“What part of run did you interpret as ‘use your powers?’” He chews me out as we flee. It amazes me that he has enough breath to sprint and scold at the same time.
“You know how important it is to keep your identify a secret and you just brilliantly announced yourself to the entire world!”
“Well what was I supposed to do?! Just let them have me?” I snap.
“No!” he chastises. “You were supposed to run!” “Well I’m running now!”
Sort of.
I can feel the Darklings gaining on us at an alarming pace.
“I hope you can sprint faster than hyper-speed,” I say hastily. “Because they’re catching up to us!”
Justice all of a sudden puts on the brakes. He was moving so fast, he leaves skid marks in the dirt.
“Why’d you stop?!” I demand, after he tosses me off him.
Then I look down. We have come to the edge of a cliff. The massive waterfall that rushes into Century city from afar is now gushing at our feet.
Justice looks frantically between me and the dark forest. He is deliberating something, and if I know him, it’s nothing good. If he says jump, I’m going to demand a parachute, because there is no way my human body is going to survive that Fear Factor fall.
He forcefully grabs my shirt. “Do you remember when I told you base jumping was one of my rigorous activities?”
“Yes.” I answer half-panicked. Then we are falling…
Maximum Ride
My screams echo behind me as I nose dive towards the water.
Justice struggles to grab me, but my flailing body deems that a challenge.
“Liv! Grab me! Grab me!” He shouts, but I can’t get a hold on where he is, let alone where I am while plunging to my death. I see the pool of the waterfall’s end loom near, this is going to hurt. I clench my fists and close my eyes and brace for impact. But it never comes. Instead, I feel a jerk on my arm and a whoosh of hot air blows across my body.
Have you ever been shocked? I mean really shocked?
Not the surprise birthday party kind of shocked. I mean more a blood clotting, brain paralyzing, spine-snapping kind of shocked? Well, me neither. Until now. I open my eyes to find myself gliding over the river, perfectly intact. But that’s not what shocks me. What shocks me is to find Justice engulfed in full blown flames, carried by a pair of massive, smoldering wings. I could process what I’m seeing more competently if it wasn’t for the ungodly heat emanating from him. It feels as if my skin is melting away from my bones.
“Let go!” I screech. “Let go!” I can’t stand it. I look up at him, tormented; my body trembling in pain above the water’s surface.
He drops me abruptly, the force slapping me through the river. A few blurry moments later I’m choking up water, huffing and puffing as I heave myself up onto the river’s shore. Once there, I collapse.
Winded and wheezing, I roll over onto my back. I lift my hand up in front of my face, expecting to see the flesh completely dissolved away. But it isn’t. I touch my face; sure I am going to find peeling skin or worse, no skin at all. But I am fine; I have somehow escaped the burn victim unit.
I breathe heavily, staring up at Devonshire’s strange white moon when suddenly, something catches my attention. My eyes follow a shooting blue light that looks like a comet zigzagging through the dark sky. I roll onto my stomach to keep it in my line of sight as it thunders over me. It is immaculate, commanding and powerful. It enthralls me.
I watch transfixed as Justice lands; his tall, imposing body ablaze in translucent Caribbean-blue flames, the same as his wings; his wings. No feathers, or bone or flesh, just pure, uninhibited fire. He once spoke of them, how they weren’t traditional, but I never imagined this.
It is only one short second I see him in his- I’ll call it- supernatural state, before he snuffs himself out, smoke coiling away from his body, his wings disappearing right before my eyes.
“Liv!” He rushes to me. I am still lying on the ground, totally stunned. He hesitates to touch me as I push myself up on my hands and knees, and stares blankly as I stand.
“How?” He reaches a hand out to my face, and I will it forward. But he freezes when he realizes what he is about to do. He pulls his arm away and creases his eyebrows, suddenly very unhappy.
“You’re alright?” He says disbelieving his own words. “How…?” He reiterates.
Unsure myself, I hear the gypsy woman’s words echo in my head. Fire with no ice makes for a difficult world to live in, and then suddenly I know. I grab at the pendant hanging from my neck.
“Where did you get that?” Justice demands.
“A gypsy in Century city,” I tell him, sliding my astonished eyes up to meet his.
“A gypsy!?” He growls, “Didn’t Melenia warn you about them?”
“Of course she did!”
“Then why do you have it!? What did you trade for it?” “Nothing, she just gave it to me!”
“You’re lying! Gypsies don’t just give things away.” “Well this one did!” I snap.
“Tell me what you promised her,” he steps closer to me, anger
radiating from his body.
I step back cautiously. “Nothing! I’m telling you the truth, I didn’t give her or promise her anything!” I shout.
He stares at me with a bone chilling look. He doesn’t believe me.
“I better not find out otherwise,” he threatens. “Or we’re going to have a serious issue.”
I want to punch him.
“We already have a serious issue,” I seethe, then stalk away. If I look at him another second there could be a severe and irreversible action on my part.
I stomp off, realizing I have no idea where I am, or where I’m going.
Problem.
We’re in a clearing just off the forest’s edge. “We need to walk,” Justice says as he brushes past me, his tone a bit more even.
I go pale.
“Through there?” I peer into the shadows. “Yup.”
“The forest should shield us from the Darklings.” I have my doubts about that.
I flash back to the last time I was in a large dense growth of trees. A vivid image of me tumbling down a mountainside replays in my head. Plus…
“There’s some scary stuff in there,” I warn, recalling the carriage ride from yesterday. I shudder as the dark energies reach out to me.
“That may be true,” Justice is suddenly beside me. “But I can be scary too. It’ll cancel out.”
“What kind of ludicrous thinking is that?”
“My kind,” Justice answers pompously, then starts walking. I roll my eyes. That does not comfort me one bit.
As we begin our trek into the forest something lets out a blood–curdling howl, deep in the distance. The fear overcomes me. I stop, my feet unwilling to move any further.
“Relax,” Justice reassures me. “I don’t think Hell Hounds have any interest in skinny little Empaths.”
I throw him a skeptical look.
“Well,” he reconsiders. “Maybe just as a snack.” He smirks. Not. Funny.
Then his silhouette disappears into the blackness.
I find myself completely lost in the dark. I can’t even see my hand in front of my face. I quiver, trying to convince myself I’m not some damsel in distress, that I am powerful and brave, and can take on anything, even in the pitch black.
“Move it or lose it Christianni!” Justice’s voice echoes from beyond.
My attempts fall short.
“Liv?” Justice yells again.
I wish I could just have a little light, I whisper aloud, not thinking anyone is really listening.
“Liv?” Justice rasps softly by my ear, scaring the shit straight out of me. Before my rapid breathing can cease, we are surrounded by a dozen tiny glowing lights; fireflies, beautiful and vibrant.
“Ask, and you shall receive,” Justice’s face is aglow in a warm orange hue.
“Do you think it’s possible to also
receive a shower and some clean clothes?”
I am cold, I am wet, and I am covered in Darkling goop. Not to mention, my shoe is broken.
And just to top it all off, I’m stuck in an enchanted forest that scares the hell out of me with the one person I want to avoid at all costs.
Fucking unbelievable.
I try to hobble through the woods with a little pseudo-dignity, but I don’t think I’m fooling anyone. Especially Justice. He tries to contain his amusement, but is failing miserably. What a surprise, him finding enjoyment at my expense.
“Do you need a little help?” He asks, smiling. “No,” I stipulate. Still walking cock-eyed.
“Stop, stop, stop.” He jumps in front of me. “Give me your shoes.”
“What am I supposed to do? Walk barefoot through the forest all the way back to Century City?”
“No, but I may have a solution.”
“You know a local shoemaker?” I say sarcastically. “Just give them to me,” he sighs.
I slip off my shoes and hand them to him. He gives them a once over, dangling the broken heel by its thread. Then he does something horrific. He snaps off the undamaged heel and hands the shoes back to me. “Now they’re flats.”
I gasp. Jocelyn’s Valentino crystal-embellished suede and mesh platform peep-toe pumps!
“I can’t believe you just did that!” I look at them, sick to my stomach. “Why do my shoes always have to pay the ultimate price?”
“Look on the bright side. Better your shoes than you.”
“They weren’t even mine,” I say mournfully. “Jocelyn is going to kill me. That’s the second pair that have met their fate on my feet.”
“She’ll get over it. I promise,” he says insensitively. I’m not so sure.
We walk for what feels like miles without uttering a word, forest life fluttering all around us. Justice can hear it, I can feel it. Most is innocent enough, thankfully, but every now and again something questionable surfaces and our guard goes up. The
hunter in Justice has emerged, as he constantly scrutinizes our surroundings, cautious of every sound, aware of every motion.
As the autumnal leaves rustle in the wind, we catch the occasional woodland animal watching us from tree branches. If things between us were different, I could picture this as two apprehensive lovers, converged on a trek of life-threatening proportions that drive them closer and closer until neither of them can deny the frictional force. But trust me, it’s not that at all.
It was Justice’s choice to end things, to have it be like this. The questions of what and why tumble around just as much now as they have before. Why did he change? What made things different? Whatever the answers, he thought it best for things to be this way. Best why? I have no idea. Best for who? Definitely not me. And I can’t believe for him either. For some reason, deep down, I’m pretty sure this situation sucks for both of us.
Call it intuition.
As we walk, I become colder and colder, like someone turned up the AC in the forest. My body quivers and my teeth chatter, as I wander behind Justice with my arms wrapped around myself.
“Are you okay?” Justice turns to look at me, his eyes glowing like two miniature campfires.
“Fine,” I spit. “It’s not like I got attacked by demons, hurled off a cliff, burned to a crisp, or drowned in a river or anything.”
“Well don’t blame me,” he says defensively. “What part of ‘don’t use your powers’ didn’t you understand? If you had just stayed out of it, I wouldn’t have had to throw you off a cliff.”
“Please explain to me how I was supposed to just stay out of it,” I say disgusted, shaking the cold goop off my arm. “And oh yes, the ever blameless Justice, courageous for the good of others, vacillating for the good of himself,” I sputter.
“What is that supposed to mean?” He stops and glares at me, the flames in his eyes are gone.
Shit. I stepped in it now.
I grit my teeth. “It means, that you have no problem being noble when it comes to others, but you waver when it comes to yourself.”
“How so? That’s a crazy accusation!”
“Maybe, but it’s true, you can’t figure out what you want, so you just run away.” My thought process is grasping at straws here.
“What have I run away from?”
I can feel my cheeks burn from my answer. “Me!” I shout.
He’s shocked, and for a moment, so is my mouth. I can’t believe I am being so forthcoming.
“Why did you break up with me?” I ask, more stern than brokenhearted.
He doesn’t say a word.
Abruptly, song lyrics lick across my mind, something about how players only love you when they’re playing. But I don’t really believe that. I know it was real. I felt it. I felt him.
“You said I was your only salvation,” I slap his words back in his face. “The dream in your eternal wake. So why did you just walk away?”
He stands there staring; he can’t hide it, even if he wants to.
There is emotion there, and he isn’t strong enough to fight it. “I did it for you,” he finally bursts.
“For me? That’s a BS excuse.”
He pursues his lips. “I didn’t want to stand in your way.” “In the way of what!?” I stomp.
Damn him and his open ended answers!
I am hanging on every syllable, waiting for a rational response. I wish he would just be honest with me.
Unexpectedly, the light from the fireflies suddenly goes dim as the tiny bugs dissipate into the forest.
“What’s going on?” I ask startled, surrounded by darkness. “Not sure,” Justice says with caution, his steps crackling from
the dry leaves beneath his feet. “We’ll finish this later,” he stipulates. “If there is a later.”
A Walk on the Wild Side
We stand back to back, surrounded by the shadows of bowing trees in the darkness. The wind starts to blow harder, shaking branches and rustling leaves. Justice sparks a small fireball in the palm of his hand and levitates it into the air, casting a soft glow around us. Something is wrong. Very, very wrong. We aren’t alone, and it is alarmingly apparent to both of us.
Strange sounds dart scarily all around us, but neither of us can see what’s making the noise. I can confidently tell you that whatever it is, it is the blackest of evils.
It’s not a Darkling, I know that for sure, they feel different; empty, hollow, sad. This energy is dark, disturbing and menacing. It reminds me of the Spirit Stalker the way it stirs my fear.
Out of the shadows something appears. Perched on a branch, two wide, round, ugly brown eyes peer down at us. Justice takes a protective stance in front of me as he glares back at the creature. I can feel the heat start to rise as flames creep over Justice’s body. I step back, “Stop!” he quickly orders.
“Smart boy,” the creature hisses. Then it’s off, springing from tree to tree, taunting us with its every move.
“What is it?” I whisper, knowing Justice can hear me.
Its laugh echoes in the darkness. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
We stand there, alert, waiting for it to show itself again.
And when it finally does, it drops out of nowhere; a small, dirty, brittle little being. It’s horrid. It makes Gollum look like something soft and fuzzy you’d want to cuddle. I try to get closer to Justice but the heat he’s emanating is too much to bear.
The revolting little creature proceeds to dart all around as we stand there frozen; over Justice’s head, into the trees, onto my shoulder and then back in front of us again. Overjoyed by taunting us.
“Enough!” Justice demands. “What is it that you want?” “What is it that we all want?” He questions crazily, hanging
upside down from a tree branch.
Justice glances back at me, a perturbed expression on his face. “Energy,” I answer bravely.
“Smart girl,” the creature hisses. “What are you?” I ask carefully.
&n
bsp; “Not what I am,” he answers frighteningly, his eyes ogling in crazy movements. “But what I seek.”
“And what is that?”
“Life.” He hisses and the chill in his voice causes the hair on the back of my neck to stand up.
“Whose life?” Justice asks guardedly.
“A very special life,” the creature answers, never taking his eyes off the flaming Seraph.
That’s when Siberian’s words smash down on me like a brick falling from the sky, “Some will pay for it, many will steal for it, most will kill for it” as I realize what the little deviant is saying. I may be a powerful force, but Justice has the one thing I don’t.
Faster than my eyes can move the creature suddenly strikes, it soars past me and slams right into Justice’s chest; sending him off his feet. He hits the ground hard as he lands on his back, the creature latched to his light blue t-shirt. Then something repulsive happens. The little monster begins mauling Justice with all his might; biting, clawing and tearing at Justice’s neck and chest. I watch, disgusted and powerless as the creature overtakes the stricken Seraph.
I’m helpless as the blue fireball Justice conjured for light grows smaller and smaller; the life of an immortal rapidly diminishing right before my eyes.
The life of my immortal.
I don’t know what to do; in my mind I see Justice just booting that little menace away, but reality isn’t proving that true. I scramble for an idea, any idea.
I can’t blast him; I’ll risk killing Justice- and summoning the Darklings. I can’t physically fight him, he’s definitely too strong. So what’s left? I panic as the creature mercilessly rips apart the blindsided angel. I look around frantically, I need to do something! I grab a broken tree branch off the ground, grip it
tightly and swat at the creature, hoping for a distraction. The monster doesn’t flinch.
Gravitational Pull (Vis Vires, book 2) (Vis Vires trilogy) Page 12
