CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
Wings of Ash
FLINT
The aldarar's tar-like flesh molts into limbs. Its heavy claws dig into the stone stairs, crawling slowly toward us. This beast is different looking. It appeared more human-like with its anatomy masquerading as man. Its flesh sticking to thin wrists, a rupturing spine and abdomen possessing bones that have not been absorbed. Every turn I've made is met with one of the demons, and I'm ineffective. No weapon, no proper training against this shit show, and clueless. I'd be an impractical fool if I tried fighting the beast.
"Solem lumenous!" A rich baritone voice yells behind us.
Thin simmering rays of light pierce through the aldarar. The monster drops its mass to the ground, clawing its stubby snout. Each ray of light that strikes the creature burns a gaping hole in its structure. A strong hand snatches my shoulder. The force sends Minnow and me falling back as the aldarar shifts. We watched the beast flee together, Minnow pressed into my chest.
"What the hell are you two doing out of the field?" the deep voice behind us demands.
Our savior is a stout Farout man with lilac stubby hair. His russet skin is peppered with aged pink tissue wounds. Another figure joins him, and the woman watches our banter with curious green eyes.
"Trying to not get killed?" I say but it comes out in a sarcastic tone as if I was asking.
The girl pulls- what appears to be a pistol- from her holster. She reloads the clip, holding the gray beaut to the sky. I expected it to give off a popping sound when she held the trigger. Instead, the weapon's surface came to life with electric blue swirls. The luminous lines weave around the grip to the gun's barrel before consuming the muzzle. A low humming sound ruptures from the barrel as the energy inside builds. The noise alone makes me clench my jaw shut.
Just fucking great. Not only do mythicals have magic, swords that can talk, and beasts that kill on sight but they even have guns. Classic, America.
"Verity is gonna kill you two for being out here. Wait-" the man laughs, tapping his barrel against his forehead like a madman. "Oh this is rich! You tryna give this guy a quickie while Wrath worries about you in the shield?"
Minnow refuses to answer. She hides behind me, pressing her body against mine to relieve her ankle of her weight. The jackass throws his head back wheezing with obnoxious laughter. His partner remains focused on the leering creature. The woman aims her gun on the aldarar that soars above our heads. She intends the muzzle for the beast and releases the trigger. A loud animalistic screech fills the air. I watch as the aldarar drops from the sky, spinning in a lopsided manner before bursting from the shot. Thick clumps of black tar fly in every direction from the pressure.
The lass blows the smoke from her gun away, and turns to us. "Leave them be, Jax. It's none of our business. Verity will have our heads if we don't figure out what to do with these two."
Jax rests his elbow on the girl's shoulder, pulling a stand of tawny hair back. "Stunning as always, Merit. Too bad you're a bore."
Merit turns her nose from him, highlighting her round face. "Too bad you're a whore." she retorts, turning her burning glare to me. "So ginger- care to inform us what your name is?"
"Flint," I say with Minnow hiding behind me. "Flint Anderson."
The sheer mention of my name grasps their attention. Merit's eyes become hooded, like she's trying to comprehend what's unfolding before her. Jax, on the other hand, bursts into laughter. The man waves his gun recklessly in his gush of dying chuckles. He wraps a bulky arm around my neck, tapping the hilt of his weapon against my temple. "You're the moron everyone is wet over? I expected more from you- what a letdown!"
Minnow grips the back of my shirt tightly, reminding me that neither of us are willing to stand out in the opening any longer. "Listen man, just get us out of this shit hole before another one of those things shows up!"
"Ah," Jax says, removing himself from me in a bored fashion. "You're no fun. Just another pansy."
His words are meaningless. If they want to risk their lives fighting one of those bastards then so be it. It might even be an adrenaline kink fixation. Kind of like doing salts or smoking a pipe every Wednesday night, sneaking out on weeks, or "borrowing" money for smokes. However that shit worked out for the neighborhood kids or even myself. Get your high, and settle down for a bit till the need comes biting. An oppressive form of unattended trauma.
This time, Merit speaks up. "Come on you two, we can create a safe patch for you."
Minnow and I follow the two with Jax behind us as Merit leads the way. I'd comfort Minnow, maybe even help her with her weight since she's limping but I'd do more harm than good. Complete chaos is around us. There are only four aldarars that I can see with two circling around the shield. Clusters of Farout members are swarmed against the shield's barriers in an attempt to craft the spell to remain stronger. Those who have not busied themselves to provide talents in magic for the massive barrier are occupied protecting the mages and mythicals.
Merit is quick to guide us away from the rampage. She settles on an alley I never knew existed. A clear wall of mirage ripples until the thin walkway appears. It's enough room for the four of us to slip into. Merit uses the tip of her finger to draw out glyphs in the snow before us. She's precise with her lines and I can't help but think of Piper. One slightly jagged line and the magic will be for nothing. Glyphs seem to be the hardest form of magic considering that no one uses them often. To read and perform magic is something to be crafted on. Executing flawlessly and studying for years. But writing spells using symbols and unique characters? That might as well be god-tier magic.
Before Merit connects the final line, she urges us to step inside. Minnow does not hesitate. The tiny girl practically lunges into her sanctity as Merit connects the glyph. I'm right behind Minnow, watching a thin blue bubble engulf us. We watch as the two soldiers pat each other on the shoulder with sloppy grins. I don't get why they're so relaxed on the field with those beasts around or congratulating one another. It's not like Verity is gonna give them a shiny metal for their bravery.
"This should hold for now," Merit says, reloading her weapon. "We'll watch over you two until this is over. Then Verity will hand you two over to Grimm for your punishment."
Minnow grips my arm again and I groan out loud. Sounds like my luck. "Thank you," I said.
Jax raises his barrel to the shield, inches from my face. A lump of panic lodges in my throat. Suffocating the words as fear engulfs me. I can feel the fire boil down to my fingertips already. Except I don't care if the barrier is strong enough to withstand the bullet or why he's aiming it at us. The only thing that's on my mind is how similar this is to back home.
Back to the beginning. Where I lost the entire fabrication of my existence over a few good fucks. When Billy Mcalister pointed his father's gun to my head for a fling I had with his girl. And how I discovered I wasn't quite human.
Jax releases the trigger. The same smothering noise from Merit's gun discharges from his. The shield gleamed with the bullet striking the surface. Merit's grin grew rapidly as the bullet fell to the snow instantly. Jax laughs with his eyes never leaving mine. "Too bad that shield is there."
Merit bows to us and the two turn their attention to the sky. Minnow sinks to the ground, wiping her tears with her damp sleeves. The sky is unnaturally bright and it doesn't take long to figure out why. There are five Farouts littered throughout the sky. Soaring through the harsh currents with wings of leather or feathers as they purge the sky from swirling black masses.
Maverd's wings are the easiest to spot. With one hand, he's sending out pulsating waves of light that burn the sky. The bright hues paint the sky in orange streaks that bleed across the horizon like a falling sun if it ever rose to begin with. The aldarars are eager to stay clear of his path. In the other, he holds a dangling Verity. She looks so tiny- even daint- as she holds his hand with a light beaming from the other. The two are entangled in each other, relying on their teammate to support, no, protect their blind points.
Verity appears to be weaponless. She dangles from Maverd's hand empty-handed in the other. Yet she looks unfazed by the unfolding chaos around her. Her hair is piled up into a bun, outlining her face with misplaced blue strands. Verity looks… bored. As if she couldn't be bothered by the disarray of people and creatures weaving before her. Blurs of colors interlace their direction only to be stalked by dark hues that consume any signs of life on a whim.
I turn my gaze to the grand walkway and watch Sasha. She's pushed past the crowd to stand at the edge of the barrier. Her hand pressed against the blue material and continued to gut me with a vicious frown. But I know that look. Sasha's terrified. Guilt eats away at my raw stomach. After everything my cousin has done, I'm causing more trouble than I'm worth. I'll never hear the end of this. That's for damn sure.
Audible gasps overtake the atmosphere and the two of us return our attention to the sky. Verity reaches to her back, grasping the handle of a black sword before pulling its thin protracted body to her side. She releases Maverd's hand with no warning- his face pales, twisting in an expression of pure- and she drives her sword into the skull of an aldarar below him. Verity's blade shears into the creature's scalp, splitting the beast straight to its chest cavity and flailing limbs. Its discarded organs, bubbling flesh fall into heaping piles in the snow below. Verity's body twists and solid bricks of floating ice emerge as she forges the elements to her will effortlessly; no words, no indication by her fingers or light tricks. Verity breaks her fall, landing on a collection of packed snow and stones in the sky before she takes off. She's a wildcard with no sense of preservation for herself. Simply savage.
Any sign of worry from Maverd vanishes as quickly as it is displayed on his chiseled face. Verity moves against the gust of winds, placing her feet effortlessly on the floating steps of ice and stones. The amount of willpower she possesses is breathtaking. Any idiot can acknowledge the abundance of power and strength she wields alone. The fluidity in her movements is swift, unmatched by any student- or monster -I've witnessed or had the privilege to watch. It's no wonder that Verity is top tier for dominous or head of Farouts. The countless hours that she must've nurtured in order to remain cold- unattached.
The passage of floating steps dissolves as soon as they materialize. Verity doesn't stay in one place. She's a blur of blue raven beauty; lethal. Maverd follows her, gaining momentum in her movements. Verity is seething, chasing after the three remaining beasts that lap over the skies. Her anger is visible, leaping from her little steps in a full sprint before hooking the hilt of her sword into another monster. Loud shrieks of false terror ripple above, and Verity tears the creature into shreds from its core.
Verity's twin blade is alone, held gracefully, but still siblingless. I turn back to Sasha and the others. Maybe her second blade remains on the stage in some poetic manner. My attention shifts back to Mythicae's terror. Minnow inches closer to me, wrapping her long fingers on my arm with a row of fractured whimpers. I can't tell if she's either just hurting from her ankle or in a way worried for the girl who once was her friend. Either way, we watch together in silence as Verity clears the sky one by one. She strikes their cores like lightning, with bright flashing streaks of power before vanishing to her next target. Her teammates, who chase frantically behind her in the sky, fall short as she glides through the sky on icy pilasters. Poor bastards didn't stand a chance. Just like we won't.
"She's going to run out of energy soon," Minnow whispered into my shoulder. We're lucky no one heard her. Merit and Jax are nearby. I'm certain Farout members would happily go out of their way to terrorize those who spoke ill of their leader. Minnow isn't wrong though. No matter how strong or powerful Verity is, everyone has limitations including her. "Someone needs to step in-" Minnow rasped, "she can't be that stubborn to reject help."
Roars erupt in the air followed by consuming dark clouds. The dark mass swarms Verity and for a moment, my heart stills. The platform Verity conjured begins to quake under pressure as the newfound beast thrashes its body into her security. An enormous figure peers from its optique body to face the person responsible for slaughtering its kind. Maverd can't soar fast enough to reach his friend as the column Verity stood on shattered beneath her. In a matter of seconds, the chaos around us is frozen. Streams of bright hues spew from Minnow's outstretched hands that pierce the shield Merit formed. The rays of desperation spared Verity from the ominous creature, but the scream that rippled from Verity was more haunting than anything I ever heard. The colossal beast turns to Maverd who's desperately tearing through the winds and mist to save his leader. He's blinded by his horror and is unaware of how close to death he is. It's either that or Maverd simply does not care. I would bet my life on the second option.
A bright hue of blue sprouts over Maverd and the two Farout members who remain in the sky. The brilliant color spills from Verity's fingertips moments before her body slams into the earth. A long body of steel is flung by the fall. Verity's sword rests out of reach from her still body. Reality sinks into my fears at the weapon without its master. Even if, by some miracle, Verity got up- it would take the strength of a thousand men to crawl to their weapon.
Minnow gasps, holding her hands outwards. Despite the barrier around the remaining students casting out sound, I could almost swear I heard Sasha's scream. The terror and fear my cousin- my friends- must feel has to be asphyxiating… I can't bring myself to glance in their- her- direction. The sickening feeling is overwhelming alone. A fall from that height would crush a human's body. Pulverize a human body. But Verity isn't human. She can't be dead, right?
An aldarar falls before Verity from the sky, the one who knocked Verity down, and begins to take form. Its body rolls in place, forming long jaded limbs. It's the closest creature of its kind to even look remotely human with its simmering flesh and protruding bones. The cracking from its misshapen jaw haunts me as it leaves gushed sounds of agony. Verity's fingers twitch in the snow. Slowly, she lifts her head from the tainted snow of black and crimson waste. Verity wobbles in place as she pulls herself upwards, sitting halfway on her bottom. Her hair has fallen from the once-secured bun and the lavish long raven locks flow effortlessly in the wind. The skin that's peeking through her torn attire is bluer than her hair with hints of purple coloring. Her chest heaves uncontrollably, choking on the thin air that refuses to enter her lungs. I can't sit back and watch her die. No one, no matter how bitchy they may be, deserves to die. Not like this.
"Verity!" I push my hands to lift myself, but I can't reach her fast enough.
Verity's head bobs, looking for something or maybe even my voice, until she finds the creature sprawled before her. Verity's icy gaze meets the aldarar that huffs across from her. The beast doesn't dare to move an inch closer to her but rather savors its nearly accomplished kill. The capillaries in her almond-shaped eyes are bursting, spreading broken vessels of blood in her dilated eyes. I expected Verity to scream as, Donnic put it, her worst nightmares were displayed from the aldarar. Maybe even a tear or two, but she sat before her enemy with a tight-lip grimace until a subtle smile emerged. Verity's features are peaceful. Crimson droplets fall from her eyes yet she doesn't blink the fluid away.
Subtle hisses nip at my ears. A second aldarar emerges with a forked tongue and blackened teeth. Behind a stunned Verity. She's pinned unconsciously, moments away from being ripped apart. I force my legs to pick up my pace. The warmth from panic is dissolving my senses but I refuse to stop. I lunge for her weapon, sliding in the thick glistening blanket of snow until I snatch the abandoned hilt. I watch as the blade awakens in red splashes of banter when my hands grasp its handle. I silently plead with the blade, sending a prayer to whatever god or magic forged the weapon. There's no way I can sit back and watch her end like this. The sword, as if aware of its master's distress, obeys in my grasp.
Gurely's lesson comes to mind as the sword awakens in gulfs of fire. The blade should scorch my flesh to the bones as the flames lick my hands. But it's a warm sensation that I could live with for eternity. If I focus my will, and pull from my center with a clear aim, I can keep Verity safe. My head spins from the thick blaze growing in my fingertips. I need to stall the creatures from attacking. I can pull enough magic. Just enough to buy her time to come two or for a Farout member to finish them off.
I can keep her safe, I tell myself. She will walk away from this. Verity Denik will walk away from this.