Ethereal: The Light in the Shadow

by Zoe Knights

  Eddie was beginning to feel seriously sick as she stumbled on to keep up with Sam’s body. The lecherous jeers and shrieks echoed vaguely down the damp corridor, and her stomach churned. “What of Neeshka?” she whispered in despair.

  “Oh, nothing will beat such a creature as her… she is as rare as they come…” Sam smiled chillingly. “Now, hurry along… I do not wish to be interrupted by this one’s father before my freedom is sought…”

  He ducked off around another bend and Eddie was forced to run to keep up. “Who are you?!” she demanded lowly. “You haven’t said your name!”

  “It is unimportant, my pretty. We all want the same thing here… the faster we’re out… the faster you get your little angel back.”

  Eddie grit her teeth, but held her resolve and they moved on, delving further, nearing the cries and clashes of the fighting ongoing in the arena just past these walls.

  Sam’s possessor took them to the dungeons, and Eddie’s heart froze as they finally slowed down. Battered and beaten creatures lay in the dingy, grey cells full of wet slime and a rotten stench. Some ran at the thick, black bars, baring teeth and gurgling vicious growls.

  Distantly, she could hear wails and screams like that of outside, and she could only imagine what was going on to those poor souls being forged to tentoria…

  A few demons passed them, eyes gleaming red or yellow, but all Sam needed to do was flare his wings, and they hurried on, their eyes sliding past Eddie who felt safe shrouded by her shadowy hood.

  Finally, Sam led them to a cell away from the others where runes were carved into the bars and the stone, glowing dully with red fire. Far in the back corner, Eddie saw her.

  Her beautiful ruby eyes were dull, and her dark coat lacked its glimmering sheen.

  The moment she saw Sam, she rose, launching in two great strides to the bars. But, her jowls bared the moment she smelt him, and she hissed and growled with fury.

  Eddie hurried closer, despite the terrifying noises she made and despite the nervous fear that sat heavy in her belly. “Neeshka,” she begged softly. “I don’t know who is in him,” she urged to the beast. “But… but it won’t leave him till we’re out of Hell!”

  Neeshka did not change her stance, her fur spiked down her spine, saliva spitting from her jowls.

  “Please Neeshka…” Eddie begged brokenly, a few tears falling past her lids as desperation beat from her heart. “We need you… we can’t do this without you…”

  “The fear for her master runs deep…” Sam’s voice murmured softly. “But he is not here, beast,” he continued, eyeing the hellhound with a hard stare. “This is your one opportunity to be rid of him. Do you not want such a thing?”

  This merely angered Neeshka further, and she lunged at the bars, a terrifying growl ripping from her throat. But the runes glowed brighter, and she was forced back, thrust against the slime-covered stone wall at the back of her cell.

  Eddie grabbed the bars. “Neeshka please!” she cried. “For Sam, he needs you! And I know you care about him. He loves you Neeshka. Please…please think of him… he’d do this for you… you know that he would…”

  Neeshka blinked, slinking slowly closer, her ruby eyes glimmering. The fur down her spine gradually softened as did the savage rumbling coursing from the back of her throat.

  “Lovely…” Sam quipped, pulling his blade from the sheath at his hips. Abruptly he sliced his own arm with no qualm, a long gash spilling with blood. Plumes of red coated his skin, running trails down his fingers and dripping from the tips. He held it out to the bars, pressing the blood to the runes.

  They hissed, burned and sizzled. Their colour flaring, then fading to black. Suddenly, shadow rippled around Neeshka… and in moments her huge form was upon them.

  She towered over Sam, her fur once more spiked, nefarious sounds ripping past her jowls.

  “Uh-uh-uh,” Sam sang, holding his ground. “You cannot harm me, only your precious pet will suffer the injury. You’ve no choice, but to aid me, beast.”

  Neeshka growled once more, vicious and frightening. But, she had no choice and turned her back on Sam’s possessor, facing Eddie instead.

  Her ruby eyes glued Eddie in place for a long moment, but slowly Eddie’s confidence grew, and she took a shaky step forward. “Thank you…” she whispered brokenly. She squeezed her eyes shut, wishing this could all just go away. “Thank you…” she whispered again, laying a hand on Neeshka’s fur. Her soft coat was matted and coarse. Dirt, blood and fluids sticking tufts together.

  Sam launched himself onto her back without warning and Eddie could nearly feel the anger emanating from Neeshka’s glare. “We’ll make this right…” Eddie murmured to the hellhound before following suit and clambering onto her back behind Sam’s figure.

  His wings rustled before her, his apex of feathers still darkened by the thing inhabiting him. Eddie held her necklace tightly, closing her eyes while her other hand gripped Neeshka’s fur.

  Neeshka did not hesitate a moment longer, lurching into action and shadow consumed them. Eddie closed her eyes, the grey making her vision swim too much. Neeshka’s strides weren’t as smooth as she was used to, a limp to her wake.

  Sounds echoed on the winds edge, wails, cries, screeches…

  Eddie shut them out. Desperate for this to be over. Desperate to see Sam’s eyes warm and brown once more.

  Finally, Neeshka slowed, throwing Eddie’s stomach as she came to a halt before the glimmering archway through which they had arrived.

  Sam’s possessor ruffled Sam’s wings, before folding the great, powerful appendages into his back and Eddie watched in shock as his skin tore open, his muscles contorting as the wings morphed away, leaving two long and jagged diamond-shaped scars in their wake.

  Eddie barely had the chance to comprehend this for the next moment, Neeshka walked forward, one large paw after another through the beckoning light…

  Once more Eddie felt the world disappear from beneath her. Her breath halted in her lungs. While everything around her numbed for just a moment.

  And then, it all came rushing back. She tumbled from Neeshka’s back, grass staining her knees. They were on the ground in the middle of a field surrounded by trees. The colours were so vibrant they astonished her. Where they were she didn’t know. But it was earth.

  The smell was heavenly, dew, rain, pollen… Relief swarmed Eddie like wildfire, but she could not relish in it yet.

  She scrambled to her feet, looking around desperately for Sam.

  He was unconscious upon the frosty ground. Neeshka was already standing over him protectively, her large snout nuzzling at his neck.

  Eddie stumbled over to him, her heart pounding. She leant beside Neeshka’s great, black paw. “Sam?” she whispered earnestly, touching her fingers to his cheek. He didn’t respond, and she looked to his hand to see the orange mark was now just a scarred burn on his palm, blistered and red.

  “What have you done?!”

  Eddie’s blood froze. Neeshka shrank to half her size.

  Lucifer’s tall form loomed over them.

  “Do you think I would not know when something leaves my domain, uninvited?!” his voice was sharp but not as chilling as Eddie had once found it. Rather, he sounded, for the first time, emotional.

  Then, the fallen angel was before them, leaning down and pushing Eddie out of the way as he inspected his son.

  “He was safe in my fortress…” Lucifer hissed lowly and furiously before his blazing red eyes turned on Eddie.

  She could not look away, terror petrifying her to the spot. He released her from his gaze, his eyes turning to something behind her instead.

  “Azrael,” he said lowly. “What is wrong with him?”

  Eddie heard the soft rustle of robes before a tall, bald woman with dark skin swept around her.

  Their eyes met, and Eddie stared, her heart thundering.

  It was Rae.

  Azrael looked away, kneeling gracefully beside Sam and picking
up his marked hand.

  She stared at it for a long moment before slowly lifting her eyes to meet Lucifer’s. “Is this not… Somni?” she murmured.

  Lucifer quickly grasped Sam’s hand, inspecting the mark for himself. “How is this possible?” he spat lowly. “Somni has been tethered to the sixth legion of Hell for millennia,” he growled. “There is no way that he could have marked-”

  “It was Devna,” Eddie didn’t mean to speak, the words fell from her mouth before she could stop them. Both divine beings turned to stare at her. She swallowed before continuing, her eyes darting between Azrael and Sam. “She… had a mark. It meant he could… get in her dreams. Or something, I – I don’t know. That’s… that’s just what he said.”

  “You spoke to Somni?” Azrael frowned seriously.

  “He was in Sam,” Eddie mumbled fearfully, feeling hot tears prickling behind her eyes from the turmoil of these events. “He escaped… the moment we got to earth.”

  Azrael quickly looked back to Sam, pressing her fingers to his temples and closing her eyes.

  Several moments of thick silence passed.

  She released him, looking up. “He will be fine. Somni is no longer inside him,” she said quietly. “But I would prefer to investigate his mark further. At home-”

  “He is not going to that house!” Lucifer snarled viciously. “You should not be in that house. If I did not need your aid, I would-”

  “Don’t waste your breath on your threats, Brother,” Azrael sighed dismissively. “I am not our siblings. You cannot frighten me no matter how many blood red glares you attempt to throw my way.”

  Lucifer’s jaw clenched. “Just rid this human of her memories so we can be done here.”

  “If you will agree to allow me to inspect this mark further. This could be detrimental, Lucifer. Somni was our brother once – and as far as I knew, his corporeal form was destroyed. So where is he?”

  “He is the least of my concerns right now. I want my son-”

  “Father will not be happy that you have allowed Somni to be loose among his humans,” Azrael cut in sternly.

  “I do not care what makes him happy,” Lucifer snarled wildly. “If anyone is to blame for Somni’s little vacation it is the girl,” he gestured to Eddie without care, while she merely sat there, fear pounding in her heart. “Or his own weakling of an angel that he sent down here marked to make an attempt on my son!”

  “Hm…” Azrael hummed shortly. “It certainly was a risk, the little trick with Devna…” she murmured. “I cannot imagine she is receiving the glory she hoped for.”

  Azrael stood in one gracious movement and was before Eddie in a heartbeat.

  “Please,” Eddie whispered instantly. “Please, I don’t want to forget. Please!” she urged. “Sam deserves a chance, he deserves-”

  “Hush, child,” Azrael pressed her fingers to Eddie’s temple, and panic threatened to overwhelm her. Tears cascaded down her cheeks, her chest heaving with panicked sobs.

  “No! No please!” she begged, but her vision was going white. “I don’t want- I don’t-”

  Her voice trailed off. She could see nothing but white. Hear no sound. Smell no scent.

  Fear not, Eden, garden of delight…

  Azrael’s voice echoed through her head.

  You must trust me… I will not taint your memories…

  Vaguely, Eddie felt her heart thump out of tune.

  Samael will be safe. You must not let anyone be aware that I have done this. You will wake at your school…Trust no one. Say nothing. Samael will find you.

  The light began to fade, dimming at the edges, darkness slowly washing over her mind’s eye and then…

  Everything went black.

  Delusional Dreaming

  27

  Eddie woke with a start, sitting up in a bed with stiff, white sheets. She gulped in the air, her heart thundering wildly.

  There were three other beds around her, empty. A sad looking fern in a pot. French glass windows with dusky light drifting through.

  She was in the sickbay at Oakland Abby.

  She looked down at herself; she was wearing a brand new school blouse, and a new jumper sat on the otherwise empty chair beside her, her school shoes beneath it.

  “Miss Osmond, you’re awake!” the nurse hurried over to her, he had wild and curly brown hair and a friendly face. “Lay back, Dear,” he said kindly. “I’m Mr Bellard. Can you remember what happened?”

  Eddie stared at him, gripping the sheets beside her as her heart continued to pound.

  Tell no one…

  The memory of Azrael’s voice in her mind played again, and Eddie shook her head quickly.

  “Well you were on the roof, for your science assignment, do you remember that much?” Mr Bellard told her gently.

  Eddie nodded slowly. How much time must have passed since then?

  “You had a bit of a dizzy spell and took a fall,” Mr Bellard explained. “But, it’s alright – you were brought to sickbay and had a bit of a sleep for an hour or so.”

  “Who-” Eddie began, but her throat was raw and croaky. She cleared her throat and tried again. “Who brought me here?” she managed weakly.

  “Why, Mr McLaren and Miss Nyguen. They were quite concerned for you,” Mr Bellard smiled.

  Eddie’s stomach jolted uncomfortably, anger trickling down her spine. “Where is Devna?” she asked before she could help herself. “And Samael?”

  The nurse looked surprised. “Unfortunately they’ve been pulled out of the school for a family emergency. That is hardly relevant right now, however. How are you feeling?”

  “I feel fine,” Eddie said immediately, scrambling from the mattress.

  “Now, take it easy!” Mr Bellard said quickly.

  “I want to go back to my room,” Eddie said instantly, grasping her shoes and shoving them on.

  “Your friends have been waiting for you outside – they can walk you back to your room,” Mr Bellard told her, heading to the door.

  The moment he opened it Quinn and Millie’s heads poked through and they darted over to her.

  “You’re okay!” gushed Millie. “We heard you fainted, poor thing. Was it the cold?”

  “You look pale as a sheet!” Quinn observed. “How’d it happen? Do you remember?”

  Eddie felt overwhelmed. So much so she nearly swayed on the spot. She steadied herself quickly, worried this would make the nurse keep her here longer.

  “Nah, not really,” she muttered quickly. “Guess I really can’t handle the cold. “Where’d Linh and Simon go? Apparently, they brought me here.”

  “Oh, it’s all been happening this afternoon!” Millie explained as they herded her from sickbay and began heading to the dorms. “They’ve been acting super weird. Showed up half way through our debate meeting thinking their bible study was on. Even though Simon was the one to move it. He’d totally forgotten!”

  “And did you hear?” Quinn pitched in. “Devna’s been pulled out of school. And…” the two exchanged a glance. “And Sam,” she said almost apologetically.

  Eddie’s stomach flipped again. “I heard,” she mumbled. “Do you know anything about it?”

  “Just that it’s some family emergency,” Millie said sadly. “I hope everything is okay for them both. Devna left our debate meeting in such a rush.”

  “D’you reckon it’s the same family member? Like… are they related or something?” Quinn asked curiously.

  “Pretty random coincidence, I suppose,” shrugged Millie. “But, Sam’s like… Arabic or something, so I don’t reckon so. How are you feeling anyway, Eddie?” she asked when they all came to a stop at Eddie and Quinn’s room.

  Eddie shook her head. “Erm… I’m okay. I think I’d like to just rest for a bit in the room. What time is it?”

  “Six thirty– we were going to go down for tea,” Quinn replied. “You sure you didn’t want to get some food in you?”

  Eddie knew she was probably hungry, but her stoma
ch could not stop churning, so she shook her head. “No, you guys go. Maybe I’ll see you down there later.”

  The girls nodded and left Eddie to it.

  The moment she was alone, she nearly collapsed. Everything swarmed over her. Her legs shook, tears threatened to spill from her lids, and she hurried into her room, falling to the floor by her bed and hugging her knees to her chest.

  She had no way to contact Sam. No way to know if he was okay. Images of Hell scorched her mind, the knowledge of Somni and Devna still being out there terrified her beyond belief. But, all she wanted most was to see Sam. To see his eyes warm and brown again, eliminating the memory of the cold, black depths that Somni had forced within them. She didn’t understand what had happened at all.

  She still had her memories; Rae, who was really Azrael, had not taken them as promised. But, what did that mean? How could so little time have passed? What was Lucifer doing now? Where was Sam? And Neeshka? Were they safe?

  Would she ever see them again?

  She had so many questions, they collided inside her mind, a headache growing from their turmoil. All of these marks and rules of the divine and the infernal. All of these things that shouldn’t exist and yet now Eddie knew they did. And what of God? What was he doing in all of this? Did he see? Did he know? Would he one day let her soul fall back to that horrible, terrifying place?

  She didn’t go down to dinner. She forced herself to shower, but nothing could wash the taint of Hell from her skin.

  She went to bed, though not to sleep. She curled into a ball and stared at the wall feeling utterly useless. Sam filled her consciousness, fear and concern twisting her belly.