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Chapter 13
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Ohm Wire walked into her new cell before anyone had the chance to shove her, or say to get in it. Truth be told she was tempted to stuff this cell with her captors, but she knew she didn’t have the strength to pull that off if she tried. She crossed her arms and sat while the barrier came up.
Somewhere out there, a hero was planning foolishly to save her. Somewhere inside of Ohm Wire, she wanted it to happen. But, more than that, she wanted to serve after what she’d done since breaking out of the last cell.
During her days in Nightmare’s Soldiers, the many things Ohm Wire and her allies had done edged on terrorist acts, but they were aimed at other villains. She had never killed anyone before because she was able to help it. Now, however, things were different. Men died by her hand. Whether or not they deserved it didn’t matter to her.
Tears filled her attitude-driven eyes, and she hid them with her hands.
No one who watched her cared. No one said anything to her. She was guarded heavily, but she was alone.
Maryann held back her sobs and anguish until the boat finally returned to the island where the estate sat in seclusion from Founder’s Creek. She broke down right there when the vehicle touched the beach. No one was there to hear her scream, and Mary wasn’t sure if she gave a damn.
No one saw her killing those men, but that captain had to know. She knew. She went out hopeful, and came back a wreck, filled with more life energy from other people than she had ever wanted. And the worst part was that she was starting to like it. Her moral fiber had found a fine edge, and Mary was frightened. How many more people would meet their fate like this?
How much longer before she became like the demon, without remorse? Before she came to enjoy every kill?
The feeding continued to eat at her. The longing to do senseless villainy yanked at her heart. She pulled herself onto the shore, and screamed. She punched and hammered the sand, creating small craters with every blow. Mary wiped her eyes as she dragged her feet through the sand. She could not care less about the beautiful sunset while she entered the house. No, she wasn’t sure if there was a sign that could help her; save her.
Mary did not call out to anyone. She was too tempted to crawl into her bed, and drown out the world until she lost her mind. But, there was Kyra. She had to do something about her now that she knew Kyra was alive and being held by the Vambracemen. But what? Mary was only one person.
Her foot had barely touched the first step of a flight of stairs when she heard Genine and the boys talking in another room.
“I know,” said Genine. “I know how it is with all of us. We were all lured into the Circle, and exiled to this estate because we would not serve as they had intended for us. But, I made a promise to remain abstinent, and our mistress made it so hard. Now she’s gone, and it’s over for us. How is this fair? What should I have done? Someone tell me what I should do now?”
She noticed a soft, but strong, pair of arms wrapping around her, and Max and Sean stepping back. The woman hugging her from behind was shaking.
“You’re right,” said Maryann. “I’ve been the worst. I don’t deserve someone as good as you’ve been to me.”
“Mistress.” Genine murmured.
“You’ve been more like a sister to me than my own sister back in Arizona. You’ve all been a better family to me. I shouldn’t have left like that, and I’m sorry. Please forgive me. Both for that, and also for those times I had you on my bed. I should have known my sexual energy would have affected you in that manner. I should have known a lot of things.”
“What happened to you, Maryann?”
“Far too much.” Mary told all three mages about her day in the town, about how the two men she took with her were now in police custody like they should have been for so long, and also how she got to see a dear friend of hers who now needed saving. She explained that her friend had been taken away by the Vambracemen, and she would need help, lots of it, to save her.
Maryann said, “I’m so tired of being a succubus. I want to refrain from ever using my demon powers again so long as I live. Maybe that will give me time before I have to feed again. No, I don’t even want to feed again.”
Sean responded, “We wish there was a way for you to not feed.”
“There is, but the three of you will have to make me a promise. Whether it’s the day after tomorrow, or in ten years, or I don’t care when . . . I want you to promise me that if the need to feed ever arises again that you will kill me.”
All three mages called out to her.
“Please, just promise me this one thing. I feel like the next time I feed will be the last before I lose myself permanently to it. I don’t want to kill any more people if I can help it. It’s better to go when there’s a piece of me left, than when I’m nothing more than a memory inside my own body. Or this body. Or both, I don’t even know anymore.”
Genine said, “Do you truly wish to cast aside your demonic power?”
“I do. It’s brought us nothing but trouble. I miss being human, superpowers or no.” Mary looked down. “Guy parts, or girl.”
“If that happens,” said Max, “What will become of us?”
“You don’t have to live in servitude. I have friends out there who can help you with a new life. Friends . . . For the first time since my awakening, I feel the need to find them all again.” She undid the three armlets she was wearing, the three she had picked up inside that den. “We could all go if there was just one more.”
Genine said, “Those look like the one you wore at the beach.”
“The one I wore?”
The mage’s eyes widened, and she ran for the stairs. She called for everyone to follow her once Genine was at the top.
They were in a room Mary had not visited yet. It was full of so many accessories and other ornate things. Genine rummaged through a chest full of smaller boxes until she found the one she sought.
“When you were found,” started Genine, setting the box on a table near Mary, “you wore a band just like those three. I stored it in here for safe keeping, but, thanks to the magic here, this room likes to rearrange itself sometimes.”
Mary opened the box, and found the armlet she had worn as Adamast Cross. In the end, it didn’t really matter who wore which band, but it seemed so right to take the same armlet while leaving the other three on the table. Mary put it on her forearm, and then nothing happened. There was no fanfare, nor anything. She yearned for a connection to the world or life itself, but it was only an armlet with a mechanism built into it; nothing more. The squandered expectation made her huff.
“Listen to me, starting to brood,” said Mary. “In the end, things are what we make of them. I see a chance for all four of us to make things right, together, and I’m not going to let the worst of times keep me down because that will only make it worse. I’ll let you three decide who gets which armlet, and who among you will first accompany me into town before the others are picked up.”
Genine said, “Why, what are we doing?”
“There’s no phone here. I need to make a very important phonecall to the police.”
“You really are unusual, Mistress.” This time, Genine laughed when she said it.
Through the early hours of the morning, the police were busy with a search party. They had brought along a few heroes who could either commune with nature or had heightened senses for tracking people and things.
In the woods, three hours northwest of Paragon, they found a burial site.
“Time stood still,” was more than appropriate.
Across the entire state, including Paragon and its islands, regularly scheduled programs at ten in the morning were interrupted mid-broadcast to bring a special news bulletin. It started off with a girl being escorted to her parents and an ambulance outside of the forest where she had been found. The girl had not aged in the time she was missing.
“What you are seeing here,” said the newscaster narrating the scene, “is a miracle. Little Autumn Magleson has been found close to three years after she was abducted. She was kidnapped in broad daylight by an armed gang, which has somehow eluded arrest for twice as long. I have received reports that some of them were found last night, and are in custody. Their leader is believed at large, but his clothes and belongings were found in the same hideout as his men.
“I’m being told that, upon being buried, Miss Magleson cast a time bubble around her body, and only woke up a couple hours ago. How a little girl managed to do such a thing at the age of eleven I cannot say.
“The police had given up hope on finding her a couple years ago, but her family never gave up. The Paragon City Police Department received a huge tip from a woman claiming to be working with Adamast Cross. Police are telling us that, yes, Adamast Cross is still around, and he wishes to meet the Dallevan League at its usual place later today. The message reads as, quote: ‘It’s time we saved some more lives again.’”
“Yes, back to the Maglesons, we can see now as the paramedic gives the OK for little Autumn to go home with her parents. It is truly remarkable to see her getting in the car with her mother and fa—“
The television turned off then.
Tatiana fell back in her chair, unable to close her speechless mouth or hold up her remote control any longer. She could hardly believe it. Adamast was out there. Was this a trick or what? She looked at the pair of armlets sitting on the counter.
Ohm Wire smiled as she overheard the television in the next room. Her lover was a fool, but she was a damn smart one. One Vambraceman shot her a hard look, but Ohm Wire kept on smiling.
So, you want to save me. Come and get me. Come and liberate the world’s deadliest damsel. I’ll be waiting!
