“Why don’t you tell me what is so special about her memsors? What does she think she placed so strategically around, that couldn’t be screwed up? That her plan will actually play out.” He squinted at me, curiously.
My hand glided along the moss that had made a cushion on the rock I perched on. Feeling the spongy material made me think back to the bog, and everything Arie and Cyril did for me while Athen was gone. With all that had come to pass in the last few months, I knew I had to trust my judgment. I had grown stronger both physically and mentally, and because of that, I believed in Arie’s plan. I looked up at Athen and couldn't help the smile that spread across my face.
“For starters, I’m one of them.” Saying it out loud made the shiver return to my spine.
Athen let out a huge sigh. I wasn’t sure if he was releasing bottled up anger, frustration, or fear.
“We just might be able to pull this off.” Athen came back to the rock and sat next to me. Placing his arm around me, I began to feel the warmth of his soul surrounding me. He brought me back to the place I needed to be.
“Are you mad at me?” Not sure I wanted to hear the answer.
He kissed the top of my head, pressing his lips there for a few seconds. I was sure he was pondering a way to stay controlled and not let his anger overflow.
“No. Arie knows me too well. If she told me, I would have stopped her. She knows Cyril better than any of us. If she’s willing to risk what she did, I need to trust her. I need to trust you. If anybody could pull something off like this, it would be you two. It’s not like this is the first time you and Arie have pulled off some crazy shenanigans for the greater good,” he said winking at me, making my heart completely melt.
“Well, since I’m still unaware of what all those could be from my past, I can’t wait to someday remember them.” I told him.
“You will. Plus, I’ll continue to help you remember them. I promise.” He bent down and gently kissed my cheek. “Right now, though, we need to trust her.”
The weight of the moment quickly became evident when a voice came through the trees.
“Trust who?” Cyril’s voice boomed down the path before he even reached us. I prayed I could hold myself together.
“Karen,” Athen said. “We were debating what to tell her if we had to go back to Whistler. It’s not like Arie’s presence won’t be missed, especially as social as she is.” I was so relieved for Athen’s quick thinking, as weak as the line may have sounded.
“Huh, whatever.” The pain in Cyril’s voice was devastating. “Let’s get this over with. The sooner we do the Awakening, the quicker we can go try to find her.”
Cyril looked horrible. He didn’t even look like himself. Instead of the big, overwhelming presence I loved, what I saw was a being who had been beaten down. He looked like a person about to wither into the air. His shoulders were forward, back hunched, eyes sunken in. When he looked up at me, I turned quickly to hide my surprise. Flashing back to the gorgeous creature that I had met up in the pub at Whistler, it was hard to believe this was the same person. Cyril had been so full of life. His eyes sparkled incessantly. His humor was always nonstop, and his lust for everything absolutely contagious. Now I saw a being barely able to carry his own weight.
My gut twisted while Athen built the fire. I hoped the images that Cyril would be seeing soon wouldn’t give anything of our plan away. We needed to confirm where she was located, and the sooner the better. I had my hunch based on our plan, but all we could do was participate in this and see if it was correct. I grabbed the rope from my backpack, sure we would need to restrain Cyril for the events about to take place.
Chapter 2
We were back in the cave, and I did my best to make eye contact with Cyril. I saw the redness etched into his wrists from where the rope dug deep into his flesh as his body fought the images of Arie being gone. I didn’t want him to suspect anything, but it was so hard to look at him. I felt a million times better being able to confide in Athen, but it was crucial that we both keep everything from Cyril until Arie tells us it’s okay, or otherwise, her sacrifice had been for nothing. I still had a persistent uneasiness. I became certain that what I sensed was a separate feeling from all the lies and deceit surrounding Arie’s situation. I hoped to be wrong. I really didn’t want to deal with what could be hiding in the woods at the moment. This was supposed to be our temporary refuge, not a stomping ground for the dark demons.
Athen was spreading out wool blankets and down pillows everywhere, getting things situated for our night. I did my best to shift some of the bags we had with all of our clothing stuffed in them. My hand landed on some of Matilda’s dog food, and an ache began to grow again. Having Matilda whisked away, was something I had prepared for, only it left me with the same old emptiness.
The squat I was in began to make my feet go to sleep. So I let my body fall to the ground, when suddenly a slight shift in the earth occurred.
“Put on a few pounds, Ana?” Cyril’s playfulness couldn’t completely be squashed.
I quickly scanned our dimly lit cave, to see Cyril and Athen suddenly upright, holding the cave wall. I did my best at giving a dirty look to Cyril.
“Little volcanic tremor?” my voice squeaked by accident.
“Must’ve been.” Athen gestured to the surroundings. “Guess that’s what happens when you choose a volcano as a safe haven.”
“You know?” Cyril’s voice joked, showing a bit of his old self. “I’m not sure what I was thinking, hedging all my bets on you two picking a safe place to be. You really don’t seem to have the best of luck.”
“That’s the Cyril I know!” I said, winking at him. “You’ve got me by your side, Cy! What are you worried about?”
“Speaking of that, did you ever give that poor girl’s clothes back from that shapeshifting accident you had?” he asked, grinning.
Rolling my eyes, my hand managed to find a small piece of wood that I threw directly at him. If it wasn’t for his quickness, I would have nailed him. I felt a little more at peace knowing that Cyril’s humor could be pried out, bit by bit, when he was with us. We all were better as a family. That’s why this was so important, not for only us but the world.
“At least, I left her with some. It’s part of the learning curve,” I said.
“Call it what you want.” Cyril’s voice trailed off, as the earth began to dance once more.
The fear began swelling up inside me. This was not a quick tremor. The floor continued swaying, and the noise was deafening, as the giant rocks of the mountain made their voice heard.
“Athen!” I screamed. He came to my side instantly.
“Come on! Get away from the wall. We’ve gotta get outside,” he yelled over Mother Nature.
She rumbled above us all, determined to make her strength known. He grabbed my waist and hauled me out as tiny pieces of rock began falling from the sides and roof of the place we had barely started calling home.
Once outside, we saw the boulders that were no longer where we last spied them, making me extra nervous about what could be on the horizon. The movement stopped. My heart was pounding, as it dawned on me that if we had all been flattened from a freakish earthquake, while Arie was still out there wandering around, it would be the end. None of us would be able to call each other back.
Looking up at Athen and Cyril, I knew they had realized the same thing.
Athen, nodding his head, began first. “Well, to Cyril’s earlier point, maybe, this wasn’t the best spot to call a shelter.”
“Ya think?” Cyril asked, punching his shoulder.
“Guys, come on. This is a little weird. Tremors are one thing, but I think that could be classified as a real earthquake, and that’s not that common here. Besides, this place seemed logical at the time…” My voice accidentally trailed off as the strange sensation began entering my body again.
“What is it? What are you sensing?” Cyril asked, genuinely concerned.
“Abnormal activity
.”
“Yeah, I think we just established that.” Cyril looked perplexed.
“No, I mean like, activity. I don’t think we’re alone out here,” I whispered, thankful that I still had most of my knives on me. They had become a normal staple of my attire since I began my training.
None of us wanted to go immediately back into the cave, so we set out to do some investigating. By this time, the only thing guiding us was the moon. If we weren’t alone, that could actually work to our advantage.
Doing my best to maintain a quietness with each step I took, I found myself not paying much attention to where we were going, until I realized no more moonlight sprayed down on the path before me. Athen and Cyril had gone directly into the forest. I had followed without even realizing.
“Guys, do you think this is where we should be at this very moment?” I asked, bumping into Athen and then doing my best to stifle a laugh.
“I think it’s a bit better to be undercover, rather than out in the open,” Cyril whispered.
Off in the distance, an eerie hoot echoed through the air. Stirring up the vulnerability, I suddenly felt. I reached for Athen’s hand, as we continued our hunt for something we were unsure of. Athen squeezed my hand reassuringly and didn’t let go, as we continued pressing on through the forest.
The branches from the fir trees kept springing back and smacking me, keeping me on my toes. As a blackberry snagged my jeans, I stopped to untangle myself with Athen lingering behind, while Cyril kept trudging forward. It seemed he was on a mission, and I was pretty sure if he came across anything like what we feared, he wouldn’t be able to contain himself. I had to admit, though, that a part of me wanted to take a chunk out of a demon right about now too.
A snap of a twig behind us made Cyril stop in his tracks and rush back to us before I even blinked.
“What are the odds that a coyote did that?” I channeled to them both.
In unison, I heard back, loud and clear, “SLIGHT TO NONE.”
I turned around quickly to face where the noise came from, to see a pair of red, glowing eyes staring back at me. A smile returned to my lips, as the taste of a fight dangled in front of me. I knew Cyril wanted this badly, but I hoped there was enough for us all. The adrenaline started pumping through my veins, as I delighted in the thought of more practice time. Athen released my hand. I knew no matter what I would be protected. Athen and Cyril would not let anything happen to me. This would be my time to try some new tricks.
Several more sets of red, glowing eyes began appearing through the darkened forest, proving to be the exact medicine we needed. This fight would be for Arie. These creatures had no idea what we had in store for them.
Before I had a second more to enjoy my fantasies of tearing them apart, Cyril jumped over me landing directly in front of the first set of eyes that had appeared. Cyril’s hand reached up for the throat of the demon, as a loud shriek boomeranged through the air signaling that the battle was to begin. My body flew into motion, scaling the closest Douglas fir while choosing my first victim. The sight I witnessed was massive. While my body balanced on the outstretched limb, I realized we had gotten our wish. There was a small battalion of these creatures coming to be crushed by a family who all loved each other tremendously. We fought for the memory of a loved one. The only thing that fueled these creatures was hate and, in my estimation, love always won.
“Come on! Stand up and fight, you cowards!” I hollered into the air.
I dove into the crowd of demons closest to me, feeling their wretchedness try to encapsulate me, as I touched down on the forest floor. The rage had infiltrated my entire body, as I grabbed one of the knives out of my pocket, slashing the cheek of my first mark. I felt the freshness of the liquid spill onto my knuckles. I shot into the air, ripping off a tree limb, and pole-vaulted the tip directly into the chest of the creature who still held his cheek. I saw the familiar black mist seep into the air.
Laughter escaped from my throat, as a demon jumped on my back, attempting to crush my neck and failing miserably. I knew the demon had no chance as I ran towards the Hemlock tree that towered in front of us. With the demon holding on as best he could, I climbed up the tree with such speed that my feet barely touched the bark. I paused briefly before flipping backwards, dislodging the squealing demon from my neck. Watching the creature crash down to the ground, I saw Athen finish the creature off. Teamwork was nice.
A roar began echoing through the branches. I knew the sound was coming from Cyril. He flew from tree to tree, picking off each demon who was lurking up in the trees, like they were cabbage patch dolls. He was notifying them that they, too, were expected to fight. I ran to the first one he dumped to the ground, watching it become alert upon my arrival. The demon grabbed at my shirt, ripping it, as I jumped backwards, only to have another demon come up behind me, grabbing my neck. I kicked through the air, crushing the demon directly in front of me. The strength of the demon’s arm, who was behind me, began to worry me. I attempted to wrap my arm around the demon’s head, grasping for hair or anything to throw him off me. Beginning to panic, I began feeling around with my other free hand in my pocket and found one of my knives. I flipped it open, only to have Cyril jump down on the demon, who held me captive.
“Thanks!” I yelled, knowing that the fight was still ours to be won, taking off towards a huddling bunch of red eyes.
The group of demons was far enough away that by the time I reached them my strength and fury had been restored. With my knife ready and waiting, I stopped in front of the group, the smile returning to my lips. I squinted at the demon, closest to me, and I blew a kiss his way. The demon jetted towards me, and I dodged to the left, climbing the fir tree only to infuriate the demon more. Athen was across the way, perched up in a tree, watching me. I felt a blush begin to creep up my cheeks as I wondered what he was up to.
The demon began scaling up the tree after me with his curled fingernails scraping up the bark as he went. As he lunged towards me, I grabbed two branches and crisscrossed them around the demon’s neck, watching his body fall to the ground, while his head shattered into several pieces in front of me. Catching Athen still watching me, I began to get flustered. I wasn’t sure why he wasn’t fighting these last few demons we’d left. Cyril still back where I left him, presumably taking care of the couple that remained in that direction, kept busy, but Athen only sat there. I couldn’t fathom what he was doing. He was just watching me.
Releasing the knife from my ankle holster, I jumped from the fir tree, landing on my latest victim. Promising myself I would finish him off, regardless of his overwhelming size, I plunged the blade directly into his spine, and down he crumpled. Releasing the blade from his shell, I readied myself for the last two demons who were running for me at full speed. Athen jumped down from the branch he had been perched on, tackling the creature closest to him. I dove for the ankles of the other to throw him off guard.
The demon tumbled towards me, while grabbing my hair and pinning me down to the earth’s muddy surface. The demon’s cold fingers wrapped their strength around my throat. I suddenly wished I hadn’t been so eager to fight, but the high that ran through me was sometimes hard to control. I did my best to swallow, but the demon’s grip was so strong that the pain made it almost impossible. Slowly breathing in, my eyes tried to focus on Athen and how far away he was from finishing off his mess. I looked at the demon, seeing the red, evil glow staring back at me. I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t just finish me off. My hearing began getting muffled, but then the demon released my throat, dropping his mouth close to my ear.
“Lilith wanted to welcome you to her world. She missed having her sister with her for so long and was thrilled you found her training ground.” The demon’s laughter sounded as if he was in a tunnel.
I felt like the forest was closing in on me. The feeling of victory started to quickly vanish to make room for the jealousy and disgust that was spreading like a virus through my body. The demon was so in awe
over the effect his message had over me that he let his guard down just enough for me to roll out from under him. Springing to my feet, I felt Athen’s presence right behind me, ready to lunge at the creature.
“No, let this one go,” I said to Athen, putting my hand up to halt Athen.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
“Yeah, I’m serious,” I told Athen, as the demon began getting back up and dusting himself off. “I have a message for Lilith.”
Athen smiled widely, and his eyes were full of intrigue with what I was about to say.
“Tell her I’ll be waiting for her. No matter how long it takes, my eyes will be the last ones she sees before her demise. Just pass that along, will you?” The satisfaction I got, from the thought of destroying her, was growing every day. She was one part of my ever-growing obsession.
Chapter 3
Cyril wasn’t tired at all, or at least, that’s what he told us. He seemed to have a real distaste for hanging out in the cave. He wanted to wait outside until morning. With everything he was going through, I completely understood. Sometimes, being left alone was helpful. Those feelings were still at the surface level for me, which is probably why hearing Lilith’s name mentioned caused such turmoil. Lord knows how long it would take me to put her on the back burner again.
“I want to destroy her,” I sighed.
“I’ve been worried you were still thinking about that.” Athen grabbed my hand, squeezing it gently. “You’ll get your chance, hun. I promise,” Athen whispered into my ear.
We snuggled together under the wool blanket. The tremors had stopped, and we needed to rest from the evening’s activities. We planned on packing out in the morning. There’s no reason to stay on this mountain any longer. It offered no protection for us going forward.
Cataclysm Page 2
