The Darkness That Hunts
Chapter 28

I smell the food before Ihear the voices.

It smells like bacon andeggs. Thick grits with butter and cheese. Biscuits soaked in homemade gravythat pools unchallenged across the plate. The sharp tang of orange juice andthe lingering velvet aroma of fresh coffee with lots of sugar and extra cream.I try to grin but my mouth won’t work.

Odd.

“You sure that’s going towake her? It did nothing for Chameleon.”

“It should be working.” Zakk sounds doubtful.

It takes all my power to pryopen my eyelids. It feels like someone weighted them down with bars of lead.

“There she is!” Bandaged, long-fingeredhands help me sit up. “Here, chew on this.”

Zakk plops a green leaf ontomy palm. I sniff it. It doesn’t smell like anything in particular. Its textureand flavor are like what I’d imagine eating a leaf might be like. Not pleasant,but I don’t feel the need to throw it up, either.

“I could have sworn Ismelled breakfast cooking. Bacon, eggs . . .”

Dace sighs, wistful. “I’dkill for that. When Z did it to me, I swear I smelled a Philly cheesesteak,extra onion, the steak still sizzling on the toasted bun. Aw, man.” He pats hisstomach and grimaces. “I just made myself hungrier. Sucks, huh? Waking up torabbit food instead.”

“I don’t know. The longer Ichew this, the more energized I feel. What is this stuff?”

“Cocaine.”

I start to roll my eyes atDace’s joke, but the look of chagrin on Zakk’s face stops me. “Wait--you justfed me cocaine?” I shriek. It soundsmore like a crow’s caw. “Where did you even getthis?”

Zakk raises his hands in adefenseless gesture. “It isn’t cocaine, exactly. It’s actually leaves of a cocaplant, which is where cocaine comes from. In South American countries, some peoplechew the leaf to combat elevation sickness. The buzz it gives is useful for us.You said so yourself--you feel more energized, don’t you?”

I blink for a full minute,unable to think of anything to say. I don’t even want to know how Z came acrossa coca plant in Ater. Ignoring Dace’s snickering laughter, I look around. Weare still in Apaosha’s Den, huddled in the protection of the light bubble. Themassive weight of tons of earth hovering above us is as disconcerting asbefore. The obelisk is now rubble. Dust coats every surface. Our packs, ourclothing, Kam’s sprawled body--

Kamiron!

I try to say his name butall I can manage is a choked squeak. I crawl over to him. My limbs are newborn-weakand shake with the effort. I can barely manage to lift Kamiron’s head and restit across my lap. His chest rises and falls in unhurried breaths and I realizethat someone’s replaced his bandages. From the precision and skill of thedressing, I have no doubt it was Z.

I gaze at Zakk in wonder--andthen notice that his irises are cerulean, not hazel-brown. Slumping beside me, hemanages an exhausted smile. “I am merged with my element. She lead us here andwe were able to heal your major injuries, but we can do nothing about the bloodloss.”

I reach out and squeeze hishand. “You’ve done great.”

He shrugs off the praise andstares at Kamiron sullenly. “Not enough. I sent Naja to see if she can replace away out of here, but even if she does . . . We can’t wake him. I fear he’s in acoma and if he is . . .”

Zakk doesn’t need to finishthe sentence. I stroke Kamiron’s hair. In a hoarse voice, I explain all that’soccurred since we parted: the naked mage, Kamiron facing Apaosha, even myability to “see” them through my connection to the arrows I’d gifted them.

“Saved my life, that’s forsure.” Dace settles against a chunk of rubble and polishes his cracked lenses.“If Apaosha was the tether, then where is it?”

“I don’t know if the tetheris a physical thing we retrieve or just a sensation we’ll feel once we destroyit. Either way it doesn’t matter.” I cup my palm against Kam’s cheek, admiringhow they frame his face so beautifully. Even while he fights for his life, he managesto look handsome. “Once Vayu and Idestroyed his body, Apaosha went insidehim. He’s trying to possess Kamiron.”

“We’ve got to help him.”

“You know better than any ofus, Dace, that in our own states we’re also open to possession,” Zakk murmurs.

Place your bow on the ground in front of you,instructs Vayu. His presence and voice seem oddly muted and thin.

What’s wrong? I set my weapon where he’s indicated. ThoughI’ve not said a word, Dace and Zakk follow suit with Dace dragging Kamiron’s sledgehammerto the pile as well.

I exerted myself when we were merged. I will be fine momentarily.

Zakk retrieves one of our waterskinsand dribbles a few drops on each weapon. One of his tattoos flare, a small onealong his elbow, and a thin sheet of flame squirts from his fingertips andskids along the pile. He then takes a handful of rubble from the ruined obeliskand sprinkles the soil across our weapons to stifle the flames. At last heblows across the pile, mumbling words too low for me to clearly hear but I pickup their African cadence.

At last, Zakk sits back. Hisfingers fly to his temple and he sways with fatigue. I steady him, and he leansagainst me. His shoulder blades dig into arm and I can feel the steady tremorthrumming through his body. I shovedown my alarm at his erratic and feeble breaths. Since the moment I foundmyself at Firestarter, Zakk has been my rock. Reliable, level-headed, constant.To see him so weak, his deep skin tone pale and clammy, it breaks my heart.

“What’s happening?”

“Zakkarias has amplified ourlink so that for a time we may all communicate.”

My breath catches at theserene beauty of her voice. It sounds like tropical waves breaking againstsunbaked sand. Light, pleasant, and refreshing.

“Are you the element Water?”

I hear her smile. “I am,although it is better to think of us as devas,elemental spirits. You may call me Ymoja.”

The air stirs around us,warm and carnal. “And I,” a husky, mischievous female voice announces, “amcalled Pele. The deva of Fire.” I canalmost feel the spice and flame of her personality. Her presence is at oncefrightening, unpredictable, and undeniably sexy.

A deep voice, just as sensualas Pele’s, caresses every nerve of my body. It gives me the impression of anunshakeable, confident entity. “I am Gaian, the elemental of Earth. My brother,the deva of Air is--”

“Vayu-Vaata,” Vayu interruptsshowing none of the earlier weakness I detected in his voice. If anything hesounds haughty and impassive. “Now that such banalities are out of the way, letus discuss--”

Zakk faints.

Startled, I try to catch himbefore he hits the floor, but I’m a half second too slow. Zakk topples like aredwood, his shoulder colliding against the pliable ground. It yields but notenough to stop the resounding crack of bone. Dace swears and immediately scurriesto Zakk’s aid. He arranges Zakk on his back and pillows his head on his pack. Despitethe painful bruise that will no doubt mar his shoulder, Zakk’s breathing isdeep and restful--a direct contrast to Kamiron’s wheezing inhalations. Expressionstricken, Dace positions himself near his unconscious friends.

“It cannot be helped,” Ymojasoothes. “He channeled my essence to save you all and cast this spell. He mustrest.”

Gaian’s cough is like therumble of shifting mountains. “Kamichirō grows weaker. It will not be long for Apaoshanow.”

“What is Apaosha?”

“You would call him ademon,” Ymoja answers in a somber tone. “His power is that of drought. A decayof things.”

“Then how do we kill him?”

Quiet. I get the sense thatthe elements--the devas--conferamongst themselves.

“There is no true death forApaosha. We can only keep him from taking another physical manifestation,” Peleanswers.

“Possessing Kam,” Daceclarifies.

“Yes.” Gaian’s tone turnsurgent. “Apaosha has perverted his mind. Kamichirō no longer hears me. Our connection withers.When it is gone, Apaosha will have full control. One of you must go to him.”

I frown and run my nailsthrough Kamiron’s thick black hair. “You mean, go inside his mind?”

“You each possessabilities,” Vayu reminds me and for once he doesn’t sound bored. He seemsresigned. “You will need to enter his consciousness, his deepest Self, and helphim to remember himself.”

“How do we do that?”

“We do not know what it willtake,” Ymoja admits, “but we have full faith that you will figure it out intime.”

“I volunteer.” Dace states.“Chameleon’s my best friend, even before Camp Gen. If anyone can make himremember who he is, it’s me.”

“No,” Pele counters. “As amedium, you would be too open to Apaosha’s possession.”

Dace snorts. “I know how toprotect myself from demonic possession, Sparkles.”

I’m not sure what is morechilling: the fact that Kam is being possessed by a demon, that Dace is so usedto demons trying to possess him that he’s comfortable defending against them,or that Dace just called Pele, the devaof Fire, “Sparkles”.

“Weak though you may be,little salamander, we will need you incase this fails,” Pele continues, hertone wry. “You will have to burn his body.”

“What?” Dace and I choke out.

“If Apaosha possesses Kamichirō there will be nothing left.We cannot let him regain a physical body,” Gaian asserts. “Or you all willdie.”

“Shari will go.”

My head whips up at Vayu’svoice. How can he just volunteer melike that? Especially after claiming that it would be infinitely worse ifApaosha possesses me.

The six of us can debate for hours. Your friend will last anotherten minutes at most. It is risky to place you within Apaosha’s grasp, but wehave no other choice. Will you not help him?

My heart stumbles and I staredown at Kamiron’s round face. It’s just .. . you said that whoever goes must help Kamiron remember himself. Witheverything that’s happened between us--it’s only been a few days since he evenstarted talking to me again, and then I went and killed his girlfriend. I don’tknow if he’ll respond to me.

Then you will not try?

Of course I will. Aloud I say, “What do Ineed to do?”

Dace slams his palm against histhigh. “Shari can barely walk. We can’t send her after a body-snatching demon.She has no experience.” He glares around as if he can see our elementalguardians. “I’ll go. I can do it.”

“Dace, you will have to letShari go.” Ymoja states, her voice soothing but firm. “Most necromancers are reluctantto enter Apaosha’s Den. He has no qualms about eating them, but the powergained from consuming four powerful souls will soon be too tempting to pass up.You are your friends’ only line of defense.”

Dace deflates. “Fine,” hescowls. “Let’s just hurry it up.”

“Shari.”

I turn my head,half-expecting to replace Gaian crouched over my shoulder. Only the delicatesphere of light that beats back the vast emptiness of Apaosha’s cavern greetsme. “I’m ready.”

The elementals crowd aroundme, the power of their essences touching me in light brushes of approval andrespect. Through their contact I learn what I have to do. It’s like meditatingclass at Camp Genki. I shove aside reminders of what happened in that particular meditation session andfocus on my breathing, on stilling my senses. I begin to spiral down into mycore self.

“Touch him for a strongerconnection, Child of Air,” Gaian instructs. My fingers flare across Kamiron’ssweaty temples. I feel the heat wafting off his skin, a heat tainted by aviscous layer of filth. Vayu says something but he sounds far away.

“It will just be us, now,”Gaian announces. “Your connection to my brother will be . . . strained. Apaoshawill sense this and try to use it against you. You mustn’t let him. I willguide and protect you as best I can.”

My body feels heavy andsluggish. I’m having trouble concentrating. I feel like I’m sinking into thedepths of the earth. And then deep brown arms of corded muscle encircle me. Iglance over and see Gaian, a massive, imposing figure as solid as a mountain. Itry to focus on his face, on the moss and pine leaves that make up his hair,but I cannot. We move deep down and suddenly I can sense Kamiron, can smellhim. Taste his sweat on the center of my tongue.

We are here. Gaian’s voice is like the vast jungles of theCongo. It’s up to you, Shari, to reachhim. Make him remember what and who he is before Apaosha erases all trace ofhis soul.

Yeah, no pressure.