Hidden Runes

by G. Bailey

  “Then it’s time to do this,” I say and reach into my pocket to pull out the stone the reapers gave me. "Burn this with holy fire the moment I take the necklace off," I order Keeper Grey, who bows before he walks to stand right behind me where the other keepers stand. I glance behind me, seeing rows of demons and Protectors, standing side by side. Everyone is ready for this, everyone except for me. The real truth is that I'm terrified to take this necklace off, to face Cex. But being scared is nothing when I compare it to the pain of losing everyone I love. Even if I die today, I had everything I spent my whole life looking for, all in these past few months. I have a family.

  “We are right here, at your side, no matter what,” Trex tells me, holding his glowing green axe in his hand, reflecting off his eyes that are so determined for what is coming next. I look over at Connor by his side, holding two swords, and he softly smiles at me. I look to my other side, seeing Nix and Azi stood close together. Nix has a bow similar to mine, and Azi doesn't need any weapons. He is one.

  “We stick to the plan," I tell them, seeing Seth walking over to us and knowing I only have one more moment alone with my men to say something. "Can you always remember that you all made my life a million times better once I met you? I never believed in fate, but it feels like fate to me that we are together. I love you all. Meeting you was worth even death."

  “Time to get that necklace off, Evie darling," Seth interrupts anything anyone was going to reply as he stops next to Azi's side. I suck in a breath of cold air and lift the necklace off my chest.

  "Father! It's time to help us!" I say, knowing he will come too late to try and stop this. He will hear me call him, no matter what. I told him it would be today or tomorrow, so it's not totally random. Angels won't be able to help this war, and he would only try to stop me. "Ready or not," I mutter before pulling the necklace off my neck. I drop the necklace on the floor and lift my foot, slamming my boot into the stone, and it breaks with a loud snap that echoes around the silent field.

  "Queen Evelina. About time," Cex whispers into my head, feeling like he is right next to me. I stare down at my hands as they start to burn, and I lift them out in front of me, seeing them glowing red. The red power escapes my skin, swirling around my hands and arms as pain slams into my chest. I fall to my knees with a scream, hearing and seeing nothing for a long time.

  "Vi!" Azi shouts somewhere close by, but there is nothing but the power. There is nothing but the black magic killing me, taking everything I have left to fight with.

  "NO!" I scream to myself, shaking my head. I will not let it kill me yet. With every bit of power, of strength I have, I force my head to rise, and I place my hands at my sides. My throat is raw by the time my screams wear off, and I can control the power enough to push it back. I collapse to the ground, shaking and shivering as I feel hands on me.

  "Evie. You okay?" Connor asks, lifting me up.

  "Yes," I say, grabbing hold of my bow as I stand with him. "The power was just too much for a moment..." I drift off as I see the utter chaos around us. There are yellow demons everywhere, flooding out of portals that hover above the ground all around us. Nix is stood nearby, shooting arrows into the hearts and heads of any yellow creatures that get close. Trex is fighting nearby, killing the creatures like they are play toys, and he looks relieved as he sees me for a second and then gets back to it. There is so much noise, so many screams and sounds of weapons being used. Fire, ice and water blast into the sky, mixing with the rising souls of fallen Protectors. The sky almost looks like it is filled with magic.

  "I can feel he is close. Where?" I ask. “Which way did he go?”

  "Azi and Seth are fighting him. They went that way," Connor says, pointing straight ahead.

  "I'm going after them, but you all need to close the portals. The yellow demons have to stop coming through," I tell him, and he shakes his head, clearly wanting to argue that he should stay with me.

  "We are coming with you, love," Nix shouts, overhearing us.

  "You can't. Only Azi and Seth can survive Cex and my black magic," I shout to him, knowing Trex and Connor can hear. I look to Connor, seeing the indecision. "Save our people. Save them, because I have to do this."

  "Go. We have your back," Connor says. Not one part of him looks happy about saying it, but he knows he needs to trust me. I lean up and kiss his cheek before pulling two arrows out of my quiver. I pass Nix, who nods once at me, and I have to pull my eyes away from the pain there.

  I shoot an arrow into a yellow creature that runs in my path, and another one who is fighting one of my demons. I shoot two more arrows as I run, getting to the top of the hill just as one of the yellow creatures tackles me. I lose my bow as I reach for a dagger, slamming it into the creature’s neck as we fall. The creature screams, coughing yellow blood all over me as it dies. I push it off me, pulling my sword off my back and swinging it into the chest of another yellow demon that is waiting. I throw the quiver off my back, pull out another dagger with my other hand, and start running once more. I have to kill two more yellow demons before I finally see Cex fighting off Azi, and Seth is passed out on the ground near them. Azi is slamming fireball after fireball into Cex, who is giving just as good as he is getting. I run faster, knowing I need to help him.

  A Protector bumps into me, a young woman who is holding her stomach. I step around her, slamming my dagger into the yellow demon that hurt her, and it burns up as it dies. I leave the dagger and go to the woman, helping her sit on the grass as she coughs up blood. I go to heal her, but she pushes my hands away, nodding her head in the direction of Azi and Cex.

  "If you don't kill him, no one can. Go, my queen," she pleads, pushing me away. I know full well she will die if I go, there is nothing but more yellow demons around us, heading our way. I look up in the sky, seeing angels appearing and flying down to help us.

  "Take this then," I hand her my sword, and her eyes widen. It hurts to give my sword away, but at least she will be able to fight. "I don't need it, but you do. Keep it and yourself safe."

  "But—" she goes to argue with me, but I'm already leaving, running straight towards Azi and Cex again. I scream as two yellow demons jump on me, knocking me onto the ground, and one of them wraps its hands around my throat. I call my holy fire rune as it lowers its disgusting face close to mine, looking like it's going to bite me. I slam my hands into its chest, but the fire only burns off them and does nothing to get him off me. Suddenly, a flash of silver, and the demon’s head rolls off, and the body is pushed off me. I look up at a man in a cloak, with a large, yellow-blood-covered scythe in his hands.

  "Thank you," I say as I climb to my feet and see the massive army of reapers that have arrived. It's like watching a shadow wash across the yellow demons, nothing but the silver of their scythes visible in the darkness. They clear a straight path to Cex and Azi, the only ones they are staying clear of. I don't even think about thanking them or anything as I run to Azi, seeing him close to Cex. Azi’s whole body is glowing a deep red, fire licking at his skin as he lands a punch in his brother’s face. Cex is the same, though his power is more. So much more.

  Just as I get close, Azi slams a dagger into Cex's shoulder. He roars, blasting red power out in a shock wave that hits Azi so hard, he goes flying in the air. Cex holds him in the air, keeping him floating like a rag doll as he hits him with black magic.

  "You might be able to fight me, brother, but too much of my power will make you burn. Don't worry, I will look after your sweet queen," Cex taunts, stepping close to Azi with his hands outstretched. He doesn't even notice I'm there.

  "Enough, Cex!" I shout, and Cex pauses in his steps, not letting Azi go as he turns his head back to look at me. "Let him the fuck down. Now. This is between me and you."

  "No, it isn't, but don't worry, I will deal with you next," he says and laughs as he turns back to Azi, increasing the waves of black magic to the point I know he might be able to kill him. Azi cries out in pain, and it feels like my heart is bei
ng ripped open from the noise alone. I pull my arm up, placing my fingers on my black mark and reaching into that bond between Cex and me, knowing this is my only chance. Suddenly, I feel the connection between us like a wave on a beach, and I slam a wall up between us, stopping the sea.

  "What have you done?" Cex roars as I open my eyes and smile at him.

  "You are my knight, and I am your queen. I control you, not the other way around. Don't you know how the game works?" I reply, and he screams as he tries to push me out of his head. Azi falls to the ground with a slam, and I run over to him, kneeling next to his side. I place my fingers on his neck, feeling that he has a pulse. Before I can even be relieved, I look up to see Cex staring around at the war that’s nearly over. He hasn't won this one, and he never will.

  "It's over," I shout at him. "It's over now!"

  "I will come back. I will win next time," Cex shouts back at me and calls a portal. He jumps through it, and before I've even said goodbye to Azi, I'm on my feet, sprinting to the portal. I jump through, knowing that Cex can't escape now. I won't let him.

  One Hundred Three

  “It’s almost ironic that you chose to run here, Cex,” I say, crawling to my feet after I fall out the portal, and spitting out the blood in my mouth as I rise. Cex looks back at me in disgust, and I force my connection with him to make sure he cannot escape again. This is over here, now, in the very place this all started. The Protector city. Or what is left of it anyway. The city is in ruins, covered in dust and rubble. I glance at my feet, seeing what is left of the gold street we stand on.

  “It’s my greatest achievement, destroying the blessed Protectors. They are finally all gone now, and when I kill you, then there will be nothing,” he spitefully says, flinching from the pain in his shoulder as he tries to stand up tall. "I'm glad you followed me. I get to kill you and take half of my power back. Then my brothers will not stand a chance."

  “In what world do you think I’m going to be the one to die first tonight?” I say, laughing a little. "You are not in control, Cex. You never were, and I am going to be the one to end you."

  “Silly little queen, this isn’t a fight, it’s a death sentence for you. Your sister was easy enough to kill,” Cex heartlessly says, and I shake my head. I knew he never loved Erica, and deep down, I know he killed her because she didn't win the test. It was the only reason he kept her near him.

  “You talk too much...have you never seen the movies where the villain who talks too much always dies?” I say with a bored sigh. Cex narrows his eyes at me before swinging a blast of black magic at me. I simply move to the side, and he throws another one. I pull a dagger out of my belt as he tries to hit me again, and I jump on a piece of rock, avoiding the blast which smashes the rock to pieces. Dust covers the air as I jump down, using the dust to hide me long enough to throw my dagger at him. He catches the dagger with his other hand, melting it into dust with fire.

  “I guess we will do this the old fashioned way then,” I say and call my holy fire into a constant stream that I throw at Cex. He quickly counters with a blast of black magic, and the two slam into each other, pushing us both back. I dig my feet into the ground, refusing point blank to give in as I call for more holy fire. I scream as my arms light up with holy fire, and it soon covers every part of my body, burning my clothes and boots. I call for every part of my rune power, all the way down to the deepest part of my soul, and still, it isn't enough. The black magic gets closer and closer, my fire can't fight it.

  I cry out as I push my black magic out of my body with my other hand, the two powers mixing in red and blue fire. It blasts out of me as I step forward, nothing but pain stretches through my body with every step until I'm right in front of Cex, and I see the reflection of what I look like in his eyes. My hair, face and everything are on fire, the powers of both holy fire and black magic mixing in a beautiful and deadly way. I move my hands to Cex's face and smile as he tries to push me away.

  "Time to die, knight," I say, and he screams. His scream is painful even to hear as I burn him into nothing but dust and red energy that floats in the air in front of me. The red energy shapes itself into a ball, and I'm powerless to stop it as it slams into my chest. I cry out as the magic overwhelms me, feeling like waves of fire burning all over me. My soul burns as I drop to my knees in the dust and close my eyes. Dying this time is painful, pure pain that I repeatedly beg to be over, when in one moment, it just is.

  One Hundred Four

  There is something deeply peaceful about floating, not feeling the weight of your body or the pain that can come with it. I don't feel much of anything as I float forward in the line I am in, seeing and feeling the warm glow of the gate in front of the line of souls. Memories of life are fleeting as I try to think of them, and I can only remember love. So much love in such a short life I had. My white dress is shimmery, floating around me as I move closer to the light. I know I'm in Hell, waiting to go wherever the souls go. That's what I am now, a soul. My body is gone, and my fight is over...so why does it make me so sad?

  "Evelina," I hear someone shout my name. Someone so familiar...but I can't remember who. I can't pull my eyes from the light. The line is now just two souls left...I'm so close. "Stop! Evelina is mine!" I float forward once more as the last soul disappears into the golden light archway in front of me. Suddenly, an angel jumps in front of me as I try to move forward, his white wings blocking my view of the light. I feel frozen in place as I stare at his back and his white head of hair. I know him.

  "I want to make a deal. My life for hers. Please talk to me," the man pleads with the golden light. Suddenly a booming voice replies, and a white light blasts into my head.

  "It must be her choice to live as well. I will return her memories temporarily," the voice says as the white light disappears and I remember everything. I'm Evie, and...I died. How the hell am I here? I look up as my father turns to me, reaching his hands out with tears in his eyes only to pause because we both realise he can't touch me.

  "Let me take your place. You need to say the words," he asks me, pleading with me. He is begging me, and I don’t want to say yes, but a deeper part of me wants to go back to my Protectors, to Azi, and to Hali. I want to live out the rest of my life that was cut too short.

  "B-but you will die," I say, my voice is like an echo though. He lifts his hand to hover near my face, much like how he showed me affection before, but this time he can't touch me. I can see how much it breaks his heart that he can't. It hurts me, too.

  "Evelina, you gave me a reason to live when I thought there was none. I'm your father, let me protect you this one last time. Let me do this," he begs, and pain shoots through my heart, crippling me as sobs leave my lips. “Let me be your father.”

  "Dad, I love you. I wish we had more time," I manage to say.

  "Time is something we can have in death one day. We will see each other again, but for now, you need to live. You have so much life to live," he softly says.

  "Is there no other way?" I ask. “Any way to stop this?”

  "Say the words, daughter," he sympathetically commands, moving to my side so I can look into the golden light where there is an outline of an angel stood in the middle. "Defy death just one more time, and let me go home."

  "I want to live," I say to the shadow of an angel, even though the pain it causes me to say the words makes me cry them out.

  "Very well. You will be stripped of your angel blood and wings for the price of a trade," the voice tells me. "Walk into the light, Danike, and exchange your life. Come back to your home." The angel disappears, leaving nothing but the glowing wall of golden light that shines so brightly. So warmly.

  I can do nothing but watch as my father walks slowly to the light and stops right before it as a figure appears.

  "Eella?" my father asks, and an arm slowly reaches out of the light. My father places his hand in hers, linking their fingers as the soul walks out. "It's you," my father whispers. I lock eyes with my mother as she comes in
to view, or at least her soul does as she stops at his side. My parents look at each other with nothing but pure love, and my father very slowly fades from his form to a soul. My voice catches as I realise he is gone, my blood family are all in death now.

  "I missed you. I have waited," she says, resting her head on his chest. He holds her close, like nothing else matters. He looks happy. My mum smiles at me as I cry, knowing I don't have long to see them like this. This is a gift.

  "Our daughter is so beautiful, so brave. Aren't we proud, my Danike?" she says so softly, just like I’ve always imagined her voice would be like. The last of my true family stand in front of me, and it’s time I will never forget.

  "So proud," my father replies. "I wouldn't trade her for anything in any world."

  "Be strong, this is the right way to end our story, and you will live on, keeping our memories alive. My precious baby girl, oh how much we love you," she whispers to me, before they both look at each other. "It's time for us to leave."

  "I love you, too," I whisper as I watch them walk into the light. The light blasts out in a wave from the archway, hitting my chest. I close my eyes as my whole body feels warm, almost like the sun is shining on my soul, just before the world fades into golden light.

  One Hundred Five

  I blink my crusty eyes open, looking up at the extremely close white ceiling above me, which I quickly realise is not a ceiling at all, but a lid to a box I am lying in. Emotions flood me as I remember everything and the bitter knowledge my father is gone. We just got to know each other, found each other, and now I will never see him again. My hands are holding the handle to what feels like my sword, and the world is so bitterly cold, I realise.