Dark Destiny (24 page)

“I do?
All
of them?”

Indeed. Just look for them. Your mind processes them in the same way that the human brain processes different colors. All you have to do is focus.

Sebastian shrugged and decided to give it a shot. Taking in the building he had exploded out of and discovering it was an apartment complex, he adjusted his vision, focusing as though he were sharpening a pencil. The apartment faded as multiple versions of the same location came into being.

“This could be useful,” he said. “Do I have access to the different haunts? I mean, can I go into them?”

Yes. You are Death. You can access any haunt you choose.

“Can the Angels?”

No, it’s not their place,
answered the Elder.
Their role is to guide and protect living souls. Not to oversee death. That is your domain.

“How do I do it?”

Your scythe.
The Elder paused.
Sebastian, look. His reinforcement has arrived.

At the very top of the building across the street, Gabriel had reappeared on the roof. Another figure was flying toward him? The new being descended from the sky, then hovered over the rooftop. Behind him, one mystical spotlight swept by making a droning sound.

Raphael
, the Elder told him, before the Reaper had to ask.

“Like the ninja turtle? Coooooollll . . .”

The Elder did not reply.

Then all wonder faded. Without knowing a thing about Raphael, the Reaper was already annoyed by him. Perhaps the Elder had improved his eyesight, because even from across the street the Reaper could see that he was irrationally good looking, with eyes like a sly fox on the prowl and a pair of thick eyebrows. A small dimple accented his chin. He wasn’t nearly as muscular as Gabriel. He was built more like a soccer player, thin but strong. His uniform was identical to Gabriel’s, and his long coat flapped in the wind. Then there was the hair . . .

“Man, these guys and their hair gel,” Sebastian whispered.

The Elder did not reply.

Raphael landed next to Gabriel, crossed his arms and began speaking.

“I wonder what they’re saying.”

Here
, the Elder said.
Let me see if I can.

Then, even from this distance, he picked out their voices loud and clear.

“Do you really think we can take a horseman?” Raphael asked.

Sebastian whispered, “What’s a horseman?”

You. I’ll give you more details later. Listen in and see if you can pick up any details of their strategy.

“He’s nowhere near full strength now, so yes,” Gabriel replied. “But what about the Revenant?”

What’s a Revenant?
Sebastian thought.

Revenant: To put it simply, a Soul pulled out of the Light or Darkness into Human form. According to the records, it has only happened five other times. Quiet your thoughts as well. Learn something.

Sebastian welcomed this new information, though he hadn’t realized the Elder could read his mind. This might be both a blessing and a curse.

“So far, we’ve been unable to locate her,” said Raphael.

“That’s a relief,” Sebastian whispered. He assumed this “Revenant” was most likely Sara.

Gabriel turned his gaze across the street to where the Reaper sat. His eyes bored into him.

“How is that possible?” Gabriel murmured.

“I think the Seals have put a ward on her. It’s making it impossible to find her. Most likely one of Cleo’s Seal Witches is in play.”

“What are Seals?” asked Sebastian. “And, who is Cl
—
”

They are supernatural creatures with immense power. Now, shush!

Before he heard another word of the Angels’ conversation, the hairs on the back of his neck stood at attention. He turned his gaze downward. Across the street, Gabriel and Raphael did as well.

In the middle of the broken up street, running at full tilt, was Sara.

All three jaws dropped at the same time.

Raphael glanced at the Reaper, then pointed at Sara, a questioning grin on his face.

Nonchalantly, the Reaper shrugged his shoulders.

Gabriel’s grin widened as he drew out his broadsword.

With a heavy sigh, the Reaper stood and rolled his neck.

Raphael reached into the ethereal world and ripped down his own sword with a bright light of blazing white fury. Unlike Gabriel’s broadsword, symbolizing power and strength, Raphael’s sword was of Asian design, symbolizing agility and speed. Its pure white blade cut through the air, leaving a trailing afterimage of light.

For a few seconds, no one moved.

Their eyes were intent on one another, waiting for someone to make the first move.

Then they saw the army of zombies following her.

The Reaper was the first to react. He yelled, “You guys get the zombies. I’ll get the girl.”

He gave them a thumbs up and leapt to the street below. Tongues of black fire rose from his palms, leaving tracers of smoke in the air that coalesced into the form of his scythe. Wind rushed at him as he fell, sending the layers of his robes billowing in every direction.

The sidewalk concrete buckled as he landed hard. Dust flew to waist level as he kicked off, running toward Sara. He considered
blinking
to her, but he knew it was too chancy. There was a distinct possibility that it would relocate him miles away.

Sara, still in the middle of the street, spun around as he landed.

“It’s me,” Sebastian said, pulling back his hood.

“Sebastian?”

The air began to
crack
in two locations on the street, he sensed them coming. One next to Sara, the other off by the horde.

Got one!
the Elder announced triumphantly.

One crack faded. Nice.

“Sara,” he yelled, gesturing toward the sidewalk. “Get off the street!”

The look on her face gave him the impression she was going to ask why, but decided against it and did as instructed. She ran past him, their eyes locking for an instant.

Raphael will appear in front of the horde. I have Gabriel stuck in a blink. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold him.

“Good thinking. I don’t need much time.”

The Reaper ran into position, directly in the center of the street on the faded yellow line. When he’d looked into the different haunts earlier, he’d seen one that he thought could be helpful now.

Raphael appeared at the far end of the block, almost in front of the zombie army, just as the Elder had predicted. Skillfully flipping his sword’s position in his hand, he raised his weapon. The blade reflected the moon’s glow as he stabbed the street with smooth grace. Lightning erupted in the distance, followed by a sharp crack of thunder. The street broke apart as an enormous wall of light rose from within the crevice, blocking the zombie army from advancing farther. Raphael slid his blade free from the now scorched concrete. The sword gave off a slight glow before fading back to its pearl white color.

Loud banging boomed from the opposite side of the wall. As more zombies reached it, the cacophony became louder as individual blows blended into one gigantic force of sound.

Raphael turned from his wall to face the Reaper, but a cracking sound forced him to spin back. A long crack appeared in the center of the wall and slithered its way across. More hairline cracks formed everywhere. Raphael placed his palm flat against it.

“Gabriel! I need a second to strengthen the wall!”

Beneath his touch, the wall glowed brighter until a wave of light washed over its surface, erasing the cracks that formed.

The Reaper’s shoulders relaxed as he blew a sigh of relief. He glanced at Sara to check that she was still safe. She was crouched on the broken sidewalk.

With Raphael busy with the zombie army, Sebastian decided it was time to deal with Gabriel.

The Reaper adjusted his vision, searching through every haunt. A maniacal smile stretched his lips. “Perfect,” Sebastian whispered.

Hurry. I can’t hold him for much longer.

The air shimmered in front of him as Gabriel’s presence came through.

“Relocate Gabriel
there
!” the Reaper yelled, pointing to a section of the street. Fingers appeared and hovered in mid-air. Then Gabriel appeared, ripping out of his
blink
, air sizzling with his arrival.

The Reaper reeled back his scythe and sliced forward.

Gabriel brought forth his mighty broadsword for a parry. However, Gabriel wasn’t the Reaper’s target. A foot in front of Gabriel, the Reaper continued his slice down through the air creating a flap of blinding light, suspended in mid-air, wavering as if the air itself was made of silk.

A haunt was torn open.

And an 18-wheeler semi-truck burst through the tear, colliding with Gabriel. Its horn blasted as its hood cratered around the Angel. It swerved, tires screeching, as burnt rubber filled the air. The diesel truck slammed into a building, causing brick and glass to blast outward. Standing on the sidewalk, Sara covered her head with her arms and scurried against the wall of a broken-down building.

The Reaper smirked, then glanced at Raphael striding toward Sara. Behind him, the Wall of Light stood tall, lighting up the entire block.

Wasting no time, the Reaper scanned the area and found another haunt that could help him. He brought back his scythe and was ready to tear it open when Raphael
blinked
directly in front of him, blocking his scythe with his blade.

“Won’t work on me. Nice try though,” said Raphael.

To his left, came the sound of metal bending. From behind the semi-truck, Gabriel surfaced, bricks falling around him. He put his shoulder to the truck and pushed, trying to wriggle from between it and the caved in wall, glaring at Sebastian.

The Reaper blocked another swing from Raphael. Lightning erupted around their blades from the impact, the bolts dancing in the air before fading. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep this up. Gabriel would be free soon. How was he going to get Sara to safety?

It came to him then: The haunts. Maybe he would have to use them differently. Would it work? The only way to find out was to try it.

A smile crossed his lips. He had to get to one that was safe.

All he needed was some sort of distraction. His eyes shot open when he realized Gabriel was in the line of fire of Raphael.

He knew the robes wouldn’t let harm come to him and with Raphael being so close to him, the Reaper used a single hand to flip up his hood, reared back, and smashed forward with a head-butt. Sebastian knew from experience that nobody expects a head-butt. Raphael staggered as his eyes rolled back. He couldn’t believe that had actually worked. He tried again, stomping the ground for the extra support.

This time, Raphael rocketed back through the air, slamming into Gabriel. They crashed into the building behind them, blowing out half of the storefront. The second floor collapsed with the rest of the debris, spilling onto the street.

Like a bolt of black lightning, Sebastian closed the fifty-foot distance between him and Sara. He pulled her up to face him, their foreheads touching.

“Let’s get you somewhere safe,” he said, releasing his scythe as he leaned down and cupped her face with both hands. “Sara, we’re going to
blink
, okay? I need you to look into my eyes. Can you do that?”

She placed her hands on top of his and nodded.

“Do not look away,” he said.

Their eyes locked.

His eyes went unfocused as a location popped into his mind’s eye.

Everything fell silent.

The zombies banging on the wall silenced. The Angels’ stumbling under the collapsed building ceased. The area around them dissolved. The dark colors faded as the molecules swirled and danced around them, shifting and changing into new colors, solidifying into different shapes.

When his vision came into focus, they stood inside a building in a mildewed, filth-strewn hallway. Sara swayed on her feet and rested her hands against his chest. He wrapped an arm around her, supporting her weight.

“Yes!” He glanced around furtively, but the Angels didn’t appear. At least, not yet.

The walls may have been white at some point, but had now become a deadened gray. Cracks and chips lined every surface. A light at one end of the hall flickered, and water dripped from the ceiling, echoing through the air.

Doors evenly lined each wall; their numbers displayed in rusted metal. 606, 608, 610. They were on the sixth floor of the condo apartments he had envisioned. In front of one of the doors sat a room service tray holding a dusty wine glass and a half-eaten, moldy crab.

“Perfect,” he said. “This is exactly where we need to be.”

She glanced around before leaning against a wall for support. “Here?”

“Yes. I can see it.” His eyes scanned their surroundings, searching for one particular door.

“See
what
?” she asked. “Sebastian, what’s going on?”

There it was. Door 612.

He turned back to her. “Sara, I owe you one phenomenal explanation. I know that. But right now, these guys are after you, and I’m not exactly sure why. From what I understand, my power recharges when a Soul goes into the Light. Get what I’m saying?”