Then he looked at Adi’s face. She placed so much trust in him. He couldn’t let her down. But what could he do? He closed his eyes and tried to think. There had to be a way out. There was always a way out—he just had to think hard enough. That had been John’s mantra back when Honi was new to spirit-walking and found it hard to concentrate long enough to get to the other realm.
That was it! He was a spirit-walker. Maybe he hadn’t had the right motivation before, but now that he looked at his own death, his fear and desperation might just be the push he needed to use the mental powers he suspected he had.
Some movement from the corner of his eye made him look down again. While he had been thinking about a way out, the pyramid of snarling and growling creatures had grown even more. A ferret-like monster with glowing eyes, its teeth sharp enough to easily take his finger off, jumped, falling only a few inches short of reaching the branch Honi and Adi were resting on. A wave of atavistic fear swept through him, and he had to consciously steel himself not to give in to the panic that threatened to overpower his mind. He closed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could.
When John had taught him meditation as a child, he’d made him visualize roots growing from his feet and legs into the earth he sat on. It had always helped Honi to focus and ground him so he could find his way back from his visits to the spirit world. Now, ten years later, Honi used the same technique. He imagined a huge bubble around himself and Adi. In his mind he made it pearlescent, the walls thick and impenetrable.
With his eyes still closed, he noticed immediately how the noise level dropped. He couldn't resist the temptation to sneak a peek. The ferret was standing on its hind legs, wobbling on the unstable surface with its snarling mouth wide open as it tried to claw its way into the bubble. Honi pushed down on his elation. It was still too early to count this as a win. At best, it was a reprieve. Adi was still fighting the real battle, and all Honi had done was build her a safe space so she could win her own fight.
It was an eerie feeling, looking out at the mass of rabid creatures that were trying to get to him to tear him apart. He felt like that one time he’d gone to visit an aquarium where visitors could walk underneath one of the displays with sharks in them. He knew rationally that he was safe and that the fish couldn't get him, but it had still felt a little uncomfortable.
There were now animals above him in the tree as well. Somehow, some of the more nimble predators had managed to get beyond the bubble onto branches above their heads. Everywhere Honi looked, there was hatred and bloodlust directed at him. It was terrifying, and as Honi continued to sit frozen and stare, the wall of the bubble began to thin. He quickly closed his eyes and visualized the surface hardening again. It didn't take much of a mental effort, but Honi couldn’t afford to lose concentration or, God forbid, fall asleep.
There was an energy in the air, buzzing behind his eyes, and he had to suppress the urge to rub them constantly. The little hairs on his arms were standing up. The bubble felt like one of those balls that they used in school to demonstrate electricity. There was no lightning bouncing off the enclosure, but a metallic taste in his mouth told him that he’d better not touch the fragile wall of the bubble. He didn’t know what would happen, and he had no intention of finding out.
Again he had taken his eyes off the claustrophobic push of bodies. But when he looked outside, his eyes widened. There were things staring at him that could have come straight out of a Hieronymus Bosch painting. Large naked creatures, with a vague resemblance to dogs, with yellow tusks jutting from their lower jaws. Skin that was gray and pink, mottled with some kind of disease, sticking to the surface of the bubble and tearing off to leave large patches of rawness behind.
Honi gagged, and again his distraction caused the pearlescent skin of the bubble to thin, this time allowing a spirit animal to push through entirely. Honi scrambled back, reluctant to touch the disgusting thing that clawed its way towards them. He glanced nervously at Adi, who was entirely helpless. With renewed determination, he glared at the abomination, and when it came close enough, he kicked as hard as he could. His foot caught it hard under the jaw, snapping its head back and killing it. The body rested on the bubble’s surface, suspended over thin air. It looked surreal. Honi stared nervously at the mass of bodies still accumulating all around them.
There were now so many that dim light barely shone through onto their resting place. He focused as hard as he could to close up any further gaps and strengthen the membrane. He simply couldn’t afford to give the throng another opening. Once they were in, he couldn’t get them out, and he would have no choice but to kill whatever got close to him or Adi.
He took her hand, trying to project as much support and optimism as he could. Her fingers were so cold, her skin had taken on a blue tinge. He rubbed them again, then gathered her up into his lap. He wrapped his arms and legs around her and tried to give as much of his body heat as he could. As if she had waited for the signal, her entire frame started to twitch. He pulled her closer, but within seconds, the twitching had turned into convulsions. Honi could barely hold on.
He turned her so that she was on his lap bridal-style. Her eyelids were fluttering, and her eyes had rolled up in their sockets. He was terrified that she’d knock her head and clasped her as tightly as he could. Blood began to seep from her nose. He had nothing to stem the flow, and when he shifted her more upright, there were bloodstains on his sleeve where her ear had rested.
A sharp pain in his ankle made him jump. His concentration was shot. Between his worry for Adi and his fatigue, he was mentally drained. He didn’t have any strength left to fortify their safe area. More and more holes appeared all around him. Smaller furry creatures had already managed to get in, and even though he kicked out and threw off the little predator gnawing on his ankle, the damage was done. The smell of his and Adi’s blood attracted them, and as he watched, more and more creatures, bloodthirst in their glowing eyes, invaded their safe bubble.
This was it then. At least it would be fast. There were so many of the little devils, seconds away from swarming them. Honi and Adi would be torn apart in an instant. He closed his eyes and gathered the girl he loved to his chest one last time. If this was the end, he wanted to go out whispering into her ear how much he loved her. He managed a few whispered assurances, then they were upon them. A piercing pain forced a scream from him. His body jerked as excruciating torture tore through his body, his chest, his legs. His last thought before darkness descended on him was, I didn’t think it would hurt so much.
One minute he hugged her close, promising to be there when she came out of her trance and wishing her luck, the next he was gone. Between one breath and the next, she found herself alone in a landscape she hadn’t seen before. Her feet burned, and when she looked down, she cried out. She was standing in an inch of hard-frozen snow, its edges cutting into her bare feet. Within seconds, the pain receded into a dull ache, and then it stopped completely. Not good. She wrapped her arms around herself and discovered that she wore only a sleeveless shirt. Even worse.
As if on cue, the wind picked up, and her long hair whipped around her face. She needed to move and find shelter or she’d freeze to death. She looked up, squinting her eyes half-shut against the icy needles the wind drove at her. A black shape stood not far ahead, motionless. She couldn’t be sure through the snow flurry if it was a rock or a person, but either way, she had no choice. A rock would shelter her, and a person might help. So she began moving, one foot in front of the other.
She couldn’t feel her toes anymore, and her body shook so hard she could barely walk. She stumbled over something in the snow and fell down hard on one knee. Her pants were wet already and stiffening over her skin. She knew she had minutes at best. She had read somewhere that when people caught in deadly cold weather stopped shivering, their body had given up. In fact, close to death through exposure, many experienced a feeling of heat. It wasn’t unusual to find naked frozen bodies, as if the mind played a comfo
rting trick on the unfortunate victims shortly before they died.
Again she concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Her feet were burning, and the heat traveled up her legs. She stumbled again and this time fell to her hands and knees. Head down, she panted for air, fighting to get up again. Her body weighted a ton, and despite her best efforts, she couldn’t move. She had fallen in a small hollow, just a little dip in the ground. When she looked up, the dark shape ahead was gone.
Maybe she should rest for a moment. The wind didn’t catch her as harshly lower to the ground, and Adi cowered down as deeply as she could. With a relieved sigh, she rolled to her side and pulled her knees to her chest as high as possible. The position provided her with even more protection. She hadn’t felt this warm since she’d gotten here, wherever she was. She was so tired. A little nap might help, she thought sleepily and closed her eyes.
“You’re not much of a challenge, are you?” a silky voice whispered in her ear. Adi crunched her eyes tighter. There was no one there. She knew she was dying, even though she had tried her best to rationalize her surrender.
“Get up, little girl. You’ve caused me a lot of trouble with your stubbornness.” The voice wasn’t going away, and the menacing tone drilled into Adi’s brain. Couldn’t she even die in peace and quiet? With an annoyed groan, she opened her eyes and saw a face that wasn’t human.
The woman was white, all of her—her skin, her hair, her eyes. The closer Adi looked, the more she noticed nuances of white. Her skin had that alabaster sheen you sometimes saw on redheads. There was silver, light gray, blinding strands of hair that looked more like soft fur. Every time the creature moved her head, another layer of shades of white was revealed. Her eyes had pupils of textured milkiness, like giant snowflakes stacked on each other, surrounded by the bluish-white that is only found in very small children’s eyes. She was deadly beautiful, as if looking at her too long would burn holes into a mortal’s brain.
Adi noticed for the first time that the wind was gone. Her limbs didn’t feel frozen anymore. In fact, the temperature was downright balmy compared to earlier. She attempted to get up, but fell back again. It would take a moment to work out the stiffness in her legs.
“Here.” A pale hand was stretched out to offer help. She took it without thinking. The woman’s grip was tight, showing a strength far exceeding Adi’s. With minimal effort, she tugged, and Adi was pulled to her feet so quickly, she swayed a little with dizziness. Her hand was still trapped, and a strange current ran between them. It left her breathless and wondering worriedly who the hell the woman was. Why was she here? What did she want with her?
“You have no idea who I am, do you?” The woman grinned, pulling her bloodless lips wide to show sharp pointy teeth. Adi shook her head, as mesmerized by her gaze as a rabbit in front of a snake. Her hand felt oily, soiled by the stranger’s touch, and with a sudden flash of clarity, she remembered the sick sensation.
“You’re the thing that tried to pull me in earlier,” she choked out, panic threatening to overtake her mind.
“That’s not very nice, calling me a thing.” The woman smiled wider. Before Adi could take another breath, she was suddenly pressed against the woman’s body. Struggling made no difference. She might as well have pushed against a rock.
“Humans have known me through the ages as Eiskönigin, the Morrigan or Spiderwoman. You may call me Faerie Queen.” The thing, woman, creature, nearly purred as she bent down and pressed her cold lips against Adi’s open mouth, swallowing her scream. Nasty. Oily. Cold. Cold. Cold. Adi’s eyes rolled back in her head. She was given no choice but to surrender.
The queen’s tongue invaded her mouth, and with every lick, every swipe, Adi’s mind clouded a bit more. The all-too-familiar feeling of arousal crept through her body. There was no love here, no give-and-take, only the horrendous sensation of wrong, creepy lust that would lead to madness and death. Adi’s body shivered harder and harder, no longer under her control. A groan tore from her throat.
“You’re too easy. I thought you might give me a challenge at least, little girl.” Again the seductive purr, cut with a nasty undercurrent of hatred. “I will make you experience heights of excitement that will burn your body up from the inside.”
Another lightning strike of lust tore through Adi, and she stiffened and shuddered as a climax was wrenched from her. It hurt so much, and she sobbed her pain into the queen’s mouth, who still hadn’t let go. She had no idea how long she was hanging in the creature’s arms, clutched tightly against her cold body while shivering through peak after peak, each more painful than the next.
“When I’m done with you, you’ll be a shriveled husk even your beloved Honi won’t recognize.” The hateful rasp tore through her fogged mind. Honi. With the last thread of her unraveling mind Adi latched onto that name. It seemed familiar, offering comfort and a counterpoint against the pain lashing through her. She concentrated on what she remembered.
The harder she fought, the more he came into focus. Honi. Skin brown like the earth next to the Colorado River. Eyes black as cherries, warm and laughing. A wide, generous mouth with full lips that kissed her like she meant everything to him. Adi smiled against the cold mouth still raping hers. She hung limply in the queen’s grasp, no longer in pain. Honi’s shoulders, wide and strong, his chest, his heartbeat, his big powerful thighs intertwined with her legs.
Shrieking, the queen flung Adi from her, eyes like ice shards. “How did you do this?” Adi didn’t bother to answer. She scooted back and stood up, never taking her eyes off the creature in front of her.
“You can’t have me,” she said quietly. When the creature made no move to attack her again, Adi asked, “What have I done to you? Why are you trying to hurt me?”
The queen snarled. “You have brought death to my world. As long as humans have existed in your realm, there have been spirit-walkers. When they refuse their gift, the balance between the worlds shifts. The spirit animals take care of it and destroy the walker.” She took a step closer to Adi, who listened with wide eyes. “Your talent is stronger than most. You’ve avoided destruction in your realm. The duty has now fallen to me to address the imbalance. And I will relish your sweet cries until your last breath.”
Adi thought feverishly. “So if I promise to do whatever it takes, will you let us go? It’s not my fault that nobody taught me.” The queen threw her head back and laughed. Only it didn’t come from her throat but echoed from the landscape all around them.
“No, little one. You’ve caused me too much trouble. And when I’m done with you, I’ll enjoy your boyfriend. His time is up anyway. His body is dying in your world, and soon he’ll join me here to serve me whichever way I please.” There was very little room for interpretation with the way she licked her lips. Adi’s breath stopped for a moment. Despair hit her like a punch to the stomach. Was this it then? Even if they got out of here, was Honi lost to her? The queen’s triumphant expression seemed to say so.
Adi didn’t like bullies. When she was growing up in Germany, she had learned to fight back. Her temper had helped her gain a reputation of taking no crap from anybody. Cornered by much bigger kids at school, she’d exploded with rage, kicking and screaming until her attackers backed down in the face of her fury.
This was no different. Adi took hold of her medallion. Angry heat rising, she relished the tightness at the top of her throat. She briefly closed her eyes and focused hard. Right, if this was her last stand, she’d give it her all. That bitch had invaded her mind. The creature had forced her will on Adi. She had raped her mentally as surely as if she had done so physically. Enough. This whole drama was playing out in her head while her body was safely asleep in Honi’s arms. If this was happening in her head, then she had to have some control, surely.
Adi concentrated the anger in her belly and let go of her necklace. She held both her hands in front of her, visualizing the air condensing into a swirling ball. When it felt big enough, she snapped her eyes o
pen and threw the ball as hard as she could.
It hit the queen’s middle and caught her by surprise. She gasped, visibly winded, and stumbled back. The incredulity in her face quickly morphed into rage. Adi watched in awe as she seemed to grow from a normal-sized woman to a monster three times the size. She towered over Adi and opened her mouth, throwing back her head. Adi’s ears ached from the loud laughter erupting from the queen.
“Do you really think your parlor tricks can beat me, little one? You, who can’t stand up to your grandmother?” What the hell? How did she know that? Adi watched the creature warily, waiting for her next move.
“I’m inside your head, Adi. I know everything. I know that your parents hated you. That your father made plans for you to be locked away when you descended into madness. No-one will miss you, little one.”
Adi paled. The monster had laid bare her worst fears. That she was a freak, that she was abandoned, all alone, locked away until the end of her days. Which wasn’t going to be long, by the look of it.
“That’s right. You’re no good to anybody. You were born with a gift and you squandered it. Your life is worthless. Why don’t you give up now, and I will give you the best death possible.” Her voice had now dropped from ear-shattering volumes to a seductive, syrupy murmur that sent goose bumps up and down Adi’s spine.
“I will give you more pleasure than any human has every experienced, and when you can’t take anymore, I will absorb you into me. You will live forever inside of me. I’m the Snow Queen, Spider Woman, the ruler of all of Faerie. Let me taste you, little one.”
Before Adi could move further away, the creature had bent over and placed her mouth back over Adi’s. Adi struggled against the touch that sucked her energy. She had no choice but to relent, her body going boneless. The queen wrapped her giant arms around her, and Adi felt pleasure crawl through her, from her mouth, where they were connected, to her stomach to her groin. Her head swirled with bright colors, and her eyes were blinded with shades of white. There was nothing but the queen. Her body was weightless, her limbs soaked in sweet treacle. She sank deeper and deeper into the inhuman delight the creature’s touch induced.
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