Geist (26 page)

"No—Zoetrope—" 

"Stop. Calling. Me. That!" 

"Do we have an agreement?" He asked me that, totally unphased. Geist wasn't an issue.  

It was about that time I heard the voices outside. They'd been a dull murmur in the background. But suddenly they were a full on chorus. And not a happy one. 

There was a crash and I saw lights spill in through the two doors on either side of the seating. I think someone broke down the front. My dad turned and motioned for them to drag the unconscious Daniel away. I moved with the Throne and watched them disappear in the shadows just as all those people that'd been outside came in. They filed down the aisles and took up positions around the other Ethereals. 

The one that'd been on the mailbox outside came up on the stage and got right in my dad's face. "You!" he pointed a finger at him. "Get out of our plane. You don't belong here." 

"And you," my dad reached up and pushed the finger to the side. "Will refrain from getting any closer to me. We have every right to be here—" 

"That's where you're wrong," TC said as he jumped up on the stage. He strode over to stand next to the first guy and faced my dad. "
You
have
no
right to be here. None of my brethren can enter your Plane without background checks and being held for a time. Way I hear it—you got some of them still waiting for centuries." 

"You." My dad gave him an Elvis sneer. "Pathetic excuse for a First Born. You're the one that destroyed the path I'd set my daughter on—" 

"I made her
more
than what she
was
," TC thundered. "What
you
wanted her to be." 

I hated to tell my dad but in this place, TC was king. This was his home town. And all these other guys were—peeps? 

You know...that word will always mean little marshmallow chicks in ridiculous colors to me. Nothing else. 

"Move
away
from me." Dad sounded upset. 

I watched as the number of Abysmals outnumbered the Ethereals. I had this sneaky feeling that fact wasn't going to intimidate my dear old dad. 

"You get out of our world,
Virtue
. Now." 

My dad smiled. 

Oh no. 

I banged on the glass. "Get away from him!" 

The guy turned and looked at me. His face lit up when he saw me. I wasn't used to that. I was used to people cowering in abject terror when they saw me, not smile like some love struck teenager. But this guy looked—kinda relieved. 

"She's moving..." he said and pointed at me. "You see that? You all see that?" He took a step back from dad. "That's why they're here...they're trying to take her away!" 

He had it half right. But I did wonder why he seemed surprised I was moving? Maybe because for months I
didn't
move? Did Sophia ever move once she was locked in here? Did she care? 

What happened next—even now—I'm not sure I can be completely clear on. I mean I saw the other Abysmal inhabitants look up at me, and then I saw the Ethereals move. Then suddenly—

The Abysmal that'd been in front of my dad burst into flames. One by one more of them lit up like torches in the theater. I heard their screams echoing inside of the Throne. I saw TC dive off the stage and shoot his weapons at my dad at the same time. Several times he struck Adiran's chest. Blood and gore exploded off of him with each impact and splattered against the Throne's surface. I screamed for both of them. 

The Abysmals that didn't turn to flame finally went into action and started attacking the Ethereals. From my view it looked like a bloody chess game—white against black. I screamed the entire time and banged relentlessly on the damned confines of that prison. I saw my dad—bloodied and riddled with holes—move after TC, and the two of them started an all out brawl. 

The brawling moved amid the theater's seats, and as it continued I screamed and screamed. 

Sshhhhh... 

"Geist!" I cried out. "What's happening?" 

Tensions have been released. And I have reloaded the realm's protocols. The Virtues broke the rules by firing on the native planars. The Ethereal plane has been notified, and the Seraphim warned. 

I put my hands to the side of my head. "But what does that mean?" 

It means war has begun. 

Bulwark.

-42-

Bulwark

There are moments in my life that will never go away. I'm pretty sure it happens with everyone. Instances where the emotional experience was something so intense and personal, that nothing could ever dull the memory. Even if I wanted it to. 

Like the first time I realized my dad was gone for good. 

The night I was raped, and died. 

And the first time I realized I could never have want I wanted. Not in this life.

This time that moment was defined by the cacophony of anguished voices that filled this tiny piece of my universe. I could hear them dying. Abysmic creatures of all shapes and sizes, calling out to me, the Phantasm, to save them. I saw images in my head, of more Virtues calling in Powers to kill, even as their human bodies broke down on the Plane. 

I could see them if I closed my eyes. I could see them through the glass as they battled. I couldn't see Daniel though. Or TC. 

Or even Joe. I had no idea how long the fighting raged outside—but I did know the entire plane was engaged in defending itself from an onslaught of oppression. 

All led...by
my
father. 

"Zoë!" 

Joe! I pressed my face against the glass and looked around. "Geist...where are you? Where is Joe?" 

Behind you.

I turned inside the Throne and looked behind me. The Universal view was gone. It was just a glass egg now, with me in its center, unable to break out. Unable to help. 

Joe was there—and he held the locum in his hand, folded and ready. It was glowing as bright and beautiful as the Ethereals. "I got it. We can get you out while the fighting is happening." 

"But the Abysmals—what will happen to them? I want it all to stop! I can hear them screaming, dying..." 

Zoë, if you were to act on their behalf, you would resonate with the Throne. That act alone would lock you into that throne for eternity. Or until someone does to you what you did to Sophia. 

No... my choices couldn't be just those! "If—if I get out of here—can I be the Wraith again?" 

Yes
. 

"But as the Phantasm I could do more?" 

Yes. 

"I could...push the Virtues out, couldn't I? I could free the plane." 

The Phantasm controls everything within the Abysmal Plane. But I do know that the locum I hold has certain protocols build into it that could help as well. 

"Could?" 

We are operating on unknowns, Zoë. I—I do not like it either. 

"They're dying..." 

Yes. And so is Daniel.

"Where is he?" 

His body and Inanna are to the side of the stage. We do not have much time. I must act now—but it is your choice. Do you wish to become the full Phantasm? Or do you wish to be set free to be the Wraith? 

All that power, all in my hands. Two choices. To stay here...as the Phantasm...could save the Abysmals. Or the locum could. But here I wouldn't be able to touch Dags again. Or my mom. 

Or Daniel. 

But as the Wraith, I might not be able to win, but at least I could fight. And I could feel Dags again. 

I slammed my hands on the glass. "Do it!" 

Joe nodded and held up the paper. He reached out and touched it against the glass. 

Nothing happened. 

He pushed harder. The locum glowed brighter—but it didn't sieve through. "What's wrong?" 

"It—it won't go through. It's like I'm slamming my hand against glass. Was there an incantation or something? Geist said it needed to slip inside so you could slip out." 

What the hell?

"What are you doing?!" 

I knew that voice. It was my dad's voice, and he'd started paying attention to what was happening at the back of the throne. 

"Joe run!" 

But my dad was in front of him before he could react and had his hand around Joe's neck. Joe grabbed at my dad's wrists and tried to pry them off. 

"Geist can't you—" 

He is a Virture, Zoë. My base protocols will not allow me to harm him. 

"But he's going to kill Joe!" 

The locum dropped to the floor just beneath the Throne as Joe's eye-lids fluttered. 

"Answer me!" my dad was yelling. "What were you doing?" 

"Dad—stop! You're going to kill him!" 

"Take the offer, Zoë," he said in a tight voice as he looked back at me, ignoring the glowing piece of paper on the floor at his feet. "Or he and Daniel die. And then after they're gone, I will go after the
Grimoire
. And I will destroy the Guardian too." 

I think at that moment I decided I was adopted. There was no way this man was my father. I did not come from his loins. And the very thought of him touching my mother made me sick to my stomach. 

"Geist...if I become Phantasm." 

You can stop it all. 

I could make them all go away. I could save Joe. And Daniel. And most importantly, Dags. 

There was no other way. I knew this as I turned and looked out at the fighting in the theater. Heard the screams. I had no choice. The locum had failed. 

I closed my eyes and opened my mouth to ask Geist what I needed to do—

Something grabbed my left upper arm and pulled. 

Hard. 

I gasped and opened my eyes as I was pulled out of the Throne from the opposite side of where my dad held Joe. I stood face to face with TC. In his hand he had the locum. I turned on shaky legs and saw the Throne...was empty. 

"You can't do that, luv. You're not really cut out to be the boss." 

I would have fallen as my legs gave if he hadn't of caught me in his arms. We were nose to nose with his right arm behind my waist. I had both hands on his chest. He wasn't wearing his glasses, and his eyes weren't white anymore. They were a soft hazel, with flecks of gold. 

They were beautiful. 

"I think I always knew what I was meant for—what my father wanted. I just...being young and all...I wanted my period of rebellion." 

"TC I don't understand—" 

That's when he kissed me. It was the deepest, most sensual experience I could remember ever feeling—

I could
feel
him. 

He was warm against my skin. His tongue was velvet against my lips and I felt a thrill reach down to my feet as his teeth nipped softly at my tongue. He tasted of fresh earth and warm spring. I smelled honeysuckle and fresh cut onions. He was all of summer in one touch. I returned his kiss with all I had. 

He was my Abysmal lover. 

Had been. 

His touch made me what I was. 

What I am. 

And shaped what I would be. 

This I knew in that moment. 

And then he let go of me and moved to the Throne. With the locum in one hand he pressed it against the glass. Both it and his hand sieved through and he grinned at me. "You better go, luv. Go and kick some ass. Give me about ten seconds to give you back up. Then get Daniel and Joe and get the fuck out of here." He moved forward all at once. 

And disappeared inside. 

"TC!" 

I couldn't see him. I couldn't see anything inside the seven foot tall egg shape. I banged on the glass as a small glow began at its center. 

Zoë! Help Joe!

Geist's voice brought me out of my surprise and I stumbled around to the other side. My dad seemed oblivious to what'd just happened, intent on killing Joe. 

"I need your answer, Zoë." 

Bastard. 

I lowered my hands to my sides. No longer constrained by any prison, everything changed around me as the mark on my arm started to glow bright silver. My skin became ash with black spirals in thin design over the surface. I felt my body transformed as my sight changed and I saw the plane for the beautiful place it truly was. The Theater's interior brightened and the Abysmal creatures no longer looked like dock workers, but were in their rightful forms. 

I saw all the myriads of shapes and sizes as beautiful beings, each a part of this vast plane. And dotted in their midst were the ugliest of things. Twisted, marred stumps of gnarled wood, with many limbs that swatted and banged about as they fought and killed my people. 

My people.

Odd. 

"You are...
beautiful
." 

It was Geist's voice but it was also—

Azrael's. 

"Answer me Zoë," my dad said as he turned and looked into the Throne. When he didn't see me staring back at him, he dropped Joe. Joe's body hit the floor and didn't move. 

Adiran Martinique put his hand on the Throne, and then pulled it back as if shocked. "Zoë?" 

"The answer," I said, and my voice held its own echo as I moved in front him. My wings unfurled and I held them out to the sides. It felt so nice to stretch them as I watched him look up at me. I smiled down at him. "Is no." 

I inhaled and screamed at him. 

Adiran Martinique returned the sound, only his scream was full of agony as I bellowed forth every bit of anger, hatred, resentment and just plain old wronged daughter feeling I had at him. The flesh on him tore away to reveal a gnarled old oak tree as well. It blacked and then turned into a whiff of black smoke. 

Impressive. 

I staggered and put my hand on the Throne to steady myself. The glass was warm and pulsed. "Did...did I kill him?" 

No
. Again it was a mixture of Geist and Azrael and—

Something else. Something comforting and familiar. 

Though I'm pretty sure he's going to be all
kinds
of pissed off. 

That
was TC. 

Oh shit.
Yeah...TC. 

"What is it?" I said as I knelt down beside Joe and furled my wings.