Judgement (The Twelve) (31 page)

Coffee shook with rage not pity, “I can’t afford to loose too many so soon
!
Edge
;
take care of her.”

Chris continued to stride forward, Cougar tried to attack him,
b
ut
he roared, “No more!” again and by sheer willpower swatted Cougar away like a troublesome fly.
He sailed through the air to crash down through the glass roof of the zoo. As fate would have it, he landed in the leopard enclosure
next to his injured twin Panther
.
Chris continued to stride towards Coffee.  Sling fired off a steel ball directly at his left eye. Chris snatched his hat from his head and deflected the ball to one side
which
impact
ed
with a nearby tree.

“No more!” Chris roared.

Slash staggered backwards swiping with both hands at something only he could see. Whatever it was had him scared witless. Shouting curses in a foreign tongue
, he turned and ran back towards the protection of The Chosen One.

Retch, having been given t
i
me to recover, spewed forth thousands of bugs from his mouth, directing them to devourer Chris
who
glared down at the advancing tide,
and as he strode through them, they withered and died. Retch sent another and another wave of bugs to attack Chris, to stupid to see he was outmatched.

Chris rubbed both hands together and blew.
A flash fire of intense heat cremated the bugs in a
second
. The wall of super charged heat set Retches clothing on fire. Screaming, he lumbered across to fall face first into the lake.

Shadow sprang at him, his fanged mouth open and ready to bite into Chris’s neck. Chris waited until he was almost upon him before lashing out with his hat. Instead of passing through Shadow, It struck him with a resounding slap across the face. One of his fangs snapp
ing
in two
and splitting his lower lip open.
Shado
w recoiled in surprise and pain, tasting his own blood for the first time, instead of another.

“I said No more!” Chris roared with fury.

At last he stood face to face with Coffee, Edge stepped in
to
defend her, slicing both swords
faster than the eye could follow to Chris’s face and body.
Chris witnessed the blades descending i
n slow motion
. He
swayed first one way then the next, both blows missed
by a hair
. Chris thrust out his hand to Edge who flinched
back
as he prepared to take a blow in return. Instead Chris held a worn
bracelet
in his hand.

“This belonged to your mother,
your father
and I want you to have it.” He explained.

Coffee actually looked
worried,
as after a moments hesitation, Edge sheathed one sword and took the offered gift, he stepped away from Coffee and Chris as he examined the
bracelet
.

Chris however took that moment to point a finger at the knife sticking out of Edge
s side
. The blade pulled free of its own accord, healing instantly. Edge still holding onto the
bracelet
, stared down at the heal
ed
wound,  the knife lying on the ground
and back to
the
bracelet
before
look
ing back to
stare at Chris.

“
Puzzled he asked, “
You healed me
?
”

Then Edge gently fingered his mother’s worthless but priceless bracelet, “This was my mothers?”

Chris nodded leaving Edge to his thoughts. T
hat left Coffee. Chris replaced his hat upon his head, squared it off and stared into her eyes.

“This was a truce and you broke the unspoken bond that must not be broken. For that you will pay the price.”

Coffee tried to regain her composure, “What price!” She started to raise a hand.

Chris
looked to Edge
, “Today I wished to give
my brother
that which belongs to him. I have achieved that and now you will all leave this place.”

The Dark, slowly gathered them
selves
around Coffee,
both badly singed, Retch helped Screech across the grassed area to join with the others.
She
was about to answer when the sky turned dark and a low rumble
echoed across the heavens.

Chris stared at Coffee, “You broke the rules.”

Coffee
hesitated before
laughing, “
Whose
rules yours or your pathetic God?”

Priest stepped up to stand side by side with Chris, “It takes two to make rules,
and I don’t think it’s
God
making all this noise
.”

Coffee smirked, “My Master doesn’t follow rules!”

Anvil moved up to stand on the other side next to Chris
as
thunder blasted across the heavens followed by a flash of lightning. Chris realised it was the wrong way round and judging by the looks coming from the Dark, they realised it also.

Anvil
let his hammer thud down onto the grass, “Your master is the total opposite to ours. It follows everything else he does is the same.”

Again a peal of thunder, followed by two lightning flashes, the storm was getting nearer.

Chris looked to Edge, who was still staring at the necklace, “We shall meet again soon I think.”

Coffee sneered, “We can end this now!”

Panther and Cougar
were the last to join The Dark,
limp
ing
and dragg
ing
them
selves over to stand behind Coffee.
Priest looked to Retch who was nervously searching the sky, “When one side or the other breaks a rule agreed upon by the Creator and
the
Destroyer. That side will be punished by there own Master.”

Retch gripped Coffees arm, “
He’s right, w
e need to go now!”

Edge seemed to recognise the danger they were in for the first time, “
W
e need to leave!”

Coffee screeched, “I am in charge here no one can….”

A massive thunderous boom blasted down from directly above, followed instantly by a black edged bolt of red forked lightning that
struck
the
area
where The Dark stood.
The blast
wave forced those of the Twelve gathered to stagger away, hands protecting ear drums, eyes tightly closed. W
hen they recovered
there battered senses
, The Dark had gone, leaving
behind
a massive burnt and blackened circle.

Speed whistled, “They’ve been fried!”

Priest shook his head, “No just removed from this location. I suspect they’ve been dumped down rather hard somewhere on the other side of the world.”

Anvil
strode over to glare down at hi
s son
, “Okay boy wh
y did you give away that
bracelet
?”

Chris offered a crooked smile, “You said
it belonged to his mother. I just returned it.”

Anvils face was turning bright red, he opened his mouth to speak but Chris
interrupted him,
“Unless you
haven’t
notice
d
some of
our
people are badly hurt.”

Anvil
paused with whatever he was going to say and took stock. First he saw the injured Speed
blowing for tugs
. He saw Rage standing upright but with a hand pressed to a heavily bleeding chest. He saw
Priest rubbing blood from his eyes whilst his ears bleed. He saw Huntress examining her
hand which looked badly swollen possibly fractured
. Finally he saw Patch sitting on the ground holding her neck which was bleeding
profusely
.

Chris
also noticed her injury for the first time and
was instantly at her side.

“Here let me.”

Carefully he removed her hand, replacing it with his own.
For a moment nothing happened
then the
re
was
a faint hiss followed by a puff of
white
smoke. Patch flinched as Chris
gently
removed his hand
from her neck
. He had quantized the wound, leaving an ugly burn
which was slowly healing
. Gingerly she touched
the sealed wound and was surprised to find it did not hurt.  Patch stared up
Chris with more than affection in her eyes.
Chris bent down and kissed the burn. In a few seconds it disappeared
completely
leaving
behind
beautiful skin. He kissed her neck again but lingered longer as he nuzzled her neck.
Patch tried a grin, failed and instead kissed him on the
lips
.
”
I lost a lot of blood
, yet I feel fine, more than fine. I feel amazing!”

Chris nodded, “I
gave you some of mine with each kiss.
”

Colour was returning to her face, “Are you the same blood group
?”

Chris smiled, “My blood is….special. You’ll be alright, in fact better than alright.”