Chapter Nineteen: Wings

"Paul! Open up!"

I knocked furiously on Paul's apartment door. Halina was squirming beside me, since a couple of vampires were sticking their heads out, sniffing at the fresh human blood. Ugh. Bottom feeders. "Go back inside you suckers. She's off the menu."

"I thought you said vampires were lazy." Halina got closer, avoiding eye contact with her watchers. She got real quiet. "I don't like them."

"They're just curious at their new, eatable visitor. And I'd appreciate it if they went back into their homes!" I slammed the door, spooking the closest vampires. "Paul! I know you're here. Open up!"

After another minute the vampire finally opened the door. Paul stood there in pajamas, a nice silk robe with bats wrapped around his shoulders. He blinked behind that messy black hair. "Was playing video games. Sorry."

"Don't sorry me you lazy bastard," I said pushing past him. Paul's place was a mess. Cramped, clothes lying about, video games scattering the living room, I had to swipe off the couch clean of pizza boxes. Maybe Paul did need a servant. "Pizza again Paul? We talked about this. You need to start a regular diet again."

"So hard."

"Yes I know. But it isn't good for you." Halina and I sat down as Paul went back to gaming. He had at least every console sitting in front of his huge TV. Surround sound lined my ears with gun blasts, a man with a machine gun mowing down zombies in waves. So unoriginal. It'd take more than a few bullets to kill my spawn. "Your diet is important. Plus, zombies? How insulting."

"Good game. Great graphics."

Halina timidly sat, inspecting the cushion with a keen eye. "I hope the rest of your living quarters aren't as disgusting. Don't vampires drink blood anyways?"

"No it is," I replied. "Vampires eat life essence, drinking blood or simply ripping your soul out of your body. But they don't really have to. Laziness and gaming has destroyed their appetite for life for the most part."

"But still good," Paul said. "Blood tasty. Will take some if interested."

"He's talking to you," I whispered to Halina.

She paled, lip curling slightly. "I'm not."

"Paul, I told you why we came. I need to know if there are shifter pack rest points anywhere close to here." Shifters do have gathering areas that they use to rest or join together at as they travel along, going place to place. Wild to wild. Sacred, untouched pieces of land. Pft, what a bunch of bitches. "You find any?"

He stayed silent, eyes locked on the task at hand. Sometimes Paul tests me in ways that makes my teeth grind. Without even blinking, he said, "No. Not looked."

"Ah! Dammit Paul, this important." I got in front of the screen. The only way to get through to gamers is to interrupt their world. "Bro. Bro. Come on bro."

"Fine," he said annoyed. His character got devoured by undead, a brutal screaming to end the game. That's totally an omen. A very bad one too.

Paul took us to his office, which had papers stacked about. His lone computer booted up, a hot animated vampire chick as his wallpaper. He muttered, "Er--"

"Whatever. Halina doesn't mind," I said, watching her drool only a little. Women. All the same. "Hey I never got to thank you for your outstanding work before. I was very impressed by your report."

"Not problem." Moving much faster than he does in real life, Paul typed away onto the web, searching for rest points that have been documented and posted online. While he was doing that, Halina examined the papers, curious by their context.

"What do you do for a living Paul?"

"Accounting."

"Accounting? Really?"

I nudged her with an elbow, raising my brows. "Paul is the best accountant in Lake City. Dude can solve your tax problem, manage your money, and make you a budget within a day. He's a whiz."

"I'm alright," he said. A bony finger pointed. "Found one."

A national forest up in Michigan. Not that far away. I smacked the vampire on the back, almost tasting the pizza that wafted off him. "Great! Now come on Paul. I'm going to need you with me."

He frowned even harder than the time we told him no more ice cream. "What?"

"You're coming with us. It's punishment for breaking your diet." We headed for the door, myself having to pull the man along. "Plus you haven't left Lake City in like five."

"Five? Five what? Days?" Halina asked, throwing on her coat as we left the apartment, Paul quickly locking the door. "Weeks? Months?"

"Decades," he kindly responded.

I laughed, laughed so hard a tear came to my eye. "Fuck your old. Like an aged piece of shit. Only paler."

XXXX

"So wait, how old are you?"

The three of us walked down an old trail, the sun getting close to setting. A light rain had started about an hour ago, soaking Halina and I, but not Paul. The bastard used his magic to keep dry, though I'm pretty sure he was happy at the crappy weather.

"One hundred and fifty."

"Woah," Halina said. The glow of her phone screen was diluted by a rubber plastic cover. Wait--there are water proof cases? "How old do Hidden races even get?"

Now I spoke. "Vampires max out at around five hundred years. Witches and warlocks, about one fifty. Magi one twenty. Fae about two hundred, but I've heard a few reaching three. Shifters one ten, but they rarely reach that. 'Cause they kill each other. Demons are immortal, and angels about a few thousand."

"Kinda make us humans look like babies, huh."

"Nah. Time is only an illusion. And by that I mean when you live in your own world, forge your own lives, it honestly doesn't matter. Humans are just......doing their own thing." In reality, they are simply ants in the greater scheme of the Layers. Their own thing is complicated. In fact, that's a question I'm searching: what were we built for?

Paul paused, a small creep of a smile forming. "Here."

Fuck. I could sense them too. We were still far off, so I handed my companions each a stone cube. The vampire glanced at me. I shrugged. "What? I stole them fair and square."

"Uh, what are these?" Halina flicked the cube. It made a good thunk sound. "A magic item?"

"It's a.....mask of sorts. Once you turn on the cube, it will seal off our smell and presence for about an hour. The only problem is that they feast on your memories. So if you have any wasteful or unwanted memories, now's a good time to pull them up. In the ol' forehead."

"Illegal in places," Paul mentioned, tossing the cube like a baseball. "Dream Keepers."

"In my defense, I stole them where they were legal. So it's okay." I went off the trail, heading into the forest near the shifter grounds. The trees helped shield us from the rain, but still I got wet. Not in the good way either. We got to the bottom of a hill, and I turned on the cubes. Its' magic probed at my mind, wanting something good. I gave it a poor memory of a drunken night, where I woke up surrounded by fae. Climbing the grassy mound, Paul and I crawled through the brush to look down upon the open field. Oh yeah boy, there were shifters down there alright. Halina peered over my shoulder, eyes going back and forth, concentrating on her memories.

A large group of shifters had gathered, along with a fae. I couldn't tell if it was Celen, the rain covering their scents well. Paul nodded towards some boxes. Young shifters were prying open their lids, removing stones the size of bowling balls. Even though it was getting dark, I saw the red and black pattern. "Paul, those stones were at the warehouse I was attacked at."

"Old magic. Life magic."

"Raw looking isn't it?" We watched two shifters hold a small woman between them, bringing her to the fae. The fae now had a stone in hand, easily holding it in one palm.

The fae began speaking, and I could just make out its' voice. "Sister June! You have decided to join our brothers and sisters in receiving the Sleeping Witch's Blessing. A daunting task, but soon you will taste true power. Are you prepared?"

Her response was muddled, but I'm sure it was yes. The fae announced the incantation, and the stone began to glow. It began to bulge and bubble, then launching and latching onto the shifter girl. The stone wrapped around her face, and she screamed as red lightning arced into the sky. The girl fell to her knees, the stone now going down her throat.

Paul stared, touching his chin. "No. Not life magic. Parasite."

"Parasite? You mean, like, a bug? Like a jung leech?"

"Not real bug. More.....old." Paul got back a few inches, almost wanting to flee. "Don't know what. Dark. Not curse. Not hex. But not alive."

Fuck. Paul was freaking out. He's never talked this much in his life. I sniffed, cocking my head. "Oh. Oh no. Could it be a stained veil? I thought those were..........rare."

"Similar."

Maybe Halina was trying to process the scene before us, or still giving the cube memories, but she began to crawl away. "Par-parasite? Parasites are making the unendings?"

"Seems that way. Unless this is something else." The girl howled a hurtful howl. She turned into a large doberman, thick and muscleful. Her fur was grey, now matted and wet. Nope, this was the ritual for unendings. The ultimate soldier if trained properly. And in large numbers.

"Wait--Paul, do you sense that?"

The skies opened with bright white light. Three angels descended, two pairs of white wings, and one black. Shit, now events were heating up.

"Hold on. I recognize those two. The one's with the white wings," I said, subconsciously reaching for my sword. "The taller one was the leader at the demon pit. And the shorter one was there as well. I see they survived."

"Hey guys," Halina said, poking me on the shoulder.

I batted her away. "Wait a second. We need to see what's going on."

"But--" I barely heard her, the angels talking with the fae, something about coordinating, but Halina's voice got in the way.

"What Halina? What is it?"

She held up the cube, eyes wide. "I ran out of things to give it."

Paul and I looked at each other, then down at the convergence. Lot's of eyes were pointed in our direction. The head angel yelled, "Intruders!"

Shit.

I tried to open a portal, but the angels sent a net of containing magic over the forest. The golden barrier went past us and stopped somewhere in the woods. Nothing could get in. Or out. That's why the angels are scary. Their power is immense.

"Paul, can you run Halina back to the car?" Basically all weapons were in hand, I backed away from the hills edge. Paul had Halina in his arms, nodding approval. "Go. Get the car started. Go! Now!"

The vampire ran off. He'd be able to get past the barrier. Not that it mattered if anything got by me. I managed to sprint back to the open path, raising as many zombies as I could. About ten shifters appeared in front of me, including the new initiate. A grubby looking man stepped up, smiling with sharp teeth. "Look here lads. Dinner."

The angels flew over the group. The leader said, "The first one to bring me his head gets a reward from the Witch."

"Yes Kazth. You heard the lady." The same shifter laughed. "Only the head remains."

Mega shit. I released my army, all basic human bodies, and the clash began. So obviously these shifters were dumb, because like half of them came straight for me. A fucking rhino bulldozed dozens of my dead warriors, charging me alongside an elk. Why me? What did I do?

Rolling to the side, Ever Heart went deep into the rhino's gut. But that didn't stop the beast oh no. It continued running, dragging me along as I put three bullets into the elk. Fortunately it wasn't an unending, so it died with ease. Dumping the rest of the clip into the rhino, it fell in a bloody mess. My zombies were getting mowed down by the shifters, many unendings who were just too much for the creatures. Gah, I need more beef in my peeps.

Raising velociraptors, they at least would stand a chance in this hell. An ape of some kind hit me right into a horse, whose head I immediately removed. Three hawks dived into my arm and back. I barely unleashed death magic, frying them all, before a mother fucking ram bucked me. A cat jumped on me, but this unending met the tip of my blade. The unending ram came back, only to get ripped apart by multiple raptors.

Just when I was getting extra pissed, mainly caused by the alligator I had to wrestle with and turn to ash, the one shifter who had spoken put his grubby hands on my collar. He smiled, pointed teeth getting dangerously close. "Well well, we got ourselves a death boy."

"Yep. He's got great skin too." I think he wanted to kill me fast. Too bad Paul sunk his fangs into the fool's throat. Actually, that's an understatement. He literally ate the man's throat. Blood got all over my attire, the body hitting my feet. "Great timing bro. I think this is almost wrapped up. So let's book it."

We maneuvered our way around the battle, the strongest shifters still fighting, drunk in their blood rage. Paul and I got out of the chaos, only to have the path blocked by the small angel from before. I sighed. "Fuck. Get out the way short stuff. I'm a busy man. No time for this."

"I am Hilthan, Guard of the Pegasus. Not 'short stuff'." Her battle axe singed through the air. "I will kill you Necromancer. And this pesky Vampire."

"Hey. That's not nice." I pointed at Paul. "I'd say he's also a bitch. Now piss off."

She did not listen. I ducked low avoiding the blade and swinging up Ever Heart. It grazed her chest armor and she growled in shock, kicking me in the face. Paul caught me. I lifted my arms, cracking my neck in annoyance. "Ugh. Paul. Help me out here."

I went toe to toe with the angel, our weapons striking in sparks and magic. Damn angels were strong. She flapped her wings trying to get up, trying to avoid my death magic. My arm shot out, snatching her leg, bringing her back to earth. Hilthan swung her axe, but Paul slashed at her side, blood spraying.

"I always wanted an angel for my ranks. Lucky you short stuff." But her cries called for her angel brethren. Their light magic streamed down in a wave of unfiltered purity. "You know what. I've changed my mind. Paul! Better move."

I sliced the angels leg off, and using the blood of the immortal, I unleashed a torrent of blood magic that stopped the light dead in its tracks. Hilthan screamed and cursed, so un-angel like. I handed the vampire the leg like a baton as we sprinted far away from the flying angry pansies. "Here's a treat from me to you."

He grinned, one of his very few grins, and sucked the remaining blood right out. "Tasty."

I heard the flapping of wings and decided to move a little faster. We reached the barrier, and I saw the hole Paul had dug right under it. "Nice bro. Best digger in the world."

Jumping into the pit, I paused for a moment to shoot ten rounds at the two angels. I think I hit the leader Kazth, for she went down in yells of fury. Alright, enough of this. I summoned about twenty more zombies, then retreated to the car. Paul and I basically threw ourselves in, shouting for Halina to get us going.

I opened a portal, and we escaped with much less dignity than when we started.

XXXX

"Hmph. I'd say that went better than expected," I said as the three of us fell with a heavy sigh into my living room. Really I hadn't even known what to expect. The fact we got to witness the ritual made it worth it. And the fact I got to nearly kill a woman of the heavens made me feel joyous. I needed a treat.

So all and all not a bad day. Not a great day. But I didn't get blown up or stabbed, which are wins. And they definitely can't all be winners.

"Ugh," said Paul. "Leaving."

"Wait. Have you ever seen stones like that before? Do you know what they are?"

Sadly he shook no, shrugging like the emo vampire he was. "No."

"Kay. Thanks for not letting me die." Paul left, going back to his normal life. I groaned in discontent. Now the angels are pissed at me. More enemies, more problems.

Halina went and changed out of her wet clothes. Returning, I think she thought me to tired to talk. Her hand touched my back, a symbol of comfort. Bah, what I need now is a hot lover. Something to help clear my mind.

Minutes went by, and I changed into something more dry. I joined my roommate as she watched TV, writing whatever information. My breath left in a cold tempest, or that's what it felt like. Halina merely smiled. "It's funny seeing you frustrated. You want to explode, but you do not. So much like my father."

"I'm concerned. I thought I could stop a war." Damn my face was itchy. Gotta shave later. "But the truth is nothing's certain. Maybe--maybe war is the only option in order to stop it."

It's a terrible thing to say, but I must prepare for the future. I knew from the beginning it'd be impossible to avoid any conflict. Allies would have to be gathered no matter what. Armies formed. But the battle could be avoided. I could try.

No, Ditto, you have your machinations in place for any outcomes. You knew war was a possibility. Focus on what is needed for now.

"Don't ask me for advice. This is your department," Halina said. "I'm just along for the ride. And to write a damn good book."

"Bah. The Hidden suck."

"Oh, you're just upset that they've ruined your entire life," she commented. "Join the club."

Well, good point.

"What you want for dinner? I'm thinking take out." Chinese sounded damn tasty. Or pizza.

Halina didn't bother to look. "I'm down. Hey while you're out, can you get me some tampons? I ran out."

"Yeah. Text me the kinds you like." Sometimes you can't question life. Sometimes lying, cheating, killing,  I'm and doing your best aren't enough. I must do what is required. Questions aren't to be raised.

They are to be answered.

Never doubt yourself. Never doubt the truth.