* * *
Nothing prepares me for the traumatic images of the actual Demons. Unfortunately, I can see quite well in the dark due to the Hunter’s powers within the diamond. I can see the Demons everywhere, floating above the ground, with huge clawed feet and hind dewclaws similar to those of a cat. Their bodies’ thin shriveled forms have a dry leathery-looking skin stretched around skeletal frames that sport heads of assorted animals: dogs, cats, bats, alligators, elephants, lions, bears, birds, cows and horses, to name a few. Each hand has three fingers or digits with terribly long claws, and their eye sockets—devoid of eyeballs—glow red.
As I walk among them, they move out of my way, paying me no attention other than to acknowledge my presence. Instead, they focus on the cave opening, waiting, hoping for a meal. As the last flickers of light from the burning stick extinguish, the Demons glide even closer to the cave.
I emerge from the swarm of Demons and stand in the darkened forest. The stars above twinkle, and I hear water trickling in the nearby river. I breathe in a lung full of crisp air, catch the scent of the Hunters, and off I go. I find more floating Demons, moving in the direction of the Hunters. I follow their lead, walking behind their eerie forms.
The Hunters have constructed a tent system made of a material I’ve never seen before. I figure it must be some type of magical cloth used to ward off Demons. They have a fire going inside, and four individuals’ silhouettes dance on the walls of the tent. The smell of bad intentions permeates my entire being, leaving nothing to doubt. These individuals are our enemies, and they mean to kill us.
However, a familiar scent hits my nose. I close my eyes and inhale, realizing two of the four occupants are Runners. Why are Runners and Hunters together? Perhaps the Runners are their legs, the same way Chris was for me. Or maybe they are traitors and work for the Death Clan, like Justin.
I sit down on a fallen tree to mull over the situation. Runners, whether good or evil, can carry the Hunters at the same speed as our group. There will be no outrunning them. They will catch up with us.
An idea enters my head. I’m fast for a human, and I can run most of the night and use the perfume to spray trees to set up a false trail that will lead in the opposite direction. The Hunters would follow the markers well into the morning, giving us time to increase the distance between us.
All I need is the perfume.
I make my way back to the cave, stepping through the even thicker gathering of Demons outside. Upon entering, I’m immediately assaulted by Chris. His arms pull me against his body as he steps back towards the cave wall. Shaking and holding me in his firm embrace, his body slides down the wall. I look into his moist eyes, and he opens his mind to me. I hear his thoughts as though they’re my own.
Calli, why? How? You should be dead. I thought you were dead. Don’t ever scare me like that again!
“I’m fine, Chris, really. Let me up. We’re making a scene.” Beyond the fire the clan members stare at us with open mouths.
Justin pushes his way through the crowd once again and stares at me. “What . . . are you?”
I stand and brush the dirt off my legs. “You tell me and we’ll both know,” I mutter.
“Are you a witch?” Kayla asks. I can sense jealousy in her voice. Not surprising, since she saw me in Chris’s embrace.
“No, I’m not.”
“How can you go out among the Demons and not be killed?” Will points to the cave opening.
“I don’t understand it either. I only know the Shadow Demons aren’t interested in me. But more importantly, there are two Hunters and two Runners camped about five-hundred yards downstream.”
The questions come at me instantly.
“You can see the Demons?” “What do they look like?” “Why didn’t they eat you?” “The Hunters stay in tents?” “How do you know there are four of them?” “What makes you think Runners are with them?” “Who are they?”
My eyes are on Justin. I ask, “Where is it, Justin?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You closed it off from me and then told me to get out of your mind.”
The other members quiet down and try to pick through our conversation.
“What difference will it make?” he says, defiantly. “They’ve already found us.”
“But we have at least six hours before they can leave their tent. I can go out and set up a decoy trail, sending them on a wild goose chase tomorrow. Now, Justin, where is it?”
He says nothing.
“Give it to me and perhaps we can make some kind of amends.”
Chris steps next to me, “He doesn’t have it. He dropped the bottle on a tree trunk. It’s broken.”
I turn to Justin, “Show me with your memories, Justin.”
The others watch our conversation like a tennis match. I stare at Justin, trying to get inside his head, when his memory flies to the forefront of his mind with such intensity it literally pushes my head back a bit.
My perfume was sprayed at arm’s length on a tree trunk, and then it slipped out of his hand and shattered on rocks below. I comprehend his dread, almost empathizing with him, until the face of Maetha fills his mind as she hands him my perfume!
What is she doing in his memory?
Chapter 6 - Unwanted Abilities