Rhiannon Frater - Pretty When She Destroys

“We’ll be okay,” Jeff said quietly.

“Of course.” She tilted her head to give him an encouraging smile.

Benchley shoved a CD into the old battered player in the dashboard, blasting We Are the Champions by the epic rock band Queen.

“Really?” Aimee said, glancing at Benchley and arching an eyebrow.

Benchley’s response was to start singing.

Alexia enthusiastically chimed in though her eyes never left the glowing screen, then surprisingly Jeff joined in, too. Samantha glanced over her shoulder at Cassandra’s somber face. The dhamphir’s lips were moving along with Freddie Mercury. Baptiste’s deep baritone was added in the next verse. Aimee raised her hand in a fist, singing in a lovely soprano voice.

Benchley turned the music up, then pounded on the steering wheel as he sang. Samantha giggled at the lunacy of it all. At last, she joined in, singing at the top of her lungs and slightly off key.

The van sped down the road toward Interstate 35 and the final battle.

The Summoner’s cavalcade of black Navigators sped along I-35 toward State Highway 1604. The evening traffic was brisk and heavy on both sides of the interstate. The lights of the neighborhoods and business streamed past Amaliya’s window as lightning slithered in the dark clouds above. The heavy atmosphere outside was reflected within the SUV. Above their heads the rings glowed in the shape of the sword that would rent the veil and usher in the abyss.

“So, Etzli,” Amaliya said into the eerie silence.

“What?” The Aztec’s voice was clipped.

“Where’s your brother?”

“Dead. His usefulness ended when we used his blood for the portal.”

“You’re a real fuckin’ bitch.”

The sharp edges of Etzli’s profile were outlined by the flashing lights outside. Another emergency vehicle roared through the traffic on the way to yet another fire, accident, or crime.

“Don’t pretend you’re going to miss him.” Etzli’s dark eyes gleamed dangerously.

“I thought you two had a thing.”

“We did,” Etzli said. “Then The Summoner came to me.”

“So...you two?” Amaliya tilted her head to regard the silent form of Bianca beside her.

“Jealous?” The Summoner asked.

“No, no. The more the merrier I say.”

This comment drew an angry look from Etzli and a smirk from The Summoner.

“I noticed last night,” The Summoner said.

“Guess you weren’t invited,” Amaliya said to Etzli with a bright smile.

The Aztec woman pointedly glared out the passenger window.

Amaliya poked the driver, Gregorio. “Do you have a cigarette?”

As an answer, Gregorio pulled a pack out of his pocket and handed it to her.

“Don’t smoke in the car,” Etzli ordered.

“It’s not like it’s going to give you lung cancer. Sheesh, chill out.”

Amaliya loved needling Etzli. It was very evident that the blood goddess was lower down on the totem pole than Amaliya and Amaliya had every intention of rubbing that fact in. Lighting her cigarette, she glanced out the window to see a family car whiz by, the back filled with kids. It sickened her to think of what would happen to them if The Summoner succeeded. The upcoming battle was for people like them. Amaliya wanted to survive, but wasn’t certain she would. Since she’d awakened, she’d been pondering everything she had learned about the powers at play. She had an idea of what she might be able to do to throw a wrench in The Summoner’s plans, but she’d have to wait for the perfect moment to strike.

The incandescence of the rings increased overhead. Amaliya puffed harder on her cigarette and ignored the trembling of her fingers. The magic around the sword writhed like snakes within the vehicle and she kept her own powers tightly wound inside of her. Using her necromancy would backfire since she was so closely bound to The Summoner. With him using both his powers and Bianca’s, it would be easy for him to snare Amaliya. It pissed her off that she had to abandon her death magic for this fight.

A light rain started to patter against the windshield. Ahead were signs announcing the 1604 exits. The area had three sharp loops and several flyovers that split off in various directions. 1604 encircled San Antonio and Interstate 35 was a major thoroughfare. The area was very busy due to holiday travelers and shoppers. All the cars sliding past the SUV were packed with people who had no idea that the sweet, innocent girl sitting next to Amaliya was possessed by one of the most evil creatures to ever walk the earth.

“It’s time,” Etzli said.

Gregorio rolled down his window, the cold wind blasting into the interior. Pulling out a pistol, he locked his grip on the steering wheel.

“What are you doing?” Amaliya demanded, surging forward.

The Summoner slammed her back into her seat, cracking her ribs from the force. Gasping in agony, Amaliya watched the next events in dismay.

Gregorio started to fire at the passing vehicles. Windows shattered, tires popped, and the cars began a crazed dance across the lanes as drivers panicked. Aiming at the oncoming traffic, Gregorio shot the gun multiple times. Chaos erupted on the other side of highway divider.

The Navigator swung onto the shoulder of the road as the 1604 junction loomed ahead. Amaliya fought against The Summoner, but he was much stronger than she was and easily pinned her to the seat. He had the combined powers of both him and Bianca at his call.

The SUV veered onto the hard packed earth encapsulated by one of the loops of the highway. The rest of The Summoner’s vehicles swerved off the road and parked in a circle.

Gripping Amaliya’s arm tightly, The Summoner pulled her from the vehicle and into the freezing drizzle.

“Why are you shooting innocent people? Isn’t it enough that you’re going to destroy their world?” Amaliya cried out.

“Observe,” The Summoner said, sweeping Bianca’s arm out dramatically.

All lanes of the interstate were clogged with crashed vehicles. The entire area had been brought to a halt. People were rushing to rescue the accident victims, darting around the battered cars. One car was on fire and some men fought the flames in an attempt to rescue the people inside. Panicked screams sounded above the wild honking of the piled up traffic.

The Sword of Lucifer floated out of the vehicle and grew brighter in the presence of the despair, fear, and death.

Choking back a sob, Amaliya unexpectedly felt powerless in the face of such destruction. People were dying and she wasn’t sure any more if she could save them. The rings pulsed with radiant golden power and it spread out over The Summoner’s group creating a protective bubble.

“Trish,” Etzli called out. “It’s time.”

The woman with the masses of red curls stepped forward. Her maroon eyes flicked toward Amaliya, a sneer upon her lips.

“Don’t,” Amaliya begged, afraid of what came next.

The Summoner’s grip on her arm tightened to the point of crushing bone. The nearly complete Sword of Lucifer rotated above their heads, then pointed its tip at Amaliya, freezing her place.

Trish cupped her hands, one over the other, then began to rotate them in opposite directions. The night breeze started to swirl about in front of her, the dead grass flattening into a circle. Moving her hands faster and faster, the elemagus called the winds. Above their heads, the storm clouds stretched downward, answering her call. The funnel formed with a terrifying roar. Only the power of the sword kept The Summoner and his people safe from the fury of the winds. The screams of the people clustered around the accident site was lost in the terrifying bluster of the tornado.