Chapter Ten: All of The Haste

Poppy burst up from the ground.

The air cracked as her wings carried her far above the houses. I stepped forward onto the soil, mouth agape. While it made sense that the large wings would carry a small body with ease, Lark hadn’t been nearly as fast —and that was with practice.

Poppy covered the distance we’d walked in seconds. She drifted over Burn Town in search of the men. The large black wings flapped at her back, each one dwarfed her frame. I jogged across the soil. Poppy focused on a particular set of houses.

She shot down. The air cracked once more.

The little Devil is a fast learner, a voice said.

It had come from the sky or somewhere inside of me. The sudden sound along with its abrupt end took me by surprise.

I looked up. “Who said that?”

When no response came, I blamed my imagination. I sprinted in the direction Poppy had travelled. She flew toward the city border. A maze of streets that would eventually open up to the Fiery Fields. The two men and the boy had run in the same direction.

I turned down the first street and pushed the body harder. There had to be a way to stop Poppy before she harmed those men or worse killed them.

It wasn’t what she’d do to them that bothered me the most, though. It was what all this bloodshed would do to her.

I took another turn, and the street opened up into a split. Neither road looked more promising than the other. Poppy could have gone down either one.

Left turn, a voice said.

This time I’d heard it loud and clear.

“Who are you?” I asked.

No time for chit-chat now, you’ve got a Devil to save.

I took the left turn. Whatever the voice was, it didn’t sound like it wanted to stop me.

We can always strike another deal, the voice said. You could stop your friend before she becomes more . . . evil.

The voice giggled.

"I'm not falling for that again," I said.

The street came to an abrupt end and I took the only turn. Poppy stood in the middle of the three men. They had their guns raised, but all of the weapons were black. Poppy held the grey knife in her hand.

I ran to the group. They were a peculiar bunch. One of the men was especially tall, with a wild look about him. The other had a pudgy frame and wedged his rifle a little too far into his stomach. Samson stood tall and thin with angry green eyes and short brown hair. None of them could see me.

“Where is she?” Poppy asked.

The trio exchanged glances between the grey knife at Poppy’s side and each other.

“We’re looking for new recruits, lass,” a man said. “No one has been harmed under our watch.”

“Liar. . .” Poppy’s voice was barely more than a whisper and yet the sound seemed to cut the air.

“This is thorn territory,” Samson said. “Anyone that’s the same is a friend.”

“Sounded like you wanted more than a friend back in that house,” Poppy said.

The biggest man of the three balled his fist and scowled at Samson. “So you were hiding in there after all.”

“Now look,” Pudgy said. “We ain’t got bad intentions. This lad’s father didn’t come back so we’re out looking for him . . . and anyone that has information.”

The man glanced at the knife again.

Poppy gripped the knife harder and flapped her wings. “He’s dead. Where is the woman you were chasing? I will kill you if I have to.”

“You killed my father?” Samson’s face paled.

“You have five seconds to answer me,” Poppy said.

The men exchanged glances.

“Look, lass, really now, we don-“

“Five.” Poppy stepped forward.

I couldn’t sit back and watch this take place.

“I’ll make a deal,” I said.

Indeed, you will.

“Four.”

“What are the specifics?”

Poppy could burst between all three in a moment. I needed to stop her and fast.

Very well. I will be your sword and wings, instead of your cloak. In return, you will let me taste the flames of the Fiery Fields.

“Three.”

“I will not kill for you,” I said.

The taste of blood bores me. I wish to taste the fire.

“That’s all then?”

As clear as the flickering flame.

“Two.”

“I accept.”

‘Talent acquired: Guardian Angel.’

‘Deal done!’ Appeared in front of me.

“One.”

I burst forward. The metal on my body reshaped. Wings made of the ancient metal formed from the thorns on my back. A silver longsword solidified in my hand. It felt light, despite its length.

Poppy pushed off, right as I jetted past. There were two loud cracks as we both zipped through the air.

I slid to a stop in front of the pudgy man. Poppy flapped her wings and propelled backward with the gust.

“Lexi?” Her eyes went wide.

The man behind me groaned and thudded down to the floor. The man next to him knelt down. Both of them had paled in our presence.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “This talent made me silent and invisible. I was behind you, but I couldn’t tell you in any way.”

Poppy dropped the knife and ran forward. I opened my arms. She wrapped hers around me.

“I thought you left,” she said.

“That will never happen.” I angled her chin toward me. “Never.”

The sound of a gun being cocked echoed behind. Everyone turned toward the noise. It was the boy, Samson, holding a black rifle in his hand.

“You killed my father,” he said, his shaking hands rattled the gun.

I’d noticed that same nervousness in him earlier. And I knew that while he might not be cut out for killing, just like me, being pushed to the edge could change us.

Show him the sword, it can stop the bullets, the voice said.

I held Poppy close with one arm and held the sword pointed at Samson with the other. “It was a Demi named Lark that killed Tag, not one of us.”

“You think I’m stupid? A grey knife and a grey sw-”

The longsword's saber shot forward. It sliced through the gun and into Samson’s chest. The metal retreated. The gun broke apart exposing the white interior. Samson hit the dirt and faded before our eyes.

Both of the men yelled at the sight. They turned and ran. Neither Poppy or I chased after.

My pulse raced. I hadn’t activated the sword or known that it had that ability.

“You’re like me now,” Poppy said.

I stared at the sword. “I . . . I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

We stopped the bullets, the voice said. We saved her.

“It’s a lot of fun after a few times,” Poppy said.

I dropped the sword. The metal morphed, snaking up my leg to merge with the wings.

“I want one of those,” Poppy said.

I knelt down and grabbed her shoulders. “That was a mistake, Poppy. A mistake. Do you understand?”

“It’s okay, Lexi. I’m glad to have you back. I thought they hurt you.” Her eyes moved to my leg. A silver scar remained where the wound had been. “But you’re better now, stronger.”

I shook my head. “I made a deal with this. . . thing. And after I pay my debt at the Fields, I’m getting rid of it.”

“But it just saved our lives.”

I dropped my arms, unsure of what else to tell her.

Poppy placed her arms on my shoulders. “We’re like real sisters now. With these wings and powers, nothing can stop us.”

She didn’t understand that those things didn’t make us sisters anymore than they made us Gods. We were a pair of murderers, and we had deepened the rift between our own kind to get this far. Chasing power served no one but ourselves.

“I’m getting rid of it, Poppy.”

She frowned. “You have until the Fiery Fields to think about it. So think. Okay?”

Poppy pushed off from the ground and flew overhead. I looked up at her flying figure and then down at my wings.

I decided to walk.