by K R Leikvoll
Kirin's gentle hand on my shoulder calmed me down a smidge. The shadows disappeared. My finger hissed loudly as the ring went to work healing the cuts underneath it. A single drop of my black blood stained the white snow before the wound was sealed.
We packed up our things and started toward the tower on the mountain's peak. There was fury and purpose in my steps. Fear rose inside my being the closer we got, but I smothered it with anger. I was going to get that damn scroll. Not for me, but for Eve. She deserved that much effort—and heaven help the demon king when he tries to heckle me the next time.
My nerves didn't calm down. I could feel the energy of the past conflict in the air; it was hard to explain.
We reached the spot where Danielle was killed way faster than I wanted to. It was at the very base of Light's Peak as it turned out. I hadn't known beforehand that Kirin hadn't been to that spot since it actually happened. He fell to his knees, submerging himself in the snow. His eyes were closed. Varnoc gave me a confused look. I awkwardly stopped next to Kirin and put a reassuring hand on his back.
"I shouldn't have let you go with them," he said to the snow. "I knew Lydris was a traitor. I shouldn't have let you go. You are dead because of me, and I can see that now. I wish my afterlife would bring me to you, but I messed that up, too."
He grew silent.
It was really strange being next to someone that I had confusing feelings for upset over another girl. I knew Danielle was dead and out of the picture, but it was strange nonetheless.
Whatever, I don't know why I was getting caught up with shit that didn't matter. What mattered was finding the stupid scroll.
My hand moved from his back to his shoulder. "Take your time," I said emotionlessly before running after Varnoc who had started off ahead. We began our walk up the snowy mountain without glancing back once.
The cold was biting at my body, but I could barely feel it. I was focused on the massive tower at the top. It looked almost like a lighthouse, except the top blossomed outward like a rose made of stone. The tower didn't have any windows or any visible doors. It was a dark pillar in the sea of white.
My anxiety was growing the closer we got. I half expected Lazarus to appear at any second with her monster-sized wolf. Kirin needed to make his closure fast; I doubted Varnoc and I could do much by ourselves.
We reached the top of the mountain as the sky finally started to lighten. The lavender skies and maroon clouds had started glowing gradually brighter during the past hour. My body was so cold; I was surprised I had made it that far on hardly any sleep. When I discovered that there really was no door as it appeared before, I wanted to break down entirely.
"No... no, no," I mumbled, putting my shivering hands against the dark stone. "Open! What the fuck!"
Varnoc stroked his long beard with a clawed hand. He walked as far as he could on either side before returning back to me in the center.
"Can you use the ring?" he asked, studying the stone. "I can sense magic and it’s not demonic in nature."
I looked at the ring on my finger pressed against the rocks. Come on, do something! I focused on it with all of my brain power; not even a buzz. Had the worm mentioned anything about how to enter? I couldn't remember. Infuriated, I started punching the stone with both my fists.
"Fucking open! Mellon! Alohomora!" I yelled. "Open says me!"
Nothing caused a response.
I needed shelter before my limbs developed hypothermia.
"What about that phrase? The phrase of the Divinus?" Varnoc said giving me a "calm the hell down" look. Phrase of the Divinus? What was the phrase of the Divinus?
"I have no clue," I replied weakly. I put my head against the tower and tried to think.
"The phrase you are looking for is 'Lux Eterna'," Kirin's voice said behind me. Of course! How could I have forgotten that? His hand covered mine, against the stone. "Say it.”
"Lux Eterna," I said to the tower uneasily.
A long, silver oval appeared against the stone like a mirror with no reflection. I stared back at Kirin and Varnoc to make sure they were seeing the same thing. Kirin politely moved me out of the way and put his hand up to the silver. With caution, he stuck his arm through the oval. It went completely through to somewhere else.
"I've seen this before," I said confidently. I pushed past Kirin and walked into the mirror. As if I was simply walking through a door's threshold, I found myself inside the tower. I couldn't help letting out a sigh of absolute relief as I left the frozen north for shelter. I slid against the empty wall and sat down. Kirin and Varnoc appeared in slightly different locations in front of me. They both checked their bodies curiously to make sure they were fine. After the mirror dissipated with a glimmer, we were left in darkness.
A tiny crackle echoed from across the room. Crimson flames appeared in Kirin's hands. He was standing near a rickety, wooden staircase that led to the floor above us. They were waiting on me patiently to get up. I wouldn't. I was still shivering and trying to warm my numb body. Maybe it would've been better to sleep in.
"Val, I know you are cold, but we have to keep moving," Kirin said, trying to get me to budge. I didn't want to move. All I could think of was not wanting to be cold anymore. Kirin took off his giant cloak and held it out to me.
"It's almost over. I promise you can rest as much as you want when we find it," he said reassuringly.
Okay, Val, be strong. Almost there...
I reluctantly followed them up the staircase. I had to hold on to the shabby railing to keep my numb body from giving out. Kirin's flames were the only thing visible as we climbed to the next floor.
The second floor was in a damaged state. The floorboards were broken in certain places exposing the ground floor below. There was shattered furniture spread throughout and a singular window that faced the black ocean. It let in a miniscule amount of light that dimly lit the room.
I saw a dusty tome near the far corner and my heart skipped a beat. Could that be it? I crossed the room incredibly carefully; I really didn't want to fall and have to heal broken bones. A flurry of dust went up my nose and into my eyes when I picked it up. It was dark red and leather bound. I had to wonder if it was made from demon skin.... gross. I opened the cover. On the front page it read, "To the Nephilim…"
I held the tome in the air and turned to Kirin.
"I think I found it," I said with relief in my voice. Varnoc burst out in loud laughter while Kirin shook his head no. He snatched it out of my hands.
"What part of a scroll looks like a book?" he asked with annoyance in his voice.
"Give it back! It's mine!" I said, trying to grab it. He held it over my head with an irritated scowl. He waited until I stopped to open it and thumb through the pages. Agitated, he threw the book into his bag.
"What the fuck, dude? Are you the Nephilim? Just let me read it!" I said, trying to pull the knapsack from his shoulder.
Kirin grabbed my arms and met my eyes.
“Right now, you need to focus on remembering where the worm said the scroll was. It's really important you remember," he said sternly. I didn't want to think about it, but his tone suggested that I didn't have a choice. I tried to recall what was said.
Something about Light's Peak. Something about getting Lazarus a ship. It was all fuzzy. I met Kirin's eyes again and shook my head no. I couldn't remember. I was not only injured, but also traumatized when they had been talking about it; it was impossible to recall the fine details.
"All I remember is that it's supposed to be here," I replied, giving the pair a tense stare. They were both glancing from me back to each other. Kirin turned to Varnoc and started whispering to him in hushed tones.
"Um... excuse me? Don't talk like I'm not here!" I yelled, forcing my way between them. They ignored me and looked at each other.
"I don't have a blood bank at my disposal. No offense, Nephilim," Varnoc said, shooting me an apologetic wave.
"What if something else happens and I have to use the E
ssentia? I don't want to harm the people around me. You'll have to do it," Kirin insisted. Varnoc chuckled.
"I haven't used demonic power in years, Maundrell. I abstain more than you. Do you have a plan as to how I will repay that debt?" Varnoc responded shutting him out. Kirin sighed and glimpsed at me. I didn't like the regretful expression on his face.
"What are you guys talking about?" I asked once more, nervously. They exchanged another uneasy glance.
"We can help you remember," Kirin said calmly.
"It is not pleasant, nor is it an easy spell, but it seems as though that is the only choice," Varnoc finished for Kirin. The idea of going back to the stone prison… I held in my complaints. I had to do it. I had to do it for Eve. She didn't deserve what happened to her, and it was all for me.
"Okay," I said firmly. My heart was going crazy. Varnoc and Kirin both nodded at each other. Kirin gently pushed on my shoulder until I was on my knees.
"I think she should decide who does it," Kirin said to the satyr. He agreed. They both stared at me, waiting for an answer.
I could see that Kirin really didn't want to do it. I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to put me through it or he didn't want to risk his strength. Probably both. Varnoc also looked uneasy at the idea. He was right; if he did it, how would he sacrifice? There was no one except me to give him blood and we mutually didn't want to do that.
My eyes met Kirin's. He knew what it meant.
Varnoc bowed in my direction. "I will give you two some privacy," he said before clomping down the staircase. That actually made me more nervous. I knew that I was probably going to cry or something, but I obviously had no idea what the details of the "spell" were.
Kirin kneeled down in front of me. His face showed how much he pitied me (or himself). He smoothed my pale hair back.
"He is right. It's not going to be pleasant, but it's the only way," he whispered. He gently held my face in his hands. I wanted to break down and we hadn't even started.
"There are a lot of people counting on us. Be strong," he murmured. His lips brushed my forehead.
"Don't keep me there too long," I said, grabbing his wrist tightly. He nodded.
"Close your eyes. Try to focus on that moment; it will make it easier to find.”
Before my eyes closed, I saw a hint of crimson flames igniting in his hands. I braced myself anxiously expecting pain.
When his palms touched my temples, I was instantly ripped from the stone tower back to somewhere overwhelmingly familiar. My house... back home on Earth. I could see it! Everything was moving impossibly fast, though. I was a child barely walking in my bedroom; the next moment we were in my elementary school classroom. Another few seconds passed, and I was in the mental hospital. After the mental hospital, we flew through my high school graduation. I could see flashes of James, flashes of my parents, my old and few friends. Things slowed down slightly when I jumped from the cliff. We were in the valley, and then we were in his castle. I saw the faces of the people we locked in before I put up a barrier. Then we traveled through the desert. I watched myself burn the bone snake's skull to ashes. Flash forward to the first time Kirin gave me blood. We were getting closer. Alexandra's cabin. Lazarus cutting Codd's throat.
I wasn't ready for the next change. The stone prison was the same way I remembered it every time I had a panic attack. I was watching myself on the floor keeping my eyes closed, trying not to focus on Lydris' form forcing his way inside me. I felt myself clench Kirin's arm in the real world.
"I bet Kirin wishes he could do this," Lydris' voice echoed off the walls. It stressed me out to the point of wanting to rip at my hair. I had to focus incredibly hard on not freaking out. Almost there, Val, almost there. Everything had slowed to the point of real time. He was moaning into my neck; Lazarus was drinking from my wrist. She had her fill and started putting her clothes back on. The worm continued to enjoy himself for an eternity before he finally got off of me. I watched Lydris spit on my body and make his way to the gray bitch.
"I cannot trust you. You are a liability... and I hate you," Lazarus' voice echoed.
"Wait! What must I do to prove I am loyal to you?" Lydris cried out.
"Where is the temple in Himmel?" Lazarus demanded to know.
"It's…it's in the northern wilderness. Hidden under a tower on top of Light's Peak. Only the Divinus can enter the barrier. Eve sealed it," Lydris stammered to save his life.
Everything began to fade away rapidly.
I opened my eyes and blinked a few times before I started bawling. Kirin caught me in his arms.
"Shh, it's over now," he whispered, rocking me softly. He put his chin on my head and hugged me in his arms. I let myself cry. Even though I had watched it happen rather than physically experiencing it, it was just as bad. I was enraged; I was still terrified.
"So it's under the tower?" he asked to clarify. That made it worse. He had seen everything, too; it wasn't only me in there. Had he heard everything Lydris had said? Had he watched him rape me, too? My body recoiled for a moment, but he held me tighter in response.
"Listen to me. I live to serve you. I would never, ever hurt you, Valentine," Kirin said, shaking me slightly. I wrapped my arms around him.
"It was so awful," I whispered, burying my face into his chest.
"We are almost done here. We just have to get this scroll and we can leave," he said, trying to cheer me up. I wiped the tears from my eyes.
"What happens after we find it?"
"Depends on what it says. We will probably have to voyage on the Valkyrie to the far continent of Kaeda."
"How far is that?"
"The trip will take months.”
Months? On a boat? I hadn't really been on a lot of boats, but that sounded a lot more Mayflower-ish and a lot less Disney Cruise. What about scurvy? Or seasickness? Or the fact that I was being dragged around on some wild goose chase with no particular direction?
When I had calmed down, Kirin helped me to my feet. He pulled his cloak off me and put it back on. I numbly stepped into the empty space between us. I wrapped my arms around him one more time in a hug. I needed it; I wasn't able to get the image of the worm out of my mind.
We made our way down the stairs. Varnoc was pacing with his hands behind his back. He gave us a grim look when we reached him.
"Did you figure anything out?" he asked steadily.
"Underneath us," Kirin mumbled, raising his crimson flame over his head. It grew larger and brighter, illuminating the entire room. We looked for some sort of trap door, but we couldn't find anything except stone. Kirin pointed out that there was something hidden within the rock, based on the pattern the stones were laid out in. Varnoc was next, noticing writing etched in a circle around the floor.
"What does it say?" I asked, noticing the thin white lines.
"It's demonic," Varnoc mumbled, stroking his beard.
"This one is Na," Kirin called out.
"These two are Az and Va," Varnoc responded after studying them for several seconds.
"Last one is Ba," Kirin said holding his flame close to the floor.
"So... what does Naazvaba mean?" I wondered aloud. It must have been the magic word because the stones beneath our feet began to change. A stone lid rose from the ground filling up most of the room. It was at least three feet tall and had been under us inconspicuously the entire time.
Varnoc clapped his hands.
Kirin was beaming. "Wonderful. I doubt anyone other than you could have made it appear," he said, acting like I had actually done something. They both wrestled with the lid on a metal hinge. It took their combined strength to heave it open and rest it against the stone wall.
I was not pleased with what was underneath it: a stone tunnel. The bottom was so far and so deep that it was indiscernible. It made jumping in the sewer look like a cakewalk. I didn't even have a phobia of heights, and I didn't want to dive down that thing. Varnoc appeared really unhappy, but Kirin was already securing his things.<
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"I will catch you like last time," he tried to reassure me. He raised his flame into the air and lowered his hand. The flame hung suspended over the hole. It hovered slightly higher illuminating the room with a murderous, red glow.
"How do you plan on getting us back up?" I asked. Kirin was sitting on the ledge.
"We will worry about that when it's time.”
"That doesn't sound like a good plan," I replied, uneasily peering down the stone maw. He didn't listen to me. With an unsure expression on his face, he flung himself into the depths. His landing echoed loudly below. The tunnel sounded incredibly hollow.
Varnoc was sitting on the ledge by the time Kirin landed. He gave me a wink.
"See you at the bottom," he said before leaping into the emptiness. His hooves hitting the stone below reverberated underneath me.
"You’re next, Val!" Kirin's voice called. It sounded far away.
"Goddamn it," I whimpered, climbing onto the ledge. My stomach was in knots. Holy hell I did not want to jump. The darkness was intimidating. I kept telling myself to just get it over with, but my hands held on refusing to let me try. Right as I tried to call down that I couldn't do it, I was shoved.
Falling in complete darkness was terrifying. I had no way of knowing where Kirin was or if I was going to hit the stone and kill myself. I tried to scream, but it was smothered when I felt Kirin's arms catch me. My eyes instantly traveled to the opening of the hole where the red light hovered above us. It had to be at least ten stories, the size of a building.
My heart dropped a second time when I saw a dark silhouette looking down at us.
"Well, well, well... I never would have dreamed that I would have an opportunity such as this," a vicious, familiar voice said down the opening. "Not one, not two, but three! My faith in Nakarius has always served me well."
"Worm!" Kirin yelled with such fury that all we could hear was "worm" echoing through the tunnels. It was hard for me to breathe. It was him. I could only faintly see his form from the bottom of the tunnel, but it was his voice. It hadn't been Lazarus waiting for us, it was Lydris... and he had us by the balls.
