Seriphyn Knight Chronicles

It lifted its backside and lowered its front for a pounce.

"Gaah!" I gagged at the astringent taste that went into my mouth when the banshee"s body disturbed the air with its leap for us.

Colin sheathed his swords. His body glowed white-blue from the fluid movements his arms and hands made in an elegance dance.

I remembered a time when I had sat and watched the old monks from Gat Shiem doing a similar dance in the meditation gardens one sunrise. They had called these movements bidea, (a path). A form of movement-based magic that invoked an ultimate and supreme state of being to manipulate the airborne elements of our world. It was an uncommon practice. Not belonging to the Sacred Word.

Colin"s ability to manipulate the air elements within the cavern using bidea was captivating. I almost forgot we were fighting for our lives.

The banshee"s curt cry brought me back to reality. It let out another shrill cry when it bounced off our white, protective energy shield.

It bellowed with frustration when the shield blocked its counter attack. Then scurried about the cavern walls and ceiling for a vantage point.

I yelped when it reared its body over my head, baring its razor-sharp pincers. A concentrated force of white air held back its killing blow. I scurried out of its path to stand behind Colin.

His bidea dance caused a protective force field around us.

"It won"t last. Need a plan." His hands sped through in conversation.

I nodded my head, trying to think of something.

We were stuck in a cavern with no obvious exit. Our way hampered by sticky webbing that would likely be our end if we got caught within them.

Colin added a creepy fact that he had seen children version of the banshee waiting in the shadows. We were surrounded. He was the only one with the skills to fight them.

"How do we get out?" I signed without a clue on how we"d achieve the impossible.

"One way. Kill the Banshees. All of them," he answered nonchalantly.

The way he was able to remain cool and collected was beginning to p.i.s.s me off.

"Oh, yes. Kill the banshee. Not a problem. It"ll be all in a day"s work. Except for the fact... THAT THEY"RE FREAKY NASTY DEMONS LIKELY TO EAT MY HEAD BEFORE I GET TO THEM!" The words blurted and fumbled out of my mouth and hands.

Speaking my fears calmed me. I felt a lot more in control and refreshed after a few deep breaths.

"Better?" He smirked.

"Quite," I said and nodded coolly.

Jarring thuds and sizzles against the force field remind us of the importance of time.

"I need you to keep the enemy at bay while I find the exit." He ordered and handed me his two guns from holsters that were strapped to his sides beneath his overcoat.

They were slightly different to the ones that Jensen and Wilfred used. His guns were heavier, thicker and had a better grip. There was a round chamber that housed 24 small bullets near the loophole trigger.

He ran me through the basics of releasing the safety, c.o.c.king the triggers for firing and disarming, and the actual firing. Also, how to use the tiny tip on the barrel as a viewfinder to lock onto a point of a target.

"Don"t worry about bullets running out. The chamber automatically refreshes." He signed. "I"ll reset the force field to repel the immediate attacks around us. You will then keep the banshee brats and Big Mama Banshee at bay while I find us a way out."

"You better not take b.l.o.o.d.y long." I grumbled as I c.o.c.ked the guns.

I readied myself for the task at hand. It seemed to bring something of a twisted smile to the knight"s face.

Colin refocused the energy field to reflect the immediate spider attacks away from us.

I aimed the guns at the approaching Big Mama Banshee and fired.

The large spider reeled backwards with pain from the deep impact it felt to a set of its eyes.

"Ugh! Suck out their brains!" Big Mama Banshee shrieked and called out children reinforcements. "SUCK OUT EVERYTHING!"

I fired off rapid rounds to dampen the advancing tide of normal sized redback spiders scurrying towards us. Whilst Colin pulled out his crystal shard to home in on a way out.

He signaled that he had found the exit, which was blocked by a ma.s.s of webbing and a clutter of spiders.

He moved his arms in another bidea sequence that created a repelling barrier around us. It was keeping the cl.u.s.ters from crawling on us. But it wouldn"t hold them back for long.

I yelped at the small spider that leapt for my face. It ended as splatter against the wall from my gunfire.

I was able to repeat the fate for a lot of other spiders that went for a kill. However, my arms were tired, not accustomed to handling the weapons for long.

"Famine. Help me!" I heard Death"s voice, and saw the hollowed eye ghost version of himself standing on the other side of the repellent barrier.

"Death!" I yelled out.

Colin"s gripped my arm. He increased the strength of the barrier and drew my attention to Big Mama Banshee behind the hollow-eye ghost version of Death. I noticed a fine thread of bluish white light linking the two.

"I was gifted with your brother"s ego. Such a fine tasty morsel. Pity it wasn"t the real thing." The banshee"s words toyed with my emotions, as it paraded around our fortified barrier for a weakness.

My heart raced with fear and anger at the sight of Death"s ego wavering with weakness and strength upon the banshee"s pull of the link. The demon was controlling the link and Death"s ego.

"Famine... Don"t list... be... bound..." Death was trying to tell me something, but his voice resumed its earlier cry for help upon a pull of the link.

The banshee was attempting to lure me out of the protective barrier.

"Is this really my brother"s ego?" I placed the guns down and signed with hopes Colin would give me a definite answer.

He peered at Death"s hollowed eye impression, the banshee and me.

"Your brother"s good as null," he replied.

"He"s not. His ego"s there!" I answered back.

"You need a body for that ego," he coolly explained.

"I"ll give him mine!" I was desperate.

"You"ll be good as null. His ego, the soul, goes in, your soul goes out. Like trying to pour a full cup of water into another full cup."

My mind scrambled for a solution to save my brother, even if that salvation was to bring his soul to peace. There was no way in h.e.l.l I was leaving any essence of Death attached to that thing.

"What if I cut him loose from Big Mama Banshee?"

"The soul will fade out to null," he levelly commented.

"Is there nothing that can be done?" I begged Colin with burning hope. "I"ll do anything to save my brother."

Colin c.o.c.ked his head to one side and coolly signed, "Anything?"

I gasped with exasperation. Surely, he wasn"t suggesting some shonky business dealing at this point and time? My fists curled with an urge to punch the knight"s smug face.

"This is not a time to make deals!" I hissed.

Colin chuckled and patted my head condescendingly.

"My condolences. I am only interested in getting out of here alive with you."

I picked up his guns. "I"ll find a way to save my brother. Do whatever the h.e.l.l you want. I"m stealing your guns. "

"I can see why the Aueralius Brothers are captivated by you. You hold my interest too. Okay. I"ll help you in exchange for a kiss," he smoothly commented and demanded.

"ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR G.o.dd.a.m.n MIND?!" I shouted, which excited the ma.s.ses of banshee circling the perimeter of our barrier.

He chuckled and flashed me a c.o.c.ky grin that reminded me of Trix.

"Fine. Make it quick." I released my frustrations with a weary sigh.

His arms wrapped my waist and reeled me close to his body, so our noses were almost touching.

A fragrant aroma of vanillcitrus lingered the air between us.

I naturally relaxed in his arms and braced myself for the kiss.

He opened his mouth to mine, making my cheeks flush from the hot sensation of his lips and tongue.

Delicate green light wrapped our bodies as our kisses deepened. My strength weakened as his increased. He pulled out of the kiss before I was about to collapse in his arms.

"Not only beautiful. You have the refreshing gifts of a hira." He signed, allowing me to reclaim my composure.

"Happy now?" I said and ended my signing with a rude finger.

"Quite." He chuckled.

He resumed a serious tone as he ran through a makeshift plan of how we would save Death"s ego and escape the banshee"s lair.