Lost

Gerard stood at one side of the television studio flanked by Claire and Zacky.
Frankly, he didn’t like it. It had been two weeks since they had played their card and turned Zacky against his family, killing Jimmy’s lover in the process. Yet there had been no response, no fightback. Nothing. The reapers had simply disappeared. Annoyingly so had Dr Dee and two other mystics leaving them only the lower ranks of the magical elite. Claire said it was enough but Gerard had learnt not to take chances.
It had been simple for the Minister to talk the PM and government into a state of emergency once Claire had shown them what she could do. Not directly of course but through a couple of star-struck amateurs who could be controlled. They had burned down a school and a church, the resulting panic meaning the country started rounding up anyone suspected of having the talent and the police and army on the streets.
Zacky had used that to try and find Jimmy and the rest of them but had no success. The public grumbled at the curfews and suspension of rights but not enough to cause trouble and Gerard could taste how close total control was.
Except…..
“It’s fine.”
“Claire, they will come for us at some point.”
Claire huffed and her eyes flared a brighter red as Zacky smiled.
“Maybe but what can they do? They have no third now.”
Zacky leant back, his eyes hazy as he considered the risks. There was so little to stop them now but he had to agree with Gerard, there would most likely be retribution.
“Your sister and Dani are powerful enough.”
“They won’t let Lilith near elemental power after last time.”
The two men exchanged a look and went back to watching the minister puff himself up for the camera and talk of how the United Kingdom would now reclaim its place at the head of its empire. Make Britain Great….blah blah to the three immortals who heard nothing but their own god in their head.
“We have now control over these forces that have worked within our communities forever. We will not be held hostage by. What the hell is this?”
Short stopped, a puzzled frown crossing his face was he looked up and then motioned at the camera man. He shrugged in amazement as did all the crew looking at each other as soft, tiny white flakes of snow started to drift down seemingly from the rafters. It was stirred by an eddying breeze that was bitterly cold. Claire snarled and Gerard screamed at security to search the building as the mortals started to shiver in the dropping temperature. Zacky was on alert, looking around the studio as still the soft snow fell, beginning to collect on the tops of the cameras and studio equipment.
“Let it go, let it go. I am one with wind and sky…”
Claire turned, recognising the teasing voice instantly and stared around her wildly. The power surged in her fingers, flames dancing as she stared at the mortals. They all turned to run, the doors suddenly locked as all the power went out and the studio went dark. People started to scream, Zacky breaking a chair over a desk to enable Claire to give them all torches as Gerard made sure he was near an exit.
“You know, I am so disappointed.”
Lilith walked into view from the side of the studio. She seemed to be alone, her eyes blazing with a blue light that mirrored the flames in Claire. Gerard and Zacky knew they were looking at another elemental witch. Clearly Jimmy and Matt had not been as scared of the consequences as Claire had hoped. The sisters faced each other, only then did Syn and Jimmy appear beside her. Jimmy had the look of a man who had lost his reason and a hush fell as he stared at Gerard.
“You fucked with my family before and yet are stupid enough to try again.”
The other man pulled himself up, the two sets of unearthly creatures staring at each other. The mortals had been forgotten and Short found he was glad. He didn’t want them to start aiming anything at him and cowered under the desks with the twenty or so other people as Gerard giggled.
“I am killing your reapers. Call it…Vengeance.”
Jimmy glanced at Zacky, he knew his friend was being controlled as was his woman and his heart felt heavy at the cost this would have when the spell was broken. He remembered little of the aftermath, knowing only that Syn and Johnny had taken them deep into Salisbury Plain to where Dr Dee had a place to hide. Matt was badly injured, Dani and Stefanie labouring to keep him going as they and the mystics tried to cure him. Jimmy had been catatonic at first, only when Lilith had recovered the books to release the powers of water and wind for herself and Dani did he think of fighting back. Johnny guarded them now as they had come to look for Gerard in the city.
“You took Raven from me yes but my friends are not responsible for that.”
Claire continued to stare at Lilith, neither of them really wanting to fire the first shot. Zacky was more confused, the pull of the knife and the demon less strong when he saw his family so close. It seemed to be a standoff.
“Join us Jimmy. Patollo is working through us. Look how we have the country under our control. You cannot win.”
Gerard allowed a smug smile to cross his face, he could hear the heartache in Jimmy’s voice and wondered if they would come over to his way of thinking. There was a hum of power in the room that seemed to be growing, the demon in him growing as he started to walk around the room, the inner diva showing itself.
“First this country and then outward. Our Lord may be imprisoned but he will rule this realm.”
Lilith rolled her eyes and couldn’t hold it back any longer. She hurled a sheet of pure ice at her former lover, freezing him in his tracks. Claire immediately fired back, the shot deflected by Syn and the judicious use of a chair. The whole room seemed to explode, the two witches firing salvo after salvo at each other, the room filling with steam as Syn and Jimmy tried to make their way to Zacky.
It was a vicious fight, the mortals dying either by ice, fire or the violence of the demon in Gates and the cursed blade of his former love. Neither reaper really wanted to hurt Zack, trying to knock him out rather than wound. Zacky knew it and was merciless, pushing his friends back until Syn called out to him in desperation.
“Think around it, come back to me.”
“NO!”
Jimmy parried another blow and ducked on instinct as another fireball sailed just over his head. This wasn’t working, the two sides were too evenly matched. Lilith managed to catch Claire with a hard ball of ice and grinned as she swore and grabbed at Zacky, retreating back a little. Gerard had managed to break free and followed, a tactical retreat seemed the best option until they could force the other witches to outnumber the reapers.
“Come on, you wanted this!”
Lilith yelled after them and threw another ice sheet. This time it caught the Minister who had been vainly attempting to follow Gerard. The man froze solid, Claire and Lilith locking eyes as a second, harder block of ice shattered the man into a thousand pieces. For a split second they shared something, Claire as Lilith knew her reaching out to her sister before it was lost and she disappeared into the next room.
“C’mon, we made our point. Until Matt is recovered we can’t take them on.”
Syn nodded unhappily at Jimmy’s words, grabbing Lilith’s arm as they went in the opposite direction. The books were clear, an elemental could only be stopped by others and without a third neither side could win. Claire would be looking for someone to train up for her and Gee just as Lilith and Dani were looking among the mortals. Both sides searching for that one human in a million who could tip the balance.
It was just a matter of who found them first.

Notes