Heaven and Hell

It was just after sunset and the moon shone through the clouds forebodingly upon the city below. Serena and the others had returned to Central Park, preparing the trap for the Witch. They were at the site where Azriel had fought the Witch a few short nights ago. They figured that this was the most likely place of where the Witch would appear, or so they hoped.

Each of them had a specific task when the Witch was to arrive. Everything was set, all that was needed now was the Witch. Serena and Li Yung hid silently together in a nearby bush overlooking the clearing. Above them Azriel had stationed himself in a tree opposite to them. From there he had a clear view of the surrounding area. Dalton had just finished the seal in which they intended to capture the Witch. He had come across the seal when researching witches and said that they used it back in the seventeenth century to prevent them from escaping their trials and executions.

Once the Witch was captured, they would find out where Maria and Colleen were being kept and then finish the Witch once and for all. Dalton hid the seal under some fake grass so the Witch would not be able to see it. He joined Serena and Li Yung, his rifle loaded and in hand. All they had to do was wait.

Over an hour had passed when something stirred near them. Serena tensed up even more than she already was, her hands turning white from gripping her guns so tightly. She watched as a little girl came into view, behind her was Maria and Colleen, their arms behind them as though bound, but Serena couldn’t see what was binding them. Both of them looked exhausted and ragged, whatever they had gone through it wasn’t pleasant.

They weren’t the only ones with them however, five hooded figures followed in their wake. Serena couldn’t make out who they were, their faces obscured by the shadows. Unlike Maria and Colleen, they weren’t bound, their hands were inside their sleeves, heads bowed. The girl, who Serena guessed was the Witch halted a few feet away from the seal.

Damn, if she was only a few feet closer we’d have her! Serena thought. She exhaled silently in frustration. She looked over at Li Yung and Dalton and saw in their faces that they felt the same as her. Dalton actually appeared to be paler than usual, his eyes fixed on Maria.

The Witch snapped her fingers and the five hooded ones immediately began to assemble a pile of wood in front of her. Once the task was completed the Witch waved them aside. They took several steps back behind her and knelt on their hands and knees. The hooded ones partly blocked Serena’s view of the Witch and the fire as they were in front of her, backs turned.

The Witch stood by the fire with Colleen and Maria close beside her. She turned to the hooded men and began to glow brightly. Serena had to shield her eyes from the glow. When the light finally faded Serena blinked a few times. When her eyes adjusted she saw standing in the little girl’s spot, a grown woman who somewhat resembled the little girl. Her dark hair was longer and her clothing had changed from a simple white dress to a long black gown with a white collar and a white bonnet to match. She looked as though she was from a different century all together.

“Tonight, the Great Alvora shall be resurrected!” she declared in a smooth voice. “We will offer the virgin as a sacrifice to him and the spare shall be his first meal. After tonight, no one will be able to oppose the Cult of Alvora! We shall lay waste to our enemies and build a world in his image.” The hooded ones cheered.

“For four hundred years I have awaited his return, and now the time has finally come.” She turned to the fire and placed her hand above it.

“We have to do something,” Serena hissed to the other two.

“I’m open to suggestions,” Dalton whispered back.

“Charge out there and hope we can defeat them all?” Serena suggested.

“Not bloody likely. They outnumber us and they have the girls as prisoners. Not to mention the Witch can cast a variety of spells on us, none of which will be very pleasant.” Dalton said.

“We can’t just sit here!”

“Where’s Azriel?” Li Yung asked pointing to the tree where Azriel was positioned. The other two looked over to see that he had disappeared.

“Where did he-” Dalton had began to say when a scream from the Witch interrupted him. There was a long gash on her arm, a shuriken on the ground next to her. The hooded ones had stood up and began shouting angrily in the direction of where Azriel now stood, right in the centre of the seal.

****
Azriel stood his ground as the cultists shouted at him. He knew that he had to somehow lure the Witch into the trap before she summoned Alvora, so he decided to use himself as bait.

“Don’t just stand there you fools! Kill him!” the Witch shouted. From within the folds of their robes they drew long thin swords and charged at Azriel. He did not flinch nor make a move until they were almost upon him. In a sudden rush of movement, he had disarmed and killed the nearest cultist with his own blade. He used the cultist’s sword to parry the strike of another of his attackers. He dodged another swift strike and slashed at his attacker, slicing his stomach. He screamed and keeled over. The remaining three surrounded Azriel, swords pointed at him.

He crouched down, waiting for one to strike at him. After several tense seconds the one on his left tried to attack him, he blocked the blow and delivered a swift punch to the face, knocking him to the side. The cultist behind him tried to surprise Azriel with a slash from behind, but Azriel had twisted out of his reach, behind the cultist he had just punched. He grabbed him and used him as a shield as the third one attempted to attack him, but inadvertently had killed his comrade.

Azriel pushed the body into the one who had killed his shield, knocking him to the ground. He began trading blows with the other one. He was more skilled than the others Azriel noted. The cultist disarmed Azriel and slashed at his abdomen, but he caught only air as Azriel reeled back. The other cultist had gotten up and lunged for Azriel. Azriel spun around the man to his back and jabs him in the side with his fingers. The cultist grunted in pain, giving Azriel time to put some distance between him and the two remaining foes.

He drew a pair of his shuriken and tossed them at his enemies. The one he had just struck in the side got one in the neck, but the last one had parried the shuriken with his blade.
The cultist threw back his hood and glared at Azriel, baring his teeth. His eyes looked strange to Azriel, as if they were covered in fog. Azriel drew his Kusarigama that hung on his back and took a fighting stance. There was a scream from behind him and Azriel saw one of the women being struck by hellfire. He was too late...

****
As Azriel fought against the cultists, Serena sprang from her hiding place and ran towards the Witch, shooting at her. The Witch had seen her leap out however and had shielded herself with magic.

“You again? You were the one who shot my pet!” The Witch exclaimed. A fireball appeared in her hand, she tossed it at Serena who dodged it. It struck the ground harmlessly. The Witch conjured more fireballs and threw them at Serena who dodged them while running towards the Witch. Occasionally she would fire at her, but they were just absorbed by her barrier.

When Serena got closer, the Witch waved her hand and sent Serena flying into a nearby tree. The Witch conjured another fireball and was about to throw it at Serena when another shot was fired from the bush. Dalton had his rifle out and he had begun shooting rapidly at the Witch. She snarled in anger and tossed the fireball in his direction, only to have it deflected by Li Yung, with a swift kick, it was sent right back at the Witch. She had to leap to the side to avoid it.

“How did you do that?” Dalton asked.

“By channelling my chi into my limbs they become strong enough to handle almost anything,” Li Yung replied. He punched the palm of his hand and charged at the Witch with such speed that he was upon her almost instantly.

He punched at her, but only struck her barrier. He struck the barrier rapidly, his fists nothing but blurs. Serena had never seen Li Yung move so fast, it was clear he held back a lot during their sparring matches. The Witch attempted to put some distance between them, but he was too quick for her to get away.

“Why you little brat!” she growled. She aimed a punch at him, but he grabbed her arm and tossed her to the ground. He pinned her to the ground with one knee and was about to finish her off, when tree roots had come to life, ensnaring his arms and legs. He struggled, but could not break free and the roots dragged him off the Witch.

“Struggle all you want, I have reinforced the tree roots using my magic. It’s not the first time I’ve fought against a member of the Fist of Buddha, I know very well how to take care of your kind.” The Witch laughed, slapping Li Yung on the cheek. He glared back at her, baring his teeth, still trying to break free.

Serena had gotten to her feet once again. The Witch was distracted by Li Yung and she knew that she wouldn’t be for long. Serena decided to try and free Maria and Colleen while she had the chance. She turned to Dalton and motioned for him to follow. He jogged over to her, rifle still in hand. Unlike Serena’s weapons, Dalton’s gun used bullets so when he caught up with Serena he reloaded his gun.

“Cover me, I’m going to try and save Colleen and Maria,” she said.

“You got it.” Serena slipped behind some trees and made her way towards the captives. Dalton began firing his rifle rapidly at the Witch. She turned away from the ensnared Li Yung, snarling. She raised her hand and yanked the rifle out of Dalton’s hands with her magic and crumpled his weapon. He drew a knife from a pouch behind him and charged at the Witch, only to be swatted aside like Serena had been just moments ago.

“Such a naughty little boy,” the Witch said. “You shouldn’t be playing with sharp objects, you might poke someone’s eye out.” She cackled as she slowly advanced upon him.

While the Witch was distracted, Serena crept swiftly and silently towards Maria, who was the closest to her. The two women were both on their knees and gagged by a ball of cloth. She removed the gag from her mouth. Maria groaned slightly.

“I’m going to get you out of here,” Serena murmured.
“It’s too late Johnson, just get out of here! Get Father Stephens to send reinforcements!” Maria said.

“We won’t leave you!” Serena replied. She looked at Maria’s hands, contemplating on how to free her from her invisible bondage.

“You’ll never be able to free us from the bonds, only a spellcaster can do it.”
“Just watch me!” Serena gathered her chi, but instead of into her weapons, she channelled it into her forefinger. She imagined her chi forming a blade around it. There was a faint outline of energy on the tip of her finger. She placed it on where she thought the bonds were and touched them lightly. There was a faint snap and Maria’s wrists broke free!

“How did-” Maria never got the chance to finish her sentence as a tree root wrapped around her suddenly. Serena too found herself wrapped up by tree roots. The Witch stood before them, glowering. Behind her Dalton lay on the slumped on the ground, blood running down the left side of his head. Whether he was dead or just unconscious Serena couldn’t tell.

“I have had enough of you and your little friends,” she spat. “It is time to get down to business.” She strode over to the fire and placed her hand over it again.

“Great Alvora I call thy name, hear my cry and come to me! I call upon thee from the depths of Hell to rise, rise, rise!” The flames grew in intensity at as she spoke.

“Have you brought me a virgin woman of God? One with great beauty and a strong mind?” a voice said, sounding as though it was someone whispering in Serena’s ear.

“Yes I have great Alvora. I have found three potential sacrifices for you to choose from.” The Witch replied, bowing her head.

“You have done well Witch. Luckily, one is in fact a virgin.” A jet of flame parted from the rest of the fire, encircling it. The jet rose high, high into the air, passed the trees almost to the clouds. It came down so fast that Serena couldn’t even see where it was going. There was a scream from Maria as the jet struck Colleen in the chest, killing her. Everything seemed to be frozen in that instant, Colleen’s face contorted in agony, Maria’s scream hanging in the air, the Witch laughing in triumph, Li Yung and Serena gazing helplessly at Colleen. They were too late.