chapter 24
They continued to remove her from the cage and batter her. Her stamina had waned over the prior beatings, making her easy to knock to the floor. Each time she dropped to her knees, she staggered back to her feet in agony, in defiance. Her bruised knees became a constant reminder from her foe to stay down, to submit to the torture he offered. To succumb to the dark.
But she fought him. She fought him until she no longer could.
She opened her hands. Splayed them flat on the floor. Ten bloody fingers, ten shards of pain. She swallowed, the metallic taste of blood coating her lips and throat.
Streams of hair hampered her vision as she struggled to lift her head. Her gaze shifted, left then right, but her enemy wasn’t nearby. Her head sagged, and her eyes filled, forcing her to blink them clear. Tears of blood fell to her hand, raining her life onto the floor. Releasing her from his cruelty. But not soon enough.
A noise. Behind her. To the right. The sound of her tormentor stepping back preceded the strike, soon paired with a crunch as the impact of his boot to her ribs buckled the bones. She gasped, bolts of pain exploding through her as lung and fractured bone made contact.
For a few moments, all was dark.
Inside, something stirred … some fierce entity that wasn’t her yet was somehow a part of her. She’d felt its presence before. When she stood in the park ready to kill the man named Keagan Townsend. When she’d nearly killed Vessler on the plane loaded with titanium. The presence fought for control inside her, prodding her to seek vengeance for her parents, to never walk away without knowing her past.
She rolled to her other side just as one of Vessler’s men grabbed an examination tray from a nearby table and used it to land a powerful blow to the side of her head. She felt a rush of anger disperse through her body, cradled by pain from the hit.
They’d removed her wingcuff long ago, but her prone state proved it hardly mattered. She flexed her shoulders and felt the tingle that came before her wings emerged. It comforted her — reminded her who she was. But there was no strength to snap her pinions open and escape. Reassurance that she was still a Halfling was the only comfort she’d receive. But it was enough.
She wished she’d listened to Mace. If she had, she wouldn’t have gone to Zero, wouldn’t be in this lab, and wouldn’t be fighting the darkness that was threatening to overtake her. She knew the darkness’s methods. When the seeker slashed her collarbone — no doubt aiming for her throat — she’d felt the poison spreading through her being, the same clawing urgency she felt now. It was life and death rolled into a seductive package.
A thought struck her that she hadn’t considered before: maybe she could control it. If she gave into the darkness, perhaps she could possess the strength to control it.
Just then, Vessler dragged her by the hair, dragged her into the cage and shoved her to the ground.
“I’ll be back soon, my lady. I thought I would give you some time to think.”
Nikki reached through the bars after he’d gone and dragged the dented exam tray to her face. Her eyes had darkened, but not completely. She squeezed them closed. Control evil? No, there was no controlling the darkness. It was all-encompassing. It devoured everything it contacted.
Nikki clasped her hands together and rested on knees that screamed in response. “God, please, don’t let me turn. I can’t turn. Now that I know who you are, I can’t walk this earth separate from you. I want to live my life fulfilling the purpose you have for me.” The lab around her dimmed and blurred, forcing her to prop herself against the cage bars. “Take anything you want, but please don’t take your light from me. Take anything else. Take my life. Take …”
But what did she have to offer? “Take … my wings.” It was all she had, and the one thing she possessed that held worth. Pain pierced her heart. She let out a sob. “Take them, God. But please don’t let me turn.”
A short time later, Vessler returned. But rather than fear his arrival — and the abuse he was sure to give — Nikki felt strong. The poison in her system was gone, and the desire for vengeance replaced by the strangest peace, even though he beat her with such vigor she started to wonder if he was even human.
As the blows layered pain atop excruciating agony, the only thing she didn’t feel was her wings. As he beat her, she sobbed for them. They had still been as new and fresh to her as Christmas morning gifts, yet they had become so much a part of her — and now they were no more. The pain of the loss was unbearable, and as time dragged on, she began weakening, not to the darkness but to life itself. Everything dulled around her, and it seemed the only comfort would be in closing her eyes to never awaken again.
More than once, Nikki prayed for death to take her.
He was average height for a Halfling, probably around six foot three. But nothing else about him met Halfling standards. Long black hair graced his shoulders, falling in smooth sheets around his face like a cloak. His blue eyes were too dark — and penetrating when he spoke. “The network is down.”
Vine allowed himself a few moments to inspect this new Halfling and the twenty-some who’d just landed in the yard. Dark-haired guy was definitely in charge. When one of the others stepped forward to say something, he quelled him with a look.
“Zero’s been abducted.”
Vine’s heart dropped. “What makes you think so?” He’d already known the network was down. But Zero abducted? He hadn’t even considered that.
Vegan’s hands flew to her face. Vine knew she’d been trying to get in touch with Zero for a couple hours. He hadn’t returned any calls, but, hey, that was normal.
She shook her head. “No one other than us knows the way to the underground. And I know for sure Zero was there. Nikki went to see him this morning, and …” Her face clouded, and she didn’t seem able to finish her thought.
Vine watched as Vegan put the pieces together, then said, “Someone could have followed Nikki.”
Mace clenched his fists. The smell of battle rose around him, practically wafting into the air. “Then whoever has Zero probably has Nikki too.”
The black-haired Halfling spoke up. “I don’t think so.”
Mace’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”
In almost a whisper, Vine heard Will say, “I recognize this young man. I can’t access the memory, but something dark … very dark about his past.”
“Because we found tracks at the underground bunker. Gunshots in the door.” He paused when Vegan grabbed the railing to keep from collapsing. “Two sets of footprints leaving. Zero must have been dragged part of the way, by the looks of the tracks.”
“Then where’s Nikki?”
The guy shrugged. “I don’t know who that is. All I know is that if she went to see Zero, she compromised his cover. Now he’s gone. Or dead.”
Vegan moaned, and Glimmer and Winter ran to her side.
“What kind of car tracks were outside?” Mace demanded.
The dark Halfling glanced at him sharply.
“If you could determine Zero was dragged, and it looks like he was taken by force, then you must have seen some vehicle tracks too.”
The leader sniffed. “Looked like the freshest tracks were made by a Hummer.”
Mace slammed his fist on the railing. “Vessler.” He turned to the group. “I’m going up to Nikki’s room to see if there’s any clue about where she may have gone. If Vessler has her, they could be anywhere.”
The fact that Nikki and Zero might be in Vessler’s clutches heightened the already tense atmosphere. Once Mace disappeared into the house, Will stepped forward and addressed the group of Halflings on the yard. “How’d you know to come here?”
The dark one shot a piercing glance at Vegan. “She’s Zero’s match.”
Vegan blushed.
“I petitioned our caregiver to help us find her. Heaven whispered, and here we are.”
Will crossed his arms and regarded the newcomer thoughtfully. “You’re Viper, aren’t you?”
The Halfling bristled.
Vine snorted. Riiiiight, the guy doing everything in his power to look different doesn’t like being singled out. You sort of stick out like a sore thumb with your dyed hair, Lost Boy.
The dark Halfling answered after a long pause and a silent war between himself and Will. “Yes.”
Vine could only wonder what that was all about, but there was definitely some history between Will and Viper. Will had also said he couldn’t access the memory, which was weird in itself, because in all the time Vine had known Will, the heavenly angel remembered everything. Every missed trash day, every dollar Vine spent on candy, every promise Vine made to clean his room.
Another spot appeared above the treetops, catching Vine’s attention. The dude flapped his wings while his body jerked around awkwardly, pelican style. “Uh-oh, uh-oh,” he said.
Vine stared. Is this guy for real? He was worse than a newbie flyer. Maybe he was drunk. Vine had never seen a drunk Halfling before, but figured it’d look something like that.
When the Halfling finally touched down, he hit hard, landing at the edge of woods and rolling to a stop. He popped up and hollered, “I’m all right, y’all.” He waved a hand and grinned widely, shaking leaves and twigs from his feathers and brushing them from his puff of sandy-brown hair. Despite his efforts, a stick remained wedged in the tip of his right wing. He reached, couldn’t quite get to it, and began a series of circles like a dog chasing its tail. He swatted at the stick, but it remained lodged.
Viper’s lowered his head into his hands. He turned on the other Halfling, black hair flying as he moved. “Crash, you’re an idiot.”
The twig finally fell, and Crash waved with his now free wingtip. He smiled like he hadn’t just been yelled at and like everyone was really happy to see him. Eyes bright, he looked around at the crowd. “What’d I miss?”
Will nodded to Viper. “You’re caregiver is named Temperance, right?” It was obvious to Vine that Will didn’t fully trust this Halfling yet.
“He goes by Tempy, but yeah.” Viper shifted his weight. “I don’t mean to be rude here, but we’re in a hurry.” His eyes fanned to the Halflings on the porch. “Are you interested in going after Zero or not?”
Five sets of wings snapped open so loudly, so quickly, that had a human been standing close, he’d have suffered a busted eardrum. About that time, Mace ran back through the door. “Cell phone. I found it in Nikki’s room.”
“What does that tell us?” Will took it, inspected it.
Mace shook his head. “Nothing. Except this whole thing is a setup created by Vessler.” Then his gaze narrowed on Viper.
“We aren’t working for Vessler, so back off, Halfling. We’re going after Zero. If you want in, fine. If not, fine too.”
Raven stepped closer the edge of the patio. “And if you think we’ll let you leave here without us, you’ll have a fight on your hands.”
Will pressed a hand to Raven’s chest, then turned to face Mace. “Viper’s telling the truth. But to do this, you’ll need to work together.”
Vine watched Mace swallow his anger then nod.
Will continued. “Before you go off to storm Vessler’s domain, don’t you think it might be a good idea to have a plan?”
Mace faced Will. “Vessler’s got Nikki. I’m not going to stand around and wait.”
Will lifted his chin. “Uncovering a cell phone doesn’t mean that Vessler has Nikki. What would be the use of kidnapping her? He can’t make her turn now, unless …”
Vine grabbed a sour gummy from his pocket stash. “Unless Nikki went to him by her own will,” he said.
Will shook his head. “She’d never do that. Vessler wants to use her to create an army. She’d never go to him willingly.”
Mace dropped the phone from his hand. “We didn’t tell her, Will. I didn’t think she could handle it. Did you tell her?”
Will shook his head, his large, expressive eyes mirroring the desperation in Mace’s. “I was waiting for her to ask. She never did.”
“Hey, can someone explain what’s going on?” Viper yelled.
I’d appreciate that too. Vine swallowed the gummy, but didn’t reach for another. I really need to get a handle on this emotional eating problem.
Will drew in a breath. “Zero was probably bait to get to Nikki Youngblood. Vessler wants her. If he can get her to turn, then he will use her dark DNA to build an army of Halflings who swear allegiance to him.”
Raven gripped the rail. “That means they’re at the lab.”
Glimmer grabbed Raven’s arm. “The lab where the horses are? Vessler has it fortified. There’s no way in.”
Raven pulled from her grasp. “We can get in, but it won’t be easy. And getting out will be even worse. The timing will have to be perfect.”
“Wait.” Winter floated over to Raven, and when she placed her hand on his shoulder, he didn’t flinch. “Aren’t we making a lot of assumptions? We don’t even know Vessler has Nikki.”
“Vessler’s entire plan rests on Nikki. Without her, he’s got nothing. And since she defeated the seeker, there’s only one way to turn her. Like Will said, she has to go to him willingly. Then she has to choose evil.”
“Choose evil?” Winter shook her head. “She’d never do that.”
“Once she’s gone to him willingly, he can use any means possible to make her turn.”
“Like what?” Winter said.
“Whatever he thinks will work. He attacked her on her lawn and nearly turned her, maybe he’ll try that again.” Raven’s expression grew grim.
“Nikki’s a fighter,” Mace interjected. “But she’s stronger than she’s ever been, now that she’s full of faith.”
Raven’s jaw twitched. “Everyone has a breaking point.”
Glimmer’s eyes misted. “Then it’s hopeless.”
Mace’s fists clenched at his sides. “It’s not hopeless. She overcame the seeker with faith and courage. She’s smarter than Vessler gives her credit for. She’s tougher too.”
Raven put his hand on his shoulder. “Yeah, but for how long? Vessler’s ruthless. Nikki isn’t.”
“Raven’s right. We have to go now.” Mace snapped his wings open.
Viper’s eyes narrowed. “Lead the way.”
In the distance, a police siren grew louder. Will cast a glance to the small stretch of road visible from the back porch. “Don’t try to leave yet. We need to discuss this inside. I have a feeling breaking into a fortified lab will draw even more attention than a yard full of winged teenagers.”
Mace grabbed him. “Will, we don’t have time.”
“Mace,” he countered, “we have no choice. You think Vessler won’t be ready for a swarm of Halflings coming down on his lab? Take time to get your plan together or you’ll be putting Nikki in even more danger. We only get one shot at this.”
“Quiet!” Vegan yelled, throwing a hand in the air to hush them. The other she cupped around her ear.
Glimmer and Winter slid a hand to their ears as well and tilted their heads at varying angles. Winter pointed west. The other two nodded.
“Nikki’s calling for help!” Winter said.