He was gone by the time she regained her feet.
“Where am I?” She had never been to this school before. It was big, with several buildings, and she could be in any of them.
Her husband was in danger and she had no idea how to get to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyle scrabbled through the underbrush trying to find his sword. The ground was wet and covered in dried pine needles. A thick, loamy scent filled his nose as he searched. He shoved his hands into the ferns, trying to find his sword.
The attacker returned, cracking him in the side.
“Fuck!” he coughed, his sides aching as he breathed.
He couldn’t see where the attacks were coming from. His foe was invisible. He peered around, hoping for some clue and wishing he had his sword in his hand.
The blow struck his left arm, numbing pain flaring up to his shoulder.
“I need to do something! I need my sword back!”
Then why don’t you summon it, dummy!
He reached out and summoned his sword. It appeared in his right hand in flash of golden light.
The invisible attacker struck his right wrist. The pain was so intense. He wanted to drop his weapon, but he held it tight, pushing to his feet. He had to stay moving. He dodged around the trees, trying to stay out of the attackers reach.
His body hurt so bad.
How do I fight someone that’s invisible? There has to be a way to sense him or make him appear.
He had dealt with an illusion before. The night he had rescued Aaliyah, the witches had glamoured the bridge and made it appear to be broken. When he had unleashed the power of his sword, the power of solid, real stone, it had banished the illusion.
“Yes!” he shouted, turning and swinging his sword down at the ground. He had to be in some sort of illusion. Yellow energy flared from his blade as he slammed it forward. The blade slammed into the pine-needle-strewn soil Yellow energy surged around him, whipping into the brush. Trees and brush vanished, replaced by a swath of the schools hallway and the startled expression of the old man and the black staff, an arrow embedded in his shoulder.
Kyle swung at him and he vanished in that ripple of light. Kyle let his swing carry him around. The man liked to teleport. If I could teleport, where would I appear? Behind my enemy. He spun about, his sword slashing through the air.
The air rippled, the man appeared, raising his staff up with one hand.
Those flinty eyes widened as Kyle’s blade cut the man open.
The hallway was empty. Fatima, Fumi, and Britney were gone, split up by the illusion. Kyle was at the far end of the hallway from the main office. Ignoring the pain in his side, he strode forward. He was going to kill Burke and rescue his mom.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The forest vanished. Britney blinked in surprise, looking around. She had wandered into a classroom. Her hair stood up and she hissed, racing for the door. She burst into the hall and nimbly avoided colliding with the sprinting Fatima.
“What the fuck happened?” the younger Unmei asked her, leaning against her flaming yari.
“An illusion befuddled us.”
“I thought magic wasn’t supposed to work in here.”
“Our weapons are magical and they work. We only cut off external magics. Whatever the illusion was, it was internal. He drew on the power already contained within the circle. I suspect it was shamanism.”
“So Burke may not be as powerless as we thought?”
“Yes. Let us find your brother and Fumi.”
“Right!” Fatima raced ahead towards the front of the school. Britney easily caught up.
The office was ahead and Kyle strode through the doors. They slammed behind him, a purple energy springing up around the door. Fatima slammed into it, bellowing with all her fiery passion.
And bounced off, flying back into Britney. The Rakshasa caught the girl, the pair falling onto the hard floor. Fatima rolled over her, regaining her feet. Britney hissed as she flexed her back, popping out into a crouch.
“Holy shit,” the smaller girl gasped. “What was that?”
“Burke has activated some sort of barrier. I am afraid your brother is on his own.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Energy roared up behind Kyle. He glanced back at a purple barrier, wavering in and out through the door and walls. Fatima crashed into and bounced back into Britney. If Burke wanted to fight Kyle alone, then he was more than happy to give the bastard that.
Kyle kicked the flimsy door open to the principal’s office. The hollow door splintered in, the cheap door frame ripping apart. He strode in, his sword held before him, ready to kill his principal. Burke was waiting, a dagger to his mom’s throat.
“Hello, Kyle,” he grinned, his brown eyes hard, narrowing.
“Let my mom go and I won’t kill you.”
“Threats, Kyle? Do you even know who you are dealing with?”
“Nope. And I don’t give a shit. You let my mom go and this can end here.”
“Did you kill the Vicar?”
“The man with the staff? Yeah. I cut him almost in half.” Kyle grinned, the man’s blood stained his blade. “And I won’t hesitate to do the same to you.”
The knife tightened at his mom’s dusky throat, pressing in just enough for a bead of blood to run down to her blouse. His mom didn’t react to the pain. Instead, she pleaded with him: “Kyle, you have to cooperate with him. He’ll kill me.”
“Then I’ll kill him.” Kyle said, trying to sound as hard and cold as he could.
“Now, now, Kyle,” Burke purred. “Why be so blase with your mother’s life. I know how much you love her. I watched the two of you last night. I could see how much you loved her body when she was gasping beneath you.”
Kyle’s grip was sweaty.
“Just give him what he wants, and I can be all yours,” she husked. “You are an amazing lover. The best. So much better than your dad. I can be all yours.”
Burke grinned, almost friendly, almost the kind-hearted principal. “Just hand over the Djinn and your mother can walk away.”
“I can’t,” Kyle said. “I won’t. I won’t give you my wife.”
“Then your mother dies.”
“No!” His arms trembled, his stomach clenched. He needed to do something.
He reached into the earth below their feet. He could cause a small earthquake, jostle Burke and free his mom. It was dangerous, but he couldn’t just sit here and let the man kill her. He commanded the earth to shake.
It resisted.
Never before had the earth failed to obey him. He put all his will into the sword, channeling it down into the earth. Shake! Rumble! I command you! Obey me!
Another will prevented him, ordering the earth to be still and calm. The will was far stronger than his own.
He caught Burke’s eyes, saw the smirk on his lips.
“How? Your magic can’t work in here.”
“I have long studied shamanism. You may have cut me off from my witchcraft, but there are more…primal powers that can be used. Now, lay down your sword or I will kill your mom.”
He looked his mom in the eyes. He couldn’t just stand here and watch her die. What choice did he have? He wouldn’t hand over Aaliyah, but he could hand over himself. He lowered his blade.
“N-no!” his mom shouted, her face suddenly contorting in pain. She was fighting Burke’s domination. “Y-you ca-an’t. H-he’ll kill…”