“Just flip a coin already!” Diana hissed. She was ready to face Zorahia and
Wesley had suddenly been attacked with a burst of gentlemanliness that was
making her head ache. Oscar shifted on her shoulder restlessly, ready for the
fight and bored by their bickering. She could sense he was gearing up for the
confrontation, excitement colouring his thoughts alongside a determination
she’d never sensed from her boy before. Diana’s spine straightened with
pride and in that moment realised it didn’t matter who went in where, the
fight was going to happen either way.
“I insist I take the front entrance.”
“Fine, Wesley, you do that and I’ll go this way,” she patted him on the
cheek, reached over and gave him a quick kiss on the spot where her fingers had
been and then teleported away from him in a flash of light.
“Oh, bugger,” he kicked open the shop door and ran in with a shout of anger.
He tried to ignore the tingle on his cheek where her soft lips had brushed him
seconds ago and focus on the plan. Kill the Crone and liberate the Tarot pack.
“I was wondering when you were going to come in, I saw you both arguing from
upstairs.” A dry whispery voice halted Wesley in his tracks. A small hunched
figure limped down the stairs that were placed in the centre of the large store.
Zorahia examined the crossbow wielding Watcher curiously, “You’re not one of
those damned Gyppos. Who are you?”
He didn’t respond, aware that if she knew his name she may cast a spell using
it as a control and negating anything he may do to fight her.
“Ohh the tall, skinny silent type. Not really the way I like ‘em, is it,
Diana?” she bellowed the redhead’s name, not turning to face her former
family member who had materialised to her left and slightly behind the stairs
with a flash of light. “Come out where I can see you. How rude can you get?
Coming into my shop and home unannounced. Your Unca would be extremely ashamed
of you.” She smiled maliciously and twisted the verbal knife in harder. “Oh,
that’s right, he can’t do that anymore can he? I ripped his spleen out
through his nose.”
“You did what?” Wesley took a small step back, shocked at the crone’s
crudeness and cruelty. Sickened he glanced over at Diana, trying to offer her
silent support. The girl was grim faced, hands knotted into fists and bouncing
on the balls of her feet. Ready to tear the viperous tongue from the Crone’s
mouth.
“Yeah, was a simple incantation, but boy did it hurt. He as screaming until
his stomach blocked his throat and suffocated him. I had to chop him up
afterwards to get to the interesting organs.” She pointed to a set of shelves
to her right, one lined with jars filled with a viscous liquid and various
internal organs both human and demonic.
“Noooo,” Diana screamed. She launched herself at the laughing witch, a small
sphere of fire appearing in the palm of her hand, courtesy of Oscar who was
curled around her wrist snout resting on the ball of her thumb. She threw it at
Zorahia, rapidly followed by several more. Some found their mark and were
quickly extinguished and others were deflected around the large shop, igniting
the woodwork around them. No one noticed - all intent on the fight and not on
the danger they were in. Focused on the battle unfolding, Wesley moved into a
better position and took aim, exhaling steadily through his nose to calm
himself.
Capitalising on her preoccupation with Diana, he hefted his crossbow and fired a
shot at the short dumpy witch.
“Did you really think that would work?” Zorahia cackled and with a gesture
redirected the arrow into a beam above her head. “Amateur, god, even when I
started out I knew better than to try a direct attack with a weapon.” She
flicked a wrist and the large display case next to the former Watcher toppled
over and missed him by a hair’s breadth. Wesley leapt to one side and straight
into another glass cabinet that shattered, cutting his face and hands. He swore
under his breath and reeled back, shaking his body to get rid of the shards, all
the while cursing himself for his innate clumsiness - he really wished he had
grown out of it.
“Stop it!” was all he heard as Diana screamed and threw herself again at her
former Aunt, hands raised and bolts of white lightening shooting from them,
unerringly hitting their evil opponent in her chest and left leg. No thoughts
for her own safety, Diana fought like a tigress determined to succeed no matter
the cost.
Zorahia spun slightly and dropped to one knee with a harsh curse. She clapped
her hands together, the sound magically amplified. It boomed through the shop,
making both of them wince as blood trickled from their ears. “You can’t get
me that easily, little girl. Go back home to your clan and let them coddle you
for a few more years and then come and play in the big leagues.”
“I will kill you, you rotten bitch. For what you did to Unca and for taking
our heritage and subverting it to work your rancid will. You are cursed; my
ancestors damn you to purgatory.” Diana screamed as she hurled spell after
spell at her nemesis, each earning her a brief respite before being hammered
likewise by Zorahia’s incantations.
“Please, you sound so dramatic. I won, you lost - that’s all there is to
it.” Zorahia taunted as she sent a chair hurtling towards the enraged redhead.
She limped across the shop and positioned herself in front of a heavily carved
wooden chest. Wesley frowned as he recognised the protective runes on it.
“Diana, they’re in there!” he exclaimed and pointed at the chest. He
looked over at Zorahia, her thin lips curled into a bloodless sneer she sent a
bolt of lightening his way. It struck the floor in front of him with a
resounding clap and sparks flew everywhere. He felt his trousers catch fire, and
for one brief moment wished he had listened to Diana and worn the leathers. He
whispered a counter spell, sighing in relief as the flames went out and all that
remained was tattered scorched fabric.
Wesley stumbled and fell, one hand clutching his crossbow the other slammed palm
down on the wooden floor to steady himself. Pain radiated from his ears and all
the small cuts that the glass had sliced into his skin, blood sluggishly pumping
out of the nicks and wounds. Sweat steamed up his glasses and all he could see
was the two women exchanging blows and firing off magical blasts. Time seemed to
slow as they fought and he crawled closer to the chest that Zorahia was fighting
to prevent Diana from getting to.
“Shut your mouth, boy,” Zorahia snarled at Wesley and with a gesture sealed
his mouth and nose shut. He let out a muffled grunt and threw back his head, his
free hand scrabbling at the smooth skin over his mouth and nostrils, trying to
tear it off. His eyes widened in fear as the remaining oxygen in his lungs was
slowly used and he began to choke.
“Hey, play fair, bitch,” Diana growled and whispered a counter to the curse,
releasing Wes’s mouth and nose as he threw back his head and gulped in air.
“Now why on earth should I do that?” Zorahia mocked. “I’m evil according
to you. No fairness from the baddies in the movies is there? So why should there
be in real life?” she was tiring rapidly, age not working to her advantage.
She took a breath to create a final and more devastating spell, determined to
end the foolish confrontation now.
Wesley froze; he recognised the words she was whispering silkily. Enough was
enough. Without a thought he raised the crossbow and fired, hoping she was
distracted enough not to deflect it. Diana saw his movements and realised she
needed to be the bait so that Zorahia would focus on her and not on the former
Watcher. She whirled her hands around in front of her, a trail of sparkling
lights swirled in their trail as she called on the power of her Clan to aid her.
“Ohhh, pulling out the big guns, little one? I’m shaking in my booties,
Diana.” Zorahia mocked, bracing herself for the attack, utterly unaware of
Wesley taking aim and firing. “As if you can control that sort of power, baby
gir...”
There was a wet thud as the crossbow bolt lodged in her neck, sliding easily
through her soft flesh and poking out the other side. There was no time for the
Crone to squeak as her spinal cord was severed in one blow. Her eyes dimmed as
she tumbled backwards to fall on the trunk she was protecting, blood pouring out
of her and soaking the trunk and the floor beneath it.
“Wow, neat shot, Wesley!” Diana limped forward towards him, her clothes
burned and scorched conspicuous in places. Her face, hands and body were bruised
and cut from the battle, but she was smiling broadly. “We did it!” she
squealed happily. She wrapped her arms around his waist and they both limped
over to the contested trunk, “Oh my god, I can sense them, they’re in
there.”
“Shall I do the honours?” Wesley grinned.
“Please, my hands are shaking too much.” Diana rested against his side,
weariness from the magical battle and the stress from the last few days all lead
to her slumping and leaning against him.
Zorahia’s lifeless brown eyes stared at Wesley as he pushed her body off the
trunk she’d died protecting from them. He had suspected that the thief had
placed the pack in there from the moment he had entered the shop and he and
Diana engaged the Crone in a fight to the death. Her slanting dark eyes had
briefly wavered and shot over to glance at the mahogany carved chest, as if to
reassure herself it was still there. In that instant he’d known where they
were and a small part of him had relaxed. They were too precious to risk having
out in the open during the confrontation and now that it was out of the equation
he could move forward.
Forward to a destiny he had never envisaged.
A fighter and Rogue Demon hunter extraordinaire, pride filled him. He and Diana
had succeeded in the impossible; they had tracked this old witch down to her
lair and defeated her. Now the cards could be reunited with their true guardians
and the death of Diana’s Uncle was avenged - as were the three faceless
others’ deaths.. They had done it! Saved the world from a murderous witch and
her devious actions, something he was insanely relieved about. So caught up in
the relief that they had both survived he missed the one symbol that would have
warned him not to open the trunk. Completely oblivious he did. The hinges were
well oiled and swung open easily. Inside the box lay the object of their quest.
Wrapped in black velvet the contested Vacani pack hummed with energy and called
to them both.
Wesley and Diana reached down together and their fingers brushed against the
soft fabric. Slowly they curled around the pack and in unison they lifted them
out. It was only then that a small niggle of memory twitched in Wesley’s mind,
a warning. But he was too caught up in Diana’s excitement and relief and so
ignored it.
Instead of heeding his instincts Wesley slammed the lid shut with aplomb and in
that instant he altered the course of his, Diana’s - and the town they were in
- destinies.
The shop exploded.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The altered destiny that now seemed to entail being blown to smithereens by the
stinking gas emanating from Zorahia’s pet demon that was being ignited by
Wesley’s arrow.
“Holy Hera’s peacock feathers! Duck!” Diana shrieked as the gas ignited
and there seemed a moment when all the air was sucked in, a brief second of
respite as Wesley flung himself at her and pulled her to the ground under him,
his body offering meagre protection. “Wait, no, let me be on top!” she
shouted, trying to twist her body around over his.
“I say, please let me be the one who…ohhhhh my god! Does that hurt?”
Wesley shrank back from Diana who was now straddling him, her arms raised
defensively, as slowly Oscar bled from her flesh and began to shimmer and twist
and take corporeal form. Her pale skin shimmered and undulated as her familiar
pulled himself free of her skin and began to grow before Wesley’s stunned
eyes.
The small dragon expanded and grew until his size rivalled the now bellowing
demon. The gas lit in a pretty streak of fire and the demon began to explode in
slow motion. Oscar launched himself up into the air unfurling his wings with a
defiant roar, and moved between the two humans who were his to protect. Twisting
his bright coloured body he curled his wings around Diana and Wesley and
shielded them from the blast as the demon exploded into a million slightly
cooked pieces. Pieces that showered the town with hearty splats and thumps, a
new look for the once immaculate place - Demon shabby chic with a side order of
roasted parts.
“Is it over?” Diana whispered, her face mashed against Wesley’s shoulder.
“I really couldn’t tell you, I can’t see anything but dragon scales.”
Wesley muttered.
“Cool! He finally did it!” Diana wriggled free and stood up. She reached out
her fingers and gently brushed them over the soft membrane of her familiar’s
wings. The same colourful wings that were still cocooning them, protecting them
from the fallout of the demonic explosion.
“Finally did it?” Wesley staggered to his feet, his hands patting his
backside to check he was decently covered. Now that the fight was over modesty
prevailed.
“Oscar manifesting himself in this plane. We had kinda gotten to the point
where we figured he couldn’t do it! But look, isn’t he handsome.” She
tickled Oscar’s belly and laughed excitedly. “Not only did we get the pack
back,” she brandished the Tarot cards that she had been clutching on to.
“But Oscar came into his own and saved both our asses!”
“Indeed, I think I need to sit down.” Wesley’s legs gave out and he sat
back down. “Do you think maybe he could let us out? I need some fresh
air…also, I hate to spoil the moment but he is rather eye-catching.”
“Damn, you’re right.” She slapped her forehead, tucking the cards down her
T-Shirt for safety. Diana reached up and caught hold of Oscar’s snout, pulling
his chin down so she could look at him. “Hon, as happy as I am you’re
probably scaring the Muggles. Come back home sweetie.” She waggled her fingers
and with that her familiar began to bleed back into her skin and shrink to his
former size. With a few more twists and turns he disappeared from the world and
curled back up in his favourite position on her shoulder.
Both Wesley and Diana blinked into the sunlight, taking in the decimated town.
Their silent reverie broken by a startled young voice piping up behind them,
“Holy crap, was that like a scene from the next Jurassic Park film?” A small
boy sitting astride his bicycle stared in shock at the two fighters, his clothes
covered in demon goo and soot. “Can you do it again?” he asked excitedly.
Diana rolled her eyes at Wesley, “Kids these days, huh?” and reached into
her pocket to pull out a handful of sparkling powder and blow it into the air.
Silver motes sparkled in the air rising up to fall over the entire town, coating
it. Diana placed a hand on Wesley’s shoulder to protect him from the spell she
was about to cast.
“Forget…”
And with that, the town did.
