Khaldun walked ahead of them, as Jareth tried to stay on the edge of the circular pipe where the water was at it's thinnest. Lycorisa walked straight down the center with her hands touching the slimy sewage walls.
"This is disgusting." Lycorisa whined from the back of the group.
"Well, you are going to have to deal with it." Khaldun snapped, turning his head to the side to see her saddened expression at his response.
At certain intervals, there were openings that carried away some of the water. Nothing that Khaldun could fit down, but he was certain the others wouldn't have too much trouble.
The sounds of their feet sloshing through the waters, echoed throughout the pipe. If it hadn't been for their superior ability to see in the dark, they would have been walking blind. Jareth could clearly hear the sounds of creatures moving through the other pipes, but as soon as he located the direction of the sound, another would come from a completely different direction.
The scent of the sewage blocked their noses to the point that they couldn't smell the Mephis around them. They all had their swords drawn, and Lycorisa kept a hand on her handgun that was attached at the belt.
Lycorisa heard a splash behind her, she spun around quickly to watch several rats jumping into the water way to swim across.
"Eww!" She squealed, remembering her human home was invested with the disgusting things until she moved into her master's manor.
"Don't fall behind." Khaldun ordered, "And keep your voice down."
She took a couple steps backwards, before spinning entirely around. Jareth squeezed her hand to comfort her. He felt her hand jerk out of his own, and turned to look at the large Mephis holding Lycorisa in the air by her neck.
Khaldun whirled around, when he heard his companion whimper. There was a large number of them crowded in the pipe behind the beast. He charged it in an effort to save Lycorisa, with one quick swipe of his sword, it's arm splashed into the water below.
The others began to attack, and Khaldun tried to keep them away from his group. He knew they weren't warriors, but some managed to escape past him. Leaving Lycorisa and Jareth to deal with the strays that he missed. Jareth screamed in pain, as one chewed on his leg. Lycorisa decapitated it before another began it's attack.
All that could be heard was the splashing of water, and the gurgled noises of the attacking Mephis. She wasn't certain what they were suppose to do with the dead Mephis, they couldn't exactly hang their bodies up. The best they could do was harm them enough so that they wouldn't be able to piece themselves together for a while. There wasn't much room in the cramped pipe, so fighting with their swords seemed fruitless. It was, however, the only way they could damaged the creatures enough to stop their attacks.
Another Mephis slipped past Khaldun, and targeted Lycorisa. She stepped back, as Jareth thrust his sword into it's abdomen. It feel to the ground, and he cut off it's head. A hand slipped around Lycorisa's ankle, and she looked down just in time to see the Mephis hand reaching out for her through on of the pipe. It tightened it's hold, before yanking her into the water and began to pull her into the descending pipe.
"Jareth!" She screamed, as she tried not to gag on the murky water.
He turned to watch her disappear into the pipe. Running over to it, he kneeled down as Lycorisa hung onto the sharp edge, water pouring down into her face. He tried to take hold of her arms, as the Mephis continued to pull her down.
"Jareth!" She cried again with the water trying to muffle her screams.
Khaldun ran over to the pipe after the last Mephis fell, he could of sworn there was more. They must of retreated but it was no time to worry about it.
Lycorisa let out of blood curdling scream, as she disappeared into the wet darkness. Jareth put his feet into the pipe, prepared to go after her.
"What are you doing?" Khaldun grabbed him by the shoulder.
"I'm going after her." Jareth's words shocked Khaldun as he had never before heard the man talk.
He let him go, and watched Jareth vanish downward. There was nothing he could do, the pipe wasn't big enough for him to fit down. He had to continue forward, and pray for the best for his departed companions.
He pulled his sword and ran towards the beast, as it prepared to snap Akela in half. Before he reached it, the creature dropped her, and fell to his knees. Kristian stood behind him, his bloodied sword in hand, and his arms shaking with fear.
"Excellently done." Mathias tried to reassure the frightened boy. As Tzion's peon, he probably didn't see much battle.
"I sense them everywhere, Mathias. Do you feel it?" Akela asked, picking herself up from the contaminated water.
Mathias nodded his head, he knew that could only mean one thing. Something had happened to Lycorisa, he could only hope that it was not fatal.
"Do you think that Lycorisa…" Akela began to ask, but saw the look of anger and sadness in Mathias' eyes. She silenced herself, and continued to look around the darkness of the pipe.
Something foul was at play here, the sewer was so dark even to their well adjusted eyes. Worst yet, she could sense the Mephis all around her, but not a single mind could be read. They were minions, mindless beast, that she could not control. Which meant there was an alpha nearby watching their every movement, but she could not sense him. Akela wondered if she should inform Mathias of what she thought, but chose not to. He probably already could feel the auras of the creatures around them.
"I hope Kailin is alright." Kristian said, as he helped Akela down into the darkness.
Her clothes were wet with sewage water, but now was not the time to complain. "She will be fine, they can't kill her. It's our own hides that we need worry about."
"Our hides, as you put it, mean nothing and will be nothing if Kailin is injured. They may not be able to kill her, but they can hurt her enough to stop her from continuing forward." Kristian retorted.
"Touché, little peon, touché." She responded.
"Quiet, both of you. With Lycorisa out, we need to be able to hear everything surrounding us." Mathias ordered over his shoulder, he was in the lead.
Truth was, he didn't want to hear about Kailin being injured. This was no time for distractions, his duty was to make it to the center to help her. Yet, the further in they got, the more it seemed like the Mephis knew they were coming all along. Lycorisa was no longer using her ability to hide their auras, they couldn't of been a coincidence. They had to of targeted her, especially with Khaldun at her side. He would of normally been the threat they would of attacked, while Lycorisa stood back. There was something wrong with this entire situation, he had a gut instinct that they were being set up. He had to continue forward though, there was no way to inform Kailin and the others. The trap had been laid, and they had to walk into it.
Lucas was crammed up against the pipe, desperately throwing water balloons at them. It did work well, and any of the creatures hit with the holy water would have their skin start to boil, rendering them utterly useless. Mephis wouldn't fight if they were in serious pain. All they would do was scratch at the area causing them their agony until it was gone.
They didn't seem interested in harming Kailin, instead their focus was Lucas. They wanted to get him away from her, but she wasn't about to let that happen.
"Aim for their eyes." Kailin ordered, when she saw Lucas pull his gun, he had run out of water balloons.
He gave a quick nod before firing.
She stuck to her sword, it worked out well for her to be fighting up close while Lucas injured them from a distance. Whenever one began to claw at it's eyes, she would charge it and decapitate the creature.
Hearing Lucas scream behind her, she spun around to find his right arm in the clutches of a large Mephis. Kailin leapt forward to attack the creature, and ran her sword through his center. She had no idea how he had managed to get past her, but she would worry about that in a moment. Her attentions went to Lucas, who slid to the ground holding his broken arm. A Mephis charged, and Kailin bared her fangs, giving a loud, prolonged hiss. It backed away from her, and as suddenly as they had appeared they were gone.
"Fuck!" Lucas cried out, looking at his radius bone that was poking through his skin near his wrist.
Kailin took his arm, and gave a sigh of annoyance. She understood that he was human and easily broken, and that he couldn't repair himself with any speed. The time had come where she would have to head on alone.
"Lucas, I need you to make your way back up. I know that when I was in there last, I saw a manhole above the chamber. If you could open that, we could use the sun to destroy the minions. Do you think you can manage?"
He gave a short nod, as she helped him to his feet. "You think it will be safe for me to head back on my own?"
"I think they accomplished their task. You are leaving."
Raising an eyebrow, he questioned her with a look.
"They want me alone, I am almost certain of it. Hurry now, find it as quickly as you can, there is no time to waste."
"Good luck." He mumbled before heading back down the pipe, his right arm was cradled in his left.
With a deep swallow, Kailin prayed that she was right. She watched him disappear into the darkness, then turned her sights to the path ahead.
Her eyes shot ahead when the faint sound of laughter echoed down the sewers, it was Anthony. His voice was a burned imprint on her mind, she could never forget the complete lack of human emotion when he spoke. Kailin continued forward, and by the time she met a fork in the pipe, she could clearly see the ritual chamber. Though it wasn't well lit, there were several candles burning. She couldn't see anything inside the large pit in the center of the room, and there was a strange mist hovering in the air.
When she entered, she immediately saw a man to the right of the pit hanging on a cross like she once had. The mist was thick, and she wouldn't of seen him had he not moaned. Kailin approached the man and immediately recognized him as a bowery, he was not conscious, instead blood poured from his ears and nose. He had been beaten and was within moment of death had he been anything other then a vampire.
"Kailin." A voice called to her in the mist.
Her eyes looked across the room, but she saw nothing. Slowly and carefully, she made her way towards the voice.
"Stop!" A woman's voice told her, when Kailin stood beside the pit in between the bowery and the other man calling her name.
The sounds of large fans beginning a cycle could be heard, and they sucked up the mist that surrounded them. Leila stood across the pit from her, cloaked in a black dress, her blonde hair running down around her shoulders. To Kailin's left was Tzion, his body tied to a cross much like the bowery, he had been beaten as well.
Leila smiled, revealing her fangs, as several groups of Mephis poured into the ritual chamber. "Do not move, sister."
"I am not your sister." Kailin snarled, before she felt Anthony's presence behind her. She swallowed deeply, as a dagger was held before her. That's when Kailin saw it. Blood dripped off Leila's body and into the engraved letters that surrounded the pit. Small holes in the side, allowed the blood to flow into the pit, where it had begun to mix with the bowery's and Tzion's blood.
She watched as Samuel stood beside Tzion, a torch in his hand. He was prepared to set the elder ablaze if Kailin became hostile.
"Today, my children, after all this time, we will get our due. No longer hiding in the sewers instead kings of this world." Leila announced, then looked across the pit at Kailin.
Anthony grabbed Kailin's upper arm with his free hand, then began to drag the dagger over her arms and legs.
"The combination of fresh blood from the four that bind will bring a new era to this world." Leila told her.
"What does the bowery have to do with anything?" Kailin asked as Anthony dragged the dagger that she now knew to be silver across her stomach.
Leila chuckled, "My naïve sister. We are the ones that bind, the creators, the ones that began all that has been put into place. The four of us are the circle that continued the prophecy to this day."
"How?"
Anthony pressed his lips against Kailin's neck, and for a moment she thought he would bite her.
"Kailin, the mother. Mihail, the father." She pointed to the bowery, and Kailin nearly gasped. "Leila, the daughter. Tzion, the prophet. In life, and in death, we have continued the world."
Kailin watched as her blood dripped down her body and into the lettering, before pouring out the small holes to meet with the blood in the center of the pool.
"We are connected, the four of us. And our blood combined will begin an era that you will never see, mother. Because once this is complete, all Hallowed, all Pyrrhonians, and all Bowery will die. There will only be humans, and us."
"I am not Hallowed anymore." Kailin growled, "You ensured that."
"No, but you can still die like one!" Leila barked across the pit.
"What do you mean we are connected? How are you connected with Tzion?"
Leila laughed, "He is the lover, the binder, the prophet. He…"
"You knew me, you knew the bowery, but you didn't know Tzion." Kailin yelled, "The bowery didn't even know Tzion. And if it is the lover that you are after, then you have the wrong Hallowed."
Leila jerked her head towards Samuel, "What does she speak of?"
"She speaks lies." Samuel told her.
"The prophet was never meant to have anything to do with the actual prophecies." Kailin interrupted Leila's glare towards Samuel, "Tzion thrust himself into the middle of all this. This circle should be made of people who have all known each other." She laughed. "Leila, you have been tricked. You are using the wrong piece, the wrong lover. Mathias, he knew Mihail, and he knew you after I disappeared, didn't he? You saw him speaking with Nathaniel, you spoke to him."
"What?" Leila looked at Anthony, who was backing away from Kailin. "No, it's Tzion, you are trying to stop the inevitable."
Kailin looked down into the pit, "Our blood mixes now, I wonder what your error will do to your plans." Kailin looked around the pit, the room was filled with Mephis. Most were being held back by sups so that they wouldn't drink the blood in the engraved lettering.
The sound of a manhole opening echoed throughout the room, and all eyes went to the ceiling. A blinding shower of sunlight sprayed onto them, and the minions began to scatter all trying to hide from the solar rays. It happened too late, Kailin's blood touched with the others at that moment. The room filled with heat, before the dark red blood shot into the air. The sound of Leila's laughter echoed along side of the sound of the bloody funnel.
Mathias, Akela, and Kristian entered into the ritual chamber as Kailin was knocked over by the force of the bloody funnel. Seeing Kailin fall to the floor, Mathias ran towards her, as Akela went to see to Tzion. The minions were still fleeing the room, some were ripping at their burned flesh. Khaldun entered shortly after, and watched as Mathias helped Kailin to her feet.
"What's happening?" Mathias screamed the question over the loud roar of the funnel's winds.
"I don't know!" Kailin tried to pull her arms from his hands, but he refused to let go.
Leila watched them as Anthony came to stand beside her, "The Halloweds aren't vanishing, Anthony."
"We have made an error, Kailin spoke the truth." He told her, when he searched the room for Samuel, he found that he had fled. "We have been betrayed, we must leave."
Leila agreed with a nod, and gave her sister one more look before disappeared down the dark tunnel.
"Get everyone out of here, meet at my apartment!" Kailin ordered, "I have to go after Leila and Anthony."
"No, I won't let you go alone!" Mathias kept a hold of her arm.
"Just do as I say, Mathias. You stand no chance against them, get everyone out of here. Especially, Mihail! I want that bowery to die by my hands for what he has done!" She jerked her arm out of his hand and ran towards the tunnel she had seen Leila dash into.
"She's coming!" Leila's voice cried.
Kailin scurried up the ladder, and found herself in the middle of the street. Looking in both directions, she couldn't find Leila nor Anthony. Relying on her senses was no option either, the city was beginning to feel like the sewers had, but the Mephis were no where in sight. Instead the street was a mess of humans, all looking towards the sky. Cars had stopped driving, and all normal life had come to a halt as the people glared upward. Kailin followed their line of sight. The sky was turning the color of blood, it was a thick haze that was blocking out the life giving rays of the sun.
She watched as the rest of the mix of blood began to blanket the sky, then she heard the cries of the Mephis. The tranquil red sky began to be filled with the flying sups, and immediately Kailin knew that Leila had won. There was nothing that could be done in those moments, so she decide to return to her comrades. Regroup and figure out what she could do now. The Mephis now owned the earth like Leila had told her they would.
Charging down the street, Kailin had to fight through the panicked groups of humans. Some where screaming the Armageddon had come upon them and that the hells had opened up. Others had no words at all and only screamed as they ran down the streets, looking for a place to hide. The Mephis cared no more if the humans knew of them, and began to feast on anyone they could get their hands on.
Some of the humans tried to use their cars, and the sounds of metal crashing together could be heard all over the city. Still, Kailin fought on and prayed that the others had made it to the apartment building. Squeezing her way through any openings in the crowd, Kailin finally came to an alley that she knew would lead to her street. The sounds of screams from the humans and screeches from the Mephis filled her ears. But it seemed that the Mephis knew better then to attack her, and only concentrated on the humans. Kailin wanted to stop and help them, but most were out of reach before she had the opportunity to react.
When she reached the street, she could see her apartment complex in the distance. The crowds were thinner in this area, but still present.
"Kailin!" A voice shrieked through the noise of the terrified city.
Stopping at the apartment door, Kailin turned around to find Damon across the street from her. He wore a cowboy hat, boots, and a long brown leather coat. A rifle in one hand, and a lit torch in the other. "Even the coming of the Lord will not stop me from gaining my revenge!"
"Damon, this is no time! Go and protect your people!" Kailin yelled across the crowd, before turning around to enter the apartment.
"No! Kailin, one of us dies today!" He began to charge her.
Flipping around, Kailin prepared herself for his attack, when the screech from above echoed throughout the street. She looked up in time to see one of the sups fly down into the crowd, and the back up with Damon in his grasps. Kailin wasn't sure if it had been luck or if the Mephis had purposely protected her. Either way, Damon cursed the creature, demanding to be let go as it flew away from Kailin's sights.
Sadness filled her heart that Damon never had the chance to fight her for what she had done to his family, and she hoped that he would escape the Mephis' grasp. With that, she spun around and ran towards the stairs to get to the apartment rooftop and discover who had survived the ordeal in the sewers.
Reaching the last flight of stairs, the door to the rooftop was left open, and Kailin could see several people laying or standing about. Akela was kneeled down beside Tzion next to an air conditioning unit, she was caring for some of his words. They weren't healing quickly, and Kailin knew that to mean that silver had been used on him. She was still bleeding from where Anthony had cut into her skin.
Jareth held Lycorisa in his arms, her right leg was missing most of her calf, and her left hand was gone, but she would grow them again in time. She didn't stir in his arms, but Jareth continued to rub the sweat from her forehead. Khaldun sat beside them, wounds covered his arms and face. He had been left to many battles when Jareth abandoned him to save Lycorisa.
Kristian and Lucas stood silently next to the door, and looked towards her when she entered onto the rooftop. It seemed that Kristian had set Lucas' arm and was in the process of wrapping it. Odds were that they wouldn't find a doctor for some time to come.
Kailin's eyes finally set upon Mathias, who was looking over the edge of the apartment. He watched carefully as the Mephis flew over the city picking off the humans one by one in the red darkness that had consumed them. She stood beside him, and looked up into his worried eyes.
"It is worse then I ever imagined." He mumbled after several moments.
Kailin could still hear the screams from below, and the sky was becoming even more congested with Mephis sups. "It's not over yet, Mathias. We are still here, we can still fight."
"We walked into a trap…" He watched as Kailin turned her attention to the Bowery that was hiding in the corner.
"Look what you have done, bowery." Kailin snarled.
Mathias never thought they he would ever see Mihail terrified, but the bowery cowered in the corner as Kailin approached. His eyes were wide with fear, as if he knew something that Mathias did not.
"I said, look what you have done!" Kailin grabbed him by his hair and dragged him over to the edge. "This is what you created, Mihail! Tell me, what for! Tell me one good reason why I should not rip your insides out!"
"Please…" Mihail cried as Kailin threw him onto the roof. "I didn't know, just like you didn't know. I was a pawn just like you were."
Mathias grabbed Kailin's arm, "He speaks the truth, Kailin. All he thought was that he loved your sister, and wanted her to be with him forever. He had no intention of becoming part of the prophecy."
Kailin yanked her arm from his, "That was my sister!"
"I'm… I'm sorry." Mihail stuttered the words out in fear.
"Kailin, he saved your life. He told me the name that allowed me to access the stone's power. The stone that allowed me to enter your mind. I think he has more then paid his due." Mathias tried to calm her angry by rubbing her back.
"Paid his due? When he gives me his life, then his debt will be paid!"
Mathias grabbed Kailin around the waist before she could charge him, he brought his lips to her ear. "This helps no one, Kailin. We have more important matters at hand. Let him go." Kailin jerked, but Mathias held tight, "He's not the enemy anymore, they are." He whispered and pointed to the sky full of Mephis.
She saw that all eyes on that rooftop were on her, and her body released it's tension. "Get out of here, bowery. If I ever see you again, I will ensure that you never see another sunset."
Mihail nodded and jumped to his feet, and with no words spoken he ran towards the stairway. Kailin watched him leave, then walked over to the edge of the apartment building. She pulled both her swords from their sheaths, and glared down into the panic stricken city.
"What should we do now?" Kristian asked.
"Wait here." Kailin mumbled, before jumping off the building.
Mathias looked over the edge to watch Kailin land gently on the side walk below. He knew that she was prepared to die that evening if it meant saving some of the humans. More importantly, Anthony and Leila had to be stopped. Though he wanted to join her, those injured on the rooftop needed his leadership, more then Kailin needed his sword. He finally saw her for what she was, the guardian of man. The prophecy had truly begun.
"This is disgusting." Lycorisa whined from the back of the group.
"Well, you are going to have to deal with it." Khaldun snapped, turning his head to the side to see her saddened expression at his response.
At certain intervals, there were openings that carried away some of the water. Nothing that Khaldun could fit down, but he was certain the others wouldn't have too much trouble.
The sounds of their feet sloshing through the waters, echoed throughout the pipe. If it hadn't been for their superior ability to see in the dark, they would have been walking blind. Jareth could clearly hear the sounds of creatures moving through the other pipes, but as soon as he located the direction of the sound, another would come from a completely different direction.
The scent of the sewage blocked their noses to the point that they couldn't smell the Mephis around them. They all had their swords drawn, and Lycorisa kept a hand on her handgun that was attached at the belt.
Lycorisa heard a splash behind her, she spun around quickly to watch several rats jumping into the water way to swim across.
"Eww!" She squealed, remembering her human home was invested with the disgusting things until she moved into her master's manor.
"Don't fall behind." Khaldun ordered, "And keep your voice down."
She took a couple steps backwards, before spinning entirely around. Jareth squeezed her hand to comfort her. He felt her hand jerk out of his own, and turned to look at the large Mephis holding Lycorisa in the air by her neck.
Khaldun whirled around, when he heard his companion whimper. There was a large number of them crowded in the pipe behind the beast. He charged it in an effort to save Lycorisa, with one quick swipe of his sword, it's arm splashed into the water below.
The others began to attack, and Khaldun tried to keep them away from his group. He knew they weren't warriors, but some managed to escape past him. Leaving Lycorisa and Jareth to deal with the strays that he missed. Jareth screamed in pain, as one chewed on his leg. Lycorisa decapitated it before another began it's attack.
All that could be heard was the splashing of water, and the gurgled noises of the attacking Mephis. She wasn't certain what they were suppose to do with the dead Mephis, they couldn't exactly hang their bodies up. The best they could do was harm them enough so that they wouldn't be able to piece themselves together for a while. There wasn't much room in the cramped pipe, so fighting with their swords seemed fruitless. It was, however, the only way they could damaged the creatures enough to stop their attacks.
Another Mephis slipped past Khaldun, and targeted Lycorisa. She stepped back, as Jareth thrust his sword into it's abdomen. It feel to the ground, and he cut off it's head. A hand slipped around Lycorisa's ankle, and she looked down just in time to see the Mephis hand reaching out for her through on of the pipe. It tightened it's hold, before yanking her into the water and began to pull her into the descending pipe.
"Jareth!" She screamed, as she tried not to gag on the murky water.
He turned to watch her disappear into the pipe. Running over to it, he kneeled down as Lycorisa hung onto the sharp edge, water pouring down into her face. He tried to take hold of her arms, as the Mephis continued to pull her down.
"Jareth!" She cried again with the water trying to muffle her screams.
Khaldun ran over to the pipe after the last Mephis fell, he could of sworn there was more. They must of retreated but it was no time to worry about it.
Lycorisa let out of blood curdling scream, as she disappeared into the wet darkness. Jareth put his feet into the pipe, prepared to go after her.
"What are you doing?" Khaldun grabbed him by the shoulder.
"I'm going after her." Jareth's words shocked Khaldun as he had never before heard the man talk.
He let him go, and watched Jareth vanish downward. There was nothing he could do, the pipe wasn't big enough for him to fit down. He had to continue forward, and pray for the best for his departed companions.
---***---
"Mathias!" Akela cried out, as a Mephis lifted her up.He pulled his sword and ran towards the beast, as it prepared to snap Akela in half. Before he reached it, the creature dropped her, and fell to his knees. Kristian stood behind him, his bloodied sword in hand, and his arms shaking with fear.
"Excellently done." Mathias tried to reassure the frightened boy. As Tzion's peon, he probably didn't see much battle.
"I sense them everywhere, Mathias. Do you feel it?" Akela asked, picking herself up from the contaminated water.
Mathias nodded his head, he knew that could only mean one thing. Something had happened to Lycorisa, he could only hope that it was not fatal.
"Do you think that Lycorisa…" Akela began to ask, but saw the look of anger and sadness in Mathias' eyes. She silenced herself, and continued to look around the darkness of the pipe.
Something foul was at play here, the sewer was so dark even to their well adjusted eyes. Worst yet, she could sense the Mephis all around her, but not a single mind could be read. They were minions, mindless beast, that she could not control. Which meant there was an alpha nearby watching their every movement, but she could not sense him. Akela wondered if she should inform Mathias of what she thought, but chose not to. He probably already could feel the auras of the creatures around them.
"I hope Kailin is alright." Kristian said, as he helped Akela down into the darkness.
Her clothes were wet with sewage water, but now was not the time to complain. "She will be fine, they can't kill her. It's our own hides that we need worry about."
"Our hides, as you put it, mean nothing and will be nothing if Kailin is injured. They may not be able to kill her, but they can hurt her enough to stop her from continuing forward." Kristian retorted.
"Touché, little peon, touché." She responded.
"Quiet, both of you. With Lycorisa out, we need to be able to hear everything surrounding us." Mathias ordered over his shoulder, he was in the lead.
Truth was, he didn't want to hear about Kailin being injured. This was no time for distractions, his duty was to make it to the center to help her. Yet, the further in they got, the more it seemed like the Mephis knew they were coming all along. Lycorisa was no longer using her ability to hide their auras, they couldn't of been a coincidence. They had to of targeted her, especially with Khaldun at her side. He would of normally been the threat they would of attacked, while Lycorisa stood back. There was something wrong with this entire situation, he had a gut instinct that they were being set up. He had to continue forward though, there was no way to inform Kailin and the others. The trap had been laid, and they had to walk into it.
---***---
Kailin looked both ways down the pipe, they were blocked in by the Mephis. There would be no escape for them, they had to fight. She originally thought they could pull them to the manhole and destroy them by the sunlight shining through. Somehow, they knew to surround her so she would have no way out.Lucas was crammed up against the pipe, desperately throwing water balloons at them. It did work well, and any of the creatures hit with the holy water would have their skin start to boil, rendering them utterly useless. Mephis wouldn't fight if they were in serious pain. All they would do was scratch at the area causing them their agony until it was gone.
They didn't seem interested in harming Kailin, instead their focus was Lucas. They wanted to get him away from her, but she wasn't about to let that happen.
"Aim for their eyes." Kailin ordered, when she saw Lucas pull his gun, he had run out of water balloons.
He gave a quick nod before firing.
She stuck to her sword, it worked out well for her to be fighting up close while Lucas injured them from a distance. Whenever one began to claw at it's eyes, she would charge it and decapitate the creature.
Hearing Lucas scream behind her, she spun around to find his right arm in the clutches of a large Mephis. Kailin leapt forward to attack the creature, and ran her sword through his center. She had no idea how he had managed to get past her, but she would worry about that in a moment. Her attentions went to Lucas, who slid to the ground holding his broken arm. A Mephis charged, and Kailin bared her fangs, giving a loud, prolonged hiss. It backed away from her, and as suddenly as they had appeared they were gone.
"Fuck!" Lucas cried out, looking at his radius bone that was poking through his skin near his wrist.
Kailin took his arm, and gave a sigh of annoyance. She understood that he was human and easily broken, and that he couldn't repair himself with any speed. The time had come where she would have to head on alone.
"Lucas, I need you to make your way back up. I know that when I was in there last, I saw a manhole above the chamber. If you could open that, we could use the sun to destroy the minions. Do you think you can manage?"
He gave a short nod, as she helped him to his feet. "You think it will be safe for me to head back on my own?"
"I think they accomplished their task. You are leaving."
Raising an eyebrow, he questioned her with a look.
"They want me alone, I am almost certain of it. Hurry now, find it as quickly as you can, there is no time to waste."
"Good luck." He mumbled before heading back down the pipe, his right arm was cradled in his left.
With a deep swallow, Kailin prayed that she was right. She watched him disappear into the darkness, then turned her sights to the path ahead.
---***---
Silence surrounded her every step, there was the drip of water, the squeal of rats, but no Mephis. It was as if they were suppose to let her pass without injury. Kailin started to get the sneaking suspicion that there was a trap set for her up ahead. Though she couldn't hear the Mephis, she could sense them coming from every direction. Something was wrong with Lycorisa, and she prayed that didn't mean that the others were wounded as well. Looking behind her, she wondered if Lucas had made it out of the sewers alright. Worst yet, any human might stop him after seeing his broken arm. He might not even make it to the manhole cover.Her eyes shot ahead when the faint sound of laughter echoed down the sewers, it was Anthony. His voice was a burned imprint on her mind, she could never forget the complete lack of human emotion when he spoke. Kailin continued forward, and by the time she met a fork in the pipe, she could clearly see the ritual chamber. Though it wasn't well lit, there were several candles burning. She couldn't see anything inside the large pit in the center of the room, and there was a strange mist hovering in the air.
When she entered, she immediately saw a man to the right of the pit hanging on a cross like she once had. The mist was thick, and she wouldn't of seen him had he not moaned. Kailin approached the man and immediately recognized him as a bowery, he was not conscious, instead blood poured from his ears and nose. He had been beaten and was within moment of death had he been anything other then a vampire.
"Kailin." A voice called to her in the mist.
Her eyes looked across the room, but she saw nothing. Slowly and carefully, she made her way towards the voice.
"Stop!" A woman's voice told her, when Kailin stood beside the pit in between the bowery and the other man calling her name.
The sounds of large fans beginning a cycle could be heard, and they sucked up the mist that surrounded them. Leila stood across the pit from her, cloaked in a black dress, her blonde hair running down around her shoulders. To Kailin's left was Tzion, his body tied to a cross much like the bowery, he had been beaten as well.
Leila smiled, revealing her fangs, as several groups of Mephis poured into the ritual chamber. "Do not move, sister."
"I am not your sister." Kailin snarled, before she felt Anthony's presence behind her. She swallowed deeply, as a dagger was held before her. That's when Kailin saw it. Blood dripped off Leila's body and into the engraved letters that surrounded the pit. Small holes in the side, allowed the blood to flow into the pit, where it had begun to mix with the bowery's and Tzion's blood.
She watched as Samuel stood beside Tzion, a torch in his hand. He was prepared to set the elder ablaze if Kailin became hostile.
"Today, my children, after all this time, we will get our due. No longer hiding in the sewers instead kings of this world." Leila announced, then looked across the pit at Kailin.
Anthony grabbed Kailin's upper arm with his free hand, then began to drag the dagger over her arms and legs.
"The combination of fresh blood from the four that bind will bring a new era to this world." Leila told her.
"What does the bowery have to do with anything?" Kailin asked as Anthony dragged the dagger that she now knew to be silver across her stomach.
Leila chuckled, "My naïve sister. We are the ones that bind, the creators, the ones that began all that has been put into place. The four of us are the circle that continued the prophecy to this day."
"How?"
Anthony pressed his lips against Kailin's neck, and for a moment she thought he would bite her.
"Kailin, the mother. Mihail, the father." She pointed to the bowery, and Kailin nearly gasped. "Leila, the daughter. Tzion, the prophet. In life, and in death, we have continued the world."
Kailin watched as her blood dripped down her body and into the lettering, before pouring out the small holes to meet with the blood in the center of the pool.
"We are connected, the four of us. And our blood combined will begin an era that you will never see, mother. Because once this is complete, all Hallowed, all Pyrrhonians, and all Bowery will die. There will only be humans, and us."
"I am not Hallowed anymore." Kailin growled, "You ensured that."
"No, but you can still die like one!" Leila barked across the pit.
"What do you mean we are connected? How are you connected with Tzion?"
Leila laughed, "He is the lover, the binder, the prophet. He…"
"You knew me, you knew the bowery, but you didn't know Tzion." Kailin yelled, "The bowery didn't even know Tzion. And if it is the lover that you are after, then you have the wrong Hallowed."
Leila jerked her head towards Samuel, "What does she speak of?"
"She speaks lies." Samuel told her.
"The prophet was never meant to have anything to do with the actual prophecies." Kailin interrupted Leila's glare towards Samuel, "Tzion thrust himself into the middle of all this. This circle should be made of people who have all known each other." She laughed. "Leila, you have been tricked. You are using the wrong piece, the wrong lover. Mathias, he knew Mihail, and he knew you after I disappeared, didn't he? You saw him speaking with Nathaniel, you spoke to him."
"What?" Leila looked at Anthony, who was backing away from Kailin. "No, it's Tzion, you are trying to stop the inevitable."
Kailin looked down into the pit, "Our blood mixes now, I wonder what your error will do to your plans." Kailin looked around the pit, the room was filled with Mephis. Most were being held back by sups so that they wouldn't drink the blood in the engraved lettering.
The sound of a manhole opening echoed throughout the room, and all eyes went to the ceiling. A blinding shower of sunlight sprayed onto them, and the minions began to scatter all trying to hide from the solar rays. It happened too late, Kailin's blood touched with the others at that moment. The room filled with heat, before the dark red blood shot into the air. The sound of Leila's laughter echoed along side of the sound of the bloody funnel.
Mathias, Akela, and Kristian entered into the ritual chamber as Kailin was knocked over by the force of the bloody funnel. Seeing Kailin fall to the floor, Mathias ran towards her, as Akela went to see to Tzion. The minions were still fleeing the room, some were ripping at their burned flesh. Khaldun entered shortly after, and watched as Mathias helped Kailin to her feet.
"What's happening?" Mathias screamed the question over the loud roar of the funnel's winds.
"I don't know!" Kailin tried to pull her arms from his hands, but he refused to let go.
Leila watched them as Anthony came to stand beside her, "The Halloweds aren't vanishing, Anthony."
"We have made an error, Kailin spoke the truth." He told her, when he searched the room for Samuel, he found that he had fled. "We have been betrayed, we must leave."
Leila agreed with a nod, and gave her sister one more look before disappeared down the dark tunnel.
"Get everyone out of here, meet at my apartment!" Kailin ordered, "I have to go after Leila and Anthony."
"No, I won't let you go alone!" Mathias kept a hold of her arm.
"Just do as I say, Mathias. You stand no chance against them, get everyone out of here. Especially, Mihail! I want that bowery to die by my hands for what he has done!" She jerked her arm out of his hand and ran towards the tunnel she had seen Leila dash into.
---***---
Following them into the darkness, she heard their splashing and continued to chase them. It wasn't long before she came to a ladder with an open manhole. Looking up, she watched as the end of Leila's dress was pulled out of the hole."She's coming!" Leila's voice cried.
Kailin scurried up the ladder, and found herself in the middle of the street. Looking in both directions, she couldn't find Leila nor Anthony. Relying on her senses was no option either, the city was beginning to feel like the sewers had, but the Mephis were no where in sight. Instead the street was a mess of humans, all looking towards the sky. Cars had stopped driving, and all normal life had come to a halt as the people glared upward. Kailin followed their line of sight. The sky was turning the color of blood, it was a thick haze that was blocking out the life giving rays of the sun.
She watched as the rest of the mix of blood began to blanket the sky, then she heard the cries of the Mephis. The tranquil red sky began to be filled with the flying sups, and immediately Kailin knew that Leila had won. There was nothing that could be done in those moments, so she decide to return to her comrades. Regroup and figure out what she could do now. The Mephis now owned the earth like Leila had told her they would.
Charging down the street, Kailin had to fight through the panicked groups of humans. Some where screaming the Armageddon had come upon them and that the hells had opened up. Others had no words at all and only screamed as they ran down the streets, looking for a place to hide. The Mephis cared no more if the humans knew of them, and began to feast on anyone they could get their hands on.
Some of the humans tried to use their cars, and the sounds of metal crashing together could be heard all over the city. Still, Kailin fought on and prayed that the others had made it to the apartment building. Squeezing her way through any openings in the crowd, Kailin finally came to an alley that she knew would lead to her street. The sounds of screams from the humans and screeches from the Mephis filled her ears. But it seemed that the Mephis knew better then to attack her, and only concentrated on the humans. Kailin wanted to stop and help them, but most were out of reach before she had the opportunity to react.
When she reached the street, she could see her apartment complex in the distance. The crowds were thinner in this area, but still present.
"Kailin!" A voice shrieked through the noise of the terrified city.
Stopping at the apartment door, Kailin turned around to find Damon across the street from her. He wore a cowboy hat, boots, and a long brown leather coat. A rifle in one hand, and a lit torch in the other. "Even the coming of the Lord will not stop me from gaining my revenge!"
"Damon, this is no time! Go and protect your people!" Kailin yelled across the crowd, before turning around to enter the apartment.
"No! Kailin, one of us dies today!" He began to charge her.
Flipping around, Kailin prepared herself for his attack, when the screech from above echoed throughout the street. She looked up in time to see one of the sups fly down into the crowd, and the back up with Damon in his grasps. Kailin wasn't sure if it had been luck or if the Mephis had purposely protected her. Either way, Damon cursed the creature, demanding to be let go as it flew away from Kailin's sights.
Sadness filled her heart that Damon never had the chance to fight her for what she had done to his family, and she hoped that he would escape the Mephis' grasp. With that, she spun around and ran towards the stairs to get to the apartment rooftop and discover who had survived the ordeal in the sewers.
Reaching the last flight of stairs, the door to the rooftop was left open, and Kailin could see several people laying or standing about. Akela was kneeled down beside Tzion next to an air conditioning unit, she was caring for some of his words. They weren't healing quickly, and Kailin knew that to mean that silver had been used on him. She was still bleeding from where Anthony had cut into her skin.
Jareth held Lycorisa in his arms, her right leg was missing most of her calf, and her left hand was gone, but she would grow them again in time. She didn't stir in his arms, but Jareth continued to rub the sweat from her forehead. Khaldun sat beside them, wounds covered his arms and face. He had been left to many battles when Jareth abandoned him to save Lycorisa.
Kristian and Lucas stood silently next to the door, and looked towards her when she entered onto the rooftop. It seemed that Kristian had set Lucas' arm and was in the process of wrapping it. Odds were that they wouldn't find a doctor for some time to come.
Kailin's eyes finally set upon Mathias, who was looking over the edge of the apartment. He watched carefully as the Mephis flew over the city picking off the humans one by one in the red darkness that had consumed them. She stood beside him, and looked up into his worried eyes.
"It is worse then I ever imagined." He mumbled after several moments.
Kailin could still hear the screams from below, and the sky was becoming even more congested with Mephis sups. "It's not over yet, Mathias. We are still here, we can still fight."
"We walked into a trap…" He watched as Kailin turned her attention to the Bowery that was hiding in the corner.
"Look what you have done, bowery." Kailin snarled.
Mathias never thought they he would ever see Mihail terrified, but the bowery cowered in the corner as Kailin approached. His eyes were wide with fear, as if he knew something that Mathias did not.
"I said, look what you have done!" Kailin grabbed him by his hair and dragged him over to the edge. "This is what you created, Mihail! Tell me, what for! Tell me one good reason why I should not rip your insides out!"
"Please…" Mihail cried as Kailin threw him onto the roof. "I didn't know, just like you didn't know. I was a pawn just like you were."
Mathias grabbed Kailin's arm, "He speaks the truth, Kailin. All he thought was that he loved your sister, and wanted her to be with him forever. He had no intention of becoming part of the prophecy."
Kailin yanked her arm from his, "That was my sister!"
"I'm… I'm sorry." Mihail stuttered the words out in fear.
"Kailin, he saved your life. He told me the name that allowed me to access the stone's power. The stone that allowed me to enter your mind. I think he has more then paid his due." Mathias tried to calm her angry by rubbing her back.
"Paid his due? When he gives me his life, then his debt will be paid!"
Mathias grabbed Kailin around the waist before she could charge him, he brought his lips to her ear. "This helps no one, Kailin. We have more important matters at hand. Let him go." Kailin jerked, but Mathias held tight, "He's not the enemy anymore, they are." He whispered and pointed to the sky full of Mephis.
She saw that all eyes on that rooftop were on her, and her body released it's tension. "Get out of here, bowery. If I ever see you again, I will ensure that you never see another sunset."
Mihail nodded and jumped to his feet, and with no words spoken he ran towards the stairway. Kailin watched him leave, then walked over to the edge of the apartment building. She pulled both her swords from their sheaths, and glared down into the panic stricken city.
"What should we do now?" Kristian asked.
"Wait here." Kailin mumbled, before jumping off the building.
Mathias looked over the edge to watch Kailin land gently on the side walk below. He knew that she was prepared to die that evening if it meant saving some of the humans. More importantly, Anthony and Leila had to be stopped. Though he wanted to join her, those injured on the rooftop needed his leadership, more then Kailin needed his sword. He finally saw her for what she was, the guardian of man. The prophecy had truly begun.