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Chapter 236: Summerlands
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Warrior of the Way Chapter 237: Summerlands
:Warrior, you might as well tell your mother what happened to her son,: Kree sent to Rhychard and Renny. :She already saw enough to warrant an explanation. It may very well make your life a little easier if your family knows.::You don't know my mother. It could very well make things worse.: Still, Rhychard knew he would have to tell his parents about Renny being alive sooner or later, and thanks to her intrusion, she had forced the timing. However, how much of the rest of his world could he safely reveal?Renny watched him, her hands clasped in front of her on the table. "Kree is right," she said. "We need to tell her.""I assume I'm the her to which you refer," Catherine said, her tone tinged with annoyance. "Who is Kree?"Rhychard pointed to the coshey. "Kree is that giant furball on my loveseat. He's a coshey, or as some would say, an elven hound. He's been my partner in all this since the beginning." Rhychard found himself smiling as he stared at the silvery coshey. "He's saved my
Warrior of the Way Chapter 238: Summerlands
Until they had answers, there wasn't anything else for the witches to do but wait, not an area where Laci excelled. Once she had reached Jayden, her sister filled her in on everything Laci missed while she ventured into in the Summerlands. Not only had the next demon come through, possessing Wanda, which Laci could not prevent, now both took refuge under the Harbor City Causeway waiting for the other demons. Demons now possessed two of the five witches, and Laci wanted nothing more than to return to the Summerlands and rip Baltabek apart. She sighed as she stared out her sister's passenger window. She tried doing just that, and the only thing that happened was Baltabek tossing her around like a rag doll while sizzling Rose with his red coils of power. Laci had failed, and because of her failure, a demon now controlled Wanda. She simply made the situation worse. Perhaps it's a good thing, then, that I'm giving up on being a witch.Since they could not do anything at the moment—Tansy and
Warrior of the Way Chapter 239: Summerlands
Standing in the doorway a moment before entering, Laci soaked in the small room where she lived for the past couple of months. Small, boring curtains covered the one window against the back wall, the full-sized bed wore a simple cover, and the dresser was bare except for a brush and a couple of bracelets she bought with her first paycheck from Bertram Leary. The walls remained bare of pictures or posters, empty, almost like her life at present. She stepped into the room and opened the closet. She could drape the clothes that hung there over one arm and still not be weighted down. She only owned three pair of shoes, a pair of black heels, the sandals on her feet, and a pair of tennis shoes. She glanced over at her sister. "We may have brought too many boxes."~ ~ ~ ~ ~Rhychard watched Laci walk back to her bedroom, a sadness filling his chest. Laci stood by him when he confronted Renny about his life, and fought alongside him when they faced Vargas, stabbing the demon through the bac
Warrior of the Way Chapter 240: Summerlands
Alex Barrister stood hidden among the palms that lined the Indian River, staring at his best friend, Kayla, underneath the bridge as she talked with Wanda. Or rather, as two demons conversed with each other using his friends' bodies. Tansy gave him explicit orders to just observe the demons' activity and not to intervene, but he needed to find a way to save Kayla. She was his best friend, perhaps even more than a best friend. He wasn't sure, but it seemed as if things changed between them lately, more romantic, more…intimate. Either way, he couldn't just sit back and do nothing while a demon stole her body. They were witches for crying out loud. They should be able to do something. Anything.The darkness of night slowly shifted to a bright morning, the briny tang of the river strong as the morning breeze blew across the water, small ripples of waves smacking the boulders that lined the shore. Early morning fishermen arrived, taking up their favorite spots and casting out into the calm
Warrior of the Way Chapter 241: Summerlands
Early morning commuters, college kids, and senior citizens enjoying their morning caffeine fix packed Common Grounds this morning. Rhychard took a long sip of his coffee—-black, strong, and blistering. Setting the cup back on the table, he stared out at the morning traffic as it passed back and forth on Main Street, easing their way to school or work. Rhychard envied them the normalcy of their morning.The sun climbed over the downtown area, chasing away the night's shadows and bringing a clean slate to another day. Too bad my slate is still full from yesterday, Rhychard thought as he took a deep breath of the morning air."Penny for your thoughts," Renny said before she took a sip of her breakfast tea. He glanced over at her, looking at her purse and then down at her feet, but gnomes appeared. "I was wondering how people would react if they knew a couple of demons stood just down the road from them." He glanced under the table, but still no tiny men. "Where are your bodyguards?"Renn
Warrior of the Way Chapter 242: Summerlands
Alex heard the screams along with the screeching of tires just before cars hit each other as he climbed out from under the bridge. The commotion sounded as if it came from the downtown area on the other side of Washington Street, and Alex started racing toward the noise, choosing to leave his car behind with everything he had heard so far coming from downtown. He feared what he would find once he reached the chaos.As he reached the crosswalk leading from the business section of Washington Street to the downtown area on the other side of Washington Street, people poured out of the small strip of stores, running as fast as they could, jerking their gazes over their shoulders to make sure nothing pursued them. In the intersection of Washington and Main, several cars sat twisted together, fiberglass bumpers shattered, metal caved in and twisted. Traffic backed up in both directions, some cars abandoned as people either fled or stood and gawked trying to figure out what freaked everyone ou
Warrior of the Way Chapter 243: Summerlands
Laci stood there staring at the bare top of her dresser, arms over her waist, wallowing in her self-pity of having kept no possessions over the past eight years to show she had even walked the Earth. Okay, so that wasn't exactly true. She owned a few things at one point, but Jerome did a good job of destroying those when she wouldn't return to his stable of prostitutes. In the interim, there wasn't much of a chance to replace much outside of a toothbrush and some lipstick, and truth be told, Rhychard bought those for her. Another reason she needed out of the world of the supernatural; it left no time for a life.Hearing a shuffling behind her, she turned and watched as her mother walked into her room, her arms ladened down with a large box. "I know some of this is probably too childish for you now," her mother said. "But, I never could bring myself to throw any of this away, hoping you'd return to us one day." She set the box down on the foot of the bed and then turned to face Laci, re
Warrior of the Way Chapter 244: Summerlands
Jayden had a sad smile on her face. "I remember when Dad gave you that. It was your sixteenth birthday, a couple of months before you left."Laci swiped at her eyes with the palm of her hand. "I left it here thinking I didn't deserve to wear it, knowing what I would do to him when I ran away."Jayden nodded. "I get that." She reached in and pulled out a dirty-white teddy bear, holding it in her lap as she examined it without really looking at it. "He spent months searching for you, calling the cops several times a day, showing up at their offices demanding results. He was determined you wouldn't have left on your own, that someone must have kidnapped you." She glanced up at her sister, her own eyes filled with tears. "In a way, he was right. You were kidnapped, forced to leave against your will." She took a deep breath, straightening her back. "He'd be proud of who you've become," she said with a proud smile of her own curving up her lips. "It's taken a lot of guts to stand up to the t
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Warrior of the Way Chapter 263: Summerlands
While their mother piddled in the kitchen fixing them a plate of fajitas, the Valentine sisters sat on the living room sofa, legs folded under them. Maria Valentine put most of the house back in order after Baltabek's attack, but the destruction remained obvious to Laci. She held tight to her sister ever since the Summerlands, scared to let her go. Jayden, of course, fussed at her to stop being a mother hen.Once everyone arrived back at Rhychard's Thinking Rock, a place Renny decided would cause the least amount of sightseers, the witches and Famallumi returned to the Murky Cauldron while Rhychard placed a still-weak Jayden in the back of Laci's car. The eldest Valentine wasted no time or words as she headed straight for home."I almost lost you," Laci said. "I don't know what I would have done if that happened.""Probably moved into my room since it's the biggest," Jayden said with a shrug."That's not even funny," Laci snapped, shoving Jayden's hand away from her in disgust.Jayden
Warrior of the Way Chapter 262: Summerlands
Rhychard wasn't sure what he hit, but he found himself spinning backward, the Guardian Sword leaving his hand as he hit the ground with a hard thud, the air whooshing out of his lungs. Scrambling to his feet, a pain tugging at the back of his head from where he hit the ground, the first thing he noticed was Laci sprawled on top of Kree. Renny! He jerked his attention around until he saw her still gripping Jayden's arm as both women lay stretched out on the grass. However, he didn't see the wall he ran into, knocking him back on his ass. Another glance around, and he noticed the salt circle and the three witches sitting on the ground, eyes closed as they chanted. An older man he didn't recognize stood behind Wanda, his face a mask of admiration.A groan alerted Rhychard to Baltabek stirring, and Rhychard lunged for his sword. The demon moved faster, however, and shot a burst of his demonic power at the Warrior, knocking him back against the invisible barrier, the air he just managed to
Warrior of the Way Chapter 261: Summerlands
Rhychard heard screams, but he couldn't tell whose or where they originated. They might have even been his for all he knew. Pieces of the broken table jabbed him in his back and legs, and he felt blood making a trail down his side. Groaning, he tried to sit up. He must get up. Renny needed his protection as did his parents.:Warrior, Baltabek is heading to your home,: Kree sent. Rhychard could hear the elven hound moving toward him through their connection. :He hid among the woods along the creek.:"Rhychard!" Renny shouted, and then he felt her hands on his arms along with someone else's on his other side.:Well, he knows how to make an entrance.: Rhychard sent.He could hear shouts of panic coming from the parking lot and other apartments, people screaming at the sudden explosion.Glancing up, he noticed the other set of hands helping him to his feet belonged to his father. His mother stood by the sofa, her face pinched with concern, and Tryna picked herself up off the floor from whe
Warrior of the Way Chapter 260: Summerlands
Tansy walked over to where Alex's backpack lay on the ground from where the gnome dropped it when they first entered the Summerlands, pulling out the container of salt that rolled halfway out. As she stood, she couldn't take her gaze off the dark pack, remembering its owner and how far he came since walking into the Murky Cauldron that first day. Her heart twisted, and she did her best to keep the tears at bay. She didn't know how much time they had, so she needed to make sure she completed the barrier spell before Renny arrived with Baltabek.Kayla and Wanda sat off to the side, Kayla with her arms wrapped around her knees as she stared at the last spot she saw Alex, and Wanda absorbing her surroundings. Since the demons had been cast out of the Summerlands, the dank grayish color slowly faded away, replaced once more by the lush greens and vibrant colors of the flowers that filled the Land of the Dead. They had even seen the return of some of those who had already passed on from the
Warrior of the Way Chapter 259: Summerlands
"Mom! Dad. What are you doing here?" Rhychard just stood there, staring. He didn't need this right now."Your father thought I was crazy," Catherine Bartlett said. "He even made sure I didn't have any hidden wine bottles anywhere. Empty wine bottles, that is. I had to drag him here to see for himself.""You're alive," Rhychard's father said as he stood there and stared at Renny, his brows bunched in disbelief. "How is this even possible?"Rhychard sighed. "I've discovered just about anything is possible these days.""Hello, Mr. Bartlett," Renny said as she casually closed her purse, hiding the gnomes from sight for now. Catherine didn't handle them well last time, and Renny didn't know how Rhychard's father would react. "I'm sorry we didn't come over and tell you. We've just been…well, we've had our hands full."James Bartlett swooped in, wrapping his arms around Renny and giving her the tightest bear hug she ever had. "I can imagine you have," he told her, his voice filled with enthus
Warrior of the Way Chapter 258: Summerlands
Rhychard watched as Renny gathered up the other Warriors and returned them to the Guardian Sword, only to reappear a moment later with Pux on her shoulder. Laci paced the entire time until Renny returned, eager to be on her way to protecting her sister. With the bridges gone, she had no other way back to the Land Above than Renny. None of them did, actually. Rhychard ran a hand over his long, dark hair, worried about what they would find when they arrived in the Valentine household, concerned for his brother, just as Laci showed concern for her sister.Tansy still stood off to the side, holding a sobbing Kayla and a shaking Wanda. Both witches shifted back to normal once the demons left them, but still wore the wear and tear from the possession. Rhychard hoped they would continue to heal with time, at least physically. He highly doubted Kayla would heal emotionally anytime soon considering her hands snapped Alex's neck even though the demon controlled her. That would be a heavy weight
Warrior of the Way Chapter 257: Summerlands
Karl stood there, still not sure what he should be doing or even what was actually happening. He saw what those demons did to downtown. He couldn't possibly stop one if it showed up now and took over Jayden's body. Glancing over at Famallumi, he wondered just how much power the elves possessed. Gormec seemed to always have his giant hammer nearby, and while Karl had seen its power before, was it enough to stop the demons? There were only five of them against a demon like the ones who killed a witch and almost defeated his brother, the Warrior. Karl didn't particularly care for his odds."How do you feel?" he asked Jayden, his hands over his chest."I'd feel better if you'd stop staring at me like I'm about to go off my meds," Jayden snapped."How about I go and fix us all some lemonade?" Jayden's mother suggested. "It'll give us something to do while we wait for the others.""Do we even know they're going to be here?" Gormec asked, leaning on the handle of his hammer. "It's been longer
Warrior of the Way Chapter 256: Summerlands
The witches continued to shout their chant, their power strengthened with their success. Baltabek sent a blast toward them, but Rhychard blocked it and hurled the power at the demon's feet, the ground exploding and shoving Baltabek up and backward into the air. The other Warriors quickly pressed their attack while the demon lay on the ground.Kayla let out a wail, slicing the air, and dropped to her knees. The demon inside of her wasn't so easily taken, however. With clenched fists, he shoved his power at the witches, doing his best to stop their chanting. Rhychard caught one of the bolts before it struck Tansy, but the next slipped past him and struck Laci in the chest, somersaulting her backward to land on the ground in a heap.Kree leaped up on his back paws, spinning in midair before racing over to the fallen witch. Rhychard could hear her moan and breathed a sigh of relief that she still lived. :Is she okay?: he asked Kree.Kree leaned down, pressing his muzzle against Laci's sho
Warrior of the Way Chapter 255: Summerlands
Rhychard blocked another blast, sending it off to the side to explode into the ground. The gnomes fought from inside the ground, churning up the soil the demons stood upon and causing them to slip and lose their balance. Kree darted in all directions, drawing the demons' fire while he attempted to get close enough to bite one of them. The witches sent their power at the demons, Rose from behind and the others in front, doing their best to keep Baltabek and the others from focusing on any one person. They all did their best to bide Renny time to bring the other Warriors out of the sword, but Rhychard wasn't sure how much longer they could keep it up.The demons who possessed the witches spun, one sending a bolt of power at Rhychard's head and the other one sending one at his feet. He swung his sword, blocking the bolt to his head, but missing the one aimed at his feet. The magic snatched at his ankles, spinning him around and dragging him to the ground. His sword arm hit the ground, his
