Chapter 25
The city was falling apart. The demons had killed the president and declared the land theirs by right of combat. The Feds had turned on the supernatural races that had improved their lives over the last twenty years, out of fear, and hate. But most of all, out of envy. None of that mattered though I thought as I sobbed. It was all nothing next to the glassy dead eyes of Bonnie and Tom.
I hadn't been able to protect them. I failed.
I bowed my head in grief, then Bonnie's voice hit me like a hammer.
"Come look at this, it's getting worse."
I couldn't stand so I crawled to the window, outside there were riots going on, and many held signs demanding the Angels and Demons get out of the U.S.. It was ugly. I looked up at Bonnie in confusion, she was dead wasn't she?
Then I heard the door burst open and the Feds run in shooting. I remembered now, this is how they die. I brought up my power to shield us from the bullets, but, it went wrong. The bullets changed their flight, missing me, but I couldn't protect Tom and Bonnie. I heard the sound of the bullets rip into their flesh, their pain went through me and I screamed, lashing out with my mind, the invaders all burned.
For what felt like the hundredth time, I looked down on their dead glassy eyes.
I hadn't been able to protect them. I failed. Not just them, so many, too many.
I sobbed when I heard Bonnie's voice. I didn't want to go through it again, but then the world shook and broke apart, I heard her calling me...
"Ash! Wake up. You're having a nightmare. Wake up," as she shook me.
I could feel the tears running down my cheeks as my throat closed. Bonnie held me as I worked out it was only a dream. Sometimes, being a witch sucked... My vision dream, or nightmare, had taken a lot out of me. She rocked me softly until I fell back into sleep. This time, it was dreamless. I was safe in her arms.
I woke to the sound of the door. The condo was empty; Bonnie must have gone into work and let me sleep in after that horrid nightmare. I quickly got dressed and I noticed I felt... different. My power felt... free. I knew I would have to check it out, meditate, check and see what there was left to do. But after that nightmare it wasn't going to happen right now. Plus, I need to get the front door.
When I opened the door I almost sighed aloud. There were two very tall guys wearing suits. One of them showed me their homeland security badge. Just great. In the dream I knew I had not gone when the president called, and it had led to hell. I wasn't sure if the reverse would be any better, but I wasn't going to ignore my own dreams either.
Ironically now that my decision was made, they weren't here for that.
"Ma'am, if you could come with us, we just have some questions for you then you can go."
Mouth dropping open I asked, "Questions?" I must have sounded idiotic, but they had just waked me up and I lacked the sustenance of life, otherwise known as coffee.
He nodded, "Yes, we are given to understand you have a good grounding of demon culture."
I mumbled and yawned, "Sure, just give me a minute." I didn't have time for a shower but I wanted to brush my hair and teeth at the very least, and put on clean clothes. A few minutes later I followed the two suits to their car. During the drive they were completely professional, which means I was bored out of my mind in the silence of the back seat.
When we arrived they escorted me into the building, since I didn't have cuffs on I was feeling a little better about this visit than the last one. When they got me in the room I even got offered a coffee, which I accepted. Coffee equals life after all.
They asked me a number of familiar questions, starting with how they can get the Demons to give up and go home.
"Well, the one that's attacking right now? You need to have someone challenge the one in charge in single combat. And win. The problem is, if you lose, he wins the country. If you win and they leave, there is no stopping one of the other ruling demons from giving it a try, the original ones won't come back, but they are only from one of hundreds of demesnes.
"If you do lose and don't cede the country by their rules of combat, things will get very ugly, like, wipe us off the map ugly. Not following the rules of combat will not only bring out the big weapons, but all demesnes will join together to teach us a lesson. So don't do the challenge unless you're willing to gamble the country."
When he asked if there was any other way I shrugged.
"You could become a vassal and pay him, so he would rule in name only and we would send tribute. Going the other way, we could invade, we go in and kick major ass and take a demesne. That might convince them we aren't worth the trouble. Of course, if you do that, someone will have to go rule there and defend it.
"Lastly, you could open up more serious negotiations with the Angels. They will probably not offer the technology, but they may set up devices on Earth for us that will make opening a gate between worlds impossible, unless you want one and in what spot. It would cost us something, but I don't think they have any interest in ruling us at all."
It really was a serious problem, I was glad it wasn't up to me. They let me go after that, and did I get a ride home? Nope, subway here I come. Fucking Feds. The best I could come up with is they were desperate and didn't know what they were doing yet, probably why they didn't ask me for anything else.
As I went down to the subway platform I began to wonder which of these people would be in their homes, and which would let hate lead them to riot in the streets, bunching all super naturals as devils, demanding we leave. Kill us and destroy lives. I knew it wouldn't be all of them, probably not even one out of a thousand. Problem was, there was close to thirty million in the city. A high percentage wasn't really needed.
I also wondered how many would be loyal to their Demon and Angel friends. Like Bonnie. And how many would die because of it as she did in my dream. I hated the idea. There had to be a way to keep my dream from coming true. It was a warning was it not? There must be a path I and others could take to avoid it.
I stopped at the IHOP on the way back to the condo. I wasn't in the mood to cook and it was already getting late for breakfast. I put away a meat omelet and some pancakes. It was good enough, and I didn't feel as maudlin now that I had some food in me. I walked around the streets some more not wanting to go back to the condo. When I realized why I was doing it, just to avoid having no more excuses to not meditate on the changes to my power, I steeled myself and went back...
Chapter 26
It seemed my dream last night had served more than one purpose. When I looked deep inside myself and at the core of my power, it was unencumbered. Not to say there were no emotions within me, there was still fear, and I was plenty pissed off at the Feds still, but my power was glowing. There was no more fear and hate of my power itself. I felt buoyant and free.
I was stronger now, maybe half again as powerful as I was. I would guess I was close to my mother's strength. I knew I would have to meditate often, to keep it this way, to prevent it from being blocked off and distorted again. Considering this, it was time to get a little practice in. My power may not be blocked anymore, but I still had a lot to figure out.
I reached down and summoned my power, merely to hold it. I finally understood that I wasn't drawing the demon and witch power together; I was drawing the power of a demon witch. A subtle difference, but somehow, it felt profound. When I was young and would practice with my mother, then my father, I tried to treat it as two separate cores, two separate powers. I think that is where my first troubles came from.
The power I held now, one power, could create and defend from fire, as well as grow a tree, or heal. It was all one. I made a face as I realized once again Cat was right. Maybe I should put off the burning...
I remembered back to what my mother tried to teach me eight years ago when I was just sixteen. It took me about fifteen minutes of playing with it, along with a slight accident with the sofa, before I was able to open a portal. I held my breath, hoping it was where I wanted it, and stepped through.
I grinned as I stepped into central park. Never mind the portal was three feet off the ground, I had done it. Practice would smooth the rough edges off of things. Until then I would just have to deal.
I practiced for hours with gravity. I held a paper cup in the air without harming it. On my fourth try I pinched a leaf off of a tree without affecting the branch or surrounding leaves.
Crushing a beer can to the size of a small ball bearing was kind of fun. I had a few false starts, but my magic never went haywire. It was a matter of practice, tuning in small degrees, if I wanted soft, that is what I got. If I wanted a powerful effect, that is what happened.
It was strange for me, like a dream. All my life I had struggled with this, my power. The hell I had gone through was worth it, and despite me hating Cat, just a little, for what she put me through, I owed her my thanks.
I still needed more training, my mother could do hundreds of minute things all at the same time with gravity, all I really did today was practice my strength, I still had plenty to do. But not now, it was late afternoon and I needed to get back home. I opened a portal and stepped through, this time when I stepped into the condo I was just inches from the floor.
Tom was there, staring at the sofa, one of the arms crushed into splinters. I blushed and explained.
