8
"And take the gag out. I want to hear her beg for her life," Zero added as he waved the LongCoats towards the Altar.
The moment her mouth was free, DG screamed, "You rotten son of a bitch! You're never going to get away with this!" She twisted, trying to fight again, as the LongCoats brought her to the Altar. "I'll kill you! And if I don't, Azkadelia will! And if she doesn't," DG spit at Zero. "Wyatt Cain definitely will!"
"Cain? Cain?" Zero laughed. "I'd forgotten all about Cain." The manic hatred in his eyes belied his statement. "Well, your precious Tin Man hasn't managed it yet, has he? He hasn't got the guts to kill me." He suddenly leaned over, putting his mouth so close to her ear, she could feel his breath. It made her shudder uncontrollably. "I'm going to enjoy torturing that tin-plated bastard to death, once the Sorceress is free." Turning away and ignoring DG's curses, he directed his men in their proper placements.
Sneer and Baldy had already cut the ropes on her legs, but then they cut the ropes on DG's arms, and her shoulders ached terribly. Still, she mustered her strength, flinging her arms wide. A lucky strike got Baldy across the throat, like a clothesline. Sneer grabbed her, but DG focused her magic and punched him in the jaw. She felt her knuckles crack, but the addition of magic gave the blow enough force to knock him backwards.
DG turned to run to Az, but Baldy kicked out a foot and tripped her. Azkadelia lunged unsteadily towards DG, but the prolonged exposure to vapors made her too slow, too clumsy, and the pair of LongCoats guarding her easily restrained her. DG snarled at Baldy and Sneer from where she'd fallen to the floor, kicking with her feet, clawing with her nails, but by that point, other LongCoats had come forward to help subdue her, and she was soon trussed up again, lying flat on her back on the Dark Altar.
At least I'm not spread-eagle. That would just be too much, she thought, disgusted with her inability to get free. Her feet were tied together at the ankles, her arms crossed over her chest and tied down. She craned her head towards Az, who was slumped between her captors, tears streaming down her face.
"DG," whimpered Azkadelia.
Stay tough, sister! DG Sent to Az. Help is coming, I know it, I just know it!
If there were a land speed record in the Outer Zone, Ambrose's newly modified vehicle would have broken it. They reached the Dark Fortress just as the skies opened up for the daily rain, the clouds rolling overhead with flashes of lighting and great peals of thunder.
Cain couldn't believe that there were no lookouts. He fully expected they'd have to fight their way into the Fortress, but instead, the only things outside were a car and two vans.
"Inside," he ordered curtly. He checked and loaded his pistol once they were under cover. He passed an eye over his companions. They all nodded quietly, each ready to do what was necessary.
The four rescuers made their way through the fortress. Cain held up a hand at the top of a stairwell leading down. He spotted tracks in the dust, and motioned for the rest to follow him.
When they reached the bottom, they could all see light glowing from the double doors to a large hall ahead. Taking positions in the shadows, Cain pulled Raw closer.
"How many?" he whispered to the Viewer.
Raw closed his eyes, reaching out with his senses, both physical and mystical. "DG is angry and afraid. Az is very afraid. Zero–" The Viewer shuddered. "Mad, insane. The rest, nervous. Worried. Eleven others."
"A round dozen," muttered Glitch. He laid himself out on the floor, looking through the doors to see where the enemy was located. They could all hear DG snarling and cursing, the movement of LongCoats. Only a few torches lit the room, besides some source of a glow far in the back.
"What have you got?" Cain whispered to Conor. The Seal man reached behind his back, producing two wickedly sharp long fighting knives from sheathes evidently concealed under his pelt.
"Four throwers too," Conor whispered back.
Cain glanced down at Glitch, but he knew the former zipperhead didn't carry any weapons. However, Glitch could move utterly silently if he chose too, and Cain knew that in hand to hand, even he probably couldn't take down the Advisor. He glanced at the healing scar tissue on Glitch's scalp, then muttered, "Hope they didn't mess up your rhythm."
Glitch rolled over silently and grinned up at the Tin Man wryly. "Better than ever, actually. And I have an idea." As quietly as possible, Glitch outlined a plan.
Once DG was on the Altar, Zero made all the LongCoats retake their positions. He stood over her, a serrated knife in his hand. DG did not want to know what he was going to do with it. She was pretty sure he wasn't going to give her hair a trim. Behind Zero, slightly to the right, the two LongCoats guarding Azkadelia held her steady. The pit was right behind them, and the flickering glow sent weird and ominous shadows dancing around the edges of the room. Sneer and Baldy stood just below the Altar, and DG knew a few more LongCoats were positioned nearby.
Her eyes grew wide as Zero suddenly raised the knife, preparing to plunge it into DG's body. He was aiming for her stomach, DG realized. This was going to be a very long and painful death.
"Wait!" cried Azkadelia suddenly. She stood on her own feet, if wavering slightly. All eyes turned to her.
"What?" snapped Zero.
"There's an incantation!" Az declared. "The … the sacrifice. There is an incantation that must be said."
What are you doing?? DG yelled mentally at Az.
Buying time! Az silently replied. Out loud, she continued, "To break the seal on the Wicked Witch of the West's power by sacrifice, you have to speak the incantation before shedding the blood."
"Well, what is it, Sorceress?" Zero demanded.
"I don't know of the top of my head," Azkadelia said at her most haughty. "Do you think I needed it before now, you fool?" Only DG could feel the nervous shudder in Az's voice, the slight desperation of the lies. "There was a tome, in the Tower. The information is in there. You must send someone to fetch it."
"We don't have time to go back for it. You're just going to have to improvise," Zero ordered, then turned back to DG. Az's eyes grew wide. Zero raised the knife again.
A shot rang out, striking the knife. It jerked out of Zero's hands and went flying. DG heard twin roars. At the same moment, two hands appeared out of the darkness behind Azkadelia, grabbing the head of one LongCoat and twisting sharply, breaking his neck. Azkadelia instinctively ducked as the other LongCoat was punched backwards with enough force that he staggered back into the pit, falling with a scream.
Two more shots rang out, but Zero had ducked behind the altar. DG craned her neck, shrieking "CAIN!" at the top of her lungs. She saw LongCoats moving, heard Raw's roar. DG felt a vibration start, through the stones of the Altar. The light of the pit began to flicker rapidly, as if connected to the vibrations.
She jerked as a hand suddenly grabbed at her, but it was Glitch, who used a small knife to saw at her bonds.
"Zero!" DG gasped, worried about where that bastard had gone.
Glitch glanced up, his jaw clenched. Then he started sawing faster.
DG heard the reports of dart-guns firing. As she felt the last strand of rope part, she sat up as fast as she could.
Glitch's plan was sound. Sneak in, stick to the shadows. He'd go for the princesses, sure he could get close. Cain and the rest would have to take care of the others. Conor's grin as he spun his knives was positively gleeful. Cain suspected the Seal man would fling himself indiscrimately into the battle. Still, if he fell, better Conor than DG in Cain's grim opinion.
Glitch disappeared into the darkness silently. He'd left the uniform coat and white shirt behind, wearing only dark pants and dark undershirt. He was careful to keep his hands and face hidden, so no pale skin reflected any torchlight.
Cain and the rest counted silently to themselves, giving Glitch time to get into position before they made their move. They all heard Azkadelia speak, cleverly trying to forestall the murder of her sister. Cain mentally gave the elder princess some points. She could spin a lie with the best of them, when need be. Unfortunately, her ploy didn't work as well as she'd hoped, because Cain heard Zero blow off her words and raise the knife again.
Hoping Glitch had made it far enough, Cain raised his gun and fired at the knife. Then all hell broke loose.
Both roaring, Raw and Conor charged into the room. Raw bodily tackled the first LongCoat, landing on the man. The man's head hit the floor with a wet crunch. Conor's knives scissored across the neck of his first victim, the Seal man spinning away to take on his second opponent without pausing. Cain took another shot at Zero, but the man ducked. Cursing, Cain turned the gun on a LongCoat about to shoot Raw. The shot caught the man in the shoulder, spinning him away from the Viewer, the shot meant to kill the Viewer going wide. A glittering knife flew across the room to embed itself in the throat of a younger LongCoat near the Altar who'd aimed at Cain. Cain punched another LongCoat trying to tackle him hard in the gut, bringing up his knee into the face of the man as he doubled over from the blow. Cain finished him off with a blow to the back of the skull with the butt of his pistol.
Then Cain caught sight of Zero, rising from the floor with a dartgun in his hand. Cain turned, trying to dodge, but pain tore through his body as Zero fired, the shot ripping through the flesh of his side. He fell, knees buckling from the pain and shock, and the back of his hand bounced off the stone floor, numbing his fingers, making him loose his grip on his gun. The pistol skittered away, just a few feet out of his reach.
Raw knocked out another LongCoat as Conor stabbed one. The Seal man flung his second knife, this one finding a home in the lung of a bald LongCoat about to shoot Ambrose where he crouched trying to cut DG free with another of Conor's throwing knives. The Viewer ran his claws across the face of a fortunately unarmed LongCoat, as Conor spun to check on Cain.
Zero stood over the Tin Man, the dartgun pointed right at his head. He grinned, more a fierce exposing of teeth across his face as his finger tightened on the trigger. Behind him, DG suddenly sat up, freed from the ropes that held her.
At that moment, four things happened simultaneously.
Zero pulled the trigger.
DG shrieked wordlessly, flinging out her hand and magic towards Zero.
Conor launched his last throwing knife as hard as he could at Zero.
Cain twisted himself to the side, hopelessly reaching for his gun.
DG's magic splashed light across the room. The deadly dart propelled by the gun miraculously froze in midair. Zero's face registered his surprise as he staggered, the force of Conor's knife striking his shoulder throwing him off balance. Cain completed his roll, coming up with his gun, quickly aiming, and firing two precise shots. Twin holes appeared in Zero's forehead.
The expression of surprise never left Zero's face as his body collapsed, dead before he hit the floor.
Cain let himself slump, lying with his back flat against the floor, eyes closed. The cold of the stones seemed to seep into him, coupled with a vibration he hadn't noticed before. He supposed, distantly, that he was cold because he was bleeding to death. He could hear voices from far away – Glitch, DG, Azkadelia.
Something warm pressed against his side, and he cracked open an eye. He dimly made out Raw's worried expression before he simply let go. He knew they'd saved DG. It was enough.
DG kicked the rope off her legs and threw herself off the altar. She meant to go to Cain's side, terrified that the Tin Man would die.
"DG!" Azkadelia latched on to her hand. DG tried to shake her off, but Az screamed at her. "The Witch! The witch is coming!"
Shocked, DG turned to look past Az towards the pit. The glow was brightening, the temperature in the room rising as the lava rose, its movement shaking the whole fortress.
"Blood spilt breaks the seal!" Az yelled. "We have to restore it!" She grabbed DG's other hand, pulling the younger sister into the spell. A dark miasma was rising up from the pit. Now that her attention was on it, DG could feel the formless evil. Unlike the ancient witch that had possessed Azkadelia, this power was directionless, mindlessly destructive. It would rise with the lava, spilling out through the fortress and into the land, reaching further and poisoning more than lava alone ever could.
The pure white light of the sisters' power, legacy of the Good Witches of the North, flowed out from their bodies. Az directed it, DG powered it. Their light overwhelmed the dark miasma, shredding it, forcing it back into the pit. The clear light cooled the lava, crusting it over, hardening the surface to black rock.
At last the vibrations and rumblings ceased. Azkadelia fainted, strained from holding the spell together under the influence of vapors, but Ambrose caught her. As soon as the spell was finished, DG dropped her sister's hand, staggering towards Cain. She almost fell, stumbling over a body, but Conor caught her and helped her to the Tin Man's side.
Raw had his hands against Cain's body, his eyes closed, his brow furrowed in concentration. Tired but desperate, DG put both her hands over Raw's, feeding into him what strength she had left, giving him her power to use as she had during Glitch's surgery. Tears of fear, exhaustion, and pain ran down her face, dripping off her chin to fall onto Cain's dark coat. She could feel Conor holding her, feel the pull of Raw's abilities on her power, but all she could see was Cain, lying terrifyingly still and pale and cold before her. DG's heart clenched in fear that she would loose him.
Finally, just when she was sure she would pass out, Raw pulled his hands and hers away from Cain's body. The Viewer's expression was grim when he opened his eyes. DG looked up at him, terrified at what he might say. But then Raw's expression lightened, and he reached out to cup her cheek.
"Cain is healed. Sleeps. You too."
Wordlessly, DG nodded, acquiescing to the order. Conor let her go as she settled next to her Tin Man, resting her head on his shoulder, wrapping an arm around him protectively.
TBC
A/N: OOO! short but exciting, I hope. I spent a long time mentally choreographing this chapter, I hope it made sense.
I'm delighted that people like my original character, Conor of the Seal Clan. Conor is too, sends his greetings to all, and would like me to tell the lovely ladies who've sent positive comments about him that he is single. Sigh. Sometimes, these OCs take on a life of their own…