Chapter 22
"Do you think you can keep coming after me?" My voice cracked, but it wasn't fear—it was fury. "Like I'm yours to torment? I'm done and done with your face and done with this nightmare. You've taken enough from me. Not this time—I'm putting you down!"
I had been repressing everything for so long, but it was finally starting to bubble up to the surface. All the pain, the anger, the grief—it clawed its way to the surface. I had tried to control it, to hold it in, but I was at my breaking point. I demanded blood. I needed to destroy this monster. I needed to cleanse myself of the curses that had defiled me.
"Kaysi," Micah said gently, trying to reach me, "I understand how furious you must be right now. If Baby and Beck aren't here, they're clearly in danger. We have to hurry and find them. Even though you might not be showing it, I can tell you're in pain. Because your mom abandoned you when you needed her most. I know you miss her. And this monster—it all happened at the same time. But Kaysi, your fixation on it won't bring your mom home."
"You don't get it!" The words tore from me. "It's not about a stupid house. Earlier, my brother called. He told me Mom saw the fire and… gave up. We had just gotten out of debt, Micah. She couldn't handle the stress." My throat tightened, but I pushed through. "But once my brother called her, she calmed down and turned the car around to come back for me. She didn't want to leave me in despair. While she was still on the phone, a truck hit her. She died in an instant."
Micah gasped, her hands covering her mouth. "Why do you keep bottling all this up and not tell anyone?"
"Because I was numb," I whispered. "I didn't know what I was feeling—how to even explain it to you."
"I thought I hated her," I said, voice shaking. "Now I'll never get to fix it. Never get to fight her again. And if it weren't for this monster—" I gripped my sword tighter. "She'd still be here."
My eyes hardened. "I will put an end to this damn nightmare. I'll destroy it myself!"
The demon tilted its head, eyes glinting like it understood. I enjoyed this.
I charged.
"Ahhhh... I screamed as steel met burning feathers with a hiss. Heat clawed at my skin, but it was nothing compared to the hollow in my chest. I ripped into its wing, sawing until bone. The creature screamed, the ground curling black under us.
Tears streamed down my face as I carved my way through its wing until it gave way. The phoenix demon shrieked in pain, flames erupting around us as it thrashed wildly.
Its beak clamped onto my arm—white-hot pain—before flinging me into Micah just as she released her weapon to help. We hit the ground hard, breathless.
The phoenix's wing crashed down beside us, severed, its fire guttering for a moment. It reared back, flames boiling higher, ready to finish it.
This infuriated the Beast. The grass was drying up and charring from the intense heat of the flames. Parts of the grass and trees began to catch on fire and burn to ash. The Beast was charging up, getting ready for another attack.
"I won't let it hurt us," I growled, forcing myself to my feet.
With one violent flap of its remaining wing, it sent a wave of fire sweeping toward us.
Then it lunged. As it ran through the cover behind its flames at full speed, seeking to gore us with its beak.
The blast knocked us back down right before it launched its attack. I had no energy left. Where were we to perish?
It lunged once more for its final attack to end us. —
—and the world froze.
A wall of ice exploded up between us, hissing as fire slammed into it. Snow whipped through the air, swallowing the flames. Even the weather had changed, and dark clouds hung overhead. The sudden cold bit deep, and I blinked against the frost in shock.
Standing before us was Beck; she unlocked a new omnipotent power within her.
Her red curls were tipped with frost, her eyes glimmering like glass, and her skin pale. Her lips darkened to purple, but there were no signs of pain—only power.
The demon Phoenix shrieked from the ice, blistering and almost smothering its flames. We now know ice is its weakness.
It could not fly away this time.
A portal—black and crackling with lightning and malice—ripped open behind it. The creature dove in, fleeing in fear.
Beck exhaled, frost melting from her hair. "It's safe now," she said softly, offering me a hand.
I took it, shaky.
"Kaysi," she said gently, helping me up, "I'm sorry. For everything. For how I acted earlier."
I blinked at her, too tired to speak.
"I'm sorry," I murmured. "For everything. That thing took your form and said awful things that weren't far from the truth about how I've acted. I have tried to control too much of everything."
I don't know how long it's been following us, but it knew some of our interactions together."
Micah shook her head. "No, Kaysi. I can't speak for Beck, but I know you're just trying to protect us. You've lost so much already."
Micah turned to Beck. "Where were you earlier, anyway?"
"Earlier, when you said to split up, I went looking in the other direction for Baby," Beck replied. "I found her injured in the woods.
That creature had followed our spiritual energy here and was able to infiltrate the barrier. When I found this out, I went looking for you guys to try to warn you."
Beck continued, "I went the other way, looking for Baby. Found her hurt. That thing had followed our spiritual trail. When I heard Kaysi screaming, I ran. I saw the wall, the flames ready to collide with you guys… somehow… I summoned ice."
"Oh wow, well, at least we know what your power is now—Protection," I said. "That's your trigger."
Beck's lips twitched in a small smile. "Yeah, now that you say something, I guess Baby was right. My powers will show when the time is right."
Micah smiled. "Right. Now let's go find Baby, get back to Beck's place, and rest."
"I understand that you don't want to go to the hospital 'cause you've been there many times, but we're going to need to do something with those wounds," Beck said jokingly to me. "I'm sure you still have some of your bandages and medicine left over from the last burns."
Micah added, grinning, "Beck, you should've seen her—Kaysi tore the Phoenix demon's wing off almost in one strike. And when it didn't go through all the way, she just held on and finished the job. No more flying for that thing."
"Oh wow, dang, Kaysi, I'll remember to stay far away when you're in a bad mood again," Beck joked. (We all laughed.)
We moved slowly—Micah limping, me leaning on Beck. Baby was waiting near the entrance, battered but breathing.
Back at Beck's place, Micah worked on my burns. Baby finally spoke, her voice low.
"There's something you need to know. The demons are multiplying. Seismic spikes are hitting across the globe. Something big is coming. A revelation. And we have to be ready."
We sat there, silent, listening to the fire crackle in the distance of the fireplace, unsure of what tomorrow would bring—but knowing we'd face it together.