“She’ll understand,” he said as he hit her again.
“Will she, though?” Laurana flinched in anticipation of another backhand to the face, but it never came.
Mathias leaned close to her and whispered. “Just tell him what he wants to know, and this will all stop.”
She flung her head forward and tried to bite him. “I’ll never tell that asshole anything!”
Tristan covered his mouth in amusement and laughed. “By golly, I think she just called me an asshole!” He twirled his fingers and another apparition appeared. This time a tall, well-built man with blond hair appeared.
She stared at the illusion in horror. Her heart ached as she studied the tall, handsome man with the innocent smile. His blue eyes twinkled as he walked carelessly through the forest. She knew that face well. It was the only man she had ever fallen for and the father of her unborn child—Jeremiah.
A burst of raw emotion coursed through her. She felt helpless as she fought to hide her emotion from her enemy. She cursed silently to herself as a warm tear slid down her cool cheek. Tears were a sign of weakness, and damnit, she wasn’t weak. “What are you doing?” she asked through clenched teeth.
Tristan mocked her sad face. “Aww, you poor, poor girl. Don’t cry,” he said, wiping away the rogue tear that had escaped down her cheek.
“Shut up!” she yelled.
Tristan nodded to Mathias and he hit her again.
She lifted her head wearily. “Leave Jeremiah alone,” she warned.
“Or what?” he joked, running his finger through the specter. It rippled and a new image appeared. It was of Jeremiah and Angelina walking side by side down a crimson-covered path through the forest. A wicked smile spread across Tristan’s face. Laurana’s jealous reaction was exactly what he was looking for.
“I’m going to rip that smile right off your face,” she promised. She felt a mind-numbing pain across her face again. “Is that all you got, Quasimodo?”
Tristan nodded and Mathias smacked her again, this time with such force, that she saw stars. She opened her swollen eyes and saw a lock of her long blonde hair was now highlighted with bloody streaks. “I’ve always wanted to be a redhead,” she said, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
“This doesn’t have to go on you know—all you have to do is tell me what I want to know,” Tristan replied.
“Who are you anyways?” she asked. “Oh wait, let me guess, you’re some jilted ex from her past life that had his heart broken because you weren’t man enough.”
Tristan’s face went blank. Sadness filtered into his eyes, and awkward silence hung heavy in the air. In one swift moment, Tristan was suddenly standing nose to nose with her, his hand squeezing the sides of her face firmly.
Fear was a rare emotion for Laurana, but she felt it now. “I see I’ve struck a nerve,” she said.
“You don’t know anything!” he scoffed. “You’re merely a small piece of a much bigger picture.”
Laurana laughed loudly. “If you say so.”
He squeezed her face tighter and she struggled to ignore the pain. “You’re pathetic,” he spewed, angrily, in her face. “Your species is no match for me.”
Tristan released the grip on her face. Tears filled her eyes and she drew in a long sigh of relief. He turned around and dismissed the illusion angrily. “What, oh what, shall we do with your dear Jeremiah?”
She felt her stomach tie into knots. “Why are you doing this?”
“You see, Laurana, I’ve spent numerous years looking for Angelina. Any trace that she might be alive. Any signs that she still…” He put a finger to his chin as if he were deep in thought. “Existed,” he finished.
“So, you are a jilted ex!” she said.
“Watch your tongue!” he warned.
“But you knew her before she was human,” she replied matter-of-factly.
“I did,” he said. “In fact, let me tell you a little story about the beginning of time.”
Chapter 7
Time
The time of the Gods had come to an end. Christianity had taken over, and soon the mighty Gods became nothing more than a myth. Most of the Gods had taken refuge to a dimension beyond the stars to live in peace and watch humanity from afar. A select few stayed behind to continue their work maintaining the many souls death presided over in the darkness below.
Tristan’s father, Hades, had been a God; a very powerful one, in fact. However, his mother had been a human. The Goddess Hecate had punished him cruelly for that. Relations with humans had been forbidden since the dawn of man. It was their most sacred law and violating it meant a fate worse than death. Though Hades was powerful, he was no match for the wrath and power of Hecate. She tortured his beloved wife in front of him before banishing her soul to a place some might consider to be Hell. She then banished Hades and his son to the darkness below for an eternity of soul reaping, a job not even the darkest of Gods wanted to do.
Tristan frowned at the lonely memories from his childhood. He had spent years trying to find a way to come back and make Hecate pay for destroying his family. Then one day, he was given a gift. The soul from a humanoid creature filtered into the darkness, lighting the entire area around them. This soul was the purest, yet most evil, soul he had ever come across. Even his father was taken aback by its bright light. He could still remember the look of terror on his father’s face when he reached out to touch it.
“It can’t be,” Hades whispered.
“What is it father?”
He remembered the silence and the fearful look in his father’s eyes.
“Son, don’t touch it.”
Ignoring his father, he reached up to touch the bright orb. “Why?” Tristan had scoffed, “What’s it going to do, bite me?” And bite him, it did. A bolt of electricity shot straight through his body like a gunshot, instantly paralyzing him. The bright soul filtered in through his screaming mouth, sending small electric shocks to his heart. Then as the soul touched his, he felt peace and something more. Something simply amazing. It was genuine love. It swirled through him and he smiled faintly. He had never felt such a raw, beautiful form of emotion.
“Father, what was that?” he asked in awe.
Just as quick as it had come, the soul emerged from Tristan’s body and disappeared into the darkness. His knees buckled and he hit the ground. His father rushed to his side.
“Tristan!”
Tristan opened his eyes warily. “Wow!” he said, breathlessly. “What just happened?”
His father let out a sigh of relief and shook his head. “That is the soul of something very powerful.”
“But what could possess that much power?” Tristan asked.
“Only the soul of a God could possess such power.”
“How does one even kill a God? I thought we were immortal.”
“Good point son, unless”—his eyes widened in surprise—“a law was broken.”
Tristan nodded. “Like you and Mother.”
“Exactly.”
“But who would violate the law? Especially after witnessing what happened to us.” A bitter look fell upon Tristan’s face.
“Someone who didn’t think they would get caught,” his father replied.
“We need to find out who it is. We can’t continue to sit here and suffer in the darkness while someone else goes free.”
His father put his hand on his shoulder and smiled. “Don’t worry, son, we’ll find out who did it, and we’ll make it right.”
Tristan stared into the darkness. The soul had been like a potent drug and one touch had him addicted. He wanted more and he would do whatever was in his power to get it. His wish came true when one of Laurana’s ancestors journeyed into the darkness to find him. They knew of his desperation to return to the ground above to enact his revenge, and they knew he had the gift of being able to see a soul within a body. It was his gift they needed, and all he had to do in return to gain his freedom was bring them a child. Not just any child, but one whose
soul was both dark and light. He was determined to find the child—and find the child he did.
Chapter 8
Deadly Innocence
Laurana looked at him warily. “So, you found the child, and…?”
“And the child just so happened to be the daughter of Hecate.”
“Angelina?”
“Hers had been the soul that had filtered into the darkness. She is both dark and light. She’s the most powerful being to ever exist.” Tristan looked off into the distance, suddenly rattled by the thought.
Laurana, noticing his sudden fear, took full advantage. “You’re afraid of her,” she said knowingly.
He was quiet and continued to stare off into the distance.
“She’s going to kill you, Tristan, and deep down, you know it to be the truth.”
He swung around and hit her himself, pure evil on his handsome face. “Shut up! You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this moment!”
She struggled to lift her head. “Why didn’t you destroy her when you had the chance? As a child?”
His features grew softer and he looked at her thoughtfully. “You see, when I came across the child, I immediately noticed her odd-colored eyes. They were the color of an early morning sunrise—burnt orange with beautiful bright speckles of red scattered throughout them. At that moment, I was certain she was not only human, but one of you—the Ad’Noki.”
The Ad’Noki was what Tristan had called them since the beginning of time. They were an ancient species whose only goal was to live in peace below the earth and simply be unknown to the world around them. They were very deadly if disturbed. His father had warned him to stay far away from their kind, and that, coming from a God, was enough to make his skin crawl.
Laurana gasped. She hadn’t heard that term in a very long time. Very few knew their name, and those who did, stayed clear of their kind.
“Surprised?” He laughed. “You see, my pretty friend, my father warned me of your race. When I came upon the little girl playing in the forest with her black wolf pup, looked upon her beautiful eyes, and saw the colors of her soul, I knew I couldn’t follow through with my part of the deal.”
She suddenly understood. “Because you wanted her for yourself.”
He smiled wickedly. “Smart girl, but you see, I couldn’t take her at that very moment because someone else was with her.”
“Who?” she asked.
“None other than my longtime nemesis, Hecate.”
Mustering up her strength, she lifted her head to look at him, defiant. “Hecate is our sacred goddess.”
He let out a bone chilling laugh. “Your most sacred goddess.” He ran his finger down the side of her bloody face. “You see, Laurana, this is the perfect time, not only can I claim Angelina’s soul, but I can finally get my revenge on your goddess for destroying my family.”
Hatred filled Laurana’s bright eyes. “She will destroy you and what’s left of your family.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, my dear. You see, Hecate is forbidden from seeing her daughter. That was her punishment for cross breeding with your species. Quite unfair, don’t you think?”
“But she didn’t breed with a human.”
He balled up his fist and acted as if he was going to hit her. She flinched in anticipation of pain, but he lowered his arm and sighed. “No, but she still broke the rules. Her punishment should have been far worse.”
“And so here you are. What perfect timing,” she said sarcastically.
A smile returned to his rugged face. “Here I am, but there’s still one little problem.” Annoyed, he kicked at the ground.
“Nicolai,” Laurana said.
“Yes, Nicolai.” His eyes were full of envy. “If he hadn’t followed her through to this life, she would’ve already been mine.”
Mathias, who had been watching silently, finally chimed in. “Angelina doesn’t know what she’s capable of nor the power she possesses. He is simply protecting her.”
“Protecting her?” He grinned. “He is letting her power go to waste!”
“She’s weak,” Mathias said quietly. “She may never fully recover her power.”
“Her mind is weak because she was reborn a human,” Tristan corrected. “Angelina herself is NOT weak.”
Mathias looked at the ground and didn’t utter another word.
“So, tell me, Laurana, what is her weakness?”
“Shouldn’t you already know?” she said. Her voice was heavy with sarcasm. “I mean, you are the son of a God after all.”
“That is the one thing I am unable to see, and thus why you are here.” He pointed to her binds and chuckled. “Now be a good girl and answer my question.”
At that moment, Laurana knew Tristan would do anything to claim Angelina. He had tasted both life and death within Angelina’s soul, and there was nothing she was going to be able to do to stop him. There was only one way to protect Jeremiah and her baby, and that meant revealing a secret that could end the life of someone she considered a friend.
Chapter 9
Pain
The time had come for Laurana to confess. “Fine, if I tell you Angelina’s weakness, will you spare Jeremiah’s life?”
He nodded.
“Swear it,” she hissed.
“I swear that I shall not lay a finger on your dear Jeremiah.”
She lowered her head in defeat. “Fine, I’ll tell you.”
“Marvelous!” He clapped his hands again. “Do tell, I’m quite eager to know.”
She sighed. “Nicolai.”
“Wait, are you saying…”
“Nicolai is her weakness,” she answered shamefully.
“I should’ve known,” he whispered quietly to himself. “All this time, the answer was right in front of me.”
“Now, let him go,” she begged. Tears filled her swollen eyes. “Please, don’t harm Jeremiah, he’s all I have.”
He ignored her and turned to Mathias. “Find them and bring them to me.”
She pulled at her binds. “You promised you wouldn’t hurt him!”
“I promised you I wouldn’t hurt him.” He laughed. “I never said he couldn’t.”
“No!” she screamed.
He glared at her. “Now, shall we finish this?” he asked, snapping his fingers.
“There’s nothing worse you could do to me than take away the only man I’ve ever loved,” she answered sharply.
“Is that so?” He laughed, motioning towards the forest.
She watched in horror as two long strands of crimson moss snaked towards her along the ground. “No,” she whispered.
“I once heard a story that when your species dies, your blood is drained and returned to the earth. Is that true?” he asked in amusement.
She spat at him, blood mucus spraying across his face. “They’ll come for you, and they’ll make you pay.”
“Let them come and we’ll see who makes who pay.” He pointed to the moss. “Now, my dear Laurana, why don’t we return you to the earth as you came?” He made a swift motion directing the long strands of moss to rise into the air. She struggled to break free of her binds. “Tell your ancestors I said hello.”
She let out a bloodcurdling scream as he motioned for the moss to attack her. The long red strands bore into her pale skin like hot needles. A burning sensation spread up her legs and around her muscles. She desperately tried to free herself from her binds, but she was weak and the moss had reached her lungs. The moss was hungry for her blood. Gasping for air, she felt the sharp tendrils tear into them.
“Please,” she let out a strangled plea, “my child.”
“A child?”
She nodded, blood filling the whites of her eyes.
Amused, he replied, “I’ll make sure to tell your dear Jeremiah that his daughter looked just like you.”
A bloody tear fell down her cheek and she looked up to the sky. Blood gurgled in her lungs.
“Aww,” he walked over and smeared the bloody tear
across her face. “Are you hoping your goddess will save you?”
She ignored him and continued staring into sky. She winced in pain as the crimson moss finished feeding off her blood.
He pushed her blood-streaked hair behind her ear and whispered, “Your goddess doesn’t care about you.”
Laurana’s eyes met his and she smiled weakly. “You’re wrong about that,” she managed to croak.
He raised his brow. “Oh, am I?”
“Yes, in fact, she told me to give you a message.”
He took a step back and glared at her in suspicion. “Oh really, and what would this message be?”
“She’s coming for you, and this time she’s taking your heart back with her.” Laurana grinned evilly, baring blood-stained teeth before letting out a final breath. Her head fell limply to the side and everything grew quiet.
“Nothing can stop me now.” Tristan smiled as the moss snaked out of Laurana’s mouth and continued spiraling its way up the tree. “Not even you, Hecate,” he muttered, glancing up at the misty morning sky above him.
Chapter 10
Beautiful Death
The gravel path that led from the forest to town was a welcome sight. We quickened our pace, and before we knew it, we were standing in front of Tom’s Tavern.
Bethani looked at me, worry on her face. “Angelina, are you okay?”
The nausea hit with overwhelming speed. I draped my arm over my stomach and bent down in pain. Nicolai was by my side in an instant.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I…I don’t know,” I stammered.
“Maybe she’s pregnant,” Jeremiah mumbled under his breath just loud enough for everyone to hear.
Nicolai’s eyes widened and I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “I’m not pregnant.”
Jeremiah rolled his eyes. “That you know of.”
“Whatever.” I closed my eyes as the pain increased. An image of Laurana, bloody and covered in crimson moss, entered my mind. “No, that can’t be real,” I whispered. The moss snaked in and out of her mouth as her desperate eyes stared into mine.
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