalesced, his body took a more demonic look in Donavihk's eyes. Fearing for his life, Donavihk stepped back. "His base is the Seaside Hotel on the old main street on the far side of town. Veketh's got a lot of manpower in between here and there. Marina might have other surprises."
"Selling out your own to live, eh?" Raising his hand, Luke created a pink ball between his hands, the orb spinning in place. "Here's a taste of Mike Hell."
Donavihk powered up the attack he had been preparing. "You saw through my kindness, huh!?" Donavihk's arm unleashed a dark black miasma that flowed like a broken dam.
The pink orb grew much larger and flung itself at Donavihk; the attack ripped through the miasma and plowed into Donavihk's chest; the resulting explosion upending the whole building and leaving a crater in the foyer with broken ground all around.
Clutching a dead arm, Luke stepped away from the blast, his wounds beginning to heal thanks to Raviel's influence.
Donavihk struggled to stand, leaning against the nearest building. As parts of the hotel's upper floors fell in on the first floor, he sighed. "That kid can't use that much power like that… He's burning up his reserves."
…
Seventeen demons remained in the main grounds of the first checkpoint. At its head stood an older man, a long beard and wrinkled skin covering a worn face.
"Ron, stop slacking! Just because you're a new charge don't mean you get to rest!" A bulky demon, one that loomed over his men, warned. "Sellin' out your brother to summon us don't mean we work for you!"
Ron glared at the demon before him. "I'll do whatever I want, damn you!"
"Stop bickering! We got a live one!" The front-most demon yelled to the back. "Looks like some punk kid wandered into our little chokehold."
Some of the other demons laughed to themselves.
Ron noticed the kid. "Ah, it's Karen's kid. What the hell…? I'll take care of this."
Leaving the others behind, Ron approached the young lad. He hadn't been given full demon hood yet. All he wanted was the power. He couldn't just mooch off of the old man he lived with anymore; not since he died.
"Kid, you best turn around now 'fore I kill you."
"I'm not afraid of you. Why are you even here?" Luke soon found himself fixated on Ron's presence there. "Wait a damn minute…"
Ron grinned sinisterly. "Shouldn't you be mourning your mom right now?"
Luke bit his lip. Tom had gone missing after he'd left the hospital. "What did you do to your brother!?"
"Nothing. Accidents happen sometimes. I didn't kill him."
"I never said he died." Luke's brow narrowed.
Ron dropped his human visage, taking on the horns and enlarged body typical of lesser demons.
Luke cracked his neck roughly and leapt forward. Ron slammed his powerful arms downward and crushed Luke into the ground. Injured but unwavering, Luke forced his body up and delivered a hard punch, destroying Ron's entire side with a single magic-infused punch.
"Ghah!" Ron coughed hard and slumped to the ground.
The sixteen demons behind Ron charged en masse. Luke jumped up and waved his hand; the wind force knocking the weaker ones into the air. With another hand wave, a powerful gust of wind severed them into pieces.
Ron's boss watched in horror before regaining his senses. "Someone warn the boss. I'll hold him!"
The bulky demon lunged upwards to grab Luke. Glaring at his attacker with hatred, Luke unleashed a torrent of fire, roasting the attacker and his remaining goons where they stood, leaving ash to be caught in the wind.
Dropping to the ground with a resounding thud, Luke walked over to finish Ron off. In a last ditch effort to escape, Ron forced his claws into Luke's face. "Got ya!"
Luke stumbled back as blood dripped down his face and Ron's hand. "To think you were a preacher…" Raising a hand, Luke gripped Ron's throat and his body began to take another shape.
"What…what the hell!?"
A familiar face greeted Ron with a smile. "I will now pass judgment on this wicked soul as per my master's wishes… I, Yuriel, condemn you to hell for endless crimes!"
"Wait, stop! I-I can change! I swear I…!" Ron's words gave way to pained screams as Yuriel proceeded to burn him down to nothingness with a dry smile.
The second the deed was done and the drunken bastard was gone, Luke returned to normal, the dark black tint of demon energy still clinging to him as he indulged.
"Veketh… I'll rend your soul from this earth… Mark my words!"
…
The three siblings traveled in a row down the stairs. Sara tapped Geiney on the shoulder. He turned around mid-step to face his older sister.
"We need to talk later about your friend. He can't really stay here if he's not in cat form. He must have a family, right?" Sara whispered in his ear.
"He can stay if he shifts back into a cat, right? Wait, am I in trouble?" He flinched.
"Not if you listen to me." Sara had a small mischievous smile on her face, something that disturbed Geiney to the core. A shiver went down his spine and dread began creeping into his brain.
What was bad about having Lea stay in human form? It wasn't weird to have a were-cat as your familiar, right?
…
"The second checkpoint has fallen." A demon approached 'Veketh' at the table. "The young man is tearing through the guard. I fail to understand the plan, Master Veketh."
Veketh turned to face the stocky demon that even Veketh towered over. "The strongest we have are needed elsewhere; it's simple. If they can't survive this idiot's attacks, they aren't worth our time. Right, Silas?"
Silas nodded. "O-of course. Veketh will handle it he-himself if need be."
The demon sighed. "Very well. I'll see to his destruction myself then."
"No need. We'll wait for him here, Geron." Geron shook his head reluctantly and returned to his post at the front gate. "So that's Veketh's second-in-command. Why leave him here?"
Silas shrugged. "Probably to make it seem like he's definitely here. Veketh's throwing away quite a few numbers for this little venture."
Veketh laughed at Silas's saddened expression. "He's throwing away the Eight of Blades too. It's… It's the last gamble he'll ever make."
"You know Luke will hunt him down or die trying. Breaking him down mentally won't work if he's dead set on this." Silas was witnessing his friend descend into madness as he tore through Veketh's grunts, rushing to the inevitable conclusion.
"If he becomes that much of a threat to the safety of his friends, I know you'll step in." Veketh sat at the desk and found himself smiling. "I know he'd want you to."
Silas wanted to beg for this to end but he knew it wasn't going to serve a purpose. Silas had a different plan to fix things.
He just hoped it would prove unnecessary.
…
Geron strolled through the courtyard as he ignored the screams of his former comrades. As the large steel gates opened way for Luke to enter the main part of Veketh's stolen estate, he passively acknowledged the intruder's arrival. "The master won't be able to see you, I'm afraid."
"I don't care who you think you are." Luke stepped back and prepared another pink orb. "Step aside."
Geron instead sprouted black wings dark as night, the plumes giving him the visage of a fallen angel. As he rose into the sky, his sinister gaze sharpened on his prey. "Unlike the Eight of Blades, I see no reason to hold back."
Summoning Barath's whip, Luke reared his arm back. "Don't test my patience!"
…
The door to the parents' home opened. Mia stood in a purple blouse with a look of pleasantness.
"Mom! Dad!" Geiney cried and hugged his mother.
"My sweet boy!" She laughed and wrapped her arms around him.
"It's so good to see you three!" She gushed, "How are you?" She ruffled his hair.
"I'm great!" He turned to his father, "Hi Dad!"
"Hi, Geiney." The man smiled warmly at the teen; in his hand he held a pipe.
"Sara, Luz! It's a pleasant surprise. What brings you over here?" Josh continued.
Sara received a small flashback of her father smoking tobacco from a pipe. The smell was sweet and ashy; taking her back to a time when she was just a little girl and not a demon huntress. The memory made her smile a little.
"Well, primarily business. But there are other things we wanted to ask you." Luz said.
"Of course. Come in, please!" She ushered her children in the house. Mia brought in a tray of hot chocolate. Luz smiled; it was the same hot chocolate she drank when they had experienced a horrifying demon or when they would have nightmares.
Everyone took a seat in the living room. Geiney stayed with his siblings. After some small talk was exchanged Sara took out the pendant.
"We want to know what this is and how it relates to some man named Javier."
Josh took one look at it and knew what it was, almost frowning at the sight. "That's the Serenus Pendant. My mother owned it but she gave it to Chris when she passed away. It has powers to keep someone level headed. Why do you have it? Chris never takes it off herself."
The three siblings looked everywhere but their parents.
"That's what we wanted to talk to you about." Luz said in a soft voice. She cleared her throat, looked up at her parents and spoke louder. "We went camping with the rest of the family. Greg came with us. Greg told us the story of how he battled these Skinstrifer creatures before. Geiney?" She turned to him to retell the story.
"Greg, a long time ago, battled these creatures he dubbed Skinstrifers. They are kinda like skinwalkers and shapeshifters into one ugly body that looks like a troll. They morph themselves into a human body and infiltrate groups of people. Leading people away from their initial campsite, they kill and skin people. Human skin seems to be what they like. He and only a few of his friends made it out of their campsite when he was younger."
Josh nodded; he had recollected something many years ago about a creature like that. Josh thought he had just made them up to create a scary story to tell. Skinstrifers were not creatures that were associated with the worlds' myths. Maybe he should have taken them more seriously.
Luz stepped in, dreading this moment. "We battled the same creatures from Greg's past. Chris, Ramiro and Alyssa were um… killed during the stay."
The room was silent. Mia gasped and Josh blinked, his brain comprehending that he would no longer see his relatives ever again. He stood up in silence and went over to the fireplace area. He placed his head on the cold metal trim.
"Chris is dead? Because of these creatures?"
"Because of us." Luz corrected, swallowing the bitter taste in her mouth. "We failed to act in time and got three of our family killed."
"I don't believe that…" He turned to them, sadness evident on his face. "I'm sure you did what you could."
"They almost killed us too but we used our powers in the open to save them. The Skinstrifers were attracted to the necklace and wanted to keep it for themselves." Geiney continued. "But this demon came out of nowhere and returned the pendant to us. He said something about a man named Javier Cuentas."
Mia glanced at Josh, "Wasn't Javier your grandfather, dear?"
"Yeah, he was. I don't really know much about him other than he helped push forward the revolution that started in Mexico in 1910."
"Woah! Our great grandfather was a famous revolutionist!?" Geiney gushed.
"I wouldn't call him famous… But my mother never talked about him much. In fact, I think she didn't want to talk about him at all." He turned back to his children. "That pendant was my grandmother's which was passed down to my mother. Then my mother passed it down to Chris. Why would a demon give it back to you if it was taken by creatures?"
"He did give us some instruction. If you even wanna call it that." Sara informed.
Josh looked at her quizzically.
"He told us we could use that pendant to revive Javier and ask him about the Roseblood gang that's after us. We were also given a blade that was supposed to absorb them to get rid of some curse they unleashed. We don't know much about this curse other than it uses the blood of a person to make a rose. It's supposed to enhance them somehow. What the Roseblood gang and this curse seem to have in common is this Javier person. We thought you two would know more about him."
"I'm sorry but I don't."
"But we can find out." Mia chimed in. Josh stared at her.
"You don't mean…?"
Mia nodded with pride, "The manor. There are records of both our family lines in the library. We just have to look for them."
"Mia, we haven't been in that manor since it was attacked. For all we know the manor could be completely rubble now."
"Last time Ailyn checked the manor was still mostly standing. We can take it back and find out about Javier. We only abandoned it because it was taken over and we had to find our children. We won't know if there are even demons until we get there." Mia convinced him.
"Okay. We'll go back to the manor and find out as much as we can about Javier and you three resurrect him. Maybe he can give you some answers about this curse and what to do. If he is truly a descendant of the Diamond he will help you." Josh waved a hand.
"We'll prepare the spell. We'll call you when we find out what we have to do." Luz said.
…
Cain put his hand on Shera's shoulder and gripped it hard. "We need to talk."
The two were standing in the main hall of their mother's luxurious home. Their father was in the library upstairs while Deydrik and his mother were quartered in a smaller house on the far end of the property. Cain was certain his mother wasn't home; that's why he knew he could press her.
Shera winced at the pressure on her and twisted her way out of her brother's grip. "What do you want, Cain!?"
"I don't get your deal. Why are you hanging out with that group of idiots still?" Cain was no mystery when it came to his intentions. He loathed the subhuman creatures Shera dedicated her time to. His mother frankly didn't have much of a different opinion.
"You mean my friends? What am I supposed to prefer? Bonehead jocks destined to drop out when they don't make nationals?" Shera stuck her nose up at Cain. "Garrett isn't an award-winning person himself."
Cain clicks his tongue, wondering how to deal with Shera. She was the gifted child; his mother made that abundantly clear. "It's not just that bloodsucker I mean. Those animals and that new idiot you're working with… What are you and Chazz even?"
Shera gritted her teeth. "His name is Charlie! He's just a friend; that's all!"
"Why would 'friends' hang out so late then!? Why are you slinking home at midnight!?" Cain gripped Shera's shirt and pulled her in. "I want answers, dammit! I don't want any sister of mine fraternizing with powerless mooks!"
"You're such a hypocrite!" Shera tries in vain to push Cain off of her and after a few moments, Cain dropped her to the floor. "You don't even care about me!"
Cain snarled at his sister as he knocked her against the wall with a hard shove. "You're not better than me 'cause you're the magic prodigy! Remember your place before I put you back into it!"
As he stomped off and began plotting ways to get back at that Chazz fellow, Shera adjusted her shirt and fell to her knees, tears breaking out despite her best efforts.
Once Cain was safely out of view, her cousin Deydrik snuck in from behind a pillar. Pulling a handkerchief out of his purple dress shirt, he handed it to his younger cousin. "Here; for your tears."
"I'm not crying!" Deydrik found it amusing that she said this before blowing her nose into the handkerchief.
When she offered it back, Deydrik shook his head. "Go ahead and keep it. If you need me, just pray with that in hand and I'll try to save you if I can."
Shera felt a smile form despite her best efforts to maintain a blank expression and gave in. "What are you doing here?"
"I have a sense when my favorite family member's in trouble!" Ruffling her hair, Deydrik stopped himself. "It's weird to see you grow so much. I was barely a teenager when you started kindergarten."
"You're not that much older than me." Shera knew his role as assistant coach at their high school, usually just as a fill-in PE teacher when the real one had to take a break from the stress, was his pride. He was hoping his graduate degree would have nabbed him a more exciting job to earn his hours for his final degree but he was willing to compromise.
Deydrik smirked as he rose to his feet and offered her his hand. "I am your teacher occasionally. I have to maintain some rapport. If I ever got caught giving preference to one of my students, could you imagine?"
Shera sassily answered in kind. "You'd be every high school teacher that's ever lived."
"Exactly; I want to be the pioneer of the education world!" He sounded so sincere that it made Shera question his efforts. His mother Viola was rigid in her tutoring of Deydrik's magic abilities. She had a violent rivalry with her sister Alicia; she and Shera's mother had never had the same relationship since Aunt Marianne had perished.
"So you heard what we were talking about, right?"
Deydrik winked at her. "I even know you're training 'Chazz'' in magic. You're lucky I'm no snitch. Your mother might not approve of that kind of curriculum." Though he said it in a joking tone, the seriousness of his words wasn't lost on Shera.
Shera nodded slowly. "Yes, I understand. I'll continue being careful."
"Even more so now that Cain suspects you're up to something. Luckily for you, he's so simple-minded he's only assuming you're a harlot." Deydrik laughed at the expression on Shera's reddening face as he turned away from her. "Make sure you're safe; in more ways than one."
"I haven't even kissed him yet!" Shera's shout stopped Deydrik in his tracks.
Turning to face her, he smiled wider. "Now I know you will." Whistling a merry tune, Shera growled at him when she realized the beat. 'When the Saints go marching in' played on his lips.
…
Kurt sighed aloud at the table as Lynn and Sherry sat with them for lunch. "It's not the same without him."
"You miss him that much? He'll be back soon." Lynn reassured her husband and she put more peas and green beans on her daughter's plate. "Eat up, Sherry."
"He told you guys at least, right?" Sherry nearly died from the sheer tension in the house when Lea was forced to confess to not only becoming a familiar without their knowledge but also hiding it until he would have to be away for a few days on a trip. "I kept nagging him to."
"And I'm thankful for that." Kurt's honest feelings were that of worry. "Your mother and I don't partake in that line of work due to the risks. You never know who you'd get. It's easier to work with someone you know."
Sherry raised her head from the fresh meat on the plate. "So who'd you two get?"
Lynn smirked at Kurt and spoke with a spooky tone. "My only charge was a young man too dumb to live. His name was Seth and he had a habit of running into streets when cars came by. He was… a hippie for lack of a better word."
"My charges were magical at least. The first was a young boy named Liam. I watched over him to seek passage into this country with the aid of a magic family. It's hard for magical creatures to get permission to live in some places, you know?"
"What happened to them?" Sherry asked, now attentive to her parents' stories.
"Seth eventually decided to join the military like his father wanted. Familiars aren't allowed to intervene in wars to avoid magical confrontations. I was basically fired." Lynn sounded hurt as she finished her particularly undercooked baked potato. "Next time I'm making the food."
Kurt hesitated a bit longer. "In Liam's case, he grew up and I moved to the States. Before I met your mother, I was granted the opportunity to watch another. She was a young witch named Marianne."
Sherry felt like she had heard the name before. "Are you sure that's it?"
"Yeah, you might have heard of her." When Sherry couldn't recall, Kurt filled it in for her. "Marianne was Shera's aunt. In particular, she was the one responsible for the incident."
The word incident sent a cold shiver down Sherry's spine. Shera had undergone multiple breakdowns just recalling the memories of that fateful night. "Wait, you worked with Shera's family?"
Kurt glanced down at his food. "The family's Whitelighter was on business for the Elders helping a different charge so I was asked to help out. I wasn't there that night. If I had been… Well, you might not all be here. If I had known that family was experimenting as they were, I would have never agreed to it."
"So it's okay if I become a familiar if I know the person?" Sherry tilted her head.
"That's…" Kurt hesitated. After Lynn gave him an approving glance, he sighed audibly. "If you're sure who you'd choose would be a good person to work with, you have my consent. Did you have anyone in mind?"
Sherry's grin told them everything they needed to know.
…
"You're leaving?" A shocked Geiney asked his friend.
"Yeah, just for a while. The big secrets out that I'm your familiar anyways. If I hang around you I could put you in a pickle." Lea explained. The teenagers were seated on Geiney's bed. Lea had thought about the situation he would put his friend in if he stayed. Geiney had a big heart and if he was in danger Geiney would try to save him. He preferred to keep this relationship professional but it wasn't possible now that Geiney knew who he really was.
"But you're my familiar. You're my guide. Without you I would be dead right now." Geiney reminded him.
"That was me doing my job, Geiney. I'm supposed to protect you. If something like that happens again you're going to try to save me at the cost of yourself. I can't let that happen. I can't cloud your judgment. I'm sorry. We can hang out at school as much as you want but I won't put you in any danger by being here."
Lea got up and gave Geiney a hug. "I'm still your friend, though. And always will be." He smiled, hiding his true feelings behind his cheery mask and walked out of Geiney's room.
Geiney was still in shock. He didn't think what Lea said was true. Quite the opposite, he imagined them like a crime-fighting duo. He was hoping Lea could stay even in cat form.
He walked to the corner of the room where he noticed 'Jasper's' personal items like the water/food bowl and his collar. Geiney picked up the collar; the license number for Jasper was etched along with the diamond symbol that Luz had specifically requested for the collar. On the back of the gold medallion was the street address and phone number for the residence.
Geiney felt the sting in his throat and the familiar feeling of loss in the pit of his stomach. The bowls were washed clean and the cat bed looked like it had been fluffed up again. The little green blanket was folded neatly on top of the cat bed.
Geiney breathed out and his shoulders slumped. He went back to his own bed and lay down facing the wall. He fiddled with the corner of the pillow and went to hug it. It was during this action that Geiney realized he would no longer snuggle up with his cat and the feeling of emptiness hit him even harder.
…
Alice and Charlie were at the diner the friend group had been visiting lately. The gruff ice cream man had relented on giving Charlie pineapple ice cream for once; when he bit into the coconut delight and spat it out while glaring at the cashier, he found Alice laughing to herself and sighed in defeat.
"I give up."
Alice set her caramel sundae down on the table. "Geiney's going to be back soon, right? Have you told him yet?"
Charlie shook his head. "I can't They haven't had service that wasn't all over the place."
"Does anyone else know yet?" Alice had felt her heart break when Charlie had delivered the news to her. Since school was on break, Charlie could only message people he had direct contact to. Shera and Alice were the first to know about Luke's mom passing away.
He had come to Charlie's house and collapsed on the porch. His mother couldn't deliver a single snarky jab at either of them when Charlie's friend was near catatonic. Charlie had confessed to Alice and Shera that he was deathly afraid Luke might do something he'd regret. Alice of course hadn't been let privy the news of her friends and their powers.
"I invited Sherry and Ruby to meet us here to let them know." Charlie glanced up at the doorway and found no relief in seeing their arrival. "Hey, glad you two could make it."
Ruby quickly ordered for the two arrivals as Sherry fit herself into the booth next to Charlie. Alice made room for Ruby once she had grabbed their order and set it down in the center of the table. "Here's a second round on me."
Charlie glared at the ice cream handed out to him and reluctantly took it. When it was indeed just a salted caramel double scoop, he smiled and bit into it.
The cashier laughed as the hardest ice cream he could find punched Charlie's teeth like an angry retail clerk before turning his attention to a few kids who had just stormed in with their overbearing mother.
"Well, the truth is…" Charlie didn't know where to begin. He had struggled enough telling Shera and Alice. "Luke's mom… She passed away."
Ruby's expression darkened immediately. "You're serious?"
Charlie nodded urgently. "Yeah, she did. They didn't get there in time. Luke called me breaking down, came over, relaxed a little, and left. I… I haven't seen him since."
Giving him a knowing look, Sherry asked. "Do you think he's…?"
"I don't know." Charlie leaned back into the booth. "I can't get Geiney in the know yet, otherwise I'd have his family look for him." Ruby and Sherry both understood he was referring to Ailyn. Whether Alice knew her or not, they didn't know.
"I'm sure Lea might… have an idea…" Sherry knew the idea forming in her mind was a dumb one. Luckily for her Lea wasn't around to stop her.
Ruby leaned back against the booth and pulled a lollipop out of her breast pocket. "That's rough. I can't imagine losing both my parents in such a short time."
"Hopefully we won't ever have to." Alice thought to herself. "We should maybe do something for him later."
"Why not another sleepover? We can get Geiney and Luke this time at Ruby's." Sherry watched the blood drain from Ruby's face. "Is that not good?"
Ruby shivers at the thought of what her parents were going to say. "I suppose I can bite that bullet."
Alice looked confused. "You guys had a sleepover?"
"Nooooooo…" Charlie stretched the word out, hoping someone could cover.
"Why are you guys hanging out without me all the time?" Alice felt her face flush with anger. "This is what you did to Charlie, isn't it!? What changed!?"
Ruby sighed and put a hand on Alice's. "It's not like we mean to. It's just there's a fundamental difference between us."
Alice pulled out a book that Charlie didn't recognize at first. When he finally grasped that it was the book on Geiney's desk when he and Luke had entered into the Cuentas house, his blood ran cold.
"If you guys have all these powers, why don't you have wards for normal thieves?" Alice glanced at Charlie who hung his head. "Who keeps a journal like this?"
Sherry snagged the journal and the actual literal first page read along the lines of Geiney excitedly detailing his events of training with his sisters in the ways of magic and how he was still struggling to make wind balls.
"Well, the thing about that is…"
"We…" Charlie shut himself up having no idea how to phrase it.
"We'll make it up to you all!" Sherry jumped to their rescue. "At the time, we just couldn't get a hold of everybody. Some of us were busy until just before the event and it would have been weird to ask so last minute."
Ruby nodded in agreement. "And we'll explain… everything."
Alice clearly didn't believe them but withheld her tongue for the moment. "I guess… You better bring my favorite snacks."
Sherry smiled. "You know it." Glancing over at the clock, Sherry finished off the waffle cone in her hand and stood. "I'm going to see if I can't try my hand at finding Luke."
"What makes you so sure you can do that?" Charlie raised a curious eyebrow.
"My nose knows best." Sherry turned on her heel and moved for the door. "I'll find him. I promise." She directed that last statement at Ruby before hurriedly exiting the diner.
Ruby glanced down at her melted ice cream and shrugged. When did the freezing ice cream cause her chest to hurt?
…
Geron maintained a clear distance from Luke, his body bobbing up and down in the air as he directed all of his anger at the young man opposing him. "I can see why Veketh wanted me to wait. Your abilities are far beyond your years."
His opponent didn't move or speak; instead Luke watched Geron carefully, waiting for an opening.
"You may have defeated the Eight of Blades until now but Veketh and I are on a different level than them, don't you understand!?" Geron's anger was spiking. "Know your place, mortal!"
Luke moved quickly, dodging Geron's fireball and wrapping the whip around Geron's right leg. Reeling him in like a fish. Luke covered his arm in a pink glow and sent his fist through the demon.
Geron gripped Luke's hands and clawed at them, forcing him to let go. As the whip slacked, Geron ripped it off and tossed it aside, his body slowly reforming. "I have that kind of healing as well!"
Luke's hand reached out and with a swift motion, he swung hard with Goris's axe. Geron's body was torn asunder as he slipped away. As his healing energy started kicking up again, Luke shouted in a familiar tone. "The Eight of Blades don' die, laddie! They just move up in da world!" With another swing, a blade of energy sprung from the axe and washed over Geron in a brilliant light.
Geron, still reforming his body, managed to land somewhat gracefully on a reforming knee. His body was like clay as it slowly came together. Glancing around, it was too late before he noticed Luke's Athame pierce his back. Geron's essence slipped away into him as he watched helplessly. "You will not… bend me to your will!"
With all of his energy, Geron forced himself away and into the sky. Realizing he was doomed to lose at the moment, Geron turned away. "I'm not dying for Veketh! We'll finish this later!"
Before Luke could charge another attack to obliterate the winged vermin, a voice called out to him. "Leave Geron alive. He's just a hired hand like me." Veketh now faced Luke from the far side of the courtyard. "
Luke let Goris leave his consciousness. Even the spirits within him knew not to incur the wrath of their vessel. "I'm ending you once and for all."
Veketh pulled out the cutlass and ran a hand down its blade. "This blade of mine has seen countless battles. Countless people have come and died at the hands of this blade. My obsession to stop the Roseblood Gang has created untold destruction. Of that, I am certain."
"But you won't stop will you?" Luke decided to allow for last words.
"You know that I can't. That scourge is what did this to you. Your misunderstanding of our magical world is what led you here." Swinging the blade out, Veketh raised it high and imbued it with the power of lightning. "This is why mortals must know their place!"
Luke shook his head and took out something special to him. The hunting knife a close friend of his father's had gifted him once had been remade by Silas to carry the properties of a magical weapon. With a wave of his hand to crack it like a whip, it reformed into a full-sized longsword. "From what I can see, you're pretty killable."
…
"Lea told us he was leaving." Luz started the conversation. Geiney picked at his Chinese food from the to-go container with his chopsticks. The Wongs' logo was plastered on the side of the white container. He didn't feel like eating.
"Yeah, he said his goodbye to me today." His voice was low in volume and lacked emotion.
Sara and Luz gave a quick glance at each other.
"You'll still be friends, twerp. He just doesn't want to put you in danger. I agree with him." Sara slurped at the noodle she brought to her mouth.
"Well, I disagree!" Geiney cried. Luz was taken aback. Sara blinked.
"He was—is my familiar! I liked having him around!"
"That was before we knew he was a were-person." Luz tried to calm him down. "Now that you know, it changes things. He cares about you and doesn't want to put you in a situation where you get hurt."
Geiney glared at his sisters. They didn't see his point. He grew very fond of Jasper. Even if Jasper was really Lea he could still be his familiar, right?
Geiney pushed the food away. "I'm not hungry right now. Thanks for the food." He muttered, pushed the chair away from the table and went to his room.
"He's taking this harder than it needs to be." Sara slurped at her food again.
Luz groaned, her sister was unsympathetic sometimes. "Don't you remember how hard it was to leave our familiars when we fled the manor?" Luz reminded her, "They even tried following us. We had to order them to stay at the manor. We never saw them again. I still remember how devastated you looked after Ailyn took us in." Luz shook her head in disapproval before picking up a piece of chicken and wrapping it in her chow mein.
"Yeah, I remember." Sara said, laying her chopsticks flat on top of the round container.
Sara groaned, "I hate it when you spoil my appetite with bad memories."
"We grew from those bad memories. Just sympathize with Geiney. He's feeling sad because he won't have his guide by him anymore. That cat was more than a pet for him; it was his protector. And stop with the tough girl attitude! You cried for weeks when you couldn't hold Firefennec in your arms again."
Sara whined and leaned back in her chair running a hand up and down her cheek.
"Fine! I'll talk with him. You really do kill my appetite." The chair scraped on the floor.
"I know. But I'm your younger sister; the voice of reason. By law I have to torment you."
"Says who?"
"The rules of being the younger sister." Luz laughed. Sara knew Luz had made all that up. Regardless, she felt bad for being insensitive. Now she had to have a talk with Geiney to get her appetite back. Damn her sister!
…
Sherry sniffed at the air in her beast form. She had caught his scent on the outskirts of Old Valentine. Moving further into town, Sherry witnessed a demon flying by. Sneaking into the tree line, Sherry waited for the right moment and pounced at it, knocking it from the air.
Geron crashed into the dirt, pinned by a monster. "Gweh!? What are you!?"
"Where is Luke!?" Sherry's voice was deep and garbled by her inability to form words easily in the transformed state.
"The kid… He's at the estate… Far side of town…!" Geron choked out before Sherry lifted him and planted him into the concrete with considerable force. After ensuring Geron's body was still, she continued onwards.
Geron waited for a few moments before rising to his feet. "What is my luck right now!?"
…
Luke leaped over Veketh and brought his blade down. Veketh raised his and the clash caused the force to reverberate through their arms. Not used to such combat, Luke faltered. Veketh nodded and moved to the right, slamming the hilt of his blade into Luke's nose.
In a desperate bid to land a real strike, Luke slashed upwards vertically only for Veketh to block by letting the blade fall in the way. Stepping forward, Luke threw a hard punch into Veketh's jaw before raising his blade along Veketh's.
Veketh pushed Luke away with a block of ice slamming into his side, the tip of his blade slicing through the edge of Veketh's hair. With his free hand Luke shot a stream of fire. Veketh cast a spell of wind and twirled the fire on the blade and spun, returning it with even more force than before.
Leaping through the fire, Luke returned with a desperate swing onto Veketh's exposed arm. Veketh recoiled in time to save the arm but not entirely; a large gash through his right arm leaked into the shirt he was wearing as he stepped back.
"There's no need for this anymore…" Veketh ripped the shirt off entirely and coated himself in magical power similar to Sara's.
Luke followed suit and imbued his own body with a darker energy to match Veketh's. "Show me everything you have, Veketh. I don't want to kill a man who didn't try his best."
Veketh paused for a moment. "I'm still a man in your eyes?"
"Only men are responsible for their evils. If I considered you a dog, I'd have no right to pursue you to your grisly end!" Luke's body ignited in fire and wind as he began drawing on the powers within him to run wild.
Veketh sprinted towards Luke and swung upwards. Luke, unable to move in time, takes the nick across his cheek and slams his hand into Veketh's chest. Breaking the barrier around his body, Luke quickly stabbed. As the blade poked out of Veketh's back, Veketh headbutted Luke in the nose, causing it to bleed as he stumbled back.
"That won't work!" Pulling the blade out of his side, Veketh quickly healed the wound and swung again, slicing down the bridge of Luke's nose and nearly cutting his left eye.
Blades clashed multiple times as Luke settled into a rhythm, trying to learn Veketh's weaknesses. Even with the heart he put into every attack, Veketh's superior experience dwarfed his.
Veketh mocked his opponent with ease. "Do you feel your inadequacy growing?" Deflecting another strike, his grin grew. "Your mother deserves better."
The ploy was to anger him so much as to destroy his ability to fight altogether.
Instead Veketh witnessed Luke slam the blade into his foot in the opening he had unintentionally given. As Veketh reached down to remove it, Luke punched his cheek hard enough to knock a tooth loose.
As Veketh stepped back but found he was unable to move due to his pinned foot, Luke closed his palms and blasted him at close range with Mike's energy.
"Your team lies dead at your feet and you speak to me of inadequacy!?" Luke ripped his blade out and prepared for a death strike. Instead Veketh gripped his blade and sent lightning rocking through his body. The follow-up was a rough cut to Luke's arm as he stepped back to reorient himself.
Luke stumbled back and nearly fell over. It wasn't cutting it. He knew Veketh was the strongest member but this was beyond his expectations. Veketh managed to walk through the best move he could manage with such ferocity and quickness.
Settling on one last plan of attack, Luke rushed forward.
Veketh aimed at Luke's exposed chest and moved to meet him. When Luke threw a weak swipe, Veketh disarmed him and drove the blade home. As Luke barely missed an instantly fatal wound to his insides, he turned the sword back into its knife form and drove it into Veketh's chest, tearing through flesh and bone.
Veketh's face lost its color and he let the blade go as he stumbled back a couple of steps. Gripping the blade inside of what may have been his lungs, the magic faded away and Erinea fell onto her backside with a vacant gaze on Luke.
Luke pulled the blade free with a hearty scream before dropping it and finding his real opponent bleeding out.
The realization hit him instantly and he sputtered. "Er…Erinea!? How are…. No, you didn't!?"
"I… knew you could…beat me…" Erinea spoke in between the small trails of blood leaking from her mouth. Though she was a demon, their physiology was similar enough that she knew she was dying.
"Erinea… Why!? Why did you trick me!?"
Erinea's response chilled him to his bones. "I wanted to die. I wanted you to live… If I had been Veketh, you'd be the one like this… I wanted you to live since…" She thought to herself about the girl Luke had gone out with. "You still have something… People to live for…" Geiney and Silas also came to mind as she started to cry. Images of her brother Mark floated to the surface.
That was when Silas stepped out. "Luke!"
Luke barely acknowledged him until he noticed the girl he was dragging along. "Silas…? Who's… that?"
"Well, you see…" Silas summarized the idea to Luke. Erinea was used as bait and Maria, one of the few survivors from the Cuentas School, had the ability to heal mortal wounds. Though it would cost her life, Maria could save Erinea even now.
"Why…" Luke knelt down next to Erinea and picked up her slender body, holding it in his arms. "You're such a damned idiot! If you were grieving, we could have talked! If you were afraid, I could have listened! If you were alone, we could have overcome it together!"
Erinea's breath caught in her throat at the crying boy above her. "You… don't…need…me…"
Luke shook his head. "I don't need you!?"
"You came…to die…too…" Erinea raised her weak hand to his cheek. "I'm sorry… I scarred….you."
"I don't care about that…" Looking up at the girl Silas brought, Luke shook his head. "Break the spell on her!"
Silas's heart stopped. "What?"
Luke gave Silas the worst glare he could have. "Undo the spell and let me speak with her!"
Reluctantly Silas waved his hand and the spell started to fade. As it did, Maria stepped back and observed the three before her.
"Your name?"
Maria hesitated but couldn't sense them properly. Luke was just a human to her but the others…
"Listen… Silas here says you can heal people. I don't know how or why you ended up here but… Is it possible to heal her!?" As Erinea continued bleeding out, Luke started applying his own healing magic to her. "Why isn't it working!?"
"It's a fatal wound…" Silas felt his own emotions rise as he fought to keep them down. "You're no Whitelighter. You can't just fix that on the fly."
"No. I'm not healing demons." Maria resolutely answered. "Where am I?"
Luke sighed. "This is Old Valentine. The kids of the Cuentas Family are due back soon. You can wait at Mr. Wong's for them. They go there often, right Silas?"
Silas's body shook with anger. "You're letting her go!? You're going to let Erinea die!?"
"Would it kill her to heal Erinea?"
Maria stepped over to the two and looked deeply into Erinea's eyes. "I don't know if my magic would work on demons. Even if it did, even if you made me… I doubt the strain wouldn't kill me."
"Then that's the end of it." Luke said it matter-of-factly.
"Don't you care about her!?" Silas gripped Luke's shirt and lifted him up. He was barely able to set Erinea down into Maria's hands before he was grabbed. "Why would you let her die!?"
Luke stared into Silas's soul. "I won't get someone killed against their will to save her life. I already cost an innocent their life!" Pushing Silas away, Luke added. "If you knew about this plan, you let her do this! You could have told me!"
Silas screamed back. "And have Marina kill us all!?"
"I'd rather die than live to know you betrayed me… Out of my sight, Silas." Silas's heartbeat slowed to dangerously low levels. "I said go." The second time he said it, Silas heard Raviel's voice with Luke's.
As tears began to well up in his eyes and his head began to hurt, Silas shimmered away from the scene. Why was it so familiar to me? This feeling of wrongness!?
Maria handed Erinea back to Luke and stepped back. "Mr. Wong's, correct? Thank you… But… Why are you saving me?"
"I'm no demon. I've made mistakes to last a lifetime…" Holding Erinea close, he added. "Tell the Cuentas family how loved they are."
Maria struggled to remember the events that led to her capture. Unable to do so at the time, she headed for the open gate. "If I see you again, I will thank you properly."
After she had left, Erinea croaked out. "Marina… wanted to… test you. See if you'd… take the route to… save me at… any costs."
"Stop talking, Erin. I'm here." Hearing Mark's voice inside Luke caused Erinea more grief than she expected. "I can… I can keep you with your family."
"What?"
With his free hand coated in her blood, Luke removed the Athame from its sheath. "If I absorb you, you and Venali can remain in my mind together… As long as you don't submit, I can find a way to let you out someday."
"But… I tried to…"
"Everyone tries to kill me at this point, Erinea. I'm not letting you die if I can help it. But it's up to you… It may feel like a prison…" Luke knew he had no idea what to do. Even Ailyn had no idea what procedure could be used to undo the absorption process. In witches, it usually meant their death under most circumstances.
The more advanced Athames could be used for full consciousness transference; the host had to crush or earn the trust of those inside him to integrate their abilities effectively. Luke hadn't been able to get far on either front so far.
Erinea hesitated. She had wanted to die so much but facing the prospect of nothingness scared her. She was terrified of the end; what it meant for her.
Finally, she nodded. "Only if you… want me… around."
This time there was no sign of Mark's voice when Luke responded. "I'll always want you around." As he pushed the blade into Erinea and her essence slowly became one with Luke's, the tears she wept continued for a different reason.
As she faded away and Luke realized this would be the last time he saw her face, he broke at the brave smile she wore for his sake.
As the last of her faded into nothing in his arms, Luke looked into her eyes. When the lights of life in her eyes finally faded, Luke broke into an open fit of weeping.
…
Sherry arrived in time to see Luke lying on the ground covered in tears. Walking over to his side, she smelled the blood in the air and the tears on his face long before he looked up and confirmed it.
"What the hell happened to you, Luke!? We've been looking for you!"
Luke felt his mouth dry up as the words died on the edge of his lips. "I… I found a reason to live again." Standing up, he wiped the tears and blood off of his face. "I'm glad to see you, but… What are you doing here?"
Sherry decided to roll with it since he seemed better than she expected. "I came to make you an offer."
"An offer?"
"You seem awfully lonely as of late so… Well, I wanted to ask if you… wanted a familiar…" Sherry felt shame in asking; her previous bravado evaporated in the sight of her would-be charge.
Luke forced his body forward to rest his hand on Sherry's head and hold it there. "If that's what you want, then I'm in no position to argue. You know my life's a wreck, right?"
Sherry nodded before stopping herself. "That's why I wanted to help. Lea's doing his best for Geiney and I just thought…"
"You like me the most?" Luke teased, feeling his emotions settle. "So do you turn into a shaggy dog or…?"
"I will beat you." Sherry responded seriously before breaking into a smile.
Luke nodded and pulled her in for a hug. "You better like being cuddled…" As memories came to mind of everything he had seen and gone through, one thought rose above them all as he collapsed in Sherry's arms.
At least he was able to tell Erinea goodbye.
For once, if only for once, he wasn't too late.