I peer past them and see Addie and Reed are doing pretty much the same thing. Addie was going with us, no matter how much I fought her over it. Reed was staying behind on Witten’s orders. He was to stand guard on the beach to watch for any threat that might come by sea. If a threat did come, he was to warn Cadi and help her protect the others.
Addie wraps her hands around Reed’s neck, pulling him into a tight hug. When he pulls back, he gives her a small kiss on the cheek. This doesn’t seem to be enough for Addie, who grabs Reed by the front of his shirt and pulls him into a passionate kiss. That’s my girl. Behind them, I notice Lucas shooting daggers their way.
I’m just about to get on board a boat with Alanis when I see Coy walking down toward the boats. Panic grips me. He wasn’t supposed to be going. I tell Alanis I will be right back and run over to him.
I step in Coy’s path, placing my hands on my hips. “Where are you going?”
“Where do you think I’m going?” he asks. His hard face looks out at the sea behind me.
“Are you crazy? You’ll be killed.” Coy snorts and tries to sidestep me. I reach out and put my hand out to stop him. “Coy, please don’t do this. I know you’re pissed at me but don’t let that delude your better judgment.” I cup his face in my hands, forcing him to look at me. “Please, please don’t go.” Tears well up in my eyes as I plead with him to stay.
His face remains hard but his eyes flicker with sadness. After a brief moment the sadness is gone and is replaced with anger. “What do you care?” He tries to side-step me but I don’t let him move.
“How can you say that? You know I care.” My voice cracks with hurt and desperation. He must know I care, if I didn’t care I wouldn’t have let him go. One of my tears falls on his hand. He flinches but doesn’t move. He doesn’t say anything either. “Please Coy, don’t go.”
“I have to go get my brother.” His tone is firm but I can hear an ounce of fear too. He knows how dangerous this is, especially for a human.
“I will get him, I promise. Just stay here where it’s safe.” I release my hold on him, thinking I reached him. My mistake. He grabs my arms and swings me around so his back is now facing the beach.
“I’m going Racquel and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.” He lets go of my arms and turns to the boats.
“What will your brother do if you get killed, Coy? What then?” Coy glances over his shoulder at me with tender brown eyes that are laced with pain.
“What’s it matter, I’m going to die one day. Why not go down with a fight?” He walks on down to the beach and doesn’t stop until he’s in a boat. I decide to snatch him out of that boat and tie him to a tree if I have to, when someone—someone very strong—grabs me from behind.
“Enough. He’s already talked with Witten and Jobe about this. He’s protected and prepared.” Thad’s breath is hot on my ear as he holds me. I’m sure he can feel the tension in my muscles as I look down at Coy.
“I can’t let him do this.” I say in a hushed tone.
Thad turns me around and pierces me with eyes that look into my soul. “What if you were human yet Addie was still a Witch and she was in trouble. Would you go to her, even if it meant your death?”
“In a heartbeat.” I didn’t have to think about my answer. I would do anything for Addie with no regard for my own safety.
“Then don’t rob him of that honor.” Thad holds my gaze until he sees I understand. Then he lets go and walks away to Natahala and Brynn. Brynn is still arguing with Natahala as she gets on the boat. I can hear him groan as he follows suit.
I let out my own groan as I head back to the boat I’ve been assigned. I am riding with Alanis, Danika, a few Lycans I don’t know, Evan and Gaige the Elder guard, and some vamps. The boat on our left holds the Elders, Jobe, Kaleb the other Elder guard, Eric, and more vamps. The boat to our right holds Natahala, Brynn, Thad, Ethan, Trent, more vamps and some Lycans. We are the main force.
As we start to pull away from shore a figure tops the dunes, waving his hands. “Wait.”
I smile as Jared comes running down to the boats. “Nice of you to join us.” I say as Jared hops on.
“Better late than never, I guess.” Jared says, sitting next to Danika.
“How did you know we were here?” Danika asks.
“Got wind from some of the other vamps. They’re all in a tizzy over Aldrick’s disappearance. When Natahala’s faithful left to come join her here, word spread fast.” Jared explains. “I wasn’t going to miss a chance to kick some ass.”
I smile at Jared, who returns it. “You gonna go all feathers on us?” Jared asks.
I shake my head, “Not this time.”
“Damn,” Jared says with a mock disappointment. “I was hoping to see some skin for inspiration.”
I laugh, remembering Jared’s banter. I missed the relaxed energy he brought with him. Even though right now it seemed a little forced.
We finally pull away from the beach and I notice a tear slip from Danika’s eye. She tries hiding it by slightly turning her head and rubbing her cheek on her shoulder. I’m about to ask what’s wrong but I follow her line of sight to Ethan in the other boat. He’s looking right back at her with so much yearning it charges the atmosphere. Before our boat pulls ahead of his boat, Ethan forms the words, ‘I love you.’ Another tear slips down Danika’s face as she forms the same words back.
I avert my gaze to give them a final second of privacy, although I’m sure they don’t even notice me staring. They are so wrapped up in their desire for each other, everything else goes unnoticed. I’m not the only one who sees this sad declaration of silent love. Alanis does too. She places her hand on Danika’s.
Danika averts her eyes from Ethan and wipes the tears from her face. “Don’t worry dear, change is coming.” Alanis says this to Danika with so much certainty that it’s unquestionable. Then Alanis focuses on me. “Just be prepared, this isn’t the only battle you will be facing.” I look at the old woman like she’s crazy. What was I, some savior?
Deciding to avoid another cryptic future plan, I turn to gaze at the sea. The water slaps against the boat, sending sprays of water over the top to land on us. It feels good. The spray is cool and against my burning fear filled skin, it’s calming.
I peer over the edge and see a sparkly fin under the boat. I have never actually seen the Merfolk but from what I’m told, they hold the beauty of the sand, sea, and tide. Their scales are like glittering lights in the sea.
I force my eyes away from the beauty below to address Alanis. “Are the Merfolk joining us?” I didn’t know how they would be helpful considering they couldn’t walk on land.
Alanis shakes her head, “They are just sending their blessings. Otieno sent his apologies and his regards.”
“Who is Otieno?” I ask loudly. I can hear Alanis just fine but I worried about her hearing me over the thrum of the wind. The boat was traveling at high speed, whipping the wind around us with high force.
“He is the king of the sea, and has been since Poseidon gave him the throne.” Alanis peers over the edge of the boat to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sparkles of the Merfolk. The water is shining like it is made of gold and silver.
I look ahead of the boat and can already make out Delos Island. I take a glance back a Mykonos and can still see that Island too. “Alanis, won’t the humans see our battle?” If the humans see strange disturbances on the precious island, they may send the coast guard to check it out. That would not be good.
“I’m sure Cerelia has already slain the security guards on the island. As for those on Mykonos, I don’t think we will have anything to worry about. It will be well cloaked.”
I should have known.
As we approach the island, the boats slow to get into position. Some travel around to the far side until we can create a solid barrier around the island. The boats are now side-by-side as we advance upon the shore. This tactic was planned out so we could all jump off the boats at the same
time and rush the island.
My heart thrums as we get closer and closer to the shore. Once I hear the sand crunch underneath the boat, I jump out and start running. Danika flanks my left while Meira flanks my right. All the Elders stay together in an unbreakable barrier.
After only running a few feet, we’re thrown back by an unseen force. I land on my butt but quickly bounce back up, wiping sand off my jeans. A red barrier is before us, barring us from entering. The barrier seems to engulf the whole island in a red dome. Everyone slowly approaches the barrier. Witten sticks out his hand to touch it. As soon as his hand touches the red, his hand glows with a blue energy to protect him.
“Can you get through it?” I ask the Elders.
Witten shakes his head, “We wait.”
For what, the apocalypse? “Wait for what?”
Witten gestures to the barrier, “Cerelia put this in place to try and get us to use our power force to bring it down. She wants to weaken us. I saw her plans etched into the barrier. It will break once she is done.”
“Done with what?” I ask skeptically.
“With her ceremony,” Dagna says sadly. She knows Witten is right but like me she was probably hoping to stop that.
Although the barrier is red, I can still make out the scene before me. The side of the island we are on has all the monuments. Cerelia is standing on a stone ledge under a monument, overlooking the crowd before her. I jerk back as I see Micah standing beside her. I’m hit with a feeling of déjà vu as I look at him. Just like in my vision, he’s just standing there with his head down. His wavy blonde hair covers his face as he keeps his eyes focused on the ground.
The scene is just like my vision. Standing before Cerelia is the cloaked group I had seen being subjugated to her. Not all of them are submitting willingly. Some are being held down by other cloaked figures as Cerelia speaks. I can’t hear her no matter how hard I try. I reach out my hearing but am met with resistance.
Meira places her hand on my arm, “Don’t, it will just drain you.” I must have a look of pure concentration on my face for her to notice what I was doing. I draw my hearing back in as I watch the scene before me.
Cerelia is talking to the crowd with a victorious smirk. The crowd before her listens intently at what she’s saying. I search for Edwin in the throng of cloaks but I don’t see him. If this was his master plan, wouldn’t he be up there with Cerelia? I glance over at Addie. Her eyes meet mine with the same questioning expression.
“Where is he?” she asks.
“I don’t know.” Edwin wasn’t in my vision and now to see he’s not here in real life. Could the Elders have been right? Did Cerelia kill him?
I focus back in on Cerelia, who gestures to a figure in the front. Whoever it is lowers their hood and turns to face the crowd. It’s Aldrick. I wish a painful death his way as he says something to the crowd. The hooded figures raise their arms in unison, no doubt cheering whatever he’s saying.
Then Cerelia nods her head at a line of red cloaked figures before her. Each one is holding a tray with vials on them. They walk through the crowd, giving each person a vial. While they are doing this, Cerelia continues to talk. I ignore her and focus on Micah. Why isn’t he doing anything? He’s so close to her, he could easily take her by surprise. Then maybe the shield would break, allowing us entrance.
The red cloaks fall back in a line before the others. A loud gasp escapes from everyone around me as Cerelia brings out the staff. The staff is beautifully made. The dark wood is wrapped in a vine design. I narrow my eyes to get a closer look. I have never seen the staff before, I’ve only ever read about it.
The image is somewhat distorted because of the red barrier but I can see in the design that the vines are intertwined with images.
At the bottom, there are fish swimming in the vines with delicate etchings to represent water flowing at their sides. In the middle, the vines hold various animal and human figures, along with trees and flowers. At the very top, the sun, moon, and stars are scattered between the vines. The top of the staff is a spiral.
The staff reflects Hecate’s influence on the sea, earth, and sky. The beauty of the staff is set off by the crystal sphere that tips the bottom. It shines brightly, even though there is no light for it to reflect.
Cerelia raises the staff and with a final blow, drives the crystal into the ground. The moon is high in the sky and once the staff is charged, a bright light funnels from the staff to the rising moon. A surge of energy passes through me as I look at the bright moon. A slight hum seems to be coursing from the moon into my muscles. I not only feel stronger but I can feel the presence of my inner essences stirring with power. I feel like I can lift the world with one hand.
I peer around at the others to see everyone has their eyes closed. They, too, have their heads tilted toward the moon, soaking up its power. When everyone opens their eyes, I gasp. Every single Shadow around me has glowing eyes. The dark and light blues are mingled together with the golden browns and blacks. I didn’t think black eyes could glow but as I look over at Thad, I do now. They aren’t bright but I can see a brighter shimmer coming from them.
“Feel the honor that is being bestowed upon you. Use it wisely so that we may defeat our enemy.” Witten’s voice rings clear and loud in the quiet night. Everyone nods at his declaration.
I lean over toward Danika, choosing not to meet her eyes. “Are my eyes glowing?”
She regards me with a frown, “No.”
I didn’t think they were. Last night I could feel them exerting power as they searched the darkness for any threat. I don’t feel that now.
“Do you feel different?” Danika asks.
I nod. “I feel stronger and can sense all the essences in me better.”
“Concentrate on that. See if you can separate them while we wait.” Danika looks back through the barrier, watching as the cloaked figures turn their hoods up.
I concentrate once again on the brightly-lit strands. They are glowing brighter, filled with rejuvenating power. I concentrate on the blue and green strands and separate them from the others. They instantly obey, and float side-by-side in harmony.
As I observe the black and golden strands, I search for the black mist but I don’t see it. Excitement feels me as I try untangling the last two strands. I’m about halfway done when an ear splitting shriek fills the air. I lose my concentration and focus on my surroundings. Someone shouts that the barrier is weakening, before it snaps open. I start to run forward, ready to char Cerelia’s ass, but am grab by both Meira and Danika.
“Look,” Danika says as she points in front of us.
A cold sweat breaks out across my body as I watch the hooded figures turn toward us. In unison, they all reach up and lower their hoods. Aldrick’s Vampires appear the same, except for their glowing black eyes that’s flaked with red. Their fangs extend down as they hiss. Unlike normal Vampires, whose fangs reach just past their bottom lip, their fangs extend just a little farther. Between each fang, all the normal simple teeth are sharpened to points, resembling mini-fangs. The other cloaked figures that once were average Shadows appear normal too, except for the red-flecked eyes. They were just like Micah, created through the binding of different Shadow beings. They give us menacing smiles. They’re ready to fight.
Witten takes a step forward, looking around at our fighters. “Remember, these are our enemies. They will kill you if they get the chance. Even if you recognize them from before this day, you no longer know the person lurking inside. The person you knew is gone. We must succeed today if we are to live to see another day.”
I step up to the front. “Look at her face. She thinks she has won but she hasn’t. She continues to think we are weak. But we are not. Together we stand united, fighting side-by-side like we never have before. Shadows have always been separated by origins or abilities. We’ve always separated ourselves because we thought that was what’s best. Not today. Today, we are all joined as one of the strongest groups that’s ever banded
together. And together, we will fight to the death to protect those we love, the world that we live in. We stand together against one of the greatest threats to ever walk this earth. And together, we will conquer that threat. We will prove that together we are unstoppable.”
Howls, hisses, and yells fill the air once I’m finished. With the momentum still high, Jobe, Witten, and Natahala wave their hands in the air, giving the silent signal to charge. The Shadows advance but everyone pauses when the red mist forms before us again. The red mist isn’t a barrier but it’s something unnatural. When the mist clears, hundreds of Chimeras stand between us and Cerelia’s minions. I give Micah one final glance, as he continues to stare at the ground, before rushing into battle.
Chapter Sixteen
Clothing shreds as the Lycans shift. They rush the jaw snapping Chimeras. Blue energy fills the air as the red mist disperses. Many Chimeras fall back as others are torn to shreds.
A girl with sharp purple eyes, whose body is covered in cheetah fur, tries to grab me. I dodge her attempt and swivel, kicking her chest. She catches herself before she lands and comes back at me again. A fierce growl escapes from her normal human lips as she tries to get a hold on me. She runs toward me with her arms outstretched. Big mistake.
I grab her left arm and swivel her around so her back is against my chest. She thrashes in my arms, trying to get free. In a quick move, I release her arms, grab her neck and snap it. She falls lifeless to the ground. The same is happening to many of her comrades.
The air above my head stirs. I look up to see a guy with black wings and sharp claws hovering over me. I try swatting him away but it does no good. He sinks his razor sharp claws into my back then lifts me off the ground. I thrash from side-to-side, trying to escape, but the movement only tears my skin where his claws are embedded.
Blood Burdens (The Shadow World) Page 21
