Unveiled: The Chronicles of Luxor Everstone

by Jacklyn Daher

  “It’s mine.”

  “Like hell it is. Where’s Kitty?” Luxor produced a knife, reigning in her fury and looked over her shoulder. She would have to go back and get Kitty and lay her down somewhere safe and once everything was done, she’d take her home.

  “Keep looking up.”

  “Get ready for the shit storm,” Hunter remarked with a chuckle.

  Luxor’s arm trembled and peered up at the girl who was intent on acting innocent. She landed on her face where there were no distinguishing features. “Who are you?” she growled.

  The girl smirked and angled her head, arching a thick eyebrow over her wide, persimmon eyes.

  Luxor gasped and blinked repeatedly. “Holy mother of God, Kitty?”

  “It’s actually Pandora, but we don’t have time for this.” She clasped Luxor’s wrists and tugged forward.

  Chaos continued to ensue. They were outnumbered, and the lack of weapons meant nobody was equipped for the onslaught. For every four Habiti killed, double the amount would arise. Habitis emerged from the shadows and stalked forward and circled them like vultures, ready for their next meal. Their laser beamed eyes unwavering as their menacing growls was released in a symphony.

  “We’re going to die,” Luxor said. Back to back against each other into a prism all faced in opposite directions. There weren’t enough weapons to deal with them all. “Totally surrounded.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure,” Hunter said flippantly.

  It took every inch of will power not to throttle him but her energy would be a better conserved disposing of the demons. They remained idle from a distance, lavishly licking their lips and as if they were feeding on their fear.

  “Hunter, Pandora what are we going to do?” Luxor asked.

  “Three,” Hunter replied. He tilted his head up before rhythmically tapping his blade against his thigh.

  “Three?” Luxor said and copied his action, watching anxiously but saw nothing apart from black feathers swaying. “Don’t you care we’re about to be massacred?”

  “Two,” he said, his tone with a higher lilt.

  “I might have to convert,” Pandora said, her spine arching.

  “Don’t you dare,” Luxor threatened over her shoulder.

  “One,” Hunter said. “Cover your head.”

  Crows flew from all directions, their beady eyes keen and sharp beaks cawed, honing in, their proximity close. Luxor crouched down. She was armed and focused whilst Hunter remained by her back. Pandora reverted back to Kitty and pounced from Habiti to Habiti, her lithe and agile body causing much destruction.

  Habitis screeched and exploded as if on their own accord which made the crows fly away frantically to various locations.

  Theo and Castor appeared from the cloud of ashes, brandishing their weapons and headed straight over. Luxor stood up straight.

  “Took you long enough,” Hunter said to them and turned his head about. Most likely to make sure no other danger presented itself.

  “I was building suspense,” Castor said with a sly smile.

  “Where’s Melita?”

  “Our dear sister is at the entrance, she figured she’d stop them from coming in.”

  “Sounds smart,” Hunter remarked.

  “Is she okay?” Theo inclined his head “Did she fall in a mud lake?”

  Luxor managed to stand and touched her hair briefly forgetting her failed attempt at camouflage. Her eyes closed, sucking in a deep breath and held her hip as a terrible stabbing ache struck. “There’s more.”

  “Thank the Heavens for your gift. Your demonic energy indicator might has very well saved us from sneak attacks,” Hunter said.

  “Meanwhile I’ll sit here like a cripple while you kill them,” Luxor grunted, and doubled over. “Fuck, this hurts.”

  A weight pressed down on her chest, the escape from the never-ending danger having a firm conclusion. Their death. Shadows reappeared side by side, their heavy footsteps clanking like fists on a keyboard as they moved in closer. In the far distance she heard the thunderous chuckle of her father, not chilling, but worse. Mocking. He expected her to submit and fail.

  “I swear if I get out of this, a bow and arrow will be my best friend.” Luxor breathed through the pain and stood up straight.

  “Hallelujah, I look forward to that,” Hunter said sounding confident. “Theo, you go to the North, Castor South, Luxor and I East and that hair ball,” he pointed to the ground where Pandora bristled. “She can go wherever.”

  All three of them separated just as the Habitis forged ahead. An explosion of light beamed, enveloping the area in baby pink and green. Luxor blinked back, shielding her eyes with the back of her arm from the sheer luminosity, peering to the floor. Positive energy ignited the forest.

  From way up above a figure emerged, otherworldly, yet in human form at the same time. Ayla crouched down on her knees, gracefully landing daintily on her toes and bowed her head leaving her hair to drape over her face. She arched her shoulders back and spread her arms wide, unfurling her massive majestic baby pink feathers which swamped and encaved so her petite frame.

  “Ayla,” Luxor breathed out in awe, and shielded her eyes. Ayla’s light essence was pure and unadulterated goodness, and she wanted to bathe in it. “You’re, you’re an-”

  “Angel. I’ll explain everything but now isn’t the time. Come with me,” Ayla said, her voice calm.

  From the vantage point around them, pandemonium ensued with Luxor wedged in the thick of the fighting. Time whirled at an achingly slow pace with a blur of screams, clouds of black dust and bodies thrown in all directions. Except there was a shift in momentum in their favour.

  Principal Wright descended from the heavens and was a vision Luxor had never been exposed to. Behind his glasses and façade long and elongated jade wings streaked with silver. He joined the fight, battling a hooded Habiti dressed entirely in black, his red eyes prominent. His positive green light projected from his palms whilst he attempted to disarm the figure who held an arrow to his throat. “Take her to safety, she’s our main concern.” He ordered Ayla.

  Ayla glided over, her feathers fluttering gently. She came to his aid, clapped her hands once before pushing them out in a beautiful stream which matched her wings. Principal Wright rolled away quickly retrieving the arrow and with a swift precision. Twirling the arrow about he skewered the Habiti who then dropped to its knees and exploded in a burst of black flakes.

  Luxor shook her head. “No, we can’t leave them here. Not until I know Cane is gone.” she waved a hand outward.

  “They’ll be fine. They will have help.”

  The night wasn’t supposed to turn out this way. Luxor naively believed her father had every intention, of not torturing her mind, maybe he did but, in the end, Luxor reneged on the deal for a greater cause. She couldn’t exchange Hunter for her sanity, and this ultimately was the consequences.

  “I promise, they will be fine,” she said holding out her hand, her eyes conveying pure trust.

  Ayla’s faith persuaded Luxor. Inadvertently she didn’t want to admit she was more of a hindrance than help and she felt useless. She nodded her head and trusted they would all be okay.

  Just as she was about to leave a rope frisbeed from the side and dropped at her feet. Turning her head, she saw Theo give a curt nod before staving off a blow from a Habiti.

  Hunter jogged over to Luxor. “Listen to me carefully,” he said. He wound the rope around her arm until it created a loop. “Go around from tree to tree and make one large enclosure. Then knot and secure it.”

  “She’s leaving,” Ayla said dismissively.

  “What if I’m caught?” Luxor asked Hunter. Finally, she could be of assistance, to clean up some of the mess she created.

  “You’re leaving. Now,” Ayla insisted, her small hand firm around Luxor’s arm.

  “Slice and dice and carry on,” Hunter said.

  “That’s reassuring,” Luxor deadpanned.

  “You’ll
have back up,” he hissed as he placed the damp and gritty rope on her shoulder. “Try not to touch the rope too much. This is the most important part, once it’s done recite this passage, it’ll strengthen the bond.”

  Hunter recited a verse in Latin, and her mind automatically translated the words.

  Glory be, glory be, bind these creatures for safety of thee.

  “Can you do that?” Hunter said and Luxor nodded numbly. “Okay go.”

  “God help me with this girl,” Ayla murmured.

  Luxor dodged the Habitis which were being exterminated in all directions. From the corner of her eye she saw Habitis heading straight for her. Ayla beamed and eliminated one and he screeched and exploded. Behind her back, Melita swung her arms to the left, then to the right and repeated, jumping over bodies as she decimated Habitis with her spiked arm cuffs. Luxor had a clear path and reached the end of the rope just where she had found it. She quickly tied the rope like a bow tie.

  “Glory be, glory be, bind these creatures for safety of thee.” Luxor recanted in a rush.

  A Habiti lurched, the sharp and filthy nails edging close to Luxor’s face. It screeched and recoiled backwards.

  “Let’s go right now or so help me what I’ll do,” Ayla’s wings beat furiously matching her temperament, the material of her dress swishing.

  Luxor stalled and peered over to Hunter.

  “Get her out of here,” Hunter yelled out to Ayla before turning his attention to Luxor. “Angel, please. Trust me.”

  Luxor nodded. His message clear. He was asking Ayla to trust him to keep her safe. To protect her from the danger he should have told her about. Luxor’s feet finally found the ability to move, no longer heavy like concrete. She had taken a step when something caught her eye. Among the grime, Luxor noticed a pristine feather laying idly, reaching down she picked it up and stroked the long, elongated swan-like feather. She shivered and goose bumps formed on her arms from the enigmatic texture of the velvet. Peering closer at every detail of the wings and the etchings, it took her breath away as it always did.

  Baby pink feathers, no, this can’t be.

  The image spun in Luxor’s mind and the familiarity caused an ache in her chest.

  "My dream catcher, those are from your wings?" she asked rhetorically.

  “This isn’t time for revelations. We need to leave, now before they truly hurt you,” Ayla held out a pale hand.

  Not pale. Glowing.

  Luxor rejected her hand and averted her gaze. Except she had nowhere to look. Ayla had transformed into a beacon of baby pink light. “No, I’m not going anywhere. Here and now Ayla. Here. And. Now.”

  Ayla blew out a heavy breath, a dead serious expression on her face. “Why can’t be you compliant for once?”

  “Because contrary to belief I’m not a doll. Not to dress. Not to control. I’m a human fuckin’ being!” Luxor was growing agitated with all the demands.

  “Except you’re not.”

  “No, don’t you dare start on me,” she jabbed a finger into Ayla’s shoulder. “I’ve had the day from hell. Let’s see…I find out I’m not fully human. Hunter and his siblings are Nephilims, you and Principal Wright are Angels, and my Kitty is a…well I don’t know what she is. Or where.”

  “I understand this is a lot to take in,” Ayla said.

  “A lot to take in?” Her voice rose an octave. “Cramming for a physics exam the night before is a lot to take in, this is…” she made the mind-blowing gesture near her head.

  “You already had enough to deal with, especially with Hunter,” Ayla said. “Where can I start?”

  Luxor had never suspected Ayla was anything but a sweet, shy girl. The pieces clicked into place, and everything made sense. From their first meeting she was over-eager in befriending her and would then proceed to drop hints and comments before disappearing. Ayla had been there for Luxor’s entire life, chasing the night terrors away as well as guiding and steering Luxor away from danger. From Hunter. A true guardian angel. She'd assumed it had only started when she arrived in Brighton Falls, but even then, she'd known too much.

  “One question. Why? Aren’t you supposed to be all mighty and holier than thou or some crap like that?” Luxor asked.

  “I never lied.”

  “Oh, right. Because I’m supposed to say, ‘hey Ayla, how are you? Boy that assignment was hard. And by the way are you an angel?’” she stroked the feather in her hand. “I wouldn’t have been able to survive with you,” Luxor said tempering her anger.

  Ayla gave her a wan smile. “It’s been my job. I was assigned to you. I didn’t expect a friend out of it.”

  “And Evie, what is she?”

  “Nothing, a mere mortal.”

  Doesn’t mean she’s not important, Luxor thought but held her tongue.

  "And she doesn't know any of this? About you? About this whole friggin’ world?" She swung her arms out. The chaos had seemingly muted as if they were encased in a bubble.

  "No, and it's best for your sake it remains that way," Ayla said.

  Luxor huffed and turned her back walking from Ayla. She’d had enough with cryptic language and rules which seemed to be the norm for those she encountered. If the truth wouldn’t be given bluntly for once she would leave them to battle it out while she searched for answers however dangerous it may be. Despite her hesitation leaving Hunter there, he had hundreds of decades of experience versus Luxor, who only found out this world existed that night. She had to believe Hunter, along with his siblings, Ayla, Principal Wright, and Kitty would be enough to eradicate the Habitis. At least for the time being.

  Luxor turned on her heel and in one swift moment her breath had been stolen. A knife had been hurtled from way up in the tree and directly into her lower back. She let out a feralised cry, as if she had been struck by a thunderbolt which paralysed every nerve ending, and slumped in a heap, face first into the dirt. The searing pain dug into her flesh and her insides. A navy-blue patch of her blood began to seep and trickle out.

  The Habiti dropped down and whirled in. In the blink of an eye, he twisted the knife before retracting it. Blood spurted out like a fountain, the wound deep and exposed. A whirl of pink and Ayla had chased after the Habiti.

  Hunter skidded to his knees and gently turned her around. Ripping his top off one-handed, he applied pressure to Luxor’s spleen. He cradled her in his arms and held her close.

  “Hunter,” Luxor choked out, her vision glazing over. She chewed on her bottom lip to divert the pain. “I-I kind o-ff got stabbed,” she struggled to get the words out.

  “I didn’t notice, I presumed you were laying down on the job.” He swiped her hair from out of her eyes and placed a kiss on her forehead.

  Luxor choked out a laugh and winced, sending an explosion of fireworks down her spine. A warm, sticky trail from the gash seeped under the band of her pants. “Am I fired?”

  “I’ll think about it.” Hunter applied more pressure. “But first you’ve got to hold on for a bit. Can you do that Angel?” He craned his head about and held her close.

  Luxor gave a short nod. “Tell me a story. Something to get my mind of things.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “Anything.”

  “Hmmm. Do you know all Skittles flavours taste the same?”

  “Typical. Even now your brain is sugar wired.” She smiled meekly

  “At least I got you to smile…a little at least,” he said. Picking up a mud crusted strand of hair he twisted it around his finger. “I must say seeing you as a brunette, suits you.”

  “Makes me look like my sperm donor.”

  “No, it doesn’t.”

  Luxor could tell he was lying. She knew the only trait that she had gotten from her mother was her platinum hair, and now that she had temporarily covered it, she was a female equivalent of Cane. On the outside at least.

  Screams continued to echo throughout the forest, the sulphuric air swirling with thick, black clouds which wafted through the
trees. The chaos travelled towards, the screeching louder and louder with each passing second. A collection of anguish and pain as bodies clambered about.

  Theo jogged on over, his face covered in black ash. “Hunter, we need your help.” His voice held desperation and he waved a bloody and slashed arm Melita over. “She will protect her.”

  A knotted ball of dread joined the fear consuming her. There was no way any of them were going to escape this unscathed, and she would never forgive herself if anybody died due to her stupid actions. She felt as if her current condition would bring everybody’s downfall.

  “Hunter you need to go, just hide me somewhere.”

  “You’re delusional if you think I’m leaving you. The others are fully equipped.”

  “No, we’re not. You didn’t tell us how bad it would be.”

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this at all, Luxor thought.

  She peered up at Hunter. “But you’re the strongest. Back your team up,” Luxor splattered out, her breathes shallow and few and far between.

  A tightness seized her lungs and she gasped for air as she drifted in and out of consciousness. Her senses diminished, slowly inching to the point where they would lose their function. Sounds not long were crisp and audible but mere murmurs and her sight only able to see silhouettes. She slumped against Hunter, no longer able to keep her eyes open and vaguely experienced her inner light diminishing, not enlarging as it would do when a person was on the cusp of death.

  I’m dying.

  “You’re not dying, I’ll save you Angel,” a male voice called said, his voiced was laced with anguish. Her cheeks were slapped. “Wake up, this is not how our story ends.”

  Luxor struggled with all her might and willed her eyes to open. She squinted as a mess of dark hair came into her vision, staring at her his toffee filled eyes.

  She wondered if she would ever be able to see them again, to experience his lips on hers, or to smell the all too encompassing forest in which was purely Hunter. It wasn’t until then she truly realised how much she liked him, innuendos and all.