The element of danger adds zest to it all.

 

Walt Whitman-"In the Sleeper"

 

 

Nia’s eyes widened as she took in the mass of Reprisal soldiers filling the police station. Her mind went blank for several heartbeats, stuck in a “what the hell is this?” brain freeze as she tried to process the invasion.  When she started thinking again, she immediately panicked that they’d come to murder her cousin.  “Ty!”  She screamed.

And then Nia was being shoved backwards, so she landed on the far side of the desk.  She hit the floor with a ‘thud’ and had the vague thought that this was the second time that day that she’d been under a desk during a fight.  Only this time Cross had pushed her there.  Nia poked her head up and saw her that Match had pulled his sword free.

Cross was slamming through the not-so-small army of Chason’s men, but there were just too many.  Uriel waded into the fray, his own blade slicing a path of destruction.  Wood Phases loved to battle.  It was actually pretty impressive to watch him thrust and parry against his opponents.  He was an artist with that blade.

Cross was a lot more direct in his attack.  Every move he made was designed to be a death blow.  His sword sliced through one of the soldiers’ necks, sending a head flying through the air.  It bounced off the far wall with a horrible “splat” and a smear of horror movie quality blood.  Two more soldiers were on him, almost instantly.

“Damn it.”  Nia was looking around for a weapon so she could help him, when she heard a two gunshots blast out right above her head.

Both of the Phases going after Cross now sported bullet holes in their skulls.  Perfectly round holes in the center of their foreheads that were just never going to heal properly.  They looked at each other and then turned in choreographed precision to scowl at Melanie.

“Well damn.”  She lowered her gun.  “Bullets don’t work of you guys, huh?”

“Not so much.”  Nia hefted a metal stapler and heaved it at the groin of the man closest to her.  He doubled over with an “oomph” of pain.  “Staplers work, though.”

“Nia, get the hell out of here!”  Cross bellowed.

She ignored that because it was stupid thing to say.  She wasn’t about to leave her family and her Match to face two dozen Reprisal goons.  “Ty!”  She shouted instead, looking around the mayhem for her cousin.  Ty would be their main target.  Ty was always everyone’s main target.  No wonder the poor girl was in therapy.

Nia spotted Ty across the room.  A Reprisal solider had her by the hair and was trying to drag her forward.  Four more men shoved their way over, preparing to jump Ty to the Magnet Kingdom.

“Stop!”  Nia rounded the desk, heading straight for them.

Tharsis got there before she did.  He tackled the man holding Ty and Nia felt the swell of her twin’s powers.  He drew every drop of moisture that he could from the air-conditioned air, which was an incredible drain on his powers.  “Thar!”  She shouted, right before her brother blasted out a colossal surge Water energy.  All five soldiers’ heads snapped off in unison like they’d been cut with a high pressure water saw.  Tharsis fell over, dazed and panting.  His hand still reached out to grab Ty and pull her behind him.

“That’s too much power!”  Nia crouched down beside him.  “You’re completely drained now, you idiot.”  It always took the Water Phases more energy to commit violence than the other Houses, especially when they were cut off from liquids.  Phases weren’t supposed to use their powers against each other, anyway.  But, Water Phases were the most peaceful of the Elementals.  Their powers were strongest when they weren’t decapitating people.

“Ty.”  Tharsis whispered.  “They were going to jump with Ty.”

“It was my fault.”  Ty agreed.  “Thar?  Are you okay?”

“I’m okay.”  He looked towards the door.  “We gotta get out of here.”

Nia shook her head.  “I have to help Cross.  You two go.”  She started to stand up again, when a soldier grabbed her from behind.

Nia cursed as her feet came right off the floor.  “Cross!”  She shouted, instinctively.

Tharsis tried to help her.  She felt him gathering more energy, slamming it at the man and then the Water gave out.  Thar’s power stretched too far and then snapped back at him, knocking him unconscious.

“Thar!”  Nia used her own powers to gather up Water energy.  It was hard to get enough Water in the dehumidified air to do more than smash it into the man’s face.  He stumbled backwards, losing his grip on her.  Nia fell forward and turned just in time to see Cross come up behind the soldier.  With a massive swing of his sword her Match beheaded the man who’d touched her.

Cross stood there, breathing hard.  “Okay?”  He asked.

Nia nodded.  “Yeah.  Good aim.”  She crawled over to check on her brother, who was out cold.  “Thar!  Wake up.”  She slapped at his cheek trying to bring him around.

Ty covered her ears with her hands and looked like she was seconds away from a complete breakdown.  “Oh, God.  Oh God.”  She chanted, helplessly.

Cross was fighting another Reprisal soldier who’d come dashing up.  “Just leave already.  I’m not sure how much longer I can keep them off of you guys.”

Nia ignored him, again.  She didn’t have a choice.  She couldn’t carry her brother outside.  “Ty, don’t move.”  Nia grabbed Tharsis by the waistband of his pants and dragged him towards the wall, away from the stomping of feet.

Unfortunately, three Phases had pinned Uriel against the wall.  He was still fighting, brutally stabbing his sword into their bodies.  Melanie pushed her way through the battle, reaching her Match and raising a gun at the biggest man.

“Bullets don’t harm us, human.”  He reached out to grab her, a smirk on his face.

“This one doesn’t have bullets, asshole.”  Melanie shot her police issued taser right into his chest.  The electrodes pierced through his clothing and sent thousands of volts of electricity pulsing through him.  His muscled spasmed, contracting uncontrollably.  He went down hard, shaking like a possessed man in a revival meeting.  His two friends turned to gape at him.

Uriel used their momentary distraction to finish them off with his sword.

“I thought that might work.”  She said, smugly.

Uriel stared at Melanie with something like wonder.  “You are a marvelous warrior, my love.”

“I know.”  She agreed.  “You wanna kill this electrocuted guy or should I cuff him?”

“I think I should kill him.”

“Whatever.”  Melanie loaded another air cartridge into her taser.  “I’m pretty sure I don’t have jurisdiction over aliens, anyhow.”

Nia finally secured Thar against the wall and headed back for Ty.  Looking around at the fighting, though, she realized that something was wrong.  The Reprisal never tried to inflict serious injuries on them.  Chason knew that the Water Phases were too important to the preservation of the universe.  They couldn’t die or it would doom everyone.  But, to send this many men --men who weren’t delivering any lethal blows no matter how many of their comrades fell-- was just bizarre.  What was Chason up to?

A Phase pushed his way in front of Nia as she started back to Ty.  The olive stripe in his hair marked him as part of the Stone House.  He wore a perfectly pressed suit and a demonic smile.  She took an instinctive step back from him.

“Hello, Nia.”  He said, calmly.  “I’m God.”

 

*****

 

While the battle raged around her, Ty fought monsters of her own.

Panic attack.

Panic attack.

Panic attack

The pull of it threatened to drag her under, but she couldn’t succumb.  Stumbling to her feet, she tried to follow her cousins and ran straight into trouble.

Three Reprisal soldiers came at Ty, cornering her as she tried to evade the swinging swords.  Her breathing was coming too fast, the edges of her vision waving, as terror swamped her senses. Oh God.  Oh God.  Not again.  Not again.  She struggled against her fear, trying to resist the downward pull of a panic attack as she backed away.

For once, the anxiety was the least of her problems.  The advancing men didn’t look like they were intent on just taking her to Chason or using her as bait for Parald.  They wanted to kill her.  They blamed her for the Fall and they wanted her to suffer.  Ty could read it in their cold, hate filled eyes.  They didn’t care about the third of the Water House she supported.  All they wanted was vengeance and they planned to wipe her out of existence.

They were bigger than her.

So, much stronger.

Too weak.

She was always too weak.

One of the Phases made a grab for her, his fingers biting into her arm.

Ty cried out, trying to pull free of his grasp as he yanked her forward.   Remembering the self-defense lessons Uriel had drummed into her head, she aimed a kick for his knee.  He loosened his hold, but one of the other Phases was there hitting her.  His fist slammed it her jaw and Ty slammed into the wall.  Dazed, she tried to stay on her feet as the first man got her, again.  He threw her to the ground, his sword held high.

Beheading.

Ty stared up at him and only one thought went through her scattered mind.  An instinctive reaching out to somebody, although she had no idea who.  Ty was a scientist.  She didn’t believe in any sort of psychic, mindreading weirdness, except as the natural connection between Matches.  And truthfully, she wasn’t completely sold on even that.  Parald’s energy touching her had always felt wrong and intrusive and dirty in a very visceral way.  She never had the urge to try and connect with him on any level.  The words in her head now were just automatically screamed to someone.

Help me!

It wasn’t so much a request or even prayer.  It was an order.  The words actually seemed familiar, as if she’d sent them out into the universe before.

Help.  Help.  Help.  Help.  Help.

Ty’s eyes went wide as she scrabbled backwards, chanting in her mind, preparing to feel the slice of the sword across her neck.  Memories and her current horror mixed so she wasn’t sure where she was anymore.  The Fall.  The mob attacking the Water Palace.  The Reprisal.  It was a blur of images and panic.  She couldn’t breathe.  She was going to die.

The sword came chopping down and… stopped six inches from her neck.

The blast of Air hit the Reprisal soldiers with the force of a cannon, sending them flying like kindling in a tornado.  The sword, which had been headed right for Ty, clattered to the ground.  More light bulbs blew out, rushing winds pounded around her, and then Gion appeared.

Dark.

Lethal.

Invincible.

Scarier than even the Reprisal, Gion’s energy scoured the atmosphere around them, charging the air.  Still on the floor, Ty’s hair whipped furiously in the windstorm of his power.  She stared up at Gion and, amazingly, felt her panic recede a bit.

Gion was focused on the Reprisal soldiers.  Even if he planned to kill her himself or, worse, turn her over to Parald, he’d never let Chason’s men get her.  There might have been three Phases facing him now, but it didn’t matter.  Ty had absolutely no doubt who’d be left standing at the end of the fight.  Truthfully, Ty would have bet her money on Gion no matter what the odds.  He was ruthless, utterly without morals and he always won, regardless of the rules he had to break.

He was the most terrifying creature that she’d ever met.  The Reprisal Phases didn’t stand a chance against him.

Gion didn’t even glance in Ty’s direction.  He just stepped forward so that he was standing over her; one foot braced on either side of her body as he focused on the Reprisal men.  It was an almost animalistic stance, a wolf protecting his prey from the pack.  Ty swallowed at the move.

On the ground, staring up at the width of Gion’s back, Ty felt something stir beneath the fear.  Something primal and instinctive that she couldn’t really identify, but made her heartbeat kick even higher and her breasts tighten.  That realization had Ty panicking, again.  She tried to get to her feet.

“Stay where you are, Tritone.”  Gion ordered absently, still not looking at her.  “I’ll get to you in a minute.”

Ty had the almost overwhelming urge to push him over.

Gion twirled his pure black sword around in a graceful arc as he faced the Reprisal.  They were gaping at him in a combination of awe, loathing and fear.  No one had expected him to show-up and they were clearly at a loss on how to proceed.  The Reprisal hated Gion as much as they hated Ty.  Maybe more.  But, unlike Ty, Gion had the capacity to eviscerate them without trying real hard.  Their desire to kill him warred with their desire to run.

“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.”

Her mouth firmed.  “You’re just wasting time, now.  Go!”

“I’m going.  And there’s no need to thank me for saving your cute little ass from the Reprisal.  Really.  Your heartfelt appreciation is just overwhelming.”  He went sweeping over to Cross.  “Welcome to my team.  Try not to embarrass me.”

“You screw me over on this and I’ll kill you along with everyone else in the universe.”  Cross reported.  The very flatness of the warning, combined with the echo of Shadows in his voice, had Gion glancing at him.

“Relax.  This isn’t the first apocalypse I’ve been to, you know.  Of course, you caused the last one, too, so it might all count as one big end of the world, right?”  Gion didn’t wait for Cross’ response to that.  Grabbing hold of Cross’ arm, he instantly jumped them both to the Magnet Kingdom.