| Title: Queen of the Night Author: Starlett Chapter 17 Cordy and Mr. Zhou practiced t'ai chi, this time in the sitting room. The sun was setting over the mountains, highlighting the storm clouds that gathered darkly on the horizon. The furniture had been pushed to the sides of the room, leaving a large open space in the middle. "Grasp sparrow's tail to the left; grasp sparrow's tail to the right; push hands," Mr. Zhou said. Cordy had been practicing tai chi with him for nearly a week. By now, she followed his instructions carefully, trying to remember to keep her hands relaxed, to feel her feet against the earth, and to breathe properly with each pose. "Very good," he said. "Again." Cordy groaned. Mr. Zhou ignored her, used to her complaints. "Ready?" he asked. When she didn't respond, he glanced at her. "Cordelia?" Cordy groaned again and grabbed her head. "Vision," she rasped, her body jerking forward violently. This was her first since coming to his retreat. Something about the mountains, or being with him--who knew what the reason was?--had slowed them down. She was grateful for the respite, but each day that passed without a vision only increased her anxiety. He ran to her side and eased her to the floor, anchoring her legs with his, and cradling her head on his arm. She writhed beneath him, her breath coming in short bursts, her hands clutching her temples. "Poor little thing," he crooned, absorbing the aftershocks with his body. Cordy moaned, terror and pain slicing through her like a scalpel. "Angel." She reached out blindly with one hand. Mr. Zhou slipped off of Cordy and knelt beside her. He put his fingertips on her temples and rubbed, gently chanting under his breath. "Angel?" She opened her eyes, startled to find Mr. Zhou. "Oh, it's you." "Shhh," Mr. Zhou whispered, then went back to his chanting. His eyes flashed silver. Cordelia cried out, then lay quietly. "There," said Mr. Zhou. "Is that better?" Cordy reached a hand to her head. "Sort of," she said, wincing. She sat up. Relief, then realization washed through her. "I have to find a phone," she gasped. Mr. Zhou put his hands on Cordelia's shoulders. "Wait." She shoved his hands aside and stood up, listing dizzily. "Are you crazy? She's in danger!" "Cordelia," Mr. Zhou said, his voice sharp. "Stop." A week was hardly long enough to trust someone, especially a man as powerful as Zhou. But the command in his tone was enough to at least slow her down. "Why? I told you, that girl is in danger!" His eyes flashed. "Do not contradict me!" Cordy's patience snapped. "Look!" she said, her voice rising in frustration. "I've got a job to do and you're keeping me from doing it!" Mr. Zhou took a deep breath. "You try my patience." Cordy stared him down, her body humming with leftover adrenaline. "If you don't learn to manage these visions, they will kill you. It's entirely possible, that if you *do* learn to manage them, they will still kill you. But if you don't even try, if you just keep on as you are, there is one-hundred percent certainty that you will not survive to see the summer." Her breath left her body in a whoosh. It took her a moment to catch it. "All right," she said quietly, when she was able to talk. "What do you want me to do?" "You will need my help," Mr. Zhou responded. "Fine." "Give me your hands." Cordy sat, then reached out her hands. The moment their palms touched, she felt a jolt of power that rocked her like a boat on stormy water. "That's good," Mr. Zhou soothed. "Now, tell me what you see." Cordy closed her eyes, fighting the nausea that pounded through her. The vision flashed again. "I see, um, a girl, about my age. Short hair, red. She's going into a bar. Can't see which one." "Yes, you can. Look more closely," Mr. Zhou prompted and squeezed her hands. Cordy felt another jolt, like a stream of pure electricity. "Uh, the Underground," she said around chattering teeth. "On Fairfax. And, oh, God, there's the demon," Cordy cried, yanking her hands from Mr. Zhou's and shaking her head. "I can't stand it," she said, her voice quavering. "It's too much. It's too much." "Cordelia, give me your hands," Mr. Zhou said calmly. "You can do this. I will show you how." Cordy shuddered out a breath, looking at him through tear-filled eyes. "Just make it stop hurting," she said. "Give me your hands," he repeated. "Now breathe deeply and imagine that the jolt you have been feeling is, instead, a river. It will take you where you want to go." Cordy closed her eyes and placed her hands in his. She felt the surge, but then it smoothed out, becoming something sinuous. It flowed up her arms and pooled in her armpits, then rushed down her torso and out her feet and head. "That's good. Now tell me what you see." "The demon is a...I don't know its name. But it's tall and scaly. Long tail, almost looks like a lizard but it stands on two legs. It's gray with glowing yellow eyes and God, look at those teeth. Oh, God, Mr. Zhou, she's so scared, I can feel her heart pounding." She clenched his hands. "Cordelia, feel what you need to and let go of the rest. You are getting stuck in her pain." "But that's what I feel the strongest!" "Of course it is. And you do not need to stop feeling with her, but you must only feel it when it happens. Then you must let it roll away from you. Like this." Cordy felt the girl's fear like a punch to her gut, and then it was gone, and all that was left was the vision. The demon grabbed her arm with a scaly paw and Cordy felt the rip in her flesh. She grunted at the impact, but the pain did not linger. Instead, she felt strangely clean, as if she'd been washed through with pure light. "You see?" Mr. Zhou said. "You cannot control the fate of those whom you witness simply by holding on to their pain. They will live or die according to their own destiny. Now, how do you feel?" Cordy rubbed her arms. "Still got the post-vision hangover. But not as bad as usual." "Good, good. Now we can go call Angel." Title: Queen of the Night Author: Starlett Chapter 18 "How'd she sound?" Angel asked as he swung his sword at the Methros demon. "Fine. She sounded great," Gunn grunted. The big, gray tail whipped out and knocked him off his feet. He ate alley dirt, spat once, then rolled as the thing swung its tail again. At least this one didn't shoot fire out its butt. Yet. They'd lured the demon out behind the bar and a crowd of horrified and fascinated onlookers watched from the open door. He wasn't used to working with an audience and it had him off his rhythm. Or could be, it was Angel's constant chatter. He rolled to his feet, his axe still clutched in his hand. Angel jumped, bending his knees and hurdling the tail like a track star. "I can't believe I missed her call. Of all times to be out...." He twirled toward the demon, his sword coming within inches of its nose. "....getting blood," he finished. The demon roared and his breath smelled like rotten eggs. "Man, you seriously need a breath mint," Gunn called, distracting the thing long enough for Angel to get in close. Except Angel didn't move. He just stood there, swinging the sword absentmindedly. "She was okay, though, right? I mean, she didn't fall or anything. And he has those painkillers she likes, the ibuprofen?" "Angel, man," Gunn panted. He dodged as the Methros came for him, its short arms making a grab for his head. "She was fine. Could you help...." He pivoted and brought his foot up against the lizard's rib. "...Me...." The demon wobbled but didn't fall, like a dang Weebol. "...Out here?" "Oh, yeah, sure," Angel said, coming up behind the thing and lopping its head off in a graceful arc. Demon goo spurted and the crowd roared. Angel brandished his sword toward them as the demon stumbled in slo-mo and finally fell. Those things never seemed to just give in gracefully, Gunn thought, wiping ichor out of his eyes. "Thanks," he said. "So, she was okay?" Gunn groaned in exasperation. He leaned his axe against the demon's body and went to stand in front of the other man. "How many times I gotta tell ya?" he asked, taking Angel by the shoulders. "She's fine. She was sorry she missed you. She'll have another vision real soon, and you can talk to her then, okay?" He knew this was hard for Angel. It was hard on all of them. But, dang, the dude had taken it to the limit already. He should just confess his love for the girl. Get it out in the open. Angel sighed forlornly. He kicked the sword with the toe of his scuffed boot. "It's just.... It was the first time she called since she left, and...." He sighed again. Gunn bent to pick up his axe. "Look, man, she'll call again. I guarantee it. Until then, we got stuff to do. Like show Connor the new 'Swordfighter' magazine. I saw it came in the mail today." Angel perked up at that. "Okay," he said. He swung his sword over his shoulder like a farmer with a pitchfork. "Uh, Angel?" Gunn said, wrapping his axe in its cover. "You might want to sheathe that. Don't wanna alarm the locals." Angel looked at Gunn, then at his sword. "Oh, yeah. Right." He stuck it in his coat and drew the fabric close. "Thanks." "Anytime," Gunn said. They turned toward the car and Gunn heard the bar door slam behind them. One demon down, a million more to go. |