Bloodlines 02: Torment

  “OK,” Eligos said. “Marley, Beth, if you decide you want to join in, just say so.”

  “Can we just watch today? We’re nowhere near as powerful as you guys. I suppose we’re quite boring actually,” Beth said.

  “You’re not boring at all,” Lucian told her. “We’ve been topped up, don't forget; you haven’t. Besides that, nobody with power is boring.”

  Something was telling me he liked her. It didn't surprise me: she was quite pretty. She had blondish-brown hair that went down to just below her chin, her eyes were a greyish blue and she had rosy cheeks. She was small, I’d say about five foot two, and she had a slim build.

  “Right well, someone start it off then,” Marley said as she sat on the grass with Beth.

  “How?” Jake asked.

  “Just play with it,” Tyler said. “That's what Keira did when we went out that time.”

  So we spent a few hours showing off what we could do. What surprised me was how different our powers were now. Even though we’d all been topped up by the same person, we could all do different things. Tyler was ecstatic because he was now able to create fire, so that’s what he spent most of time doing. He threw it out in front of him and set some of the gates around the field on fire. He was extremely upset though when Lucian showed us all that he was now hydrokinetic. Every time Tyler set fire to something or threw it out in front of him, Lucian would throw water at it and put it out. It nearly caused World War III. Eligos ended up throwing them both to opposite ends of the field to stop them attempting to kill each other. I found it highly amusing.

  What did impress me was Jake’s power now. He created storms similar to the ones Keira did, just not quite as powerful, and he couldn’t keep the lightning on the ground as long as she could. But the thunder, wow, it was deafening. The dark cloud would appear out of nowhere and then bang! Everyone had to cover their ears. Then he decided to move on and find out how strong his attacking power was. He and Tyler faced off against each other, and neither of them held back. If it wasn’t for Eligos constantly healing them, both of them would have been dead. The energy balls we now created were still the same semi-transparent whitish color, but they were a lot stronger, in fact a hell of a lot stronger. Lucian threw one at Tyler and he fell to the floor in absolute agony; he couldn’t move and could hardly breathe. Eligos ran over to him quickly to sort him out. Lucian felt terrible for hours afterwards.

  I was glad it had happened to him, because, when Lucian and Jake were showing off, Tyler came over to me. He told me he wanted to challenge Eligos. He said now that he had his new power and he was stronger, he thought he might have been able to take him on. I asked him why he would want to do that, when all Eligos was doing was helping us. He just gave me a funny look. I knew it was for one reason and one reason only. To get revenge for him being with Keira. I told him he wouldn't stand a chance against Eligos. Tyler might be stronger now, but Eligos was a full-blown demon, plus he’s had over four thousand years of fighting experience. Tyler still wanted to face him though; if Keira had been here she would have gone crazy on him. Luckily though, he saw sense when Lucian knocked him to the floor. He realized that, if his friend could take him out – someone who had only just started learning to use his new power – Eligos would do it without a second thought.

  Beth and Marley didn't join in; they were enjoying watching us. I didn't really practice my power. I’d been doing it anyway and had spent quite a bit of time with Eligos already, so I mainly watched and talked to whoever wasn’t fighting. I’d already found out I was pyro kinetic now and I could move extremely fast, but the best thing I could do, the thing I loved doing the most, was putting the guys into suspended animation. It really pissed them off because none of them could do it – oh I was so happy.

  Everyone was really enjoying playing, so much so that we lost track of time. When I looked at my watch I saw it was 5p.m., so we decided to head back to the house and wait for Keira and Lily. When we walked in Eligos walked straight into the smaller living room while the rest of them headed into the larger one. He hadn't been himself all day. Normally he was quite chatty with me, but today he only spoke when he had to. The rest of the time he seemed to be in a world of his own. I followed him into the room and watched while he flopped down on the sofa.

  “Are you OK?” I asked him.

  “Yeah fine.”

  “You don't seem it.”

  “I just want Keira to get back now.”

  “You don't like being away from her, do you?”

  “No,” he said seriously.

  “She’s OK, you know; we spoke to Lily before.”

  “I know that. I just want her home. Does that make me sound like a possessive freak?”

  “No it doesn’t; you just love her.”

  “Yeah, too much.”

  “Is it possible to love someone too much?” I asked, sitting on the sofa facing him.

  “I don't know I’ve never been in love before. You’re asking the wrong one.”

  “I’ve never known two people love each other as much as you two do. I would love to be in a relationship like that.”

  “One day you will.”

  “I hope so.”

  “Got anyone in mind?” he asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

  “Yeah, but I can tell you straightaway, it won’t happen.”

  “I thought that with Keira, but I’ve got her. Who is it?”

  “Hecate,” I finally answered.

  “I thought so.”

  “Pardon?”

  “I saw the way you looked at her when she was here; it was rather obvious…Ask her out, you might be pleased with her answer.”

  “Are you serious?” I asked as my stomach tied itself in knots.

  “Very.” He closed his eyes for a moment; he looked like he was experiencing REM. “She’s with Lilith at the moment; otherwise I’d get her here, but of course, now I’ve tried to contact her, she’ll probably come when she’s free anyway,” he told me. “Don't panic, if she didn't like you I’d know.”

  “How?”

  “I’ve known her a long time, several millennia; she talks freely to me.”

  “What's she said?”

  “Ask her. She tells me in confidence, so I’m afraid I won’t betray her.”

  “I understand.”

  Eligos went quiet again and kept looking at the clock above the television. I sat with him for another twenty minutes, not really saying much. Then my stomach started rumbling and at the same time the guys said they were ordering out for dinner. None of us were patient enough to cook a meal large enough for all of us. I wished Lily was here.

  We tried to call Keira and Lily to see how long they would be and if they wanted us to order anything for them, but we couldn’t get through to them. We knew their phones would be on; they always were. Eligos really didn't like that and started to get a bit uneasy. He didn't say anything to us, but I watched him; he hardly ate anything and continued to look at the clock every two or three minutes.

  At around 6.30 we all thought we heard Keira’s call pull up on the drive and a moment later the sound of the front door open. Eligos seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and we all waited for them to come in. After a few minutes they still weren’t inside. Beth looked out of the window and told us there was no sign of the car. I got up and walked through the hall; the door was shut. I looked into the other room but there was nobody there.

  “Nope, they’re not here,” I said as I walked back into the main living room.

  “Surely they should be back by now?” Tyler added.

  “Call them again. See if you can get hold of them; they might have reception now,” Jake said.

  Eligos wanted to talk to her so I threw him my phone. I think he just wanted to hear her voice and know she was OK.

  “Still won’t connect,” he said, throwing the phone back to me.

  “I wonder whose car we all heard,” Marley said.

  “I don't know, I can’t explain that,” I fr
owned.

  We all went quiet for a while and finished our meals, Eligos left his uneaten and walked out of the room.

  “Is he OK?” Beth asked.

  “He’s just worried about Keira,” I told her. “He doesn’t like being away from her, the last time they were apart, she was…tortured.”

  “I know,” she said softly.

  “They ran out pretty quick this morning; they’ve had a long drive. Maybe they’ve stopped off for something to eat?” Marley suggested.

  “That would make sense,” Tyler added.

  Everyone except Eligos went into the chill-out room to watch a movie while we waited. 7 p.m. came and went, then 8 p.m., 9p.m. and 10p.m. There was still no sign of them and we still couldn’t get through to their phones. At 11p.m. Eligos came into the room.

  “This isn’t right; where the hell are they?” he said.

  “I was just going to come ask you the same thing,” I told him.

  “Have you called them?”

  “We’ve tried, but still no luck.”

  “Is there nothing you can do?” Beth asked him.

  “I’m going to see Lilith, see if she can see them in the viewing pool,” he told her.

  “See that’s something else,” Lucian said to Eligos. “If they were in trouble, Lilith would call you straight away, wouldn't she?”

  “That’s what I’m going to find out.”

  A split second later he had disappeared. All of us were getting worried now; even if they had stopped off for something to eat, it wouldn't have taken them this long to get home.

  “Should we go out looking for them?” Jake asked anxiously.

  “Where? We could only go to the edge of town, and we don't even know which way they’ll come back. Plus if we’re not here when they get home, they’ll worry,” I said.

  “Danny, there’s seven of us; we don't all need to go,” Lucian told me.

  “Fine, I’ll wait here. I’ll wait for Eligos.”

  “I’ll go out,” Jake said.

  “I’ll come with you,” Lucian told him.

  “Me to,” Beth and Marley both said, standing.

  “OK, I’ll stay here with Danny,” Tyler decided.

  “We’ll split up. Jake you take Marley. Beth, you come with me,” Lucian decided.

  We said we’d call each other if we saw them, and they left. Tyler and I as they drove off.

  We both sat in silence, waiting. Fifteen minutes later Eligos came back.

  “You took your time,” Tyler shot at him.

  Eligos scowled at him before walking quickly into the living room. We both followed him.

  “I told her, I told her she wasn’t here, what the hell does she think I am. Stupid fu…”

  “Hey hey, chill out, what’s happened?” I interrupted.

  “I went to see Lilith; I had to wait twenty-five minutes for her to come back from some chat with someone. I told her I was worried because we couldn’t get hold of Keira, and asked if I could use the viewing pool to see where she was. She took me to the room and worked her magic on the pool. I saw Keira and Lily standing at the window in the living room. I told her the pool was wrong and she got a little annoyed. She said the pool only shows the truth and that I should come back to see for myself. I tried to argue with her but she stopped the spell on the pool and asked me why I was winding her up. She said Keira was at home and that was that.”

  “What happened then?” Tyler asked.

  “She left, and a few minutes later so did I. But not before speaking to Hecate.”

  “About what?” I asked.

  “I told her Keira and Lily weren’t at the house and that the pool had said they were,” Eligos said, sitting down. “She said she would see if she could do anything and get back to me. She was going to try and track her like she did with Crystal, but the life in her would make it harder to do.”

  “Could the pool be broken?”

  “No it’s not a machine. It’s a spell used on the water in a sacred pool.”

  “But they’re not here,” Tyler said, getting annoyed.

  “Do you think I haven’t noticed that,” Eligos snapped, standing up again.

  “Stop it; this isn’t the time for arguing,” I said loudly. “The others have gone out looking for them. We waited for hours and hours. Everyone came back but without Keira and Lily. Again we tried their phones, but we still had no luck. We tried to do a tracking spell, but we kept being told they were at the house. Eligos was pacing up and down; Marley and Beth were fidgeting like mad, not knowing what to do. We hadn't heard from Hecate and we knew that if Eligos went back to Lilith, he would be told the same thing. In the end Eligos walked into the kitchen. I followed him to see what he was doing, but again he just started pacing. Beth walked in and I left. I walked through the hall towards the living room.

  “Wow!” I said as I got near the stairs. I felt as though someone just walked straight through me. All the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end and I went really warm and dizzy.

  “Keira!” I said loudly while holding on to the wall to steady myself.

  I heard the guys run into the hall. I turned to look behind me just as two demons appeared. One with fire red eyes, the other with jet black, in outline, they looked the same as a female human. Their skin was dark grey and looked like granite; their hair was so blonde it was almost yellow. Both of them stood there staring at me for a moment.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Worry (Part 2) – Keira’s Story

  It had now gone past midnight and there was still no sign of anyone. Even though I tried to reassure Lily that everything was OK, I was worrying now too. We had been trying to call them for the last two hours and still couldn’t get a connection. We both had full reception on our phones, but whenever I pressed the call button the phone just beeped at us and cut off. Every time we tried to send them text messages we were told ‘message failed’. We tried calling their parents but again the phones wouldn’t connect. I shouted out for Eligos too, but he never came.

  “This is going beyond a joke. Where the hell are they?” I said, getting up and walking over to the window.

  “I don’t know,” Lily eventually replied.

  “Lilith,” I said loudly, “Lilith, can you hear me, I need your help.”

  I waited and waited, and called out to her several times but she never responded. I was now starting to get annoyed. I felt like we’d been cut off from everyone.

  “I keep trying them but it’s still not connecting,” Lily told me.

  “Something tells me it won’t no matter how many times you try.”

  “So what now then?” she asked after throwing her phone across the coffee table.

  “If we go out and look for them, where do we start? They could be anywhere. Also if we’re out and they come home, they’re gonna worry. If we stay here we could be on pins for…God knows how long and they might not come back. Oh yeah and we can’t split up, because if we get attacked or something we’re gonna need each other,” I explained.

  “So basically we’re screwed.”

  “Yeah.”

  “There must be something we can do, Keira.”

  “Why is always left to me to think of something?”

  “I’m new to all this,” she replied, hurt.

  “I know, I’m sorry, I just don't know what to do.”

  “And I don't mean to be snappy, but I don't know what to do either,” I said, burying my head in my hands.

  We both went quiet again for a while.

  “I’ve got an idea,” Lily said, “I think.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “You see it in the movies sometimes; I don't know if it can actually be done though. Anyway, I think it’s called scrying, or it’s a form of it at least.”

  “That’s where you have a crystal on a string and hold it over a map to find someone,” I said, my eyes getting wider and wider. “I’ve got several crystals on necklaces, they might work.”

  “It’s go
t to be worth a try.”

  “I’ll go and grab one.”

  “OK, oh, erm have you got a map?”

  “I’ve got the map we used to get here; it shows all of the town and village. It’s in the drawer in the kitchen, the one next to the fridge,” I told her as I walked out of the room.

  “Great, I’ll clear the dining room table.”

  I ran upstairs and into my room. I used to love charms and crystals when I was younger, so I had quite a few. I didn’t know which one to use, so I took three downstairs with me, two clear and one purple, all of them on leather necklaces.

  “OK, do you want to do it?” I asked.

  “No, you try; you have more power than me. You might get more out of it.”

  “OK then, I’m not too sure what I’m doing but here goes.”

  I held the leather necklace between my fingers and let the crystal dangle down so it was hovering a couple of millimeters above the map.

  “Just concentrate, clear your mind and then think of the guys, think of Eligos. The crystal should start to move and hopefully, if it works, drop on their location.”

  I nodded and took a deep breath. I tried to empty my mind as much as I could, and closed my eyes. Instead of thinking about everything that had been going on, I thought about the first time I saw Eligos, how he had taken my breath away, literally.

  After what felt like hours but could actually have been about five minutes, I felt the crystal tug a little. I relaxed my fingers and it dropped on to the map. Both of us looked quickly. The crystal had landed on the area where my house was.

  “Well, that obviously doesn’t work, does it?” I said, letting go of the necklace. “We know they’re not here.”

  “Try again,” Lily said.

  “What’s the point?”

  “Let me try.”

  I moved out of her way and she took hold of the necklace. She let in dangle like I had, and stood there in silence with her eyes closed, just as I had. It took longer, but after ten minutes or so it fell on the location of the house.

  “See, I told you, it’s pointless,” I said, walking away from the table. “It was a good idea, but it’s not going to work.”