Fairy Bad Day(78)

The black plastic was still hanging over the entire counter, cutting it off from the rest of the food court, but instead of going straight inside, Gilbert came to a halt and nervously started to wring his tiny hands.

“So what’s the plan?” he demanded, his wings making a whirring sound.

“I kill it. Do you have any tips?” Emma’s voice was flat. The small fairies all gulped at the same time.

“Sorry, I wish we did. We might be family but there are still trust issues, and no darkhel has ever revealed where their point of weakness is. Pity. Isn’t there some sort of Sir Francis hotline you can call?” Gilbert asked.

Emma shook her head. “There’s no hotline.”

“That’s a flaw.” Rupert fluttered his wings. “Definitely. If I were you, I’d be wanting a hotline.”

Emma didn’t bother to respond. Instead she glanced around the half-full food court and made sure no one was looking in their direction. Then she nodded to Curtis and Loni and pushed back the black plastic so that they could slip undetected into the fire-damaged kitchen.

The moment the black plastic fell shut behind them, she dropped her slaying kit and pulled out her sword. Curtis was right beside her, wearing his glasses, unbelievably silent despite his crutches, and then Loni, clutching at her laser like it was a light saber. There was no sign of the darkhel, but over in the far corner Emma caught sight of a group of bodies, all lying limply like rag dolls at a toy hospital, their arms bloodied and bruised. The smell of blood cloyed in her nose until Emma felt like she was choking on it.

Curtis and Loni seemed to be struggling as well as they all hurried over. Among the bodies Emma was able to discern the Lewis twins and Professor Yemin as well as several other people on the list.

“They’re alive.” Loni’s voice was a little above a whisper as she dropped to her knees and started checking everyone out. “They’re all alive.”

Emma let out her breath, but then froze as she caught sight of her father, lying on a countertop in the middle of the room. She only just managed to stifle a scream as she raced over to his limp body. His face was waxen and pale and his arms were covered with deep angry-looking bruises, just like the others, and for one dreadful minute Emma thought she was too late. Then she saw the shallow rise and fall of his chest and she felt a tremendous surge of hope.

“Dad, it’s okay. I’m here,” she said as she tried to drag him up into a sitting position. There was no answer but she didn’t let it put her off. “And everything’s going to be fine. I just need to get you out of here and—”

“I don’t think so . . . ” The darkhel suddenly emerged from the burned-out freezer. It had a large bowl gripped tightly in one talon and a heavy book in the other. Instantly, Emma’s stomach cramped up and she doubled over in pain.

Next to her Curtis stiffened in shock, and as Emma managed to straighten up, she realized why.

Last night at her window, the darkhel had definitely looked larger than before, but nothing could have prepared her for the full reality of what it had become since its soul had been restored.

It was now at least ten feet tall, and its whole body was broader and thicker, with sinewy muscles bulging out from its arms and thighs. The room seemed too small to accommodate its enormity. At the sight of the creature Emma was filled with a sense of dread like she’d never felt before.

Only the red eyes seemed the same, and they were now fastened in on her.

She glanced at her watch and realized there was still another hour before it would be banished. She felt sick at the impossibility of the task that loomed before her.

“We can do this, Emma,” Curtis whispered from next to her as if reading her mind. “Just don’t let it scratch you.”

“That’s the plan,” she said before turning to Loni, her voice urgent. “While I distract it can you try and get as many of them out of here as possible?”

“Of course.” Loni’s face was deathly pale, but Emma hardly noticed as the darkhel raced headlong toward them. Without pausing to think, she pulled a silver knife out of her pocket, and as she ran toward the beast, she took aim and threw the knife. It twinkled as it spun across the destroyed kitchen before hitting the darkhel in the shoulder and bouncing harmlessly onto the ground. For a moment the beast paused and looked irritated as it rolled its giant shoulder as if trying to shake off the pain.

It was fair to say it didn’t look happy and so Emma quickly followed up on her attack by throwing a nail file. This time it didn’t even stop when the weapon bounced off its thick skin, just continuing to charge at her. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Loni was dragging out the limp, injured bodies one by one.

Emma held up her sword and waited until the darkhel was almost on top of her before she used all her strength to thrust it upward into its chest. The sword plunged deep into the darkhel’s body and she felt herself grunt with satisfaction in knowing that this time she had actually damaged it.

But her elation didn’t last for long as the creature once again reached out with its talons. She ducked just in time, but her sudden movement threw her off balance and she went crashing to the ground. Every part of her hurt as she realized that the creature really was stronger than it had been before. Now it was looming over her, bearing down on her, its red eyes full of loathing.

However, before it could strike at her, Curtis suddenly appeared and tried to drive his sword through the creature’s ribs. The ploy didn’t work and she could see him wince in pain at the exertion of the movement. However, it gave her time to get back to her feet, though as she did so, she realized that the darkhel was no longer trying to attack her. Now its deadly gaze was fixed firmly on Curtis.