Anointed

by Sara B Gauldin

  Terra moved as fast as her human body would allow, but Elise was faster. Elise propelled herself toward the entity in the shadows, knocking the Scourge onto its back. As it fell Terra noticed the long brown hair.

  Terra reached the Scourge a moment behind Elise. They could not afford to waste time and allow this entity to alert any others. Terra kneeled over the Scourge to view its memories before Elise eliminated it. The creature writhed against Elise’s grasp, turning on its side in an attempt to free itself.

  Terra grabbed the entity’s shoulder to force it to face her.

  “Stay still, we would like to speak with you,” Terra said.

  The entity groaned and jerked away, twisting and writhing against both guides.

  “I don’t think this one will co-operate Terra. We need to go ahead…” Elise said.

  Terra nodded in agreement.

  Terra formed a mental connection with the Scourge entity. The extent of the torture this creature endured was horrendous.

  Why? You fought back so hard. But here you are, a part of the scourge despite yourself.

  Terra continued to probe the creature’s memories for the last remnant of its humanity. As she searched, it became apparent that the creature’s memories were not as transparent as other of its kind. The recent experience of torture and evil were evident, but other parts of the things’ life were blocked or so distorted that Terra could not find a clear path to what she sought. Terra broke her connection and then turned to Elise, leaving the creature face down and inanimate in her grasp.

  “There is something wrong, its thoughts and memories don’t flow the way they should. I can’t find its purpose. See if you can figure it out.”

  As Terra spoke she felt the woman’s strength increase. Orthos’ voice echoed in Terra's thoughts louder than ever before through her mental link to the woman.

  “Give up Terra of the Tweens. You cannot undo the damage that you have caused. You are at fault here and I will allow your actions to destroy you. There is no need for me to dirty my hands with you or your unfinished business!” he laughed maniacally.

  “What was that?” Elise asked as she attempted to restrain the Scourge so Terra could focus on the damage within the beast.

  “That was Orthos,” said Terra. She shouted, “Orthos! You come out and face me yourself, you coward!”

  The unhinged sound of laughter redoubled through space, echoing off the sparse industrial walls.“I’m terribly busy right now, wait until you see what I’ve created!”

  As the sound of Ortho’s laughter reverberated through Terra, the scourge grabbed Terra’s neck. Its fingers crushed around her windpipe like a vise.

  “It was you! It is all your fault. You ruined him, and you ruined my forever!” she shrieked. As she pulled Terra toward her, the woman’s dark hair fell away from her face revealing Carol’s familiar features, now accented by pitch-black eyes.

  “Carol?” Elise gasped as she tried to pry Carol’s hands away from her grip on Terra’s throat.

  The lack of oxygen to Terra’s brain made the situation distorted. How? How can Carol be one of them?

  Brendan joined in, trying to pull Carol’s hands from Terra’s throat.

  The world around Terra was full of motion and sound, but that experience grew further and further away in Terra’s mind. Isolated, she focused her remaining energy on probing Carol's jumbled thoughts and trying to make sense of the anger and betrayal. Terra began to see lights flickering before her eyes. Her sense of reality jumbled with flicker memories of pain and desperation.

  I never meant to hurt you. I never wanted to harm anyone. I love Liam… I still do… even if… Terra’s thoughts became jumbled as the lack of oxygen forced her scattered thoughts to lose themselves in Carol’s soured memories, jumbled together in the darkness that was overtaking them all.

  “Carol, Mom, Stop! Let her go!” Liam’s voice echoed through Terra’s mind. But was it him, or Carol’s memories taunting her as she lost her chance at humanity?

  Terra’s Knees buckled under her.

  “She’s killing her!” Brendan yelled to Elise.

  “No!” Liam called from the darkened room beyond the doorway. Something in the dark room held Liam back from reaching the struggle.

  “I can’t get her to let go. Why is she so powerful?” Elise shouted.

  “Her thoughts are so scrambled. I can’t find a way to neutralize her,” Brendan held on tight.

  “Let go!” Liliana's voice demanded from the corridor. She advanced toward her charge with silent speed, closing the distance in a fraction of a second.

  “Terra will die if we don’t get the scourge to let her loose,” Brendan objected.

  “Let me put back what I took from her!” Liliana grabbed Carol by both wrists, reaching across Terra’s limp body.

  With sorrow and resignation, Elise and Brendan stepped back from their fallen mentor.

  “Not enough, I have to break the connection with Terra’s thoughts!” Liliana said. She let go of Carol and backed up to the far wall, before advancing on her charge with lightning-fast speed. She collided with her charge with an electric pop. Carol was flung to the ground and Liliana's spiritual energy merged with that of her broken charge. Try something like

  The face of the woman on the floor ebbed between the two individuals struggling in her body.

  Brendan immediately turned his attention to Terra as she lay crumpled on the floor.

  “Please, tell me she’s alright. Is she…?” Liam shouted, still trapped in the dark room beyond.

  “She’s breathing,” Brendan said. “But her color is wrong. I’m not sure how bad it is yet.” He looked over at the contorted mingled forms of Carol and Liliana as they struggled.

  “I’ll deal with them; you're still in mortal form. Get Terra away from them just in case, and then deal with Liam,” Elise ordered.

  ~~~~~~~~

  At first, Terra fought against the darkness that surrounded her. It was holding her back from Liam, and anything that kept her from him was unacceptable. But the darkness was the only peace she had known for too long. After the initial surge of panic and anger, peace and a feeling of resolution came over Terra. The weight of her human body no longer made her feel heavy and awkward. The cloying sensation of matter against her immortal form no longer made her feel trapped and vulnerable.

  As the panic of facing death gave way to calm, the darkness that had held her captive also began to give way to a white light that encapsulated her. The peace emanating from the light was inviting, and familiar.

  “Terra,” a voice spoke from the light itself. The sound came from no direction, rather it emanated around her from all sides at once.

  Who’s there? Terra asked. She was surprised by her own voice speaking aloud her thought.

  “You already know the answer. Remember when you first felt the light.”

  Terra closed her eyes and suddenly she could recall her own creation vividly.

  As she relived the memory, she could see the light surrounded her before she knew anything. The light-contracted and condensed, and suddenly the shape of her immortal form was there, floating in the light. She examined her face, her closed eyes, her hair, dangling in its blond whips beneath her. She was wrapped in a white cloth made of the light itself, just as she now realized she herself was. The voice spoke in Terra’s memory. “I foresee that humanity will face new dangers. The guides are complacent they do not fully understand the challenges the mortal bound souls must undergo. The time will come when they must be awakened to their misunderstanding if humanity is to continue. The ancient race of guides will not change easily. They have been as they are since the Earth began. But this one will be the ambassador. She will be called Terra, because she is of the Earth, and that is how she will be able to change everything.

  The memory faded, leaving Terra surrounded by the light as she had been before, but now she stood rejuvenated. She was cloaked in the same white cloth in which she had witnessed in her mem
ory.

  “I was given a purpose like a mortal soul?” Terra asked.

  “Yes, it was always yours. You were created to change the way the guides saw humanity. They had to change before humanity was destroyed.

  “But if you knew that there was a threat, why didn’t you act to stop it?”

  “Your creation was all that was needed. Or so I thought. But you were content to act as any other guide, and you became complacent just like the guides who trained you.”

  “How was I supposed to know? I had no guide to tell me of my purpose or to prepare me for what I would face.”

  “This is true, but your purpose has always been to come to Earth and see what the others could not through human eyes. You would have never come on your own. I realized that with time. The scourge spread and multiplied. My beautiful creations were being consumed like they were expendable. Their purposes were left incomplete. This erosion of humanity could not continue that way. It was time for you to act. But you were comfortable in your existence of sameness. So Liam was created. You would follow him even at the cost of your own existence. His purpose was always tied to your purpose, Terra. That was hidden from you. His sacrifice is only to provoke you to act.”

  “How, why would you do that?” Terra asked

  “Certainly, the love of a soul mate is not such a terrible experience that you would never want to experience it?”

  “I, no, I mean Liam IS a gift to me. I would not wish otherwise.”

  “It is a gift and a reward. But you must complete your purpose. As long as Orthos remains on Earth, humanity is in grave danger. He must be sent back to whence he came. And Terra, you must finish him while in mortal form. That is the key, stay incarnate. Without your body, you cannot finish him.

  “Why, I'm faster without it. It only weighs me down and makes me vulnerable.”

  “It seems that way, but you need your human body to complete this. Your energy from the Tweens will only cancel out the energy Orthos carries from his dimension. It will destroy you both. Your human body also uses energy from the sun. With it, you have a chance. Go now, it's time.”

  “But how…” The white light surrounding Terra faded before she could finish her questions.

  Chapter 48

  When Brendan entered the darkened warehouse, he saw Liam standing in the center of a black orb. The sphere itself hovered about a foot above the floor. It appeared to be made up of interlaced shadow. Some portions of the sphere were dense, creating a darkness impenetrable by light, while other areas were covered in an interlacing thatch that made it semi-transparent. Liam was attempting to pull one of the thinner sections apart. He desperately ripped and pulled at the smoke-like material. As he pulled a small amount of space was gained, but the change was only temporary.

  “Uggg, it’s useless!” Liam grumbled. “What's going on in there? Is Terra alright? Where's Carol?” he yelled out.

  “Terra’s out cold, Elise is checking on her. Carol, well it’s complicated.” Brendan tried to grab at the shadowy prison from the outside, to help Liam leverage the space he was trying to pull free. “What is this?”

  “I’m not sure, but it's strong, and it adapts to whatever I try,” Liam said.

  He pushed his hand through an empty space and tried to get a better angle to pry the material away.

  As if it was responding to his effort, the orb rippled and the densest area converged around Liam’s hand. “Ah!” he called out, yanking his hand back through the rapidly closing opening. As he did, the space close completely, blocking Liam from Brendan’s view.

  “Liam?” Brendan asked. He renewed his efforts to pry apart the shadow wall from the outside where Liam had been visible a moment before.

  “Over here,” Liam called from the side of the shadow mass where the wall was now thinner.

  Brendan darted around to where he heard Liam’s voice and peered in between the interlacing brackish shadow.

  “All right, this is a bit weird,” Liam said.

  “What is?” Brendan asked.

  “Having someone with my face looking in at me.” Liam stepped back from the orb’s wall with uncertainty.

  “Oh yeah, about that, I’m not one of those body-snatching creeps who are lurking everywhere,” Brendan said.

  “You sure about that? Because from here…”

  Brendan laughed. “I’m Brendan, a guide from the Tweens and a friend of Terra’s. Did you know that bodies die without an occupant? Just think of me as your placeholder, it’s all yours when can get you out of this thing.”

  “What happened to the Scourge that took my body, to begin with?”

  “Long gone,” Brendan said.

  “Hey guys, I think Terra is waking up! I think she’s going to be alright!” Elise called from the next room.

  “Thank goodness,” Liam said. “What about Carol?”

  “I’m not really sure… I… well you will have to see for yourself.” Elise shouted back.

  “I’m a little tied up right now,” Liam answered. He continued to work on pulling the shadows apart with renewed intensity.

  ~~~~~~~~

  “Terra? Terra! Can you hear me?” Elise was calling her name.

  “Yes.” Terra's voice was hoarse. Her throat felt like she had eaten gravel. She put her hands to her neck and touched the bruises she could already feel forming where Carol had tried to end her life. “He used Carol to try to kill me,” Terra said before the effort led her to cough.

  “I can’t believe it. I would have never thought it possible,” said Elise.

  “How did you stop her? I couldn’t find her purpose.”

  “I didn’t, but Liliana showed up, and, well I don’t know how to describe it, but I think she is trying to reconstruct Carol’s purpose from the inside out.” Elise pointed toward the corner where Liliana now sat with Carol pinned. Her hands were on each side of her charge's face. Her eyes were closed, and both women were in a sort of trance.

  “I’ll leave Carol to her guide, maybe she can put things back the way they were before she tried to erase her memories. I thought I heard Liam's voice?” Terra propped herself up on her elbows as she tried to look into the darkened next room.

  “He’s in there,” Elise pointed toward the doorway to the warehouse space. “Brendan is trying to help him. I think he's stuck somehow.”

  “I better go to him.” Terra.tried to stand but wobbled and nearly fell.

  “Take it slow, we nearly lost you,” Elise said.

  Terra nodded her understanding, but her eyes were trained on the doorway.

  I have to go to Liam. I know now that he was created to guide me. I have trust in this.

  ~~~~~~~~

  Brendan attempted to reach inside the orb. As he did, it closed on his hand. He took in a ragged breath and went ridged. Blood trickled down his wrist.

  “Brendan? You alright man?” Liam managed to push Brendan’s hand back out of the shadow from inside. As soon as the connection was broken Brendan’s eyes began to focus, and he winced with pain from the cuts on his hand.

  “What happened?” Elise asked as she entered the room.

  “It's them, so many lost charges, all full of hate and pain. They’ve lost all memory of humanity. I could feel their anguish and rage.” He clasped and unclasped his fist, examining the cuts.

  “You’re bleeding!” Terra said as she walked through the door behind Elise.

  “Terra? You’re alright!” Liam tried to see the doorway from the orb when he heard her voice, but his view was obscured.

  “I’ll be alright,” she said. “Let’s get you out of there!” Terra tried to see Liam through the orb.

  “How are you going to do that?” asked Elise.

  Terra walked unsteadily toward the side of the orb where Brendan stood working to free Liam. She stood on her tip-toes leaning forward in an attempt to see into the orb. When she still couldn't see she levitated for a better view.

  “Liam?” she asked. “Are you alright? I’m so sorry th
at they took you away. I should have known better than to leave you unguarded.”

  “You’re here now. That's what matters. How could you have known they would come for me during surgery? I have to admit, seeing yourself being operated on while the scourge attack is an odd experience.”

  She smiled, “I bet!” Terra reached toward Liam through the swirling shadow. The brackish cloud instantly contracted around Terra’s fingers. She was plunged into thousands of corrupted memories.

  Murder, blood, and pain are everywhere. It won’t let go! Terra blocked the thoughts from her own with a practiced resolve.

  The sound of someone clapping, slowly at first, and then faster drew the attention of the three guides up to the top of the orb. Terra still tried to free her fingers from the swirling darkness and stand back far enough to see who was above her.

  “That was such a touching reunion, but not so fast Terra. Did you really think it would be that easy?” Orthos stood atop the orb. His black robes flowed around him making him appear to be an attachment to the actual prison.

  “You monster, you only took Liam to lure me here! What do you want?”

  “After all this time, and we finally meet in person. I want to get to know you, Terra. I want to understand what kept you from joining me on the winning side when you had the chance.”

  “I’ll never join you,” Terra screamed, finally wrenching her bloodied fingers from the shadow orb.

  “No, you're right; the offer's no longer valid. You see, I don't need you, Terra. You're no longer unique. Anybody can destroy an entity these days. What do I need you for?”

  “Liar, you don’t have the power!”

  “You’re only partially right. I can’t destroy an entity with my bare hands like you can, but with this handy formula brewed fresh from Azalea’s kitchen, I don’t need to. In fact, just a few drops are all that is needed.” He pulled a Mason jar from his cloak. He held it up in the dim light with a sadistic grin.