“Shit,” I said under my breath.
“What the hell is this?” Jodi asked, rolling down her window, letting the freezing air mingle with the heat from my air vents. She leaned out a little, squinting in the darkness to read the note taped to the sawhorse in the middle. “Crap.” She fell back into her seat, rolling up her window quickly.
“What?” Steven asked, finally coming forward to hold onto the back of my seat.
“It’s a police barricade to keep people out of the hiking trails.”
“Or Satan worshipers from performing animal sacrifices,” I offered.
“So what? Just drive around it,” Steven said.
“No, a patrol car could be stationed in the parking lot just waiting for that,” Jodi said.
“Right,” I agreed, cranking the steering wheel to pull away from the turn. I drove up the road a couple hundred feet until I found a spot with enough shoulder to fit my car into it. I cut the engine and we all got out. I watched Steven climb out of the back and as he was bent forward a necklace spilled out of his shirt. I caught the pendant at the end and held it up to see it clearly. He was wearing a rosary.
“Just felt right,” he muttered as if he were embarrassed. I touched his cheek and tucked the crucifix back inside his shirt.
“Then it was right,” I whispered and rose up on my toes to give him a kiss on the cheek. We walked to the trunk to get our knives out. I showed them both how I had slid the knife into the sleeve of my left arm so the hilt rested in the palm of my hand so I could draw it quickly with my right.
“Is it just me or does it seem kind of… I don’t know, sacrilegious to be using these as weapons?” Jodi asked, looking at her knife with the fake sapphires set into the hilt, running her fingers over the stones.
“Yeah, a little. But they’re tools and we’ll need them to break the seal on the circle to enter it anyway. That jackass probably won’t think to do that and will just walk into the circle without its protection around him,” I said, gesturing up the hill.
“But then so will Tracy,” Steven said.
“Yeah, but once you guys are in you can grab her and bring her into the circle correctly,” I said. “Ok, Jodi, you wearing your pentacle?” Jodi wore a simple silver star necklace so she could wear it more openly in public than a pentagram. She nodded in answer, her hand automatically reaching for the chain like a security blanket. “Steven, you brought your rosary. You did get the holy water, right?”
“Yeah, right here,” he reached into his front pocket and pulled out an honest to goodness sports water bottle, the kind with the pop-up lid so you could drink from it without taking the lid off.
“A water bottle?” I asked before I thought it through.
“Yeah, that way I have more control if I need to fling the water out at whatever, I don’t just dump it all in the first try.” He fished out a second bottle from his other pocket and handed it to Jodi. “I didn’t get one for you because you said you didn’t want to look like you had anything on you,” he said apologetically to me.
“No, you did perfect,” I tried for a reassuring smile, but didn’t think I was all that successful at it. I reached out a hand to each of them and they hid their bottles away in their pockets and took my hands and each other’s hand, forming a circle of the three of us. We all closed our eyes and turned our faces up to the sky. I whispered a spell of protection and guidance to our guardian angels and felt a small breeze swirl around us. I was suddenly aware of a weight on my back just between my shoulder blades.
“Our Father, Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name,” Steven’s voice came to me in a whisper as I finished my spell. “Thy Kingdom come. Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.”
“Amen,” Jodi and I said together. I squeezed both their hands before I let them go. I took one deep, steadying breath and turned to face the forest. Could I risk my life to stop whatever demon might be summoned from the Underworld? Yes. Could I risk the lives of my two best friends? No. But they weren’t giving me a choice in the matter. I exhaled and stepped into the forest.
Chapter 19
Part of me had wanted to trek back up the road to the parking lot and enter the forest from that point, but I was afraid Jodi was right and there might be a cop stationed there. I licked my lips and tried to gauge just how far from the parking lot we were so I knew when to turn left and continue on. I hated the thought of being physically separated from Jodi and Steven at this point. I wanted nothing more than to hold both their hands so we could mindspeak to each other and keep from getting separated.
“What did you say?” Jodi’s whisper cut through the unusually quiet forest. I turned my head to the right to look at her.
“I didn’t?” I knew the confusion on my face was as clear as my voice even though she probably couldn’t see it in the dark.
“I could have sworn I heard you say you wanted us to hold hands,” she said and we both stopped to stare at each other. It took Steven a few more moments to realize we had stopped and came back to us in a rush.
“What’s wrong?” Steven’s voice broke a little with his fear.
“I don’t know,” Jodi whispered, shaking her head.
“Dude, I did not say anything out loud, but that’s basically what I was thinking,” I said, staring intently at her face.
“Wait, you mean I heard you mindspeak without touching?”
“I guess?”
“Try again,” Steven urged. I looked at him, feeling my eyebrows contract and shook my head. How could I try to do something when I didn’t know how? “I don’t know, just try!” Steven urged again.
“What?”
“You asked how are you supposed to do something you don’t know how to do, so I said just try?” In the nearly nonexistent light I could see the worry and confusion warring over his face. I laughed as quietly as I could, still shaking my head. “What?” His voice broke again.
“I didn’t say that out loud!” I grabbed his arm and shook him in my excitement, but I let go quickly. “Here, one of you try it!”
Terra? Yellow hinted at the edges of Jodi’s thoughts.
“I heard you!” I said, trying with more effort than should be necessary to keep my voice down.
How did she do it so quickly? Steven’s red and disappointed voice drifted to me in the night and both Jodi and I spun to him.
I heard you! Jodi echoed my thoughts in perfect time.
Fae, Drake, can you hear me at the same time?
Yes! Both of their voices came to me in an echo. I felt their excitement like candy melting on my tongue.
Ok, we need to calm down. Obviously we’ve opened some kind of channel. Now, since we don’t know how, we need to be careful with it. I started pacing between them, trying to find the open channel I was talking about, and I thought about earlier in the day when I saw Jodi and Steven’s powers on my arms. Out of the corner of my eye I could see a tendril of red, glowing energy dancing along my body off to the right, trailing behind me, but as soon as I tried to look directly at it, it was gone. I let my focus slide again and could see the lavender and blue electricity that led to Jodi off to the left, but I could never look directly at it.
Ok, I think we connected today at school; we’ll just have to be careful not to break it, I thought at them as I turned to face them now.
How can you know that? Jodi asked. I tried to think of an explanation, but before I could think of it in words, the memories of how I did it were in the front of my mind and I heard Jodi say a simple Oh, I think I get it. I watched her eyes go soft for a few moments. Wow, Drake, your energy really looks like fire. But Terra, I don’t understand yours.
Why? What’s it look like? I asked.
Like pure light. Steven answered for her, apparently he had received the picture explanation at the same time Jodi had. But Fae, you’
re like purple and blue and look like lightening.
Nice, she thought at us with a smile.
Ok, we need to go; we’re wasting time. Just be aware of the open channels in case we get separated. I thought and turned from them and headed forward again, dead leaves and fallen twigs and branches crunching underfoot. I tried to concentrate on how far we needed to go before we turned to head straight for the clearing, but as I tried to look at the forest around us, I realized the danger we were allowing ourselves to walk into. Not only might we get separated, but we may hike right past the clearing and Tracy would be lost forever.
Wait a second. We all three stopped at the same time and I took a deep breath, planting my feet hip-width apart and grounded into the earth below me. I opened my palms, splaying my fingers wide, and opened my power, letting it uncoil from me in seeking tendrils. I felt the life of the forest around me, almost buried beneath the cold and damp, but there, pulsing like a heartbeat.
Finally, after what felt like miles of searching, I felt the pull of my protective circle in the clearing. Its power and the power of the curling tendril that reached it felt like two halves of the same object finally coming back together and I knew exactly which way to go. I started pulling the power back into me, gathering it back into my center, when suddenly I felt burning rage try to tear at me through my wandering power.
My power snapped back into me like a slap in the face. I staggered backwards a few steps, nearly falling into the slick leaves and mud. Steven helped me to my feet. I winced, feeling the actual burn on my skin on my back. I only had a moment to endure the pain when I recognized the evil that had touched me; it was the same creature that had attempted to rend me to pieces all those nights in my nightmares.
Run! I screamed in my mind, startling both Steven and Jodi, making them pause. I ripped free of Steven’s hand and grabbed him by the wrist and pushed at Jodi. Run! Fucking run! I screamed at them and took off, my feet sliding in the loose mud but I didn’t fall, thank goodness. I pushed through the trees and bushes but didn’t let them hinder me. I felt it like a hungry, rabid dog snapping at my back. I had no idea how far back it was, but I knew every time I tried to figure out where it was or lost my footing it had always found me and torn through my skin. Not tonight, damn it, not tonight.
I could hear Steven and Jodi just behind and to the sides of me, their feet pounding on the ground. Under that noise I could hear their hearts beating frantically, pushing their blood through their veins. I could smell the sweat on their faces. My stomach turned at the scents.
Oh God…
What? Steven’s voice screamed at me. I could feel rather than hear that he was afraid I could see something he couldn’t, or maybe I was hurt, or Jodi. His thoughts were as erratic as his breathing.
Get away from me! Go! Run! I screamed at them and with a burst of adrenaline that had been hiding until now I forced myself farther away from them, turning sharply to my left and nearly running right into Steven. He dodged around me and took off with Jodi instinctively.
Terra, what’s happening? Jodi’s voice was quieter than it had been, but I could still hear her well enough; her fear translated just as well at this distance. Thankfully the pulse of her heart and the scent of her sweat were fading and I knew soon I wouldn’t be able to hear it.
It’s hungry and it can smell you guys through me! Just stay away from me! Because it had touched my power, it had felt my connection to Jodi and Steven. This was all I could do to keep them safe. I could hear my blood rushing in my ears and my pulse was like something alive in my throat, clawing its way into my mouth. My lungs burned with battery acid. My stomach was going to rip open on the next step I took. But in spite of all of that, my body held. I kept running, feeling the tears in my eyes from the cold air that tore at my face. My nose was running, but I couldn’t stop. If I stopped, it would get me and tear me to shreds and eat the meat from my bones. My stomach lurched and I pushed those thoughts from my mind. I brought up shields in my mind, trying to sever the connection I had forged between me and the thing at my back.
I could taste bile in the back of my throat and I knew I couldn’t keep this pace up much longer. Each step felt like I was pulling my foot out of quicksand. I needed another way, I needed help, but I didn’t have the time or luxury to stop, ground and center, and square off against this thing. It was rabid and probably wouldn’t wait to face off with me. If I stopped, it would simply keep coming. My fear was like a tangible thing and I could feel it gain energy from my fear, running all the faster for it.
Stop it, goddamnit! I screamed at myself. I opened my eyes wide, taking in as much of the forest as I could and realized I had left all the saplings behind me. Now I was running through large, aged trees with trunks wider around that I was. Desperation drove me and I prayed this would work.
I saw one of the largest trees looming ahead of me, just ten feet away, I held its image in my mind and envisioned it opening up for me, taking me into it. I let my magic burst forth in wild abandon, directing it to the life-force in the tree, keeping that image burning brightly in my mind as I raced towards it. I flung myself at the tree when it was less than three feet away. I closed my eyes tight against the impact, but suddenly I was engulfed in warm, thick water.
I opened my eyes to darkness, curled almost in a fetal position, my body suspended in this heavy darkness. I reached a hand out and felt resistance that was rough and jagged. Bark, bark of the tree I had flung myself into. I felt all around me until I was convinced that all of me was surrounded. I felt tears of relief sting my eyes and a laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” I whispered to the tree and whatever else may have helped me.
An angry, wild roar cut through my relief and I could hear the sharp breaking of wood just beyond my face. My stomach tightened and a cold sweat broke out on my back. I suddenly felt horrible for risking this tree for my own safety. How did this make me any better than the one who summoned this demon? He had cut into the trees in the circle and used them in a blood ritual and here I was cowering inside a tree and letting it get torn apart. I turned so the tearing noises were behind me and put my hands on the rough inner bark and pushed my way out.
I stepped onto the forest floor as quietly as I could and crouched down, keeping low to the ground. I had an idea, drawing inspiration from earlier that day. I leaned around the tree until I could see it. Nothing less than all of my self-control kept me from screaming.
It was the stuff of nightmares. Like a dog gone completely wrong, it was too large with ragged, bloody claws and gnashing teeth. The aura of fire danced on its skin that looked like it belonged on the inside of the animal instead of the surface, as if someone had pulled it inside out. Although it was so dark you could hardly see more than ten feet in front of you, his skin seemed to glisten wetly and veins pumped erratically all over his body. Rough fur sprouted out of his head and raced down the length of his spine, but otherwise his body was bare. I couldn’t see its eyes clearly as he was gnashing violently with his teeth at the tree and a jolt of guilt ran through me as I had hesitated for fear of him.
I pulled on that now thin line of power and energy between Steven and me, drawing it down my arm into my palm until I thought it would blister the skin and a tiny flame burst to life in the center of my hand, just above the skin. I pulled almost instantly on Jodi’s power, but I felt it swirling around my entire body rather than just the arm she had been attached to. It took more concentration than I thought to direct it into my free hand. My breath was caught in my throat and my lungs burned with the effort to push the wind into the flame to feed it. The flame grew stronger and more volatile until I didn’t think I could hold it any longer and felt the heat racing up both my arms felt like they were on fire. I drew on my panic and my determination and thrust it into my hands and into the growing fire held there. It shot from my hands with such force that I stumbled backwards, catching my ankle on a twisted root and fell to the ground again.
I could still hear it wailing in pain and anger behind me. It should have scared me but now I could gauge just how much distance I was putting between it and myself. I could feel the draw of my protective circle ahead of me growing stronger the more I concentrated on it. I couldn’t run any faster than I already was, but I leaned forward into the run, willing myself there. I heard more of an echo than anything else, the wailing of the fallen creature change and grow into a roar of rage and frustration. It was up off the ground and coming after me. It could run so much faster than I could and it was closing the distance between us. I wanted to scream or cry or beat it to death with my frustration. This was so unfair!
I heard it almost directly behind me, the heat of its anger and aura burning my back. I nearly screamed when a root caught my foot and I lurched forward, desperately trying to get my footing and I felt its ragged claws catch on my jeans and tear through the fabric into the skin and muscle of my calf. I screamed wordlessly, pain making my vision fuzzy for a few seconds and I fell to the ground. I crawled forward before I could think of anything else to do and heard it roar again in mindless rage, but it didn’t touch me again. I turned to look over my shoulder and saw it thrashing just a few feet behind me, throwing itself against an invisible wall trying desperately to get to me.
Blood ran down my calf into my boot and sock and distracted me for a second before I heard his voice, “I’m so glad you’ve come, I was hoping you’d make it in time.” I turned slowly, wishing this were a nightmare that I’d wake from before I actually had to see the boogieman behind me. I gazed up the length of the clearing until I saw his feet and slowly, painfully raised my eyes up and looked upon the smiling, twisted face of Ian. I had made it to my circle.
Elemental Series Omnibus Edition Books 1-4 Page 25
