Demon Singer II (24 page)

        “How do you keep getting into trouble?” Joss hollered back as he sent one dwarf skidding away with his cane and another in the opposite direction with a well timed kick.

        “Just lucky I guess, I need to get back to the palace to help tend the wounded.”

        Joss and Anaya sent Ruby with her shotgun as well as the guards and soldiers to accompany Maddy to safety. They got Maddy back to the palace safe and sound. Ruby immediately headed back to the center of the city, looking to rejoin her friends.

        It didn't take long to reach the place they had separated but everyone was gone.  She could hear sounds of fighting in all directions but had no idea which direction to head.

        The choice ended up being made for her as units of dwarves showed up from the south and the West. Immediately she began sprinting north.

        Ruby was in excellent shape and could move fast when necessary, but not for long.  A foolish childhood mistake had left her with a gimpy hip and a permanent limp. Unfortunately, she had already done more running in the last twenty four hours than the easily offended joint found tolerable.

        The sound of booted feet pounding behind her told her she hadn't escaped detection.

        So here she was at the end of the road so to speak, a hip on fire, a shotgun with three shells and a few dozen angry dwarves closing in.

        This sucked.

        Flipping a mental coin, Ruby forced herself to continue running and turned east toward the Light of Markhato.  It made as much sense as the other direction, but the Light was something she'd wanted to see up close since her mother had told her about it as a little girl.  

        From more than thirty yards away the light looked white. Less than thirty yards though and you could see every color that existed, some that didn't even have names.

        Ruby tried to ignore the excruciating pain in her hip, the tears that blinded her eyes and the sound of angry dwarves getting closer.  She focused on nothing but racing toward the Light.  Maybe, if she could hold out long enough she would be able to see it up close before the dwarves took her away.

        The pain was becoming unbearable and even desperation wasn't enough to keep her going. How she wished her hip had healed correctly. It was ridiculous that a bad choice as a little girl would result in her death as an adult.

        Stumbling to a stop, Ruby chambered a shell and turned to face the dwarves. Joss and Anaya had insisted that she not be taken by the dwarves, hinting at fates worse than death.  Ruby could not take her own life, even if she wanted, but she figured if she killed a few of these little bastards maybe they'd kill her here and now and save her the trouble.

        Breathing a silent goodbye to Joss and Anaya and Lyric and her parents, Ruby brought the shotgun up to her shoulder and waited for the dwarves to get close enough that missing wasn't an option.

Chapter 18

        "The time has come, your majesty." The quartet stepped out of the jailhouse to find Oberon, flanked by ring of fairies and other, less lovely supernaturals.  "You killed my child and now I demand satisfaction according to your law."

        "Oberon." Cadence's annoyance made his name sound four letters long.  "The only thing you will accomplish if you pursue this is an abrupt and permanent end to your long life." Stepping forward as she spoke, the Verger produced her sword from that pocket of nowhere.

        The Fairy King stepped away from his entourage and held out his hand. A sword made of golden light formed.

        "This is ridiculous," Cadence did not raise her guard. "You stand no chance. Leave now, with your skin and dignity intact."

        "You may be the Standard, my Queen," Oberon smiled wickedly. "But I'm the King of Faerie. I have the largest standing army in existence. And they are all trained by my best warrior. Me."

        Leaping at the small woman the Fairy King's blade became a blur as he hacked and stabbed.

        There was no concern on her face, but Lyric could feel Cadence's surprise across the tie. Oberon was much better than good.

        A spinning slash was deflected only to return from another direction.  Cadence kept up with the Fairy King's attacks but was hard pressed to flip her defense into offense.  Every time she tried to steal his momentum he immediately responded.

        Lyric watched, at first with more annoyance at Oberon than concern for Cadence. However, as the duel continued that began to change.  Oberon really was stunning.

        
Lyric, you're pissing me off!
Cadence's thoughts rang in Lyric's head and he saw Acheron wince at the same time.

        The Singer considered what songs might help his friend if she needed it.

        
DON'T YOU DARE!!
The Verger's anger never reflected in her face but he could feel it across their tie like a physical blow.

        
Once she's done with Oberon, she's gonna kick your ass next,  
Acheron thought at him in amusement.

        Lyric saw Cadence leave an opening in her guard on the left and held his breath, trying not to think.

        Oberon saw the opening and lunged forward eagerly.  Cadence spun aside at the last possible instant and hooked her right arm around Oberon's throat and followed the momentum of his thrust, riding him to the ground.  

        A knee in his back and his chin in the crook of her arm pulled back so far it should be broken, Cadence easily slapped his sword away as he still tried to attack.

        The blade dissipated in drops of light and Cadence brought the keen edge of her iron sword against Oberon's throat.

        "Consider vanishing and I will hunt you down and kill you, Oberon. You stay until I release you." She said quietly in his ear. "Am I the victor?"

        "Never," the Fairy King managed to gasp out.  "My kingdom and forces will never be yours."

        Cadence pulled tighter and the fairy stopped breathing for a moment.

        "Your kingdom was already mine, fairy," she ground out angrily. "And I don't want your army.  They aren't good enough."

        She released him and stood up.

        "You aren't going to kill him?!" Acheron's incredulity trumped her weakness as she yelled.  "You
suck
!"

        Oberon vanished and reappeared on top of a nearby roof, his sword once again in hand.

        "I won't spare you twice, fairy." Cadence said coldly.  Oberon's handsome face twisted into an ugly grin.

        "I won't stop ever,
demon
."

        "Ooo, that's off sides," Acheron said.

        "Calypso!" Oberon shouted.

*   *   *   *   *

        Trytohn had to hand it to Lisian. Her little plan caused more hassle than he expected. The Vergers were strong, fierce and because they weren't part of the fallen he could not control them.

        He caught a tall woman with two swords by her throat and hurled her against a large man with glowing eyes. So that's where the green burning light came from. He watched the two of them plummet down the canyon and land screaming in the boiling river Acheron.

        Six more Vergers still advanced. He realized quickly they were attempting to drive him toward the pit, but he didn't really resist. He assumed he would find Lisian there, laying in wait to ambush him. He would handle her there as easily as anywhere else.

        Shooting a gout of hell fire into the hairy torso of something that looked like a were-badger. Interesting. It burned with the most lovely green flames.

        Five to go. Trytohn let them drive him toward the pit. He knew they wouldn't reach it with him.

*   *   *   *   *

        The sound of the ocean filled Lyric’s ears. He turned with everyone else turned to see a twenty foot tall wall of water crashing toward them through the trees.

        Lyric felt a surge of panic coming from Cadence. He wrapped an arm around her and felt something there already. Acheron was on her other side.

        "Don't worry, bitch face." The demoness said weakly. "We won't let you drown."

        The water hit and they got washed away down the streets; except for Cadence.  She was forcefully ripped from their arms, it almost felt intentional. Lyric watched helplessly as she swirled away into the violent water.

        Lyric and Acheron were washed through the streets of the village, amazingly missing all manner of obstacles.  Abruptly they landed on the grass just outside the village, coughing seawater out of their lungs.  Looking up, Lyric was awed by what he saw. The entire town was covered by a swirling tower of water that didn't pass the city limits. Townsfolk were all around them, picking themselves up from the ground after being thrown there by the flood.

        Lyric hurled himself at the water and was immediately ejected by an outward pushing current.

        Picking himself back up he ran to a nearby tree and sang himself into the branches above. Once high enough, he scanned the rooftops and saw Cadence back in the center of the town, once again locked in combat with Oberon. This time, waves of water accompanied the Fairy King's attacks. Every time he swung his sword, water surged against the Verger. Lyric could feel her becoming disoriented as she was buffeted by both fairy and sea. The Fairy King swung at her neck and a large wave pushed her back along the roof while she parried.  

        
Cadence, head south toward me,
Lyric sent his thought along their soul tie to the Verger.  She didn't respond, but began giving ground and leapt across the rooftops in Lyric's direction.

        The Singer dropped from the tree and approached the physics-defying flood.  He noted Dispo was absent from the crowd of town folk helping one another up.  

        
Acheron, find Dispo.
He thought.

        Singing his ascension song again he leapt to the top of the flood waters to be met by a monstrous wave that spiked him like a volleyball.

        The abrupt return to the hard turf disoriented him for a moment and as he attempted to stand he staggered like a drunk.

        Relentlessly pushing through the pain in his head and his almost certainly broken wrist, Lyric focused solely on the wall of water and began singing. He sang a carving tune written by a Master Singer from long ago. It was used to drill holes where there needed to be holes.  Stepping forward, a tunnel began boring its way through the water and he re-entered the village.  Powerful as he was though, without Acheron's strength to draw on and not daring to borrow from Cadence, the singer simply wasn't a match for the queen of the sea. Water was her domain. He could feel the pressure, pushing back against his song. Refusing to give up, Lyric pushed with all his might and fought step by step toward the closest building.

        Suddenly Calypso stepped out of the torrent and into his tunnel.  Staring at him in astonishment she lifted a hand and held the water back, relieving his strain.

        "You shouldn't be able to do this. What are you?" She asked.

        "I'm the Soul Singer responsible for the Verger you're attacking." Lyric growled. "And queen of the sea or not, you're in my way." Quietly, Lyric hummed deep in his throat a song he had been preparing since the Gaoithe Mhín.

        "This isn't your fight, Demon Singer. I've kept the town safe, the people all got washed to the field to the south. The flood hasn't even entered any of the houses. You're free to go in peace if you leave now, but Oberon and I will have our revenge.” Calypso frowned at the Singer as though a thought occurred to her.  “I understand your concern about your shared fate. Allow me to tell you a secret. There's no such thing.  Come the judgement, you will stand alone and only One may stand with you, and I promise it won't be either one of these two.  As for your friend, she killed our daughter. She will be punished until we're satisfied."

        An ugly sensation filled Lyric's heart at Calypso’s threat against his friend. He knew this sensation, it was rage. The last time he felt this way over a hundred soldiers died.  With a calm in his voice that he didn't feel Lyric spoke.

        "Calypso, if you don't put a stop to this, I will, even if I have to go through you to do it."

        "Are you threatening me, tadpole?” Calypso’s eyes widened with incredulity.  “You have overstepped your bounds, insignificant child! This is your last chance.  Turn and leave!"

        Instead, Lyric sang a short phrase with everything he had behind it.

        Calypso shrieked in panic as the all the doubt and confusion that had been plaguing Lyric since tying to Acheron was focused and launched at the sea queen, propelled by his anger. The Singer's attack hammered her backward into the water.

        Unfortunately, he couldn't change songs fast enough to prevent the collapse of his tunnel now that Calypso was no longer holding it.  The best he could manage was a prepared shield song that protected him from the sudden pressure of several tons of water dropping on him.  The song didn't give him air though, so he began swimming for the edge of the contained flood.

        Upon reaching it he fell out and stood back up to see what was happening.

        The tightly controlled flood was no longer tightly controlled.  It wasn't even swirling. It was sloshing and splashing and spilling out of the town limits.

        Looking up in alarm he watched Cadence, no longer being attacked by the waters, grimly follow a fleeing Oberon, leaping across the rooftops. A well timed slice and the fairy King's hand flew off and vanished into sparkles of sunshine only to be immediately replaced.

        Another blow took out his left leg which staggered him for a moment, but that too grew back. Her skill would mean nothing if the fairy king was indestructible. How was he able to resist the poison of the iron?

        Closing his eyes, Lyric listened to the score of creation.  He immediately discerned the theme that identified Calypso, allowing her control of the flood. It kept going out of tune, so he was sure she was still struggling against the effects of his attack.  Listening closer he was able to pick out a motif that followed Oberon's part around and surged each time it collided with Cadence.

        Carefully matching the motif, he crafted a counterpoint and introduced something inspired by Acheron.  Singing steadily and clearly he opened his eyes to watch. The edge of Cadence's sword began to glow like molten metal, violet and sparks danced along it.  

        "You're such a romantic." Acheron smirked. Lyric glanced at her and was dismayed to see she looked extremely pale with dark circles under her eyes. She leaned heavily on a wet and bedraggled Dispo Sitorem.

        "Acheron, are you okay?"

        "Of course not my lovely Lover. I'm dying. Focus on your sexy little bodyguard.  You two can't save me if she's dead." Then Acheron collapsed.

        Lyric immediately poured as much strength as he had into the demoness. He was merely mortal, though, and already exhausted. He simply didn't have much to give.

        Focusing back on Cadence he sent a surge of strength to her as well. It was too much though, blackness began flirting with the edges of his vision. He fought the call of unconsciousness.

        The Verger found flesh again and severed Oberon's sword hand. This time the hand stayed gone. Oberon shrieked in agony and leapt away from the Verger.  

        Calypso seemed to take over the attack in earnest. A column of water surrounded Cadence and rose around her body. The Verger attempted to run, her panic abruptly returning, but the water followed. Soon it was up to her neck.

        Desperately, Lyric resorted to the only thing his muddled brain could think of. Opening his mouth he sang his soul song, and barely registered surprise at what happened. The Soul tie that bound Cadence to him flared into sight, a cable of violet fire. Where it was attached to her chest the water gave way.