Endure

by M. R. Merrick

  Breathing in and out in slow breaths, I let my heart rate drop from its rapid nervous beats to a steady hum. With the aid of my water and earth elements, I relaxed my body completely. It took longer than I had wanted, but with Chief’s voice as my guide, all the tension drifted away. I felt like I could float across the floor, and as I thought it, my body became weightless.

  “Now, as your spirit lets go of any and all emotions that are bound to your body, step forward and release yourself.”

  I still wasn’t proficient at this, but it wasn’t my first time and I knew what to expect. With my eyes closed and my focus steady, I felt the connection break between my body and soul. It was an unnatural feeling, one that filled me momentarily with an emptiness I never thought possible. For that brief moment, all the emotion inside me died. I had no cares, no ambitions, no dreams. I was an empty vessel of muscle and blood, but there was no true heart.

  When the connection was fully severed, all the feeling rushed back into my soul, and I felt overwhelmed. All the emotions hammered into me one after another, and it took me a few moments to get my bearings. When I’d relaxed once again and calmed my soul, I opened my eyes and looked down at myself.

  My blond hair looked even filthier than it felt. Lines of black dirt and mud stuck to some of the strands, while others were caked with red and brown sand. Smudges of dirt smeared my face, and my lips were dry, but even as ragged as I appeared, I looked at peace in this moment.

  “Excellent.” Chief’s voice bounced inside my head. A massive white tiger stood beside his physical body, making him look small in comparison.

  “Okay, that wasn’t so bad. Now what?”

  Chief rose up on all four massive legs, his claws shooting out and then retracting as he stretched. His back arched and his head turned from side to side, a wide pink tongue licking his jowls. “When someone invades your mind, you reach out with an unseen limb, one that searches the energy around you and pushes the person away. Now you must reach out and search for Rayna’s energy. She can be near or far, but you must feel her, and pull yourself toward that power. You must first think of her, remember her, and draw her near.”

  I didn’t take the time to ask any more questions. I brought forward the memory of the first day I met Rayna.

  The vampire had been ready to strike, fangs bared and claws extended. I had been ready to attack, but I wasn’t given the chance. The demon’s body had jerked, embers blazing over his skin and devouring his body. In the wake of falling ash had been a girl both terrifying and beautiful. With a stake in hand, raven hair spilled over her shoulders, red strands framing her face. Her skin glistened with sweat, and in the darkened street, the moonlight made her body shimmer. It wasn’t until I saw the eyes that I realized what I was looking at—a demon. The hatred I’d been taught took over and I attacked.

  I didn’t have the same anger and hatred now as I did then. In fact, in hindsight I think it was fear that made me attack her. I’d never met a demon before that hadn’t tried to kill me, and yet one had stood before me in the body of a woman, and she had just saved my life. The determination and satisfaction on her face made me smile. It filled me with warmth unlike any other. More than even the goddess Serephina couldn’t feign.

  As the memory faded, I recalled the first time we had visited the sanctuary. I was powerless then, strong and fast like any other hunter, but without magic. Raya’s hand had slid over mine and the rough bark of the tree pulsed with life beneath my fingertips. She had called her element and channeled it into the wooden body that stood strong in front of us. That same magic had slid into me. It was the first time I’d ever felt elemental magic inside me. It filled me with life, giving new meaning to the forest and everything it contained. The power owned me, moving through my veins like it belonged.

  The memory built a sensation deep inside my soul. I didn’t need my physical body to feel it. It was alive and roaring through me. It stretched my senses, letting me feel and smell the fresh breeze that breaks through a forest wall after a spring rain. Flowers, leaves, and moist dirt rolled over my skin, but it wasn’t my earth element I felt, it was Rayna’s.

  I opened myself to it, letting it ride through my soul. It lifted me from the ground and I floated toward the ceiling. Chief’s spirit moved and I could feel his voice trying to break into my mind, but it was blocked by power. Rayna’s essence called to me and I had let it wrap me up and pull me away. I floated in darkness, the concrete room gone. The comfort and smell of wild earth blended together around me. The scent became a gentle hand pulling me forward, and I used my own energy to pull myself toward it faster.

  A fuzzy sensation covered my body, as though I had slid through a portal. The darkness lifted as leaves brushed against my skin. An array of colorful flower petals ornamented the earth. The wet grass tickled as I floated across it toward a massive tree. Not just any massive tree, the tree, but it looked different somehow: less alive and full of vigor. I wasn’t given time to question the image. In a flash of light, the tree’s power consumed me and I entered the sanctuary below.

  I stood upon a small mound of earth, and the sanctuary around me had been destroyed. The colorful flowers I remembered were dead, trampled into the ground, their roots torn from the earth. The trees that lined the area were all bare, their branches dry and crisp. At the bottom of the hill, the trident-wielding statue was gone, as was the pond that surrounded him. Instead, broken marble lay scattered across the dying grass. Pick axes and shovels were strewn throughout the rubble. Three Cyclops, a pureblood vampire, and a few half-demons worked where the statue once stood. They tore into the earth and burrowed into the ground with their tools. The sanctuary felt different now. The power and magic that roamed the air seemed distant and sad, as though each chunk of earth had been a piece of its soul being torn away.

  Away from the rubble, Riley’s body lay still upon the earth, pale as ever and his lips a bright shade of blue. Streaks of black and red blood stained his skin, and he looked stiff and bloated. Drake and Darius stood near the demons, watching with intense stares as they threw piles of dirt out of the hole. A trio of Visceratti slithered in the distant corner. They surrounded Rayna, who sat chained to a thick stump that had once been a glorious tree. Her eyes were open and she didn’t seem to be hurt, but she looked angry.

  Tension mounted my shoulders as I cut across the grass, avoiding the rubble and dirt. They couldn’t see me. They couldn’t see me. They couldn’t see me. I repeated the phrase over and over again.

  Rayna’s energy became visceral and thick, and with each step I neared, her eyes grew fiercer, glowing with rage as she stared at the Visceratti. The demons hissed as I neared and I stopped, waiting for them to react. The black-veined eyes panned the area as though they sensed something, and I was reminded of our trip to Vortan. The Visceratti Queen had hissed and charged without hesitation. She had felt me then, and part of me thought she could see me. Were all the Visceratti like this?

  My legs and body were stagnant. The slits in the demons’ faces expanded and contracted as they sniffed the air. After what seemed like an eternity, I dared to take a step. One, then another, and the demons didn’t react. Stepping to the side, I moved around the backside of them and kneeled beside Rayna.

  Her face was slightly bruised with minor swelling around one eye. A smear of dried blood ran from her nose to her lip, and a deep scratch had scabbed across her chin. She breathed heavily, a deathly glare cast at the backs of the snake-demons.

  “Rayna.” I thought, but she didn’t respond. Her shields were keeping me out. I didn’t want to do it, but I had no choice. There was no time to go searching for more soul pieces, we needed to use what we had and unfortunately, Rayna was the only way to get to it.

  I summoned more power from my soul, and wisps of white began to spiral around my arms. I felt strong, like if I could touch it, I could tear the rooted stump from the ground and hurl it across the sanctuary. I centered the energy and reached toward Rayna. I imagined the pow
er moving through her mind, my voice becoming a beacon of hope inside her. Rayna twitched, the anger evaporating from her eyes. She looked left and then right, finally pausing near my chest.

  “Rayna.”

  She lurched upward, straightening her spine. She looked around again, paranoid and confused.

  “Rayna, it’s Chase. I’m here with you. Don’t speak, it’ll alert the demons. Use your thoughts.”

  “How are you inside my mind?” Her voice sounded breathy and panicked.

  “I’m astral projecting like Chief taught me. I need your help.”

  Rayna’s laugh echoed around me and she rolled her eyes. “In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a little preoccupied at the moment.”

  “And I want to help you, but right now I need something only you can do. I need you to release the spirit protecting the Claw.”

  “What?” I winced as her voice scraped through my mind like a jagged splinter. “If I do that, the Dark Brothers will be able to sense its power.”

  “That’s a risk we’ll have to take. It’s a weapon of the gods; it might be our only hope at killing Riley, or Ithreal if he manages to take control.”

  “Right now I’m more concerned that you broke through my shields. If you can do it, that means they can too.” Rayna looked up at the demons slithering back and forth in front of her. White scars marred their grey bodies, sagging breasts swinging from side to side with their movements.

  “You’re going to be okay. I promise.”

  “You don’t know that, but I appreciate the words.”

  “I won’t let you down. I meant what I said at the warehouse. I won’t let anything happen to you too.”

  “You might not have a choice.”

  “Don’t talk like that.”

  Rayna sighed. “I’ll see what I can do about the spirit, but I’m not sure I can manage it from this distance.”

  “You have to try, please.”

  Rayna nodded but didn’t think another word. Her eyes had dropped and she stared at her legs. When her eyes closed, her power came to life in the air. The Visceratti reacted with haste, slinking toward her.

  “Ssssave your magic, hunter! It’ssss of no ussse.”

  Rayna didn’t respond, and the Visceratti swung the back of her hand against her face. Her magic vanished and the Dark Brothers were there in the blink of an eye.

  “Enough!” Drake commanded. “Do not hurt the summoner. She has suffered enough damage from your careless attack.”

  “We did what needed to be done!” one demon hissed. “Who are you to command us? We bow to our Queen and to Ithreal when he rissssessss. You are nothing but a halfling in a weak human shell.”

  Without a word, Drake’s power encircled them. White cracks formed inside his black eyes and veins swelled beneath his skin. The power became a thick cloud, pooling in the air. Black arms of power accented with spirals of gold wrapped around the demon that spoke. It crept along her skin, forcing her squirming to slow. Flakes of half-chewed skin dangled over her eyes as they opened wide and the magic swallowed her body. Bones crunched and her cries were silenced. A few glowing embers escaped the cloud, fluttering in the air until all that remained were flakes of ash that spiraled to the earth. The magic sucked itself back into Drake and his skin smoothed, the flickers of white fading from his eyes. Where the demon stood was now a perfect sculpted pyramid of cinders.

  Darius smiled wide behind his brother, but Drake did not look nearly as pleased.

  “This sanctuary is for the pure of heart only. Do you know how much magic it took to bring us all down here? Whose power do you think that was?” Drake said. “Riley lies there, dead, Ithreal’s souls merging with his as we speak. When he rises, Riley will be an almighty vessel to the god, his own free will vanquished to the souls that reside inside him. Disobey or disrespect either of us again, and I will show you and your Queen what it means to cross a god.”

  The Visceratti lowered their eyes to the ground. They nodded, and without a word, slithered to either side of Rayna.

  “Good,” Drake said. “Then unless she attacks, let her play with her spells. She is no good to us dead.” And then he was gone, standing beside Riley’s cold body once again.

  Darius stared at the two demons again and laughed. “The gods above will open the Otherworld to us one way or another, and then you will be in awe of our presence. You will bow, or you will die.”

  The Visceratti nodded, although now with Darius speaking to them, they looked angry. Their hands were at their sides, long fingers flexing against their bodies. Claws cut into their flesh and trickles of black blood ran down their scales.

  In a swarm of black and purple smoke, Darius vanished in the air and appeared in front of one of the demons. His hands were balled into fists, his pale complexion red with fury.

  “In fact,” he spit the words through gritted teeth. “Why don’t you start now?”

  The demon stayed silent and didn’t move. Darius’s arm became a cloud of black and purple as it smashed the Visceratti to the ground. The demon let out a cry of pain, followed by a hiss of anger. The other demon made an attempt to move but Darius’s power lashed out, tearing a wound into her chest. The demon didn’t falter like the first, but she lowered her gaze and stood dormant as the blood ran down her body.

  Black and purple smoke drifted over the demon on the ground and bones cracked as her body shifted and struggled against the earth. Darius smiled, his teeth glistening with saliva. His eyes were inflamed with power, flickers of white swirling throughout, and he didn’t stop as drool ran from his mouth.

  “Darius!” Drake’s voice boomed from every direction. “Enough.”

  Darius glanced at his brother and then back to the demon. His power squeezed harder and the demon scowled.

  “I said enough!” Drake screamed. Black and gold streaks shot across the sanctuary. They wrapped around Darius and threw him into the air. He screamed and flailed, attempting to fight the power. His own magic spun from his body, but Drake’s hold didn’t waver. He threw Darius to the ground and hovered over him. His voice was too quiet to hear, but I could see his lips over pronouncing the word enough.

  Darius climbed to his feet and glared at his brother. They were locked in a battle of wills and Darius turned away. He screamed an unearthly sound and stomped away. Drake didn’t attempt to stop him; he watched Darius disappear over the mound of earth and then shook his head.

  A grumbling noise came from the center of the sanctuary and the demons crawled from the deep pit. Drake rushed toward them and peered over the edge. The most genuine smile I’d ever seen from him spread across his face and he patted one of the Cyclops on the shoulder.

  “And so it begins.”

  Chapter 34

  “And you didn’t see what happened next?” Marcus asked.

  I shook my head. The concrete wall behind me was cold against my skin but I needed it, I was burning up. “Like I said, he carried Riley over to the hole and dropped him in. A few seconds later, some strange power kicked me out of the sanctuary. I tried to go back, but I couldn’t. There was a barrier I couldn’t break though.”

  Chief watched me but had nothing to offer. Jax and Grams had left to make sure everyone stayed organized, but the deep stink of cigarettes and body odor clung to the room.

  “What happened afterward isn’t important. What’s important is that I got to Rayna. She said she didn’t know if she could, but she would work on releasing the spirit. Has anybody been back to the room…or what’s left of it?”

  “No, we’ve been here waiting.”

  The door burst open and Tiki rushed through. The white of his teeth could be seen immediately. “It’s here, it’s here! The Claw has appeared.”

  Tiki’s hands cupped a glassy item in the shape of a three-pronged claw. Two at the top were long and smooth, while a shorter thumb-like claw curled beneath them. Black veins lingered inside the glass, as though it had once been part of a living creature. Which made sense, because now I
knew that it had.

  Tiki stretched his arms toward me and I was hesitant to touch it. The last time I had, I tore into the entire clan of Dunopai. Granted they had been about to attack us, but I’d seen its power. This was dangerous. This was just what I needed.

  “It is yours, my friend. Take it.” Tiki’s eyes grew with excitement.

  I still couldn’t believe it could be of use to us. I knew it was a god’s weapon, but it couldn’t possibly be enough to kill a demigod, let alone a true god’s essence, could it? It seemed so small and fragile. Tiki urged me closer with his hands once again and finally I conceded.

  The moment I touched it, a pain spiked through my soul. The Claw moved and I tore my hand away. Each prong squeezed together, intertwining with one another. The Claw felt so delicate, but the glass hadn’t been cold like I’d expected, it felt warm.

  “What was that about?” Chief asked.

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  Tiki looked uncomfortable holding it now and he extended his arms toward me. I glanced up at him and he nodded. This time, the glass didn’t feel as warm as before, it felt hot. Tiki didn’t seem to mind the temperature, but the moment I touched it, it scalded my skin. I winced and cursed, pulling my hand away.

  “How can you even stand to touch it?”

  Tiki shrugged. “It’s glass. It’s cold like any other.”

  I channeled the water element before I touched it again. My hands cooled and I envisioned ice wrapping around my fingertips. Flakes of white crisped over my hands. I placed one finger on the Claw first, steam wafted into the air. After a few seconds the heat didn’t burn, and I wrapped my entire hand around it. The sizzling sound of water dropping onto a scalding surface seared the air, but the magic kept me from being seared. Lifting the soul piece out of Tiki’s hands, the heat poured into my body. Water ran from my fingertips as the Claw melted the icy flakes that covered them. My magic pulsed onward, but now I channeled it into the soul piece, trying to counteract its power. The steam grew thick as it rose, but my elements were strong and controlled. Ice crept over the soul piece, covering the clear glass until the black veins within were hidden by frost. The heat faded beneath the blanket of ice and the fingers moved again. They stretched outward and then bent entirely. The glass creaked and a small burst of white powder exploded off the surface. The icy shell shattered and the soul piece began to vibrate.