Warrior from the Shadowland (24 page)

“I
thought the Reprisal dreamed of martyrdom for the glorious cause.”  Gion arched
a brow as they backed away.  “I’m going to kill you whether you’re facing me or
not.  So, you might as well not die hypocrites.”

The
Phase who’d tried to decapitate Ty took that advice first.  He went for his
fallen sword, driving for it and trying to come up on the other side of Gion. 
It didn’t work.  Gion swept his blade out and, with a negligent twist of his
wrist, beheaded an unarmed man.  The other two Phases rushed at him, but Gion
was already turning to meet their attack.

Ty
wanted to close her eyes, but she was mesmerized by the polished ballet of
death playing out in front of her.  Gion hardly seemed to move.  The blade just
twisted and Phases died.  The sword took one head off on the upswing.  The
other soldier screamed as his friend’s blood sprayed onto him.  The sound cut
off abruptly as Gion mercilessly slit his throat and then leaned forward to
decapitate him fully.  He didn’t even blink as he kicked the man’s head aside,
so it rolled to a rocking stop a few feet away.

Gion
didn’t seem perturbed by the carnage.  He turned and finally looked down at
her.  Ty couldn’t read the expression on his face, but, for some reason, it
made her want to apologize. As if he was annoyed with her and she should feel
guilty that she’d been in danger, at all.  Which was nuts, because what did
Gion care if she died?  Except, if the Reprisal got her, then he’d be deprived
of the fun of murdering her himself.

What
was he even doing here?  Why wasn’t she screaming for help?  Why wasn’t she
having a panic attack?

It
had to be the way he loomed there.  So large and still and silent.  His sword
stained from the men he’d killed.  Men that he’d beheaded for attacking her. 
Ty’s position on the ground made her feel very vulnerable, but not in her
usually panicky way.  It was a more feminine kind of wariness.  Actually, for
the first time since her ninety-third birthday, Ty almost felt… safe and protected
lying there beneath him.

It
was insane.

Pale
blue eyes locked with turquoise for a long moment.

Then,
Gion held out a palm to help her up.  And Ty nearly accepted it.

She
was insane.

Ty
glanced away and shook her head.  Gion would hurt her if she let him.  He’d
take her to Parald.  He’d destroy her.  Gion frightened Ty on every possible
level.  She was too weak to go up against him and survive.  Too weak.  Ty
pushed herself backwards, out from under him, so she could get to her feet by
herself.

Gion
sighed and let his hand drop, again.  “Are you alright?”  He asked, calmly.
Apparently, he didn’t notice the battle raging around them or, more likely, he
just didn’t care.

Ty
tried to get around him, so she could go and help her family, although she
wasn’t exactly sure what she planned to do.  She had the vague thought that she
should pick up one of the dead Phases’ swords and try to use it.  Before, Ty
could act of her idea, though, she found herself being herded backwards.

Gion
maneuvered her so her shoulders hit the wall.  Ty’s eyes widened in alarm as
she realized he’d backed her into the corner.  He slammed a hand out, trapping
her there.  One side of her was caught against the adjoining wall, the other
caged in by his arm.  Ty’s breathing picked up, again, her gaze focusing on the
top his black shirt.

Gion
leaned closer to her, his posture aggressive.  “This recklessness has got to
stop.”  His voice was right in her ear.  “I’ve tried to be reasonable about it,
but enough is enough.  Do
not
put yourself in danger, again. 
Understand?”

Ty
didn’t respond.  She had no idea how he expected her to keep the Reprisal from
attacking her and she didn’t ask.  Ty was afraid she’d start stammering if she
tried to talk and that would feed into her fear.

Weak.

Gion
stood there for another long moment, his body not quite touching hers.

Finally,
Ty found the courage to look up at his face.  She wasn’t going to die staring
at his chest.  She raised her gaze to Gion’s and found herself ensnared.  He’d
been waiting for her to meet his eyes, again.  She could tell.  His features
were tighter than usual, pulled into even crueler lines.  “Understand?”  He
repeated, neutrally.

Ty
couldn’t quite stifle a small gasp as his energy brushed against hers.  How was
he doing that?  Why did it feel… pleasant?

“Answer
please.”  He instructed as if he didn’t notice then slight encounter of their
powers.  “Do you understand?”

Ty
glared at him mutinously, refusing to even nod.  He wasn’t going to bully her
into submission.  She was a queen.  She’d never really
felt
like a
queen, but that was beside the point.

Gion
made an aggravated sound as Ty stayed quiet.  “Stubborn.  You’re always so
pointlessly stubborn.”  He lowered his hand so he could face the battle and
observed the fighting for a moment. “So, how long will this tedious display
last?”  He sounded like a bored theater critic.

Ty
didn’t know why, but she expected Gion to either leave the police station or to
join the fray.  She wasn’t sure which side he’d come down on, since
everyone
there hated him.  A lot.  But, she expected him to do
something
other
than just brace a shoulder against the perpendicular wall, so that he stayed
right in front of her, and just… watch.

Phases
hacked at each other with swords while Gion stood on the sidelines, not even
interested enough to count up the bodies.

Ty
tried to move out from behind him, again.

“Don’t.” 
Gion commanded, without turning around.

Even
through her fear, Ty felt enough anger at his high handedness to slam some of
her power against his back in a shove.  Her powers barely wrinkled his cape.

Gion’s
glanced down at his platinum wristwatch and sighed, again.

God,
she hated him.

*****

“Nia!” 
Cross stabbed two more men as he made his way towards his Match.  The Reprisal
was tougher than this.  They were basically sacrificing themselves, rather than
kill him. Granted Cross’ death would end the universe, but it still seemed
really wrong.  If they weren’t here to fight, then they were here to get
something.  Ty seemed like the mostly likely target.

He
had to get Nia and her family out the police station.

His
Match was just ahead of him, close enough for Cross to see the triumphant
expression on the face of the Stone Phase who stood in front of her.

“Fuck!” 
Cross knew what was going to happen and so did the Shadows.  The pressure in his
head grew almost unbearable as they swirled in agitation.  “Nia!”  He
bellowed.  “Get back!”

The
Stone Phase looked right at Cross and smirked.  The bastard’s hand snapped out
and seized Nia’s wrist, before she could get away.  His powers surged, freezing
her in place as four more Reprisal soldiers crowded around him.

Cross’
terror went beyond any obscene language he knew.  It was a living beast tearing
at his insides.  Stone Phases’ powers didn’t hurt anyone, but they did solidify
their targets.  Nia couldn’t move.  Couldn’t get away until the Stone Phase
released her.  He was going to steal her. 

“No!” 
The bellow came straight from Cross’ soul as the Reprisal jumped Nia right out
of the station.

They
disappeared into nothingness.

He
heard Ty scream.  Vaguely registered that the rest of the Reprisal soldiers
were pulling out back to the Magnet Kingdom now that they had Nia.  He even
sort of processed that Gion was in the room.  But all of it was drowned out by
the roar in his head.  The Shadows screamed for release, so agitated that Cross
couldn’t control them, at all.

He
had to follow the Reprisal.

Cross
fell to his knees, blood pouring from his eyes, nose and ears.  The pain was
worse than it had ever been.  He struggled to focus, to figure out how to get
to his Match.  Elementals couldn’t just jump into other Houses’ territories
uninvited.  There were safeguards in place to prevent other Phases from
invading.  Cross had no idea how he was going to bypass the Magnet Phases
security and reach Nia.  What would happen if he just threw himself against the
barrier?  Would it kill him and end the universe?

Well,
they were about to find out, because he was going for it.

Right
now.

“You’ll
die if you try it.”  Gion reported, dispassionately.  “Go get Job before you
jump to Chason’s fortress.  You have power, but it’s too scattered.  You’ll fry
yourself.”

There
was no time to go for Job.  Cross shot Gion a “fuck off” glare and pulled
himself to his feet.

Gion
sighed as he saw that Cross was going to disregard the advice.  “It’s so sad
that the fate of the world rests on the shoulders of an idiot.”

“Who
is this jerk with the cape?”  Melanie muttered.

“My
cousin.”  Uriel reported, apologetically.  “It is a distant relation.  Gion
represses his Wood Phase genes.”

Gion
rolled his eyes.

“Great.” 
Melanie looked around the decimated police station and winced.  “Speaking of
cousins, Sullivan’s gonna be pissed about this.  After we get Nia back, you’re
all helping me hide the bodies.  I mean it.”

Ty
was close to hyperventilating.  Gion finally let her slip past him and she
hurried over to Sullivan’s desk.  Her purse was lying partially under it and
Ty’s hands shook so badly she could barely get it opened to retrieve her
medicine.

Gion
frowned as she dry swallowed two anxiety pills.  “Is that really necessary? 
Human medication is the equivalent of eating thumbtacks: Useless and
irrational.  They’re a placebo, Tritone.”

Ty
ignored that.  She went to sit next to Thar’s unconscious form.  Covering her
face with her hands, she drew in choppy breaths, trying to calm her panic.

“I
will go with you to retrieve Nia.”  Uriel told Cross.  “I think we can do it if
we…”

Gion
cut him off, scowling over at Cross.  “You cannot go without Job.  Period.  Is
it really so hard to understand that the
end of the entire universe
will,
by definition,
not
be a stellar way to save your Match?  I can’t believe
you people are the side that I
didn’
t just kill.”

“Gion?” 
Ty said.

His
head snapped around to stare at her, blue eyes widening in surprise.  That was
the first word that she’d ever spoken to him.  “Yes?”  He answered, instantly.

“You’re
powerful enough to get into the Magnet Fortress.”  She raised her gaze to meet
his.  “Aren’t you?”

Cross
focused on Gion with a savage intensity.

Gion
kept his attention locked on Ty.  “I’ve never tried visiting the Reprisal, but
I’m sure their security would be easy enough to bypass.”  He allowed.  “If
you’re someone like
me
and not these bumbling children.”  He waved a
dismissive hand at Cross and Uriel.  “I can’t imagine why I would be compelled
to try, though.  In case you missed the wanted posters, I don’t hang out with
Chason’s crowd.  Or yours.”

Cross
started for him. “You’ll fucking take me or…”

“Let
me.”  Ty interrupted.  “Gion.”  She got to her feet.  “If you help us get Nia
back, I’ll go with you to Parald.”

“No!” 
Uriel shook his head.  “Nia, would never want that!”

Gion
took step closer to Ty, looming over her.  “You would sacrifice yourself for
your cousin?”  He sounded incensed.  “Are you really that stupid?”

“Yes. 
Is it a deal?”

Gion
studied her for a long moment.  “No.  I don’t make deals for Parald.  I make
deals for
me
.  I’m not risking my neck in the Magnet Fortress so that
Parald can have you.  I don’t need September’s ‘Air Phase of the Month’ award
that badly.”

Ty
ran a hand through her hair.  “I know that you must be for sale for some price,
then.  What is it?”

Gion’s
jaw tightened.   “Well, a ‘pretty please’ would be nice.”  He taunted.

“I’m
serious. Tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you.  I’ll give you a blank
check.  I don’t care.  Just go get Nia.”

“A
blank check, huh?”  Something moved in his expression.  Something cunning or
covetous that was gone too quickly to read.

“Yes. 
Anything you want.  Any favor you want. 
Anything at all
.”

Gion
slowly nodded.  “Alright.”  He leaned down so they were at eye level.  “When I
collect, you’re going to wish you’d gone with my first offer, though.”

Ty
blinked.  “You’ll go?  Really?  Just like that?”

“Just
like that.  But, don’t think that you’re going to renege on me, because I’m
known for my debt collecting skills.”

Ty
frowned like that offended her.  “The Water House will give you what you want. 
Don’t worry.”

“I
don’t
have
to worry.  It’s the joy of being evil.  Well, that and the
pay.”  Gion arched a brow.  “And, by the way, I won’t be collecting from the
Water House.  I’ll be collecting from
you
.”