GAME ON - GoM 2

6

Before the other three could overcome their shock, Blake said, "Now kneel, Alexandra. Show the priest how much you love me. Kneel and smile."

Alex kneeled before Blake's feet, looked up at him at smiled.

Blake glanced at Thames, gloating in satisfaction. "Thanks, Greg. I owe this only to you." He looked down. "Kiss my shoes, Alexandra."

Tom and Claire let out muffled exclamations when Alex rested her hands on the ground and bent over herself, lowering her head. Thames noticed her lips trembled, as if moving without a sound, and frowned deeper, suspicious. Because there was no way she could even try it. Not being so deep under Blake's control. Not when she wasn't even wearing the sigil. He heard the other two moving behind him and moved his hand to stop them.

He shot a warning glance at them and mouthed, "Wait."

Blake kept his eyes on Alex's head with his boasting smirk a moment longer. "Up now, Alexandra. Time to go." But Alex didn't move. Blake scoffed. "Enough, bitch. I said up."

"Amen..."

Blake frowned, hearing Alex's hoarse murmur, her face hidden by her hair. A pale green glow lined out her hands from below and Blake stepped back.

"What?" he grunted as the glow grew steadier and brighter, spreading all around her.

He could only watch puzzled as the glow grew higher, circling Alex up to her head.

Thames felt the ground tremble slightly. He spun around and jump on Claire and Tom to tackle them down. The ground trembled harder and a distant thunder rolled closer.

"Stay down!" Thames shouted as the thunder rolled louder.

He managed to get back on his feet and ran back toward the bonfire. He couldn't tell if the thunder came from above or below, but it kept growing louder from everywhere. The green glow became a solid column of light and it beamed up like a spear, thrusting into the clouds. Thames looked up in disbelief, struggling to keep his balance while the ground kept trembling. Then he spotted Blake trying to move away from the light. So he sprint across the clearing and jumped, throwing Blake down right before he ran away.

"Going anywhere, demon?" he growled, pinning Blake down to the ground with his own body.

Blake's eyes blazed red and Thames felt the power radiating from his body, trying to shake him off. But he held on. It was the moment he'd been waiting for two centuries. And he was more than willing and ready to be up to it.

A blinding column of light beamed down from the sky like the night Alex had channeled, causing a soft quake when it hit the ground. Tom rolled over Claire to cover her as the light ignited the whole clearing and blasted around.

"The seal!" Claire cried under Tom.

The expansive wave of energy hit them and moved on in an expanding circle, shoving them some yards away. Claire pushed Tom off her and they rolled to lay on their backs, shielding their eyes as they tried to see what was going on in the clearing.

The agonic screams from the light told them that runts and demons were history. Claire grasped Tom's arm and he felt her shiver. A loud, furious roar, like a hundred angry beasts, overcame the deafening, continuous thunder.

"What's that?" shouted Tom.

"Blake! Oh, look!"

Claire pointed a shaky hand straight at the bright light that didn't show any sign of waning. And Tom saw that past that incredible, still-widening column of blinding light, a red glow grew brighter.

"The seal!" gasped Tom.

The white and the red lights were inches away from touching when the ground trembled yet again. A golden glow flowed from inside the house on the cliff like a clear fire. It spread over the ground, reached the end of the red light and rose like a wall, keeping the lights apart.

"Holly crap!" Claire cried.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's the Cross!"

"You mean...?"

"The Cross is restraining the seal! Holy, holy, holy shit! It's protecting us, Tom!"

"Listen!"

They paid attention and noticed the furious roaring died away. And when it was finally gone, they heardAlex's long, piercing cry of pain. They helped each other to get up on the shaky ground, but by the time they managed to find their balance, the white light suddenly flickered and disappeared.