Whatever the outcome, this was unavoidable. Brendel had had enough of us, and, with the Spirit Bender's help, she was determined to do everything in her power and beyond to put an end to our mission.
As scary as that was, it gave me more hope than anything else. It meant that we were still a threat to her. It meant that we still had a shot at stopping the ritual.
Eva
"Gather closer," Taeral advised us. "I doubt she's letting us leave this time."
Riza was the first to notice that she could no longer teleport. "That bitch! She cut us off again," the jinni snarled.
"It was bound to happen," Taeral replied. "We were meant to waste our time looking for Death until we reached this spot. The Spirit Bender lured us here so he could serve us up to Brendel."
The truth of his words echoed deeply inside me, making my bones ache. We'd been played by the very creep we were trying to find. He'd already found us, and he'd sent Brendel our way, just to make sure we didn't bother the ritual.
We moved into a tight circle, drawing our pulverizer weapons first. There wasn't much we could do with them, but the pellets were still powerful enough to at least annoy them. Our strength in this fight belonged to Lumi, Nethissis, and Taeral and Riza's magic, along with Eira and Kabbah's Hermessi mojo. My Druid spells were weak, but I could still try something. The aces up our sleeves were, of course, the Reapers who'd sided with us, and I had a feeling Taeral might play a decisive role, as well.
Remembering Thieron, an idea shot through my head, faster than the lightning above. With the Hermessi growing bigger and brighter as they approached the mountain, I figured we'd have to take drastic measures in order to survive and win this, and there was one thing we hadn't tried yet.
"Tae, do you think Thieron will be of any serious help here? I mean, do you think you can get something more out of it than the last time you used it against Brendel?" I asked, my gaze fixed on the incoming Hermessi.
"I can definitely try," he breathed. “What other choice do I have? I’m not a Reaper, though, and I’m certainly not Death… I’m not sure what I can do with it now that it’s complete.”
"Don't be daft, boy!" Soul replied dryly. "It's already weird that you were able to use just two-thirds of Thieron so effectively against Brendel. Dial it up to eleven, and let's find out what you can do!"
"There's no clearer sign that you're a good fit for Thieron," Phantom added, drawing my attention. She was smiling at Taeral in a way that made me swell with pride.
He nodded slowly, as the air thickened and heated around us. The night was illuminated by dozens of Hermessi, with Brendel at the lead. They were close enough to make my skin tighten and my nerves snap, the blaze of their fire drawing sweat from my temples.
With shaky hands, he raised Thieron, his mind focused on it. Something happened inside him, something that had an instant effect on the weapon—it surprised him as much as it did us. Energy rippled outward from Phyla, and light glowed through the symbols carved along Eirexis. It looked different than the last time he’d used it, but we could all feel the power surging through Taeral and through each and every one of us.
My limbs tingled as I beheld a quite active-looking Thieron in Taeral's hands. For a moment, hope dared to brighten my field of vision, and I allowed it to swoop through me, for the prospect of victory was not as dim as I'd thought.
"Attaboy," Soul said, grinning like the devil.
“I’m not sure what I just did,” Taeral replied, staring at the blade.
“You opened yourself up to it,” Soul explained. “There’s more Death in you than I thought.”
I would’ve loved to ask a couple more follow-up questions, but with annoyingly good timing, Brendel reached us. She landed with a thud on the edge of the platform, her orange fire so intense that it obliterated everything it touched. The rocks blackened beneath her. My throat burned from the excessive heat she emanated. There was something about her, I realized… something different.
Her humanoid figure formed, and only then did I see her eyes for the first time. Two white slits that hated everything they encountered. "You've wasted a lot of my time already," she said. "It's time to give up, Taeral. You will never find Death."
"Shouldn't you be out there preparing for the ritual's completion, then?" Taeral replied. Thieron glowed in his hand, and Phyla seemed to revolve in the blade, casting light reflexes all around it like a magic disco ball. It was beautiful and scary at the same time. "How am I still a threat to you?"
Brendel took a step forward. The other Hermessi landed on the side of the mountain behind her, making their way up with sluggish, fiery moves. There were fewer of them now, though, and I wasn't sure whether anyone else had noticed. Brendel had consumed some of the Hermessi who'd joined her on the Fire Star, during our Zetos mission. Maybe none had dared to take their place. We already knew many of her allies had fled after the Hermessi children were taken from Yahwen.
"Her forces are dwindling," I said, eyeing her nervously. "Her allies are scarce."
Taeral smirked. "Yeah, figured that out when I saw them come in. I would've expected an entire party, not a small posse."
"I don't need an army to destroy you," Brendel retorted.
One by one, fiery energy figures emerged behind her—some white, some blue, some green or orange. Despite the dramatic entrance, I had to admit, I wasn't exactly… overwhelmed. Nevertheless, I hadn't been touched by Death, and neither had Varga. Or Riza. Herakles. Raphael. Amelia. Nethissis. We were still vulnerable, and we could still be killed. That was what Brendel was banking on—taking us out first.
She couldn’t kill Taeral, Lumi, or Eira, but she could wipe out the rest of us. She could keep Taeral distracted from finding Death long enough for the ritual to be finished.
"Thieron is complete, as you already know," Taeral said. "If I managed to break you into little pieces with just two-thirds of it, imagine what I'll do with the full Thieron."
"I doubt you'll get to enjoy any of it, Taeral. Nothing can stop the ritual now," Brendel replied.
"Only you can," I said to him. "Tae, it's why she's here."
Kabbah joined Taeral's side, sneering at Brendel. "Sister, I'm amazed. Your persistence is incredible."
"And you're still not powerful enough to defeat me. I've only become stronger since last we met," Brendel replied.
"At the expense of how many Hermessi? I can't remember how many you gobbled up, you mindless abomination," Kabbah hissed. "Can you not see how far off the deep end you've gone?!"
"She cannot," Seeley interjected, his dark, starry gaze fixed on her. "She's getting help from one of the First Ten. She is breaking all the laws of the universe in order to get what she wants."
Brendel scoffed. "I do whatever I must. Determination is one of the building blocks of the universe, Reaper. You know nothing of it."
"So it's true, then," the Soul Crusher replied. "The Spirit Bender has been helping you."
"For about five million years now. He and I share a common agenda. Well, parts of it, anyway," she said.
I found it intriguing that she was so open to talking now. Then again, her primary objective was to keep us all busy—especially Taeral. My muscles were tense. I exchanged glances with Varga first, then with the rest of our crew. We were all scared, knowing that this had to be the last time we ever crossed paths with Brendel, or with any other Hermessi, for that matter.
I'd had enough. Too many hurdles. Too many interruptions. Too much hatred and violence and mindless obsession. We'd come so far. There was no way in hell we'd let Brendel pull the plug on us. Not after everything we'd sacrificed. After everything Taeral had sacrificed. This was it. The end of the line, either for us or for Brendel.
