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She felt her body growing larger and stronger as her need to defeat them roared inside her. "Yeah, in the park," Dahlia said before stabbing the end of the cross right into Vivian's shoulder. "Just like that."
The decorative wooden tip wasn't sharp. It wasn't made to pierce the body, but the power of a valkyrie made it plunge deep into her body. Vivian screamed at the pain, and then the effects of the holy symbol began to take effect. Smoke wafted from the wound. Her skin smoldered, and the woman scrambled to pull it out, yet was unable to touch it.
"Do you like that?" Dahlia asked. "Is this really how you want us to treat each other? Is this why you came here, to see which of us is bigger or badder than the rest?" Her head snapped around and her gaze landed on Karsen. "Because I'm willing to fight for what I want. Are you?"
The fool of a man lunged at her. His body faded, blurring around the edges, but Dahlia didn't care. She'd seen so many ghosts in her lifetime. It was one of the most common forms for their kind. A simple thing, more limiting than they realized, and chosen because it let them put the blame elsewhere. Some reason their time on Earth wasn't done. Some purpose they were still supposed to fulfill. What ghosts couldn't do was hurt anyone without regaining a little of their form.
So Dahlia let him pass through her, then turned to face him on the other side. "I said no more murders," Dahlia warned. "No more body count. No reason for the police - or the Inquisition - to notice us. You chose to ignore me, but this is my home."
"Yeah, and you also said it comes down to survival of the fittest," Karsen shot back. "I'm just proving that I'm fit enough to survive however I choose."
Dahlia didn't even think about it. She just spat out another of those Words.
Karsen's body ignited. He tried to dissipate, but it didn't matter. These flames weren't natural. They were fueled by her power, and they would burn regardless of the state he was in. Light flared, turning the faces of the watching eidolon orange and gold. A split second later, the man began to scream as the pain consumed him.
"Fittest," she snarled, turning back to Vivian just to yank the cross from her shoulder. "Never challenge me again, because I'm tired of this fight. Call him back if you know his name, but don't you dare do it here. He is no longer welcome."
Karsen's screaming stopped like an exclamation point to Dahlia's words, and the flames began to sputter out. While Dahlia stared down the two remaining ghosts, Cain marched forward to stomp out the last of the burning.
"Crimes against other eidolon will be dealt with swiftly," he said. "And yes, Dahlia is the judge, the jury, and the executioner. If you have a problem with the way things are run here, you are free to leave. If you think you can raise a rebellion and push back, then just know that those clavum work as well in the hands of an eidolon as they do when wielded by an inquisitor. We will put you down if you bring harm to other eidolon. Is that clear?"
"Yes," a few people mumbled.
But that didn't seem to be good enough. "I asked if that was fucking clear?" he roared. "Do you honestly think I've survived this long by beingnice? Do you think I won't rip all of you apart with my bare hands? Do you assume that because we are tired of being alone that it has made either one of us weak? I asked if you fucking understand, and I want to hear it!"
"Yes," people called back.
Others said, "I do."
Some went with "I understand!"
But every single eidolon in the courtyard answered. Even Vivian, clutching her wounded shoulder where Dahlia had just removed the cross. And behind her, Laci was bobbing her head enthusiastically.
"Do not become a problem," Dahlia warned them. "Because my solution to problems is to remove them." Then she turned, going to make sure that Cain and Roarke were both ok with how she'd handled this.
ChapterThirty-Five
THANE
The cart he'd picked had a wobbly wheel. Granted, from the looks of the options, Thane was pretty sure that all of them would have at least one, so he did his best to ignore it. Nikki, on the other hand, kept giggling when the thing tried to turn sharply for no reason. The little witch also insisted that he buy some fruit, and she seemed entirely too excited about the idea.
So, after stopping past the beer aisle first, Thane gave in and went to check out the fresh fruit. Nikki headed over to check out oranges, and he followed, not quite sure why she was so excited about fruit. Sure, Dahlia had said it was one of the things eidolon could get some vitality from, but she also made it sound paltry.
"So, I need more vitamin C or something?" he joked.
Nikki just waved him down. "Where I grew up was tropical, so fruit was all over. Not the same things we have now, though, so it's just interesting to me. Oranges are everywhere, and so cheap. I just find it amazing that we get them all year round."
So Thane grabbed a small bag of them and put it in the cart. "Being around all of you makes me realize how spoiled I am."
Nikki turned to smirk at him. "So does that mean I shouldn't poke you about what happened with Roarke now?"
Pushing out a sigh, he grabbed the cart, fully intending to keep going, and then changed his mind. "It was just for vitality."
"Wasn't for him," she pointed out.
Thane's response was just to groan. "Look, he has a point. I only have so much blood, and I can only take so many bites. I have a Word that can heal me, but Dahlia says that it's linked to my vitality, so it sounds like the kind of thing that can backfire fast. I get chewed up, don't have enough to heal up, and then what?"
Nikki waved him down. "That's not what I meant, and you know it. I'm just saying that Roarke likes it when he gets to have boy time with you. You've made it pretty clear that you only have eyes for Dahlia - and I can't blame you at all for that - but did he just cross a line?"
