by J E Mueller
Lydia set a strong pace to follow as we marched in silence for a ways. Finally, she growled out in frustration. “Ugh! I hate every last bit of this! I get sent on a stupid mission that almost destroyed everyone and now we’re on a quest we have even less information on. Can anything go right?”
“Well, everything can’t go wrong,” I commented, thought twice of it, and retracted that statement. “You know everything can go wrong. Everything has just been going so oddly and it all feels connected.”
“I doubt it can all be connected, but maybe,” Lydia replied, not seeming to know what to think.
Something caught my ear and I stopped in my tracks. Worried, Lydia stopped a step ahead of me.
“What do you hear?” she asked. Too many times I had heard demons just a moment before she did. Too many times I had heard things that sent chills down her spine.
“Sorrow,” I replied simply as I changed direction, “Maybe a forgotten graveyard. How long ago did this area become so infested with demons?”
“Centuries.” Lydia shrugged. “I can’t imagine one being just a few miles away from that portal opening.”
“Could be an old Blessed grave site, a graveyard forgotten before all this nonsense, or a recent unmarked burial site,” I mumbled as I strained to listen to the voices. They were still much too far away to make out.
“Careful, let’s not rush into a possible trap,” Lydia cautioned.
Nodding, I slowed my pace. Not because of what Lydia had said, but because I finally started catching some words. It sounded like two different individuals talking. One was younger and had a sweet voice, but there was fear in it. The other was deep and scratchy. It grated on my brain as I realized quickly what I was about to get into. I motioned to Lydia to slow down and held up two fingers and then just one.
Without a word, I felt Lydia’s hand on my shoulder and a rush of Blessed energy. Grabbing my sword, I let the magic flow into it, hoping I wouldn’t need it, but knowing I would.
The words were all too clear now.
Carefully we crept forward as I listened, my heart breaking as the conversation went on.
“But where is Mommy?” I heard a small child's voice ask.
“They’ve abandoned you. Left forever,” the grittier voice replied. I could tell an effort was being made to sound nice, but it was still nails on concrete to my ears.
“Mommy promised. Mommy wouldn’t leave,” the voice replied with confidence.
“Then where is Mommy?” the gritty voice taunted the child.
The answer pained my heart. The child’s spirit hadn’t crossed and was now lost, searching. I could only guess they were traveling when the child got ill. Now its soul was lost, confused, and wanting to be comforted.
Of course, ever the opportunist, the demon wanted to bargain. It couldn’t just take away such an innocent soul. It needed to trick it. Over my dead body. Without hesitation, I sprang forward from hiding at the demon and thrust my sword into the upper half of its body. Lydia was quickly behind me and dealt the final blow. In a burst of smoke and ash, the demon was gone.
The small child, a very disheveled looking boy, peered up at me. Tears lit his eyes as fear and confusion became too much and he cried.
“It’s going to be okay,” I reassured him. Lydia looked at me and nodded, understanding I was talking to someone she couldn’t see and was not just going mad.
“Where’s Mommy?” he sobbed.
“Mommy had to go,” I explained tiredly, not even sure how to begin. “Things got bad, and she had to leave.”
Finally, I took in where we were. There were several recent unmarked graves here. Maybe my guess about his death was wrong.
Taking a deep breath, I looked back at the child. “What is the last thing you remember?”
The child sobbed, a cry I knew from my reading that should echo to angels. It likely reached demons’ ears as well.
“Please, let me help you. What do you remember?” I begged.
“Sasha got really sick, and… and…” He shook his head. “I don't know. It was loud. I fell off the wagon. Where is Mommy?” His cries grew louder and louder.
“Mommy had to leave,” I explained again, but this time added, “because you died.”
The child stopped crying for a moment and stared at me confused. A few smaller sobs escaped his lips before he repeated, “Died?”
“Yes. You will see Mommy again, but it will be a while. We just need to get you to heaven and you can meet her there, okay?” What was I doing? No one could get anywhere but hell right now.
“Died?” He cried for a moment. “Heaven? How do I get there? Where are the angels? Why did I get left here?”
I thought fast, not sure of all the answers myself. “They are busy. There are many demons for the angels to face and defeat. It may take them a little while, but we’ll get you there, okay?”
“You’re not an angel?”
“No, I am not,” I clarified, “but I will do what I can to help you until an angel can help you.” My heart was breaking. What was happening to the other children's souls who were stuck in this world?
“What do I do to get to the angels?”
Great question, kid. I looked around unsure how to answer.
“You can follow me,” I heard Lliam chime in from behind me.
I turned to face him, relieved for once to see him. “Lliam, perfect timing.” I glanced over at the child. “He can help you. He knows a lot about the spirit world,” I added.
Lliam nodded as he approached the child. “I’ll take you somewhere safe. Promise.” Lliam held out his hand.
The small child looked up at me, confused, and I nodded encouragingly. After a moment, and a few more broken sobs, he took Lliam’s hand.
Lliam glanced at me. “You need to go to Reawakening.” He vanished, child in tow.
“Damn it, Lliam. Why?” I cried out, and crumpled to the ground, frustrated.
Lydia raised an eyebrow at me. “What even just happened?” Her expression demanded answers.
“I don’t even know.” I sighed and shook my head, letting the events process for a moment. “We slew the demon that was trying to steal the soul of a small child.” I motioned to the area around us. “Not sure exactly what fate they met. Bandits? Sickness? All of the above? I do know Lliam helped to calm the child, took him somewhere safe, and then told me I need to go to Reawakening. I have no idea why.” Part of me felt like someone had mentioned Reawakening before.
Lydia offered me a hand up. “It’s a safe zone, so that’s a good start.”
“What do you mean?” I accepted her hand up and tried to brush off my clothes - to no avail.
“There are safe zones for us created by the divine beings of old. Demons cannot get near Reawakening. There’s a barrier of sorts. Of course, if any follow us there, you may not be able to leave.” Lydia sighed. “It was a long shot hoping Marella would show up again and explain things, anyway.”
“I think she might be busy for a while.” I remembered that other demon pursuing the fire creature. If it was her, she didn’t even seem bothered by it, but he was livid.
“It would help if I knew her real name,” Lydia mused. “Then I’d at least have an idea of exactly how strong she is.”
“Too strong for you, that’s for sure,” Lliam chimed in.
I spun around, hating that he had snuck up on me again. “What is going on?” I demanded.
Lliam raised an eyebrow at me. “Really? After I just helped you, that’s how you greet me?”
I’d curse him into oblivion if I knew how. Instead, I let out a frustrated groan before replying, “I keep getting parts of what's going on. The mystery is building but nothing is resolved! Of course, I’m tired of it all!”
Lliam leaned against a tree and folded his arms. “All right, here’s what I’ve got so far. You need to go to Reawakening because there is someone there who can teach you how to access the Spirit Realm. After that, Mist is looking to help get you int
o shape so you can be an actual…” Lliam motioned vaguely. “I don’t remember what she said exactly, but you’ll be able to help fix things.”
“What about all the demons that actively want me dead now? More so than normal.” That did put a damper on our travel plans. “I don’t even know where Reawakening is from here.”
Lliam thought for a moment. “That does make it much harder, doesn’t it? It’d probably take two weeks to get there from here, but if you’re fighting at all, I’d guess closer to three... “
Lydia came and rested her arm on my shoulder. “So what’s going on with ghost boy?”
“She’s lucky I don’t have an easy way to smack that smirk off her face,” Lliam grumbled but continued on, “I bet she doesn’t even know where Reawakening is from here.”
I glanced at Lydia. “He thinks you don’t know where Reawakening is from here. You going to show him up?”
Lydia gave a sly smile as she thought and looked around at the land and sky for markers.
“Are you familiar with Marella?” I asked curiously while Lydia did her thing. “It’s not her real name, and technically she’s very much a demon, but she’s helped a lot recently.”
“I might be,” he admitted. “If she’s not using her real name, it’s likely she goes by many aliases. Plenty of angels and demons have been stealthy and undercover with this whole not crossing over mess so they can stay hidden and either figure out what's going on or mess with others depending on which side they are on.”
“Why would they want to do that?” I asked, confused.
“Because the more souls on the demons’ side, the better for whatever they’re plotting. Assuming a less demonic presence and luring people to you is a good way to build a following. Want someone like a trapped Blessed soul to join you? Getting on their side helps. Unless they would rather stick with threats. We still have friends and family that are alive. Many of us have non-Blessed family that could be hurt. If you join them, there’s no turning back, but it would save loved ones so…” Lliam shrugged.
“All right.” Lydia pointed slightly southwest. “I’m guessing it would take close to three weeks to get there with our luck, but maybe if we can find some good help…” She sighed. “No, it’s better not to pull others into this mess. I don’t even know what our goal is other than to survive.”
“Once we reach Reawakening we will find you a way back to the Order,” I replied. “I need to learn how to fix this spirit problem. There’s nothing more here you can do.” I hated to admit it, but it was true.
“Like that’ll make me leave.” She rolled her eyes. “Look, this is caused by demons. Demon hunting is my job, my life, and eventually, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was my undoing. I’m not going to just bugger off and leave because I’m at a disadvantage here. You’re stuck with me.”
“Won’t the Order be upset you’re missing?” I asked. Eventually, Lydia would be ignoring a direct order to return at this rate.
“So?” Lydia nodded toward where we needed to go and started leading the way, leaving us to follow. “If they want to find me, they’ll ask an angel. Now, sooner or later they will track me down and give me the message which will result in a great conversation about why I’m pursuing this matter instead. Since it goes directly with fixing demon messes, no one can exactly tell me to stop. My contract won’t be violated.” She smirked at me before concentrating on the path once more. “If I violated the contract, my extra gifts would be gone in an instant so they can’t even argue I was just doing what I wanted. Having my gifts intact proves I was on the right path all along.”
“She’s got a point,” Lliam said, keeping up with us. “Though I don’t think many will be happy to be told off that way.”
“Lliam thinks you’ll be ticking off everyone,” I echoed.
“Probably. Annoying the elders is easy. Aggravating the angels is even easier.” Lydia shrugged it off, not bothered. “So, why is Lliam following us still? Doesn’t he usually relay a message and vanish mysteriously?”
“I’m trying to come up with a good plan that will not get you both killed,” Lliam replied. “Just because I’m dead doesn’t mean I don’t care about another Blessed. Come on.”
“He’s being an obnoxious Blessed do-gooder.” I snickered. “I have no idea how he’ll help keep us alive to reach our new destination but-”
“Oh, I’ve got it!” Lliam replied, snapping his fingers. “But to keep up with wonderful habits!” He vanished.
I groaned loudly. “Apparently he has a solution and just vanished.”
Lydia wrapped her arm around me. “Hopefully it’s a good one. We’re going to need a lot of luck.”
12
The first week gave us little trouble with demons. Rain battled us instead, making the journey slow, miserable, and gross. The second week was as perfect for travel as one could hope, but I could hear lost souls much more easily now. It seemed that now that I knew what was going on, on a very small level, and with the spirits unable to cross, I was hyper-aware that they needed help. It went frustratingly the same way every time. Sneak up on the demon, destroy it, convince the spirit I was there to help, and let Lliam take over. I had no idea where they were going and he still hadn’t explained his master plan to help keep us safe. The less we knew, the better was all he said.
It made me want to scream.
At the very least, stabbing some demons was a good way to blow off steam. Lydia supported that fully, which was wonderful since the more we slew them the more seemed to appear.
“If I’m correct, we’ve got just under two days left,” Lydia commented as we finished packing up camp.
“Is it bad that all I can think is that things have been going too smoothly?” I sighed and wondered if my fear was justified.
“Probably.” Lydia slung her pack over her shoulder. “But it’s true. We’re going to meet someone who can teach you about this spirit nonsense. That means they’ve been trained to some degree and are likely hunted by the demons. I’m sure there are a small number of them keeping an eye on them in case they try to leave. The person is trapped, for better or worse.”
“And soon we will be too.” I considered that fact.
“We’ll find a way out when the time comes. This person likely can’t fight demons. We can. That makes a big difference.” Lydia radiated confidence. “Let’s go find out what they know and what’s to come. At least my sword arm won’t get flabby on this adventure.”
“Like you ever take enough time off for that,” I teased, feeling a little more at ease. We could totally take care of a few demons. They were the worst of it, right?
Of course, they were the worst of it. I shook off the small feeling of dread and set the pace for our trip.
“I hope there are extra beds. I’m tired of rocks and mud.”
“You picked the wrong person to adventure with for that.” Lydia laughed. “Though a bed and a nice soak without looking over my shoulder sounds amazing. I don't even want to know what my hair looks like unbraided.”
I felt a tingle in the air and froze. “If only hair could be our biggest problem,” I grumbled.
Lydia had already dropped her pack, pulled her sword out, and was ready for business, “Lord and Lady, please help save the soul that comes between me and a bath.” She muttered angrily as she placed her hand on my shoulder. A rush of Blessed magic coursed through me.
To my surprise, Marella appeared in front of us.
“Ladies,” she said calmly with her arms crossed. Her face meant business.
“Marella,” I said for Lydia’s sake. “What a pleasure and surprise.”
“You caused quite a stir by not being able to hide your gift,” Marella replied, diving right into things.
“I couldn’t just knowingly let a soul be grabbed by demons. I had to try something,” I replied. Not that I knew what I was doing, but at least I had tried.
“I know,” she replied simply. “Which is why I followed you.”
“You followed us and waited that long to help?” Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Doesn’t sound much like a good deed, waiting until the last minute.”
“Of course I had to wait,” Marella replied unabashedly. “If they knew I was nearby, they would have gotten more help and things wouldn’t have gone so smoothly at the end. Annoying for you, but it was for the greater good. We don’t need a bigger realm rift now do we? Hm?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “Ahead there are a lot of demons. Your trail was easy to follow and it’s obvious now where you are heading. They will be waiting.”
“And are you going to clear the way or disappear again?” Lydia demanded a response.
“Neither,” Marella smiled pleasantly.
“What does that mean?” Lydia scrunched up her face, not sure what to make of the demon who wasn’t evil anymore.
“I will be incognito. Disguised as a normal traveler with you. To them, I’ll be another mage. A Blessed with the ability to send them back from whence they came. It’s a simple way to keep up my ruse and lend you aid.” Marella smirked.
“Wait, you can’t enter there,” Lydia pointed out. “It’s a safe zone.”
“My dear, living beings with evil intent cannot enter there,” Marella replied, voice ever sweet and honey filled. “I have no evil intent.I’m just guiding a friend and her friend to safety.”
“I’ve never heard that before,” Lydia huffed in disbelief. “So, any demon can enter if they aren’t being evil in that moment? What if they change their intent after? Then everyone inside is screwed?” Anger filled her voice.
“Of course not. It would banish them to the outskirts. It works well,” Marella replied, “I’ve tested it enough. Both sides have. We created them for balance, after all.”
Lydia studied Marella skeptically for a moment. “Who are you?”
“No one of consequence.” She smiled sweetly and in a puff of smoke changed form slightly. Marella looked younger now, maybe seventeen. Sandy blonde curls were pulled into a messy bun and her clothes looked worn from wear and travel. She now carried a short sword at her side and had a beaten up pack slung across her back that was covered in bits of dirt and twigs. It looked as if she had been traveling with us the whole time. “Shall we be off, then?”
