Avenger: A Halflings Novel Part 10

"My intercessors?"

Pastor Layton grinned. "Yes, they've been praying for you for months. But yesterday I felt an unction from the Throne to call them together. I also called Kaylyn. Can't say why, just felt like I needed to talk to her. I mentioned we'd be having the prayer meeting."

"Kaylyn knew we would come here?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Sometimes with the Throne, we're on a need-to-know basis. You just pray and listen and do what you see yourself doing. Often, you don't know the details. I had no way of knowing Raven would take you to her. But the prayer warriors here have been keeping you covered with prayer for some time."

She frowned. Had they just entered some weird alternate reality? "How-How would they know me?"

"They didn't know you in the flesh, but the Throne placed you on several of their hearts. It will be nice for them to have a face to put with the name."

"My name?" she asked, which felt like the stupidest thing she'd ever uttered. But really, spiritual stalkers?

"Yes. Nikki Youngblood. They also sometimes refer to you as Freedom."

Nikki's gaze shot to Raven. "Did you put him up to this?"

Pastor Layton placed a hand on her shoulder. "Freedom is your Halfling name."

It was also the nickname Raven had given her. She hated it, now more than ever before. Because of all the things she felt right now, free wasn't one of them. She opened her mouth to speak, expecting words to form as she did, but none materialized.

"I'm sorry, Nikki. Perhaps I shouldn't have revealed that to you."

Raven tossed his hair from his face. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about it. She's so stubborn, she probably won't believe you until she's heard it about a dozen times."

Pastor Layton threw his hands in the air. "In that case, no harm done." He turned and led them into a room where about fifty men and women were praying. Warriors, Kaylyn had called them. Hearing the fervency of their prayers, Nikki agreed.

For the first time since the angel arrived and announced that a seeker had been sent for Nikki, Raven was able to rest. Nikki was safe here. Even if the seeker came, it couldn't gain entrance to the church as long as the intercessors were praying. Raven leaned back on the dark leather couch in Pastor Layton's office and was almost asleep before the next breath left his lungs. His eyes burned from too many hours awake and watching, refusing to wonder what would happen if he let his guard slip.

A gentle rapping at the door pulled his attention from the drowsy haze. "Come in," he said, but the words were thick with sleep.

It was Nikki. She pushed the door open and slipped inside, then stood there for a moment, leaning her back against the door frame and giving him a smile that would fill his dreams. A blanket was hanging over her arm. "I need to apologize."

Ahhh. That was nice. He closed his eyes, imprinting her image. "Then do it so I can get some sleep."

"Raven, you're not being very gracious. I'm trying to say I'm sorry."

He tilted his head and peered at her through one open eye. "Trying. Not succeeding."

She tossed the blanket at him hard. It landed in a heap on his gut and an unexpected oomph followed the thud. "Wow, you really need more practice at this apologizing thing."

She crossed the room and he scooted just enough for her to sit on the edge of the couch. "I know you would never do anything to hurt me."

Why hearing her say that caused the icy-hot sensation through his body, he didn't know. He opened his eyes fully, because, seriously, with her so close, filling his nose with her scent, it wasn't like he'd be able to sleep now. His hand reached to the soft skin on her face, fingertips memorizing every curve, every smooth line. He paused at the edge of her mouth. Soft lips, waiting to be touched. But he didn't run his hand over their smoothness. Instead, he reached to either side and squeezed gently. His voice came out in sync with the motions of his hand, ventriloquist style. "I'm sorry, Raven. You are always right and I am always wrong."

This elicited a true smile on the mouth he held, encouraging him to say more. "Raven, you're awesome and amazing and the bravest guy I've ever met. And did I mention hot?"

Nikki giggled and grabbed his hand in hers. "Okay, that's enough. Seriously, I'd hate to vomit on you after such an elaborate apology."

Raven's face slowly dropped the smile he'd worn as her fingers twined with his. And for a while the two of them stayed there, staring into each other's eyes. They really didn't need words. She had this kind of closeness with Mace too, of course, one they'd both built with her while facing the threat of death over and over, experiencing the effects together. But with Raven, it felt more like a mutual connection. He needed her as much as she needed him. Mace needed no one. By nature, Mace was the quintessential leader - the kind people followed, the kind that never wavered. Hadn't she seen that so clearly at the train crash? The day she fell in love with him all over again. His very personality bred loyalty. Mace was whole. And Raven was damaged. Like a broken flower pot, still working to hold the flowers, trying to keep up, hoping to hold it together - at least until roots worked their way through the clay and caused it to crumble.

And weren't people always drawn to help what's broken? Nikki was. She'd proved it when they'd first connected in the art gallery, shown it through the painting she'd created. She needed Raven. He needed her.

Chapter 10.

They were readying to leave when the first bits of apprehension trickled over her shoulders. Raven was unfazed, so Nikki cast her unease aside. "You look rested."

He smiled. "Yeah, I had sweet dreams. You?"

She didn't try to hide the smile. "Yes. Pastor Layton's wife let me sleep in an ultra-comfy recliner in her office after they gave me some instruction about faith and how to fight the seeker."

"Great, you can fill me in on all the details after we go." He gave her his full attention. "What's the main thing you learned?"

"To pray for peace. Peace is a major key in defeating the seeker."

"Pray for peace, got it."

"I wasn't finished. Pray for peace. But prepare for war."

Raven nodded. "Sometimes war is the only way to peace."

Didn't she know it? Rough roads often had the best scenery. And what she'd learned on this difficult journey was fast becoming the framework of who she was becoming. That girl who liked drawing and karate felt so far away from her, except, on some deep level, that girl was still there. Not dead, just ... transformed. It was as if she'd been reborn, and because of that everything looked different, like the world was spinning in a new way. Pastor Layton and his wife helped to make sense of the craziness and in listening to them, she'd found a new kind of clarity. And maybe a new kind of determination. Faith was no longer the foolish thing she'd imagined it to be earlier - now it was like air.

Relations.h.i.+ps with boys, however, was another matter. Raven was busy folding the blanket he'd used. It smelled like him, a scent she loved. She couldn't deny that. Last night, sitting at his side, holding his hand ... it all felt so right. But Mace felt right too. Always. How could this be so hard to figure out? Maybe she never would. Maybe there'd never be a clear picture, and the only answer would be choosing neither.

Pastor Layton met Raven and Nikki at the door to his office. Bags rested beneath his red eyes and he looked like he hadn't slept all night. Oh yeah, prayer meeting. He probably hadn't.

"Time is of the essence," he said, rus.h.i.+ng them toward the door that led to the large parking lot they'd entered through the night before. "The intercessors are sensing ..." He paused in the hallway, swallowed, and gave a weary shrug. "Well, I don't know what they're sensing exactly, but -"

Raven pulled the door open and they stepped outside. A bright morning sun greeted them, offering the promise of a beautiful day. Which - considering their current dilemma - was a pretty unlikely possibility.

Nikki heard the sound immediately. A deep, guttural howling noise that cut through her flesh and straight into her heart. For a moment, all three looked at one another as if waiting for one to ask the question none of them wanted to answer. Raven led Nikki to the edge of the portico where he could leap. But it was too late.

Something dropped near them from the sky. The ma.s.sive black creature landed close, grunting and screeching. But there wasn't just one creature; other beings soon intertwined with the monster. Here and there, its form was interrupted by slashes of color and wings.

Nikki started screaming and couldn't stop. In the mess, she recognized Mace, Vine, Winter, and Glimmer, all woven with and fighting the creature and its mult.i.tude of long, slithering arms. There was a commotion behind Nikki, and hands closed around her. First just one, then others. The intercessors had undoubtedly rushed to the door and were now dragging her back toward the church. She fought to get free.

"Get her inside," Raven yelled and ran straight for the seeker and the ma.s.s of Halflings fighting it.

Nikki yanked against her captives. "I can help them," she said, stretching toward the fight, but she couldn't move. The intercessors were lead shackles holding her steadfast.

Tentacle-like appendages stretched from the horrid black creature. He used two of them to lift his body to a standing position, and once it was planted against the asphalt Nikki noticed the razor-sharp blades on the end of each arm. The Halflings rose in response, Glimmer backing away slightly then drawing an arrow from her quiver and readying her bow.

But the seeker caught her movement and lashed out with one long swipe, slicing her cheek. She reeled back, falling on the ground, while the same razor claw hovered over Glimmer's body, aimed at her chest.

Nikki screamed and finally broke free. She ran toward Glimmer. "Get back," she yelled at the usually fearless girl who'd become frozen on the ground, clutching her cheek.

Nikki stopped in her tracks when the seeker turned its full attention to her. She instantly felt vulnerable. There has to be something I can use as a weapon. Her eyes shot to the ground and rested on Glimmer's bow, lying forgotten beside her friend. Nikki grabbed the weapon, but rather than try to shoot it, she tilted the bayonet-like sharpened end at the seeker. When Mace drew the monster's attention by jumping onto its back, Nikki ran forward and planted the bow in the seeker's chest with all the strength she had.

The creature reeled back, staggering a few steps while a thick, black liquid oozed from the wound. Its eyes settled on Nikki like a homing beacon, and before she could move, a long, serrated arm slashed at her. She felt the burn of tearing flesh as it sliced across her throat.

She fell backward as she watched the seeker disappear beneath a frenzied mound of Halflings.

Nikki gasped for air. The wound across her throat felt endless, and each breath she took caused the excruciating sensations to seep deeper into her system. Suddenly Pastor Layton was above her, his hands clamped around her shoulders. She was vaguely aware of being dragged toward the door of the church, and watched in shock as Glimmer rose and retrieved her bow. From a safe distance away, Glimmer shot three arrows into the seeker's chest while Nikki continued to struggle for air.

"Raven," Mace said, when the seeker staggered again, this time from Glimmer's attack. "Take Nikki and leave. Get away from here."

Raven paused only long enough to consider the consequences of the words he was about to speak. "I'll stay here and fight. You go."

Mace stopped moving, but only for the briefest moment. "You've kept her alive this long. Go. Find somewhere safe. We can hold the seeker here until you're far enough from its range."

Pastor Layton ran to the boys, who were now a few steps away from the battle. He directed his words to Raven. "You have to come with me immediately. Plan to stay away for several hours, give your friends time to reroute the seeker. Then bring Nikki back here. We'll pray for that wound when you return."

Layton led Raven back to the portico. He followed, reluctantly, half ready to flee with Nikki and half wanting to battle the seeker with Mace and Vine at his side. "Is she going to be okay?"

Pastor Layton's eyes dropped, and he studied a spot in the concrete sidewalk. "I don't know. Despair has been released into her system by the seeker. It will take over if you don't keep it at bay."

"How do I do that?" Raven said.

"I'm not sure, son, but we'll pray for you to have wisdom." Some of the intercessors carried Nikki out to Raven while the Halflings continued to fight.

Raven took Nikki in his arms and leapt. With her this close, he could see the fresh wound, a smooth slice across her collarbone just below the hollow of her throat. If it had been a little higher ... He stopped that thought, because the blinding pain it caused made it impossible to fly.

He concentrated on the objective. Get her somewhere safe, somewhere safe. The midplane. He had to get her to the midplane. Raven rocketed skyward with Nikki in his arms. The gash below her throat, nearly shoulder to shoulder, had started oozing a dark reddish-black fluid. Her blood, mixed with the poison from the slash, appeared to be burning her flesh where it leaked onto her skin. Her eyes were squeezed shut, and streams of tears trailed her face. He'd hoped she would be unconscious by now, have a respite from the pain.

She'll be safe in the midplane. Raven repeated the words in his head over and over. Partly because he so desperately wanted to believe it.

A lock of her hair caught the wind and fell across the wound. Nikki jolted and let out a howl. Raven took hold of the renegade strands and dragged them away from the cut. He couldn't tell how deep the wound was, and wasn't sure if it mattered. The skin around it had gone from peach to charcoal. If he didn't know better, he'd think she was being seared with a torch from the inside out.

The chills began and he prayed he'd get to the midplane quickly. Anything was better than this. "Hang on, Nikki," he whispered, as much to rea.s.sure himself as to encourage her. He tuned into the sound of his wings pumping feverishly.

Nikki's flesh had become clammy and he had to readjust her in his arms to anchor the slick hold. Every movement was excruciating, but her cries had become moans as strength left her.

She was paralyzed until they reached the midplane.

As soon as they entered the heavenly atmosphere, Nikki bucked, practically slipping from Raven's grasp. A long solid scream released from a throat tightened with strained muscles.

He nearly panicked when Nikki - writhing in his arms - reached for her wound in an attempt to claw at it. He wrestled her hands away from the cut and dropped out of the midplane. She calmed almost instantly.

Reduced to exhausted whimpers, she curled into a ball in his arms.

"I don't know what to do," Raven whispered, his voice sounding foreign to him. If the midplane wasn't safe ... He pushed tears from his eyes and sniffed.

Nikki had become a quiet sh.e.l.l.

"I don't know what to do," he repeated, rubbing a hand along Nikki's back. It wasn't to soothe her. Tearing his gaze from the small heap she'd become, Raven looked down at the world beneath them.

The sun glinted off something far below. From the distance, he couldn't make it out, but it beckoned, a searchlight, signaling the way home. He dropped from the sky until he saw the glow of the church's cross.

Impulse caused him to veer away, but he stopped and inspected the area where the fight with the seeker had ensued. The grounds were empty. The seeker was gone. The Halflings were gone, leaving a handful of cars in the driveway, and not much else.

Raven dropped to the parking lot beside the gargantuan church that somehow seemed even bigger now, more regal, more of a battle station than a sanctuary for lost souls. Before he could get to the door, it swung open and Pastor Layton emerged carrying a towel dripping with water.

"Press this to the wound. She won't like it, but it will help the stinging."

The pastor must have noticed Raven's frown because he explained before the question left Raven's mouth. "I had a feeling you would come back soon."

His words were a flurry as he told what had happened. "The girl with the bow ..."

"Glimmer," Raven said.

"She got her weapon after it dropped from the seeker's chest and sank about three arrows into the thing. Perfect shots, even with the wound on her cheek."

"Yeah, she's accurate. Did it kill it?"

Pastor Layton blinked. "No. You can't kill it. But it did run away. The others went after it."

Nikki moaned. Raven stepped to take her inside, but Pastor Layton blocked his way. "She can't be here."

What? Is he kidding?

"The intercessors are too exhausted. As weak as they are, the seeker could waltz right in the front door and take her."

Raven wanted to strangle the man, but steadied his hand instead. "What am I supposed to do?"

Layton dragged a hand through already messed-up hair. When he sagged against the doorframe, Raven realized how exhausted the man must be. He looked like he'd aged about ten years since they first arrived. "I tried to take her into the midplane."

"Burned like fire, didn't it?"

Raven nodded, and looked down at his pale angel. "It must have. She started convulsing. What can I give her to help?"

"There's no medicine for this. It's all internal, all spiritual. And a lot of the outcome will depend on her att.i.tude. If her mind falls into darkness, her body will follow. She'll become a dark creature."

"What? How do you know?"

"Kaylyn's uncle was a close friend, a Xian who fought a seeker years ago. There were Halflings who helped him. When some were injured, it became clear deep wounds had devastating effects. Once I witnessed the horrors the infected were experiencing, I searched Scripture for information. It's all there, if you have eyes to see it. Believe me, Raven, if something isn't done, she'll awaken as a dark creature."

Raven's heart shuddered. She'll awaken as a dark creature. Vessler. This was just one more plot set in place by Vessler. "It's another way to turn her?"

Layton reached a hand to her cheek. "Yes. Some Halflings turn willingly, some have bitter blood forced into their veins. But those scenarios don't matter-she's being poisoned, Raven. From the inside out. I'm not sure she's strong enough to resist it."