The Paladin (29 page)

***

As Celeste entered the threshold, Harold took hold of Kali and slid her free.

He could feel the dark magic and felt its surface writhe under his hands. Before Celeste could turn to berate Harold, he plunged the demonic blade deep into her back.

In a blinding flash of blue light, Celeste screamed and shot forward, pulling free of Kali. Harold gasped as the wound in his side closed and the pain vanished.

"Traitor!" she screamed as the terrible wound caused by Kali healed.

Harold lunged at her again, but Celeste danced out of his way.

"It will take more than an enchanted blade to take me down, Harold. In fact, I have faced Kali twice before. I found her owners to be…delicious."

"Third time's a charm, Celeste," Harold said as he swung the blade, gashing her arm.

Celeste stumbled toward Dana's chair. Celeste heaved the chair over her head and took a step toward Harold.

Harold lowered Kali, extended his left hand, and said, "Kaliabrumda…lepatoara…japeepsaw!"

All around the basement, carefully drawn yet nearly invisible mandalas sprang to life. The mystical drawings glowed brightly and began to siphon Celeste's strength.

Celeste screamed as the illusion of beauty she maintained collapsed. Dropping the chair, she took a step toward Harold, but she was already too weak to stand and dropped to her knees.

"What are you doing to me?"

"Making you a bit more manageable," he said. "Don't worry, the effects aren't permanent, but they will last long enough for the Black Circle to collect their prize."

"No! Not the Black Circle! Don't turn me over to those animals! Please…Harold, I will give you anything…release me!"

***

It's working,
thought Maggie as she watched from the open window.
Harold has caught the—oh, shit!

"Harold, look out!" Maggie screamed.

***

Moaning, Dana came to in the dimly lit room. She tried to move, but found her wrists tightly zip tied behind her back. Her ankles were also restrained.

Damn him to hell!
Dana chewed the gag that had been stuffed in her mouth to keep her quiet.

A wide crack under the closet door provided the only light, but it was enough for her to recognize where she was.

Harold, you are a fool!
Dana wiggled toward a well-worn cardboard box labeled CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS.
First, for not killing me when you had the chance, and secondly, for locking me in the upstairs hall closet.

Dana sat up next to the big box and carefully, kicked it over with her bound feet, spilling its contents. Soon she was probing the pile of glass bulbs, tinsel, and tangled strings of lights.

You big dope, didn't you ever ask yourself why we would have Christmas ornaments stored here? This cabin is rarely used in winter and never at Christmas.

Dana smiled as her fingers discovered the hard outline of a small metal case.

Tapping in the code with a manicured nail, the door popped open to reveal a knife and a semi automatic handgun.

***

Slowly, Dana opened the closet door, her gun ready.

"Where are you, lover?" she said softly. "I am ready for round two."

Looking around for Harold, she heard the screams coming from the basement.

"Sounds like Harold started without me."

Dana was running down the steps when she heard her phone ringing. It was the tone she had assigned to Mr. Beck.

Looking about, she saw it lying on the floor.

Quickly, she snatched it up in time to hear Beck scream, "Kill them! Kill them all, especially the Paladin!" then the line went dead.

***

Horrified, Maggie watched as a disheveled Dana Kirby walked up behind the unsuspecting Harold White.

"Harold, look out!" Maggie screamed.

Harold wheeled to find Dana pointing the Glock at his head.

"Dana, I can explain…"

"You should have killed me when you had the chance, lover."

Dana shot Harold three times in the face.

With his death, the witch symbols died.

As he fell, Kali hit the floor with a clang.

"No!" screamed Maggie from the window.

Wild-eyed, Dana turned and fired four rounds at Maggie.

"Kali!" screamed Maggie as she ducked behind the thick log wall. "Come to Momma!"

"The knife…" stammered Celeste as she tried to rise. "Don't let her get the knife."

Dana took a step and kicked Kali, launching the blade across the room. With a bounce, it slid into the cage. The knife turned and tried to sail out, but Dana slammed the door shut. With the magical barrier restored, Kali fell to the floor unable to move.

"That bitch is dead!" Dana screamed as she ran toward the basement steps.

44

"Oh shit!" cried Maggie as three bullets struck the wall near her, sending splinters flying.

Maggie turned and came face to face with Brenda. Brenda's mouth was slightly open, her eyes filled with pain and fear.

Looking down, she stared wildly at the neat hole in her white blouse. Brenda sat down hard and Maggie crawled over to her. As if in slow motion, blood began to ooze from the terrible wound.

Gritting her teeth, Maggie leapt to her feet and rushed toward the cabin's front door. As she crossed the porch, the door flew open and Dana burst through.

Maggie slammed into the unsuspecting Dana and hammered her into the door frame. Grabbing the stunned woman, Maggie tossed her out onto the porch. Avoiding the wild shots, Maggie pounced and got a grip on Dana's gun arm with both hands. Amid Dana's venomous cursing, Maggie wrested the gun from her grasp and stepped back.

"Too bad about poor Brenda," Dana said with an arrogant smile. "I was aiming for you."

A single shot rang out.

Stepping over Dana's corpse, Maggie ran back to the fallen Brenda.

***

"Brenda, you just going lie there while your friends do all the work?" asked Pastor Mills.

"Can't you please leave me alone?" asked Brenda. "I feel so cold."

"Enjoy the feeling, because it will get real warm once you die. This entire mess is your fault."

"Go to Hell," she said weakly.

"Ladies first," he said with a deep bow.

"Please God, make him go away."

"Once you do the right thing, I promise you will never see me again," he said with a smile. "If not, we will be roomies."

***

Maggie cringed at the sight at of Brenda's blood-soaked shirt. Untying the bandanna hanging from her neck, Maggie folded it and applied pressure to the wound.

"I feel so cold," gasped Brenda.

"Hold on, honey, I'll get help."

"Don't leave me…please."

Maggie turned at the sound of a truck coming down the drive.

"Shit, it's Beck!"

Leaping to her feet Maggie grasped the prone Brenda by her blouse collar and dragged her away from the house behind some shrubbery while Brenda moaned in pain.

"Shhhh. You have to be quiet, honey," Maggie whispered, "or we're both dead."

***

Silas came to a sliding stop next to the expensive Mercedes and almost passed out.

Opening the truck door, he fell out on the hard, hot asphalt. Groaning in pain, he pulled himself up using the truck door. He ground his teeth in agony as he reached into the cab for the vessel.

A pair of hands fell on his shoulders and flung him backwards. Silas flew through the air and landed painfully at the edge of the house.

"What have you done with John?" Celeste screamed.

Silas struggled to rise but his strength failed him.

"I
said
what have you done with my husband?" Celeste grasped Silas, lifting him off the ground.

"He's in Hell…where he belongs."

Celeste, uttering an animal-like scream, threw Silas into the side of the cabin. Silas felt bones crunch and a red wave of pain enveloped him.

"I'm going to kill you!" she screamed.

"I think you have," he said through his teeth.

Celeste advanced toward the broken man.

Grasping him by the front of his shirt, she lifted him to her eye level. Silas didn't have the strength to put up a fight.

Celeste looked into his familiar blue eyes and paused.

"Long time, no see, Celeste," said Silas, licking his smashed lips.

"It can't be," she said. "Silas!"

"Yep. It's me."

Celeste smiled and embraced the broken man tightly wringing a yelp of pain from him.

"I am so sorry, Silas! I didn't know it was you. You have to believe me; I would never have hurt you!"

"I know, sweet Celeste, I know."

"But how is this possible? I thought you had gone on to Heaven."

"I had to see this thing through, Celeste. We don't belong here, we have to go home."

"Back to that bland, useless existence, never! Have you seen the sheer wonders of this new world?"

"Yeah, they got a lot of gizmos," Silas grunted as a sharp pain ran through his shattered arm.

"We can explore it together, my love," she said holding him gently.

"I will not turn into another Beck, living off the misery and death of others!"

"We don't have to, I have a plan. I am not the same as I was before; with Beck I didn't care…I took the innocent, but not anymore. I can do good. I can take those who prey upon this world. John spoke of an evil organization that he said was worse than Satan and the Black Circle combined. I think he called it the Internal Revenue Service."

"No! It is not our place!" he said.

"I need you, Silas," Celeste said. "I don't want to live without you."

"Then let's go back to the Village."

"No, this is my world."

Silas winked as Maggie slipped behind Celeste.

With a yell, Maggie landed on Celeste's back, taking the creature unaware. As Celeste tried to dislodge Maggie, she slipped the pendant over Celeste's head.

The pendant glowed fiercely, bathing Celeste in a blue fire. Clawing at the pain, she flailed about in anguish, flinging Silas against the cabin.

Maggie ran to Silas, "I thought you were dead!"

"I'm holding on by a thread, girl," he said. "The vessel is in the truck…hurry before it is too late."

Maggie ran past Celeste and dove into the truck after the vessel.

After all this,
Maggie thought,
looks like we will have to use the damn Collamarr after all. It's not fair!

Celeste ripped the pendant from her neck and cast it away.

"You could have saved this world by coming with me," she snarled. "OK, have it your way, Silas Cole!"

"Oh God, Celeste, please don't do this evil thing, I beg of you," he said.

The beast, breathing heavily and drenched with sweat, began to change. Dropping her illusion of humanity, she revealed her true form. Her flesh turned a sickly purplish yellow and began to swell and bloat.

"This world ends now," she whispered.

Celeste threw her head back and opened her mouth. Silas, knowing he was too late, stood up and left Zack. The spirit of Silas flashed across the intervening space and clapped his hands over the beast's jagged maul. The two fought back and forth with the fate of billions hanging in the balance.

Maggie ran up to the struggle, clutching the vessel, amazed at the unbelievable scene that played out before her.

"If Silas is out of Zack, how will we—oh, shit."

Maggie, knowing it was the only way, dropped the vessel to her feet. Drawing Dana's Glock, she brought the barrel to her own temple. Silas looked at her. She could see a sadness in his eyes.

"At least we will be together, Ghost Boy," she said with a smile.

Closing her eyes, Maggie squeezed the trigger.

The world exploded in a flash of white and she pitched forward to the hard asphalt. Rolling over on her side, Maggie looked up as Brenda dropped the tire iron.

Brenda was a ghastly sight. Her skin was a ghostly white and her blouse was wet with bright red blood. Bloody foam flecked her lips as she bent over and picked up Maggie's pistol. Swaying, Brenda put the gun to her head.

"My fault…do the right thing," she said as she pulled the trigger. The gun discharged and Brenda dropped to her knees before collapsing onto her back.

The Collamarr blazed like an exploding sun.

Maggie found herself sitting on a soft green sward, the sky above her a brilliant blue. Off in the far distance was a picturesque English village. Silas stood before her, not Zack. He looked like he was about twenty. Beside him was Celeste, a wry smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"Well, damn it, it looks like you win, Silas," she said with a smile. Celeste leaned over and gave him a peck on the cheek. "Let's go home. Next time, I
will
escape."

"Over my dead body," he said. "Run on ahead, Celeste. I'll be along shortly."

"Where are we?" Maggie asked. "What's up with you and Celeste acting all lovey-dovey? She's a monster; she tried to kill you!"

Bending down, he stroked her cheek. "It's complicated, but it makes life here…bearable. Remember me, Maggie Black, I will always love you. Take care of our son. While I can't be there to raise him with you, tell him how much I love him."

"Don't go…I just found you…I don't want to lose you now. Wait a minute…I'm pregnant?"

Silas smiled and stepped back. It was then she noticed a smiling Brenda standing a few feet away.

Brenda was a vision of beauty as all the pain and degradation she had endured at the hands of her father was gone. At last, she was at peace.

"It's all right Maggie," Brenda said. "Everything will be fine now. I will take good care of Silas, and don't worry, one day you two will meet again. I promise, Tonto."

Suddenly they were gone; Maggie lay on the hot asphalt next to Brenda's body and the softly glowing vessel. Zack's body lay against the house.

Tears rolled down her face as she got to her feet. Walking over to Zack, she bent down and kissed him one last time.

Maggie looked down and rubbed her flat stomach. She smiled.