Chapter 10 - For a Friend

"Those plans will never work, Fear!" yelled Salvatore. Randy and Ace exchange looks. That was all three of them, still sounding fine.

"Oh, but they already are. And may I just say, fool, how stupid it was to get that redheaded brat involved in this? What must she think of you now? Oh, wait, that's right, Lady Illusion has destroyed her!"

"No! You bas-ungh!" There was a terrible noise, one that Randy and Ace would never forget, and then Lord Fear's cold laughter filled the air.

"Enjoy your stay! You won't need to for much longer." His cackle faded as he walked away.

Throwing caution to the wind, Randy and Ace jumped up and ran round the corner.

"Dad!" Ace ran to his father's side. Adair looked up and smiled tiredly.

"I knew you'd make it." He nodded at Randy, who was having a similar reunion with his dad. Then he looked down again, at Salvatore, whose head he had cradled in his lap. It was easy to see his life was ebbing away. Ace knelt down on one side of him, and Randy the other. Salvatore looked up at them.

"Is it true? Is Sparx . . . gone?"

"No, no she's not." Ace didn't know it for a fact, but he had a pretty good gut feeling about it.

Salvatore placed his hand on Ace's shoulder. "Look after her for me, she's gonna need it."

"I will."

Salvatore lifted his other hand and placed it on Randy's shoulder. Looking deeply into his eyes he said,

"Never give up on yourself, no matter how hopeless it looks. There'll always be a ray of hope." Randy nodded. Although he was confused at the time, that piece of advice helped him through many a dark hour.

"Tell that girl she's like a daughter to me." He shifted his gaze towards his dearest friends. "Brothers. It has been a privilege." To all of them he said, "Do right and fear not." Then his eyes focused on something not of this world, he whispered his wife's name, and was gone.

Watching him flicker away, Adair and Euphrates felt a gentle calmness settle on them. Their friend was finally at peace.

"Call herself Lady, will she? I met more lady-like women working in that pub!" Muttering this, Sparx stumbled on the solemn group of men.

"Guys! Man am I glad to see you! How do you tell if you won a fight if the person you're fighting disappears because she thinks you're dead, but you're not?" Noticing their faces, Sparx felt a cold dread sweep over her.

"What's wrong? Where's Salvatore?"

Adair put his arm around her. "He's gone."

"Gone? Gone where?" Sparx sounded puzzled.

"He's . . . dead."

"What? But you can bring him back, right? I mean, you're Lightning Knights."

"Not anymore. Today was our day of retirement. I'm afraid he's gone for good."

Sparx leant against the nearest wall and slid down it, her face in her hands.

Ace, remembering his promise, knelt down in front of her.

"You meant a lot to him, Sparx. He said you were like his daughter."

Sparx looked up. "Who did it? Who killed him?"

Euphrates spoke up, "One of Fear's henchmen."

"Right." She stood up and looked around at her friends. Her only true friends, she realised.

"For Salvatore?" They all nodded. "Let's get dangerous."

o0o

Lord Fear was sitting at his organ when Lady Illusion morphed in.

"Ah, my Lady. Is the girl destroyed?"

"Yes, my Lord. Sparx is no more."

"Well done my Lady. Now, allow me to play you a small tune I like to call 'Pinnacle of Pain'"

"Spare us!" Euphrates said, his voice low with anger.

Lord Fear and Lady Illusion turned around to see Adair, Euphrates, Randy, Ace, and Sparx, all armed with gruesome looking weapons they had pulled off the walls as they had stalked through the halls of the haunted house. Without an ounce of super powers between them, they prepared to take on Fear. Lady Illusion, seeing Sparx, who was no longer tired, but running on pure adrenaline, jumped towards her. Randy, swinging two battle-axes, got in her way and backed her into a corner. Some of Lord Fear's cronies who had seen the commotion, traipsed in, and were taken on by Adair, Euphrates, and Sparx. Ace, seeing Lord Fear trying to sneak out, quickly scanned the room. Noticing a heavy wooden chandelier hanging above Fear, he threw the small axe he had grabbed in the hall at the rope holding it up. It sliced through the rope like it was butter. Trying to jump out of the way, Fear tripped. The chandelier crashed down on his leg, and Fear howled with pain. Glaring at Ace, he muttered,

"You will pay for that!" Before dragging himself out of the room.

As soon as she saw Lord Fear leave, Lady Illusion morphed out. All of the other Evils soon disappeared. Linking arms and supporting one another, the five friends started on the long journey home.