by Jacob Rundle
Etlina stepped through the portal leading to Siméon’s living room. Henri and Siméon stood together, waiting for Etlina’s arrival. They both embraced her as she fell into their arms.
“Se murió!” Etlina screamed into Siméon’s chest, scaring them both.
“Ma Chérie, what happened?” Etlina went cold in his arms; she was not responding. “Oh, Cherie!” Siméon embraced her tighter, trying to calm her down.
“You don’t have to say anything, Etlina,” Henri muttered into her ear.
“They killed her. The creature. It killed Abuelita!” Etlina felt an increasingly heavy weight on her body; she realized Siméon and Henri had fallen onto her, holding her tightly on the ground. She was finally able to let her sadness out without worrying that anyone would judge her.
“Hey, Etlina. I know that this is a bad time, but there is something we have to tell you. You were caught on the news!” Henri didn’t know why he had to be the bearer of such bad news.
“Yeah, the news caught you on camera, battling the creature. The world is now in a panic. They saw you using your power. And I have to say, Etlina, I didn’t know you had that much power.” Siméon smirked at her, trying to liven her up.
“Neither did I.” Etlina still noticed the buzzing in her fingertips and inside her head. She also couldn’t remove the image of her dying abuelita from her mind.
“And, now, everyone is looking for you.”
“Let them.” Etlina grabbed both boys to stand up, taking a stance against the injustices thrown their way.
“They won’t find us. Don’t worry about that.” Henri noticed the change in her. She refused to foster any hesitation.
“Henri, why are you crying?” she asked him.
“This is all my fault, you guys. If I….” Etlina stopped him. She raised her head to look into Henri’s eyes.
“Henri, you didn’t pick this destiny any more than we did. It’s just the cards we were dealt. Now, let’s find that treasure.” Etlina instructed Henri and Siméon to gather the items as she prepared for the power needed to summon the portal they needed next.
“Let’s go!” Etlina’s focus had become unparalleled.
CHAPTER 26
SIMEON’S APARTMENT
“Guys, it is time to find the items, and we can’t afford to waste any more time,” Etlina stated as she reoriented herself in Siméon’s apartment. Her strength hadn’t returned to its full capacity, but she realized that she would soon be called upon to locate Kali’s items
“Etlina, we must be careful now. They are looking for you, and they will be looking for us,” Siméon reminded her.
“Are you worried about being caught, Siméon?” she asked.
“No, I am just saying that we must be careful at all times.”
“Alright, you two. Let’s start.” Henri picked up on the increasing tension between the two. He was aware that Etlina wasn’t in a happy place, so she was taking her anger out on Siméon.
Etlina and Siméon gathered the required supplies for the spell, and Henri tried to see if he could contact the Ancestors for advice. As he tried to gather his thoughts, his phone distracted him. He saw that it was his mom calling. He decided to listen to the messages that she was leaving.
“Henri Jacobson Claye. Where are you? How dare you leave this house after I told you that you are grounded? I do not want you around that girl, Etlina. Did you see what she did on the news? She is a freak. You get your butt home, mister, and I mean it.”
“Oh, crap. Mom is angry-”
“Henri, you should call her. At least tell her that you are safe,” Etlina interrupted Henri’s worry.
“She saw the news coverage, and she doesn’t want me around you. How am I to explain to my mom that we are locating the mystical weapons of a Hindu Goddess?”
“Henri, you should say something,” Siméon insisted.
“Let’s get started. I will deal with her later,” Henri said, brushing off their suggestions.
Etlina shrugged and instructed Siméon to stand opposite her. Henri was told to stand in the center of the newly formed pyramid as Etlina began to chant the words needed for the spell.
“Aperti…. Anima…Solis!”
A gust of wind burst through the windows in the room, startling Henri and Siméon, and every light bulb exploded. Etlina connected to the energy of the elements, and she pulled in the power of nature. The energy gathered around the three, creating a barrier of electrifying, magnetic energy.
“Henri, what is she doing?” Siméon worried that she was overdoing it so soon after her battle with the creature. Henri didn’t say a word. Instead, he shrugged his shoulders, signaling Siméon not to worry.
While Etlina was gathering enough power to bust a hole into reality, Siméon decided to provide his own form of assistance. He opened the line between himself and the Ancestors so that they could aid them in their endeavor. Henri was amazed at the sight of Etlina and Siméon performing such mysterious yet beautiful magical acts. For a second, he was positive that they’d be successful.
The swirling energy sucked all the air within the circle, making it difficult to see or to hear anything past the energy barrier.
“Aperti… anima… solis.” She petitioned the ethereal spirits to assist her in performing a spell to find the treasure. Henri locked eyes with Etlina, seeing that her eyes had turned a golden white color, and he gasped at her appearance. Her entire body had lit up.
“Etlina!” Henri yelled to get her attention, yet she didn’t hear him.
“I see it. I can see where she left it!” Etlina tried to describe what she was seeing, but the energies that she was commanding were more than she had ever experienced.
Henri glanced at Siméon to get his assistance, but he saw him in a similar state. His eyes were as white as pearls, and he was praying in a language that Henri didn’t recognize as he drew symbols on the floor.
“I can see her wasteland. There are so many skulls everywhere. I can see the moments that each decided to take the wrong path, and how those decisions led them to her domain.” Etlina became overwhelmed by the forces with which she was commanding.
“Etlina! What’s wrong?” Henri screamed as he noticed her starting to struggle.
“Their pain! I can feel it!” She wept, trying to maintain the spell. She didn’t want to connect with anything.
“Henri, maintain your position!” Siméon commanded.
“I see a temple. It has to be a very old one.” Etlina deepened her abilities to focus on which temple she was seeing.
She didn’t recognize the location, but she had a good idea. She asked the spirits and her abuelita for help.
“Los espíritus, ayudame! Show me where the weapons are, por favor!”
Etlina saw letters briefly flash through her mind. The letters spelled a name:
“K…A…L…I…G…H…A…T.”
“Kalighat? Where is that?” Henri racked his brain for an unlikely answer. The name didn’t ring any bells at all.
“Guys, Kalighat is the name of the temple. This must be where Kali’s treasure is located.” Etlina was sure of where they needed to travel, but she simply had to find the right doorway.
“How do you know that it is a temple?” Henri asked.
“The architecture resembles the style of a temple. It’s a type of temple found in India. I was going to study architecture in school before my parents threw me out of the house.”
“So, I guess that we are going to India?” Henri wished that he was going there in different circumstances.
“How?” Siméon asked Etlina while maintaining his mystical link with the spirit realm.
“I have us covered,” Etlina replied with confidence in her abilities. She had gained the information that she needed to find the scimitar.
She closed out the spell by releasing the magical forces that she had controlled. The energetic orb around the three dissipated, and the energy in the room leveled out.
While Henri and Siméo
n discussed their trip to the temple, Etlina plugged away on her phone. Henri was annoyed that she wasn’t participating in the group discussion.
“Etlina, what did you see?” Henri asked with attitude.
“I remember seeing these places somewhere before.”
“Okay, we know that this place is located in India. Now, how do we get there?” Siméon asked.
She glanced at Siméon, giving him a dead stare. The look expressed her irritation at his questioning. Each one of them was acutely aware that the pressure was building by the minute, and they knew that they couldn’t fail in India.
“Henri, did you call your mother?” Siméon asked, instantly angering Henri.
“I…listened to her messages, and she isn’t happy with me. I don’t know what to do. What do I do, Siméon?” Henri mumbled as he looked away, wishing to change the subject.
“I feel that she deserves to know where you are, Henri.”
“Siméon, I didn’t ask you your opinion!” Henri walked to the kitchen, leaving Siméon sour at his reaction.
“Got it!” Etlina screamed, enthusiastic at finding the location.
“Etlina, why are you screaming?” Henri asked.
“They definitely hid the treasure in the Kalighat Temple. Okay, let’s go,” Etlina explained as she opened her abuelita’s grimoire to find the page that contained the spell they needed.
“Let’s go then!” Henri leaped onto his feet, getting ready to depart.
Siméon stopped him in his tracks to speak with him.
“Henri, you must speak to your mother first. The moment that we leave for the temple everything changes. The government is looking for Etlina, and when they see us with her, they will come after us as well. They will go after your mother.”
“I can’t, Siméon. She is going to freak out, and she’s already angry with me,” Henri replied, trying to not lose his temper.
“Guys, we must go. Henri, call your mom. Tell her what you are doing. It doesn’t matter how she reacts because we have to go!” Etlina hated telling Henri what to do, but she placed the fate of the universe above his fear of his mom yelling at him.
“Fine. I will do it.” Henri stormed out of the room, fighting the urge to continue to argue. He entered Siméon’s bedroom and gathered the nerve to call his mom.
As he stood in the center of the room, he was lost for words. He felt a shift in the air that brought with it a calming sensation.
“Thanks, Dad.” Henri knew that his father remembered how often he played middleman.
Henri picked up his phone, and he dialed his mother’s number. The moments that led up to the conversation were agonizing for him. He didn’t know how his mother was going to react. Just when he thought about hanging up, his mother answered on the other end.
“Hello?” Henri asked.
“Henri, where are you? Why haven’t you called me back?” Henri heard his mom crying. Her voice was filled with anger and frustration. Henri lowered his head in defeat because he never thought that he would upset his mother to this extent.
“Mom….” Henri tried to get in a few words, but she was extremely angry at her son.
“I have no idea why you are acting this way!” she continued to scream.
“Mom! Stop!” Henri yelled at her to get the chance to speak.
“Excuse me? Remember who you are speaking to.” Henri could sense his mother rolling her eyes.
“Mom, I need you to trust me, please. Do you? Do you trust me?” Henri became overwhelmed with emotion. Within moments of their argument on the phone, Siméon entered the room to investigate.
“Henri, are you…?” Siméon entered his bedroom to find Henri pacing back and forth before stumbling and falling to the floor. His tears rained down on the wooden floor making a distinct thudding sound. Henri made a fist with his left hand, and in a moment of anger, he slammed his fist to the floor.
“Mother! Listen to me!” Henri screamed. “I need you to trust me for once. I am going to be fine, but there is something that I must do with Etlina and Siméon.”
Henri tried to explain things before they had to leave, but she would never forget the past few days, and she would call out to him.
Henri didn’t hear the words that he needed to hear, and he said his final good-bye to his mother.
“Mom, I love you very much. Please, remember what I told you. I will contact you soon.”
When he looked up, he saw Simeon standing in the doorway, watching his every move. He walked over and brushed Henri's cheek with the back of his hand.
“Did you hear it all? Did you hear my conversation?” Henri found suppressing his anger difficult in times of high stress.
“I heard enough, Henri. I am sorry.” Siméon tried to pull Henri into his arms, but he refused the advance and walked away. He stopped at the doorway, desperately wanting to release his anger onto someone. Anyone.
“Why?” Henri snapped at Siméon, and he didn’t initially respond.
“Henri, I am so sorry that you and your mother have had an argument. I thought that it was the best thing that you tell your mom where you were going. What we are about to do is extremely dangerous.” Siméon pleaded with Henri, wishing that he hadn’t interfered with his personal affairs.
“Don’t you think that I know that? I have stared death in the face. I feel all the pain that these creatures are causing. I can still hear the bending and snapping of bone.” Henri stood, staring pompously at his friend.
“Henri, I already apologized to you. I don’t know why you are so angry.” Siméon was frustrated at Henri for taking his anger out on him.
“I am angry because now my mother is left wondering where I am. I couldn’t tell her everything, and I hated it. That is how I feel.” Henri pushed passed Siméon, ignoring his attempt to rectify with him.
Henri joined Etlina in the other room away from Siméon. Etlina saw the expression on Henri’s face, wondering what had happened in the kitchen.
“Henri, are you okay?”
“Fine. Let’s get this going.”
“Did you speak with your mom?”
“Etlina, drop it. Can we please just get on with this?” Henri knew that he had an attitude, and he was taking his anger out on Siméon and Etlina, but he couldn’t help it.
“Alright, I’m sorry.” Etlina could tell that Henri was in pain, but she didn’t want to pry. She knew he was a private person when it came to his feelings.
“Let’s do this. Let’s go to India.” Henri prepared his mind for what was to come, and he came to terms with the fact that they weren’t going to be the same the moment that they stepped foot in the temple.
CHAPTER 27
Looking back at the past few months was the only pastime that Henri knew how to do. He hated that he didn’t have normal teenager problems like the rest of his classmates. Instead of worrying about finding a date to the fall dance or what movie to see, he had to locate the lost treasure of a Hindu goddess.
Siméon strolled into the room with feelings of angst and defeat. Henri hated how he had reacted at Siméon earlier, but he felt as though he needed to express himself. He glanced over at Etlina, and he saw that she was preparing herself for the portal.
Henri stood up from the floor so he could converse with Siméon.
“Hey, can we talk?”
“Wi, ma cherie.”
They stepped aside in order to not bother Etlina.
Henri needed a second before he said something that he would regret. He didn’t want to have any regrets prior to leaving for India since he had no idea what would happen or if they’d even make it back.
“I want to apologize. It wasn’t right to react the way that I did. You were only looking out for me.”
“I understand, Henri. You’re under an extreme amount of pressure.” Siméon gave Henri a smile, which made him feel as though they were going to be fine. Henri locked eyes with Siméon, venturing to a place of peace and love. Knowing that he had Siméon by his side, made Henri f
eel more secure and strong. Siméon grabbed Henri’s hand, and they both had a secular moment before they embarked on their journey.
Etlina swung her arms outward, and the gathered energy - which she had accumulated from every element - bent to her will. She commanded the mystical forces to form a circular barrier around the three of them where the doorway would appear.
“Alright, guys, I am about to open the portal.” Etlina glanced at Henri and Siméon, making sure that they were ready.
Henri felt a pulling sensation in the pit of his stomach, and the force of the pull made him feel nauseated. He tried to look around the room; however, the pulsating energy was too thick, and he couldn’t see outside of the barrier. He thought of his mom, and he wished he had handled their conversation differently.
Right before their eyes, Etlina used the forces that she had gathered and ripped a hole through reality. Etlina motioned for the boys to walk through the portal.
“Alright, Henri, you go first through the portal, and I want you to wait for us to walk through to the other side. Do you understand?”
“Yes. See you guys on the other side.” Henri reached the portal, and an unforgettable nightmare resurfaced in Henri’s mind. The time when he was standing at the portal, watching the death of Metatron. The feelings of fear, abandonment and loss permeated his soul, leaving him with darkness in his heart. It was the darkness that he feared.
A sharp pain throbbed in Henri’s forehead, forcing him to cease passing through the portal and to scan the room. He had an ominous feeling in his gut, so he spun to make sure that everything was fine. What he saw was what he feared—a life-devouring creature. Its eyes widened, and it readied its body for a feast. Siméon recognized Henri’s panic, and he pushed Henri into the portal. Siméon then turned and faced the creature that threatened them. The sight of the creature disgusted Siméon. He decided that it was his time to take it down with the power of his ancestors and his fists.
“Etlina! Get through the portal,” he demanded of his new friend. He was aware that she had to keep the portal open for him as well, but Siméon wasn’t going to risk her life to keep it open.
