VEE

Erzla’s hit with a force that sends him crashing to the floor. His jacket falls open, and something flies from inside. He struggles to stands and grabs the item before we see.

“Is that...?” Ewan stares. “Did you take the weapon from our house?”

“Yes.” He holds it in front of him, and Leoc throws him a worried glance.

“We thought we should try everything we could,” puts in Leoc. “Between us, we can weaken him while Order fulfils her role.”

“Vee,” snaps Ewan. “She’s Vee. We need to end this fucker now. Why are you standing there? Help?”

The aching pressure inside grows, and I lean forward to catch my breath. Ewan grabs my arm as I stagger. His touch hurts as my skin burns like I’ve spent the day unprotected in the sun. I grip Ewan, and I rasp out, “Don’t attack him, Seth. Look at what’s happening to Joss and Xander.”

“She’s not Vee for long, I hear!” smirks Seth, now standing. He hops to one side, away from the chasm, and approaches Ewan, who stands his ground. “You gonna save her with your big muscles, Pestilence? Wrap your arms around your beautiful girl while I tear you all apart?”

“Get fucked,” he snarls.

“Some bloody help here, maybe?” Heath calls to the angels. Joss chokes for breath and pulls at the shadows wound around him. “We need the four of us to help her, remember?”

“Yeah, but I’d rather you were indisposed,” says Seth. “Two less to deal with, for now, y’know?”

Blood pounding in my ears, I stare from person to person, at the four guys divided around the area, when we should be together.

The energy needs sharing between us, or I die.

“Aww! Was I too quick? Is he dying already?” asks Seth.

Screw magic. I launch myself physically at Seth, half-surprised when I manage to send us both flying through the air to the ground. As I look down at him, pinned beneath me. In response, my lungs constrict, and the pain in my body magnifies. Seth reaches to my face, trying to dig fingers into my eyes, and I snatch his hands away.

Someone yells from behind me for the angels to intervene. The energy inside intensifies now I’m closer to Seth. Something pushes against my stomach spreads through my body. I drag at my chest attempting to release the pain.

I need this out of me.

“Come on. Let’s see your real power, Order. Are you holding back? Trying to save Verity?” Seth undercuts me to the chin, and I reel, falling heavily onto one side.

My retaliation is immediate as I lift my hands and blast Seth with the Order he’s mocking. She grows in power with each time I give into, and use, the power. I stagger to my feet as Heath shouts at Erzla and Leoc to help.

Seth sneers up at me. “They’re not going to help you. They killed Breanna with that pretty weapon.”

I halt and stare around at where Erzla now holds the weapon. The blade glows, the way Ewan described. “What?”

“We had to,” replies Erzla. “She was going to betray you to Seth.”

“Bullshit!” sings out Seth. “Because she knew your real plans, angel face. She was going to tell them, wasn’t she?”

“You lied.” Tears spring to my eyes as I hear Xander’s voice. He’s cut up, limping as he walks forward, but alive. “The fucking weapon. It’s an angel’s.”

Seth pulls himself up and brushes the dirt on his clothes. “Now this is interesting. Let’s back up a minute.” He nods at me. “Temporary ceasefire?”

My head spins at his words. This is my—our—opportunity to strike but something more sinister trembles through me.

“You have the Four Horsemen at the gates of Hell.” Seth taps his lips. “That’s a coincidence. Don’t you think, Xander?”

Xander’s bloodied face pales.

“If they can’t toss me through the gate, this leaves four people around me who belong there.”

“What the fuck?” asks Xander.

“They don’t want you to help Vee,” calls out Seth as he stands. He

waves a hand at me. “I told you, Verity, they don’t care, they want you dead too.”

I rub my face. This is a trick. “No. Not true.”

The energy coursing through weakens my vision and charges through. I turn my hands over and yank my sleeves up. The faint white glow from earlier has grown, and I’m taking on a form glittering in the sun. I turn to Xander and Ewan. “Help me.”

“Don’t!” snaps Leoc. Her hazy figure comes into view as she stands between Xander and me. The harsh voice is unusual, and I look up through the curtain of her hair falling over my face.

“They can take some power,” I gasp. “We can still kill Chaos. We’re strong enough together.”

She stands and looks down at me. “You don’t know what will happen. What if you kill Xander or Ewan? Or both? Do you want that?”

“I don’t care,” Xander says firmly. “Let her try.”

Seth claps his hands together. “Omigod! Really? Are the five going to kill each other? This I have to see.” He sinks to the ground and sits crossed-legged as if a kid about to watch a puppet show. “I was about to take down the lot of you, but this will be fucking awesome!”

“I’m Order. Nobody kills me.” The words spill from my mouth, and I’m terrified how much I sound like Seth. I cough as my lungs fill and wipe a hand across my mouth.

Blood.

Xander drops to the floor beside me. He grabs my hand, and I double forward as some of the pain rushes from me along my arm. Xander swears, and his face pales. Ewan grips my other hand lessening the aching filling my body.

They’re taking Order from me. Will this kill them?

“You can’t.” Leoc half-screams the words at him, shooting disturbance through the air. “She has to do this herself.”

“Why?” asks Xander.

I place my hand over his, and he places his other over mine and grips. The pain subsides but only slightly.

Ewan places a hand on my head. “She’s burning up. Look at her eyes.”

I gasp as more energy leaves my body, but still, the pain wrecks me as if something’s trying to push its way through my eyes, through my chest, my hands. Everywhere burns with pressure.

“How can she stand and face him if she can’t move?” asks Ewan.

“She doesn’t need to. Order will leave Vee. Let Order go!” snaps Erzla. The angel storms over and stands over our group, pointing the knife at us. “Before you regret your stupidity.”

“You fucking dare!” snarls Xander. Xander releases my hand and swipes the blade from Erzla’s grasp. The weapon flies far with War’s force away from the angels and lands in the rubble by the chasm to the gate.

Leoc steps towards the blade but backs off as the ground close to her feet crumbles.

“Fuck, this hurts,” gasps out Ewan.

“How much do you think this hurts Vee?” Xander mutters back.

I moan in pain and double over again.

“This is so cool!” says Seth. “Hey, Feathers, kill Death. He’s the one you want out the picture first. Joss is pretty easy to kill right now too. Look at him.”

Joss and Heath. I struggle to look over at them. Joss remains still, with Heath’s hands still resting on Joss’s chest.

Seth clicks his fingers, and the shadow bond surrounding Joss and Heath dissipates, swirling into a circle like a small tornado before it drops away.

“It’s not their bodies that matter,” Erzla marches over and kicks a still-prone Joss. “Their souls do.”