Page 27 of Rescuing Air

She came flying at me, kicking out with both feet but I was able to deflect her and swing with my sword as she fumbled off balance. The tip of my blade sliced into her side, making her scream out an ungodly sound that made my teeth hurt. Infuriated, she rolled away only to use the wall to shove off of to slam into me. My shield smashed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. I threw up a second shield, blocking her claws from slicing along my neck. Getting a better grip on my shield, I tossed her off, sending her rolling and giving me a chance to get back to my feet.

I knew what needed to be done, but I hated it. The only way that I could end this was to end her just as I had Ubel. It would give me a fresh set of nightmares to live with. Dropping my sword and shield to reclaim my sai, I ran full tilt at the demon, who grinned and charged right at me, meeting my attack. This time, I ducked low and grabbed her around the stomach, taking her down to the ground. Her claws sliced at my arms as she fought to get me off her but I ignored the pain, pushing through it. Taking one of my sai, I drove it point first into her heart and flooded her with my power.

“I will set you free, just not the way you wanted,” I whispered into her ear. “Tell the Dark Lord that I’m coming for him and nothing will stop me from destroying him and removing him from existence. He won’t have a place on earth or in Hell. He will just cease to exist.”

“He won’t let you win, Synergy,” she choked out as my power consumed the demon infesting this woman’s body. “The time of the Elementi has come to an end.”

“On that we agree, but it will be because demons will be too scared to have us hunt them down by the time this is all over. They will know that humanity is protected by me and I won’t stand for anyone else fucking with them,” I growled as I shoved more power into her, shattering the demon who’d been possessing her.

As I watched the woman’s eyes return to normal, a pair of sad hazel eyes looked up at me. “Is it over?” she whispered as blood trickled out of her mouth.

“Yes, it’s over. You can rest now. You’ve been fighting for a long time. I’ll take it from here,” I answered, stroking hair out of her face as she gave me a smile of relief.

I knew she wouldn’t be the last person who lost their life in this battle but it didn’t have to happen like this. Makoto was the reason this woman was dead. He had forced me into killing her, which I would never forgive him for.

sixteen

Parker

Pacing around the small, warded room with no windows, I racked my brain to figure out how this had all gone so wrong. We arrived at the base and were invited into the war room where Makoto was, along with the men who led this base. They asked us to fill them in on what happened and what we knew about the situation with the tsunami wave. They knew the others had been kidnapped, but it seemed they managed to get away, leaving the people who kidnapped them stranded in the ocean. I was surprised they knew so much already when it had only happened a half hour before. Then again, it was Makoto’s whole purpose to keep up with what was going on in the world around us.

Once they got the information they needed, I noticed Jay and Micah both smiling to themselves as if something was going on that I didn’t know about. Shame burned within me, guessing it had to do with Lailah and their Bond to her. If she figured out we were in trouble, she would absolutely need to make sure they were okay. Since we ditched our phones, there was no other way to contact us except through the one thing that would never be taken from them. Makoto seemed to notice this as well, giving some hidden signal. It was too late by the time I noticed that his men were coming up behind the others. A sharp prick to the neck and seconds later, I was out like a light, only to wake up who knows how much later in this goddamn room, alone.

How could we have walked into a trap like this? Really though, it wasn’t until we started putting all the pieces together that it crossed my mind. When I tried to bring it up, Jay seemed like he’d come to the same conclusion. I had to hope that Lailah and the others were safe and didn’t figure out where we were. If Makoto was double-crossing us, then we were well and truly fucked. There was no way they would guess that we were here though. I never would have even considered that there was a base here in South Africa. Although, she had Hudson and Brayden with her and they were the logical ones in the group. If they were trying to figure out where we would run to after the bombing, they would look to see if one was close by. Every turn we made the Dark Lord was ahead of us. Add in Makoto and it all made sense. That man had his fingers in all the pies and made himself invaluable to the Elementi.

The sound of footsteps outside my door made me freeze. I tried to call on my powers but nothing happened, almost as if I didn’t have any, which made no sense at all. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and looked inward but there was nothing but an empty void for me to fall through. This was what it felt like when I went after Lailah when she was trapped in her dream. This darkness was alive, lurking, waiting patiently for me to step foot in its world so it could pull me under. Could this be the darkness that the Dark Lord was talking about? The evil that now blemished my soul? Had the angels changed their mind, choosing to abandon me to my fate since I betrayed them and Lailah?

“Step to the back of the cell and place your hands on the wall above your head where we can see them,” a man ordered.

My first response was to tell him to fuck off, but that wouldn’t do anyone any good. If I wanted to find a way to help the other two and get us the fuck out of this place, I needed to think smart. Not my strongest skill, but everyone has a moment when they need to step up in life, and this was mine. Once I did as they requested, there was a lull before the door opened and two soldiers entered.

“Keep still. If you move then we’ll have no other choice but to use the cattle prod on you,” the soldier warned as he approached.

I didn’t move or say a word as he came up and yanked my hands behind me, putting them in cuffs. “Typically, I only let women cuff me but I guess you’re cute enough,” I commented, unable to keep from saying something.

That got me a kick to the back of my knees, dropping me to the floor and my face hitting the wall as I pitched forward, unable to stop myself. “Damn, you sure know how to show a guy a good time. That’s alright, I’m good with things being rough.”

“Shut your goddamn mouth before I shock you for pissing me off,” the soldier snapped. “Makoto wants to see you. If you have any brain cells in that head of yours, I suggest you listen carefully to what he has to say.”

Things were getting interesting. I let him heave me up and drag me down the hall that had doors on each side of the hall—ten of them if I had a guess. I’d bet everything that the other two were here as well, but the doors were steel and had a keypad entry, which I could bypass, but it wouldn’t be quick. As we walked, I kept an eye on all the security and tried to find ways around it. I had a feeling I was the only one who could pull it off. Jay might know how to deal with his father and the other soldiers but he didn’t know security like I did. As for Micah, he would sooner burn the whole building down than have the patience to organize a plan.

My journey ended in an office, where I was once again brought to my knees in front of a desk that Makoto sat behind, looking over some paperwork. “You may leave. I’m sure he won’t be any trouble since he doesn’t have his powers.”

“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded, giving a slight bow before leaving.

Once he left the room, closing the door, I got to my feet, not really enjoying the feeling of debasing myself in front of a man I’d known for most of my life. “What the hell is going on, Makoto?”

He looked at me over the pair of reading glasses he wore, like I was some bothersome kid even though he had to look up at me. “Is that how you want to start this off, Parker?” He motioned for me to take a seat in a chair that was in front of his desk. “We need to have a chat, you and me. If my information is correct, then you are the only man out of the group who hasn’t tied yourself to a fate ending in death.”

My brows knit together as I sank into the chair, which was extremely uncomfortable with your hands cuffed behind you. “I’m not sure I’m following?”

“Parker, you might play the fool but I know you aren’t quite as dumb as you pretend to be.” Makoto sighed, taking his glasses off to rub the bridge of his nose. “You’ve already figured out that I’m not loyal to the Elementi and even if you’re not sure how or why, you believe that I’m helping the Dark Lord, which is true. I was never convinced that the Elementi were in the right and when I was only able to have one child, the angels decided to take him away from me. Those who are Elemental Warriors give up everything in their pursuit to rid the world of demons. Those idiots don’t realize that there will never be a world without demons in it. Good and evil have existed together since the beginning of time. There can never be a world without evil which means demons will never be gone. The angels are just using us in a battle they’re tired of fighting. They know we can’t truly win, which is why they only created five warriors at a time, with the promise of a secret weapon to end it all. After seeing a sample of her skills, I’m beginning to see that she is something special but there is no way she will ever be able to defeat the Dark Lord. She’s too soft, untrained, and well... female.”

My stomach dropped as he talked about Lailah. Maybe he was talking about the battles we’d already fought. It didn’t have to mean she was here, trapped like the rest of us.

“Lailah is here?” I asked, trying to sound calm.

“Yes, she arrived yesterday along with Hudson and Brayden. It seems that the police are after all of you for the bombing,” Makoto commented, like it wasn’t a big deal. “I tell you this because if you plan to run away, know they will be looking for all of you. Forever you will be fugitives and will have to live a life on the run.”