The Dark Storm (34 page)

“So you say, but how can you kill what you cannot see?” He stepped farther into the fog.

To his surprise, Lydia followed and tore a nasty gash in his face with the tip of her staff. “I’m blind, asshole, so all I have to do is follow your stink to know where you are.”

Lydia was as quick as lightning with her strikes, but the war demon was quicker. He effortlessly knocked aside her strikes and countered with a lazy one of his own, which Lydia blocked, but she fell victim to a leg sweep. Riel brought his blade around with all his might, and when it connected with Lydia’s staff there was a great explosion of light.

Riel shrieked as the celestial light blinded him and singed his face. Swinging the blade wildly, he backed himself into a corner and tried to clear his vision. When his focus returned, his eyes widened at what he saw. Lydia stood calmly in the center of the mist of the fog, surrounded by a soft glow. The ivory shell that had been her walking stick began to fall away, exposing the double-pronged spear that had been hiding within. Next to the hammer and the trident itself, the Spear of Truth was one of the most famed of the anointed weapons.

“Who are you?” the demon snarled.

Moving off instinct, Lydia waved the spear in a series of complex designs, leaving glowing runes in the fog. “I am Lydia Osheda, descendant of Sinjin Osheda, known to your kind as the demon slayer. Now, come so I can spill
your blood as my ancestor did!” Moving as if the spear were a part of her, Lydia tore into Riel.

The war demon found himself flustered at the intensity with which Lydia attacked him. The spear was like a kaleidoscope of color, striking the demon over and over. For every blow Riel threw, Lydia countered with two. He came high and she went low, plunging the spear into his gut. For a moment she could see the demon within try to separate from the host body, but Riel was able to pull himself free of the spear before he completely lost hold of the body. His body had taken too much damage that night to continue, so he called in help.

“Attend me!” he shouted. From out of the mist came the shambling Stalkers who had managed to survive the fight at the brownstone. Lydia tried her best to fight off both the Stalkers and the demon, but she was being overwhelmed. The Stalkers finally managed to wrestle Lydia to the ground and take the spear from her, which Riel picked up.

Riel twirled the spear expertly with one hand and brought the point to rest against Lydia’s throat. “It may not be the Nimrod, but I think this will please my master.”

“And this is gonna please me!” De Mona tackled Riel, jarring the spear loose. Riel tried to raise Poison, but she knocked it away from him. “Not this time. I’m gonna down you once and for all.” She raised her hand for the killing blow but was denied when a Stalker pulled her off Riel. She dispatched the corpse in less than ten seconds, but when she turned back to Riel he was gone. “I fucking hate it when he does that!” De Mona cursed before moving back into the fog to find another target.

Redfeather crawled on his hands and knees, trying to stay as low as possible. Around him he could hear the screams of both friends and enemies mingled with the clashing of
steel and gunfire. To his rear, the Great House of Sanctuary burned. Redfeather’s hand brushed against something smooth. He looked up and found a blond man dressed in mage’s robes standing over him.

“I would’ve thought more of the descendant of the mighty Hunter.” Flag smirked. Two goblins appeared from the fog and snatched Redfeather to his feet. Flag examined him and frowned. “You are definitely one of the Hunter’s kin but not the wielder of the Nimrod. Where is he?”

“Far away from the likes of you, and if you were smart you would let him be,” Redfeather said defiantly, and was rewarded with a slap across his face.

“I’ve no time for your games, old man. Either you can give me the information I need or I can have my associates pry it out of you.” Flag motioned towards the salivating goblins.

“Not if I have a say in it,” Lydia said defiantly. Her form was obscured by the fog, but the spear burned bright. Flag recognized the spear and wisely stepped back.

“Get away, child,” Redfeather called to her.

“There will be no more innocent blood spilled tonight.” Lydia ignored Redfeather and walked calmly towards Flag.

“Of course not, because there won’t be that much left of you when I’m done.” Flag lashed out with a beam of energy from his hands, trying to incinerate the girl.

Lydia leapt out of the way just before the beam scorched the ground. She got low and raced towards Flag with the spear folded against her body. Lydia moved more off the impulses of the spear than conscious thought as she dodged Flag’s attack. Like all the other weapons, it was adding to her natural abilities. She flung herself into the air above Flag, and with a whoosh of power she split the spear in half and zeroed in on Flag with the two blades. Flag didn’t even have time to think of a spell, so he did what came naturally
and threw himself on the ground. Screaming for help and on all fours, he scrambled across the floor trying to escape Lydia’s wrath.

“Don’t run, coward,” Lydia said, cleaving through Stalkers with the two blades as she moved after Flag. She managed to back him into a corner and laid the blades crossways over his throat. “If it were up to me I would kill you for what your people have done tonight,” she said with tears streaming down her face. “But it’s not for me to judge you, that is the work of the order. I’m no murderer.”

“Well, it’s too bad that I am.” Flag laid his hands on her stomach and pushed out with his power. Lydia flapped around on the ground like a wounded fish as Flag tried to fry her.

“No!” Redfeather cried as he charged Flag. The old man hit Flag in the jaw, causing him to break his connection to Lydia. Redfeather gave him two more good licks before he was knocked out by a goblin. The creature knelt over Redfeather and was about to take a bite of the old man when Flag stopped him.

“No, we’ll need this one to find the boy. Take him back to the mountain while I retrieve the spear,” Flag ordered the goblin. The goblin grudgingingly did as he was told, leaving Lydia to Flag. “Foolish child.” Flag stood over Lydia, who was trying to get back to her feet. He was about to finish her when the sound of screeching tires drew his attention. He turned around just in time to see a pair of headlights barreling down on him.

The fog was so thick that neither Gabriel nor Asha could see what was going on, but Rogue could. He’d heard stories about the goblin hordes but never thought he’d ever encounter them, especially topside. The Inquisitors and their allies fought valiantly, but they were no match for the ferocity of the goblins.

“What do you see?” Gabriel asked. All he could make out in the fog was shadows and the screams of the dying.

“It’s bad,” Rogue said, drawing his remaining revolver.

Asha stopped using her physical eyes and let her magical senses roam. “Looks like the shit is getting thick,” Asha said, drawing her knife and smearing leftover blood on the blade.

“
Thick
ain’t the word.” Rogue mowed down an unsuspecting goblin with the Viper.

“What the hell was that?” Asha craned her neck to try to see what they had hit.

“You don’t wanna know,” Rogue told her.

“My grandfather is in there, isn’t he?” Gabriel was getting agitated.

“Gabriel, just be calm,” Rogue tried to soothe him.

“I’m tired of being calm; being calm has gotten me nothing but my ass kicked all night.” The Nimrod appeared in his hand. Gabriel reached for the door handle.

“What the hell are you doing?” Rogue spared a glance over his shoulder.

“Finally taking responsibility for the mess I created.” Gabriel pushed the door open and threw himself out of the speeding car. His body never made a sound when it hit the ground and disappeared into the fog.

“Damn that kid!” Rogue swerved the Viper. He was so busy scanning the fog for Gabriel that he didn’t see the two bodies directly in front of him.

“Rogue, look out!” Asha grabbed the wheel and yanked it to one side. The Viper fishtailed and slammed into a parked car.

“Are you crazy? I should blow your head off for that.” Rogue aimed the gun at her.

“If you shoot me, then I won’t be able to save you from him.” Asha pointed out the window. Rogue turned in time to avoid Illini’s spear that was crashing through the window. While Rogue and the goblin struggled for the spear, Asha climbed out the window and stood on the hood of the car. She raised her hands to the heavens and shouted, “Azuma, be my strength!” From the monkey’s hiding place on an adjacent rooftop he answered his mistress’s call, adding his power to her own as she rushed Illini.

The goblin abandoned his spear and turned his attention to the hurling witch. He deflected her blade’s strike and placed his palm on her stomach. Pain shot through her body as he burned a print of his hand into her gut. Asha hit the ground and looked up at the goblin in shock. In all that she had learned about the warrior race, she’d never known them to have a hand of power.

Illini flexed his smoldering hand and answered the question in Asha’s eyes: “It was a gift from one of the fire elementals. I took it as my own after I ate him. I wonder what I’ll be able to salvage from you when you’re reduced to bones.”

“You won’t be finding out anytime soon.” Rogue appeared behind Illini, holding his spear. Rogue drove the spear through the goblin’s stomach and tossed him into the fog.

“On your feet, girl; that little nick won’t keep him out of our hair for long.” Rogue helped Asha up.

“You drove a spear through his stomach. I don’t think he’ll be a problem for anyone anytime soon,” Asha said, gently prodding the handprint on her stomach. The skin was blistered and raised, but she would live.

“That’s because you don’t know jack shit about goblin anatomy. Now, let’s go find Gabriel.” Rogue pulled her deeper into the fog. Rogue did his best to avoid being stabbed, shot, or bitten as he navigated the mist. He spotted a girl lying prone on the ground, aglow with magic … mage magic. His eyes whipped back and forth in search of the mage who had cast the spell, and Rogue’s blood went cold when he laid eyes on Flag. Asha took a step forward, but Rogue held her back. “Tend to the girl. I’ll handle this.” He moved to meet Flag in the center of the fog.

Asha carefully approached Lydia, as she knelt with her blades gasping for breath. “Are you okay?” Asha called to her.

“Who’s there?” Lydia raised one of the blades and turned in the direction of Asha’s voice. She didn’t look like she had the strength to swing it, but Asha wasn’t taking any chances.

“My name is Asha and I’m on your side, so can you put away the blades so I can see how badly you’re hurt?” Asha said. Lydia hesitated for a minute, but she let Asha examine her. The girl was still crackling with mage magic, but she would be okay. “How many of them are there?”

“I don’t know; it seems like they’re coming from everywhere,” Lydia told her. Lydia felt around for the second
blade and put the two back together again. “I have to go; they’ve got Redfeather.” She used the spear to pull herself to her feet.

“Sister, you gotta let that magic bleed off before you do anything.” Asha touched Lydia’s shoulder. Flag’s magic felt vile when it touched Asha’s, but she let it seep into her from the girl. “Who’s got him and where did they take him?”

“The goblins. I heard the mage say something about taking him to a mountain,” Lydia recalled.

Asha didn’t know what Lydia meant by the mountain, but she knew what goblins were. The elders would tell them horror stories about the tunnel dwellers when she was a girl. If they were what were lurking in the fog, then Asha knew that it was the last place she wanted to be. “Come on; we’re getting the hell outta this fog.” Asha grabbed Lydia by the hand and led her off.

“You know, I knew if I looked hard enough I’d find a murdering sack of shit like you tied up in this. There’s a king’s ransom on your head.” Rogue raised his gun.

Flag waved his hands through the air and called up his power. “You’re welcome to try and collect the bounty, freak. Rogue, if you try to stop me, Lord Titus will make sure that the demon who pulls your strings suffers for it. I’d like to see what would happen if he decided to take more than your eyes this time.”

“To keep the likes of you from bringing about hell on earth it’s a risk I’m willing to take.” Rogue fired his weapon at the same time Flag released his power. Rogue managed to raise a magical barrier, but it only slowed the blast. For the third time that night he found himself airborne. Rogue righted himself just in time to see Flag rushing him with one of the goblin’s discarded swords. Against his better judgment Rogue again called on the
shadows and sent a pillar of darkness swirling at Flag. It staggered the mage, but Rogue didn’t have the strength to make the blow a fatal one

In a fair fight, taking down Flag wouldn’t have been easy, but as injured as Rogue was it was almost suicide. He dropped to one knee and with shaky hands tried to reload his revolver, but Flag was on him. Rogue was barely able to duck out of the way of the swinging blade. Using the empty revolver, he backhanded the blade away and punched Flag in the nose, breaking it. Rogue followed with a spinning kick that put Flag on his back. Before he could get up, Rogue hog-tied him in shadow. Flag opened his mouth to work a spell, but Rogue gagged it with another shadow patch.