Angel Magic (19 page)

 
Others from the Assembly hall followed them, but Rahmiel refused their help for the night. “If we do not defeat him tonight we will contact you for special training tomorrow. There is not time now to teach you our plan.”

 
“Mom, why don’t you visit with Amber? I’m sure she would enjoy the company,”

 
Kari suggested as Tehmuel and Rahmiel got them to the correct corridor.

 
“Aren’t you coming with me?”

 
“I can’t, Mom. I need to be with Rahmiel.”

 
“I don’t understand. You’re gong to the battle?”

 
Kari nodded. “But I’ll be all right, okay? I’ve gone through the binding, so I am much stronger than I was.”

 
“I don’t like this Kari. I think you should stay with me.” Her mom was beginning to panic.

 
“I can’t, Mom. Please be okay with this. I’ll come see you later tonight.” Kari was beginning to panic a little herself. It was hard to tear
herself
away and leave the room.

 
“Are you ready?” Rahmiel asked her.

 
She nodded. He gave her a quick hug. “I’ll be there.”

 
“I know,” she whispered.

 
Rahmiel handed her a plate of food, and she ate without tasting any of it.

 
After the light meal, they phased to Kari’s home.

 
“We are going to the Ether now. We will wait for Kaphawn’s appearance.”

 
Kari swallowed hard and nodded. Her mouth was dry, her palms wet. Rahmiel gave her a swift hug, and the Angels vanished.

 
The living room smelled musty. Kari wondered if it was the stench of dried blood.

 
She gagged at the thought. She got a diet cola from the fridge, hoping it would settle her stomach. She eased her way back to the living room, and peered around the corner.

 
Was Kaphawn there yet? Then she remembered what Rahmiel had told her about pressure in her ears. Her hands shook so hard she could barely open the can. She sat on the couch, on the edge as far from the
blood stain
as she could get.

 
The light in the room began to dim as the sun set. She tried to turn on the remaining lamp, but even that was an effort. Her sweaty fingers had a hard time gripping the small knob.

 
What if Rahmiel doesn’t arrive in time? What if the binding didn’t work right andKaphawn drains me? What if I die tonight?

 
She thought of her Mom, returning to the house, knowing her only child died in the living room. A tear slid down her cheek.

 
It wasn’t worth it. Being thin wasn’t worth this. She felt pressure in her ears, the same pressure she had felt during the ritual. Her stomach rolled with nausea and she swallowed hard. Her heart began to skitter.

 
Kaphawn was there, right in front of her. He was huge, but no longer skeletal. This time, tight brown skin stretched over his bones. His mouth widened into a frightening open-toothed grin and sharp black eyes seemed to pull at her.

 
She watched in frozen horror as Kaphawn reached out one huge hand covered in taut leathery brown skin. The nails were long and yellowed, with brown stains.

 
Blood! The brown stains are blood. Amber’s—or Auriel’s—or Rahmiel’s.

 
She heard a sound, and realized it was her own scream.

 
Kaphawn reached for her slowly at first then his fingers suddenly shot out, striking her abdomen.

 
She screamed a high piercing screech.

 
His fingernails scratched her and she could feel warm blood trickle down her skin toward her waistband, but he couldn’t stab into her abdomen and impale her. The binding worked.

 
Kaphawn grabbed her around the waist and lifted her.
He can still kill me
. She tried to scramble away, but he held her effortlessly and laughed into her face.

 
His breath was foul. She gagged.

 
Kaphawn roared louder. He raised his arm back as if to strike her. She fought to get away in panic, clawing and hitting at him. A blow from his huge hand could easily break her neck.

 
Then Rahmiel was there with a flash of sword. From behind the demon, Rahmiel stuck Kaphawn’s raised arm.

 
Tehmuel and Auriel and three other Angels she hadn’t met appeared, swords drawn.

 
Kaphawn dropped her to the floor to slice at Rahmiel. Kari crawled under the dining table. Her job was to stay out of the way. She scrambled back toward the wall.

 
A large hard hand reached under the table. She couldn’t get away fast enough. The walls and chairs hampered her retreat. Steel strong fingers bit into her as Kaphawn hauled her out from under the table. She covered her head with her arms, but he crashed her against the table as he yanked, and she cried out in pain. Her arm flared with pain and fell limply to her side. She looked in surprise at the odd red lump in her forearm, and realized her arm was broken. Kaphawn swung her into the air. The pain as her arm flailed helplessly nearly caused her to pass out. She managed to grab her broken arm and hold it to her stomach.

 
Rahmiel gazed at her in horror.

 
“She is mine,” Kaphawn spoke in a low throbbing voice. It hurt her ears. He was holding her so tight she could barely breathe. She wondered if he intended to snap her spine.

 
Other Guardians were all around, slicing at the demon with their swords when they could, careful not to hurt her. Kaphawn laughed at their efforts. They weren’t getting near him.

 
“Auriel,” Rahmiel yelled. “I need to get close, get her out of here.”

 
Kaphawn shoved her against the wall. She covered her face with her good arm, but her wrist smashed against the wall. “No,” she screamed.

 
Kaphawn slashed at one of the swordsmen. He crashed back against the dining table, shattering it with a tremendous crash. The Angel didn’t jump right back up as she expected. She watched in horror as blood flowed from his chest and stomach onto the shattered remains of the table.

 
Auriel and Rahmiel both came closer, trying to reach her, trying to get Kaphawn with their swords while avoiding her.

 
Kaphawn held the sword of the fallen Angel.

 
“I’m going in. You get her,” Rahmiel grunted as he slashed at Kaphawn’s sword.

 
He rushed in close, and Kari screamed as the shining sword in Kaphawn’s fist came down hard on Rahmiel’s shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see Rahmiel die. Gasping sobs, plus Kaphawn’s grip, made it hard to breathe.

 
I’m going to pass out.
 
Kari forced herself to calm down, and take deep breaths.

 
Just as a strong hand encircled her arm, Kaphawn sliced at Auriel. He, too, went down. Kaphawn roared with laughter, but Kari grabbed for Auriel’s sword. Her wrist screamed with pain, but she could still move it.

 
Rahmiel climbed back up, swaying, blood pouring from a gash on his forehead and another from high on his shoulder.

 
Kaphawn swung her around. Her sprained wrist throbbed with pain, but she gripped the sword and stabbed down, through Kaphawn’s instep.

 
Kaphawn roared in surprise and pain, and his foot was pinned to the floor. Rahmiel charged him from the other side. The remaining Angels regrouped and closed in from the back.

 
“Get Kari!” Rahmiel shouted. One of the Angels grabbed her arm then all was white Ether.

 
Without a word to her, the Angel disappeared, leaving her in the quiet, soft whiteness.

 
Kari groaned and swallowed back the bile that kept moving up her throat. She sank back into the Ether and closed her eyes. Both her arms throbbed with pain and she was bleeding from small cuts on her abdomen and a cut on her broken arm she couldn’t remember receiving.

 
She vomited into the Ether, and it sank, leaving pristine whiteness.

 
A shiver ran through her. Shock.
I’m going into shock…need warmth.
 
The Ether under her heated up. She carefully scooped fluff onto her torso and sore arm and waited.

 
Rahmiel didn’t come. After some time, she felt better, warmer. Her heart no longer pounded. She got water to soak her swollen wrist and pulled her broken arm inside her shirt to keep it from moving.

 
No one came. She sat in the white froth, and wondered if she would ever see Rahmiel again. Would she ever see anyone again?

* * * *

“Is she safe?” Rahmiel was slower now, but so was Kaphawn. The Guardians were holding the perimeter.

 
“Yes.” Tehmuel didn’t waste time talking, but took the lead, giving Rahmiel a moment to catch his breath.

 
“Take him to the Ether,” Auriel gasped.

 
“What?” Rahmiel struggled for breath.

 
“We get close, hang on, and get him to the Ether.”

 
“Why?” Tehmuel grunted.

 
“Rahmiel said no demons there,” the boy gasped. He was bleeding freely from several cuts, but had retrieved his sword.

 
“Worth a try. I won’t be…much help soon,” Rahmiel said. “Sword arm.” His sword arm hung useless, but he was using his other arm to thrust at Kaphawn.

 
Auriel moved to the side, Tehmuel and Rahmiel both rushed Kaphawn and Rahmiel leapt onto the demon’s back. Rahmiel waited until the others held onto Kaphawn
,
then they all went to the Ether.

 
Kari, stretched out on her back, struggled up when they arrived. Her eyes widened.

 
She looked so scared, like she had when the demon broke her arm.

 
Kaphawn was unmoving, his limbs frozen in the last move he made. The Guardians let go of him, but he did not move.

 
“Is he dead?” Tehmuel asked.

 
Rahmiel shrugged. “Frozen, maybe?” He shoved and the demon fell over.

 
“What if he thaws?” Kari asked. She came toward Rahmiel and he slid his arm around her.

 
“Kari, think of our bond.
It is a power we can use
,
remember
? Perhaps we can destroy Kaphawn for good. Hold my hand as well as you can.”

 
She placed her hand over his fist clenched around the sword, adjusting her sprained wrist as well as she could. Then she closed her eyes and looked again for the web of light.

 
“I see what to do,“ Rahmiel’s voice was soft. Kari opened her eyes in time to see Rahmiel’s sword jab through Kaphawn’s frozen eye.

 
As they watched, the brown leathery flesh from his face and hands crumbled away and disappeared into the Ether. The leather tunic he wore disintegrated, leaving only a skeleton, which soon fell to pieces and disappeared.

 
“Like the vomit. It just disappeared,” Kari whispered.

 
Rahmiel gathered her close with his good arm, careful of her injuries.

 
“I thought I’d lost you,” he said. “I thought Kaphawn was going to snap your spine.” He stroked one hand through her hair.

 
“I thought I’d lost you when he cut your shoulder. I thought it was your neck.”

 
“I’m all right. Nothing a healer can’t fix.”

 
Rahmiel turned to the other Guardians. “I think Kaphawn is gone for good. Let’s get Kari back to Kaliel’s and see to her needs. One of you must gather our wounded.