Winter's Edge

Chapter 86 - Purificaion

Ian

MEREK raised a hand, separating more boards from the bridge, ready to bring them down on Dad. As the boards shot forward, someone slammed into Merek with waves of crackling electricity.

Emma.

She no longer moved like a ninety-year-old lady. Grace and power flowed through her. She launched herself at Merek, dropping onto his chest before he had a chance to react, then pounded his face. Blue-white electricity spidered through his head with each blow. His shield couldn't block the arcs of power.

Merek knocked the woman off and got to his feet. Unmanned rifles took flight toward Emma. But as soon as she landed another shocking blow, the weapons lost momentum and fell from the air. Just like she'd said, electricity and Telekinetics didn't mix. Which, oddly enough, meant that the only citizen of Winter's Edge I needed to fear was a little old lady. Well, Joseph and a little old lady. And that little old lady was Merek's kryptonite.

Note to self—don't piss off Emma.

Emma kicked Merek hard between the legs, releasing a strong static discharge, doubling him over. She grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air just as he'd done to her years before.

Electricity arced from everything around her, pulling into her body.

"Remember me?" Emma's eyes screamed vengeance and madness.

Merek's skin went pale as he realized who she was.

A bright arc of electricity traveled through Emma's arm and exploded at Merek's throat, launching him across the town square. He hit the stone wall and sunk to the ground, dead.

Emma fell to her knees, then over onto her side. I waited a moment, afraid I'd have to put her down if she went mad and started killing anyone in sight. But the far-too-young granny just laid still on the cold grass. She'd likely just killed herself with that last release of energy. If she were serious back in the gardens, it was what she wanted. Revenge and death.

I dropped to the ground beside my dad who lay unmoving on the grass. His eyes were open, but blood poured out of several of his wounds.

I tried to cover them. "Why save me now when you tried to kill me in Denver?" It was hard to be angry with him after what he'd just done, but I needed answers.

"I wasn't trying to kill you, Ian." Dad coughed, blood trickling down the side of his mouth. "I was trying to save you."

I frowned as the pieces fell into place. "I'm sorry, Dad. I— I didn't know." I closed my eyes, lowering my gaze. "I thought you hated me."

Dad shook his head awkwardly and coughed again. "I've never hated you, son. Why would you think that?" He'd never called me son before. Dying in my arms, he was changing into a different person. Or was he just showing me who he'd really been all along?

"But you were so hard on me." My eyes teared up. "You kicked me out. You looked at me like I was some kind of monster the first time my powers came out."

"I looked that way because I knew I'd brought your powers out of you," he said. "I was ashamed of myself, not you."

"That wasn't your fault." I adjusted my hands, trying to cover more of his wounds. "I shouldn't have gotten so angry."

"I could never get rid of my powers," he said. "And I wasn't able to keep yours from coming out either." He shook his head, eyes closing. "I failed you."

"Stay with me, Dad." I grabbed his face and his eyes opened again. "You didn't fail me." I moved my hands back to his wounds as if that'd help. There was so much blood. "You couldn't stop them from coming out."