‘You can’t beat me, boy. I am the king of all kings,’ he said with an evil laugh that deafened the entire forest. Quinn pulled a large sword out of a holster and swiftly leaped towards Kai who was now pinned to the ground. He flashed his teeth and sliced his nails into his attacker.
Quinn’s Harpies appeared in onslaughts of tornados, compacting themselves around them. Their slimy stench hung like a thick blanket in the air. Kai knew he wasn’t strong enough to defeat the enemy. Quinn was much older and so much stronger than he had imagined. He was a god with more power than Kai alone could ever conjure. A Harpy grabbed hold of Sienna and pinned her between its wings as she kicked and screamed, demanding to be let go. She wasn’t strong enough to break free and watched helplessly as Kai was overpowered into submission.
Suddenly, a piercing sound radiated through the air and everybody fell to the ground as they tried to cover their ears. It was Ogel and Astrid. Astrid was suddenly on top of Quinn, ripping his head sideways, attempting to bring him down. Furious, he smacked her to the ground.
This was the moment Kai had been waiting for. He jumped forward and grabbed Quinn’s sword, which was now lying beside him. In the blink of an eye, Quinn transformed into a were-lion and another sword exploded into his hand. Kai immediately recognised him as the lion that had attacked Sienna in the forest.
‘Now, Ogel! Do it now!’ Astrid screamed to Ogel who was standing in the dark bushes.
He immediately bent to his knees and raised his hands above him and started chanting:
‘a caelo usque ad centrum
a mari usque ad mare
ab antique
ab aeterno
absit omen
abyssus abyssum invocat
acta deos numquam mortalia fallunt
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest
amor omnibus idem
Spiritu condemnant quod non intellegunt
dis manibus sacrum
Oriri a caelo Umbraco!’
The clouds grew dark and thunder boomed across the sky. Ogel was shaking as he tried to call upon the Umbrae Damnati. Large raindrops started to pour out over them as Ogel’s voice grew louder and louder, his chant becoming deeper and more urgent. Flashes of light burst like flames around Ogel, revealing beings that resembled crystal. Their blue shine was blinding and everyone hid their eyes as the Umbrae Damnati appeared all around them. Some even stood on the water. Others were in the trees and some emerged from under ground.
Finally, Ogel fell over, exhausted. The wind picked up and the Umbrae Damnati moved around faster than the eye could follow. They were everywhere, surrounding them, penetrating their circle. Quinn looked around frantically, his anger showing clearly as he wielded his weapon at everything that came near him, leaving destruction and death at his feet. Sienna broke free from the Harpy and ran towards the trees, hiding behind a dense bush. Kai tried to follow what was going on amid the chaos as he defended himself against his attackers, taking down many of his opponents in one solid movement. Unexpectedly, everyone’s feet were knocked from under them as Quinn drew an invisible line around him, pointing his finger. Fire rose from the earth and trees snapped as the ground pulled apart. He pulled at the sky with both his hands and rose above the ground, throwing a last final blow of power at Kai as he howled into the air.
‘This isn’t over yet!’
Quinn disappeared into the darkness. Kai was lying on the floor, buckling over in excruciating pain from the power surge that ripped through his body, electrifying his every nerve. Around him things looked hazy. He could hear his heartbeat slow. He could feel the life drain from his fingers and toes as the pain all but disappear. Only the shadows of those fighting near him were still visible, but even they were becoming faint, vanishing around him. Something was pulling at him, dragging him deeper into its spell. Flashes of Daniel screaming overwhelmed his mind. Kai could sense that he was afraid. Daniel was running, trying to get away, but he couldn’t keep it together and stumbled. Suddenly, Quinn came crashing down on top of him.
‘No!’ Kai tried to yell, but he couldn’t get a word out. He could feel every bit of fear radiating from Daniel, as he now lay pinned down to the ground.
‘Mmm, I love human,’ Quinn grimaced, sniffing at Daniel who struggled to break free. He looked at Kai who could hear and see everything but couldn’t move. He tried to shout out to Daniel, but found himself struggling through thick clouds as Daniel drifted away from him. Quinn threw him a threatening glare.
‘I told you it wasn’t over yet. It will only be over when I say it’s over!’ He looked back at Daniel who covered his face in protest.
‘No! Daniel, no!’ Kai finally screamed at Quinn plunged his sword into Daniel’s chest. Kai felt tears streaming down his face. He fought and screamed to break free but the binding clouds wouldn’t let him go. He couldn’t escape. Quinn picked up his prize and glided towards Kai. Kai saw the last bit of life vanishing from Daniel’s eyes as a small trickle of blood escaped his mouth.
‘Why did you have to do this!’ he yelled angrily.
‘Because you didn’t want to give yourself over to me,’ he breathed at him.
CHAPTER 26
‘Kai, wake up!’ Sienna shook Kai by the shoulders, trying to rouse him. ‘Please Kai, don’t die,’ she wept into his chest.
Kai moved slightly. He could hear and see them, but was unable to respond.
‘He’s waking up,’ Astrid said, bending to kneel beside him.
Slowly, his body lifted into the air, and released back to the ground. Kai sat up straight with surprise, gaping at air as his soul moved back into place. He looked around him frantically, trying to defend himself, but it was over. The Harpies were gone and all that remained were the bodies of all those who had died in the battle.
‘What’s going on?’ he asked, astonished.
‘Kai, it’s over,’ Sienna said in relief, grabbed him around his neck. ‘I thought you were dead!’
He looked over at Astrid who was looking at him strangely. ‘Kai, you died,’ she said, worried.
‘I did?’ he asked, confused.
Astrid shook her head shocked. ‘This doesn’t make sense. If you died you should have crossed over. If you didn’t cross over, then where were you?’
Suddenly everything came rushing back to him as she said it. ‘He killed Daniel,’ he replied distraught. ‘I couldn’t do anything to stop him. He had me pinned down, making me watch.’
Astrid sat down flabbergasted.
Sienna shook her head in disbelief as tears rolled down her cheeks. ‘What do you mean?’ she asked, looking into his pained eyes.
‘He’s going to kill everyone I love...’ He looked at Sienna and slowly moved his fingers across her tear-streaked cheek.
‘I’ll have to leave. I’ll have to go where he will follow me instead, to protect you and everybody else. It’s the only way I can ensure that everyone’s safe.’
Astrid got up and walked over towards Ogel who was working hard at repairing his wounds.
Kai looked Sienna in the eye. He could see the pain that washed across her face. ‘It’s going to be dangerous, Sienna. I need you to be safe. And here, Astrid can look after you. ‘She can ensure that you are protected. I’ll always check up on you,’ he said, trying to comfort her. ‘I’ll always love you.’
‘Then don’t leave me,’ she said, hurt and panicked. He pulled her closer, holding her tightly against his chest. He closed his eyes and sighed. Knowing very well that he couldn’t leave her behind. ‘It won’t be easy. We will have to run and you’ll have to learn to fight.’
She looked up at him surprised, ‘You mean...’
He nodded. She fell back onto his chest and squeezed him hard. ‘We will be okay. I know it.’
THE CHANT
From the sky to the centre
From sea to sea
From the ancient
From the eternal
Let an omen be absent
Deep calleth unto deep
Mortal actions never deceive the gods
Let no man be another's who can be his own
Love is the same for all
Spirit they condemn what they don’t understand
Sacred to the ghost-gods
Rise from the Shadows
Leandi Cameron, A Tale of the Other Kind
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