by K J Carr
Come here, next room. He touched my leg to direct me and I slowly walked forward, my hands out. That little light wasn’t enough for me to see where I was going.
Entering the next room, the ceiling was a little lower, but still high enough for me to stand. There was a pile of blankets in the corner and a jug of water.
I have lived here. I brought supplies when I knew you were gone, wondering if he would bring you here to the daemon world. But I couldn’t feel you.
I sat down, leaning against the wall. T’Koran dragged the jug to me, leaving it and encouraging me to drink.
It had been open, and I didn’t want to think about daemon germs, but I was too thirsty to be that picky. I lifted it and took a sip of the cool liquid. It felt good going down my dry throat.
Putting it back down, I had to ask. How long have I been gone?
I think it is like seven of your earth days, Nica. T’Koran frowned.
Can I talk out loud? Will we be heard?
Not if you are quiet. T’Koran admitted.
“How are Marcus and Kaitie?” They were the first in my mind.
Kaitie is still sick. She is doing the poisons to kill the bad cells. T’Koran paused. Her Tennin guard is with her all the time now.
Great, she has been able to continue her chemo and Torry was with her. I wondered what had been so important that day that he had left her alone, allowing Marcus as Achilah to come into her home. I will have to investigate that myself, I think. He had better have a good answer or I would demand someone else should guard her.
“What does she remember about the fight with Achilah?” That had bothered me, since the high daemon had been hiding under my brother’s skin.
Nothing, Nica. Torry fixed that. She just thought she slept and you had left. T’Koran almost felt guilty. Probably because I had been gone so long this time and she wouldn’t have understood why. It wasn’t his fault, though. I gave him a small smile.
“Marcus?”
T’Koran cocked his head and looked up at me. He is sad. Not talking. Not working. Your Tennin says it is an after effect of the possession.
Now that worried me. “Who is taking care of the diner?”
T’Koran shrugged.
I thought hard. Both Millie and Teresa have been there long enough that they could probably run it for a short while. But Marcus was the cook that brought people to the diner. If he wasn’t cooking, they would stop coming.
I shook my head. Nothing I could do about that right now, though. I needed to get out of here first.
“What about Malak?”
He is a Tennin obsessed. There have been more Tennin around as well. Guardians. General. All have been searching for you. T’Koran went over to a corner and moved things around. He returned and placed a protein bar on my lap. Eat, Nica. Rest. I will let you know when we can move.
I picked up the bar and opened it, taking a bite. Not the best one on the market, but it would give me energy, which I was sorely in need of. I am surprised I wasn’t hungrier. I ate it slowly and then had another sip of water.
T’Koran had dragged a blanket over to me. It smelled musty, but it looked to be warm enough. I pulled it around me and leaned back to think.
All of this started with a question and a decision to be made. I knew I didn’t really have a choice, but I might as well tell Malak that I would do this. I cannot let Achilah continue to hurt people like this. Or any daemon that wanted to possess or control humans. I hoped there were more like T’Koran – that there were even high daemons that might be on my side, but I couldn’t let the evil ones win.
As far as the immortality goes, I would enjoy the time I have with my family. That is all anyone can do. And when it is time to “die,” I will go peacefully. And then I will watch over them until it is their time.
The rest after that would have to work itself out. If I thought in terms of hundreds or thousands of years, I would go insane. So, right now, I won’t. I couldn’t.
On that thought, I fell asleep.
∞∞∞
Waking, I was a little disoriented. It took a few more minutes for me to remember where I was. T’Koran wasn’t anywhere around. There was that moment of absolute fear when I realized he was gone. I was here, in a daemon tunnel, with no one knowing where I was.
Then I remembered our bond. T’Koran?
Coming, Nica.
I heard scratching noises and then T’Koran appeared, a smile on his face. I have food. He lifted a brown paper bag before pushing it towards me.
“What is it?” I opened the bag and peered inside.
Tennin sent a sandwich. And a notebook. I am not sure why he wants you to eat a notebook, though. T’Koran turned away.
I pulled out the sandwich, checking it. Ham and cheese. Good enough. “I don’t think he wants me to eat…” I heard little chuckles and snorts coming from the corner where T’Koran had gone.
“Was that a joke, TK? You made a joke?” I looked at him in amazement, the food forgotten.
His laughter only got louder, and he actually started to roll around on the floor.
“Silly Chlarm.” I huffed but also smiled because watching him laugh was funnier than his joke.
I ate the sandwich while looking for a pen. “TK?”
Oh. Here, Nica. He scampered over and pulled a small marker out of his shorts. I didn’t know he had pockets. And….I wouldn’t think any more about it, in case he didn’t. These were dire times. I took the marker and smiled.
“Thanks. Did you get to eat?”
He smirked at me and nodded. Tennin fed me two sandwiches and a coke!
I was amazed that Malak could have figured this out without being able to talk to the little guy. Speaking of which, I frowned.
“How did you communicate? You cannot write, he cannot talk to you…”
Tennin General has a small knowledge of daemon languages and a great knowledge of charades. We figured out a way to communicate simple concepts. He could ask if I was hungry or thirsty and ask where you were. I couldn’t explain where you are, though. Nor how to get you out. So, he sent notebook and pen. And food.
Well, lucky me. Of course, I could have killed for a coke, but there was water, I guess.
Coke too hard to carry, Nica. I sorry. I tried but it slowed me down. His mouth turned down and his shoulders dropped.
“No worries, TK. There’s water. And the sandwich is good. But I am not sure what I will need to write to them. Do you know what the plan is? Are we going to look for one of those teleport rooms?”
T’Koran’s face filled with anxiousness. No, we cannot. Too many daemons guard those rooms. They expect you to use that way again.
Damn. Wait, if they are guarding the rooms… “Are they patrolling the hallways too? Am I stuck here?”
T’Koran shrugged. Yes, Nica. His head was lowered, but he glanced up at me from underneath his eyelashes. Except you don’t need the rooms to teleport any more.
It was great to have someone tell you what your powers were and that they were growing, except they couldn’t tell you how to use them. How the hell was I supposed to teleport out of here?
“I tried to do that while in that room, TK! I went nowhere!” Frustration filled me. I just wanted to pound something – or better yet, someone. Damn that Achilah! I just cannot figure out why he had it out for me!
A different way, Nica. Get those who love you together. Have them send good thoughts to you. You find a beacon. You go to them then.
And that made so much sense – NOT. But it may be the only way for me to leave here. I was willing to try anything…and this had to be the last resort.
“Are you sure?” T’Koran nodded. “We just need to let them know what the plan is, right?” He nodded again.
And I started to write it out on the paper.
Chapter 21
T’Koran left soon after I had written the note. I was getting the feeling that he was leaving a lot out. Like how urgent it was getting for me to leave here. I su
spected that Achilah was using everything in his power to look for me, even if he was still weak himself.
How he knew I haven’t left yet…well, duh. Of course. He had spied on Malak, Kaitie, and Marcus. I seriously wanted to punch that guy.
To keep my mind occupied, I thought about my so-call powers. I could teleport, I guess. That was one of the first unless escaping the daemon cage was also a power of some sort. I could talk with Chlarm daemons via a mind bond, but that probably was just the bond itself. And I could somehow push daemons out of a person that they had possessed. I concentrated on that for a moment.
I wasn’t sure if that was a function of the fact I knew Marcus so well and loved him, or if it was a real power. In fact, even the teleporting was going to be using love as the way to work, according to TK.
I shrugged. I am not sure if any of these were true powers. To me, powers worked for basically everyone, not just those you had a connection with. And so far, mine only worked for those I had a connection with. I wasn’t sorry I had what I had – I couldn’t have been happier to have separated Marcus and Achilah if what T’Koran said was true. Even so, I was worried about his depression. I hoped it was just because they didn’t know where I was and that it would disappear when I reappeared. But I guess I couldn’t know until I got home.
I heard some scratching and frowned. I didn’t expect T’Koran to appear this soon. He had been gone only about thirty minutes. Of course, I wasn’t sure how long it took him to travel to where Malak and company were.
I looked out into the outer room and saw a pair of eyes widen. It looked to be a little Chlarm daemon but female this time, since it was wearing a little sleeveless dress. The little daemon squeaked and then scrambled back the way it came.
“Wait!” I cried out softly, but it was gone before I could even take a couple of steps.
Darn, Darn, Darn! I hoped she wouldn’t rat us out, but the chances were high that she would.
T’Koran! I think I have been found out! I pushed out, trying to reach him.
On my way back, Nica. We need to go now. Tennins are ready with a plan, though. T’Koran’s voice was faint, so he still had a way to go.
I paced, worry and tension in my stride. So far nothing, but…
I heard sound coming from the far side of the other room. Voices were talking. I knew it would be a tight fit for the higher daemons, but...
BOOM!
Someone was trying to tear down the walls.
Where are you, buddy? They are breaking in now! I projected.
Go to wall near blankets. Push on wall there. Crawl through to next room. His voice sounded closer, but not close enough.
I moved over to the wall and dropped down to my knees. Blankets. Here. Wall. I pushed. Nothing.
More scrabbling sounds came from behind me and then another bang.
Damn it, where is it? I pushed up and down frantically until I stopped, and then pushed at about TK’s shoulder height. The wall moved. Another tunnel. I crawled in, dragging the blankets with my feet, trying to cover the hole a little. I didn’t have enough room to turn around and close it, so I did what I could.
Crawling fast, I made it into the next room. I looked around and notice a small boulder and rolled it in front of the hole. It wouldn’t stop them, but perhaps it would slow them down.
What now, TK? I am in the next room. I looked around. This one was narrow but long.
Other side, Nica. Hurry! His voice sounded tense as well. I hoped he hadn’t run into any trouble himself.
Not wanting to run in the darker, unknown environment, I hurried as fast as I could to the other side, my hand on the wall.
Down here, Nica! T’Koran’s head popped out of the floor. He scrambled up and squatted near the hole. We need to go down. You first. I will cover this once you are down.
I trusted this guy but dropping into dark holes was not something I really felt comfortable doing. Then again, it was either do as he said or be caught by the higher daemons, which I could just hear pounding on the boulder on the other side of the room.
I went into the hole. And dropped.
It wasn’t a far drop, perhaps only seven feet, but it seemed far because it was unexpected. I fell to my knees and rolled. T’Koran dropped down next to me, his eyes wide.
We need to teleport now, Nica. He scampered up to my shoulders and held on. Stand up. Search for your family and friends with your mind. Do it, please, now.
Nothing like having to use a power you didn’t know how to use in the case of an emergency. While scared to death.
I closed eyes and opened my mind, searching. Nothing! But I could hear the noises above me. How could I concentrate?
Think of them, Nica. They are there. T’Koran whispered in my head.
I exhaled and then searched again. Further out. I thought about the times Malak and I had talked and how good a friend he was becoming. I thought about Kaitie and how worried I was for her and that she was my best friend and sister. And I thought about Marcus, my brother who has been my anchor for most of my life.
There. I reached out to them, wanting to be with them more than anything.
∞∞∞
When you die, they say that your life flashes through your mind. I couldn’t be dead then because that is not what I saw. I saw a time line, long and curvy, going out from left to right. There were some things I saw and recognized, and others I had no clue about. They were all, though, about…Justice.
A powerful looking female Angel appeared in front of me, a staff raised in one hand, a radiant sword and a dagger strapped to her waist. She was in gleaming silver armor, her face covered by a helmet. Her wings behind her were the colors of the Void — white as their base with random purple, pink, orange and yellow feathers creating a streak pattern on them.
At her side, she had her other hand on the head of a dragon. Its head reached her waist and its long and sinuous body was protected by golden scales. Its tail was barbed on the end and it curled around its feet — all which had long black claws. Fire spouted from its mouth.
I thought I recognized the woman. But then the vision was gone and I was back in the space in-between.
I wasn’t sure where I was and even more surprising, I couldn’t feel T’Koran. I hoped I hadn’t lost him. If he hadn’t come with me, then I hoped he was still there in the tunnels. He should be able to get away from the higher daemons.
Or so I hoped.
I looked around. I didn’t seem like I was moving anywhere. I mean, the word teleport sort of implies movement from point A to point B, but I seemed to be stuck here in flashing lights.
Wait, lights?
I studied my surrounding. This was very similar to what I saw outside of those glass rooms Achilah had imprisoned me in. There was nothing but bright lights – blues, reds, greens, and violet – flashing at random intervals all around me. Very similar to what I had been seeing when I had my vertigo attacks. I turned slowly, seeing nothing but the lights. Oh, shit!
As I came back around, I stumbled back. Or as best one could, given there was no floor below them. A gray cloud was in front of me. In the time I was trying to decide if I should run or stay and fight, it solidified into a female form. She was tall, with long pale blue, violet and pink hair that must have reached her butt. Her wings soared above her head, the same myriad of colors as her hair. They were not bird-like wings, though, these were more like an exotic butterfly’s wings, with fore wings and lower hind wings. I could barely see the faint outlines of scales, which caused her wings to sparkle.
“Seriously, you sparkle?” Okay, my lack of filter on my mouth decided to appear now. I shook my head. “Sorry about that,” I mumbled.
She laughed, her voice, twinkling. I felt like I was in a bad fairy tale, for god’s sake. Whose voice twinkled?
“I apologize for my…twinkling, Jennica Maykis.” How did all these supernatural beings know that I exist and I was just finding out that they were real things?
Something about her
was familiar. I thought I just might have met her before, but I couldn’t say when. I got a flash of memory of a cave and a discussion. And then it was gone.
She continued. “You are just a baby, Jennica. You are not supposed to know. It would interfere with your human phase.” She paused, thinking. “Well, I expect that enough has filtered through, or else you wouldn’t have your stories or myths. But that doesn’t matter so much since they are not thought to be real.”
I stepped forward one step, curious. “Are you saying that all stories are based on truth? That there are all sorts of crap, like werewolves and shifters and…” I trailed off, realizing that I knew for a fact there were daemons.
She quirked one eyebrow and nodded once. “Yes, you know some of this is the truth, so why not all of it?”
I felt slightly ill. These beings were walking amongst us and we didn’t even know. We thought we were the primary species on earth and we might just be prey for others.
She shrugged. “Humans are a bit…narrow-minded.” Preach, sister.
“I am El’noviria. You may call me El if that is easier for you. I am not a Tennin per se, but, well, something more. Yet another race that Humans have no or little knowledge of. My race is very, very long lived, like the Tennin, and we also can be killed. But our powers are stronger and rarely are we found. Humans are a version of us. Think of yourselves as our embryos. Since we are longer lived, though, we rarely see a Human transition into one of us.”
That was interesting. “What makes someone transition into you?”
She frowned. Even frowning, her face was beautiful. “That is hard to explain. It is hard for us to determine as well. We just know when one of us is about to transition.”
“Okay.” Well, that was interesting. I needed more immediate knowledge. “So, where are we?”
Her face cleared. “Oh, this is the Void.” She looked around. “It is basically the space between.”
“Between what?”
“Between this world and the next. That cell and this. Everything and nothing.”
And this was the person I needed to depend on to get me out of here. I rolled my eyes. “So how do I get back home?”
