Cannd brought up several questions last week, and I hope to answer some of them here. This week's flash update was inspired by the prompt:
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Take Flight Part 22
Sayer leaned on the
passenger window. Croll parked around the corner from the church near Birch’s
house. They stared at the gray stone building crouching ominously in the center
of the block blocking out the fading sunlight. It had wide, square walls and a tall,
pointy spire stabbing at the sky. “Why here?”
“Ange said the guy talked
about a Father. That means a priest in the human world. They called us demons;
where else would they take him?”
“I’m surprised you’re not
rushing in to find your beloved.” Croll tapped his fingers on the steering
wheel.
“The last time I rushed I
became a Darkling. My actions put Birch in this place with these maniacs. We
need to know more before we can save him.” Sayer could feel the fae around
them, blending in with the human realm, surrounding the church. “If that man
wants demons, we’ll give him demons.”
Fae, great and small, had
gathered to help Sayer save Birch. He’d risked his life to protect the fae
realm, and now that they knew the cause of all the damage they’d put a stop to
the religious fanatic. Sayer could feel his subject around him. His magic was
weak but growing stronger.
A small fae with rough,
pebbled grayish skin knocked on Sayer’s window. He rolled it down. “What did
you find?”
“He’s in there, my lord.
But….” The dwarf clutched at his jacket, hesitating.
“But what?” Croll prompted
him.
“He’s hurt. His blood
coated the rock inside their building.”
Sayer’s heart began to
pound. Night fell around them. He couldn’t wait any longer. “We go in.”
“Your powers are not fully
recovered yet.”
“That doesn’t matter. What
I have will be enough.”
The dwarf bowed his head. “We’ll
help you. We’ve opened a tunnel inside the sanctuary. You can enter there.”
Croll turned off the car.
They climbed out. “Sprites.” Croll waved at the streetlights. Small groups of
the glowing air sprites flew toward bulbs, swarming them until the glass popped
in a shower of sparks and the lights went out. Darkness shrouded the street and
the fae that materialized from the rocks, trees, and stone.
“You organize out here.
Cover our retreat,” Sayer told his second-in-command. He pointed at several fae
in the crowd. “You, you, and you. Come with us.”
The dwarf led the way into the
tunnel they’d made through the stone walls. Sayer strode behind him, anxious to
see his beloved. The tunnel climbed vertically through the walls. They climbed
the irregular stones like a ladder up to a balcony. The tunnel exited in the
shadowy recess.
“He’s close,” Sayer
whispered. They crept out to the railing and peered over.
“You shot a man. What were
you thinking?” The priest was hovering over Birch’s body. He was on the floor
in front of the altar.
“He’s not a man! He’s
associated with those demons you refused to believe in. I told you, I told you!”
the other man screamed. He waved a gun around.
“You’re delusional.” The priest
pressed the altar cloth tight around Birch’s thigh but it was stained red with
blood that wasn’t stopping.
“I have proof. They saw it,
the demon that was with him. It melted into a tree.” Several men were ranged
around the sanctuary.
The priest shook his head. “We
have to call an ambulance.”
“No. No ambulance and no
cops.”
“He’ll die!”
“If he dies, he deserves it
for consorting for with that filth. You can’t make an omelet without breaking
eggs.”
Sayer clenched his hands
into fists. Birch wasn’t moving. There was blood all over his shoulder and his
leg was bleeding profusely no matter what the priest tried. He didn’t have much
more time.
“We need their guns,” Sayer
whispered to the drow he’d brought with him. The night-stealer grinned, his
round face full of wicked glee.
He bounced off into the
shadows.
Two small sprites had
followed them. Sayer pointed to the lights over the center aisle. “Gently take
some of those out.” They flew up to the ceiling and began stroking the lights.
They flickered. “When I give you the signal, encase the human’s feet in the
floor,” Sayer told the dwarf. “Skim a fine layer of rock into dust while we
wait.”
Birch’s boss didn’t seem to
notice. He continued ranting at the priest, exposing years of fixation on the
fae as demonic beings sent by Satan to pollute his town. He’d been watching
Birch since he and Sayer were children. Sayer blanched. One of his trips to
leave a gift on Birch’s pillow had set this guy off?
Crouched, ready to spring,
Sayer held on to his control by his fingertips. The dwarf at his side watched
him for the signal.
The tall sylph he’d picked
to come with them stood silently, her eyes huge, her hands spread. She was
powerful but wild, rarely interacting with other fae. “You’ll create a cover.
Use the stone dust.”
Shadows fell across the
church as two of the three main lights went out, one after the other. “Now!” Sayer
sent a trickle of power to the doors, shoving them open. He panted at the
effort.
The dwarf began to mutter
and the sylph waved her hands in flowing motions through the air, beginning to
swirl the stone dust all through the church as if huge gusts of wind flowed in
through the outer doors. Men shouted and a gun went off.
“The demons are here!”
Sayer jumped onto the
balcony railing. His wings burst from his back and he drifted down to the main
floor. A personal aura kept the fine stone grit from blinding him as he flew
straight to Birch’s side. The priest was mired in stone, still kneeling beside
his beloved.
“Thank you for trying to
help him,” Sayer said. He gathered Birch’s body into his arms. Sayer flapped his
wings to get back to the balcony and their escape route.
TBC
Don't forget to check out the other great updates by the other Briefers! There are so many active authors taking part each week. And if you're interested in joining the group, let one of us know! We can steer you in the right direction.
I can't begin to tell you how frustrating and exciting this story has become. So much happened in a short time but still so much to go. Next week yet?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Dawn. Its heating up AGAIN :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for responding. For once I will keep it brief. Glad we got some answers. Can't wait for more! I love the types of fae you had helping. I hope one of the fae has the boss under control so he doesn't shoot Sayer! I am still particularly interested in the fate of Sayer's parents when they became Darklings...unless I forgot some details Sayer gave in his explanation to Birch in the beginning. Look forward to next week.
ReplyDelete~Cannd