As the midnight hour passed, a bright sphere of light suddenly appeared under the train bridge next to the damaged Prius, casting an eerie glow over the tragic scene. As the light faded, it left Charlie and Cassie standing there, their faces filled with shared wonder.
Charlie wore her favorite red jacket over a fresh black T-shirt and a new pair of ripped blue jeans, while Cassie had chosen a blue blouse since the green one she had given to Charlie was soaking in her kitchen sink.
"It worked," Charlie whispered, her alabaster face cast in awe.
"How did you do this?" Cassie inquired, adjusting a small black satchel on her shoulder.
She paused for a moment. "I think it's similar to picturing something and bringing it to me." Charlie sniffled at the memory as she explained, "I never considered trying it before, but when I was holding Angel, feeling his blood, and his body growing cold—" She had to pause again when a sudden flash of him dying in her arms choked her.
Placing her hand on Charlie's shoulder, Cassie gave it a gentle squeeze, silently urging her to keep going.
Covering her hand gratefully, Charlie swallowed. "Thank you." She continued her explanation. "Anyway, all I could think about was how desperately we needed you. I wanted us home; it was all I could envision—your apartment. I was panicking, Cassie! Then I felt my power surge, and the next thing I heard was your voice, and we were there." Looking around momentarily before resting her gaze on Cassie, she finished. "And since I'd already been here, it was easy to visualize it and teleport back."
"Honestly, I wasn't sure I wanted to try it," Cassie said as she felt a tingling sensation along her skin, similar to goose bumps, likely from the residual effects of the trip. She grimaced. "But I need to get the car out of here before the police come poking around."
Humming absentmindedly, Charlie agreed.
Cassie glanced at her. "Charlie?"
Her demonic voice seeped out, coating her words. "I can still smell it." Clearing her throat, Charlie pointed west. "Even though it's been a couple of hours, its aroma is still strong." She licked her lips, eager to begin the hunt. "I'll be able to find it easily."
Cassie tightened her grip on Charlie's shoulder, worried. "Be careful, sweetie. Please."
"I promise." She nodded and looked over toward the bridge. "Will you be able to get your car out of here?"
Cassie approached the front of her Prius and assessed the damage: "The front's crushed in and the radiator's busted. I'll have to nurse it home if it even starts."
"Try," Charlie suggested as she crouched, poised with shoulders hunched, much like a lioness stalking its prey. Her claws dug through the grass as her eyes narrowed. She felt her instincts to hunt rising. "If it doesn't, I'm taking you home before I find that thing!"
When Cassie attempted to open the driver's side door, mindful of the broken glass, it didn't budge. "Charlie? Can you?"
Nodding, Charlie stepped past her, grasped the door's rim, and pulled. The creaking metal protested loudly but yielded to her demon strength.
"I don't know what I'm going to tell my insurance company." Cassie sighed as she wiped the remaining safety-glass fragments off the seat and onto the floorboard.
Satisfied that it was clean enough, she slid in and dropped her satchel onto the other seat. A quick glance at the dashboard showed her the key was still in the slot, so she wouldn't need the spare she had brought.
Pressing the brake, she pushed the start button, and the car came to life, shuddering in protest but functioning nonetheless. Shifting into reverse, Cassie slowly pressed the brake and then the accelerator, causing the front end of the car to pull away from the concrete pillar.
Charlie stepped back onto the grass to give her room to maneuver the vehicle out from under the bridge. Once the car cleared it, Cassie stopped and looked out the window. "I think I can get it home. It's late enough that there's little traffic to worry about."
Even though she was eager to start the hunt, Charlie knew that she couldn't concentrate if she worried about Cassie's safety. She expressed her concern. "The scent's still strong. I can follow you home first."
"I'm going to be fine." She emphasized, "And I have my powders in my bag." After a short pause, Cassie added, "Though I'd feel better if you changed your mind and just came home with me."
Charlie released a quiet breath. "If I don't hunt this thing down tonight, none of us will be safe—not at home, not anywhere."
"Be safe, please. No stupid shit, okay? Kevin will kill me if I let anything happen to you."
Charlie fixed her gaze on Cassie and spoke in a firm tone. "I'm coming home to Angel. To you. I promise."
"I'm going to hold you to that." Cassie tried to smile, but couldn't.
Nodding, Charlie slipped off her jacket and handed it to Cassie, who took it and dropped it onto the passenger seat. Pausing to look at it with concern, Cassie turned worriedly and held her hand out the window.
Charlie grasped her hand and squeezed reassuringly. "Drive safe." She then stepped back away from the car. Home was less than four miles away, and Charlie was confident she'd make it.
Turning back to peer into the darkness where the demon had gone, she took a deep breath of the night's warm air. Slowly licking her lips, a faint smile touched the corners of her mouth as Charlie caught a whiff of fear from the demon. This made her wonder how Angel had injured it enough to drive it away. It was a question she would need to ask him later. For now, the only thing that mattered to her was finding and killing it.
She closed her eyes, summoned her power, and felt her wings spread along her back. They now came to her easily, leaving Charlie to wonder what had changed in her to unleash this new power. She shivered at the warm, calming sensations that accompanied their arrival, so different from the itch that had come before. Charlie flexed her shoulder muscles and let the wings lift her into the air, soaring high above.
Angel would probably scold her for exposing herself like this, but rolling clouds hid the moon, and the shadows dominated, obscuring her presence. When she climbed high enough to clear the trees, becoming a tiny speck in the sky, she turned toward the demon's direction and took off in pursuit.
Nestled between the crooks of a large cypress tree, half-submerged in the swamp's dark water to soothe his burning blood, Rygen growled deeply while he licked at the wound caused by Angel's bullet. Digging his teeth into his tough, fleshy skin, he bit around the bullet and forcefully ripped it out, then spit it away. Hot blood dripped into the brackish waters, sizzling on contact, and he cursed Angel for his injuries.
However, the hellhound had inflicted enough damage to know he had delivered a fatal blow and anticipated the human would succumb to his wounds shortly. This provided some relief from the pain of his injuries, and his lips curled upwards with satisfaction.
That feeling was quelled when he turned his thoughts to the discovery he'd made from the thick, sharp, familiar scent of the Morningstar on Angel's body. The demon that Samedi desired was Lucifer's royal daughter, a fact that frightened him beyond reasoning. Bound to Samedi, he had no choice but to carry out the Master's command, which meant he'd have to fight her, try to subdue her, and bring her to him.
Despite his nerves, he had to chuckle. Samedi was a fool to want to possess the princess, because if Lucifer ever found her, he would tear the master's flesh apart. Despite the generally benign nature of the King of Hell, all demon kind knew never to mess with his family.
Why have you not come to collect your spawn, mighty king? Rygen mused silently. Rumors of her disappearance have been persistent throughout Hell for some time. Can it be that she is hidden from your vast power?
He blinked and lifted his head suddenly, pulled from his thoughts. His nostrils flared at the draft of pheromones that swept in with the westerly breeze, and he realized that the princess was approaching him. This was unexpected, as she was known in Hell as a pacifist, one of the altruistic types. As far as he knew, she had never seen battle before.
Rygen flexed his claws to grip the tree, climbing up the cypress trunk until he cleared the marsh. He perked up his ears, closed his eyes, and focused solely on the sounds and smells of the swamp, trying to pinpoint her location. For the first time in his life, Rygen felt fear—something he would never admit to another soul.
In his condition, he couldn't outpace her to lead her to Samedi, so he had no choice but to hold his ground. If he could subdue her, he could drag her to his master as he pleased. But if he couldn't, he would have to endure the punishment of the binding spell and possibly kill her. Otherwise, she would become the orchestrator of his demise. Self-preservation overcame the pain of the bind, and tensing every muscle, he dug his claws into the bark and waited.
Once she had pinpointed the demon's scent hidden in the swamp, roughly thirty miles from the bridge, Charlie tucked her wings away and transformed into the version of herself that felt the most feral and least human. Her body became more liquid and graceful in this form, allowing her to move swiftly and quietly among the trees.
In this form, she bounded from tree to tree with ease. Her long, sharp fingers sinking into each tree's bark before she pushed away to propel herself to the next. For a brief moment, Charlie envisioned herself as the spider hero from the action movies Angel had shown her, and her spirit felt just a little lighter.
Shaking herself back to focus, she inhaled the swamp's scents, searching for the demon's location. Charlie could practically taste its aroma as it wafted along the gentle breeze, making her lips tingle. The fact that its pungent scent was growing stronger indicated she was getting close, signaling that it was time to put her plan into action.
Folding her power in, she morphed into her hybrid human-demon form and landed on a tree. Gripping the side of it with her claws, she leaned sharply away from the trunk and took a deep whiff of the sour air. Opening her demon eyes as wide as she could, she absorbed the quarter moon's sparse light as it peeked from behind the shifting clouds.
"I know you're out there," Charlie hissed loudly, hoping the demon heard her, "and I know you want me. Here I am."
The symphony of nightlife responded, but she heard more than just that in the mixture of sounds. She picked up the distinct tell of raspy breathing and splashing water behind the cypress trees to her left, some seventy feet away. Charlie knew she'd gotten its attention.
Provoke it, Cassie had instructed.
Sneering, she hurled her insults into the darkness. "You failed, by the way. Angel lives!" Charlie continued with a mocking sneer. "You are a pathetic excuse for a demon. Can't even kill one little human."
"You lie!" An angry voice volleyed back to her.
Her gaze focused on the source, and she smiled wickedly. "Do you hear lies in my voice, demon scum?"
Loud splashing met her response, accompanied by another furious retort. "The name's Rygen, bitch! You'll be screaming it when I eat you!"
She caught the phrasing and decided to have a bit of fun with it. "I doubt you'd know how to do it right. I'd probably just lie there, bored."
"What!?" Rygen balked, "That isn't what I…fucking bitch! You think this is funny!?"
"Lil' bit," Charlie smirked, lazily swinging her body as she held onto the tree, hoping he would notice how little she seemed to take him seriously.
More splashing indicated to her that he was approaching slowly, clearly looking for a favorable angle to attack. "You won't find it funny when I tear you apart and lick up your blood."
"You're just a puppy." She grasped the tree with both hands and quickly climbed to a higher vantage point. "One that's ready to be neutered."
"You have no idea who you're up against!"
"Pfft." Charlie let out a mocking laugh, "I'm the Princess of Hell, and I don't take shit from other demons!"
"Oh, it won't be shit you'll be taking from me, cunt!" Rygen glowered, his upper lip quivering with his snarl.
"Eww. You keep making these sex jokes, and it's sketchy as fuck what your actual intentions are. Total creepazoid vibes!" She winced, scolding herself. You've been watching too many movies, girl. Get serious!
"My master may want you alive, but he didn't specify what condition. You want to play this game, then I'll show you who the dominant demon really is!"
"Ha!" Narrowing her eyes, Charlie noticed the water ripple about thirty feet away and below her. "You couldn't get it up enough to finish the kill earlier." She searched for another, more aggravating insult: "I'd peg you as more of a power bottom!"
"BITCH! I'll bring you to Samedi in pieces!"
"Then stop wasting time, puppy. I'm falling asleep up here!"
She flinched at Rygen's roar of rage as he rammed into the tree she was perched on. The impact was stronger than Charlie had expected. It caused her to lose her grip with one clawed hand and forced her to dig her hooves into the bark of the trunk to steady herself. She looked down to see him scurrying up from below.
Lunging for her, he brought his meaty, clawed paw down upon her, but Charlie was ready. Conjuring her Bō, she knocked his paw away. Quickly, she hopped to a tree nearby to create some distance. Grasping it with her free claw, Charlie swung around to the other side, placing the trunk between her and Rygen.
Hefting the weapon, she grinned; he was much easier to rile than she had thought. Now, Charlie just had to get him to lose control and go feral completely. "Come on, Rygie-baby, you can do much better than that." She teased as she peered around the trunk and blew him a raspberry.
Roaring again, he pushed with his powerful hind legs, easily covering the distance between the trees, and slammed into the one she was clutching to. This tree was thinner, and the impact cracked the trunk, splitting it down the center. Sensing that her weight might bring the whole thing down upon her, Charlie tried to leap away, but Rygen was quicker.
As she tried to realign to jump, Charlie was distracted enough for him to strike. She screamed when she felt his claws rake down her left leg, and panic took over. Going invisible, Charlie launched herself to another tree, misjudged the distance, and splashed hard into the murky, marshy waters below. The impact knocked her weapon from her hand, and she hit her head on some thick limbs protruding from the rippling water.
Shit! Charlie squeezed her eyes tight. Get up! Get Up!
Alarms screamed through her mind as she tried to regain her senses from the blow to her head. Coughing up the dirty water she had swallowed, she chastised herself for underestimating Rygen. Pain ripped through her back as she felt his body slam into her. His incredible sense of smell and the splashing water guided him to her, sending them both underwater.
Trapped beneath the surface, Charlie's lungs burned as muddy water filled her nose and mouth. Rygen's massive weight pressed down on her, his claws digging into her shoulders as he tried to pin her to the swamp floor. She could feel his hot breath against her neck even underwater, his jaws snapping dangerously close to her throat.
Fighting the urge to panic, Charlie remembered Cassie's training. Think, don't just react. She stopped struggling against his grip and instead went limp, letting her body sink deeper into the muck. The sudden change caught Rygen off guard, and his hold loosened just enough for her to twist sideways and rake her claws across his exposed belly.
The hellhound's roar of pain sent bubbles exploding through the murky water. Charlie used his moment of distraction to kick off the submerged cypress trunk with both hooves, propelling herself upward and away from his grasp.
Gasping and choking, Charlie barely had time to clear her vision before Rygen burst from the swamp like a nightmare emerging from the depths. Water cascaded off his massive frame as he lunged at her with renewed fury, but she was ready this time.
"My turn, asshole!" she snarled, conjuring twin blasts of demon fire that streaked through the night air like crimson comets. The first blast caught him square in the chest, singeing his dark fur and sending him crashing back into the water with a tremendous splash.
But Rygen recovered quickly, his yellow eyes blazing with murderous intent. He began circling her in the water, moving like a predator stalking its prey. "You think your little light show impresses me, princess? I've been bathing in hellfire since before you were spawned!"
Charlie tracked his movement, rotating slowly to keep him in sight. The water around them began to churn as he picked up speed, creating a whirlpool that threatened to drag her under. She spread her arms for balance, calling upon her powers to stay afloat.
"Getting dizzy yet?" Rygen taunted as he continued his circular assault. Without warning, he changed direction, diving underwater and disappearing from view.
The sudden silence was more terrifying than his roars had been. Charlie's head swiveled frantically, trying to spot him in the dark water. Ripples moved in conflicting directions, masking his location. Her heart hammered against her ribs as seconds stretched like hours.
A massive eruption directly beneath her sent Charlie flying through the air. Rygen had shot up from the depths like a breaching whale, his jaws wide open and reaching for her. She twisted in midair, barely avoiding his snapping teeth, and landed hard on a partially submerged log.
"Almost had you that time," he growled, circling the log like a shark. "But I'm just getting started, little princess."
Charlie crouched on the unstable surface, her mind racing. The log was slippery and rotting, giving her little traction. She needed to change the dynamics of this fight, get him out of his element. An idea began to form.
"You know what your problem is, Rygie?" she called out, deliberately using the nickname that had enraged him before. "You're predictable. All teeth and no brains."
"I'll show you teeth!" He launched himself at the log, but Charlie was already on the move. She leaped straight up just as his massive jaws clamped down on empty wood. The log splintered under his bite, sending splinters flying in every direction.
Latching onto a tree, Charlie rained down precise blasts of demon fire, each one finding its mark on Rygen's exposed back and shoulders. He howled in frustration, thrashing in the water below as he tried to reach her.
"Stand still and fight, coward!" he roared.
"Why would I give up the advantage?" Charlie replied, perched just out of reach. "Didn't anyone ever teach you to adapt?"
She dove suddenly, claws aiming for his head. At the last second, Rygen twisted and caught her leg in his powerful jaws. The crushing pressure sent waves of agony through her body as his teeth punctured her flesh, adding to the already marred skin from his earlier assault.
Charlie screamed but didn't panic this time. Instead, she grabbed his ears and used them as leverage to twist her body around, bringing her free leg up to kick him squarely in his wounded eye. The impact devastated him, forcing his head to snap back, and he released her leg with a pained yelp.
Both combatants separated, breathing heavily as they faced each other across the churning water. Charlie's badly mauled leg oozed, blood streaming down into the murky swamp. Rygen's left eye was swollen shut, and burns covered much of his body from her fire attacks.
"Not so easy when your prey fights back, is it?" Charlie panted, struggling to stay afloat. "Stick to being a vulture picking at scraps, puppy, and leave hunting to real demons!"
Rygen's rampage reached its peak. He slammed his massive body against tree after tree, trying to bring them down on top of her. The ancient cypresses groaned and cracked under the assault, one finally toppling with a tremendous crash that sent waves surging through the marsh.
Charlie used the chaos to her advantage, staying mobile and striking when opportunities presented themselves. She was learning his patterns, understanding how his rage made him telegraphically announce his attacks. When he charged, she was already moving. When he lunged, she scaled the trees like a lithe monkey. When he tried to circle, she broke the pattern with unexpected aggression.
The battle became a deadly dance of predator and prey, but gradually, inexorably, Charlie began to gain the upper hand. The sustained combat was taking its toll on both of them, but Rygen's earlier wounds from Angel were hampering his stamina.
"Getting tired, puppy?" Charlie taunted as she landed on another fallen tree, this one providing a more stable platform.
Rygen's response was to charge with everything he had left, abandoning all strategy in favor of brute force. It was exactly what Charlie had been waiting for.
She thrust her fingers forward, releasing a blast of demon fire that grazed him on his right flank beneath his massive, muscular foreleg. The searing pain only seemed to fuel the hellhound's anger. Shooting his massive claw forward, he snagged her flowing black seaweed hair and jerked her head back.
"Where are you going, bitch!?" He growled throatily, a raspy laugh gargled by water spilling from his large canine lips as he dragged her back against him.
Rygen immediately regretted this as he felt her claws thrust against his ribs and pierce his chest. Sharp teeth came down on his wounded shoulder, and he screamed in surprise. That bitch BIT ME!
He responded in kind, twisting his neck and chomping down on her arm that had its nails glued to his chest, his teeth slicing through her flesh. The taste of her royal blood was intoxicating, but their shared agony was too much. Both cried out in pain and pushed against each other to break contact.
Rygen coughed, tasting her blood on his lips, and made a show of licking it up. "Puppy's got your blood now, bitch!"
"Got you in kind!" Charlie hissed and scooted back a bit while clutching her mangled arm, struggling against the burning tears in her eyes.
He eyed her as she backed against the broken tree. "You're not as tough as you think you are! You look quite the mess!"
"Look in the mirror, asshole!" Her voice shook with pain.
"I'm sick of your attitude." Rygen moved in the water, lining up for a final strike. "Do you think I don't know what you're doing? Goading me? I admit that at first it worked, but the tug of the bind has reminded me. No. You will come with me, princess, and meet your new master."
Charlie shot out another blast of fire, but he easily ducked, the blast striking a tree twenty yards behind him. His elevated position gave him the advantage, and she noticed his upper shoulder muscles tense, indicating he was about to strike.
She wanted Samedi, yes, but not in her current condition. He might succeed in binding her in this state, so Charlie knew she needed to end this now. Rygen would just have to die.
Swallowing, she went limp against the tree behind her and exaggerated her fears, laying them on thick. "Please. I yield! Don't hurt me anymore. You're better than I am! I… I'll go with you."
His lips curled into a smile. Oh, this is too good to be true; not only have I won, but she admits I'm better! Oh, how delicious she will taste in my mouth now. Aloud, he chortled, "Oh yes, you will. But in pieces! Now you'll see who the power bottom really is!"
Tightening the muscles in his hind legs, Rygen lunged at full speed, aiming to break her spine. It wouldn't kill her, but it would immobilize her so he could drag her limp body back to Samedi. In the split second he pounced, imagining his victory, he did not quite understand what he saw before him. Large, feathery wings unfurled behind the princess, and his eyes tracked her as she launched vertically into the air above him.
Distracted and awestruck by the sight, he forgot about the tree she had been leaning against until he crashed into it. His impact broke the trunk in two, causing the top half to tumble over.
Rygen tried to scramble away, but the mud and water gave him little grip. He cried out in pain as the tree fell on him, trapping him between it and the murky water below. Squirming to keep his head above the water, he could only watch in fear as Charlie conjured her weapon again. This time, however, he caught a glimpse of a silver metallic spearhead adorning the tip.
Eyes glowing a bright crimson, her lips curled upwards in a violent snarl. Charlie screeched as she came barreling down on him. "Die, asshole!"
He twisted his torso in vain, hoping to dodge the attack, only to cry out sharply as the spear's blade-like tip plunged deep into his side. Searing agony exploded through him, and Rygen let out a roar that was heard up to twenty miles away.
The spear sank deep between his ribs, and he knew very well that she'd dealt a mortal blow. Weakness wrapped around him like a suffocating shroud as his body started to sink under the swamp's grip. He tried to swat at her legs, but the bitch had mounted herself on his back in a spot he couldn't reach. For a brief moment, he admired her flank attack. She was far more trained than he had expected.
Suddenly, Rygen felt his body start to fade, pulling him away as if he had been summoned again. Was he returning to hell? Did the binding spell break? He could only hope. Twisting his head toward her, he spat bloody saliva into Charlie's face. "I'll see you in Hell, bitch!"
Wiping her face of his spittle, she witnessed his body transform into a black, smoky mist, causing her spear to sink into the muck below. "You better hope you don't, 'cause I'll just kill you again!" Charlie hissed, flexing her wings to take to the air as he faded away.
Rising about twenty feet into the air, she held steady as the bubbling water settled, signaling that the hellhound was truly gone. Charlie stayed aloft until she no longer had the strength. Exhausted, she landed hard and yelped, her wounded leg crumpling under her.
Dropping her spear, Charlie grasped onto the jagged stump of the tree for support. Leaning heavily against it, she sank slowly into the water until she was waist-deep. Shifting her eyes to the muck where Rygen had been moments before, her pain was momentarily forgotten as she realized she had won! She had lured him into a false sense of security, tricked him, and triumphed.
Taking a shuddering breath, she whispered, "Thank you, Cassie."
However, that moment of euphoria faded, along with the adrenaline that had powered her, and intense pain took over, causing her to wince sharply. Her leg and arm were badly lacerated, her body bruised all over, and muscles she never knew she had throbbed painfully. All of this was made worse by the sting of the realization that she had to give up hunting Samedi for now.
She fought to slow her breathing as she pulled herself out of the swamp muck onto the broken cypress stump and slumped among the splintered wood. The pain radiating along her leg drew her eyes down her body, where Charlie saw blood seeping from her mud-covered leg.
Feeling weak from the loss, she realized that if she used her healing power now, she wouldn't have the strength to teleport for a while, and she was too exhausted to fly. Not confident that Rygen was truly dead or that another demon might have been summoned, Charlie decided returning home first was the best idea.
Closing her eyes, she thought about Cassie's apartment, visualized it, and summoned what power she had left. With a flash of white light, she vanished with a soft pop, leaving only the chorus of the swamp's nightlife behind.