I couldn't help but stare. Raiya was . . . so annoying! And now I knew where she got it from, I thought, looking over at Grandpa Odd. The apple didn't fall far from the tree. No wonder I’d hated her on sight, I thought. It was not just the Rosemont uniform. It was her genetics.
Rachel started talking to Jason, and Grandpa Odd began sipping his tea remorsefully, obviously the loser in his battle. I made my way back over to the table and sat down once I was sure it was clear of Raiya.
Adam was cheerfully gobbling down the sandwich Rachel had brought out for him. A plate of jumbo cookies and my own sandwich were waiting for me, and I nearly wept with gratitude I could at last eat.
“Psst, kid . . . give me a cookie, would you?”
“Elysian, not here,” I muttered back harshly.
“All right, thanks, Jason.” Rachel smiled. “Grandpa, why don't you leave our customers alone and help me with the front?”
Grandpa Odd grumbled into his mug of tea as he got up and left.
Whew! I was relieved. That old man’s name certainly suited him.
Jason sat down next to Adam. “Hey Dinger,” he greeted. “Didn't expect to see you here so early. I thought maybe you'd be at the school with swim practice or something. Hey, Gwen,” he smiled kindly at her.
Gwen muttered a “hi” into her tea and smiled back.
“Nah, swim practice is only Monday and Thursday,” I grinned. “Here, have a cookie.”
“Thanks,” Jason replied as Elysian 'accidentally' gave me a nice scratch with his claws. “These look great.”
“I'd eat anything of Rachel’s.”
“Yeah, me too.” Jason swallowed the last of his cookie. “If you guys don't have practice today, how come Mikey went swimming?”
“He's trying to practice more. But I don't want to see him miss tomorrow because he's sick of sucking in the chlorine–although it would be quite amusing,” I remarked. “There are some college scouts coming for the meet tomorrow.”
“Well, I hope he gets some good brownie points with them,” Jason grinned. “My parents told me it was time for me to get a job. That's why I came down here today.”
“You thinking of working here?”
“Sure. It's close to my house, you know, just down the block, and Rachel could use someone for the hard labor.”
“Hard labor?” I cocked an eyebrow, skeptical. What kind of hard labor was here? Pouring refills?
“Yeah, like unloading her shipments and cleaning up and helping out with repairs and stuff,” Jason shrugged. “It's not a glorious job or anything, but it'll be good. Plus I get to hang with Rachel.”
“You know she's engaged, right?”
“I know,” Jason grinned. “But that doesn't mean I have to accept it.”
I stilled. Jason’s remark eerily reminded me of my own life. Was this the pathetic kind of picture Elysian saw when he looked at me? Someone who knew something but didn't act like he believed it?
I (wisely) decided to say nothing about it, figuring if Jason didn't mend his thinking and his ways soon, it would eventually resolve itself. Like when Rachel got married.
Oh well. At least someone other than me was looking idiotic–actually, more idiotic. But since it was related to the supernatural side of my life, I decided to overlook it for now. I didn’t want to think about it.
A loud thunk! caused our attention to be drawn to the door. A smirk wiggled its way onto my mouth; Raiya had appeared again, struggling to juggle all her stuff, and in the process she'd dropped a large wooden case full of her art supplies.
I turned back to Jason. “How did you know Raiya was Rachel's cousin?”
Jason shrugged. “When I heard her last name was Cole I thought there might be some connection. They have the same last name.”
“They don't look much alike,” I noticed. Rachel was vivacious and gorgeous, with bright red hair and bright golden-speckled eyes, plus she was always smiling brightly. Raiya had dark, golden-brown hair, which was nearly always messy. And even though I’d just met her, I was all too-familiar with her smirk.
“Well, they're cousins, not twins,” Gwen pointed out.
“I don’t think she’s around here a lot; at least, I don't think so. I never really see her,” Jason said. “But I’ve seen her on the music nights and helping out when it gets really crowded.”
“You would like their entertainment nights, Hammy,” Gwen spoke up. “The last one was on New Year’s. It was really fun, like a pajama party.”
“Oh? I don’t know how I missed it,” I lied easily enough. I’d been fighting a monster at the time.
“Hey, speaking of missing stuff,” Jason asked, “Do you have the notes for us? Poncey and Drew just walked in.”
I looked over to see he was right. “Poncey!” I called out. “Drew!”
I thought I heard Gwen sigh. “What’s up?” I asked her.
“Nothing,” she shrugged.
“Cool. Just give me a moment and I’ll be right back,” I told her. “Do you mind watching Adam for me?”
“No, that’s fine.” she smiled.
“Great. Thanks.”
I hurried off and talked with my friends, getting and giving my share of homework, and exchanging stories. Glancing back, I saw Gwen texting as she watched over Adam. Yeah, tonight was going well, I decided.
And that’s when my mark went from a dull burn to blazing pain. “Ouch!” I nearly jumped in surprise.
“What’s wrong, Humdinger?” Drew asked, not looking up from my copy of the biology homework.
“Um. Nothing.”
I ducked into a corner and pulled Elysian out from my hood. “We’ve got a problem.”
“Yes, I was wondering if it was going to get bad,” Elysian nodded. “We need to hurry.”
“Come on, Ely, Gwen’s here,” I pouted. “Can’t you just go and handle it? This is my first date with her, and it’s just been a terribly long day.”
He huffed, unleashing little smoke trails through his nose. “You can’t just decide to fight when it’s convenient, kid,” he snarled softly.
I rolled my eyes. “Fine,” I bit angrily. “Just go and give me a moment to excuse myself. The last thing I need is for Gwen to think I ducked out early.”
“Good. I’ll go and get started.” Elysian nodded. “Don't forget my cookies as you leave,” he reminded me threateningly.
“Yeah, yeah . . . ”
☼9☼
Fear
Raindrops spiked through the skies as Elysian and I hustled towards the downtown city area. While it felt like ice striking at my face and biting at my armor, I was enraged with fury.
“Where’s the aura, kid?” Elysian called out.
“Over there, near the city museum.” I pointed in the general direction before realizing Elysian couldn’t see which way I was indicating. “Head right, towards Central Mall and the marina.”
My changeling dragon was a pain sometimes, but he was a good flyer. We headed into the heart of darkness just as the thundering clouds began to bleed a vengeful red. I sighed; I was so tired of this stuff. It was starting to seem a bit cliché, like I’d seen it in a movie or something. “How long do you think we'll have to keep doing this?”
“It's not a question of how long, Hamilton,” Elysian remarked, surprising me a bit by using my first name. “It is a question of our choosing to do so.”
I nodded glumly. I knew what that meant – I would have to do this until Elysian told me it was okay to quit. Which probably meant never.
A flash of lightning dashed out in front of us; or at least, that’s all I thought it was until Starry Knight suddenly appeared in the drizzling sky.
Even as we were flying, I could tell her mouth was pursed in displeasure. I smirked and waved hello, taunting her.
Her brow furrowed in frustration, but it did nothing to keep her away. As Elysian descended to the mall’s parking lot, Starry Knight came up beside us, landing hard and fast on the pavement.
Her eyes fl
ickered up to mine, wasting no time. “You must leave.”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, so very nice to see you too, Starry Knight.”
“I am not kidding around here, Wingdinger!” Her voice was harsh and strangely hoarse, catching my attention. I looked over at her and studied her for a long moment, studying the strong glint in her violet eyes, the stubborn angle of her chin, and the graceful waves of her long hair. “I mean it, you must leave. It's too dangerous to be here.”
I brushed off the slight touch of hesitation. “Oh, my pleasure,” I sarcastically intoned, crossing my arms over my chest. “Let me get right on that.”
“Are you that reckless you would risk your life?”
I shrugged, determined not to fall for any ploy of hers. “I've risked it before and nothing bad has happened.”
Starry Knight glared at me with sudden, striking hatred, and instantly I have to fight off the memories where she had protected me in the past.
“Anyway,” I mutter uncomfortably, “I’m already here, taking time off from ‘normal’ life. I might as well make it worth the sacrifice.” Not that giving up time with Gwen would ever really be able to be compensated.
“Do you ever think of something other than yourself?” Starry Knight pulled out her bow as the miasma of clouds around us grew thicker.
“Why bother with anything else?” I snorted.
“Very mature, kid,” Elysian rolled his eyes. He lifted off the cement and began to circle.
I was just about to get into it with him when the blood-washed clouds around us began to darken to crimson purple. Not good, I thought.
The skin on the back of my neck tingled. We were no longer alone.
“Watch out!” Elysian roared, already moving to a defensive position as a dark beam of light shot out from the corner of my eye.
Elysian jerked to a stop, causing me to go flying off towards the ground. I groaned, preparing to once more be thrown onto the hard ground.
Splat!
My lips pursed fiercely to stop from screaming out in pain. Easing myself up, I rubbed my head. “Ouch,” was the only response I allowed myself to muster out.
The shadowy figure suddenly slashed at me once more. I wasn’t able to stop the yell of “Augh!” as the sharp claws stun my back. My stubby wings were suddenly warm with the thick redness of my own blood.
“Kid!” Elysian came crashing around me, trying to place a barrier between us.
“Elysian! You never told me that these things can kill me!” I yelled.
If it had been any other time, and there hadn’t been this huge threat hanging around us, I’m sure Elysian would’ve laughed at me.
“What did you think? That this some kind of playtime?!” Elysian looked down at me, incredulous. “Come on! You have to get back up there. Climb on!”
I tried to get up, but I doubled over in pain and collapsed on the ground. I was suddenly overcome by a raging fever, as my heart began to beat faster and faster . . .
Am I dying? I began to spasm. I couldn’t be dying! Surely not . . . but what else could possibly be happening?
Outside of Elysian’s protective barrier, I could hear the demon smacking into the parking deck, knocking over cars, scaring children . . .
Elysian roared in pain as he was hit with wave after wave of dark energy from the demon.
My eyes were owl-wide as I glimpsed up through Elysian’s long, tangled body and saw a beam of light through all the madness.
“Here!” Starry Knight’s voice called out, piercing the darkness. “Come get me if you can!”
I didn’t know whether to be grateful or to groan for her distraction.
The demon roared with irritation, and I knew she’d just managed to get the demon with one of her arrows. I groaned in stinging pain, but I was glad the fight was sure to be over soon with Starry Knight here.
There was a small flash of light and a whisper of wings, and all of a sudden I found myself face-to-face with Starry Knight. She looked me over and I was half-expecting her to start yelling, much as Elysian had done.
Instead, she snaked her arms around me protectively and said, “You need to get out of here. Elysian needs to move.”
“I don’t need your help,” I grumbled in protest as she tried to pick me up. I thought I heard her sigh.
“Don’t be so stubborn!” she hissed sternly as she managed to hoist me up off the ground. She grunted, but she did manage to move me onto Elysian’s back. “Tell him to fly,” she instructed me as she jumped up behind me.
“Elysian! Let’s go!” I called out as the burning sensation engulfing my body increased. I cried out in pain, my limbs twitching as I tried to hang on.
“This demon is especially dangerous!” Starry Knight yelled as we sought refuge up in the sky. “She can see everything!”
She? I knew instantly we were dealing with an eela, a shadow demon, one of the harder types to destroy. “How is that terribly different from the other demons?” My vision began to blur; it felt like the stinging was literally climbing around my head and binding itself to my eyes.
“She can see everything, not just physical things! She can see our weaknesses, and use that to her advantage,” Starry Knight called back to over the loud wind.
“I don’t have any weaknesses,” I insisted.
Starry Knight grumbled behind me. “Yeah, that’s for sure.”
I stuck out my tongue at her, but my head swam as Elysian descended. I could half-hear Elysian and Starry Knight talking, but I couldn’t make out all of the words; the sting had curled around my ears and clogged my senses.
A stinging sensation slithered into my skin, raking my mind for information. Was this penetrating gaze of the eela, or was it Starry Knight? For some reason, I thought she was talking to me. My eyes opened at her beckoning, catching her eyes with my own. The fire inside of me seemed began to slowly drown in violets, as my world slowly began to take on a new shape.
“What’s going on?”
Whispers. That’s all I could hear. “The demon can make you see things that aren’t real.”
The voice was Starry Knight’s, no doubt.
Woozy darkness flooded around me, burning my vision, scalding my body, before it cleared. A figure moved in the shadows behind me. “Who’s there?”
It was Gwen.
“Gwen?” I asked. “What’re you doing here? Get out of here! There’s a demon attacking the–”
“Hammy, you’re so funny,” she giggled in response.
“I am serious–wait, how did you know that I’m . . . ” My voice faltered as she giggled again.
“I would know you anywhere, silly.”
“I wanted to tell you,” I admitted softly.
“I know,” Gwen moved forward, leaning in close, her honey-brown eyes locking into mine. I felt drawn to her, as though there was something inside of her pulling me in. Her body was just inches away, when she whispered, her breath tickling my face, “I know.”
My feverish vision returned, and the honey-brown eyes of my love turned to fire, and the world around me was surrounded in it. I saw and watched as all my dreams passed, burned by the fire that consumed me.
I screamed in terror as I watched my life, the very flame of being, flicker out and die, smoldering in a pile of ashes. “No!” I cried out. “I don’t want this! I don’t want this to happen!”
“Then give up,” a new voice in my head insisted. “Stop fighting. It’s the only way to save your world.”
Small, chilly light illuminated the figure who was busy sifting through my mind. “Who are you?” I demanded to know, unable to do much else.
The figure let out a cold laugh, allowing me to focus on her more. She seemed much larger than her predecessors, but since I was pretty sure I was hallucinating at this point, that didn’t seem so strange. Her long, messy hair was pulled back in a messy fashion (she had to be close friends with Maia), and she had nails long enough to keep at least four nail salons busy, if not more. I grimaced as
she put her hand on my head.
“Eris!”
The demon, who was apparently named Eris, turned at the sound of her name. “Yes, my lady?” she called out.
Who was she talking to now? I wondered.
“Don't forget the true reason for your assignment,” came the stern warning.
“I’m getting to it now,” Eris assured her.
“Good. I will be waiting for your report at the haven.”
“Yes, my lady.” Eris turned her attention back to me. A grin slowly spread out on her face. “You’ll have to forgive the interruption. You’ve caused quite a bit of trouble for Orpheus and the Sinisters, and Lady Alcyonë is eager to discover your weakness.”
“I don’t have one,” I declared defiantly.
Eris smirked. “Please. Of course you do.” Her fingers splayed themselves in my wingdings and ruffled through my hair. Eris suddenly began laughing.
“What? What’s so funny?” I bellowed up at her, managing to get somewhat away from her.
“That’s priceless!” She giggled. “Your greatest weakness is Starry Knight, just as you are hers.”
“What?”
The laughter left her eyes quickly. “You’re jealous of Starry Knight and her power. Well, I think we can use that to our advantage.”
“That’s not true!” I hollered, desperately trying to figure out how to get her out of my head.
“Let me see if there’s anything else useful in your discord,” Eris purred, once more reaching out her hand.
A burst of celestial fire flared up, engulfing the vision and leaving me breathless, back on the battlefield.
Elysian was circling overhead, while Eris, with her wild and wicked hair, was retreating into the cover of the clouds.
We were still at the mall, I realized. I was still on the ground. My wounds were gone, but my hands were shaking. Shaking terribly. I was in shock.
“Over here, demon!” Elysian called out as he whipped his tail her across the face.
“Ow!” She began to seethe. “You'll pay for that, you snake!”
“I take offense to that,” Elysian called as he ducked out of her reach.