Chapter 11
Fay spun around, staring into the bush for a split second before she took off, powering across the sand. She dug her heels in and raced through the trees, following the distant screams; sharp, panicked, begging not to die. It tore at her chest, shredding that human side, whilst her demons roared, hungry for blood. She shoved them down and ran harder, limbs burning. The smell of blood hit her nose first a few seconds later, then the rotting stench of poltergeists. She broke through a tiny clearing and stopped dead.
A rabid poltergeist was hunkered over a guy, devouring his guts, blood and flesh scattered about them both. A few feet away with what looked to be a badly broken leg and a shredded arm of a girl. She screamed, tears streaming down her face, crying out for the guy. In her shattered mind she hadn’t realised he was dead. Fay turned her focus back to the poltergeist, no longer a cheeky soul knocking on doors and rattling windows.
Her mind raced with options when, something inside pulled taut – then tightened again. It snapped. A floodgate surged within her. Instinct surged her hands up – darkness flew from her hands, energy roaring out in a thunderous bang, sending her staggering back. The energy hit the poltergeist, sending it soaring for a few feet before it sucked into a shadowy bubble. It roared silently and slammed its fists against the barrier. The bubble did not break and Fay felt nothing. She stared down at her shaking hands.
What the hell?
Part of her, just for a split second, had hoped that maybe she could do what Medea had done. She tried again and a tiny flicker of shadow came. Just as she went to try it just once more the awareness of what had just happened hit her properly. She quickly turned her nose upwards to the feint breeze and closed her eyes, stretching out with her senses, unfurling a probe. It rushed through the forest and a sharpness stabbed her mind – dozens of poltergeists were closing in. A feral energy radiated off all of them.
Fay’s eyes snapped open. She hurried over to the girl, who had passed out, and scooped her into arms. Off with a steady run she set off back towards the car park, using her nose to draw her there, whilst she tugged on her bond to Abe. She flung a warning recklessly down the bond and hoped it was enough to make him find her.
When she hit the car park he was there at his car. He looked up as she jogged over and saw the badly injured girl. He opened the back door and helped Fay carefully slide her in. Fay stepped back and let him in. With a snap of his fingers he summoned crackles of light and touched her broken limbs. Her eyes flew open and she began to scream.
“Hey, what the hell is going on!” A sharp woman’s voice sliced through Fay’s focus and she groaned.
Tarryn.
Her hatred dissolved in a blink as she realised that the werewolves would be useful. A hand closed on her shoulder, claws digging in. Fay spun around in a flash, driving her own clawed hand into Tarryn’s throat, throwing her into the side of the car.
“Stop it! My partner is healing her. She was attacked by a poltergeist and if you stop him now you’ll kill her. She lost a lot of blood,” snarled Fay but Tarryn, wild with fury, continued to struggled. “Tarryn! She will die now let him work!”
Tarryn finally stilled but her eyes still seethed. Fay stepped back and for a second, she almost regretted it. The werewolf looked ready to kill.
“What do you mean a poltergeist attacked her?”
“It went rabid and there is more coming. Dozens. You need to get the other wolves here, shift and scare off the humans. Do what you can. They need to be out of here – fast!”
Tarryn stared sceptically. “They’ll just chase them.”
“No, they won’t,” came Abe’s rumbling voice. “I’ll make a lure.”
Fay glanced at his blood-stained shirt and his shaking hands. Healing magic was more draining than most people knew and to stabilise a wound like the girls wasn’t an easy feat. Still, she knew better than to argue. He’d simply do it anyway.
“I can run boundary, keep them in,” she said, then looked to Tarryn. “We don’t have long so if you give a damn about humans, which I know you do, save them!”
Reluctantly, Tarryn nodded and spun around, shifting in two strides. She lifted her snout and howled before setting off towards the beach. People began to scream as more howls followed. Abe shut the door of his car as people streamed in from the beach, screaming in fear, and jumping into cars. It was chaos. Fay felt a sliver of delight and quickly shoved it away. There was work to do.
“She listened to you,” murmured Abe. “I was expecting to have to coerce her.”
Fay glanced at him. “For all their laws they do care about humans. Well, Tarryn does, anyway. You better get to work. Head to the shoreline and I’ll funnel them to you.”
In the chaos she ducked into the trees nearby and shifted, shredding her clothes in a flash. The second her claws sunk into the soft earth she set off, shadowing past the crowds of people, using her nose to guide herself to the poltergeists. They were closing in on the humans, their focus diverted. As she leapt from a shadow she let out a savage howl into the night, sharper than the wolves. The howling werewolves fell silent, their snappish barks splintering through the forest. She didn’t have to be in the pack to know what they were thinking.
Hellhound!
For a second, she thought they’d hunt her instead but then the howls bellowed into the night. Human screams returned to the night, dwindling as they made their escape.
Fay darted on, shadowing, closing in on her prey when she felt it – the wave of magic bursting from the lake. It called to her, a soft lullaby. Her demon side relaxed and leant towards it. She staggered for a moment, dancing uneasily on her feet before she refocused and dashed forward.
As she leapt from the last shadow them and danced quickly back in the darkness, hunkering low. Dozens streamed through the trees, radiating a feral energy. They moved, one seamless crowd of ghosts, glowing eerily, blackened eyes locked solely on the direction of the beach. They were drawn. Moths to a flame.
As they passed by Fay crept around behind the group and kept to the shadows, trying to figure out what to do once they got to the beach. Abe couldn’t contain them all. He’d drain himself dry and kill himself. As for her…whatever it was she didn’t know how long she could do it – or what to do once she contained them. Hell, she hadn’t even thought about the one she’d caught before.
Once the humans were safe she could focus on destroying the poltergeists. There was no saving them, no time to find a way to ferry their souls safely.
The poltergeists broke the tree line to the lake. Fay saw Abe standing there, a glowing orb hovering above him and to her hellhound eyes, several invisible circles. He continued to chant, drawing them in, the orb growing larger. Yet, with each second, his hands started to shake, and sweat glistened on his brow. He was getting low on magic, dangerously low. Fay shifted on her paws restlessly. She broke her place and snarled at the poltergeists. They started suddenly, their savage screams splitting the air, and tried to turn to Fay but she barrelled towards her. They ran by instinct and magic straight to Abe. He started to sway on his feet. Fay let out another vicious bark. She darted right sharply, corralling two ones that tried to run away. They turned sharply when she jumped before them, teeth dripping, a tremulous growl rumbling from her chest.
She sprinted back around as they neared the first circle. The first one staggered in and started to scream. Two more followed before true chaos erupted. All at once every poltergeist started to scatter. Fay panicked and before she realised it she’d shifted back, her human feet sinking into the sand. She threw another burst of energy at the closest cluster as they bolted down along the shoreline. It consumed them in a flash of black. She spun around, hurling two more, capturing a couple more each time. Darkness nudged the edge of her vision.
Still she barrelled on, hurling reckless bolts of darkness, consuming each one – yet, with each one, she began to realise that it was different from the first time. The bolts felt darker, more destructive, consuming. Then she saw the dust where they once stood. She froze, just for a second.
A force slammed into her back. A poltergeist was on her bare back, rabid hands tearing into flesh. She screamed and rolled over, throwing wild bolts of darkness, blind to where they were going. She didn’t care. Instinct blinded her. She flung the poltergeist off her and scrambled shakily to her feet – exhaustion was tugging her down. Something else was. Yanking down into herself to something calling to her. A roaring fire. She reached for it blindly, hungrily and yanked. Energy surged within her – a consuming darkness wrapped around her, yet it didn’t scare her. It felt right. Both sides of her – demon and human – balanced. The ferocity of it stunned her but only for a moment. She stilled and realised a black dress had formed around her, a slit up one thigh. In the corner of her eye she saw her reflection in the water. She looked – a startling awareness, an unfurling of knowledge, rippled through her.
She spun back to the poltergeists. They weren’t running from her – no, they were coming straight at her. Their energy was different. Focused. A new source rippled beyond them. She snarled, the source she’d seen before.
Puppet master.
She clapped her hands together, an orb of pure darkness summoned between them. Her body moved without conscious thought, as though she’d been training her whole life. She burst forward, hurling the orb, then another and another. They came at her at once, a blur of energy and claws. She didn’t care. Her balance and fluid movements sent her flying across the sand, tearing into poltergeists as they came at her – and more did, streaming in from the trees. Some got close. Flesh was sliced, hot blood sprayed the sand but she felt no pain. No care for any wounds.
Yet no matter how many came at her she seemed to destroy them completely, their dust flicking up onto her legs as she raced onto the next. One by one until she stopped, staring at the last one. A young man with a gaping wound in his chest, the wound that killed him in his human life. He didn’t attack her.
“What are you?” Multiple voices spilled the question from his mouth. “You were a hellhound!”
She summoned an orb to one hand and stared down the poltergeist. “Tell your master I am coming.”
Then she hurled it at him. He made no sound as he exploded into dust. She stared at the pile when she heard a muffled thump behind her. The second she spun around and saw Abe on the ground. She was off before she realised it, half stumbling as the energy started to rush out of her. As she hit the sand beside him she touched his clammy cheek, his skin cold.
“No, no, no, you are not allowed to die on me!” She shook him violently. “I can’t heal you, Abe, you bloody fool! I’m not a healer. I can’t save you.”
He didn’t stir beneath her touch. Panic seized within her as the last of her energy fled her. Darkness sunk its claws into her and yanked her down. She crumpled beside him, the world spiralling out of reach, when a new voice rippled through her.
“But I can.”
She slipped away completely, a name floating in her mind.
Nebiru.
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