The Depths of Darkness

by Laurie Bowler

  “Neither friend or enemy,” it said. “Bring your friend and meet me at the alleyway where Matace’s breathed his last breath.”

  I watched beneath my hood as the dark cloaked mysterious figure walked down the road in the direction of the alleyway; my heart thumped crazily inside my chest.

  “What happened?” Luke demanded when he reached my side and pulled me by the elbow away from the bar. “I can hear your heat thumping, and it’s very loud,”

  “There was someone out here just now,” I described. “A cloaked figure, they want to meet us at the alleyway where Matace died.”

  “Do you think that’s wise?”

  “What choice do we have?” I shrugged; realisation was setting inside me at the controversy of the moment.

  If we didn’t go we would undoubtedly miss vital information, and if we did, would it be a trap? The moment was still undecided as Luke continued to walk with me in the direction of the alleyway, his harsh grip on my arm the telling sign of the stress he was feeling at this moment.

  “I’m not stressed,” he muttered through clenched teeth. “I’m worried. This may well be a trap.”

  “I didn’t say you were stressed. And you shouldn’t be reading my mind either,” I answered. “It could be a trap, but if it isn’t then we would miss out on much needed information.”

  “I know.”

  The alleyway came into sight, the darkened tunnel where Tye had stamped on my head and where Matace had met his own doom seemed to creep out and beckon us both to walk inside the unknown territory.

  Luke’s hand held me back against the wall as he clambered his way down through the alleyway avoiding the many boxes and junk strewn around. My own hand clutched onto his wrist; the sweat began to trickle down my forehead especially when the scuffling of feet at the far end made us both stop dead in our tracks.

  “Who’s there?” Luke demanded. “Show yourself.”

  “It is I,” came the faked gruff voice. “Are you both here?”

  “We are,” Luke answered sternly. “Show yourself.”

  Amidst the broken strewn junk, a small cloaked figure appeared followed closely by three others wearing the same garb, all of them hitched together by a small rope that surrounded them and bound them together. As they approached, their feet shuffled along harmoniously at the same pace. I saw their smirks when they removed their hoods along with their fire lit eyes when they faced me.

  “We are a part of the Cronomiun race,” she wretched slightly when she sniffed me. “I see you’re completely human.”

  “Well yes,” I replied bravely still clutching Luke’s hand tightly. “What the hell is a Cronomiun?”

  For once in my years of studying the many races that lived on earth and other dimensions, this was the first time I’d heard of such a creature existing. The way they appeared told me to treat them with the greatest of caution, their fire lit eyes and their deathly paled faces that seemed to be scorched around the eye area, and their tautly pulled skin over cheekbones that were unnaturally high.

  “My dear young child,” she answered. “You contain part of our DNA. You were made to be a part of us for the day of reckoning is near.”

  “I don’t have your DNA,” I muttered. “Don’t be so absurd. What powers do you have?”

  She cackled softly, her mouth showing the redness of a once lit fire inside.

  “Steady,” Luke whispered when he saw her approach closely.

  Her eyes firmly fixed upon my face as her hand gently laid itself against my cheek, softly she stroked my skin causing me to shiver beneath her soft touch. My hand reached out and for some reason unbeknownst to me I laid it on top of her palm that she’d offered.

  The current of some strange energy flowed easily through us, causing the alleyway to shift and make way for a new world to be let loose, the greenness of the forest surrounding me was mesmerising as were the people who knelt down on the floor, their heads bowed as if in honour of someone.

  I turned to the strange lady, and I smiled, she smiled in return and gestured for me to move forwards. Luke stood beside me as if in a dream we both moved carefully around the people as they continued to honour me.

  All too soon the energy began to die, leaving behind the people that still stood around us, their smiles softly lighting the way back to the alleyway as it began to creep back into my view.

  The darkness once again surrounded us.

  “What was that?” I gasped.

  “That was our world, the world where you partly belong. The people have been waiting for your return for some time,” she answered. “We’re honoured to make your acquaintance.”

  “Err...Luke,” I began, “any ideas?”

  “You know what,” he replied softly. “I’ve heard stranger things have happened before so just go with it for now. What’s your name?”

  “We do not keep names,” she replied. “They are a symbol of self possession and we prefer to fight as one. One person, one army united to fight and fall...”

  “Don’t tell me,” I chocked between laughter, “as one.”

  “You mock me,” she accused, “another part of your DNA no doubt. I have come to warn you against the onslaught Lilly has prepared for you.”

  “What onslaught?”

  “You have tempted her anger, and in that she will attempt to destroy you to keep her secret safe. This is the falling of our race and yours combined unless you find a way to counteract the half breeds she is intent on bringing back to life.”

  “We already know about the Cerberus,” I interrupted. “We can destroy them.”

  She surveyed me momentarily, her eyes flamed brightly and partially lit the walls of the alleyway, while her comrades stood in line with their heads bowed. Another stepped towards me, his arms outstretched as he clasped hold of me and took me into another dimensional realm, but this time without Luke.

  “Where are we?” I asked, clasping what I thought was Luke’s hand but it turned out to be his hand.

  “Sh,” he murmured lightly. “Watch.”

  High above the strange undiscovered world, I glimpsed the darkness beneath my toes. The sudden roaring of something in the distance startled me, but he continued to head in the direction of the noise.

  “Tell me where we are please,” I begged.

  “We are on earth. This is what it shall become in a few months from today. I am the one with power to bridge time and the future and to see all things before they happen whether they are good or not. This will happen unless you stop Lilly before she discovers how to kill you, and discovers the spell that will release the vortex to create and bring back to life the most deadly of monsters the earth shall ever see.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked amazed that he could see all of this. “Your leader woman says I’m a part of your race, so what power do I have?”

  “You will have to learn that one for yourself,” he answered. “Look down there.”

  As I looked in the direction of his finger, the slowness of the realisation set inside of me. The shadows emerged almost as if on cue as they roared into life; the humans raced to flee the ferocious monsters, while Lilly stood in the centre.

  Her dress flowed freely around her, as she stood in a trance with the magic of her spells surrounding her and pulling her deeper into the core of the moment. Every monster did her bidding and grabbed humans throwing them towards her, using them as sacrificial items. Whatever the spell, it was as powerful as every spell I’d ever learnt combined and then some.

  There was nothing I could do if she went this far, and my heart beat faster than I imagined was possible.

  “I can’t stop her,” I gasped. “It's impossible. I’m not a strong witch.”

  “You’re stronger than you think,” he answered. “We have to go back she is calling for us. Can you feel it?”

  To my amazement I felt the compelling pull as if some rope had been attached to me and was dragging me back towards the darkness of the alleyway. Luke clutched my body tight
ly in his arms, holding me as I’d collapsed from the force of the power being used.

  “Patty,” he whispered stroking my hair, “can you hear me?”

  I muttered a noncommittal reply before my lids fluttered open and I stared at him and then back at the end of the alleyway to find we were now totally alone. The creatures had gone after delivering their message that had me quaking in my shoes for the impact of the force that I had to face and somehow destroy.

  “What happened?” I dared to ask licking my dry lips. “I remember going into the future with one of them but nothing else.”

  “You went into the future?” he queried gently. “Come on, let’s get back; I have a lot to tell you.”

  Luke scooped me up into his arms and carried me the remainder of the way back to his house. The wondrous site appeared, a safe haven from being knocked down. I was weak and felt like a wimp inside a man’s arms, something that had never happened before until I met Luke.

  As we arrived, Darcy was in conversation with another man, huddled together outside in the garden. Their appearance at the darkest of hours in the dead of night only meant one thing, trouble!

  Both of them turned to greet us as we approached. Luke handled me with delicate care when he put me back on the ground and kept his arm wrapped around my waist.

  “Darcy,” he greeted softly, “Benjamin.”

  “We need to talk,” Darcy responded using an entirely different tone than I’d heard her use before. “Without her.”

  “She stays,” he interrupted holding out his hand to prevent her from saying anything further. “What is it?”

  “Luke, there’s trouble with everything Patty has discovered. Your appearance tonight at the bar has wreaked havoc with the demons who are protecting Lilly.” Benjamin spoke for the first time; his voice sounded gruff and yet there was something softly compelling about him. “I see Patty is staying here with you. Is that wise to have a mortal inside the house with you Luke?”

  “That’s got nothing to do with you,” Luke snapped. “Now tell me, who is headed this way and why?”

  “The same demons she dressed up as tonight,” Darcy hissed. “You’ve caused so much trouble now and especially dressing her up as one of them. They’re really pissed with that.”

  “I see,” Luke responded thoughtfully. “So what have you two come here for exactly?”

  They both looked to each other for an answer, none was forthcoming, the silence strained between all of them while I remained firmly pinned to Luke’s side, weak but protected.

  Luke didn’t say another word; instead he turned and walked away heading back to the house. The back door was wide open; the chill in the air made me shiver as my own fatigue began to set in. I yawned continuously walking up the stairs.

  “Tired?” he inquired. “Get some rest and we’ll talk in the morning.”

  Gently, with much care, he laid me down on the bed and covered me with the blankets, shocking me by kissing me softly on the lips, his eyes caressing me before my lids fluttered closed.

  Sighing I curled into a deep sleep, the darkness wrapped around me like a glove covering the day’s events into some maddening horrific scene. It was a scene that was spinning vastly out of control, making it all seem nothing but a terrifying nightmare that I’d managed to conjure.

  My nightmare quickly shifted and in its place I found myself staring into the eyes of the one person I’d come to depend upon. Without knowing it or realising it, Luke made my pulse race and my mind collapse from anything, but him!

  He’d entered my world, spinning my life out of control with his jokes, easy smile, and twinkling eyes that always held the hint of mischief but resorting to ‘serious’ mode whenever he needed to.

  My dream began to relax as Luke held me in his arms under the clear blue skies; no one else around; it was only me and him. The birds tweeted to each other and far enough in the distance, the softest violin tune droned through. He encircled me into his arms deeper than before, and whispered into my ear words that I couldn't understand because they were unclear; the dream was my fantasy.

  Moaning with happiness, and snuggling into him, needing to feel his arms around me, only here inside my dreams could it all become a reality. In the real world it was dangerously absurd to carry on with deeper feelings than I’d bargained for with this vampire. His hypnotic gaze caught me off guard, the swooping and rustling of his clothes as he bent his head and kissed me. Hypnotised by the magical moment, and inhaling his scent deep inside my lungs, the memory being stashed away for me to think about any other time. Gradually, the crescendo of the violin signaled the ending to my hypnotic romantic dream, and Luke pulled away. His smile seemed sad by the parting and yet the softest expression entered his eyes.

  Waking with a start, checking my room for him and seeing it empty, I rubbed my eyes frantically to make sure I’d actually woken in the right place at the right time. It felt so surreal, and I wanted it badly, something that I couldn’t ever have, not in this life.

  “Luke!”I shouted jumping from the bed. “Luke!”

  Angrily I stomped to the windows and threw the curtains open with such vehemence they came away from the rail and dropped sloppily.

  “Yes,” he appeared inside the doorway, “what’s wrong?”

  “What the hell kind of game are you playing?” I fumed, seething with anger for him to enter my dreams and send me the most devastating dream that disturbed my heart and my soul.

  “Err...” he said scratching his head, “did you have a bad night’s sleep or what?”

  “Nothing I’m sure you didn’t aim to fix,” I replied sweetly. “Why did you enter my dreams again? How dare you; I thought we’d had this conversation once before and agreed,” I pointed out, “that you would stay the hell out of my head and keep to your side of the bargain.”

  He stood amused and stunned by my explosion; his eyes lit with mischief that made me throw the nearest pillow at him to which he expertly dived away from.

  “I think someone needs to control her temper,” he remarked. “And as for entering your dreams,” he replied silkily, “I think you’ll find you dreamt of me all by yourself. I can’t say I don’t blame you,” he continued. “I mean, who wouldn’t dream of someone as irresistible as me?”

  Shrieking with anger, I flew across the room with my hands outstretched. He caught me easily and scooped me up into his arms, looking down at me, the mischief replaced by seriousness.

  “Tell me Patty,” he whispered softly, “when are you going to realise this thing between us is not going to go away?”

  Startled by the softness of his voice, I sensed the anger that lay beneath. The situation seemed strange and more than a little confusing, and I was sure he could feel it too.

  He abruptly released me, steadying me and then winking before turning away and leaving the room. His hiss when he met Darcy in the corridor was loud and vehement.

  “I see your girlfriend needs to be kept under control,” she teased lightly. “Or do you need a cage for the witch?”

  “Leave it out Darcy,” he warned through gritted teeth. “Leave her alone. I thought you liked her,”

  “I did,” she admitted. “Probably still do but now she’s brought danger directly here to you Luke, and that’s something I cannot condone, no matter who they are.”

  “That’s my decision to make and besides,” he snapped, “she won’t be here for much longer. As soon as she finds the answers and the key to whatever it is Lilly wants, then it’s over.”

  “What, and you’re letting her walk away, just like that?” she asked snapping her fingers to emphasis the point.

  “No vampire can have a witch in their lives for a long period of time,” he answered. “It's an impossibility.”

  I heard his footsteps as he marched swiftly down the corridor. Knocked down and more than a little confused, I was glad this would be over very soon and I could regain my self respect instead of romantically dreaming of my involvement with a vampire. Fo
r heaven’s sake, he was dead so what was wrong with me? Had I fallen ill? Or was it the feeling of being wanted and needed by someone that was making me act crazy? Whatever it was and the answers to the questions I would never know, I felt more than determined to block the emotions and the feelings and make sure I remained intact and aloof from his magnetism and the effect he seemed to have over my heart.

  “Knock, knock,” Darcy called as she popped her head around the doorway, “alright to come in?”

  I nodded, warily eyeing her and remembering her cold words outside last night. She hadn’t seemed to be very accepting of my presence around her like she had when she’d made me the rather disgusting breakfast.

  “Can I ask you something?” she asked seeming to become whimsical in her approach.

  “Sure,” I sighed, brushing my hair frantically with my fingers. Of all the times to look a mess and it had to be here when faced with the most attractive vampire I’d ever met.

  “How much do you like him?”

  “Pardon,” I hesitated my hands frozen in the air, “what did you say?”

  “You know,” she laughed, her voice almost sounding like wind chimes outside. “Luke, how much do you like him?”

  I turned away from her briefly, collecting my thoughts and my willpower. I almost wished I could use some kind of magic for this moment to lie to her. My feelings for him went much deeper than I was going to verbally admit to her, not that it was any of her business anyway.

  “I like him as a friend, advisor and my protector,” I answered my voice clear and bright, “Nothing more and nothing less.”

  “You know,” she said, “for a minute there I could have sworn I heard your thoughts saying something different before you cleared your mind. Is there a reason I might have heard that?”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I shrugged. “Is there something in particular you wanted Darcy? I need to get dressed and speak to Luke about what happened last night.”

  She chuckled, a low soft sound that filled the room and planted icy fingers of fears down my spine, her smile firmly pressed in place on her face as she rounded on me. Her eyes screwed themselves into tiny slits although she appeared pleasant enough to onlookers.