Dakota walked into his old precinct for the first time in months.
“Dakota?” His old pal Ashton, who had tried to arrest him and Anastasia a few months back, looked at him, stunned. When he finally caught on, he pulled his weapon. “What the hell are you doing here and who the fuck are they?” He gestured to the woman in Dakota’s arms and the posse of creatures that entered with him.
“Friends. Listen, I need your help. All of your help,” he said to the entire precinct.
“You’re not getting anything from us.” Ashton reached behind and pulled out some cuffs. He handed them to another cop, Gentry, who stood next to him. “Get out your cuffs and detain everyone and everything too, I suppose.”
“Not a good idea,” Tony warned.
“There is an army that is about to kill a lot of good people,” Dakota spoke quickly. “I can’t explain everything right now, but I can promise you that dozens of innocent men, women, and children are going to die today without your help.”
“Are you threatening us?” Ashton wondered.
“No, and I’m not talking about in this world. You all know strange things have been going on ever since Vincent arrived. Well, the world he comes from is the same world he is going to destroy today. It won’t be long before he decides this one needs a fresh start too.”
Ashton scoffed. “You honestly expect us to believe that?”
“Dammit, Ashton! Can you think about someone other than yourself for a second?!” Dakota raised his voice. “I need your help, and I promise that if you want to arrest me afterwards, then that’s fine with me. But people are going to die unless we go now!”
“Cuff him,” Ashton instructed Gentry, but Gentry didn’t budge.
“What if he’s telling the truth?”
“I said cuff him! That’s an order, Gentry!”
“No.” Gentry tossed the cuffs away. “I’m going with him. If he’s telling the truth, I’m going to try and help save those people. If he’s lying, then I’ll cuff him.” Gentry walked towards Dakota. “Anyone going to come and back me up if he’s lying?”
Mumbling filled the station and Tony tossed a vial on the ground. The swirling blue light appeared and Ashton jumped back while everyone else stared, transfixed.
“I’m not waiting,” Nix said, and stepped into the light. One by one the creatures disappeared until it was only Dakota, Tony, and the cops that remained.
“Well, here goes.” Gentry stepped through, and before Dakota knew it, nearly every officer inside had gone as well, leaving only a handful remaining.
Ashton studied him. “If this is a trap, I will shoot you myself.”
“Deal,” Dakota agreed.
“The rest of you stay and keep things running smoothly,” Ashton instructed to the dozen or so officers who remained behind, and then he followed Dakota, Monique, and Tony through the light and into the village.
As soon as he was through the portal, Dakota heard the sounds of the war radiating beyond the wall.
“All right! They need our help! Go and kick some ass!” he yelled. “Ashton, come with me.”
Ashton eyed him warily, but followed him into the medical cabin.
“Dakota!” Elizabeth cried out, and rushed him when he opened the door.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Sorceress,” Carmen greeted Monique as Dakota sat her down. “Nice to see you again.”
“You too.” She smiled. “Dakota, I need Anastasia immediately. You have to take me to her.”
“Monique, you will die out there, you need to stay here.”
‘You don’t understand. I have to be near her.”
“You are the reason her magic is strained,” Carmen said softly as the realization hit.
“Magic?” Ashton laughed. “This day keeps getting weirder and weirder.” Monique and Carmen both shot him an annoyed look and he shut his mouth before he said anything else.
“What do you mean, strained?” Dakota folded his arms over his chest.
“Anastasia can’t use her magic for more than a few minutes before it’s drained, you’ve seen it yourself.”
“Yes, but I thought that was just because she was still learning.”
“When she came to me and I healed her, my magic recognized her as being the more powerful being, as another Sorceress. There can only be one, so my magic is pulling at hers in an attempt to make me more powerful,” Monique answered.
“That’s why you haven’t been able to use yours. You were afraid it would steal more,” Dakota stated.
Monique nodded.
“How do we fix this?” Dakota asked.
“She has to die,” Carmen said, and gestured towards Monique.
“What? No. There has to be another way,” Elizabeth argued.
“There’s not,” Monique insisted. “But I have to be near her when it happens or my magic will be absorbed by every living creature near me as it seeks out the next host. Anastasia is the next Sorceress, she has to be closest to me when it happens.”
Dakota shook his head. “There has to be another way. Even if I were to agree, Anastasia won’t.”
“You can’t warn her, just get me near her and I will take care of the rest. Please, Dakota, all of this is for nothing if I can’t reach her in time.”
“How the hell are we supposed to get to her?” Ashton asked. “I’m guessing she’s in the middle of all that shit.” He gestured outside.
“I have that covered as well.” Monique smiled and Dakota lifted her.
“It was truly an honor to have known you.” Carmen grasped Monique’s hand.
“You as well.” Monique looked to where Elizabeth stood with tears in her eyes. “You have an incredibly brave son, Elizabeth.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “For everything you have done for my family.”
“Is Vincent still out there?” Dakota asked.
Carmen nodded. “I blocked it, so he cannot portal out.”
“How were we able to get in?” Ashton wondered. “What? I’m a quick study,” he said to Dakota.
“I made those portals. My block is not preventing my own magic, just Vincent’s.”
“Can he use magic at all?”
“I’m afraid so. It’s only keeping him from leaving.”
Dakota nodded and stepped out with Monique and Ashere.
“All right, so magic is real, we are taking this chick to die in front of your girlfriend.”
“Wife,” Dakota corrected as they stepped towards the gate. Dakota nodded and the Mamsets guarding it opened it slightly.
“Fine, whatever, your wife. How are we supposed to get through that?”
Dakota took stock of the battle that raged before them. His people were holding their own, but it was only a matter of time before the army in front of them got through. They were screwed unless they could get Monique to Anastasia.
“Look.” Monique gestured and Dakota discovered why Kaley had been gone for so long. Directly to their left, a herd of cats the same size as their feline friend were barreling towards the village.
“What the fuck are those?” Ashton wondered.
“They will protect us.” Monique reached down to pet Kaley when she reached them.
“Missed you, girl,” Dakota greeted her.
“You have been living a weird-ass life, man.”
“Don’t I know it. Let’s go.”
They began moving, and just like Monique had promised, the felines created a shield around them, taking down any enemy who got close.
“Now let’s find Anastasia.” Monique held on to Dakota as they walked through the death and destruction only war could bring.