Shannon O'Reilly was bullied and everything his older sister wasn't. When his sister Sarah gives him a chance to change things through a single wish things don't go as planned.     I Wish: Book 5 Chapter 27 Courage By Amethyst

I didn’t think that I would ever get used to the sensation of being teleported. There’s this sudden lurching in that instant when you leave one place and reappear in another. It’s disorienting, and when you add in the feeling that your insides are briefly outside, and vice versa, it isn’t a pleasant sensation. I had only gone through it a few times, but every single time I felt like hurling immediately afterward. This time was no exception.

I was vaguely aware that I had appeared atop the wall of a large courtyard, as large as a football field, with a black tower standing in the center. I quickly dropped to the ground and retreated through wildly growing brush into a nearby dark corner to empty my stomach. I hoped that the others were having better luck than I was. I was worried about all of them, especially Rebecca and Shannon.

I was sure that Shannon could probably handle most Demons, my cousin was just that powerful and talented and I often found myself in awe of her. She was planning to fight the strongest Demon in Heil though, one that had ruled with an iron fist for millennia. How could anyone, even Shannon with her powers unsealed, hope to defeat something like that?

That was just the kind of person my cousin was though, doing whatever she felt that she had to do so she could keep other people safe and happy. That first night that we met, she had barely known me, but she let me sleep with her in her bed and held me through my tears and nightmares. She and her friends helped me to find my courage, and stop hating myself for my father’s death, and they even reunited my mother and me with our people. Every day, I counted myself lucky that Shannon and Sarah had taken us in, and I was proud to be a part of their family.

I was worried about Rebecca because, unlike the rest of us, she had no experience at all fighting Demons and was being thrown right into a fight with one of their Generals. Sure, she had the Succubus powers and could probably fight a regular demon on her own if she had to, but against something like this? I wasn’t sure that whatever she and Shannon had gone through on Nhekar could prepare her for this, and she was so focused on revenge for her mother’s death.

At least Michelle and Lisa both had experience fighting a Demon and one of the Generals at that. Neither of them was very powerful, but they were smart and resilient, and Shannon and Ziralin had been training them both. I could only hope that they would all keep one another safe and that my gift would give Rebecca an edge in their fight. “Please, Becca, come back alive,” I thought as I finished emptying my stomach and got to my feet.

Sure, Rebecca could be abrasive at first, and she was even pricklier than Michelle, but she had changed since traveling with Shannon in that alien world, and not just the whole Succubus thing. She seemed more comfortable in her own skin, she was making an effort to try to be nicer, and oh Goddess, I was so attracted to her, even with the anti-Succubus spell on me. I wanted to find the courage to make a move on her, but that wouldn’t happen if I lost her here.

I attempted to calm the fluttering in my chest and took in my surroundings. I was hidden inside the thick brush that grew along the walls and well into the courtyard itself, thinning out only a mere ten feet away from the tower in the center. “Maybe those butterflies in my chest weren’t from thinking about Rebecca,” I realized with a frown. Something was very wrong here.

The plants here, and this prickly brush, were familiar; I recognized much of it from the area around our troupe’s village. They were among the hardier plants, able to grow in even harsher climates. How did plant life native to Tír na nÓg end up here, of all places?

I found an answer, sort of. The desiccated corpse of a Faery lay amidst the brush, his eyes and mouth wide in a scream of abject horror. The life had been sucked out of him, and two others that I found in various stages of decomposition as I made my way toward the central tower, and each had been armed with roughly made weapons. I knew the signs well enough to know what I was dealing with here; I should since my father had looked much the same when he had died. It was a Hradok.

Terror surged in my chest with each body I discovered, my hands trembled, and my knees threatened to buckle. They couldn’t even flee properly because their wings had been ripped off. By the time I found the fourth body, images flashed through my mind of my father trying to fight off one of the blue-skinned Demons to protect my mother and me. It just had to be the Demon that I feared the most, the ones that hunted my people to near extinction, just as whoever held this tower seemed to be making a sport of hunting Faery before gorging itself on their life force. I wanted to throw up again. I wanted to run away.

No. Shannon wouldn’t do that, and I wouldn’t either. I came here to kill a Demon General and this didn’t change anything. If anything, it made it even more important. I needed to face my fear, and not just for my own sake. That first body had been killed recently, within the last day or so. This Hradok may be keeping others of my kind captive, and I would not rest until they were freed. Nobody else was going to die like that on my watch.

If I got close, that Hradok was going to smell my life force if it hadn’t already. I couldn’t hide it from one of their kind. I was willing to bet that it wasn’t around at the moment if it hadn’t already sensed me. If it had, it would have roared to stoke my fear.

I needed to think. I had three okka crystals, but I would rather not waste them if I didn’t have to. If there really were other Faery being held somewhere, then they might need my healing powers.

What would Shannon do? She would probably overwhelm it with sheer power, but I didn’t have that option. I only had my Celestial healing powers, my Faery abilities, my gun, and enough silver to improvise some weapons if I needed to. I wasn’t nearly as talented with weapons as Ziralin was though.

“Think, Ellie, think. Mason said that we each had something that was needed to defeat our opponents, so what do I have that nobody else does? I’m impulsive and reckless, and I guess I know Hradoks pretty well. I was obsessed with learning how to protect myself from one after Dad died, not that I found anything. They’re strong, fast, and the only time they’ll get close to their victims is when they’re about to suck them…” That was when I came up with a brilliant plan.

Five minutes later, I heard an all too familiar spine-chilling howl as I made my way to the tower at the center of the overgrown courtyard. I was hoping to ambush the Hradok with some well-placed gunfire when it arrived, but unfortunately, it had stepped outside the tower when I was halfway there and immediately caught my scent. The howl was immediately followed by a male voice calling out, “Don’t you smell delicious, little Faery? So much essence. How did you find your way into the very depths of Heil? You are not one of those from the pantry, I don’t recognize that scent.”

“I came to kill you,” I called back brazenly. He would expect me to flee, to give him some sport, but he was going to be disappointed.

I could see him now, a large man in what looked like leather armor. He would have looked like a large and muscular human if it wasn’t for the azure skin, the lack of any hair, and the huge crown of bony horns atop his head. The bastard was laughing. “The prey would kill the hunter? Your kin have tried before you, and failed, little Faery.”

“Yeah, well, I’m not them,” I said as I pulled my gun free of its holster and fired a couple of shots. “I came prepared. These are Demon-slayer rounds.”

The hunter heard my shots and ran wide to keep its distance. Damn, Hradoks had senses as good as a Faery’s but they’re much faster. He managed to avoid the shots and the small explosions of holy magick energy that followed. I kept firing, trying to shoot where I thought he was going to be in the hopes of getting a lucky shot and finishing this off quickly. I wasn’t really comfortable with what I might have to do if this fight dragged on for a while, better to finish it fast.

Unfortunately, none of my shots landed and as I was ejecting the magazine to reload, he came in close and knocked me flying with a tackle. My gun went sailing from my hand and I couldn’t reach my sword as he pinned me to the ground, making a show of taking in my scent. I shuddered in fear for an instant, once again a scared girl watching her father’s life drained before her eyes.

No. I gritted my teeth and enacted my plan. If he thought I was going to lay down and just let him eat me or try to get some more sport out of me by stoking my fears, he was in for a surprise. Probably more than one.

Yup, he was definitely surprised when I manipulated the silver sword and jewelry that I was wearing, forming multiple blades and stabbing at his arms, causing him to scream in agony. The moment that he reared back to try and push himself away on mutilated arms and put some distance between us again, I wrapped my arms and legs around him and refused to let go. Then his eyes went wide as I called upon my Celestial form and my wings burst forth from my back in all of their glory. “A Cel…”

I didn’t give him a chance to even finish the word. I just kept attacking with silver, hacking at his legs and arms until I had to drain one of the okka crystals. I didn’t attack anywhere vital, I still needed him to answer a question, but he wouldn’t need those arms and legs for that, and letting him keep them would only be dangerous for me. I shifted the silver once again, forming a blade at his throat and his flesh sizzled at the touch. “Where are you keeping my kin? Speak. If I even think that you’re going to try to bite me, I’ll finish you off and find them on my own.”

He spoke, and once he had told me what I wanted to know, I finished him off. Only once the ash was settled did I allow myself to collapse. I had been lucky, he was one of the newer and weaker Generals, and I had silver available when his other prey had to work with rocks or sharpened sticks, which wouldn’t do shit against a Demon. I was still sitting there, though I had managed to get control of my breathing and stop trembling when I heard a familiar voice say in a relieved voice. “You’re safe, thank goodness.”

I looked up into Becca’s eyes and forced a smile. “Yeah, I… I’m good. I’m glad to see you are too. This guy was used to chasing Faery that weren’t able to defend themselves.”

“Your gift helped,” the faux-succubus said with a bittersweet smile, as she pulled me to my feet. “Thanks. I was able to kill the bitch that killed my mom. Michelle got hurt though so she and Lisa headed home, she might need your healing magick. We need to go help Shannon though.”

I shook my head and told her. “Shannon will be fine, if anyone can handle that fight it’s my cousin. We would only get in the way. I need your help here, there are Faery being held in that tower, that pile of ash there was keeping them here as future meals. I can sense Demons inside, but their auras are weak so we should be able to handle them. We’ll probably have to get Shannon or Sarah to help us get them home once the fighting is over.”

“I guess you’re right,” Becca replied, letting out a long sigh as I went to retrieve my gun and then led her toward the tower. “Shannon would want us to help those people anyway; being a fucking goody-two-shoes is her thing.”

Becca cracked a smile at that and I wondered if maybe she was still crushing on Shannon. Was there any hope for me at all? I stopped us before the tower doors and leaned up to impulsively plant a kiss on her. I would never know unless I tried. “For… ummm… luck,” I offered lamely, my face bright red.

She hadn’t broken away, her lips might have even lingered a bit. I smiled at the thought as she blushed and stammered something unintelligible. Maybe I had a chance after all. I felt like I could do anything after today.

As we searched for the Faery in the tower, I learned that Becca could be downright vicious in a fight. She took out most of the dozen or so Demons that we encountered, and damn was it hot. The eight Faery that we found alive were in rough shape; half starved, weak, and suffering from various injuries from when Demons roughed them up. Fortunately, their wings hadn’t been torn off like the bodies I had found in the courtyard, I guess he did that to hobble them for his hunts so they wouldn’t try to fly off.

It was heartbreaking to find so few alive and in such a condition. I used up the last two okka crystals I had healing them all, but I figured that I would still have enough magick energy to get me to Ziralin or Sarah, and I could always recharge by resting. Still, they were alive and would soon be safe with our troupe if I had any say in the matter, and sharing food from our packs seemed to improve their moods somewhat.

Becca made them a bit nervous, but that was to be expected after what Demons had put them through. I managed to convince them that she wasn’t really a Demon, just under a curse, with the help of the mark on her shoulder and the fact that she had no demonic aura. Hopefully, Jaenara would be able to help with their trauma once we got them back to the troupe.

For now, we had done all that we could for them and the adult Faery would be able to fly and help carry the two young Fae. I had just finished telling the Faery where, and to whom, we were going when Becca gave me a strange, almost concerned look and said, “Lose the wings.” Apparently, she figured out how abrasive that must have sounded because she stammered, “I… um… mean that you’re tired, and you might… uhh… need to save your energy. I could carry you, I don’t need to worry about that magick shit and I… umm…”

I tried not to giggle and showed mercy by changing out of my Celestial form. Rebecca picked me up in a princess carry and it was my turn to blush as I felt the eyes of the other Faery upon us. I was still bright red and nuzzling against her as she leaped into the air with the Faery following as we made our way toward the others. I just hoped that they were all okay.