She stood, making her way to the counter as calmly as she could. So far, the inquisitors hadn't noticed her. If she could get her order and leave, maybe they wouldn't follow. Maybe they were really here for nothing more spectacular than coffee? Surely even demon hunters had to eat and drink, right?
Maybe Thane wouldn't give her away? He had to have recognized her name, but he wasn't moving yet. Maybe it was because she wasn't dressed to impress this time? She was just a typical young woman here for a coffee. She looked normal, Dahlia wasn't unheard of for a name, and the priest shouldn't recognize her face. Only Thane would.
Coming in from the side, she smiled at the young man one more time, then took her cups. With one in each hand, she turned for the door, walking calmly. When she reached it, after what felt like the longest walk of her very long afterlife, she turned her back to the metal bar and opened it with the weight of her body. As she stepped into the cold night air, she looked at the men who were out to kill her.
Thane was looking back.
He jerked his chin, then tapped the shoulder of the man beside him. When the priest turned, she fled. Screw grace and poise, it was time to go! She knew Thane had to rat her out. She knew that, but damn if he couldn't have given her a little more of a lead! Skipping over the curb, she jogged out before a car pulling into the drive-thru, heading to the building on the other side. This was not the time to worry about a body death. She just needed to get herself gone - one way or another.
Behind her, she could hear the sound of feet pounding the concrete. Over another curb, across the grass, and behind the next building, she ran, ignoring the coffee spilling from the cups in her hands. She didn't care where she was going, just so long as it wasn't close to them.
Just as she passed behind the brick wall, she felt it. A wave of energy rocked her soul, feeling like someone had smothered all of her already-dull senses. Before her, the air sparkled ominously. Her feet skittered to a halt before she crashed into it.
"Dahlia." It was Thane's voice.
Slowly, she turned, ready with the only weapons she had: two cups of hot coffee. Side by side, the inquisitors marched toward her. The one on the right was whispering Words under his breath, holding the shield in place. Thane, however, was focused on her.
"It's over," he said, pulling the heavy metal spike from his back pocket.
The thing wasn't long, no more than eight inches. It was slightly thicker than a man's thumb and resembled a rounded railroad spike. They were always silver. Always. The Church was convinced that there was some secular reason it worked. There wasn't. To the eidolon, it was little more than a ground wire. A device to short-out the current of their souls.
"I didn't do anything," she insisted.
He huffed a wry laugh. "You killed half our forces last night, or did you forget already?"
"You didn't give me any choice!" She was slowly backing away, hoping for a break in the bubble that held them. Hoping he'd give her some hint of how to get out of this.
He moved closer, the spike ready, his other arm out to block. Dahlia wanted to laugh. She was just a girl holding coffee. To anyone watching, Thane would be attacking a defenseless little girl - if they could see. She had a funny feeling the priest's job was to keep this little squabble from ever being noticed by the rest of the world. Then again, that did make the fight a little more fair.
Then it dawned on her.
"You can't cast," she breathed, remembering Thane saying something about having too much power.
That meant the man mumbling wouldn't be throwing punches, and the one throwing punches wouldn't be tossing out Words. It evened the odds more than these two could ever guess. The only question was what she would do to Thane to keep him alive this time.
"Don't need to," Thane said. "That is an ability only reserved to those who have dedicated their lives to God."
Only the priests could use the Words. Thane wasn't a priest, and something about that prevented him from having that ability. It was the information she needed, delivered in a way that wouldn't get Thane in trouble.
Dahlia glanced at the second man, then back. If Thane couldn't cast, then she just needed to incapacitate the priest to get free. If she let him live, then Thane's survival would make even more sense. Considering that the fight last night had done a decent job of refueling her, she had energy to spare. She just needed to get out of this damned magical hell.
"Keep telling yourself that," she snapped, then threw the coffee right in Thane's face.
It was hot. She knew because plenty had splashed across her hands, but it did the trick. Thane ducked the first cup, but the second hit his raised arm, the fluid searing his face and neck. It was the split second she needed.
With a roar, she lunged forward, pushing her essence against the veil that held her from reality. It wasn't Thane she aimed for, but the other man. The one holding her prisoner. The one who was too focused to react as quickly as she could move. Like a beast from a horror story, she grabbed his shoulders and shoved, propelling him onto the concrete. The weight of her body followed, driving him down.
At impact, his concentration broke. The bubble popped. Air rushed back in, along with sounds from the world beyond. The man tried to grapple with her. He tried to push her off, but she was desperate, and that fueled more than just her muscles. Her fingers clawed at his jaw and she slammed his head back, again. The crack was wet. She did it again, and this time he stopped moving, but Thane hadn't.
He yanked her back, but it was too late. The spell was broken. She didn't know if the man was alive or dead, but she was free. She just had to get away from Thane, and he couldn't simply let her go.
A glint of light was her only warning as the spike sliced at her. She rolled, then came up hard, shoving Thane back. His grunt was anything but attractive, but proved she'd hit well. Together, they tumbled to the ground. Dahlia rolled, trying for her feet, but once again, Thane caught her. This time it was by the ankle. He pulled and she crashed down, kicking out to free herself. The bastard was too fast. He shouldn't be this fast!
"Just let me go!" she demanded.
"I can't!" he hissed. "Priests are coming. Lots of them. It's fucking over, don't you get that?"
She didn't have time to even crawl before he pounced on her. Swinging hard, the back of her fist found his face, whipping his head around. He wasn't taking it easy on her. Evidently the subtle truce they'd enjoyed so far had finally shattered. His world and hers had never had a chance of coexisting, so now, she'd make him pay - but she didn't have a lot of time.