Enid and Eyre sat in the seats that sat at center ice behind the Oiler’s bench. Eyre was cheering the Oilers on with a lot of vigor.
“So why do you like the Oilers over the…Nordiques?”
“Hello, we’re English, they’re French, I’m still pissed about the hundred years war.”
Enid laughed.
“I thought I had a long memory.”
The Nordiques scored another goal. The second in the row. Eyre was on her feet yelling now.
“Don’t let those Frenchmen beat you!”
Enid put her face in her hands. Her daughter was so into the game it was starting to embarrass her.
“Sit down Eyre. You’re embarrassing us.”
“You sit down!”
Enid sighed and took a drink for the beer she was holding. Not that she could get drunk but tasting it sure let her pretend it was working. Eyre stood for the next eight minutes until the Oilers scored another goal and she started bouncing up and down and cheering. Then she stopped and looked down at Enid who met her gaze and they both said in unison.
“Did you just feel that?”
Enid nodded and got up to leave. Eyre clinched her fists and scowled.
“We’re going to miss the end of the game.”
“Ya, but maybe we can stop whatever that is from happening if we leave now.”
“Fine.”
Eyre gathered her belongings and Enid chugged the rest of her beer. Whatever she’d just felt she’d probably need to just imagine she’d had a few that actually worked. The pair ran to the car and Eyre peeled out.
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know, someone is using magic, so it has to be a place of power. Or sacred site, or somewhere with a lot of suffering, but abandoned enough they can get away with this without getting caught. And it seems like pretty dark magic so I’m guessing unquiet dead, angry spirits the like.”
“Where would that be?”
“I don’t know I never been here before it’s usually Montreal, Toronto or Vancouver. Vampires don’t seem to love Alberta.”
Enid snapped her fingers and dug into her pack pulling out one of the Atlantean tablets.
“Get us someplace high so we can look at the city. AGT, that’s our best bet.”
“Alright go.”
Eyre wasted no time, and Enid gave her no complaints about speeding time was of the essence. Eyre squealed into the underground parking. The pair went up to the main floor and Enid went right up to the security guard and looked him in the eye.
“We’re police, there was a call about a disturbance on the roof of the building. Please take us there. You will wait for us to come back down and you will sit back here and delete the footage and forget you saw us.”
The guard nodded and used his keys to get them to the roof of the taller tower. Enid pulled out the tablet and started scanning the city and focused on a spot in the river valley.
“There. That building there. By the river.”
“How do you know?”
Enid tapped the tablet and let Eyre look through it.
“Oh, I can see the power build up.”
“We got to go. Leave the car.”
“We can’t just jump.”
“We aren’t going to jump we’re going to fly, you do know you can fly right?”
“Umm no, no I can’t fly.”
Enid sighed and put the tablet away. She walked to the security guard who had started to shiver. Enid looked him in the eyes.
“Go back down, erase all the security camera images that have us in them and then forget we were here.”
Enid turned Eyre was staring down to the ground below. Enid shook her head and shoved her daughter off the building. Then leaped into the air. Eyre fell and fell, she started to scream and Enid hovered there and about three quarters of the way to the ground Eyre stopped arms in front of her face. Enid shook her head and dove down towards the building that housed whatever was going on. Eyre followed her a few seconds later getting into the grove of flying. Enid crashed through the roof. Eyre landed behind her, less gracefully, which is to say she landed on her ass.
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The pair watched helplessly as the thirteen black robbed humans slit the throats of thirteen boys and girls. Enid pulled out Bloodseeker and started to stalk forward.
Fuck.
“Not having this shit again, no way. Stop!”
It was too late Enid and the humans that were performing the ritual were all blasted back when a fiery portal appeared in the center of the circle.
Fuck. Fuck!
Enid pulled herself out of the twisted remains of an iron pillar. Eyre being further back and already on the ground seemed barely touched. Enid reached down and picked up Bloodseeker. She started forward again then stopped her sword wavering in front of her when two giant hands reached out of the fiery portal and grasped the edges push it out further. The Leg that came out was twice the height of Enid.
Well this could have gone better.
The second leg and shoulders and the head came out. The demon was a full twenty feet tall with flaming wings and talons as long as Enid. He cracked his neck and grabbed one of the unconscious ritualists by the feet, he spoke in a language Enid recognized immediately, it was the same one she used for magic.
“Human, Pathetic.”
He squished his hand closed and the human popped like a balloon. Enid responded in his language.
“That was uncalled for.”
The demon’s flaming head turned to Enid.
“Not human. You’re a godling, how interesting, I thought you were all dead.”
“Technically I am?”
Enid shrugged. The demon laughed and sniffed the air.
“Someone’s been eating from the naughty tree.”
“Yes. So, is there any way I could just convince to walk back through that portal?”
The demon laughed again, and the portal shimmered out of existence the only light in the room was the flaming demon.
“I’ve no quarrel with you godlings, we’ve all been screwed over by our father. No need to fight amongst ourselves. I’m here for Lilith, Lucifer wants his woman back, she’s been very naughty.”
“I can respect that, I’m no fan of her, she’s been kind of a pain my ass over the years, but you see, I can’t have you… umm flying around like that. The humans they would panic.”
“Let them panic, their true rulers are returning.”
“Ya, that isn’t going to work for us.”
“How are you going to stop me little godling you can no more manipulate reality then I can.”
“Well not exactly true, I’d just have to break some rules, which I’m not above. And I have this.”
Enid held up Bloodseeker and it was quite a sight to see the twenty-foot demon recoil in fear.
“How do you have that thing?”
“Dad gave it to me from Limbo, his name was Sextus, maybe you heard of him? Gonna go home now? I’m pretty sure if this kills you, you aren’t coming back, and it really wants to kill you.”
“You’ll still lose you pathetic Godling. The power of Joth’Tanuth’kor knows no equal.”
Enid sighed.
“So it’s going to be that way. Eyre get off your ass and start using magic now!”
“But it there’s no storm.”
“Use blood magic, I don’t care this thing does not leave this building.”
Enid heard her daughter start chanting. She charged the demon swatted her with his flaming talons rather than blocking she sliced through them sending them flying behind her they landed on the ground causing it to shake the cement floor started to melt. The demon roared and was off balance but managed to back hand her with his other hand sending her flying through the air and through one of the metal walls. Enid picked herself up and heard the crack of thunder and saw a blood red flash.
She charged the demon had two smoking burn marks on its chest and Eyre was starting to move her hands and chant again. This time her hands were glowing purple with crackling fire and lightning. The demon stumbled backwards looking at her hands.
“Balefire, impossible. What manner of psychopath are you? Using a soul-destroying magic.”
The demon started to move towards Eyre intent on not letting her finish her spell. Enid whistled.
“Hey ugly, over here! That’s my daughter you’re talking about Jonkiwhatever.”
The Demons good hand started to reach for Eyre, but she’d finished the spell and blasted him back wards into a wall he smashed through it and skidded across the ground destroying several trees.
“Eyre! I said he doesn’t leave the building what didn’t you get about that.”
Eyre shrugged and had black veins running up from her hands she collapsed. Enid rushed over to check on her. Her daughter was still alive, just drained. Enid pushed blood to her muscles and sprung into action slowing time around her. She lunged towards Joth’Tanuth. He was climbing to his feet and managed to swat at Enid. Her altered time not affected him in the least. He tore out a piece of her abdomen and she slashed him through the chest as he was leaned down. They both staggered backwards. Enid clutched her stomach, she was bleeding. Usually she could stop that quickly but apparently not these wounds. The demon was no better off he had lost chucks of his body from the balefire attack, including most of one it’s flaming wings and now molten lava was pouring from the cut in his chest. The circled slowly, staggering.
“It’s over godling, I’ve escaped the building. And you’re in no shape to finish this fight.”
Enid grimaced and stood up straight putting her other hand on Bloodseeker.
“I fought worse than you demon. But an angel coming down and stuffing you back in Hell would be nice.”
“They wouldn’t dare face me even as weakened as I am, I was the most feared warrior of the heavens and of hell.”
“Well fuck, I should just surrender now then!”
“Enough of your insolence I will crush the life from you and your daughter.”
Enid moved back wards slowly until she was about ten feet from the building wall.
“Not ready for a fight, you’re a coward.”
Enid wearily made a come get me motion.
Come get it bastard.
The demon charged at her she used the last few bits of her precious blood to speed her run at the wall and strengthen her kick off. She ran at the wall and ran up it and kicked off the wall bring her knees up she turned into a spinning blade of death at the right moment she stretched out her blade and struck downwards cutting the demon in half spraying herself with molten blood which sizzled against her skin. The demon fell in two halves the remains scattering into ash in the slush snow that had melted from the battle. Enid landed on her feet and collapsed.
After several minutes she heaved herself a couple of times to stand up clutching her bleeding gut she made her way to one of the humans and drained him dry. She drank a second and a third, the fourth was a pugmentia, drinking his blood healed her wound. She drank him until she felt his soul pass into her and she tossed his body aside. She stood up straight. And went to her daughter who was still unconscious the black veins had progressed further up her arms now. Enid bit her palm and fed her blood to Eyre. Eyre’s black veins began to vanish as she drank deeply.
“Enough Eyre.”
Enid pulled her hand away. And drank another two humans to replace the blood she’d just lost.
“Take your fill then we kill the rest, except that one. She’s a Pugmentia, her we interrogate first.”
Eyre did as she was told. Eyre fed the Pugmentia a mouthful of her blood. The Pugmentia sat up straight suddenly and Enid back-handed her hard.
“You fucking idiot.”
“You cannot speak to me that way I am Delorris, spawn of Daggon, Lord of Edmonton.”
“I’m the Empress and you just summoned a demon, I’m pretty sure there’s a law against that, if not I’m going to add one.”
“This will be simple, answer my questions plain and honestly, and I drag you back to your master in one piece. Don’t and I bring him your body and your head separately and I kill him too for not keeping you on a shorter leash.”
Delorris barred her fangs and growled. Enid punched her in the face again breaking her jaw. Then waited patiently for it to heal.
“Here we go, how did you learn how to summon the demon?”
“Fuck you.”
Enid sliced of Delorris’s left arm with Bloodseeker and unlike most wounds on vampires, it started to bleed profusely. Delorris panicked trying to scoop the blood back in.
“Again, this time I’d answer my question I’ll feed you more blood we’ll reattach your arm and go on. Who taught you how to summon the demon?”
“It was a letter from Prague with detailed instructions it came three days ago.”
“Ah, seems the council does want me dead.”
Enid bit her hands and stuffed the bleeding wound in Delorris’s mouth she gulped the blood down and Enid pressed the arm back on her shoulder and it reattached.
“That’s a good little Pugmentia. Who was the letter from?”
“It was signed by the Emperor, Lucius himself.”
“I guess he does want a divorce.”
Enid picked up Delorris but he scruff of the neck.
“I’m the true ruler of vampires and you just tried to assassinate me. I’m kind of pissed. Go tell your daddy that he’s on thin ice and that Prague no longer makes the decisions I do.”
Enid threw the vampire out of the massive hole made by the demon. She looked around for Eyre who was piling up the last of the bodies.
“What now mother?”
“Time for me to leave, Lucius obviously found out I was here and wants to get rid of me permanently. It is too dangerous to stay.”
“I’m sorry mother, its my fault, I shouldn’t have encouraged you to stay and go out with me in public.”
“Its alright, you might want to ditch this Elizabeth identity though, do something new, less in the open. He might come after you to get to me.”
“I will. When will we see each other next?”
Enid shrugged.
“We’ll find each other, we always do.”
They embraced pressing their foreheads together.
“I love you mother.”
Enid nodded.
******
Enid sat by the window of the plane as the sun rose, she read the newspaper in front of her. The headline was one she had expected, though she hadn’t known what it would say exactly. It read ‘Elizabeth Stuart dies in fiery car crash destroy a warehouse in the river valley’. Enid smiled. She would see Eyre again, in another lifetime. One of the stewardesses offered her a glass of wine, which she accepted. During the day she could feel the alcohol and with the confirmation her husband out to kill her now, she could use a drink.