by Alana Grerig
“Well, I guess my best is good enough for a little mouse wouldn’t you say, parasite?” Jericho inquired as he placed his foot on the hilt of the blade sticking out of the demon’s boot and applied pressure. The demon screamed again and dropped to the floor, clutching its leg.
“You can kill me, but it will make little difference. The master will get what he wants, and you will still die. Foolish mouse, caught by the cat and doesn’t even realise.” The demon laughed manically up at Jericho, its eyes wild, strings of spittle clinging to his blackened teeth.
“Either way, you won’t be here to see it,” Jericho replied as he swiftly sunk the blade of his knife into the creature’s temple and twisted. “And I will have my blades, back,” he added as he retrieved both, the one from its head and the other from its foot. Turning, he saw Winter running towards him, her mouth and chin covered in blood.
“Where is Eli?” she asked. Looking over Jericho and noticing his shoulder, she moved in front of him. “Let me fix your shoulder. We need to find Eli, and you are a liability with one arm.”
“I think I handled myself quite well thank you, Princess. But some help with this would be appreciated. We are too far from the wall for me to fix it myself. Rolling her eyes, Winter placed a hand on his bad shoulder and held tight. She then took his hand.
“Hold my shoulder and brace against me. I am going to push your shoulder back while bringing your arm forward. It’s going to hurt like hell.”
Jericho did as he was asked. He took a deep breath, and then there was the sickening crunch as his shoulder relocated into the socket. For a second, the world titled with the blinding pain.
“You are all set. The pain will pass in a moment. We need to find Eli. Eve and Caleb have passed through the gate,” Winter explained as she scanned the battlefield for their companion.
They found him motionless a few feet from the demon leader. As Jericho looked over the creature, he saw that Eli had succeeded in his attack. Where its eyes had once been, were now two bloodied sockets, the brownish clumps that splattered his cheeks the only remains of his sense of sight. Winter quickly made her way to Eli. He was still in the form of a tiny hummingbird.
“He is breathing, just knocked out,” she called to Jericho, who was just removing one of his knives from the blinded creature’s temple, a quick and efficient kill.
“Pick him up; we can worry about reviving him later. Right now, our primary concern is getting into the fortress before a scout comes and brings the rest of the army.” With Winter cradling Eli in her hands, they ran for the gate, just as the first volley of arrows peppered the ground at their heels.
The Army had arrived.
Chapter Twenty -Six
Eve tried hard not to look back as she and Caleb squeezed their way through a gap between the wall and the iron bars of the portcullis. The sounds of the Scorpions scurrying around the battlefield made the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. She couldn’t afford to think about what was happening out there now. The most important thing was to stay alive long enough to return the Stone.
“Cal, we need to be quick. Can you see anyone in the courtyard?” Even her whisper sounded loud in the confines of the vaulted arch that made up the frame for the massive iron barrier that was now at their backs. Caleb reached back, took Eve’s hand, and squeezed before he let it go. Then he moved forward to get a view of the courtyard beyond their shadowed hiding place.
The vast open space was deserted, which was both a relief and highly suspicious. Surely the guards would have heard the commotion happening right outside the walls and mobilized? Caleb thought to himself. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he used his new acute senses to pinpoint where the next threat was. Nothing jumped out at him. This is too easy, he thought and returned to Eve.
“The courtyard is deserted. We need to be ready for surprise attacks and traps, though. This all seems too easy to me.”
Eve nodded and drew her dagger. Taking her free hand, Caleb led her to the entrance. They waited for a moment just to be sure that the coast was clear. There were several arches around the edges of the marble-floored space, each one potentially hiding a threat. Eve allowed her mind’s eye to open, hoping this would aid them in their choice of direction. The place was devoid of life, as Caleb had said. However, there was an energy pulsing like a beacon behind the double doors opposite them and off to the right. Pointing with her dagger, she indicated the direction in which they needed to move in order to get the doors opened with minimal effort. The first thing about their new surroundings that hit them was the heat. The very atmosphere seemed to boil. Steam covered everything in a misty blanket, concealing any traps or enemies. Caleb tugged on Eve’s hand, and they walked as quickly as they dared, eyes on the floor. Suddenly, the steam seemed to become thinner, as if the heat had sucked all the moisture from the air. Glancing around, Eve saw they were on a wide marble gantry that overlooked a steaming pool of reddish sludge, the smell of which was only just permeating the air. Gagging, she turned to look ahead. Before them was an imposing structure, its crenelated turrets jutting like broken teeth into the churning sky. It was then that she realised they were still outside.
If it wasn’t so horrifying and hot, this place could be considered beautiful, she thought. Tugging on Caleb, she pointed to the keep ahead. “That’s where we need to go.”
“I really wish it wasn’t. Stay close and keep the Stone out of sight,” he muttered as they ran along the gantry towards the entrance of the fortress’s inner sanctum.
They had almost made it when a huge form appeared from a doorway, an axe held high as it charged them. Eve had seen the creature’s aura flare seconds before it appeared and yelled a warning to Caleb. Thanks to his improved speed, the axe only removed a few strands of his hair. Turning, he grabbed Eve and all but threw her towards the entrance of the keep.
“Keep going! I will catch you up!” he yelled as he dodged another swing of the axe. Caleb blasted the creature with white fire, which momentarily blinded Eve; its brilliance illuminated the vast space and their attacker.
Grimmer stood before them, his scarred features contorted into what Caleb imagined was his idea of a smile. His huge war-axe held high, Eve suddenly had a flashback from her abduction, those terrible eyes flashing in the moonlight as her capture ran through the night.
“Caleb, that’s the creature that abducted me in Gloria!” Eve yelled just as Grimmer swung the axe at Caleb’s mid-section. He missed his mark, embedding the axe in the marble pillar, just past Caleb’s left hand. Taking his opportunity, Caleb muttered a charm, which caused the axe to burst into flame. Glimmer’s leathery palms melted to the handle in seconds. His growls of pain and anger sent chills through Eve, while the acrid stench of his corrupt flesh melting made her heave.
“I shall enjoy ridding Orea of his existence. It is the least I can do after he caused the one I love so much pain!” Caleb growled as he punched Grimmer with a swift uppercut, causing his head to snap back with a sickening crack. He then kicked him full in the chest, causing the demon to land on his back. An unearthly cry escaped his bloodied mouth as his hands were ripped from the super-heated axe, his skin hanging in charred ribbons. Caleb didn’t stop there. He kicked him again and again, all his hatred for this creature manifesting itself as pure rage. Eve couldn’t watch; the look in Caleb’s eyes was one she didn’t know.
Allowing the celestial world to become dominant, she looked again at Caleb, and her heart sank. His aura was becoming muddied with jagged bolts of black and muddy brown. He was losing himself in hatred.
Rushing back to his side, she spoke to him, hoping to save him from his darker nature. The vampire side of him was taking hold; she couldn’t allow that to happen. “Caleb, stop! If you must have him dead, then make it clean. Yes, he hurt me, but he is just a pawn, in this deadly game his master is playing. Our time is running out! Please come back to me! Become the man I know you are: the man I love.”
His chest heavin
g, Caleb turned to look at Eve. His eyes were dark with hate. Tentatively, she reached for his hand. Very slowly, she brought it to her face and held it there; his rough palm cupped her cheek. Eve watched as, slowly, Caleb returned to his sense. His aura calmed and cleared to its usual brilliant yellow.
“I will never leave you. I swear it, Eve. You are my world. Where you go, I go,” Caleb assured her, his eyes never leaving hers. Suddenly, there was a harsh, jagged sound from behind him. Turning, he saw that Grimmer had managed to prop himself up on one elbow and was laughing.
“Ah, you poor dull creatures. You really believe that you will get to live your happy ever after?” His gravelly voice echoed off the columns. “You will not live past the next hour. Everything you have done has been a waste. My master will kill you all and suck the marrow from your bones. Love has no place here; you are already dead. You just don’t realise it yet!” Grimmer laughed, blood dripping from his mouth.
Caleb removed his hand from Eve’s face and turned to face Grimmer. Reaching his hand back, he gestured for Eve to hand over her dagger. Placing the hilt in his hand, Eve hoped that he would do the honourable thing and make the kill quick and clean.
“Whether we die this day or live for a hundred years, we will have lived and died knowing love, loyalty, friendship, and hope. You will not live more than a few moments more. I pity you and your kind, taken in by a madman and fed lies all your days. Look where it has gotten you.” With that, Caleb thrust the blade into Grimmer’s heart and twisted the hilt.
Pulling the blade free, he bent forward and wiped it on the edge of his shirt, then handed it back to Eve. As they walked away from the body, Caleb heard footsteps approaching fast. He tensed and turned to face whatever came through the mist.
“Now that’s a welcome - a flaming axe and a dead partly-roasted higher demon. Really, you shouldn’t have,” Winter quipped as she and Jericho appeared. Both were covered in blood but seemed in good spirits.
“Where is Eli?” Eve asked, immediately hoping he was right behind them. He isn’t dead, she told herself. He couldn’t be; she would have felt it. Winter reached into her pocket and held her hand out to Eve. Lying in her palm was a tiny jewel coloured hummingbird. Its green plumage rose and fell rapidly, reassuring her that he was, indeed, alive.
“You should be proud of your twin. He took on a demon officer in this form and blinded him. He was instrumental in our survival,” Jericho said, his eyes sincere.
“When will he change back? We need him now more than ever,” Eve said, hoping someone had the answer. Caleb assured her that Eli would come back to his senses soon, and then he would be able to shift back. Taking comfort in his words, Winter once again returned Eli to her pocket, and the foursome headed into the keep.
As soon as they entered the vast entrance, Eve knew where they had to go. Her nightmare came back to her full force as she ran along the high-ceilinged corridors, the others running behind her. Finally, when she thought her lungs might burst from her chest, Eve rounded the final corner. There before her was the vast copper doors from her dream. The intricate details were just as she remembered them. Walking towards them, Eve found she understood the message mapped out in the design.
“I know what I must do now,” Eve murmured as she ran her hands over the cold copper surface. The others looked on expectantly. Caleb had a sinking feeling. He had seen these doors in Eve’s dream and knew that this was a significant moment. This should have made him happy. However, he sensed this whole venture had been too easy. From entering the fortress to reaching this point… something was amiss.
“Eve, I think you should come away from there; something isn’t right,” Caleb said, reaching for her shoulder.
“It’s okay, Cal. I know what I need to do…” Eve didn’t finish. Just like in her dream, she was suddenly in the presence of a great evil. Its cloying scent filled the chamber. “Everyone run! This is up to me now,” Eve called as the others faded from view. The darkness had come for her.
Nimayaorin manifested before Eve, his form fully cloaked.
So foolish, to be standing in the home of death, he thought as he gazed at the one being capable of destroying everything. She was such an unimpressive creature, so small and breakable. He was going to take great pleasure in killing her and then each of her companions.
“Welcome to my home, Light Carrier. Although you won’t be staying long, it was kind of you to bring me the stone and so much fresh meat to enjoy.”
His voice was like ice. Eve’s skin crawled at his closeness. Holding her head high she looked into the blackness of Nimayaorin’s cowled head. She was not going to show her fear to this creature. Placing her hand on the hilt of her dagger, she waited.
“Where are my friends?” she demanded, surprised by how calm she sounded. He circled her, watching how she turned with him, her hand gripping her weapon. She believes she has a chance! he thought with a chuckle. Hope is a dangerous thing.
“Well, I would be less inclined to be worrying about those who cannot help you and more about yourself. Although, you shall be dead soon, so maybe there is no point in worrying at all,” he answered, stopping between Eve and the vault.
“I want to know where they are, Nimayaorin. NOW!” Eve yelled, drawing her dagger and pointing at his heart. Suddenly, Eve could see her friends. Even Eli had come around and was standing five feet away. They seemed to be unharmed.
“They are, for the time being, alive. I shall be killing you in front of them. I thought it would be poetic - darkness extinguishing the light.”
Eve had had enough of his taunting. She lunged for him, dagger raised high, ready to pierce whatever remained of his heart. She was fast, but her aim was off, the blade sinking into Nimayaorin just below his clavicle. He roared with pain. Gripping her by the wrist, he twisted hard. Eve saw stars; the pain was unbearable. She could feel the bones twist and then break under his strong grip. Despite trying not to, she cried out. How he wished he had brought his athame. It was still stuck in this throne. Still, using his bare hands had its pros. He could feel her bones breaking.
Caleb was losing his mind. He watched as Eve screamed and grappled with the Darkness. If he could just get to her, he would tear Nimayaorin to pieces. Turning to the others, he saw that they all felt the same.
“We need to break this enchantment, and fast. Eve is no match for him alone,” Eli groaned, his eyes wet with unshed tears. Caleb turned back to the invisible wall before them and began to chant frantically, his eyes never leaving Eve.
Nimayaorin was relentless in his attacks. Breaking bones and tearing flesh had become second nature to him over the years. Now he was somewhat of an artist; he could break and tear a creature to ribbons and yet keep them alive for weeks. It seemed the prophesied Light Carrier would be no different. That disappointed him. Reaching down, he grabbed a fist full of her silken tresses and heaved her up to his eye level.
“Poor little girl, so far from home, full of dreams and silly ideas. Do you still think you can beat me? You are nothing more than a weak elf, a gardener, and a dreamer. Your kind are all the same - so full of their own self-importance that they believe they can achieve anything!” He spat the words out as though they offended him. Eve’s head was beginning to swim. Her broken wrist was throbbing, and her tormentor’s putrid breath was making her nauseous.
“I am not afraid of you; I pity you,” she replied, her eyes defiant. “I have seen your past. I know what happened to you. It was wrong the little girl….” His eyes blazed with rage.
“Do not presume to know anything about me or my past, elf. It was your people that did this to me, yours and those filthy witches! All because I was born a halfling… hardly my fault. They beat my sister to death, and they took my brother! I never found what became of him... he raged. “I do not want your pity! I want your blood!”
At that moment, there was a smell of burning ozone as her friends broke through the barrier and headed for her. Weapons ready, they ran towards Eve, retributio
n radiating from every pore. The darkness would not be allowed to win.
“I see our time is up.” With those words, Nimayaorin gripped Eve’s shirt and launched her across the short distance towards the casement windows.
“NOOOOOOO!” Caleb and Eli yelled. As Eve’s broken body made contact with the glass, it shattered, exploding outwards. Eve seemed to hang in mid-air. Then, she was gone. Eli ran for the window, pushing past Caleb as he went. He didn’t stop. Once he reached the gaping hole, he leapt, disappearing after his twin.
“Well, that saved me a job. One less to kill,” Nimayaorin mused. “I am growing bored of you all, so if you are going to attack, please do so. I can end your pointless lives, and then I can return to the task at hand.”
“It would be our pleasure,” growled Caleb as he threw curse after curse at the darkness. Nothing touched the creature, though it kept him busy while Jericho and Winter positioned themselves. The first of Jericho’s blades stuck Nimayaorin in his mid-section. The second and third followed quickly. It wasn’t long before a pool of blood began to appear from beneath his cloak. Yet he continued to lunge and slash at his opponents. Winter managed to get behind him; she gripped him around the throat, choking him. Unfortunately, his groping claws found their mark, and she dropped to the floor, deep slashes marring her pretty face.
“I will heal, but let’s see how pretty you are, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Melodramatic.” Winter yanked at the hem of the cloak. There was a snap as the clasp gave way, and the heavy material slithered to the floor. They were now face to face with pure evil.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Eve watched as the tower wall zipped past her at an alarming rate. This was not how it was supposed to end. The Aurora Stone pressed heavily on her chest. She had come so close, and yet she had let anger cloud her judgement, and the whole of Orea would pay for her mistake.
