Convergence

Convergence Chapter 24

We went back into Azazel's house of all places. I thought for sure he would be in some dark lair playing an organ or something like some demon cliché, but he was just hanging out on his sofa watching some cooking show on TV.

"Hello, daughter," he said when entered the room.

"Hey, Dad."

"I suppose you would like your powers back?"

"You suppose correctly."

He changed the channel to something with music playing. "I regret I had to do that. You just weren't ready to handle that much power."

"If anything you've told me is true, you had no intention to let me keep my powers."

He turned the TV off. "You're right about that. What I didn't expect was how much I would grow to love you." He stood up. "Everyone loves you, don't they?"

"Not really, but I haven't noticed."

"It seems that little baby is harder to control than I thought, stubborn little thing. He had so much love for you."

"Did he?" Just hearing about that innocent baby dying without even being able to take his first breath broke my heart, but I couldn't let Azazel know that.

"How else can you explain why you're still living right now? That baby has saved so many lives. You should be proud of him."

"I am."

Azazel noticed Rick. "So, he's free of me. It would seem that his curse has been broken after all. Not by Elaina's hopes, but by my own actions." He smiled. "Yes, it was fated to be."

"So, do you plan on just letting go of your plans to take over everything?" I may have sounded too hopeful in my question because his laughter started to rumble from deep within his chest.

"You really are naïve, my sweet girl." The ground beneath us started to shake and break away. "If I taught you anything, it's that the demon loves power and always wants more."

The entire house was just an illusion. As the pieces of it fell away, a large cave was revealed. The ground crumbled beneath our feet. Just as quickly as we started to fall into what appeared to be a bottomless hole, Ashe appeared in her large form and carried us to the sky.

I was in front with Rick holding on behind me. I placed a hand on Ashe's head and she let out a chirp. "Let's do it."

Ashe found an opening and flew through it. We were in the magical world. His entire house was an illusion hidden away in the place he most wanted to be. Azazel burst from the cave as a red dragon sent pieces of rock flying through the air from where he hit the edges of the opening.

"How do you expect to touch him?" Rick asked.

"I'm not really sure, but everyone knows what they're supposed to be doing."

"How can you plan for something like this? It doesn't make sense."

"It'll all work out."

Azazel caught up fast. He swooped by us stirring up the air and making Ashe lose control. We started to fall, but she gained control quickly.

"We'll never outrun a dragon," said Rick. "We can't outmaneuver one either."

Ashe flew as fast as she could until I recognized an area.

"Over there," I ordered her to the right. "That's where we'll find my friends."

"Are your friends faster than a dragon?"

I waved my arm into the sky and three dragons appeared. "How's that?"

"Incredibly insane and totally awesome." He looked behind us trying to get a location on Azazel. "But will they get here before he does?"

"Bob and weave, Ashe." I gave her side a pat. "Now!"

Ashe shot straight down just as Azazel flew by. He turned his massive body to follow. Ashe weaved through the air, but it didn't take long for Azazel to catch up. She made another quick flight change in the direction of my three dragons just as they arrived.

"Well, well," Azazel's voice was deeper than normal and distorted. "It would seem that you want to get serious."

I slowed Ashe down so I could see. The dragons charged at him all at once snarling and clawing at him. It all sounded horribly fierce but all Azazel did was laugh like he was being tickled. He stretched out his neck and I recognized what was about to happen next.

"Fly away!" I screamed at the dragons to leave and turned Ashe to follow, but Rick put her back on course.

"They know the risks," he said. "Go, Ashe. Fast as you can."

I almost tried to climb over him to get to my dragons, but it wouldn't have mattered. They fought back admirably with fire of their own, but Azazel was just too strong. It was hardly an effort for him to burn them all in one breath.

Ashe went down and weaved through the trees. We had a sizable lead because of the sacrifice of my dragons, and now we were out of sight, but I knew he would find us. He would always find us.

"What are doing next?" Rick asked. "I can't keep her going like this."

"I know." I kept my eyes vigilant. "Where are they?"

"Who are we looking for?"

"There! It's the gnomes."

Ashe landed next to them and immediately disappeared. Rick fell to the ground out of breath.

I rushed to Tyler. "He's coming."

"We will protect you, My Queen."

All of the gnomes pulled various forest debris from their pockets like acorns and maple leaves. Tyler blew on a bouquet of clovers and the sky was soon filled with winged horses all covered in fighting armor. The gnomes jumped up into the trees and grew into human-sized soldiers as they leaped from the treetops to the backs of the horses. Only Tyler remained beside me. They all charged at Azazel with the sole hope of slowing him down.

"They're all going to die," I said mostly to myself. "We need to hurry."

A group of faeries surrounded me like a swarm of insects and were quickly absorbed inside of me.

"Remember," said Tyler. "You have to be quick or they will become part of you forever. They only agreed to loan you their magic, not be sacrificed to you."

"I only need them for a moment." I called for Squeak and she appeared in her dragon form.

Rick was panting on the ground. "Please, be careful."

Squeak and I took off for the skies.

I almost couldn't believe my eyes, but the number of creatures fighting for their kingdom forced Azazel out of the sky. It was better than any of us ever hoped. He swung at the creatures as best he could, but they had the upper hand. Squeak charged down at him. I was excited. I truly believed that we would win.

As we approached, I saw Azazel take a step back. It was then I realized what an idiot I was, but it was too late. Azazel flung his right arm knocking dozens of denizens from the sky, some just from the turbulent force of his blow. His left arm quickly grabbed Squeak by the throat. I flew off her back and landed on a rainbow sliding me to the ground.

"Kari." Azazel sounded fatherly. "I thought you weren't going to be fooled by me again. If you don't let them go, I'll just take them inside of me."

The faeries all emerged from within me and Squeak disappeared. It looked like a small graveyard with all of them lying motionless in the grass.

"Good girl." He almost purred. "Now come out to me and your little friends will live. I have no desire to destroy everything I planned on ruling, but I will."