The Darkness That Hunts
Chapter 18

Retreating from us, Divinehovers in front of a long wooden table. Bones, clay bowls and herbs litterevery inch of the table’s surface. He picks up what looks like a short oakenrod. Carved into its handles are some kind of Celtic symbols but it’s too darkto tell what.

“I need your help to cast aspell.”

“Here we go,” Dace mutters,“Epic quest time.”

Kamiron ignores his friend. “Whatdoes this spell do?”

“It robs Andhakar of hispower. Without his power, he will be unable to command us. We will regain ourautonomy.”

“So you need us to gather theingredients for your spell?” Zakk guesses.

“Not exactly.” The druidgathers a few herbs that look like dead twigs and a bowl filled with white powder.He returns to the tin basin that sits between us and dumps the herbs and powderinside.

“Shari.” He motions me tojoin him. Feeling my friends’ eyes on me, I haul myself to my feet and approachthe basin. Inside, the twiggy herbs float along small ripples and make hollowchimes when they rap against the edge of the tin siding. I realize the powderthat Divine has poured into the water is ground salt.

Divine takes my hands inhis. “I want you to dip your hands into the water. It will feel a little odd,but do not remove them until I tell you.”

The water is warm when itswallows my palms. The herbs tickle and the salt chafes my skin but nothingfeels out of the ordinary.

And then I sense it. Acurious tugging feeling on my gut. Like something is drinking the air from mylungs. I gasp. My hands start to tingle and go numb. Nothing hurts, but Divineis right. It feels . . . odd.

His fingers curl around mywrists and slowly ease my hands out of the water. He uses a cloth to dry theexcess water and then motions for me to return to my mat. Using the rod, hestirs the solution and it begins to steam and bubble.

“For the most part, I havewhat I need for the spell, but it is useless to cast it without first destroyingthe tethers.”

The last of the steamevaporates and the water is once more clear and placid. I cannot see any of theitems Divine dumped inside. I tilt my head at him. “Tethers?”

“Think of tethers as anchorsbetween Ater and Earth. There are four total, and they link together to form abridge that connects this realm to that of Earth. Once these links are broken, TheDarkness-That-Hunts and all those who swear allegiance to him will be trappedin this world for eternity.”

I frown. “But what about theBlood Shield? Won’t that trap you here as well?”

Using the tip of the rodthat was placed in the water, Divine draws a circle in the air. Astonishingly,the liquid from the basin funnels up into Divine’s circle and forms a smalloval that shimmers in midair. “That is where the spell comes in. Once it iscast, Andhakar no longer controls us. We can break our fealty and our soulswill be set free.”

Zakk stares at the transparentsphere as it swells, growing from the size of a volleyball to that of a basketball.“If that’s the case, the souls will move beyond--to whatever exists afterdeath, but you’re still alive. Your soul would simply return to your body . ..” He pauses as a sudden thought strikes him. “You intend to return to Earth withus?”

“It would be nice to gohome,” the druid admits, a note of wistfulness coloring his tone, “But theworld I knew has long since crumbled and the spell requires a life in order tocast.”

I gasp, horrified. “But--”

“Death would be a welcomerelease from this suffering, Shari. I will be free of this place, and perhapsmy spirit will finally know peace.”

There is nothing I can sayto that, so instead I question him about the tethers that bind Ater to Earth.“Where are they? What do they look like? Why couldn’t you destroy them?”

For a moment, the druid’sbrow creases as he tries to make out my jumble of questions while guiding thesphere’s development. “First you must understand that the tethers are notphysical objects, at least ordinarily, and only The Darkness-That-Hunts knowsthe locations of each tether. That is not to say we did not look for them. Weeven stumbled upon two of them, once, but were unable to destroy them. To breakthe link requires an essence of purity, something none of us in the BloodShield possess. We corrupted our souls with Andhakar’s bargain.”

“Which is why you need us,”Kamiron deduces. “If you can’t tell us where the tethers are, can you at leasttell us how to replace them?”

“I cannot, however . . .” Tangerineeyes swivel to me. “Shari can.”

I choke on my own disbelief.“W-what?”

“You can sense the links.You will be drawn to their locations.”

I frown. “Like some kind oftether-compass?”

A ghost of a smile feathersacross Divine’s lips. “Exactly. Your intuition will guide you much like acompass.”

He gives me a moment toponder that before turning to Dace who appears lost in thought. “You have aquestion?”

Dace blinks rapidly and ittakes a moment for him to organize his words. “I was just wondering . . . Yousaid ordinarily tethers aren’t physical objects, but what about the ones thatare?”

Divine nods to the sphere asit becomes opaque and takes on a silver-grey hue. Setting his rod beside thebasin he steps away and watches as the sphere starts to form a shape.

“Your predecessors helped usreplace two tethers. Unfortunately, they died before breaking them. Nevertheless,it forced Andhakar to bury the tethers inside items that he could monitorclosely. Shari will show us what items these are.”

I stare at Divine dumbly. “Iwill?”

“With the help of the ritualI just performed, yes.” He gazes pointedly at my hands.

The water and the oddsensation. Did he use a spell to somehow tap into my supposed intuition? Istare at my hands as if expecting them to morph into snakes at any moment.

No one speaks. We watch thesphere of water coalesce. Its silver-grey depths bleach white and its malleableform turns rigid and straight. Its edges sharpen into hard points and theentire image starts to rotate in a lazy circle.

My muscles tense and mybreath catches. A white jewel, like a small star, glimmers before us. Itsfaceted edges hurl a kaleidoscope of colors into the air, creating abreathtaking rainbow that curls along Divine’s dirt walls.

Kamiron’s jaw drops. “That’s a tether?”

“The tether is inside it,yes.” Divine speaks to Kamiron, but his gaze remains on me. Again I glance atmy hands, astonished that holding them in water for a few minutes was able to revealall that.

“I thought the tether wouldbe something more . . . ominous,” Dace admits.

The rainbow fades as the whitecrystal begins to darken. Deep shades of ombre and wisps of ethereal greensaturate the room. The white crystal bleeds to burgundy. Then amethyst. Andfinally obsidian. Darkness obliterates the last of the previous crystal’slight, and even the braziers’ flames cannot dispel the overwhelming gloom.

“No!” I’m surprised my voicecooperates. Fear has made it raspy and weak. I back away from the replica as ifby placing distance between us will keep me safe. A chill nestles across mybody and I rub my arms fervently. “There must be a mistake. My hands, or thespell, something went wrong.”

Divine stares at me with sadeyes. “I’m sorry, but there was no mistake.”

“What is it, Shari?” Kamiron’sarms surround me in a tight hug but I can’t stop trembling. Zakk and Dace forma protective circle around us and stare at the image of the second tether.

“That belongs to TheDarkness-That-Hunts.” Unlike the white crystal, the replica of the black gemdoesn’t rotate. Instead it dangles above the tin basin like a lynched corpse,bloated and grotesque. An eldritch glow pulsates from inside, pressing againstthe walls of the jewel as if attempting to escape. “He wears it around his neckat all times and uses it as an anchor for his power. All the victims hetortures, all the souls he eats--they feed that crystal. There’s no way we canget that, not without a fight we can’t hope to survive.”

The severity of our situationpresses against their shoulders and they look sick.

“I’ve seen what that . . .that creature can do. There’s no waywe can break that tether,” Dace hisses.

“It’s necessary.” Divinepicks up his rod and stabs the dark crystal. The image shatters into a delugeof water and crashes back into the basin. Heat and steam contaminate the air,driving away the gloom and chill. “The tethers need to be broken, and I willneed both of those crystals to finish the spell.”

“Of course you need the crystals, that’s how these things always go,”Dace huffs and then starts pacing. “Look, man, we’re just average kids, notfreakin’ superheroes.”

“You are not as helpless oras ‘average’ as you may appear,” he points out evenly.

Dace deflates and a sullenfrown tugs down the edges of his mouth. Kamiron steps in. “You’re right. Wehave unusual gifts--”

“Gifts that are but a tasteof your true abilities, ones which I will unlock for you.”

In a rustle of leather,bones, and feathers the druid strides to the center of the chamber, arcanepower wafting off his skin. The braziers about the room flare, shifting throughthe spectrums of color. One turns carmine, the other olive, the third topaz andthe last tangerine, like Divine’s eyes. The boys shift closer to one another,their muscles tense and expressions wary.

When Divine speaks, it is inGallic and while I can’t understand, I sense that he’s chanting a spell. Witheach repetition of the guttural resonances, the braziers burn brighter, theirfires writhing and wailing as if in agony.

“Reach into the flames thatcall you,” the druid grunts. Sweat beads across his forehead. His tattoos glowin a light that gives off no brightness or color.

“You’ve got to be kidding.”Kamiron eyes the braziers with open distrust.

Divine repeats his demand,impatience stamped on his furrowed brows. He continues his chant and I feel thepain behind his words. Whatever spell he is conjuring causes him discomfort.

“The flames that call you,”he barks. My attention drifts over the colors before landing on the orangefire. It beckons me. I feel the phantom scrape of calloused fingers tracing myjaw, my cheek, my lips. Curious, welcoming. Little tingles shoot up and down myneck.

The boys don’t trust Divine,but they trust me.

I’m not even aware of my ownmovements. One second I’m near my friends, at the next I’m crouched before thebrazier, orange flames inches from my fingers. The light they cast turns mydark skin to bronze. If I didn’t know better, I’d say that the tendrils offlames are reaching for me, eager to taste my flesh.

“Shari--no, don’t!”

Zakk’s warning comes toolate. I plunge my hand into the brazier. The sensation stuns me. A whirlwind ofwarm air breezes over my body, burrowing deep into my soul. I recognize it andit recognizes me. There is a moment of profound joy, of unshakeable purpose.The connection turns strangely . . . erotic. My cheeks burn, my breath hitches,my heart stutters. My toes curl and a moan escapes as warmth blossoms deep,right between my--

--Knuckles collide against somethingcool and smooth. What in the world . . .? The fire blinds me so that I can’tsee what I hold but my fingers curl around the arc of the object and I yank itout. The fire sputters and dies.

I clutch the leather-wrappedgrip of a curved shaft of polished yew. It takes me a moment to realize the D-shapedobject (which is taller than me) is a kind of a longbow. Orange feathers sopale they’re almost yellow flutter from the bottom limb but the longbow doesn’thave a bowstring or any kind of arrows. I peer into the brazier to replace nothingbut ash and charred animal bones.

“The rest of you--hurry.”Strain roughens Divine’s plea, but it’s enough for the boys to approach thethree remaining braziers.

Kamiron’s shoulders risewith his deep breath and he thrusts his hand into the green flame. The fireeats his forearm and then his shoulders. It creeps across and down his body inwispy vines. Kamiron’s eyes flutter closed, his head jerks back, and a deepgroan of pleasure escapes from between his lips. A noticeable bulge strains theleather of his breeches. I avert my gaze, embarrassed to have witnessed such anintimate moment. I am careful not to look at the others as their gasps and softsighs fill the chamber.

The last of the brazierswinks out and plunges us into a darkness so complete I cannot even see mylongbow before my face. The druid’s chant dies and he whispers a command. Aboveus, small, round globes like the ones that I saw outside the knolls fill thechamber in hues of brass. Tangerine eyes scour us and for a moment Divine looksastonished and . . . encouraged? The emotion recedes beneath his glowingtattoos. He brings a shaky hand up to wipe the sweat dripping down his face andthen chuckles.

“Seems the Elements havechosen their champions.”

His knees suddenly give outand he falls, crashing against the table and knocking assorted arcaneingredients to the floor. Clay pots shatter and herbs scattered against theground. I rush to his side, but a burst of arcane energy knocks me on my butt.

“Do not touch me!” Divinesnarls.

Startled, I scuttle back andimmediately Kamiron takes a defensive stance in front of me. Divine huddles onthe ground, his harsh and sporadic breathing the only sound. The glow suffusinghis tattoos dim to ordinary ink. Gradually his breathing evens and the strengthreturns to his limbs. He uses the leg of the table to haul himself to his feetbut remains slumped against the tabletop for a minute more.

“Forgive me.” He spares mean apologetic glance, “I was serving as a conduit. If you had touched me thepower would have flayed the skin from your bones.” Grimacing, he straightensand brushes his fingers through his tangled hair. Wood clacks and assortedcharms tinker with the movement. “That summoning was more taxing than Ianticipated.”

“Exactly what are these?” Zakk raises what looks to bea polearm. Ribbons of navy twine down a shaft of white oak that measures atleast six feet and ends in a rounded, heavy silver cap. It is a beautifulweapon but there is no blade fixed to the silver guard at the polearm’s top.

Kamiron grips a three-footlong, steel handle. A mint green tassel dangles from the bottom of the haft butI don’t see a guard or a slot for a blade. I suspect the missing top of hisweapon is some sort of blunt object like a hammer or maul.

Dace clutches two brass hilts,one in each palm and designed to interlock. Padded leather dyed a pale maroon snakesaround each grip. Like Kamiron and Zakk, there are no blades.

“I get you want us to faceoff with your evil overlord, but what’re we supposed to do with these?” Dace lobshis hilts into the air, watching them spin and whirl before catching them witha dexterity that surprises me. “You want us to throw sticks at him?”

Divine’s patience withDace’s snark is astonishing. The druid tilts his head at us, his gaze scrutinizingeach of our weapons. “You are mistaken--Idid not give you those arms. They are gifts from your patron element. It’s upto you to figure out how to use them.”

I tug on one of my feathers.It’s surprisingly stiff. “Any suggestions?”

Divine smiles without mirth.“You will need to believe in what you cannot see.”

“Is it so hard to get astraight answer for once?” Dace scowls.

Kamiron nods to the druid.“These elements--you’ve mentioned them before.”

Divine approaches one of theroom’s dirt walls. A deep grumble rolls throughout the room and the soil beginsto heave. Rocks and roots clatter to the ground as the dirt separates,revealing a hidden alcove filled with shelves of slate and stuffed withparaphernalia. Divine digs out four burlap satchels.

“You are each special, bornto barren mothers as a manifestation of the Elements. You are essentially theirchildren and can harness their power.”

“You mean that time when youwere possessing Dace and you gave me clues to replace the three . . . you weren’ttalking about astrological symbols at all, were you?”

“A minor correlation,” hesnorts, shoving items wrapped in linen and skins into each of the four sacks.“What you do not realize, Shari, is that the Universe conspired to bring you tothis moment.”

“That sounds like a bunch ofhorse shi--”

“But no less true, Dace sonof Fire. You would never have been given the weapon you now hold. This is yourdestiny.”

“I don’t believe indestiny,” Kamiron protests. “We have free will.”

“Indeed we do. It does notmake destiny any less valid.” He passes us our satchels. I grunt at its weightas I strap it to my back. “Your choices shape the destiny of your world--aheavy burden for those as young as yourselves.”

Zakk interrupts Kam and Dace’sbudding objections and instead dips his head respectfully. “Thank you for yourhelp. Are we leaving immediately?”

“It’s too dangerous for youto remain any longer. You must not be caught here. I am sorry you do not havean opportunity to rest before you begin your task.” Divine straightens andlooks every bit the powerful druid. Bronze light plays across his bare, muscledtorso. In two strides Divine stands before me. Thick hands grip my shouldersand he smiles. It is a rare one, filled with unwavering belief. I don’t sharethe faith he seems to have in me, but I offer a smile I hope exudes confidence.From the amusement that flickers in the depths of his tangerine irises, I knowI’ve failed.

“You are their guide andtheir compass, Shari. You will help them survive as you have survived.”

I take a deep breath,chewing over the words but they leave a sour taste in my mouth. I did manage toescape Ater, but I’ve never wandered its various zones, searching formetaphysical tethers. I may have survived once, but can I do it again? And moreimportantly, can I keep my friends alive?

Divine passes me a rolled upsheet of vellum secured by a tin clasp. “A map from the Blood Shield. Use yourpendant to replace safe houses.” Cool, chapped lips press against my ear. “If youare lost, seek inward. Trust your intuition and you will always replace your way.”

He strides from me to Zakk.Divine’s hands suddenly darken and begin to pulsate with a sickly blackradiance, like the ebony soil of a fresh grave.

“I’m sorry.”

He seizes both of Zakk’swrists before the boy can react. The polearm clatters to the ground. Zakkscreams and the smell of burning flesh throttles me. I freeze in horror. It’sKamiron who reacts first, diving for the pair. He slams against an invisiblebarrier and is thrown back, crashing into the side of the table. Dace triesnext, banging on the barrier with his brass hilts but he, too, is sent flyingbackwards, tumbling until he slams into the wall.

Shrieking as if his soul isbeing shorn in half, Zakk falls to his knees but still Divine does not let go.

The black glow melts fromDivine’s hands and plummets into Zakk’s wrists, burrowing underneath his skin.His body swallows the poisonous energy and only then does Divine release him.Zakk chokes and sniffles. Snot and blood dribble from his nose as he presseshis face against the dirt and whimpers. Finger-shaped red welts mar his wrists.

“What the fuck?”

If the druid is concerned byDace’s outrage, he doesn’t show it. Instead he squats by Zakk’s face and uses adingy cloth to wipe at the blood, snot, and sweat. My knees wobble threateningto buckle. My thoughts collide with each other in a jumble of befuddlement. Afterall he’s done to help us, and with us almost out the door, why would Divineturn around and hurt Z?

It’s only when Divine turnsto me that I realize I’ve spoken aloud.

“I had no choice.” Heignores Kamiron’s glower and Dace’s curses. He leans over and helps Zakk to hisfeet. Zakk clings to the druid, swaying as if drunk. Blood stains the collar ofhis blue undershirt. “It was the only way I knew to transfer some of myknowledge to him. I essentially had to sear it into his mind.” He pats Zakk’sshoulder apologetically and retrieves a wooden cup filled with some kind ofpurplish liquid. “This should help.”

Zakk’s hands shake as hebrings the cup to his lips and takes deep gulps. When he is done Divineexchanges the cup for the haft of his polearm.

“You display an innatetalent for magic, I knew it when you sensed the ward upon first entering mydomain. If we had time I could have taught . . .” He sighs and beads, bones,and feathers hiss with the shake of his head. “I daresay you would make a greatDruid.”

Zakk is finally able tostand on his own, but the hand that grips the shaft of his polearm continues toshake, and he leans on it like a staff. Giving the druid a wide berth, we crowdaround our friend and gasp.

Tattoos cover his forearms,snaking up his neck and the left side of his face. I glance at Divine andnotice the same runes on his body as well. Zakk offers a weak smile, but thereis something alien to his hazel eyes. Old wisdom in a young body.

“I’m fine, guys.”

His voice sounds the same,but we remain skeptical.

Divine starts towards Dace,but the boy backs away. “Don’t fucking touch me.”

“It’s alright, Dace,” Zakkreassures, motioning for Divine to wait. “For a moment it felt like my mind wasbeing torn in half but afterwards it was like trying to download the entireInternet using a slow processor. He didn’t mean to harm me.”

Soothing energy embraces me.Feather-light. Warm. Muscles I didn’t know were stiff, a heartbeat I didn’trecognize was erratic, all that tension recedes.

I watch a similartransformation in Dace and at last he grants Zakk a reluctant nod.

“This will not be painful,”Divine’s stained teeth flash in a teasing smile. He takes Dace’s glasses andblows across the lenses. The rough pads of his fingers trace the wire frame.“You have magic in you as well. Your gifts are perhaps the most varied of yourgroup. Your eyes are a strength, not a weakness. Your vision penetrates notjust vast distances, but also time and space. Light and darkness are of noconsequence.”

Scowling, Dace plucks hisglasses from the druid’s hands but hesitates to replace them, suddenly wary.

“If I put these on, I’m notgonna explode, am I?”

“Your mouth will cause moretrouble than necessary,” Divine snorts, “But it will get you out of just asmuch.”

The druid then turns hisattention to Kamiron. To his credit, Kamiron doesn’t flinch when Divine’sfingers tap his chest. “Trust in your heart, in what you think and what youknow. The past holds no sway for a child of Earth.” Divine’s thumbs pass overKamiron’s ears and then thump his biceps. “Sharpen your senses and know thatwhat is difficult for others will come naturally for you. Your stoicism is yourstrength and your strength is your stoicism.”

Backing up, Divine eyes useach speculatively but I cannot guess his thoughts. “Andhakar will not stopbecause you are gone. He will continue his assault on your world, starting withyour camp and branching out as his power grows. Time is of the essence.”Suddenly, Divine bows low. His tumble of hair falls over his shoulders in a dirtycurtain. When he straightens, I note the apprehension in his gaze. “May fate bekind.”

I move to thank him, but betweenone blink and the next we’re standing at the rim of the clearing facing thetwisted black trees that make up the Onyx. The knolls rise up behind us, butthe strange floating orbs with their brass glow are gone. Above us clouds obscurethe bloody sky and makes the Onyx appear especially ominous. An amethyst mist crawlsalong the forest floor and I replace myself reluctant to discover how far it goes.

Dace eyes our lifelesssurroundings and then glances back at the trio of hillocks. He exhales inrelief. “Is it just me, or was that guy was bat-shit crazy?”

“Tell me about it,” Kamiron grimaces.“I’m not eager to see him any time soon.”

Zakk’s polearm thumps theground as he pauses beside me. We share an exasperated eye roll before hemotions ahead. “Ladies first.”

Tightening my satcheland mustering my courage, I plunge headfirst into the misty forest.