by Lola St. Vil
Meanwhile, a Fire Swan narrowly misses deep frying Isabelle. Jay spots her and tackles the swan out to get her. Ameana comes to their rescue as more and more Swans invade the area. The Twins coordinate an attack by luring one the Swans away and having Wolf blitz them from behind.
Many of the morbid trees are now engulfed in flames. I try to run to safety but before I can move, I hear the massive tree beside me giving way. I know it’s gonna come straight down on me. I squeeze my eyes shut like a two-year-old wishing away monsters from under the bed.
But there’s no heat rising from my flesh. There’s no sound of bones breaking under massive weight. I look up and there he is, securing me in his arms as we soar into the sky. I exhale, nearly dizzy from relief.
“Cutting it kind of close, First Guardian.”
“I had time,” he smiles and sets me down away from the battle.
My relief is short-lived as I realize that Tony is nowhere around. I call out his name over and over again. Out of the corner of my eye, I spot him being dragged off by one of the Fire Swans.
I look around for something to hit the Swan with but I find nothing. Then I spot the knapsack that Tony brought with him. I run over to it but I don’t know what any of the vials are for. I’m worried I could end up doing more harm than good by using them.
Then I find the plant that Isabelle said was a paralyzing agent at the bottom of the knapsack. I grab the rock with the sharpest edge, pound the plant until the liquid seeps out, and dig it into the Swan’s wings before he can take to the air again.
He drops Tony and turns to me. The bird lashes out and hurls a lake of fire at me. Thankfully the liquid from the plant takes effect immediately; the Fire Swan is paralyzed mid-fire.
I go over and check on Tony. He tells me he’s okay. When I look back, all the Fire Swans are either dead or fleeing. Exhausted, I lay down on the ground and try and catch my breath.
“Fire Swans don’t come into the Pyron. They normally live in the castle,” Isabelle informs us.
“What does that mean?” Tony asks.
“It means Kairo knows we’re here.”
CHAPTER TEN: INTO THE WOODS
Off in the distance we can make out the castle overhead. But Isabelle tells us that it’s still at least half a day away. The team discussed taking to the sky since Kairo already knew we were here, but they decided to stay on the ground since it provided more cover. This news doesn’t sit well with Marcus. He asks if there is a faster route. She tells him no matter what, this is the only path to get to Kairo.
Just before night falls once again, I decide to take a walk. Actually Marcus insists I stay no more than two yards away, so it not really a walk. It’s more like take a step outside, then hear him scold me for taking that step.
As I head back from my “long stroll” I notice the most bizarre flower blooming between the cracks of a rock. This amazes me because it’s the first pretty thing I’ve encountered since we came to Pyron. It’s a flower with black and white polka dot petals. I pluck it out of the ground and inhale its scent; it smells like orange blossoms with a hint of spice.
Finding the only thing of beauty in this awful place makes me smile. And suddenly it occurs to me to try and make the best of this situation. After all, I’m with my boyfriend, I’m still alive and sooner or later, Marcus and I will be together. Yes, there will actually come a time somewhere in the week and a half that we have left, where I will be alone with this hottie and no one will stop that from happening.
As I near the cave, I find Jay and Isabelle on guard duty. I think the two of them would make a great couple. Finally, Jay meets a girl who calls him on his issues. Jay’s such a sweet guy and Isabelle is awesome. More importantly, Jay needs someone who won’t be putty in his hands, like I am when he calls me “baby girl.”
“I never got the chance to say thank you for…ya know,” I hear Isabelle confess.
“Thank me for what?” Jay asks.
“For saving me from the Fire Swan. That was…maybe you’re not too bad.”
“Wow, you suck at apologies.”
“You’re not making it easy.”
“Why should I? You’ve been judging me since we met.”
“You saw my glasses and thought I was a prude.”
“Um…you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?”
“You mean beside this?”
“This doesn’t count.”
“I broke my ex-boyfriend out of Bliss.”
“You dated an ex-con!”
“Yeah.”
“And you broke him out?”
“Yes.”
“Hell, nah. I’m gonna need more.”
“All Angels weren’t good guys. I didn’t know that at the time.”
“What happened?”
“He injured a human. He swears it was by mistake. Anyway, the Council felt he would be better off going to Bliss for a few months. I read up on Bliss and found passageways in from the floor plans and I helped him escape. The Council found out, sent the guy back to Bliss, and they Grounded me to Earth for six months.”
“You were lucky. It could have been much worse. What happened to the guy?”
“He got out a few months later and dumped me. Said he wanted someone more…Angel-like.”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“He went after some Para chick. She had an amazing inner glow, never read a book in her life, and had a free love policy.”
“Oh.”
“I don’t get it. You guys are Angels; how come all of you are jerks?” she asks sincerely.
“As Angels, we are capable of an extraordinary amount of love and charity. But we don’t always reach our potential.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Did you love him?”
“I was starting to.”
“Look, I came at you wrong back at the diner. I should have been more…ya know.”
“It’s okay. I still would have turned you down.” She smiles playfully. He smiles back at her.
“Can you take this stone thing off my wrist please, it’s turning green,” he complains.
“Ha,ha, funny.”
“No, I mean it. All the stone are green now,” Jay says, holding out his hand.
“That can’t be,” she exclaims, as she studies it.
“Why? What does that—”
She leaps up from the massive stone she was sitting on and kisses Jay. At first he pulls his hand away as if to say “I’m not doing anything but kissing back.” Soon though, his hands are through her hair and down her lower back.
Like Jay, I’m shocked. I cover my mouth with my hand to hide my goofy smiles. She just stood up and kissed him. It reminds me of when Marcus and I were in the car and I kissed him. It caused a lot of drama. I mean a lot. But honestly, I would do it again a thousand times just to feel his lips on mine.
Okay, Emmy. Let’s put that thought in the “things to never say in front of Ameana” box and close it up.
“What just happened?” Jay asks, baffled.
“I lied before. The Truth Stone picks up two emotions. Desire and Regret. In order for all the Truth Stones to turn to green, it means you regretted every desire you had since you put it on.”
“You lied to me?”
“Yeah, I just never thought it would turn green.”
“It’s cool. Just keep doing what you did before.”
“You mean this,” she reaches over and kisses him again. Her hair is now illuminated. I love when Angels get a hicky. It still trips me out that it reflects in their hair. She pulls away. He comes in for yet another kiss.
“Hey, you don’t have a thing for Paras do you?” Isabelle asked.
“No, but I got a soft spot for law breakers.” Her laughter fills the air. I clear my throat before they can start kissing again.
“Oh, hey, Emmy,” Jay says awkwardly.
“Hi,” I say, sounding very much like
a bratty little sister who caught her brother making out with his girl.
“Um…I’m, we were just, um…”
“Hey, is it me, or is it really bright out here? Some of us are absolutely glowing,” I tease. Jay takes off after me and chases me around.
Suddenly we hear Rio a few yards away.
“We’re saving the world here guys, you might want to lower the purple Wave count!”
*********************
The growl sounds as if it came from hell itself. I look up to the ceiling of the cave. I tell myself it’s in my head. Then I look around and every single being in the cave is on high alert. There’s a silence in the air and it’s pregnant with fear.
We wait.
“It’s a Cray,” Ameana whispers, with a slight tremble in her voice.
Ameana’s trembling? This is so not good.
“What’s a Cray?” I whisper.
“It’s just one,” Marcus says hopefully.
“No, there’s a cluster out there and they’re coming,” Tony replies.
“Every growl accounts for a Cray. So far, there’s only one out there,” Miku says.
“What’s a Cray?” I ask again.
“We should move,” Wolf says.
“If they aren’t on to us now, they will be once we start running. The best thing to do is stay still. Like Marcus said,” Jay says.
“All of us put together should be able to handle a Cray,” Isabelle says, mostly trying to convince herself.
“Damn it guys, what the hell is a Cray?” I ask, not for the first time.
“A beast that lives to hunt and feed. It’s Lucy’s oldest creation. It can’t be killed,” Rio explains.
“Does it want confessions like the Pity Snake?”
“No,” Miku says regretfully.
“Then what does it want?”
“Flesh”
I really, really need to remember to stop asking questions…
“They can’t see us,” Tony says.
“No, but they can smell us,”
Another growl makes it’s way into the night sky.
“That’s two,” Rio reports.
Suddenly the single growls give way to a chorus.
“It’s a cluster, we gotta move!” Marcus orders.
Everyone darts out of the cave and heads outside. The team tries to take to the air but a swarm of Fire Swans hovering above make it impossible to take off. Marcus instructs us to head towards the castle. He grabs my hand and we take off at top speed into the thick of the forest.
It is then that I get my first look at the Cray. They’re so horrifying they stop me dead in my tracks. I tell myself that I can’t just stand here and wait for the beasts to attack me. I tell myself this is stupid and I need to run. But no part of my body would listen to me.
The Cray towers over me. It looks like an enraged bull cross-bred with a demon. The blood from his last meal drips from his fangs and down on to his blue-black skin. There’s some kind of left-over body part sliding down his long claws. I look harder and make out teeth and what was once an eyeball.
Dear Omnis…
The Cray growls loudly and bares all his fangs. I’m shaking before the beast. All efforts to move are in vain. I stand there frozen before him. In a few seconds it will be my eyeballs sliding down his claws, my teeth.
Dear Omnis…
I’ve seen this in movies before. I would yell at the screen and tell the stupid girl to run. What I didn’t know at the time was that the girl in the movie is telling her body to run but the body has a mind of its own.
“EMMY MOVE!!!” I hear Marcus but I can’t get my body to comply. The Cray cuts through the air with his claws. I see them coming toward me but there is some kind of disconnect between my brain and my muscles. I can’t even close my eyes because like the rest of me, my eyelids are frozen.
Run, stupid girl, run…
Marcus swoops in just in time to push me out of the way but not in time to save himself. The Cray knocks him down to the ground and strikes him with his claws. I watch in horror as four long, deep gashes form across Marcus’s chest. A silver substance quickly springs from the wound.
My Angel is bleeding…
“Marcus!” I shout.
“I’m fine, go!” he shouts.
I don’t move until I see that he’s well enough to get up from the ground. Then and only then do I take off. I want to stop and help when I see Jay trying to fend off two Crays.
“Emmy, go!” Jay says, as if he could read my mind. I force myself to take off further into the woods. I’m so far in now that I can’t hear the battle raging on behind me. The entire forest is on mute.
I creep through the forest scared to death that I’m not alone. Something moves to the right of me. I turn quickly but don’t see anything. Something moves to the left of me. I turn and again there is nothing there.
I hear something crack beneath me. I look down, it’s only a branch. Relief washes over me. I remind myself to breathe. Before I can make it to the next tree I see them - three Crays marching straight for me.
They sniff the air and with a series of grunts they seem to agree that I’m nearby. I quickly pull back before they can spot me. There’s a small opening under a bed of earth, it’s only a few yards away. It’s big enough for me to fit into but too small for them to follow me.
Can I make it to the opening before they spot me?
I lean against the tree and listen for their footsteps. I don’t hear anything. If I’m going to try for the opening, now is the time. I decide to make a break for it on the count of three.
One…
My heart beats so fast, it’s painful.
Two…
I’m holding on to the trunk of the tree so hard my palms are bleeding.
Three…
I leap out from behind the tree and run towards the opening. I’m two feet away when a Cray blocks the opening at the last second. I turn around and head back the way I came. They take after me. I run frantically through the woods. My body is making up for having frozen on me earlier. It moves with speed I didn’t think I was capable of.
The forest goes by me in a blur. Every gust of wind seems to whisper “death is near.” I run faster. The uneven ground makes it hard to navigate and the braches mercilessly cut into my skin. More than once I nearly fall, but I each time I gain my balance and forge ahead.
I will not die here…
I’m so concerned about the beasts on the ground, I forget about the ones in the air. A Fire Swan sprays me with flames from above. I move out of the way, narrowly avoiding the bird’s wrath. But in the process, I lose my balance and hit the ground, hard.
I’m knocked out for what I think was only a few moments. When I wake up, I’m bruised and aching all over. I open my eyes and look up from the ground. There is a cluster of Cray looking down hungrily at me. There’s nowhere to run. Even if there was somewhere to run, my ankle is broken. I can’t walk let alone run.
They growl amongst each other for a few seconds and come to some kind of decision. I pray to Omnis they decide they’re not hungry, but that wasn’t the conclusion that they came to. They decided the biggest of them gets first stab—literally.
The Cray plunges his claw into my flesh. I let out a bone-chilling cry that’s unrecognizable to me. Blood gushes out of my legs like a dam that’s just been broken. The other Crays lean in to help themselves. Just as I am about to pass out from the pain, I see a bright light from the corner of my eye…
The next time I open my eyes, I’m in a cave. Everything is blurry and spinning. A voice tells me to rest. I think it’s Marcus but I can’t be sure. The darkness pulls me under again. I’m not sure how long I’ve been knocked out but when I wake again, the first person I see is Marcus. Concern and guilt are etched on his stunning face.
“Stop,” I whisper softly to him.
“Stop what?”
“Feeling guilty,” I try to smile but my face hurts.
“How are you feeling?�
�
“Like a lucky girl.”
“How’s that?”
“Did you see how fast I ran? I may have a chance at the next Olympics.”
“The adrenaline kicked in.”
“Whatever, next year I’m gonna try out.”
He looks back at me. He’s got this look on his face. It’s not his serious First Guardian face. It’s something else. I study him for a moment and then I understand, it’s his concerned boyfriend look. Sexy.
“Marcus, I’m fine,” I assure him. He helps me sit up and fills me in on what happened after the Cray stabbed me.
Wolf was able to distract them with a power ball while Marcus rushed me to safety. Marcus left me with Tony. Then he joined the team and they were able to fend off the Cray.
I look down at my right leg. Someone has bandaged it and fixed my ankle. Marcus tells me it was Tony who was able to heal me with Woe. I remember the side effects of Woe from when Jay got hurt. Fortunately it doesn’t have the same effect on humans.
“So, I didn’t walk around telling anyone I loved them?”
“No, it worked fine on you,” Tony replies.
I ask Marcus about his wounds and he promises it’s all been healed thanks to the Woe. Looking around the cave, I see everyone is fine. But there are two Angels I don’t see.
“Where’s Wolf and Ameana?” I ask.
“Four Crays ganged up on Wolf. He’s hurt.”
“How bad?”
“Bad. Tony set up a Cob just for him so he can rest. Ameana is in there now, trying to convince him to leave the mission and go get help.”
“He has to agree to go.”
“Ameana’s been trying but so far no luck,” Rio says.
I stand up and head outside. Marcus warns me that I am not all better and that I should rest. I don’t have time to convince him I’m okay. I have to see how bad things are with Wolf. Although the Woe worked on me, I still feel sore and ache just about everywhere. It takes me twice as long as I thought to get to the next cave.
