Spirit Warriors The Tunnel Of Light

by M'tain Dubois

  Chapter 17

  The walk back started off in silence as each of the warriors and Heather thought about everything that had just happened, one at a time the truth hit them that the end of their war was near in one way or another.

  Finally the silence was broken by Belac. “Okay am I the only one wondering what the hell is going on with misses missing in action here?” He said looking at the others. “I mean really where the hell have you been this whole time?”

  Stopping with a thoughtful look on her face Heather stares at him and then Caleb. “I am sorry my sons.”

  “You’re sorry? That makes it all better.” Caleb snapped.

  “Before we didn’t have time to really talk about where you have been or what happened that you left us both and separated me from the family but now that we have some time I think that we both deserve some answers.” Belac added.

  “Why don’t we give you guys some time to talk.” Lydia said dragging Mace forward.

  “Awe but I wanted to hear what happed.” He whines as she pulls him forward.

  “Come on skippy and I’ll let you have something special.” She smiled.

  “Really? What?” He smiled suddenly eager to follow her.

  After about fifty feet of distance Mace got impatient turning to Lydia. “So what’s my something special?”

  Quickly she turned grabbing his face and kissing him for the first time for real. “Me.” She answered afterward.

  “I…ah…I…” He stuttered.

  “Yes?”

  “I thought you hated me.” He finally managed.

  “I don’t hate you Mace, in fact I’ve thought about dating you for real a long time now.” She answered beginning to walk again.

  “Then why didn’t you say anything? Because I have been wanting to date you for a very, very long time.” He questioned catching up to her.

  “Well every time I thought about asking you right then you opened your mouth and made me think twice about dating someone with the maturity level of a two year old.” She shrugged.

  “So what changed? I still act like a two year old.”

  “Well most likely we are about to die so I said what the hell? I want you to know how I feel and if we do survive I’m sure that I can whip you in to shape and make a descent boyfriend.” She smiled kissing his cheek with a giggle.

  “Hmm alright.” He said with a sudden skip to his step.

  Watching the two of them walking into the distance a small smile crossed Caleb’s face at the sight of Mace and Lydia finally kissing for real. “About time.” He said turning back to his brother and his mother.

  “What?” Questioned Belac.

  “Nothing, I fill you in later.” Caleb answered. “In the meantime mother I think it’s time you talk.”

  “I believe you are correct but let us walk at the same time.” She sighed walking again with both boys falling in line at her sides. “When you boys were born it was the happiest days of my life until for the first time ever the barrier was broken by a force of dark clan, all the fathers were away and I was alone, I hid you both in the back of our home locked in a secret room guarded by my trusted friend Elfin. During my fight against the enemy a small group broke off from the main force and hunted for you both, Elfin fought bravely but an incubus managed to steal Belac from the room. She grabbed Caleb from the room and followed the creature out while yelling for me, when I heard what happened I chased the monster until I finally caught him two towns over. We fought one another and during the battle when it looked like I was going to lose I summoned a spirit to carry you far away to the nearest safe family it could find.” She said stopping and taking a shaky breath.

  “Did you lose?” Belac whispered.

  “I did.” She said sobbing a bit. “By the time your father found me the incubus had already drained me and turned me into a succubus, your father killed the monster and did everything he could to wake me and find you unfortunately I didn’t wake up until a week later changed and confused about what had happened I scrambled to find you but the family you had been dropped with was on vacation and I had no way of tracking them, I looked for over a year but never found you. I wanted to rejoin the Spirit Warriors but I had lost my ability to control the spirits so we decided to instead plant me in the dark clans so I could bring them down from within, your father stayed with me allowing everyone else to believe me dead. We even had another child together while working to save us all from the dark ones.”

  “Hold on, we have another sibling?” Caleb questioned.

  “Yes a brother but he has chosen to follow your father, he tried to defeat and capture me but I escaped. So he lost to us.” She said crying harder.

  “Why?” Belac asked tearing a bit himself.

  “He still believes he should be a loyal son to him and feels closer to creature than human I think.” She answered.

  “Where is he now?” Pressed Caleb.

  “In the city where the dark clans live I assume, he wasn’t with your father and uncle at the confrontation earlier.” She answered.

  “What happened to our father and uncles anyway?” Belac asked.

  “From what I heard the three leaders meaning your uncles and father were one time enemies but one by one they were hunted down and captured by Lucas and once he had defeated them the legendary heads of the dark clans called the powers transformed them into hybrid vampires. The hope was that they would be able to gain the powers of the vampires and keep the there original abilities.”

  “Did they succeed?” Belac wonders.

  “I have no idea.” She shrugs.

  Suddenly all of the warmth is sucked from the air around them and the roar of hundreds of souls shakes the trees around them. Turning quickly the three of them see a freak of unnatural being as the monster forms hissing and biting at the air as if it wanted to eat everything around it.

  Frozen in fear for a moment the three of them are saved by the blast of an energy bolt narrowly above their heads slamming the creature backwards twenty feet and dissolving several of its heads. Landing next to the warriors Blackfire stares evilly at the creature as it focused on him with pure hate.

  “I take it this is not a creation of yours.” Blackfire says without looking at the warriors.

  “No it would appear that the three leaders did retain their abilities as former Spirit Warriors and have increased in power.” Caleb says ready to fight as he wraps himself in the spirit of a dragon mixing his form with the creatures. His skin changes color to a emerald green and is hard as rock, his eyes look yellow and reptilian matching his bright wings that sprout from his back along with a spiked tail and cruls of smoke puff from his mouth indicating that he can now blow fire too.

  “Nice.” Belac smiles calling forth a spirit of his own and fully changed into an ankylosaurus.

  “Likewise.” Caleb says with grudging respect. “Shall we?”

  The answer to his question is Belac charging at the creature with Caleb flying above him and blowing fire but the moment they connect with the monster in battle the two heads they destroy the spirits they are using are sucked out of them and added to the creature taking the place of destroyed heads.

  Rolling away quickly the two of them get to their feet stunned at what had just happened.

  “This could be a problem.” Caleb said running back to the others with Belac.

  “Gee you think?” He answers looking over their shoulders.

  “How are we supposed to fight something that just gets stronger when we use our powers?” Belac questions as Mace and Lydia run up to join them.

  “What the hell are we facing?” Mace asked out of breath.

  “A gift from our former parents.” Caleb answered.

  “They shouldn’t have.” Lydia frowned pulling out a sword.

  “But they did.” Mace smiled kissing her on the cheek. “So let’s send it back in pieces.” He said jumping into the air and changing into a hawk to dive bomb the monster.

  “Mace wait.” Cal
eb yelled running at the creature while pulling out a long knife.

  It was already too late like before the moment he touched the monster his spirit was sucked out of his body and he fell towards the ground with Caleb breaking his fall at the last second and quickly pulling him to his feet so they can retreat.

  Luckily for them Blackfire fires several bolt of dark energy covering their escape and destroying more heads again.

  “It seems like the only one that can actually hurt the damn thing is Blackfire.” Lydia sighes.

  “I won’t be able to defeat it on my own, perhaps we should retreat and see if other clan members can help.” Blackfire suggested.

  “No we need to defeat it here and now, I don’t want any other light clan members placed in danger. In fact you should return to the town and prepared it encase we fail.” Caleb decided.

  “I will stand with you here my friends.” Blackfire smiled remembering just why he loved these people who are so ready to give themselves to protect the clans. “Besides, I have information to tell you.”

  “That can wait until we defeat this thing.” Heather pointed out gathering several spirits around her.

  “What are you planning mother? The spirits only add to its power.” Belac wonders as the creature begins lumbering towards them.

  “I never had the chance to train you properly in the way of the ancients but let me begin now, the spirits do not have to be fully combined with us or anything else to control it, watch.” She grins sending the spirits into the ground and trees surrounding the monster.

  One at a time the spirits move the trees at their base and throws large rocks from the ground at the creature destroying a little of it at a time. Following her example the others join in doing the same thing while Blackfire conjures spells and dark energy to help in the effort, quicker then any of them expected the monster is destroyed a piece at a time until only a large anaconda snake is left that fades into the ground after a few more hits.

  “That was simpler than I expected it to be.” Lydia smiles hugging Mace.

  “We finally caught a break it was a good thing that you were here with us Heather, what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?” Mace smiled as he hugged Lydia back.

  “Quite a few and don’t you worry I will train you guys in all sorts of ways that no one else knows about.” She smiled happily. “Now my dear Blackfire what news do you bring?”

  “Earlier when the traitors were sucked out of the barrier a girl held on to a door as another was being pulled out, when it was over she had remained but the traitor holding on to her was sucked away but unfortunately because she was being pulled a debate arose as to whether or not the girl was a traitor who managed to stay in or a victim of being dragged by another, the community needs you to use your powers and find the truth for them before it tears the town in half. Also during the argument a girl named Grace who claims to be Caleb’s girlfriend showed up, the members wanted her thrown out right away but I offered her my protection and let everyone know that she was my guest, I dropped her off in town and then came to find you.” He finished.

  “A girlfriend?” Heather smiled with a raised eyebrow looking at Caleb who blushes.

  “Yeah, I’ve kind of always liked her and we officially started dating today actually.” He answered unable to meet her eyes.

  “That’s wonderful son!” She smiled as she hugged him. “And what about you Belac anyone special in your life?”

  “I just got here but I have been going steady with a video game for a while.” He laughed.

  “We’ll find someone for you soon enough in the meantime let’s get to the town and catch up on all the things that I missed.” She smiled.

  “Let’s just summon some spirits and fly there.” Mace suggested anxcious to get back for alone time with Lydia.

  “No it’s not that far and I want you all to save your strength for the training I will teach you later.” Heather answered firmly.

  “I’ll have enough strength for the training later mother but I’m sure it’s a little scary to be in the town all by herself so I should get to Grace now.” Caleb pointed out not wanting to delay seeing Grace.

  “As you wish my son, but don’t think I’ll go any less easy on you because of it.” She decided hugging him again.

  “Understood.” He smiled turning into a bird and flying off.

  “What about you Blackfire are you going to stay with us for the walk or do you have somewhere that you need to be?” Mace questioned.

  “I could use a walk, besides I want to hear Heather’s story. That is if you don’t mind telling it to me.” He answered looking at her.

  “Not at all my friend.” She smiled for a second before it turned into a frown.

  With incredible speed Heather suddenly jumps towards Belac pushing him out of the way right before the anaconda erupts from the ground biting into her side so hard and deep that it rips out a few chucks of meat down to the bone forcing her to scream in pain as it tosses her to the ground ready to strike again, but before it can Blackfire fires a bolt destroying the creature as the others run to Heather’s side.

  “Oh my god.” Lydia said holding in the insides of Heather’s side as she started coughing blood.

  “We’ve got to get her back to the town so the fairies can heal her.” Belac says crying.

  “I’ll never make it there.” Heather says.

  “Don’t say that we’ll get you there.” Mace assured.

  “You’re sweet Mace but you are wrong I know that I am dying, now listen when you guys think of your powers think of them as a fluid extension of you that can be thrown or changed in any and all ways.” She coughed.

  “Don’t talk mother save your strength.” Belac wept cradling her in his arms.

  “I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together Belac, I wish that I could have survived and made up for all the time that we lost.”

  “I am too stubborn to accept that my dear.” Blackfire said pulling Belac off and taking her into his arms as a portal opened up.

  “Wait what are you doing?” Belac demanded but it was already too late Blackfire had already stepped into the portal which promptly closed behind him leaving the others wondering where he took Heather.

  “What the hell was that?” Mace demanded as if the others had the answer.

  “I don’t know but we can only hope that he makes it wherever he is trying to go in time.” Lydia said thoughtfully looking at Belac who was still sobbing a little.

  “We need to get back and tell my brother that our mother is possibly dead, I don’t know the way to the town I’ll follow you guys.” Belac said turning into a bird as the others followed suit.