Enlightenment (Children of Ankh series Book 2)

by Kim Cormack

  He grabbed another weapon and lunged at her again. Lexy stood there, allowing him stab her in the stomach. Her hand began to glow when he got creative and twisted the knife. He got side tracked for a split second. She smacked his hand away, removed the knife and chucked it on the floor.

  Lexy sighed, “It’s not that I don’t find your psychotic rants moderately entertaining. I really do appreciate your love of the kill. Once you’ve heard one serial killer’s rants, you’ve really heard them all.” The pale faced, perspiring middle-aged waste of oxygen began to back away. Lexy walked slowly towards him, past the table of weapons, without attempting to grab one. Lexy didn’t need a weapon from the table. She was the weapon.

  He backed up until an axe was within reach. “What are you?” He hissed. He began swinging the axe in the air, in a laughable attempt at fending her off.

  Lexy maneuvered out of the way, grabbing it with only one of her hands. She said, “Okay muffin. Your little twisted deal here is done. By twisted little deal I mean, your mortal life darling. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” He started throwing random weapons from the table. She swatted the objects away, without touching them using only energy. She wanted to snap his neck and be done with him. They’d better hurry up. She stopped walking towards him and sighed dramatically. He was quite the sight, cowering against the wall.

  When he noticed she’d stopped moving, he stood upright. He wanted her to lose control. She could see it in his eyes. He whispered, “I did things to you. Things you haven’t even dreamed of.” Lexy took a step towards him. He began rifling jars at her from the wooden shelf on the wall again. Lexy grimaced, that thought was disgusting.

  Lexy coldly said, “I can think up a few things, you’ve never dreamt of.”

  He tossed a small can of paint at Lexy, while her mind was still on his perverse admittance. It smoked her in the side of the head. She lost her cool and punched him in the face. He dropped to the floor like a sack of stones. She stood above him, taking a moment to calm down. Markus wants him alive. He had another knife. The creep took a swing at her ankle, cutting the strap of her shoe.

  “You stinker!” Lexy scolded. She glanced at Lily’s destroyed shoe. She spat, “I borrowed these shoes! You asshole!” She stood on his shoulder to make him drop the knife. He was pissing her off. He wouldn’t let go of it. She glanced away from what was annoying her and looked at her surroundings in an effort to calm the Dragon that wanted to finish him off. This was a bad idea. It had the opposite effect. The blood stains on the plastic tarp told the sadistic stories of his past victims.

  He wouldn’t let go of the blade and he began to shriek, “You Whore! I’m going to cut you to pieces!”

  “Well, we can’t have that. Can we?” Lexy answered coldly. She stepped harder on his shoulder, in an effort to shut him up. When that didn’t work, she leaned over, grabbed his wrist and attempted to pry the knife from his clutch. He still wouldn’t let go of the knife. So, she stepped harder on his shoulder, while yanking on the wrist clutching the knife. He was ticking her off. She felt her ability to control her rage disappear. Lexy reefed on his arm and accidentally ripped it right off. He began to shriek, as his blood spurted across the room. Whoops.

  “I’ve gutted dozens of whores, you’re nothing! You are nothing!” He shrieked. His vile words of contempt set her inner Dragon free. She saw flashes of the women he’d tortured in his plastic covered den of horrors. The terror they must have felt as they prayed for salvation. Their prayers had gone unanswered. They would be answered in this moment, by her. She began to beat him, blind with rage, using the wet end of his own dismembered arm. The vile images flashed through her mind. That was when the rest of the Ankh showed up.

  The whirling strips of endless storage containers and abandoned looking buildings down on the docks had begun to slow down outside her window. Kayn could tell that Lexy was close. It was truly miraculous how this gift worked. They pulled up in front of an inconspicuous looking and obviously, from its state of disrepair, abandoned warehouse. They jumped out of the truck, instantly in a dead run towards the building ahead of them. They were being guided by something much greater than themselves. Well that... and the creepy sound of male high pitched screaming. Frost waved his hand, the door blew open to reveal a site that instilled such shock and awe that they all took pause to comprehend the vision before them. They had walked into a scene from a horror movie, plastic covered walls with blood and matter sprayed everywhere. This guy was seriously messed-up. There were chunks of what looked like human remains everywhere. Lexy was in a wildly unstable rage. She was beating a shrieking man with his own dismembered arm and screeching, “You sick! Pathetic! Twisted! Freak!”

  Frost stood in the doorway, obviously stunned for a moment. Kayn had assumed after all these years that shocking any of the older ones would be extremely difficult.

  Grey comically stated, “Well, this is new.” Grey walked towards his best friend and calmly chimed in, “Honey... Hey darling? You can stop beating him now. I think he’s almost dead. We kind of need to do a little ritual now to make sure he goes where he is supposed to go. Come with me sweetie. Let’s get you some clothes, perhaps a shower? I bet you could use a nice cup of tea?”

  Lexy abruptly dropped the dismembered arm and stepped over a sick pile of human hearts. She whispered, “That does sound lovely.” Lexy went willingly with Grey and allowed him to guide her out the door and pass her off to the ladies.

  Frost leaned over and whispered to a stunned Zach, “That’s the girl you lost tonight because you were too busy flirting with Lily to notice. Let’s just hope she got all of her pent-up aggression out.” Frost walked over to the man who had calmed his screaming. He was going into shock. Frost cut his hand, causing it to begin to glow. Then he placed his hand dripping with his immortal blood on the evil man’s forehead.

  The man murmured, “What are going to do to me?”

  Frost coldly replied, “You did this to yourself.”

  He spoke in Greek. Kayn remembered these words. She knew he was delivering this soul to a slightly different destination. With a last wheezy breath, his shell became still. The air around them felt clean again.

  Grey had returned to stand beside them. He said, “Go check on Lexy. I can do this part myself.”

  Kayn watched as Grey ripped the electrical outlet out of the wall. He exposed the wires and held his hand over them. He began to heat the wires until they burst into flames. It was always best if the cover up looked like an accident, a sudden electrical surge.

  The older of the Ankh had all seen this kind of blind rage in Lexy before. The three newest had only heard about it. Kayn understood how easy it would be to get lost in the darkness. Grey was Lexy’s tether to the light. He was her best friend. A friendship such as theirs could withstand time’s ticking hands as they moved through eternity together. Kayn could see the emptiness in her eyes. Lexy was a hollow shell. She looked as hollow as the evil man had after his soul had been taken from his body. Tonight, was a night that she would need Grey close, he could bring her back into the light. This was his gift. He was the yin to her yang. Grey was the light to her dark. The two of them fit together like an immortal puzzle. Kayn watched as Grey walked from the burning building towards Lexy. He gently lifted her chin so he could look deep into her eyes. She’d shut her emotions off. This was how she kept the dragons at bay. There was no fight left in her vacant eyes. There was nothing there at all. Grey whispered, “I’ll protect you next time, I promise.” He pulled her into his embrace. Kayn watched Lexy’s rigid frame immediately loosen as she nestled her head into the crook of Grey’s neck. He stood there with her, rocking back and forth.

  Life appeared in her eyes. She whispered back, “I will protect you.”

  Grey stroked her silky hair lovingly as he whispered back, “Whatever you want my love.”

  They drove straight back to the hotel. Grey came to their room and climbed into the bed next to Lexy. Exhausted, she curled u
p in his arms and fell asleep. She slept a dreamless sleep free of dragons, for she had slain them once again.

  Focus

  Things become peaceful after a storm. The clouds clear. The dust settles. Futures come into focus.

  They travelled north through the familiar scenery of British Columbia. The sound of the tires was a soothing lullaby, but as they reached their destination Kayn found herself far too excited to attempt sleep. She laid there as long as she possibly could but as soon as the sun began to creep over the horizon, she threw her hair in a ponytail, washed her face and brushed her teeth. She needed to go for a run and breathe in the oxygen rich biting chill of the morning air, so she could clear her mind of thoughts of everyone and everything. Kayn fumbled with the door. She was home. She was finally home. Stepping outside she inhaled the sweet crispness of morning. They were parked in an almost deserted campground. She imagined that the trees in the rugged wilderness around her were waving hello. Her heart sang out with pure joy as her feet began breaking twigs on the trails. A sound that once had incapacitated her with terror now brought her to the brink of elation. She knew someone was coming by the crackling of twigs behind her and she glanced back and decided to hide. Frost came jogging around the corner. He slowed to a walking pace. She leapt out of the bushes, attempting to scare him.

  He chuckled, “Woooo…Very scary. You scared the crap out of me.”

  “I will get you one day, you wascally wabbit,” she teased. Frost grinned blankly and she knew he’d missed the joke completely. Kayn knit her brow and said, “Not a fan of Bugs Bunny?”

  Thoroughly amused by her dorky behavior, Frost teased, “You do realize you’re an adult making references to a cartoon.”

  Kayn winked while stating, “Everybody likes Bugs Bunny and I thought you weren’t allowed to stalk me anymore?”

  He chuckled, “The world doesn’t revolve around you Miss Brighton. I was just going to check something out. I dare you to try and keep up.”

  He took off ahead of her. He’d dared her to keep up. She couldn’t refuse a dare; it was one of her life rules. She was also aware that if he had dared her to come, in Frost code that meant that he really wanted her to. He couldn’t ask her to come with him because it would destroy his ‘he didn’t care what she did anymore’ stance. She raced after him as he darted down the brush covered overgrown trail. A branch flew back and whipped her in the face. She staggered backwards. Right in the eyes ...That stung. Frost hadn’t noticed of course because he was running ahead of her. She shook her head thinking, that’s going to leave a mark. She sped up to catch up to him. She thought she saw a little bit of a smirk on his face. He abruptly stopped moving, she almost plowed into him.

  He wiped the perspiration from his brow as he announced, “I haven’t been to this place in five years. I know it’s somewhere around here.”

  “If you just tell me what we’re looking for, maybe I can help you find it?” Kayn enquired as she followed him towards what looked like the small entrance to a cave that only a tiny animal might live in. “I’m pretty sure we won’t fit,” she laughed.

  “We don’t have to... Watch this,” Frost answered while running his hands along the rock on the inside of the opening. Finding what he had been looking for, his face exploded into a dimpled grin. He placed his hand in some grooves on the inside of the opening. The ground disappeared and revealed stairs that descended into the darkness.

  “Okay, this is extremely cool,” Kayn whispered, in awe of the hidden crypt. She assumed that’s what it was. She had heard them speak of places such as this. It was an Ankh crypt hidden in the British Columbian wilderness.

  “We have them all over the place. This one doesn’t look like a crypt like the others. This one is different. This Ankh crypt has a very special purpose. Do you have a lighter or something?” He whispered.

  “Why in the world would I have a lighter? I don’t smoke,” Kayn laughed as she watched him feeling around, searching for something.

  He glanced back at her, smiled and added, “Don’t worry about a thing beautiful. There’s usually one hidden in here.” He disappeared down the stairs. Every time Frost added the word beautiful to the end of a sentence, it felt condescending. The corridor lit up with the first torch’s vibrant flame. Kayn cautiously followed him. As she stepped off the last stair into the crypt at the bottom she heard the entrance to the forest grind shut behind her. They were alone. Frost lit the torches down the long corridor and a pathway of warm flickering light revealed the Ankh crypt. As he strolled back down the long hall towards her in the glimmer of torchlight she felt her elastic band snap. Her hair released and cascaded down her back. She began to feel around in her hair for it. When she looked up, he was right in front of her. He plucked the broken piece of elastic band out of her hair, slipped it into his pocket and questioned, “Ready to pay attention?” She nodded as he began his history lesson, “This is one of the original Ankh crypts. There are only a half dozen on each continent. This is our sanctuary in the North.”

  It didn’t look like much of a sanctuary, just an open area with old dusty pillows on the floor and some mats. She whispered, “This place looks like a breeding ground for spiders. I’m not a fan of spiders.” Kayn stepped on one of the pillows. A cloud of dust exploded into the air around them. She began to cough.

  Frost chuckled as he patted her back a few times, before casually saying, “I’m leaving. I’m going to the Summit in a couple of days.”

  He was leaving her to go to the Summit? Kayn turned away from him and stared at the carvings on the walls, trying to focus on the ornate, dusty tapestries attempting to sidetrack her mind so the panic didn’t register. That meant the Testing was sooner than she’d thought. She fought her urge to shoot a thousand questions at him. What was the Summit? Was he coming back? She was far too dependent on him. He’d been right about that. She heard his ‘he wasn’t doing her any favors’ speech in her mind. So, she changed the subject. She had to act like his absence was no big deal. “What are these carvings about?” She whispered as she traced her fingers along the surface of the stone.

  He shook his head, laughed and brushed her fingers away without attempting to reply to her question. The carvings were of one woman and three men. She raised her hand to the stone again. He brushed her finger off the wall and laughed, “You seriously have me worried sometimes. It’s like you’re a glutton for punishment. Never touch the carvings unless you are looking for something messed-up to happen. You already know this.”

  Kayn could feel him standing behind her as she took in the pictures but didn’t feel them this time.

  Frost answered her earlier question, “It’s just an old story about three brothers who fell in love with the same girl.”

  She felt him rest his hand on her hip. Every nerve ending in her body stood on end. She leaned back until she was almost touching him as she asked, “Who did she choose?”

  “Her choice didn’t matter in the end. They never got to be together,” Frost replied as he cupped her hips with both hands and shifted her closer.

  Just as she intimately relaxed against him, she felt the absence of his hands followed by the sound of the crypt grinding open, she turned around and he was gone. Come on…Seriously? His passive aggressive behavior made her feel certifiably nutty. What was with the disappearing act? Had she leaned just a little bit too close? She caught her hand halfway to touching the carving on the wall again. It was surprisingly difficult to resist the urge. She would have to ask someone about that. It didn’t take a brain surgeon to tell her what the carvings were about but she’d been curious to hear Frost’s version of the story. She knew he was one of the original Ankh. He was one of the three brothers of prophecy. Kayn could not help but wonder how Frost had come to give up control of the clan to Markus. There was a story behind that. She lowered her hand again as it attempted to raise itself to touch the wall on its own. He brings me here to tell me he is leaving and then he takes off without saying a word? She caught her
self touching the carving of one of the three men even though she’d been actively trying not to. Her hand was stuck to the wall! What in the hell? She tried yanking it away but it felt like it was glued there. Her pulse started to race and she yanked her hand away. That was weird? Kayn made her way down the long hallway of flames towards the stairs, scaled them and instinctively figured out where to place her hands to open the hatch. It slid open and she squinted in the blinding glare of the sun’s rays. It felt like it was later in the morning. Strange? How long had they been down there? There was a bright side to their weird little morning excursion. She’d finally have a chance to run into the wild without knowing where she was or where she was going. To anyone else that would sound strange but in Kayn’s mind, it was as exciting as winning the lottery. She pulled the spare elastic band from around her wrist and put her hair back in a tight ponytail for some reason this always made her feel as though she were preparing for a battle. A personal battle. A battle with her need to feel freedom...A battle she could win. Kayn took off with a start into the bushes, her heart beating in unison with her feet. She raced down the winding trail, her fluid footsteps as agile as a predatory animal. It was a primal feeling. She was powerful in this moment. She found her way out of the wild and hit the highway with a vengeance. Her running shoes pounded the pavement in a soothing rhythm. She had been running wide open for at least twenty minutes when a school appeared in the distance. Was it a high school? Nope it wasn’t. She saw the college sign and smiled. They would have a track. She wanted to run where she could shut her mind down, not think about her footing and just run. That was what she needed. Kayn could tell by the sparse amount of students lounging on the lawn eating sandwiches that there wasn’t much of a summer program. Sandwiches…It must be lunchtime. She strolled past them and for a split second she tried to imagine what it would be like to be one of those students. Right now, she’d be on her way to the track for a lunchtime run after class. She walked up to the fountain and took a drink. She splashed water on her face and attempted to adjust her ponytail…It broke again so she wet her hair with water from the fountain and left her messy mass of untamable curls loose for a minute. Kayn Brighton looked like a normal girl with her face lightly speckled with freckles and a light golden tan as she strolled past the clusters of teens on her way to the school's track. She would have been in college right now. She grabbed another elastic band from around her wrist. She always kept two or three loose ones there just in case the one in her hair broke and pulled her hair into a tight ponytail without missing a stride, thinking about nothing but the freedom of the run that lay ahead of her. She lunged a couple times and stretched at the start line, then sprinted away, kicking up dust. Kayn loved this moment, the moment where she could feel her heart beating steadily with the pace of her feet. She felt as untamed as her wild curly mane of hair. Her face broke into a smile. Nothing mattered in this moment. She passed a group of teens on the sidelines. They were staring at her. Was she running too fast? Kayn rounded the corner and glanced at the group that was standing there. Her heart almost stopped in her chest. Was that Kevin? She lost her footing, skidded and slid across the ground on her knees, feeling the sting of the road rash and the embarrassment of the fall. She squinted in the sun’s glare, it blinded her for a second and as her eyes focused there he was standing above her. She had imagined this moment so many times. She held her breath for the version where he remembered her.