Firstborn (The Legacy Series) (9 page)

Like a cheap vampire movie effect, I began walking up the wall.

Yes, it looked cool. Until I made the mistake of looking downwards – I mean, backwards – and saw the three-floor drop. Cars were the size of raisins and all I could think about was how big a stain I would leave if I fell.

As I said, fear is a good motivator.

I steeled myself and fast walked up that wall like Spiderman on steroids.

Finally
, I saw the ledge and crouched down. I wrapped my arms and legs awkwardly around the railing and released my spell. My weight fell completely on my hold. I sucked in a deep breath and hoisted myself up.

I felt the ground shake and heard people screaming
, followed by the screeching of tires. Yep, that’s Amaymon alright. You can always count on him to create chaos.

From my position I saw the limo as a black dot, skittering around the hospital.

I cursed. It was supposed to pass to the other side, giving me enough time to descend through the fire escape and pincer it from the other side.

As it was now, unless I appeared in front of the car
in the next ten seconds, they would escape – and take Abigale with them.

A swear word slipped through my teeth.

Thank you, universe, for once again screwing up my awesome plan.

You know how sometimes you just got to take a leap of faith? If I survive this I’m going to hunt down and kill the idiot who said
look before you leap
.

C
ause, you know what?

As I stood up there, mentally counting down and calculating the trajectory of that limo, my brain kept playing images of me squashed into a hamburger. And despite that idiotic saying, I took the leap.

Magically charging up my run, I soared into the air and let out the girliest scream to ever leave my throat. I didn’t even know my voice went that high – maybe I should try out for X-Factor. After the initial ecstasy, I felt focus unlike anything I’d ever felt. It was like my brain was trying to beat gravity with reasoning.

I reached backwards and unsheathed Djinn, holding it in reverse grip. Magic ran through it. There was an explosion of azure light as the energy layer on top of the blade engorg
ed to twice my height. I held the gargantuan lightsaber point down and saw the car getting closer. And closer.

And then, BOOM.

Djinn impaled the hood of the car. The limo’s body crunched as the front was flattened like a can. The rear end rose upwards and settled back down with a loud crash.

Meanwhile
, I was still dangling over Djinn’s handle like some sort of charm. My magic faded, returning the short sword back to its original petite size. I slumped down and felt something pop – both my shoulders had been dislocated. My magic had already begun healing my wounds but I still felt the pain. All I could do was roll on the ground as an
Ow
escaped my lips in a low, pathetic moan.

The limo’s door was blasted open and Gil emerged. She sen
t another ripple of air at me. I managed to roll and avoid most of the damage.

She repeated her spell, knowing full well I couldn’t move.
A boulder shot up in front of me, shielding me from my sister’s magic. Amaymon’s figure spat out from the ground like a mole and a series of stone spikes went through the undamaged part of the car.

“
Control your pet, brother,” yelled Gil. “He's going to kill the girl.”

“
I'm sure your dog is protecting her,” I yelled back.

“
Erik, get the girl,” Amaymon said with glee. He focused on my sister, driving her away with his vicious onslaughts.

I had regained the use of my arm
s by then and extracted my gun. Inside the limo was Abigale, semi-conscious. I reached inside to grab her and a pair of canine jaws clenched around my hand. The dog, Mephisto, crushed bone and tendon.

His malevolent demonic eyes shone in the darkness and he began to shake his head, trying to rip my arm off.

I snapped the gun at his face and pulled the trigger. Chunks of flesh flew away but he was otherwise unharmed. His bite got even more vicious and I thought the pain was about to make me pass out.

I dropped the gun and reached inside the leaking gas tank
, splashing some of the liquid on his face.

Then
, I used the same trick I used to burn Roland’s cigarette.

The dog’s head lit up
in a blaze and he let go of my hand. Some gas had gotten on my wrist and I felt the intense burning in addition to the bite injuries. My magic healed my hand as I wrapped it in my coat and choked the flame.

Mephisto appeared above the car, hovering in a gust of wind.

Amaymon’s element is earth – Mephisto’s is the air and wind. And whilst his personality is not that of a frontline fighter, he can still do some serious damage. He was an air Elemental, after all.

He’s not like Amaymon, who beats
his opponents down with raw strength. Mephsito is more subtle. He served as the advisor to the Demon Emperor around the same time that Amaymon was leading the army. He knows every strategy, every trick in the book.

And he was eager to use them.

There was no way I could take him down in a straight fight, so I had to cheat. I waited until the tornado he had gathered had reached its peak and aimed my gun at him.

Time to see if the new toy could withstand some magic. There was a small
, red streak as the bullet hit the tornado and burst into flames. The demon instinctively shielded himself and stepped backwards. Rule number one of surviving a fight with someone tougher than you − you never just retreat. Surprise them, and
then
retreat.

I dove straight in for the girl. I grabbed her arm and hoisted her over.

“Come with me if you want to live.”

I know – cheesy. But what do you say to someone in that s
ituation,
I’m your knight in shining armor
? For God’s sake, I was wearing leather! Should I have said something dumb like,
I’m your knight in leather
?

That’s not even kinky – just weird.
So, I dragged the girl out of the car wreckage just as Mephisto roared in sheer rage.

“
Just where do you think you're going with our quarry?” Mephisto asked, with a feral look. His teeth were bared, promising a lot of slow, deliberate pain.

Out of nowhere, a thick slab of stone crashed right into his face, sending him flying.

Amaymon hollered from across the street. “Hahaha. In your face, you butt sniffin’ creep.”

“
Mephisto! They mustn't get away,” Gil screamed as she crossed her arms and energy gathered around her.

I recognized the spell – she was going to create another barrier, like the one in the hospital. I holstered the gun and grabbed a wheel rim. Magic enhanced my throw as I launched the thing like a discus. It caught Gil in the stomach and she doubled over.

At the same time, Amaymon dug his fingers into the concrete and heaved. The entire street waved in a massive carpet roll. Mephisto ran to Gil's side and both of them used wind to counter the earth magic. The result was an explosion and a lot of gavel being thrown about. Amaymon splayed his fingers and debris billowed around them, creating a smokescreen.

“
Yo, man, we gotta split,” Amaymon said as he pulled both me and the girl around a corner and down the block.

“
They can still track us,” I said. Mephisto's dog nose wasn't just for show. “Amaymon, I need some clones.”

He nodded. From the ground, eight pillars of mud sprouted up.
He motioned for me to tap each one, giving it a portion of my magic. Slowly they took on a humanoid shape. The end result made them look like terracotta soldiers.

“
They don't look that pretty,” I said to Amaymon. “And they're gray.”

“They smell like you do, and have a trace of your magic in them,” he replied. “
They only need to throw off any trackers.”

“
Okay. I'll take these and make a run for it. You and the girl take some other route, and meet me at that parking lot in ten minutes,” I instructed.

Amaymon nodded and hefted Abigale over his shoulder. The girl offered no resistance. She was either in shock or on drugs.

I took off weaving in between streets and deploying the golems in different directions. That was probably enough but I decided to run around a couple of blocks just in case.

After a few minutes I circled back.

A red sedan pulled up next to me and Amaymon grinned from behind the driver's wheel.

“
Come with me if you wanna live.”

13

Imagine the most awkward drive home
you have ever experienced. Now, forget it because there is no way your uncomfortable drive can compare to mine.

Abigale, who sat quietly and wide awake in the back seat, only spoke when the car stopped.

“Are you going to kill me?”

I saw the deadpan fear in her eyes and shook my head. Yeah, I could see how it looked – two guys taking a girl from the hospital in a stolen car. Not exactly the swashbuckling rescue I imagined.

“No,” I answered. “No one is here to kill you.”

“What do you want with me?” she whimpered.

“Believe it or not, I’m here to rescue you.”

Her eyes widened and she gazed at my office – with its bullet-holed door and shattered glass
, and the destroyed furniture and the lone chair standing in the middle of it all where Jack had been tied. The Elemental had disappeared. I was sorely aware of how bad it looked. All we needed was a machinegun and we could have rented the space to terrorists and kidnappers for their videos.

“We’re not kidnapping you either,” I reassured her.

She was not buying it.

“I don’t have any money. I’m not even related to anyone significant,” she said. Then she smiled gently and seemed to come closer.

“Please,” she whispered. “Let me go.”

I felt her power hit me like a wave. She clearly had no idea how to control herself but she did have some serious juice. I felt pressure in the deepest parts of my brain – the part that pushed me towards very impulsive sexual acts, unless controlled. That little voice inside my head was now given a megapho
ne and I wanted nothing more than to obey her and hope for a reward between those creamy thighs of hers.

At the same time, I felt another wave of power
− this one more familiar. It was him, Dark Erik. At least, that’s what I referred to him as. He was the part of my subconscious which housed my power, and my curse. If I meditated deeply enough, I could see him – it. Dark Erik was antisocial since no matter how many times I tried, I could never get him to talk or interact with me. He simply stood there, at the edge of my brain like a shadow on a wall.

Now, Dark Erik reached inside my head and I felt the same power that healed me take over. Her influence was washed away and I felt as light as a breeze.

She was still there, aiming those doe eyes at me. After a while she frowned and backed away.

“Nice trick.” I cleared my throat. Now
, my voice didn’t sound so husky. “Not gonna work on me.”

“And
I suggest you can that shit unless you really have to,” said Amaymon. He leaned against the back of the seat until his face was uncomfortably close to hers. She recoiled – Amaymon’s feline eyes, especially in his human form, weren’t easy to look at. That, and the fact that the guy sorely needed a mint. “Whoever is chasin’ you has already got your scent. My brother, the butler slash dog, has quite the nose on ‘im. So, try not to signal where you are unless you wanna be eaten.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her. “And not in the fun way.”

Did I mention Amaymon is a class A pervert? He is. And
somehow, he manages to get away with it.

Abigale’s eyes darted towards me, pleading for my help.

“Back off, Amaymon,” I said as I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. “You’re not helping at all.”

“Course
I am,” he replied. “Hey,” he directed at Abigale. “You gonna use your powers again?” She shook her head fervently. “See,” he told me. “Helpin’.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please
, ignore him,” I told the girl gently. “He’s creepy but harmless. How about we go inside? I’m sure the kettle still works – how about some coffee? Tea?”

She remained silent.

It’s official – I am the worst negotiator in the world. Ironic since that’s exactly what it says on my pay slips from the cops.

“I was hired by Gracie,” I said
, hoping to engage her on some familiar ground. She narrowed her eyes. “She came to see me right after you were admitted into the hospital. I know everything.”

“What the hell is going on?”