Spell, Crook and Handle Pt. 08

"Probably," I said as I triggered the first of the pieces I had in place. The mystical prison sprung to life around the stones, the Angel and me.

"What trickery is this? You seal yourself within as well. Do you really think even with a nexus that you can slay me?"

"I had the numbers crunched and I have a five percent chance of surviving this. But hey if I am going to roll a crit, now is the time." I said and drew my gauss pistols.

"Roll a crit... what the hell does that even mean? I am ready to take your life now mortal."

The host's feet drifted downwards and she stood upon the earth. I was about to trigger the second trap when the hood fell back and I saw who he was possessing.

"LILY!" I roared as I raced towards her. "God damn you, let her go you son of a bitch!"

"Stop Louis," she said using her own voice now. "If you shoot he will kill me. Drop your pistols or I die."

The hand crafted pistols fell to the earth and the Angel laughed. It was as harsh a sound as any I heard come from the Nameless. I fell to my knees and looked up at the blazing countenance of my possessed sister. Her hair moved on unseen astral winds and her eyes gazed upon vistas few mortals have ever beheld. The pistols were hurled by the mind of the Watcher and only then did she approach.

"I am going to leave her now," Michael said. "I will witness your death at her hands and savor the fact that I never lifted a finger to do so."

I reached back and plucked the Sicarius from its sheath. The Angel took a step back in fear as the holy weapon was revealed. It hadn't suspected that, good. It meant that it wasn't all knowing. I flung the knife into the earth between us and lowered my head in defeat. It knew I couldn't harm her. Of all the billions of people on the planet I would die for her.

"My sister won't hurt me," I said and the Angel laughed again as it picked up the sacred knife.

"She isn't even your sister anymore," it growled. "Do you remember when she was kidnapped? Those had to be the longest three days of your existence. Her captor was brilliant, for a talking ape. He used light and sound and chemicals to program your sister here into a killing machine. I thought with his death that all of that would be wasted. I managed to dredge his soul from the abyss and get what I needed from him, the trigger."

"You were being literal earlier," I said. "You really aren't going to kill me. You are going to let that filthy piece of shit murderer do your work for you."

"A tool is a tool. Don't worry, I will order her to kill you with one blow. You won't suffer yet. Your soul on the other hand is another matter entirely. I will catch it as it leaves your dead husk and we will spend millennia together as I teach you the meaning of pain."

"Well if I am going to die I want to say goodbye." I said as I made eye contact with Gabbie. "I love you." I looked at Becca, Qadira and Rhiannon and smiled. I locked eyes with Surisa and winked. "I love you all." I turned back to face Lily. "I forgive you sis. None of this is your fault and take care of my children after I'm gone."

"Progeny," Michael snarled. "You have a woman carrying your seed inside of them?"

"Women," I said. "It's complicated." I saw the massive change in his aura and then I understood. "Oh my god, she wasn't your sister. She was your daughter! The First was your child! Now it all makes sense. You are avenging the loss of your family."

"Louis," Lily said looking around. "How did I get here? What the hell is going on?"

"You are going to murder your brother in cold blood." Michael said from his vantage point ten feet away. "Just as Cain slew Abel you Lily are going to kill your brother Louis."

"Fuck you," Lily spat as she faced the Angel. "I love him and no power on heaven or earth is going to change that."

"What, not even this," the Watcher said as a symbol appeared blazing between them. "Now do your duty without hesitation."

"I will, without hesitation," Lily said as she raised the Sicarius and flung it with deadly accuracy into the head of the Angel. "Die! My Mistress Iyaden sends her regards."

Michael tried to pluck the holy weapon from where it was seated but could not. He fell to his knees with the sound of a thousand thunderclaps and died. The light that erupted from him blinded everyone and when it faded the entire company was blinking away tears from their eyes. I raced into Lily's arms and held her tight. We were surrounded by the others in no time and we all cried and laughed and finally fell silent. An iconic figure had fallen today and the world would be smaller for it.

Who would take up his mantle? How would it tip the cosmic balance? We would never know. We didn't walk in the realms of Watchers and Angels, thank god. I was glad to be an insignificant ant in the game of gods and demons. After this it would be smooth sailing. I started laughing and the ladies looked over at me as if I had gone mad, again.

"I guess I can cancel that work crew," I said and only Rhiannon understood. "I hired men to remove the Iron Gate that formed the perimeter around the property line. Now the fae can come and go as they see fit. I guess I can actually move forward with my other plans."

"What other plans," Rhiannon asked her eyes narrowing.

"I am going to rebuild Nighthammer Manor. I plan on making this my 'fortress of solitude', my home away from home."

"You winked at me," Surisa said at last. "You knew all along."

"I suspected all along," I corrected her. "That is why I brought the Sicarius along. I knew he couldn't resist having Lily use it. I didn't know it was Lily though. That was a complete surprise."

"Iyaden, isn't that the lady who visited me in the hospital," Lily asked. "I thought she was just a counselor. She reprogrammed me. That was wicked smart of her."

"I will tell her the next time I see her." I offered. "I think it is time to leave. I have blue prints to look at, a party to plan. Oh hell, there are tons of things to do now."

"You really expected to die here didn't you," Gabrielle asked when no one else would.

"Yeah, I mean who the hell expects to win against a freaking Angel," I said. "Now let's go and move past all of this."

We piled into the car and the alcohol flowed for all of us except Gabrielle and Lily. They were drinking water. Gabrielle because she was pregnant and Lily because... why was Lily only drinking water? I saw it then and my jaw dropped. Oh hell no, I began to ask when Gabbie kissed me into silence.

"Congratulations," she whispered in my ear. "You are going to be a dad, again."