some of the abominable power he so despised. My magic hit him like a fiery bulldozer, shredding flesh and setting him alight. The kid shrieked as he was slammed backward, bouncing across the sand.
Then it was the revenant’s turn.
Katon got there first. Coated in the blood of the DSI men, he looked like a Walking Dead cast member left out in the sun too long. He came up behind the revenant and cut a hunk of its ghostly essence away with a vicious overhand swing. Its arm and shoulder vanished in a hissing burst of gray smoke. The Holy Spirit roared and whipped about only to be stabbed in the chest and driven back as Katon gouged more of its hoary flesh.
“You okay?” he asked Scarlett, but he kept his eyes on the ghost. That was when the old man jumped back into the fight.
A blast of energy slammed into the assassin, and he raised an arm to cover his face. A grunt slipped free of his lips as the power tore at him, searing flesh. He ducked beneath it, trailing wisps of blackened smoke while he dodged away.
A furious roar cut through all the clatter as Rahim tore through the last of the DSI agents and flung himself at the old man. The Father turned his attack on the wizard, setting Rahim on fire, but old man apparently had a pretty good grasp on physics. Half a ton of angry bear flying through the air isn’t something you’re gonna stop. His magic fluttered, and then so did he, the old man vanishing an instant later. Rahim hit the ground with a reverberating thump, slashing at empty air.
The revenant hissed, shaking her remaining fist at us. “We will see all of you slaughtered.” She unleashed a burst of energy that went wild, a brimstone stench welling up. That’s when she disappeared.
Katon screamed then.
I spun to see the kid riding the vampire’s back, Longinus’s blade cutting a line across Katon’s eyes. The Son grinned maniacally, his face a charred mess, teeth gleaming between melted lips.
“Our lord has decreed you abomination. He will have your souls!”
Katon shrugged the Son off before any of us could reach them, but the kid vanished without hitting the ground. His smile still stayed seared across my retinas.
Scarlett caught Katon as he stumbled, wrapping her arms around him for support. “I’m here, my love. I’m here.” She stared at his injury, eyes narrowed in sympathy.
He growled low in his throat, but he leaned into her. “I’ll be fine,” he said, but the deep trough cut across his eyes told a different story.
Both of his eyes were gone.
Ten
We rushed Katon back to Hell as quickly as possible. He complained the entire time.
“Leave me be, damn it. I am not some child who needs to be coddled.”
“Maybe not, buddy, but you’re gonna need a service dog and a pair of Stevie Wonder glasses for a while.”
As if to prove my point, he bumped into the chair Scarlett was trying to get him settled into. He grunted and flopped into it, clasping at the stone arms as though he might fall through it. Dude was tough as shit but losing your eyes had to screw him up.
“Be quiet, Frank,” Scarlett told me as she dropped down on the floor beside him, a painful hiss slipping loose. She touched her hand to the slice in her thigh and pulled it away, blood staining her palm red. She glanced at Katon’s face for a few quiet moments, then over at me. My hand was plastered to my side but there was no missing the blackened seep than ran between my fingers.
Her eyes met mine. “Am I wrong in thinking I recognize the blade that did all this?” she held up her hand, blood dripping.
I drew in a deep breath. “Nope, you’d be right on the money.”
“We can discuss this later,” Rahim cut in. “First, we need to see what we can do to help Katon.”
“Can he be helped?” Scarlett rounded on the wizard, getting back to her feet. “If Longinus’s sword did this, will he heal?” Her emerald gaze came back to me with all the hardness of diamonds.
Fortunately, Katon reached out and,
Then it was the revenant’s turn.
Katon got there first. Coated in the blood of the DSI men, he looked like a Walking Dead cast member left out in the sun too long. He came up behind the revenant and cut a hunk of its ghostly essence away with a vicious overhand swing. Its arm and shoulder vanished in a hissing burst of gray smoke. The Holy Spirit roared and whipped about only to be stabbed in the chest and driven back as Katon gouged more of its hoary flesh.
“You okay?” he asked Scarlett, but he kept his eyes on the ghost. That was when the old man jumped back into the fight.
A blast of energy slammed into the assassin, and he raised an arm to cover his face. A grunt slipped free of his lips as the power tore at him, searing flesh. He ducked beneath it, trailing wisps of blackened smoke while he dodged away.
A furious roar cut through all the clatter as Rahim tore through the last of the DSI agents and flung himself at the old man. The Father turned his attack on the wizard, setting Rahim on fire, but old man apparently had a pretty good grasp on physics. Half a ton of angry bear flying through the air isn’t something you’re gonna stop. His magic fluttered, and then so did he, the old man vanishing an instant later. Rahim hit the ground with a reverberating thump, slashing at empty air.
The revenant hissed, shaking her remaining fist at us. “We will see all of you slaughtered.” She unleashed a burst of energy that went wild, a brimstone stench welling up. That’s when she disappeared.
Katon screamed then.
I spun to see the kid riding the vampire’s back, Longinus’s blade cutting a line across Katon’s eyes. The Son grinned maniacally, his face a charred mess, teeth gleaming between melted lips.
“Our lord has decreed you abomination. He will have your souls!”
Katon shrugged the Son off before any of us could reach them, but the kid vanished without hitting the ground. His smile still stayed seared across my retinas.
Scarlett caught Katon as he stumbled, wrapping her arms around him for support. “I’m here, my love. I’m here.” She stared at his injury, eyes narrowed in sympathy.
He growled low in his throat, but he leaned into her. “I’ll be fine,” he said, but the deep trough cut across his eyes told a different story.
Both of his eyes were gone.
Ten
We rushed Katon back to Hell as quickly as possible. He complained the entire time.
“Leave me be, damn it. I am not some child who needs to be coddled.”
“Maybe not, buddy, but you’re gonna need a service dog and a pair of Stevie Wonder glasses for a while.”
As if to prove my point, he bumped into the chair Scarlett was trying to get him settled into. He grunted and flopped into it, clasping at the stone arms as though he might fall through it. Dude was tough as shit but losing your eyes had to screw him up.
“Be quiet, Frank,” Scarlett told me as she dropped down on the floor beside him, a painful hiss slipping loose. She touched her hand to the slice in her thigh and pulled it away, blood staining her palm red. She glanced at Katon’s face for a few quiet moments, then over at me. My hand was plastered to my side but there was no missing the blackened seep than ran between my fingers.
Her eyes met mine. “Am I wrong in thinking I recognize the blade that did all this?” she held up her hand, blood dripping.
I drew in a deep breath. “Nope, you’d be right on the money.”
“We can discuss this later,” Rahim cut in. “First, we need to see what we can do to help Katon.”
“Can he be helped?” Scarlett rounded on the wizard, getting back to her feet. “If Longinus’s sword did this, will he heal?” Her emerald gaze came back to me with all the hardness of diamonds.
Fortunately, Katon reached out and,
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