11: Fear
Phantasia could sense their arrival before they made themselves known. Her church was located at the purest point in Torsten, and without fear of corruption she was able to keep her senses open to everything in the vicinity. Their approach was like a black cloud creeping across the early-autumn sky, sending waves of disruption across the untainted streams of mana. Just one day since Phoenie and Katrina had helped her weary body back here, the two girls had returned – and they weren’t alone.
Joel was a stain of raw emotion on the aether, his bony fists clenched tight as he struggled to contain the violent urges threatening to engulf him. But more telling was the absence of Kaori; Phantasia had never seen the couple apart before.
“Ms Celeste, there has been a situation,” said Phoenie as she strode up the aisle towards her, “Mr Gibson informs me that Kaori Shimomura and Shelley Edwards are under the influence of the leansídhe.”
Phantasia’s pale feet brushed the worn stone as she sprung forwards. Acknowledging her intent, Phoenie turned and paced alongside her.
“It’s a bloody trap, that’s what it is!” said Joel, fingers twitching as he looked for something to punch. Theseus stood beside him, ready to redirect the younger boy’s anger if it exploded into physical violence, but Joel released it in a stream of expletives. “It’s those bastards from beneath the club,” he said, after taking a deep breath, “I knew something was wrong, I knew it. Kao was having an argument with…” he winced, “With Shell. I dunno what about, I didn’t hear it, just…shouting and stuff…But then they were walking away together! It wasn’t right. Dude, I could feel it in the air, I’m sure of it,”
Katrina pulled an auragraph from a brown envelope and passed it to Phantasia. The image was fainter than usual, but she could make out basic shapes and auras. The figures she assumed were Kaori and Shelley were walking away from the school, their auras suppressed and encircled by chains of shadow.
“There was no time to develop a decent image,” explained Katrina, clutching the ever-present Kit close to her chest, “But I think this is proof enough.”
Joel’s fear struck Phantasia seconds before the words exploded from his mouth. “It’s a trap! He told me-he said to tell you to save them if you can. That you can’t fight them. That you’ll pay for trying.”
Theseus put a hand on Joel’s shoulder and the ginger-haired boy began to tremble. “I don’t care for that demon shit these guys go on about,” he said to Phantasia, “But my gut’s tellin’ me this is Godhand’s work. That bloody Bishop’s been after Shelley for a while now, thinking she’s some kinda witch.”
Joel slammed his fist into Theseus’s abdomen. “Dude, it’s that fucking demon! It’s got ‘em both, it’s gonna drain ‘em, and it’s all because of me. I’m…I’m gonna kill it!”
Theseus, unfazed by the attack, shoved Joel backwards and stared him straight in the eye. “Grow the hell up, Gibson. This ain’t a demon. We go gatecrash this party and we’re all as good as dead. Why’d you think Mr Payne ain’t doing shit like this? Think he’s going to send the Haans in to bust the place up? Hell no! He’ll-”
Phantasia waltzed over to the church’s entrance and rolled up her sleeves. Phoenie was quick to follow.
“What are we going to do?” asked Katrina, “We’re powerless against something like that!”
Phantasia glanced back at the humans. Theseus had stopped lecturing Joel and they were both watching her, waiting.
“You’re all staying here.”
As she ran down the hill, she could hear their protests, sense their movement as they started to follow her, but she couldn’t stop. This was something she had to do alone. If they followed, they’d be putting themselves in danger. At least this way, by the time they caught up, she’d have saved Kaori and Shelley and dealt with the leansídhe.
Quite how she was going to do that, she didn’t know.
Time to start improvising, Princess, she thought.
***
