Shining Fury: from the Tome of Bill Series Page 8

  She turned back to me. “No. It’s just sometimes more efficient.”

  “Like number 6?” I asked with a grin.

  “Exactly. Doing it that way allowed us to crank that puppy out before anyone was the wiser.”

  “What is number 6?” Vincent asked.

  “Inside joke,” I replied.

  “Yeah, very inside,” Kelly echoed. “Anyway, think of witches kinda like gas ovens. You have a power source and a flame. Well, catalyst witches are like ovens without one or the other. The pieces alone won’t work correctly. Without that completion, we can do some basic tricks, but that’s it. Definitely not something on the scale of blowing apart a house on a whim.”

  “So the Agitator thing...”

  “In this case, I’m the spark. V’s a fount of power, but has no real control over it without someone like me around. But when we’re together ... fireworks, baby.”

  “So how close do you need to be to one another?” Vincent asked.

  “Into a little girl on girl action, are you?”

  His eyes opened wide in horror.

  “Jeez, relax,” she said. “You give new meaning to the word uptight. Keep an open mind. I know I do.” She turned to me. “Is that TMI?”

  “I’m probably not in a position to judge,” I replied.

  “Smart girl. Needless to say, right now we’re way out of range. I’ll know when she’s close enough, though. Speaking of which, we should probably see what we can do about that.” She removed her hands from behind her back and tossed the now unlocked handcuffs onto the floor.

  I couldn’t help but smile. “One of those basic tricks you were telling us about?”

  She let out a laugh. “No. I had an ex who kept losing the keys. Turned out to be a handy skill to know.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Within minutes, Kelly had freed us all.

  Relatively speaking, of course.

  “I don’t suppose you can pick armored car doors, too?”

  “Sorry,” she replied. “My ex didn’t have one of those. Now if it was a giant ball gag and...”

  “We’ll take your word for it,” I interrupted, stretching my arms. It felt good to be free again, both physically and otherwise.

  “Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”

  “Not really my highest priority right now.”

  “I don’t know. That guy Bill didn’t exactly seem like he’d turn you down.”

  “The Night Spawn?” Vincent asked aghast. “The Blessed ... she would never...”

  Kelly threw her arms up into the air. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to cast another number 6 right now.”

  “It’s not that simple,” I said quietly, my voice just barely audible over the hum of the engine.

  At that, she turned serious. “It’s not your fault, you know.” She put a hand on my shoulder. “What happened back at Meg’s farm.”

  “It sure seemed like my fault.”

  “I get it. You’re just as nervous around him as he is around you.”

  “I’m not...”

  “The Blessed One does not get...”

  “Oh please, sister. You may not wear it on your sleeve like he does, but it’s obvious to anyone with half a brain.”

  “Could we not talk about this right now?” I was starting to feel even more cramped than the confines of the armored vehicle warranted.

  “Fine, but if you want to talk, I’ve got a good ear and sometimes it can help to unload on a neutral party.”

  I considered that. Maybe she had a point. For now, though, we had more pressing concerns. I voiced as much.

  “What about your powers?” Kelly asked. “Can they do anything about the door?”

  “I don’t know. What I do is mostly defensive in nature. I mean, if those cuffs had been normal, I could probably have blasted them off, but that’s more a personal space defense mechanism. Blowing off a door that’s at least 3 inches thick is a bit different.”

  “Nothing ventured,” she said.

  “I have faith in you,” Vincent added.

  Wished I could have said the same. Still, they had a point. The honest truth was that I wasn’t entirely sure what the limits of my powers were. I could burn certain supernatural creatures, like vampires. I could also heal with my touch. I’d never tried using my aura as either a battering ram or an arc welder, though. Didn’t mean it wouldn’t work, but I was in uncharted territory here. Sadly, most of the Templar’s history regarding my kind was spiritual in nature. As for the heroes of antiquity, it was hard to know what was myth and what was fact.

  The hell with it. It was worth a try.

  “Stand real close to me. I don’t want to splatter you guys against the wall like bugs.” There was almost no chance of that happening. Faith was harmless to humans and only seemed to affect Magi powers, but there was also no point in taking chances.

  “Nor would I care to be,” Kelly said, stepping behind me and putting her hands on my waist. “Hey, step to the rear of the line, buddy. No Templar sandwiches here.”

  I heard Vincent grumble something, to which Kelly replied, “Is that a crucifix in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”

  “Get a room, you two. Trying to concentrate here.” Despite my admonishment, I smiled anyway. Kelly’s good nature was infectious. She reminded me a bit of Bill, albeit with ovaries and a lot more confidence.

  That’s who I tried to focus on. I remembered how I felt when he’d told me he believed in me. How that feeling had kindled a fire inside, one that soon fanned into a roaring flame of white-hot power.

  I grasped hold of that feeling of invincibility, ignoring everything else. Focus, I told myself. I imagined the walls as much closer to me, as bonds tying me down. This place, this prison, was holding me. I wanted out, and nothing would stop me.

  The power exploded out, first in my mind, then in a blinding flash that left stars even in my eyes.

  “Holy shit!” Kelly yelled from behind me. “A little warning next time.”

  She spoke too soon, for in the next second, the entire vehicle lurched violently as my power pulsed against the metal of the interior, illuminating it as if lightning had just struck.

  We skidded to the side, and I could hear the squeal of brakes.

  Both Vincent and Kelly fell into me, knocking me from my already precarious footing. We went down in a tangle of arms and legs onto the unforgiving floor, my shoulder taking a good hit against an exposed rivet.

  Pitch black darkness descended for a moment as my aura winked out.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Ow!”

  “Get your elbow out of my face.”

  “Could you all get off me?!”

  I concentrated ever so briefly, and once more our surroundings were lit. I looked up to find Kelly offering me a hand – steadying herself against the side as the vehicle continued to swerve. “Well, you almost certainly got their attention.”

  “No doubt about that.” I grabbed hold and let her pull me up.

  “The door is still shut, unfortunately,” Vincent pointed out.

  I’d definitely had an effect on things. The metal all around us showed signs of warping and fatigue, but it hadn’t been quite enough. “Damn!”

  We could all feel the van straightening itself out beneath our feet and then slowing. That wasn’t good. I sincerely doubted our captors would be all too happy with our little stunt, much less give me a chance to try again. In this confined space, we had no room to maneuver or hide. Normally, I’d have told my friends to get behind me and trust in my power, but I knew our enemies had those damnable vampire weapons. They could do whatever they wanted once they opened up and we’d have little chance of stopping them.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  The vehicle lurched to a halt, once again throwing us all off balance. Would it have been too much to ask for them to install seatbelts back here? I was tempted to secure one half of the manacles to something and make like a subway straphanger.

  Unfortunately, I h
ad an inkling that seatbelts were going to be the least of our worries within a few moments.

  Jacob’s reasoning for turning on us made sense to me. I honestly couldn’t blame him – too much anyway – for what he’d done. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Cynthia, though, was harder to read. There was a coldness about her. Was she enthralled to the vampires in this town, too? Or was she connected in a different way?

  Regardless, I had a feeling her next interaction with us would be far less friendly. I had two people with me. That meant she could hurt or kill one and still use the other as leverage.

  A sound caught my ear from the rear of the vehicle.

  “Get behind me, now! I’ll hold them off for as long as I can.”

  They did so, and I began to let my aura free once more as there came a squeal of metal from in front of me.

  A trickle of sweat beaded down my forehead as I considered what came next. Though I knew better, I couldn’t imagine anything other than once again finding myself staring down the barrel of Remington’s gun.

  Unfortunately, try as I might to exorcise the image, it wouldn’t leave.

  CHAPTER 18

  Again, there came the sound of metal grating on metal, and this time we could feel the vehicle rocking ever so slightly, but still the door remained closed.

  I forced myself to take a breath, waiting again for the inevitable.

  “I think it’s stuck,” Vincent said after several more tense moments.

  He might have been right. The damage I’d done hadn’t freed us, but maybe it had bought us a little extra time.

  The question was, for what?

  If they couldn’t open the door themselves, they could simply drive to our destination and have an elder vampire tear it off. That would potentially leave us in an even worse spot than we were right now.

  Hell, they could just dump the car in the river and be done with it. That ending might not exactly satisfy the assumptions for my prophesized last stand with the legendary Freewill, but one could just as easily argue that it would definitely be a victory in his favor.

  No. We needed to get out of this now, on our own terms.

  “I’m going to try again,” I said. “Keep pulsing my power and hope it’s enough.”

  Kelly stepped behind me again. “Oh goddess, how I wish V were here. We’d already be out of this.”

  “Kinda wishing she were here, too,” I replied, readying myself.

  “Wait,” Vincent interrupted. “You said you can tap into that other witch’s power and then manipulate it as your own, correct?”

  “Yep, glad to see you were listening,” Kelly replied. “I should’ve handed out a quiz.”

  He shook his head. “No, you’re not understanding.” He stopped and paused, seemingly debating what to say next. “This is not easy for me, and I am sure Sister Bernadette would not approve.”

  “Of what?” I demanded.

  “The Blessed One,” he said, speaking to Kelly. “We were taught that she is a well of limitless power. ’Tis by the Lord’s grace, indeed, but still power. Do you think you could tap into that and use it?”

  What the? I spun back toward them so quickly, I’m surprised I didn’t give myself whiplash.

  Kelly glanced between us both for a minute, before exclaiming, “Holy shit! You might be onto something there. Faith is a form of magic.” She noticed Vincent’s sour look and added, “We can have a theological debate about it later, I promise. But the reality is, mages can manipulate faith magic. Not as well as an Icon, but it’s just another form of energy to us.”

  “Do you actually think you can do it?” I asked.

  “No idea. I’ve never even heard of mages so much as working together with an Icon. No offense, but I hear you guys were kind of major assholes to us back during the Holy Roman Empire.”

  “None taken. Now answer the question.”

  “It’s completely unprecedented. I don’t think anyone has ever even considered it before.”

  “Well, congratulations then. We’re about to make history.”

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  An impact shook the vehicle, staggering us and sending what sounded like a booming clap of thunder echoing throughout the interior.

  “What the fuck was that?” Kelly asked.

  “Whatever it is, it’s not good for us,” I replied. “I don’t think that door is going to stay shut much longer.”

  “Well then let’s open it up our own way.”

  I took a deep breath and forced myself to stay calm. “Just remember, those are still people out there. We need out, but only hurt them as a last option.”

  “Fuck that. They can kiss my eight hundred degree centigrade fireball.”

  “No!”

  “Blessed one, I am forced to agree with the witch.”

  “For the last time, my name is Kelly.”

  “Yes, Kelly. Regardless, these people are our enemies. They are in league with the vampires. They have chosen their path.”

  “No,” I repeated. “That’s not what we’re here to do. That’s not who we are. Choose another option.” I left unspoken that, despite the instincts inside of me screaming for battle, it wasn’t who I wanted to be.

  The vehicle shook again. Did they have a battering ram out there or something? As much as I was trying to be adamant, I had to admit we were rapidly running out of the time for options. Though I had no desire to hurt anyone, man or monster, they had a point. These people didn’t appear likely to extend us the same courtesy and hard decisions might need to be made.

  “I could slam a fist of force into that thing. Blow it off its hinges,” Kelly said. “Can’t guarantee it won’t crush anyone directly behind it, but it should scatter most of them. That’s better than melting them into piles of goo, right?”

  “Fist of force?” Name aside, it sounded like it had potential.

  “Yeah, that does sound kind of dirty, now that I think of it.”

  Another impact rocked the back of the vehicle. Cracks of light now shown along the hinges.

  “Whatever!” I said. “Fist away. What do you need me to do?” There came no answer. “Kelly!”

  “Sorry. Trying to think. Um, you need to open yourself to me.”

  “I was really hoping that fist thing would work a little differently.”

  “No, I mean mentally. Open your mind to the concept.”

  “And that will work?”

  “There’s no time like the present to find out.”

  I couldn’t agree more.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  “Is this how it works with witches?”

  “It’s kind of an automatic thing for us,” she replied. “The reality is we actually have to worry more about turning it off, blocking it.” She faced me with her hands on my shoulders and her eyes closed. I envied her the ability to concentrate, considering we were probably seconds away from some very unwanted company. “Okay, I’m going to try tapping into your power. You might feel a slight tug.”

  “A tug?”

  “I don’t know for sure. Nobody’s ever done this before. I’m making it up as I go along.”

  “Fine, a tug.”

  Another tremor shook the van.

  “Blessed One?”

  “Not now, Vincent. What about the tug?”

  “Whatever you feel, don’t fight it. Open yourself up fully. Pretend like ... I don’t know, I’m your best friend and you’re real happy to let me borrow your car.”

  “I don’t have a car.”

  “Pretend you do,” she snapped.

  “Got it.”

  “Here we go.”

  I tried to open myself as much as I could. Heck, in the last couple of months, I’d had to develop quite the habit of keeping an open mind. This didn’t seem much different.

  Still, at first there was nothing. For a moment, I was afraid it wasn’t going to work – that we’d need to try to fight our way out of this mess, a daunting prospect considering our captors currently held all the cards. The
n, at the barest edge of my perception, it came.

  It wasn’t a tug as Kelly had suggested. It was more like the normally blunt edges of my power suddenly finding an edge or a point to seep toward and fill out. More importantly, it felt ever so slightly familiar.

  Wait. That was it – a point! My sword. When I was wielding my sword, it felt as if it were a loci for my power, some kind of natural conductor for it. This wasn’t quite the same. It didn’t have that same rightness to it, but it wasn’t too far off either.

  I went with that thought, focusing not on a tug or handing out imaginary car keys, but picturing Kelly as my metaphorical sword – her end pointed at our enemies, in a sense of the word.

  “Holy crap,” she whispered. Her voice conveyed many emotions. I couldn’t help but think that one of them was fear.

  “Do it,” I prodded, feeling the connection strengthen – a two way street of her drawing in my energy and me nudging it toward her. I steeled myself and gave it as big of a shove as I could.

  Kelly screamed into my face, a sound halfway between pain and surprise.

  My power spread out and surrounded her. Normally a white glow, it flickered and then turned a sickly yellowish green before lashing out in all directions at once.

  CHAPTER 19

  Color wasn’t the only difference between the way my power typically manifested and what happened.

  My power normally didn’t affect humans.

  The energy wave caught Vincent, picked him up, and slammed him into the side of our prison. He went down in a heap, blood leaking from a gash in his head. All around us, metal groaned and rivets popped, but the downed Templar was my first priority.

  I dropped to my knees next to him and put my hands on his neck to feel for a pulse.

  “What the hell was that?” I snapped.

  “I don’t know,” Kelly replied, leaning shakily against the side. Her face had taken on a similar sheen to the magic she’d just released. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. Exactly how much power do you have inside of you?”