Blood and Apples: An Annora Park Novel: Book One

Chapter Forty-Seven: Cataclysm and Catastrophe

    I had done it. I'd really done it. I had completed my second bond, and now Walker was even more entrenched within my soul than before. This thought both gave me pause, cause it freaked me out, and somehow made me feel smugly proud. Like I had branded him in a way, put a huge "hands off" sign on his forehead, or a "property of Annora," sign. 
    I unlock the door to my apartment and fish out my cell-phone.  Pushing the number 1 button, I make a quick phone call to Garrett to give him a quick heads-up.  I flip the light switch and my small apartment floods with low light.  My apartment is tiny, there is no doubt as to that fact.  But I love it.  Because, at the end of the day, it's mine.  I'd worked hard, so hard, and between my wages and my mom's life assurance policy, I'd been able to buy this apartment outright.  In the heart of Korea Town, the real estate value had gone up tremendously and my quaint little apartment now went for nearly triple my purchase value.  But it wasn't the price that made it precious to me, it was that it was mine...my own space.  Something that belonged to me.
    I blow a strand of my hair out of my face, swearing.  I definitely need to pull my shit together, though.  I have too much to get done.  No time for a trip down memory lane.  I need a quick shower, and then it's definitely time to gear up and head out.

    I feel infinitely better after my shower.  I quickly plait my hair slipping in two small daggers into the tight braid, and head back out in the living room.  With a few taps to the right buttons, my wall slides open to reveal one of my weapon walls.  I eye the weapons calculatingly, debating what would best suit me for this particular excursion. I'm so involved in my decision that I miss the tell-tale signs of imminent danger; the chill in the air, the goosebumps that burst out upon my flesh. What I can't miss; when the lights go out, and I see the smoke creeping under my door. Within a minute the smoke has solidified and taken shape, and there he is, in all his masterful, kill-happy, serial killer glory, G'harna Or De A'lanuel. The flood lights go on and suddenly my apartment is bathed in a weird orange red glow.
"An e sin a h-uile dad a th 'agad?" G'harna says, mockingly.
Is that all you've got? Due to my bond with Chamuel I understand everything he's saying. "I'm sorry, what? You realize in polite society you send a message to someone before you enter their home..." My hand is already reaching behind me for a long sword, his laugh is grating and I feel as if a million needles are scoring my skin.
"Ach, you're so cute, pretty. I've never been welcomed in polite society before...so I have no need to follow such silly rules..." G'harna takes two more steps into my apartment and waves around. "That wall of puny weapons, is that all you've got? You'll need more than that to dispatch me, pretty, pretty. This place is where you live? It's a hovel."
My eyebrows raise. "Excuse me, I didn't know you were the real estate police. I happen to like my apartment, thank you very much." I get a good grip on my sword and narrow my eyes.
"When I was your age I already lived in a palace."
"Well, goodie for you." I cast a quick glance to his right, and then left, trying to map out the best route of attack.
"It was ridiculously easy to follow you from your War Lak's place. I've enough power to stay to the shadows...and after I absorb you, I will have all the power I need."
"Yeah, so not happening shithead."
G'harna cocks his head to the side and regards me. "What is a shithead?"
I laugh. "You, you're a shithead, a huge, huge, shithead."
"Why do I feel as if this is not a compliment that you're giving me."
"What gave it away," I ask dryly.
"ENOUGH!" G'harna says a few words and suddenly he's holding a huge broadsword with a midnight black hilt and blade longer than his forearm.
"Nice sword you've got there," I murmur and grab a blade and quickly hilt it as I keep my eyes trained on him. I begin to edge to the side, as I realize he's slowly advancing. I can't let him corner me, I need some open space. I almost laugh...open space, that's funny, my apartment was so small that it almost felt as if he took up half of it with his malignant presence. "Did you steal it from your older, clearly superior, relative? Oh and if your small brain doesn't comprehend what I'm saying, I'm asking if you stole it from your uncle, Branuel."
"The sword is MINE!" G'harna shouts, his eyes dark with fury. "MINE! I take naught from that bastard! The sword is mine, as is the power I possess. I have worked for all that I have!" He shouts at me.
Yes, Annora, keep him talking, keep him angry. Keep him off-kilter. Okay, so having an enraged serial killer Fairy in your small apartment probably wasn't triple dipped and whipped awesome...but there were ways to get the upper hand. I barely have time to contemplate this thought before G'harna is upon me. Having kicked my little coffee table out of his way he's charging me, he sword meets my own and I grit my teeth. He's strong, that's for certain. But there is no way I'm letting this asshole get the best of me. No way. This ends, now! I gasp as pain shoots through my side and I see the dagger sticking out of my side. I grunt and pull it out.
"I'll give you that one," I mutter. "Freebie, since your footwork is so fucking sloppy. You have no fucking finesse, G'harna."
"And you do?" G'harna growls as we circle each other, "You, with your crude words..."
I see my opening and slide to the right and plant the dagger he had just used on me into his side. "Yes," I smile, "I do. And hey, I just gave you back your dagger."
G'harna rears back and delivers a fast kick to my stomach. Oh wow, okay now, that had hurt like fuck. I groan and can't help the short small scream as I feel the bite of the blade down my stomach. I roll away and a little slowly get to my feet.
"How is that for finesse, whore."
"Whore?" I grimace slightly and then chuckle. "Is that the best you can come up with, shitstain?" I whirl to the right just as G'harna's sword swings again, narrowly missing getting sliced in two. "Wow, is someone a little testy today," I goad, "did you miss your course of meds? Or maybe you're having your 'time of the month,' oooohhh is that it? Are you menstrual right now? You poor baby." I laugh as he roars and attacks me again. I whip out the dagger from my hair and plant it in his upper arm. He backhands me and I go flying. Fuck, he's strong. Really fucking strong. Remember, Annora, you're stronger. Hell yes you're stronger than this murdering asshole Fairy. I limp slightly back and eye for an opening. G'harna is bleeding, but not enough...not nearly enough. And I can feel my wounds, many as they are seeping out my strength little by little.
"Need you alive...bloodied but alive..." G'harna mutters as he narrows his dark eyes and runs them over me. "Can't complete the ritual unless you're alive."
"That's pretty icky, dude," I quip, "You plan on eating my brain while I'm still alive?"
G'harna laughs. "Well you won't feel much...or, perhaps you'll feel everything, it should be delicious, you are much stronger than any of the others. The others were merely...food...fuel for my diminishing body...you however, you, will charge it. When I absorb you, Annora Gun Samhail Park, I will finally be completely free of the tethers of Fairy."
"You have no tethers," I feign left and then stab him on his right. "You can't draw from Fairy."
G'harna makes a disgusted sound from deep down in his throat and drives his elbow into the side of my face. Ouch. Well that was sure to leave a bruise.
"Fairy abandoned me! But the Goddess will see, she will, she will see I do not need her! I do not need her or her stupid, precious, land. I need only you, and your blood!" G'harna shrieks and tries to stab me again. But I'm too quick, I duck under his arm and hit him from behind. I bring my sword down on his shoulder and wait for him to drop his sword, but he doesn't, he still has it held in his meaty hand.
Well, fuck!
"You are seriously fucked in the head, ya know that," I say, and scream when I feel the bite of the blade down my left side. Shit. Wasn't fast enough there, was I.
"Your blood smells sweet, Annora Gun Samhail Park...I know it shall taste even sweeter still."
I can feel the sharp buzz working its way through my body, the numbness that comes from blood loss and pain. God. He had a mean right hook, too.
"Talk, talk, you're all talk, G'harna Or De A'lanuel." I counter, and realize just how badly we're both bleeding. Shit. Blood was fucking hard to get out of rugs. I was going to have to replace them all. I scream when the sword scores my right arm, and I drop my sword from my bloodstained hand. Shit. I jump back and whip out another blade from my hair.
"How was that for less talk..." G'harna sneers at me.
Fuck. I needed my sword. No what I needed was Fae Steel. Where was some good Fae Steel when you needed it?  I see light silver tendrils in the air and wonder if blood loss is making me hallucinate.  "Fuck, really wish I had some Fae Steel right now." I mutter and am shocked when a sword materializes in my hand, a long, glowing sword. Holy shit-sticks! What the everlovin' hell?
"Not possible!" G'harna shrieks. "That is not possible!"
I blink and test the weight of the sword in my hand, loving how it feels. "Well, it seems that it is," I laugh and use my free hand to wipe some blood out of my eyes. "Let's test this baby out, how bout it?" I charge, and clearly G'harna was not expecting that, because he doesn't even have time to counter before I plant my new sword in his stomach. He screams and stumbles back. His own hold on his sword loosens and I don't hesitate I slice his hand off, watching as hand and sword fall to the ground. This elicits an even larger scream from the wounded Fairy. "You're a murdering, sick, twisted fuck up, you get that," I feel myself going a little shocky and force myself to remain upright. There was no way I was falling now. No. I was finishing this. I was finishing this now. "And I'm sending you back to the the hell you crawled out from!" I shout, before I take my dagger and stab him in his heart, he sways, and falls to his knees, and I don't even hesitate, I take my sword and cut off his head, watching as it rolls away from the body to land against my now shattered, thoroughly ruined coffee table.
    I stumble back and let out a desperate, ridiculous laugh. Holy Shit. Had that really just happened? Had I really just manifested Fae Steel and killed a serial killer Fairy in my living room?
"Annora darling!"
"Amour!"
"My queen!"
"My midnight queen!"
    Four dissimilar and yet familiar voices drift over to me. And the second I hear them it's like all my strength is sapped out of me and I sag heavily against the kitchen island. I wave a bloody hand.
"Howdy...soooo nice of y'all to drop by...please feel free to come in, and make yourself comfy in my now..." I look around and laugh, "...my now very ruined living room. Oh well, I wanted to redecorate anyway. Hey, Walker baby, wanna help me redecorate? I'm actually getting used to your house, and I liked your bedroom a lot..." I wink at him, "...a lot...yeah, you can definitely help me renovate my apartment now that the demo is done." I laugh. "Demo done," And I burst out into even more boisterous laughter, "...you get it? The demo is done, uhhh because G'harna and I ruined it during that epic showdown. Oh...that reminds me," I flick my hand over at the body, "...Sorry Branuel, if you were wanting him for anything. I kinda couldn't help it, I killed him. At least I'm pretty sure he's dead." I watch as Branuel picks up his nephews head dispassionately, and nods.
"He is quite dead, my midnight queen. You took his head with Fae Steel, did you not?"
I nod my head. "Yeah, really, really, nice sword." I frown, and feel myself getting slightly light-headed. Nope. I had things I had do, things I needed to say. Stay awake, Annora, stay the fuck awake.  "Which is another weird as shit thing I'm dealing with..." I begin to slide to the ground and suddenly Walker is there, holding me.
   "Baby girl!" Walker brushes some hair out of my face.  "Oh God, Annora, darling, I was so fucking worried! Mother saw the darkness invading your house and I got here as quickly as I could.  Birdie and Fairies were downstairs about to barge in when I arrived.  Holy shit, you took ten years off of my life."
   "I don't want to take any years off of your life, Walker baby," I murmur.  "Walker...it was so so weird..."
   "What was so weird, Annora, darling.  Get over here Birdie, she needs us.  The bonds are straining.  She's hurt, badly."
   "We will take her to Fairy, and she will have healing, the best healers."
   "Yes, that is a good idea."
   "No healing from Big Baddies ex-girlfriend..." I mutter out.  And Walker and Chamuel chuckle, even as I hear Branuel make a disgusted sound from deep in his throat.
   "No, you can bring her to my Court," This from Terrenel.  "I have excellent healers."
   "Before I go anywhere, someone tell me how I manifested a Fae Steel sword after wishing for one."
   "I'm sorry, mo bhanrigh meadhan oidhche, could you repeat that," Branuel says.
   I huff.  "You heard me right the first time," I groan.  "I said, why did I manifest fucking Fae Steel after wishing for it."
   "A wish and a kiss..." Terrenel murmurs.  "There is magic in Fairy, old magic but only belonging to the DeJinn."
   "DeJinn?" I ask.
   "I believe the humans call them Genies."
   I blink.  "You have Genies in Fairy."  Terrenel nods as Branuel shakes his head.  I sigh.  "Well, which is it? Yes, or no?"
   "There are no more Genies in Fairy, Terrenel Tir Oben." Branuel says.
   "We do not know that."
   "Yes we do.  Because my family hunted them all down and tried to absorb them for their powers." Branuel says coldly and I gasp.
   "I...I...I don't understand," I murmur and gasp as the pain works its way through my body.
   "Listen, we need to get her to Fairy, you boys can argue more about it there," Walker says.
   "Wait! Walker!" I clench his shirt in my bloodstained hands.  "When I was fighting him, right before I wished for the Fae Steel, I swore I saw our tendrils, our bonds."
   Walker stiffens.  "I...I...I...don't know what to say, Annora baby, what do you want me to say?"
   "Tell me the truth, Walker.  Tell me if you know anything about this."
   "It could be our bond, you've absorbed my conjuring and..."
   "It was more than a spell, Walker..."
   Walker sighs.  And nods his head.  "You've taken on my essence...and it has opened you up to touching your Fae powers even more strongly than before.  My mother saw it.  She saw you drawing upon our bond, to touch and reach out to Fairy in your great need."
   "Sooo the wish was from you...because of the bond."
   Walker shakes his head.  "The power of manifestation, that is from me, the strength of our bond and the strength of my manifestation powers gave you the ability to reach out to Fairy and draw upon your innate Fae abilities."
   "And what..." I murmur and feel the darkness begin to pull me under.  "I'm a fucking Genie?"