The Seven Seraphim

Chapter NINE

Sam watched, helpless, as all seven of the angels grabbed their ears. Something must be wrong. Jake started screaming orders, and the six took off, their wings burning bright with what could only be anger. Jake grabbed her, and jumped out of the window and caught up with the rest. As they headed for the coast, Sam saw a slab of cement randomly in the middle of nowhere with a door. Great, she thought with annoyance. Mom's in trouble. 

Charde was just finishing cleaning up when Cherry, her old lab assistant and the first Seraphim ever, literally broke through her roof and stood in front of her. She had an army of Stags and those hideous new beasts. Charde had known that Cherry would come for her. That's why she had demanded that all of her Seraphim go to Jake: So they wouldn't die trying to save her. Cherry was stronger and faster than Jake, even, and her wrath made her stronger. Cherry had turned chaotic after accidentally eating fermented cherry pits-which she mistook for a rare nut and put them in her salad. and how she chose her name. All these years, Cherry blamed Charde for the mishap, and sought revenge any way she could get it.

She had turned Jak chaotic, hoping to make him band with her, but his twin brother, Jake, had caught and killed him before he found her. Charde smiled at her nemesis and waited for her death. "I see you've made a new pet, Cherry. How in the world do they function? The species are so far apart, you couldn't have bred them." Her nemesis smiled evilly.

"I didn't. I created them with my sword, and some chemicals. How about you, Charde? Where's your pets?" she sneered at Charde's obvious horror and disgust, then regained her dignity. 

"They won't be in this anymore. It's just me and you. Kill me and get it over with, you coward." Charde stood her ground as Cherry came closer and drew her sword. 

Seven figures landed on the cement slab, and one went right through it. LJ opened the door from the inside, and led them down to where Charde was. They quickly set up a plan of attack to draw away the army, so that Jake could deal with Cherry. He had told them what he knew, and Sarah reluctantly divulged that Charde had confided in her the secret of the First Seraphim. 

They saw Cherry draw her sword, and decided that it was time. the booster had made them as fast and strong as Jake's normal state, but there was no telling what he could do. Jake kept his Powers a secret. the six let out a shout, and attacked the army of stags and cossaks. Cherry looked half-surprised, but tried not to. While the shock of the Seraphim easily defeating the cossack with a swift blow to the nose stayed on her face, she hid her contempt for the lesser breed. They were actually making a struggle. She smiled as she saw Jak's twin-in full body armor formed with fire-cut wis way to her. 

"Hello, twin." she said, amusement obvious on her face. I see my cossacks lost a second time. Why don't you fight me?" After all, I am the one threatening your adopted mother." Jake growled and his sword met hers, sparks flying everywhere. 

Samantha looked at the chaos unfolding in the small space, and couldn't decide what to do. She didn't want t make herself a target, but she wanted to be useful. She decided to stay put and alert any of them if her mother was in danger. As much as she hated her, she still loved her. The bond between a mother and daughter was interesting. She saw her mother slowly drift away from the fight and barricade herself behind a counter. She decided to-if she could-make her way to her. The second there was an opening, she made a run for it. 

EJ and LJ were right with her, slicing down anything that was in their way, or that tried to attack her. they were very effective as a team. She slid under the counter, then dragged empty drawers to cover the space, hopefully hiding them from view. She embraced her mother and cried tears of joy that made no sound in the ruckus around them. 

"What are you doing here?!" Her mother asked, the protection instincts kicking in. "This isn't safe. If it weren't for the blasted built in alarm, they wouldn't either." 

"Mom, stop." She said. "They're here to save you." A Stag fell, over the table, injured but still alive. Sam's hands subconsciously reached for the first thing she could grab and stabbed it's eye with a piece of broken glass. "So am I." She finished, and hugged her wide-eyed mother again. 

Jake focused on Cherry as his comrades slaughtered her henchmen. They circled each other, swords held high, taunting and waiting for a weakness. Jake turned all of his anger into energy and struck, clipping her shoulder. She screamed in rage and pain, then recovered and their swords sparked again. Her dark black wings contrasted deeply with his pure white ones. Once, when their swords were deadlocked, Jake pushed his wings in her direction and saw that his heat hurt her. black wings were the giveaway of a chaotic. He pictured Cherry, poisoning Jak's mind and turning them against one another, and that was all he need to make himself hotter. 

Cherry was annoyed. Charde's precious pets had saved her, and now, Jak's brother has matching her, strength for strength, beat for beat in the battle. She replayed the battle in her mind, then smiled when she found his weakness. She charged up, then turned and threw a fireball in the direction of Charde and her daughter. She laughed as the twin screamed out.