Mortal Sin (62 page)

Suddenly, Kyle opened his eyes. “Take these binds off me, Matthew.”

“Jeremiah?”

“It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for decades for you to release me!”

“It’s only been six months.”

“It felt like sixty years.”

Walker untied the binds and Kyle—Jeremiah—rose. “At least you found a young, healthy boy for me.” Jeremiah felt his new body and nodded. “A very nice, healthy body.”

“He has a gift communicating with the spirits. Everything else we tried didn’t work.”

“You must have failed with the ritual, otherwise you would have let me rot, trapped between worlds.”

“Raphael Cooper thwarted us.”

Jeremiah scowled. “I should have slaughtered him myself.”

“You have the final incantation. We have four of the Seven, we need to call back the other three.”

“Call back? You lost them?”

“I told you,” Walker said, “Cooper destroyed the ritual. They were released. It’s taken us months just to reclaim four.”

Jeremiah looked around. “There’s Greed,” he said pointing to the cop who had cuffed Skye. “And Wrath is in the blade.” He caressed the dagger that rested on the altar. “You found Jezebel’s Blade. I’d been looking for years. I knew one of those damn priests had hidden it.”

“It was trapped in a lead box. We couldn’t see it no matter what spell we used. Old fashioned legwork found it for us.”

“
My
legwork,” a man said from the corner. He didn’t look happy to be there. He stood with Tiffany Truxel, the witch who had been working with Fiona on Anacortes. That must make the man her brother. They looked the same age and had the same light black skin.

“Shut up, Martin,” Serena said. “If you hadn’t been so needy and paranoid, Richard would still be alive.”

“You didn’t even like Richard,” Martin said.

They were bickering, Phineas noted. The coven was not happy, even though they were on the cusp of victory. Because they’d iced out Fiona? Was she the power than had held them together? Had they just begun to realize it? That was a development that Phineas could use to his advantage.

Jeremiah put up his hands. “Stop. You said you had four. Where are the other two?”

The door opened, as if just waiting for that question. In walked Lily—Lily with Jezebel controlling her. Behind her was Gideon.

Phineas had thought the young St. Michael’s protégé has been made of stronger stuff, but he, too, had been captured.

“The
arca
!” Jeremiah rushed over to Lily. He searched her eyes. “Jezebel,” he murmured. “That’s why Wrath has your blade.”

“Not for long. I found my third soul,” she announced. She smiled at Jeremiah. “You’re interesting.”

“We both have young bodies, this could get very interesting,” Jeremiah concurred and kissed her.

“You cut it too close,” Serena said.

“There’re not a lot of bright enough souls out there.” Jezebel looked at Gideon with a combination of raw lust and awe. “He’s the brightest I’ve ever seen.”

“Lie down,” Serena told her. “The circle has been prepared.”

Jezebel smiled at Gideon, then sauntered over to the altar and laid herself across it dramatically.

Phineas resisted the urge to signal Kyle now. He needed to know what they were going to do first.

Then, Serena brought out the
Conoscenza.

It had been under a black cloth at one end of the altar. She opened it and began to read. Walker picked up the blade and crossed to where Jezebel/Lily lay.

No, they’re going to sacrifice her!

Phineas punched into the walkie-talkie the code that he’d established with Jared. And waited.

Nothing happened.

Phineas was about to leap down and tackle Walker, and made a calculation of how long it would take to get to the circle in the center of the gym. But instead of stabbing Lily, Walker turned the blade around and put the hilt in her hands. Lily screamed in agony for a long minute, then was silent, and unconscious.

Walker picked her up from the altar and placed her next to it.

“Mr. Gideon Arturo, Jezebel has chosen you. Take your place”—he motioned to the altar—“so we can finish what we started six months ago.”

“No,” Gideon said in a clear voice. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want… ” He began to pray.

“We don’t have time for this,” Jeremiah said. “Tick, tock.” He waved his hand at Serena. “Keep reading, dear. Where’s Fiona? This is a clusterfuck. If Fiona were here, we’d have finished with this nonsense and the Tree of Life would be here now.”

Every light went out simultaneously, then ten seconds later, turned back on. Fiona stood inside one of the doors next to a man covered in blood, but very much alive. At least, Phineas thought he was alive.

“At least one of my followers has remained loyal. Jeremiah, I always knew you were the faithful one.”

Jeremiah looked from Fiona to Serena. “What’s going on?”

Walker said, “We brought you back when Fiona couldn’t. She’s lost her mind. Look at her!”

Jeremiah concurred. “You have seen better days, Fiona.”

Fiona scowled. “Then you will all suffer, and I alone will drink of the Tree of Life!”

The man stepped forward. Serena attempted a spell, but the man was possessed. More than possessed, he had an anger in him like the monster Dr. Frankenstein created.

Fiona laughed. “Kill them all and bring the
arca
to me!”

Suddenly, the blue emergency lights flashed, sprinklers descended, and water rained down on the gym.

Everyone on the floor of the gym was stunned into silence as the sprinklers drenched them.

Then screams.

First, from Fiona’s demon/man. His face began to peel as the water sprayed him. He turned to Fiona in agony.

“You weak, pathetic excuse for a demon!” She quoted a banishment spell, and the body fell to the floor, dead.

It had already been dead before the demon had possessed it, Phineas realized.

Then the cop who stood guard over Skye began to squirm. He wasn’t as effective, but his discomfort grew.

Serena screamed as the
Conoscenza
became wet. She snapped the book closed and tried to protect it with her body. “Who is among us, reveal yourselves!”

Phineas hesitated.

“Come out or I will kill him!” She pointed her finger at Gideon. He fell to his knees. She pointed to Jezebel’s blade and it came to her.

Phineas was stunned. He’d see a lot of things, but not instant telekinesis. Serena put the book under a cloth near the altar and strode over to Gideon.

Phineas swung down on a curtain rope and landed on the stage. “I did it.”

All eyes turned to him. Serena stared at him. “You? You’re with Gabriel’s Sword.” She glanced at Gideon, confused. “This is impossible.”

Rico and Anthony opened the far doors, while Serena’s coven was focused on Phineas.

“With God,” Phineas said, “all thing are possible.”

Lily moaned from the floor as she lay in the blessed water. Phineas didn’t know what would happen to her, whether she could contain the demons, or what power she might have when she regained consciousness. Or if she was already dead and the two Sins were fighting for control.

“Greed,” Serena said, “I command you to kill that man.” She chanted from the language of the
Conoscenza
without even looking at the book.

The cop who guarded Skye collapsed, and a fog filled the space where his body had been. It grew and took shape, but no solid form. Whether the water was interfering with its ability to manifest or he was otherwise weakened, Phineas didn’t know.

Walker said, “We have five minutes to finish the ritual. Kill him, Serena!”

“Run, Gideon,” Rico shouted.

Gideon ran, but not out of the gym. He went to Lily’s side and protectively huddled over her, mumbling a prayer. Phineas couldn’t make it out and hoped the kid knew what he was doing.

Phineas had his hands full. Greed rushed him, and the thick fog that surrounded him was suffocating. He tried an exorcism, but couldn’t talk, as if his vocal chords had been cut.

Then it was chaos.

Rico watched as Phineas was separated from them by the thick fog that Serena had called Greed. He was on his own for a few minutes; Rico couldn’t get there if he wanted to.

Fiona laughed. “You are all incompetent fools! If I had been in charge, we would be drinking from the Tree of Life right this minute. Instead, you’ve consigned us all to die!”

Walker said, “Fiona! We have time. Three minutes until midnight! We can finish this.”

“So you can have me killed?”

“That was never the plan.”

“Do
not
lie to me!” She shouted a curse, and Walker was flung across the room. He hit the wall and crumpled to the floor. Slowly, he got up.

Rico said to Anthony, “Release Skye and go help Gideon. Try to get him out of here, the fewer innocents around the better. We’ll save the girl if we can. I need to get Jezebel’s Blade before Serena can use it again.”

Anthony ran to the bleachers where Skye was still cuffed, and Rico turned to Serena. “It’s over, Serena.”

“It’s not over,” she said with a wide grin. She held the blade up. “Come and get me.”

Rico circled her cautiously. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Phineas in the floor near the stage. Greed took shape and toyed with him, then lost his form. An anguished growl came from the demon, as if it pained him to be in such an agitated state, unable to hold a corporeal form.

“Anthony,” Rico called over to him. “Phineas needs help.”

Serena laughed. Not as crazy sounding as Fiona, but definitely maniacal. “Anthony, go!” she commanded and swung out her arm. Anthony flew across the room like Walker had done moments before.

“You!” Fiona screamed. “You stole my power!”

Serena turned to her mother. “We’ll discuss this later, Mother.”

“That’s why I’ve been sick! Not because I didn’t deliver Moira, but because
you
made a deal behind my back. You… you miserable, wretched daughter!”

“Stop, Mother! I have Moira under wraps. You can have her, just don’t interfere now!”

Walker limped over to Serena. “One minute, Serena. Kill the boy. Do it now!”

Serena strode over to where Gideon knelt protectively over Lily. She began a dark prayer for sacrifice and raised the dagger over her head.

The sprinklers stopped. Serena hesitated, just for a fraction of a second, and Rico tackled her to the ground.

The knife fell from her grasp and slid across the floor.

Gideon tried to grab the knife, but Rico kicked it farther away.

“Don’t touch it!” Rico commanded. “It wants to kill you.”

Anthony stared at Greed. Now that the water was off, the creature was again taking form. The head of a man with horns of a goat and the body of a snake. But the shape was loose and fluid, as if the demon had been wounded. But with each passing moment, it seemed to be growing stronger. “I can’t get past it,” he said. “But Phineas is dying. He’s on the floor.”

Gideon began an exorcism and the demon writhed, moving away from Gideon. With each phrase Gideon shouted, Anthony was able to move in closer to Phineas. As soon as Anthony reached Phineas, the snake-like tail encircled them both and the demon laughed, a deep, cavernous screech.

Jeremiah Hatch scowled at the others. “You are all idiots! Especially you, Matthew. You should have maintained better control rather than playing Fiona’s stupid games.”

“How dare you!” Fiona exclaimed. Everyone in the room felt the drawing in of energy. It was as if the room shifted, just a bit, and Fiona held the energy in her hand, then threw it like a baseball at Hatch.

Skye leapt from the bleachers and tackled Hatch, saving him from the attack. They landed on the wet floor with a thud, water splashing around them. “Thank you, dear,” Hatch said and smiled.

“I was saving Kyle,” Skye said and hit his jaw with her fist.

The burst of energy Fiona had unleashed hit Serena instead. She was thrown across the room and lay stunned in the corner.

Matthew roared. “Fiona!” He charged her in a rage, tossing out his own energy bursts. “Don’t you touch my daughter!”

“She’s my daughter! I can do what I want with her!”

Hatch wrestled with Skye and managed to get out from under her. He kicked her, then ran toward the doors just as a pounding bellow came from the dark-gray, snake-like fog that was killing Phineas and Anthony.

#

Moira and Rafe heard a deep roar from the gym and ran full speed to the doors just as Kyle ran out.

“Kyle!” Moira said. “What happened?”

He hesitated, and it was clear he didn’t recognize her. She dropped her senses immediately and was assaulted with emotions pouring from the gym. Rage. Jealousy. Pain. Sorrow. Fear.

From Kyle she felt something odd.

“You need to help them!” Kyle said and started to run again.

“Rafe, that’s not Kyle,” she said.

“I’ll get him,” Rafe said. “You find the book.”

Rafe ran after Kyle and Moira went into the gym. She slipped on the wet floor and fell on her ass, but the fall saved her life. As soon as Fiona saw her, she threw a dagger at her. It missed and hit the bricks behind her, right where she’d been standing.

“Hello to you too, Mother,” Moira said, pulling her own dagger out.

Fiona screeched. Her hair was wild and mostly white. Her face was wrinkled and sagged on her bones. But she clearly had a lot of magic in her bones, because she was throwing it around like candy falling from a piñata.

Moira rolled across the floor and hid partly behind the bleachers as she tried to assess where everyone was. The gym was dominated by a pulsating dark-gray fog that looked almost like a horned centaur with a tail, if a young child drew one using only a gray crayon. She saw two forms in the middle. She couldn’t tell who they were, but they were going to die if she didn’t figure out a way to stop the demon.

Matthew was battling Fiona with magic, Rico was in a fist fight with both Martin Truxel and his sister Tiffany, Gideon knelt protectively over an unconscious Lily while shouting an exorcism that echoed in the cavernous gym. Several bodies littered the gym, but they were already dead.