My heart pounds. Why is he being so mysterious? Is he just using me? Lying to me again? And why wouldn’t Lucky listen to him? The idea of him going through me to get to her makes me extremely uncomfortable.
I press my lips together and frown. “So let me get this straight: you want to take me somewhere so that when Lucky wakes up, she’ll be there?”
He nods emphatically. “Yes, and we must go now if we hope to make it in time.”
I shake my head in disbelief. “Clearly, you’re not aware of the ginormous massive flaw in this little plan of yours. I’m pretty positive she won’t like that one little bit, especially if she’s already mad at you—which I’m under the impression she is. It’s really not a good idea to get her angry. I really like you and would hate to see anything horrible happen to you—”
“I need both of you there, please…We don’t have much time. Please,” he repeats, looking past my eyes and into my soul. “Please, trust me.”
“I trust you,” I whisper.
With that, he whisks me off my feet and cradles me in his arms as if I’m a baby. I feel tiny and weightless in his powerful grip.
“Hold on to my neck. I won’t let you go, but it will be easier if your arms are safely out of the way.” I lock my arms around him the same way I had with Bones.
We dash away at a dizzying speed until the forest becomes nothing but a greenish blur. I don’t want to even think what would happen if we should crash or if he should trip. I close my eyes tight, but even though I’m completely dependent on Kieron for my life, I’m not afraid. I never feel safer than when I am in his arms.
He runs—if you could call it running—for several minutes—through the forest, over mountains, down a deep valley. I open my eyes once, long enough to see that we’re somewhere in Thiberoux, but the landscape doesn’t look familiar... not that I’d be able to tell, the way the scenery is whizzing by.
Finally, Kieron slows his breakneck pace, gradually coming to a halt. He sets me down gently and places his arm around my waist to keep me steady on my wobbly legs.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I nod. “Yeah, but I think my liver and spleen are still back there somewhere.”
He smiles. I take a quick look around and almost wish I’d kept my eyes closed. Gone are the lush trees and shrubs that populate my homeland. All I see is miles and miles of sickly yellow dirt and piles of rocks. There is no sign of life anywhere; even the air is dry and stale.
During our mad run, I’d been too worried about the suicidal speed we were travelling to give much thought to where we were travelling to. But I’d assumed it would be somewhere. This vast, barren desert is nowhere...as if we’d fallen off the ends of the earth and landed in one of those creepy, post-apocalyptic TV shows on the Sci-Fi channel.
“Where are we?” I whisper, not sure I want to hear the answer. This place is beyond depressing. I’m glad it’s almost time for me to fall asleep; I don’t like being here.
“We’re in Thiberoux, but not Dryndara,” he says, confirming my suspicions. This place…it’s very special and carefully shielded from outsiders.”
“Why? It’s not exactly prime real-estate; it’s just creepy and barren. I’m pretty sure I speak for all humans and demons when I say no one will be lining up to visit here anytime soon.”
“This place serves a very important function. Inside those caves are rooms for holding fugitives and other demonic prisoners for transport to the underworld kingdom.”
Suddenly I feel nauseous. And very afraid. “Why are we here?” I demand, not even trying to hide the panic in my voice. “Why did you bring me here?”
I was wrong…I was totally wrong about him. I am so sorry, Lucky…this was all a trap for you.
Kieron tries to hold my hand, but I yank it away. “Liora, don’t be afraid…” he says, pleading with his eyes.
“It’s a little too late for that. You brought me here so you could trap Lucky, didn’t you?” The corners of my eyes well up, but I refuse to cry. I’m done crying because of Kieron; I simply have no more tears left.
He motions to a pile of rocks blocking what looks like the entrance to a cave. “I have the Amazèa locked up in there.”
“You…what?” My whole body begins to tremble. This is even worse than I’d imagined, and I pray it’s just some sick joke… but why would he want to terrify me?
Please, please don’t tell me those murderous monsters are really this close, and here I am, exposed and vulnerable...human.
“Liora, don’t be afraid. They can’t harm you. They won’t harm anyone ever again, I promise you. You’re safe.”
I look into his eyes seeking reassurance, and find it there. But my voice is still shaking. “Why did you bring me here?” I ask softly
He reaches out to me again, and this time I don’t flinch from him. His touch is comforting, calming. “Liora, I need to talk to you, and we don’t have much time. It is important that you speak with me openly and honestly. It is of the utmost importance that you do... both of our lives might depend on it.”
“Okay, I’ll try…” I whisper, still staring into his eyes, the one place I feel safe.
“No matter how hard or painful it is for you, please tell me the truth.”
“Okay, I promise…”
He takes a deep breath. “Do you agree with Lucky that it is she who must kill the Amazèa in order for you to reunify as one entity?”
“I...I’m not sure what will happen to us if she kills them. But I want them dead for what they did. No one else can or will do it…” I look away, unable to hold his intense gaze.
He gently tilts my chin back to him. “But what if someone else does do it? What if they were punished for what they did to you and Lucky and your friends?”
“It’s…there’s more than just that. I do think Lucky has to be the one to kill them for us to have a chance to undo what happened to us. It’s the only way we know that might work…”
“But there is no guarantee, correct? Say she does kill them and nothing changes between you two. Then what?” His eyes search mine.
I take a step back from him and brush my hair off my face. “I don’t know…we just have to live with it I guess…I mean, I never thought it would be forever, but if that’s how it is…I…we just have to learn to live with it, I guess.”
“But are you aware of the fact that if you—she—does kill them, she will be in violation of Order 417.74 that states no demon or demion may attack a higher ranked demon or demion without sanctioned provocation or legal ordinance or they, too, shall be stripped of their powers and banished to the Wasteland?”
I furrow my brow. “I haven’t exactly studied up on the demon legal handbook. Look, I’m about to fall asleep so whatever you need to know, ask me now.”
He takes a step closer, and wraps one arm around me, while tracing the side of my cheek with his other hand. “Liora,” he whispers. “What I really need to know…forgetting all the craziness around us right now…Do you think you and I…do you think someday…you might ever be able to love me?”
I stay lost in the depths of his gaze as the familiar burning returns. Here I am safe. Here I am secure, whole, and warm. Here I feel his unspoken love for me radiate to the depths of my soul.
“I already do,” I whisper. My last conscious memory is of his warm lips on mine.
******
He moves away quickly, but not quickly enough. I grab his throat and hiss, “And just what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
I throw him towards the rocks with all my might. The shattered boulders crash to the ground, but Kieron simply stands up and brushes himself off—unhurt, and clearly unfazed, judging from the cocky smile on his face.
“Hello, Lucky.”
“Don’t ‘hello Lucky’ me,” I snarl, building a firestorm in my palms.
“Wait, wait…don’t shoot, I come in peace,” he says with a disarming smile, holding up both of his hands.
“Very funny. Just wh
at the hell do you think you’re doing?” I look around at the unpleasant scenery. This place gives me the creeps; it reminds me too much of the hideous Wasteland the Altrumina sent me to. “And where the hell are we?”
“I brought Liora here so I could show you something. I didn’t think I could get you to come with me willingly.” He eyes my flickering palms, waiting for me to unleash their fury. “And I see I was right.”
“You have about five seconds to tell me what is going on before I fry you to a crisp.” My eyes narrow in anger, but even I don’t believe my hollow threat. The harder I try to deny my deep pleasure at seeing him again, the hotter and more volatile the conflict within me rages.
He cocks an eyebrow and beckons me to him. “I have something for you.” He starts tossing aside the boulders that aren’t already smashed, and when he’s made a big enough opening, motions for me to follow him through.
I stay put, and eye him suspiciously. “What’s in there? Do you really think I’m going to just follow you into some creepy cave like an idiot?” I don’t like the feel of this place, and I like his arrogant attitude even less.
“Why don’t you try not hating me for a minute and trust me instead?”
I laugh. “Yeah, sure, I’ll get right on that. Right after I join a convent and marry a goat.”
He stops and turns around, forcing his steely gaze on mine. “Lucky, I know you think I betrayed you. I brought you here so I could prove I didn’t. But if you’re too pigheaded to see what is plain as day…”
“And what is that?”
He sighs deeply. “That I care about you. That I am trying to help you. And that I believe in you…and us.”
He believes in me? What the hell does he mean by that?
“I don’t remember asking for your help,” I retort. But the fire in my hands is already beginning to subside, and try as I might, I’m having difficulty holding on to my anger. When I look into Kieron’s eyes, sincerity stares back…and something about his smile is like cold water on my smoldering rage.
“What’s in there?” I motion toward the opening, but stay where I am. It goes against all my instincts to let myself get into a situation where I don’t have complete control over my surroundings. And this place is just too weird…the energy is unsettling and all wrong.
“In there is a cage surrounded by the strongest, most impenetrable magical shield known to demonkind. And in that cage are the Amazèa.”
I gasp. “What? Why are they here…why did you bring me here…?” I reach down for my dagger before I remember I don’t have it. Damn, Liora, what have you gotten us into?
“So you could kill them,” he says.
My eyes narrow again, and my heart begins to race as I slowly straighten back up. I stare at him for a long time, trying to discern if he’s lying...setting a trap. Maybe he’s just trying to trick me into going in there, and something really horrible is waiting for me. Maybe what he’d said before about coming to kill me…maybe he’s following through on those plans. But now he knows I’m strong…that I’ll fight back. So he’s devised a ruse to deceive me into believing he—
“Lucky…” Kieron’s voice is gentle, but I take a few steps away from him. “I know it’s not in your nature to trust…to believe in the goodness of others. But I’m asking you to try. Everything I’ve told you…everything I said to you that first night at the cliffs and every night since, well, I meant all of it. Every word. I never knew it would be possible for me to find another demion I’d care about so much. One I would want to spend the rest of my life with. One I could actually love and who was capable of loving me back. Someone I couldn’t imagine my life without.”
“Why are you telling me this? It doesn’t change the fact that—”
“I’m telling you this, because I made the deal to turn in the Amazèa in exchange for my freedom. But I only want that freedom if it means being able to have a life with you. Without you, my freedom won’t mean anything. Not if you hate me…”
“What are you saying?” I whisper, inching toward him.
“I’m saying…I brought the Amazèa here for you to kill. I know you cannot hunt them outside your boundaries, so I brought them to you. If you want to kill them, you are free to do so. I won’t interfere.”
I pause. “But…but what about your contract?”
“I will have failed in upholding my end of the bargain, therefore I’ll be bound to the Legionary for whatever purposes and for however long they see fit.” His jaw slackens, and his shoulders droop slightly.
I pace back and forth like a nervous rabbit. “So, you’re saying that you’d give up your freedom…so that I could kill them?”
He nods. “It’s not much of a choice really. I want you. But more than just that, I want you to be happy. To be whole. To be who you want to be and whoever it is you were meant to be. I don’t want to be the one who stands in the way of that. If you must kill the Amazèa in order for that to happen, then I am more than willing to sacrifice my freedom for it. I’ll do it happily and without reservation.”
I narrow my eyes as I stare at him, trying to decide if he’s telling the truth. “But…what about the Legionary? Won’t you be forced to report me?”
He shakes his head. “You’re well aware of the repercussions of your actions, but I also know that your revenge on the Amazèa is not simple blood lust. I won’t report you, nor will I participate in the hunt for you if there is one. I understand what you must do…” His voice trails off.
“I don’t know if you can ever fully understand how I feel…I don’t think you can,” I mutter.
“They killed my mother. In front of me. I’ve wanted to tear them apart with my bare hands for the past eleven years. The only thing that stopped me was the opportunity to finally put all that anger and hate behind me and trade their freedom for mine.”
He puts his head down and looks at me through lowered lashes. “I want you to know that whatever you decide to do, I’m with you on it. If you go in there and kill them, I won’t report you. Or, if you decide to let their punishment lie in the hands of the Legionary, then I’ll do my best to help you deal with that decision, also. I know you’ve been planning for this day for a long time, so I want you to take some time to think it over. But know that I’ll be here for you in whatever capacity—”
“I don’t need to think about it. Take me to them. Now.”
Chapter 24. Lucky
Kieron nods his head silently. He enters the dark cave as I follow close behind. Once we’re both inside, he snaps his fingers several times, each time igniting a small, singular flame from one of his fingertips. The flickering light reveals a long, twisting tunnel. Sharp grey rocks jut menacingly at every turn, and I shiver in the unnaturally icy cold. I wonder how Kieron managed to drag two of the strongest, most powerful demons in existence down here by himself, or if indeed, this isn’t some elaborate hoax after all.
My agitation increases with every step. For so many years I’ve longed for this moment, and now that it’s finally here, my stomach is churning with anticipation and dread. This isn’t exactly how I’d pictured my showdown with the Amazèa unfolding; nevertheless, it will end the same way. I will have my revenge. Justice for Kayla and Michael.
We travel deeper into the cave, until Kieron finally halts. “You’re almost there. They’re right around the next turn.”
“Aren’t you coming?” I ask, suddenly fearful and trying not to let it show. It’s not being hurt by the Amazèa that I’m afraid of; it’s being alone with the monsters whose faces have haunted me for so long.
He shakes his head, the light from his fingers casting an eerie glow on his handsome face. “No. This is for you and you alone. The cage’s shield only works one way, so your powers will be able to penetrate it; theirs will not. I’ll be waiting outside for you when you’re...done.”
“Thank you,” I whisper, hating the way my voice trembles. I look in Kieron’s eyes one last time as he brushes past me and disappears into the darkness.
I almost call out to him; I don’t want him to leave me here all alone.
But I say nothing. He’s right. This next step is for me and only me. Despite all my rage and bravado, I’m scared—terrified I won’t have the strength to do what I’ve vowed to do.
I take a deep breath, and the cool air fills my lungs. Opening my palms, I let my own dancing fire guide the rest of my journey. I force my legs forward one step at a time, and with each step my heart thumps heavier. At last, I round the narrow corner and my breath catches in my throat.
The small orb has an orange glow and emits a faint electric hum. Several interlocking circles rotate continuously around the outside, and standing in the middle, holding hands and smiling sweetly, are the two Amazèa demons.
Nausea floods over me in waves. I stagger to a wall. I lean against it until my knees buckle and I slide to the floor. I can’t blink, and for a long moment, can’t breathe. How many times have I imagined seeing their bright, angelic faces…their big blue eyes, like innocent school girls…their long golden hair cascading down their childish bodies. The two deadliest creatures I’ve ever known in my life, and they resemble the sweetest, the most perfect visions of innocence and youth…the very things they live to steal from others and to absorb within themselves.
I take several deep breaths and attempt to compose myself. Despite the chill of the cave my skin is on fire, my insides a raging inferno of hate. These demons not only destroyed my friends, but my innocence and my sanity. They literally shattered my soul, reducing the broken pieces to empty, pitiful shells.
Because of them, I hate my human half for causing me to care so deeply for Michael and Kayla in the first place. The pain of losing someone you love is the worst torture imaginable, and these monsters have been torturing me for years…
Ironically, my human half hates me for being of the same vein as these creatures—ones capable of this much destruction and heartache.
Deep down, I know we’re both at fault. And neither of us is to blame.