Her red lips opened to speak, and her words came out hushed. “You,” she hissed, towering over me and standing as tall as Gawonii. The dark cloud hugged her, mimicking her every move. “Is this the only host that they could find to nurture my spirit?” Her lips curled in disgust as she looked me over, her eyes falling on the necklace around my neck. “You hold no contest to what I am. You are not worthy of such power.” She reached out for the necklace. Stumbling away from her, her hand hung in mid-air, shocked at my retreat. “He gave this to you?”
Knowing that she meant Gawonii, I straightened upright and nodded. Her hand lowered, her expression baring weakness at the mention of Gawonii. Pain etched over her pure, almost angelic features. Settling at her feet as if taking on her downtrodden emotion, the obscure mist briefly liberated her.
“Does he love you?”
So unprepared for that question, I stuttered over my answer, my own emotions getting the better of me.
“No,” I finally could force out. “He loves another.”
Her eyes, now glossy, darted back to my face. “Yet he gave you this gift.” Her hand reached out again. “His gift to me.”
She didn’t wait for me to answer before her hand grabbed a hold of the necklace to rip it off my neck. The necklace burst into a light that blinded even me. The celestial dog gathering at her feet dispersed, letting out a blood curdling scream. Both of us were thrown in opposite directions from the force.
She let out a cry in anguish. “How can what is mine protect you from me?” she screamed. My hands flew up to my chest, and I collapsed to my knees, gasping for air and feeling my lungs closing in on me. Trying to fight against it was impossible; she was too strong. I watched her walk over towards me through the tears impairing my vision.
“Do you know what it’s like to die by the hands of the one you love?” she asked, lifting me up.” I couldn’t answer her. I stared into her soulless depths, silently begging for her to spare me. She shook, fury replacing pain. “Do you feel that? Your soul slipping from its shell? Your life’s breath being snuffed out as you gasp to hold on to what’s left while staring into the eyes of the person who is killing you?” I gurgled struggling to keep from passing out. “It hurts, doesn’t it?” she added, my chest burning from the lack of oxygen. “I am tormented by the memory every single moment I am trapped here.” Her voice began to modulate. “Why should you not share in my torment?” A single tear slid down her flushed cheek. “You and I are the same spirit. There is no reason why you shouldn’t share in the pain, and now that I have a host, I can repay Gawonii back for this hell.”
“We are not the same,” I croaked out with my last breath before slumping forward. Suddenly, I was falling out of the air and landing on the hard ground. The painful jolt sent an agonizing ache up my spine. I inhaled sharply, feeling the constraints on my lungs diminish.
I heard laughter above me, and I compelled myself to look up.
“Yes, you are.” She glowered. The dark mist shimmered around her legs again, this time inching closer to me. An object appeared in the dense matter before slinking away to lap at the spirit’s feet. What it left behind was someone hutched over in fear, trembling. Long brown hair covered the face that lifted, unaware of where she was. Eyes peered at me first, then up at my former self before scrambling away in fear.
Kamama!
Kamama didn’t get far. A force thrusted her back in front of me. Kamama cried openly, words tumbling out of her mouth for mercy, for peace.
“Why do you think she suffers, Lailah?”
Now angry, I snapped at the spirit. “Because you enjoy inflicting your pain on others!”
Just then, Onacona appeared. I stared at him in confusion. “What is your point?”
“You are no different than I, Lailah.”
The ground began to shake, the clay pressing together to form Adsila.
“My pain is your pain. What he has done to you, he has already done to me. It makes you lash out at others!”
The spirit Ama’s lips turned up into a menacing smile.
Adsila cried out, doubling over to clutch her belly. “Ah!” Her body began to shift, growing in size. Her legs and arms changed to form into those of an insect. Her lips stretched, becoming misshapen and hardening into a beak that snapped at Onacona.
Kamama cowered at my feet, whimpering.
Adsila continued to grow, her eyes becoming blood red and multiplying. Out of her back sprouted wings that spanned close to 40 feet that started to grow quivering quills. Onacona gave an anguished cry, reliving the hell I haunted him with not too long ago. He searched for anything to fight off his enemy, coming up empty.
“No! Stop it!” I yelled, trying to run to help him but found myself frozen in my spot. Unable to help any of them, the nightmare continued. Onacona did his best to fight the changeling as best as he could without any weapons, but time proved that he couldn’t keep the monster at bay. In his tired state, Onacona misjudged the distance of his escape and was knocked off his feet. The rorret changeling’s quills discharged into his body. I dropped down next to Kamama and covered her head to drown out Onacona’s screams.
“I am not you,” I hissed repeatedly. “I don’t kill for pleasure.”
I was quickly yanked off Kamama. “Your resistance is pathetic. I am the Angeni. The original and stronger. You are merely the host, and you do as I say.”
I felt her in my head, poisoning my mind.
Kamama’s sniveling sounded like nails on a chalkboard, and all I could think of was stifling her. I lifted my head to glare over at her, wishing that she would just shut up.
Kamama’s hands clawed at her throat, her eyes going wide with fright.
“Scream again and I will tear out your throat,” I heard come out of my mouth. Tears streamed down her face. I felt myself being pulled over to Kamama, her heart beating loudly in my head. I glanced over at the woman who they called Ama, pleading with her to stop. But Kamama’s heart echoed in my head, beckoning me to come closer. I closed my eyes to fight the urge, but when I opened them again, I stood over Kamama seeing the throbbing pulse against her clothing. A handful of her brown hair soon was tangled in my hand as I yanked her head backwards.
Kamama’s tear-stained eyes stared back at me as my mind pictured her chest ripping open, blood trickling and mingling into the already blood-stained clay until I could see her heart beat strong.
I watched, helplessly, as my hand moved towards her chest before I was struck in the back, pulling me out of Kamama’s head and into the little room in Mohe’s home.
“What are you doing to my daughter?” Mohe’s furious voice broke through the trance.
Reacting quickly, I ignored him and held onto the girl, transmitting images of the beautiful place Gawonii shared with me the night we bonded. That was the only image that came to mind I found peace in. The girl’s head full of horrors fought against the intrusion and seemed to become more vigilant to hold onto the girl. A powerful surge exploded from her like a shield, passing through my body. My necklace burst into an array of colors beyond its usual bold bright light, singeing my skin. More of the roof caved in, and I could hear large clawing sounds coming from the rorrets tearing their way into the home.
Screams and mass confusion erupted outside, sending Mohe running from the room.
I couldn’t tell what was going on around me, unable to break free from Kamama. Another energy surge sliced at my insides, and I felt like it was ripping me in two. My necklace absorbed most of the shock, but the feeling of separation lingered. Pushing back, I forced the image on the girl, this time feeling her grasp onto the projected vision and seeing her eyes glaze over.
The commotion outside grew louder, and the sounds were chilling. People were getting slaughtered and pretty soon all of them in that little house will be joining them if something didn’t change.
Finally, Kamama’s body relaxed on the bed.
I fell beside her, my body drained and too weak to move. Breathing heav
ily, I looked up in time to see red eyes peering through the ceiling while long spider legs pulled the plaster wall away like paper. Sprawled lifeless on the floor laid Utsi and Kasey. Gawonii and Mohe were nowhere to be seen, and I panicked, unable to fire back a defense. My body was so exhausted. The ceiling gave way, allowing the rorret to spread its wings, and the quills covering the length of its segmented body quivered.
Gawonii! my mind screamed.
Kamama’s hand grabbed a hold of mine then. Feeling a sweet flow of warm energy passing through my body, I felt it reach out, covering me, then Utsi and last, Kasey.
When the quills discharged, they exploded into a fine mist, fluttering like confetti out of the sky and to the floor.
Gawonii appeared through the door. Seeing the hovering rorret, he sent his long knife flying through the exoskeleton, making the rorret thrash about, screeching madly. It tumbled out of the sky and into the small bedroom, crashing practically on top of Kamama and me. Gawonii grabbed both of us, pulling us off the bed and out of the bedroom.
The rorret’s body and legs were too large for the tiny room. They slashed and stabbed, narrowly missing us as we scrambled to escape. Shrieking, it rolled around, striking out at Gawonii while they fought. Looking over, I saw Kasey twitch, regaining the ability to move, along with her senses. I ran back into the room and dragged her out by her arms, barely dodging an attack. Gawonii fought the creature while I pulled everyone to safety. As soon as we were out the room, I looked back to see Gawonii light the rorret on fire with a blast of bright white energy. He ran out the room and closed the door behind him letting the creature burn to death.
He knelt down beside me, his hand touching my face as he examined me for injuries.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. He looked behind me at the others. “We need to get them out of here to safety. I will clear a path for you, okay?” He then sought out Kasey, seeing that she was slowly moving again. “Chitsa is near functional again. Utsi will need to be carried.” A look of surprise marred his face when he got a glance at Kamama, and she stood over us, unafraid. Her hair still shielded her pale face, but her eyes watched us carefully.
“I can walk.” Her voice was clear and strong. Gawonii nodded, helping me up. A crash on the door startled everyone. We forgot about the creature that burned inside the bedroom.
“We have to go quickly. Rorrets take a while to burn and could take the house with it. Kamama, are you strong enough to shield us?”
“For the time being, I am,” Kamama replied confidently, her eyes landing on me and making me uneasy.
Gawonii nodded, satisfied. “Okay, let’s go.”
I picked up Utsi in my arms. A dazed Kasey wobbled to her feet, allowing Gawonii to lead her out of the house with Kamama leading the way.
“Whatever you do, do not stop or look at the destruction beyond those doors. Just keep moving until I tell you to stop.”
My heart ran like it was in a race. Passing through the main door, we let Gawonii take the lead, moving with our bodies close to each of home’s exteriors as quietly as we could. We tuned out the screams, ignoring the shrieks and the ground cluttered with bodies, not wanting to draw any attention to us.
We finally made it to the edge of the village, and I exhaled a sigh of relief.
I sat Utsi down on the ground, who was now coming out of his paralysis.
Kamama turned, suddenly heading back to the edge of the town. “My father! I have to go back,” she told Gawonii.
He placed his hands on her shoulders. “He will be fine. Keep moving away from the village.”
She pulled away, glaring at him. “No, I must go back. We need to lead the creatures away from the village, away from my people before there are no more of my people left. Once they are out, I can put up the shield again.
Gawonii’s shoulders lowered in defeat, and he nodded. “Quickly.”
Leaving Utsi with Kasey, we ran back towards the town. This time, I got an eyeful of what Gawonii warned us of. Bodies were scattered along the ground being eaten from the inside out. The grotesque images had me doubled over, my belly threatening to eject its contents onto the ground for the second time tonight.
Gawonii’s gentle hand caressed my shoulders. “You stay, Ama.” I jerked away from him.
“Don’t ever call me that again,” I snarled back at him, seething at the memory of her spirit. “My name is Lailah. Ama and I are not one in the same.”
Chapter 9
Ama
Gawonii, sensing I was losing control, fought to overpower my emotions through the bond. The mental grip sent me staggering, to my knees, clutching my head.
“Stop it!” I cried. “I saw what she did. How could you make me a part of her?” Gawonii reached out to take a hold of me, but I stumbled backwards. “Go. To. Hell!” I cried with such intensity, Gawonii jolted when his hands burst into flames, lighting up the sky before engulfing him. I watched him burn, awe-stricken at the sudden rush of power flowing out of me.
Using the moment, I pulled myself to my feet but almost found myself back on the ground when I was hit with a wave of nausea.
I was too weak … I needed … I looked over at Kamama, sensing her essence flowing through her. Realizing what my intentions were, Kamama tripped.
“Please,” she pleaded. “Do not do this.”
Tearing my eyes away from her to fight the wicked craving to absorb her life’s essence, I crumpled back to the ground, frantically digging into the clay-like dirt for water. It was then that I saw Gawonii subdue the flames and come out unscathed.
He glared over at me, aware that I was losing control of my body. Seeing the fury in his demeanor, I took off running into the center of the town into the heart of the battle that was in progress. I spotted Mohe, his hands full with a rorret, unable to determine if he was winning or losing. Not understanding my next intentions, I felt my body change course and fixed my sight on Mohe. The hatred I felt at that moment towards him was sickening, and I couldn’t stop from advancing in his direction. It all was being done against my will, and my intentions were deadly.
The closer I got, the faster I started to break out into a run. I was right over Mohe when I was slammed to the ground by Gawonii. He aggressively entered my mind, trying to regain control, but I was no longer there. I could feel myself being buried deeper into my subconscious, forced to watch the scene play out. As my emotions intensified, hatred grew stronger and burrowed deeper until I could only sample the sour taste of bitterness pulsing through me.
I shoved Gawonii off me and stood up. A surge of emotions overwhelmed me, too many emotions to distinguish which were the most dominant. Then a picture of a woman standing in a center of some type of communal, fighting for her life appeared before me. Stepping into the vision, I carefully took in the familiar faces on the sidelines.
Ghigau
Adsila
Ahyoka
Mohe, and …
Gawonii!
Iswali, in his human form, was rendered incapacitated.
Ama stood alone, body erected as she faced off with her opponents. The grey entity crowded her like a shroud as she fought. From where I stood, it looked like she was winning.
Then Ahyoka summoned a wind that swept around Ama, separating the vile mist from Ama enough to confuse her.
I watched Gawonii step forward and pause, pain and guilt inflicting him. He raised his hand, then hesitated again …
“Gawonii! Now!” screamed Mohe. “You will never get this opportunity again. She will destroy everything.”
“No, Gawonii, no!” Iswali fought to get to her. “You will kill her!”
In slow motion, I watched Gawonii close his eyes …
I held my breath, not accepting what I witnessed next.
Fire ignited, surrounding Ama. She screamed hysterically as the wind whipped around her with tornado-like gusts turning into a spinning inferno. Her screams affected everyone present at the execution. Iswali’s screams matching Ama’s.<
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I had to get her screams out of my head, but not only could I hear them in the vision, when I blinked out of it, I saw Kamama once again rolling on the ground and screaming at the top of her lungs.
I’m the reason why she’s suffering. Finally, I realized. She didn’t get worse until I came here. My past was tormenting her.
I faced Gawonii, all secrets disclosed, my body increasingly growing in power.
“You killed me,” I accused in disbelief. He chose to remain quiet, straightening up to his full height, his stance menacing and ready to fight. The shutters on the homes began to tremble, mimicking my trembling hands, which I clinched into fists.
I no longer was in control of my body, but I did not unwelcome the intrusion. She was stronger, and her anger masked the hurt I felt over the revelation of my former’s death. I could now feel the heat of his flames melting the flesh off my bones, the lack of oxygen due to Ahyoka aiding in my destruction.
The more I pictured Gawonii setting me up in flames, the more I was able to determine the dominant sentiment out of all the many emotions swirling inside of me.
Fury.
And I could taste the need for revenge.
A blast of energy laced purely of loathing and revulsion leapt from my center, striking Gawonii.
Before he could hit the ground, I was already on top of him, driving his body into the dirt and making the earthquake under our bodies. When the dust cleared, he tried to wrestle me to the ground, but she was stronger, having no problems dominating me.
“Let me show you how it feels to take your last breath,” I heard myself say, still watching it all unfold from the outside looking in. My body called out for its source of strength and power, drawing from the recent dead and any living organism nearby. My body became warm as it grew in power.
A rorret shrieking made me cringe, breaking my concentration. Kamama’s chronic screams were pulling the attention of the rorrets. Even the one rorret Mohe fought flapped its wings, lifting itself up along with the last surviving beasts to circle around Kamama, Gawonii, and me.
The Ageni Series: Queen Page 11
