CHAPTER EIGHT
It was surprising how easily I found black attire among my clothes. I didn't remember exactly when my wardrobe had turned into the same monotone shade, but it made it easier for me to change into something that I'd camouflage in. I looked like a pseudo Raven in my dark attire and the idea triggered the lost excitement of a young girl who wanted to be a hunter.
Sairen gave me his old mask when I stepped outside; it wasn't a wolf like his, but rather a slate silver one that all Ravens were given before having one customized. I didn't feel silly like I thought I would when I wore it, instead it felt normal.
"Where are we going?"
Sairen kept a steady pace down the stairs ahead of me. " Like I said: Training. "
"Yes, but where? "
He opened a door that led to the garage and I followed him to a sleek black motorcycle amongst the cars. "Manhattan."
" Are you planning on driving all the way there? "
"Of course not. We're shadow-walking. "
"Shadow-walking? That far?"
"You've never been further than a few feet, have you? " I shook my head and he sighed, slinging his long legs over the vehicle. "We have a lot to master in a month, princess. Hop on. "
"Sol," I mumbled as he handed me his swords, and I strapped them to my back and slid on behind him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I felt a low vibration against my chest as he chuckled. "What?"
He gripped my wrists and pulled them tighter around him, causing us to be plastered firmly together. I felt the steady rhythm of his heart through the cool leather of his coat and I'm sure he felt the less steady beating of mine as I tried to focus more on the mission than on him. "You've got to hold on tighter than that unless you want to kiss concrete. And take deep breaths; the first time crossing large distances is always the hardest."
Sairen revved the engine and the bike came alive, and I prepared myself to be swallowed by the dark shadows that pooled like ink on the wall ahead, forming a doorway. At first there was nothing but black as we drove through, then there were movement in the darkness — Schaduex, millions of them.
"Do you see them?" My voice was a whisper, only intended for Sairen to hear.
"I do. Take a deep breath, we're crossing. "
I did as he said but it still didn't prepare me for what came next. My head felt as if it were splitting and I swallowed the urge to scream, shutting my eyes as a strong wind tore at my skin as we crossed the in-between. The Schaduex rushed past as we sped up and all I heard was a sharp whistling in my head that grew louder as we moved. I didn't notice when the pain dulled or when the whistling died, I was too busy trying to keep myself upright as the entire place seemed intent on throwing me around.
"We're here." Sairen's voice sounded distant with the roaring in my ears and the gusts of wind that tore at my clothes. It took me a second to realize that it wasn't the same empty breeze from before, but the soft wind of the ocean. "Are you alright? "
"Yeah, just give me a minute..." I slowly opened my eyes, though the headache I had made it difficult to do so, and took in my surroundings. We were at some kind of warehouse, which by its broken windows and collapsing structure hadn't been used in a while. There was a dock overlooking the ocean which would have been used for loading and unloading shipments, but now half of it was submerged into the dark water along with large, rusted containers. There was no light surrounding the building and even the moon was cloaked behind the clouds, hiding from the heavy atmosphere of this place.
A slow, low scraping came from inside and our heads snapped towards the noise. Sairen slid off the bike and I followed suit, pulling my dagger from my boot.
"Before we go in, there's a few things we need to go over: This is a level eight demon so you need to be on guard at all times. The moment you get distracted is the moment you die—"
"A level eight demon?"
" Yes. As I was saying—"
"Let me get this straight; your idea of training is me fighting a level eight demon? "
" Yes. "
Something heavy had settled in the pit of my stomach. "Okay. "
" Are you scared? "
" Terrified. But like you said, " I clicked the hilt of my dagger, swinging the weapon as it extended. "I need more experience in battle if we're going up against him. I have to get my fear under control if I'm going to be face to face with the biggest monster of all."
"I'm glad you think that way since your only weapon is going to be yourself." Sairen plucked my sword from my hand and shrunk it again before tucking it into the belt around his waist. "Your problem isn't combat, it's you, your physical. Your endurance is low, you burn out fast, and that's why you loose fast. If you can get that under control Sol, you'll be unstoppable."
The first thing I noticed besides the utter darkness was the overpowering stench that burned my sinuses. The place smelt of rotted flesh and blood, but there was something beneath it, something stronger that just smelt wrong; the scent of a demon. Of death. My feet left soft thuds on the floor as we walked while Sairen's feet left silence. I called to the shadows like he did to cloak his steps and they answered, and with every step my footsteps became softer until they were inaudible.
Sairen's hand shot out and grabbed mine, squeezing intently. He nodded to the corner and it took all my courage not to run away right then; from a hole in the roof, dim moonlight shone down into the room, illuminating the beast that sat below.
It was tall and thin, nearing half the height of the ceiling in its crouched position; bone-like spikes protruded from its hunched back and large, grayish welts covered it's pale skin. I couldn't see its face with its back turned to us, but with the sounds coming from the demon and the blood pooling at its feet, it was feasting.
Sairen's swords slid from their holsters without a sound and he cocked his head to the other side of the room. I followed his signal, and we went in opposite directions, flanking the monster. He tapped his sword against a metal beam, once, twice, and the chewing stopped. The welts moved on the demon's back and I saw them for what they really were as they opened; eyes, hundreds of them covering every surface of its body, eyes that glowed orange in the dim light and shifted towards the disturbance. A deep, horrifying growl emanated from the demon's chest and it rose, revealing a bulging stomach as all six of its slim, sinewy legs unfolded from under its body.
Sairen vanished– that was the only way to explain the speed in which he moved– as a long gray tongue shot out at him. He pushed off of the beam and spun midair, evading attacks from its smaller tongues. His blades formed a black arc around him and they came down with a satisfying sound as the demon's tongues were severed from its mouth.
"First lesson;" He sounded perfectly composed as he dodged the remaining tentacles that craved to taste his flesh. "Tentacles, stingers and others as such are some of your biggest threats, always eliminate them first. "
He appeared on a beam high above, out of reach. " What are you waiting for? Your training has started. "
The fire that grew in my hand caught the demon's attention and it turned with agonizing slowness, its face finally coming into view; unlike the rest of its body, it was completely void of eyes, only a black, moist mouth filled with rows upon rows of knife-like teeth occupied the demon's head. A wet tongue licked the blood of its victim from around it's maw, then it pounced.
I darted to the side and the spot where I stood not a moment before was crushed under the weight of the demon's claws. My fire brightened the room, revealing the dozens of bodies piled in the corner and the pool of blood that splashed under my feet as I charged. Its spikes flew at me and I ducked, incinerating the ones that came too close.
"Careful," I heard Sairen say from somewhere above. " The spikes are poisonous."
As if on cue, one embedded itself in the concrete by my feet, and I watched as the ground sizzled and eroded under its touch. My fire wrapped around the demon's legs and the scent of burning flesh filled the room. The flames travelled up its body, tearing away skin but the demon still attacked, releasing a volley of poisoned spikes that sailed towards me at an alarming speed. The shadows beneath my feet swallowed me and I reappeared a few feet behind it, my whips of shadow surging outwards, wrapping around the demon's large body. It released a screech of agony as they sank into its flesh and teared at its hide, I pulled, willing the whips to do the same and the demon fell to the ground in pieces.
"Good," Sairen spoke but I kept my focus on the target; It wasn't disintegrating, so it wasn't dead. "But as I said; this is a level eight demon. Do you know what that means?"
I watched as the pieces pulsed and spasmed. "They harbor insane regenerative abilities. "
"Correct, and this species in particular is a massive pain in the ass." I felt him at my side not a second later and he held out my dagger to me. "That's why you always go for their brains. You cut off the nervous system, you cut off the life force . "
We watched as the pieces grew limbs and their limbs grew eyes, but the moment their heads started to reform we sliced it off again, and when the last piece was destroyed, the warehouse was filled with ash and the scent of decay.
The wind had picked up outside, spreading the rancid scent and sending harsh ripples across the dark waters of the ocean, and I wrapped my coat around me as I waited for Sairen to come out of the warehouse.
"The weather is off here, we should go." He pushed a small object into his pocket as he walked towards me, the sharp winds tearing at the fabric of his coat.
"You got what you needed?"
"I did; I just had to send the data back to headquarters. They should be here soon to dispose of the bodies and everything else." Sairen's breath was visible as he spoke, the white smoke creeping from his lips and into the chilly air despite it being late May. "Are you okay?"
" Yeah, that wasn't so bad. I was expecting more of a fight to be honest. "
Sairen looked at me from over his shoulder, shaking his head as he put on his helmet and slid onto the bike. "That's only because it was full; Vergox demons are normally ten times faster and a lot more aggressive. It usually takes five Ravens to take one down, maybe two for a complacent one like the one we just dealt with. "
"But they only sent you?"
He chuckled and handed me my helmet. "I thought we already established that I was special. You held out well by yourself in there; you did good. "
I placed my helmet over my head to cover my smile, but I was sure he felt it at the back of his head. The opening to the in-between started forming in front of us and I squeezed his arm.
" Do we have to go home now? " I think I needed fresh air, to actually breathe and not just take in oxygen, and I couldn't do that at the house where every inch reminded me of my childhood and all the memories that came with it.
The air stitched close and Sairen revved the engine. "I guess not."
Sometime during the ride I had taken off my helmet, letting the breeze hit my face and fill my lungs as the city went by in a blur around us and the wind ruffled my hair as we tore through its winding streets. I smelt the ocean and it opened up to my left seconds later, glittering in golds and reds from the city's millions of lights and soon bits of sand brushed my face as he drove closer to the beach and my smiled widened; I always loved the sea.
I practically jumped off the bike when we stopped and tore off my boots, sinking my feet into the cool sand. I ran to the shore, leaving Sairen behind, the cold water weaving around my ankles as I looked up at the starless sky above.
I felt him beside me and we started to walk, falling into step with each other. The water flowed through my toes as I walked and it reminded me of simpler days. " I didn't realize how much I missed the sea; when mom and I lived in Trinidad we spent our free time going across the country and visiting the beaches. It was really fun even though I came back burnt to a crisp. "
"Why did you leave? " Sairen walked a few feet away in the sand, his hands in his pockets as he listened.
"It was my fault; I lost control." A sudden cold seeped through my jacket as the memories flooded in. I felt something warm cover my shoulders and I drew Sairen's coat tighter around me. "Thank you. I was thirteen, and my nightmares had been particularly bad then. I was agitated and anxious all the time and my teacher was giving me a hard time about some assignment I didn't finish— or homework I didn't do, I don't remember. But I was unstable, and angry and ...sad. And I just exploded. I remember blacking out and when I woke up the school was burnt down. My teacher and all twenty-one of my classmates died that day... Including my best friend. "
I closed my eyes and I saw her face; her round brown face, her radiant smile and her kind eyes, then I saw her charred body on the floor; I only knew it was her because she had been holding my hand when I killed her. " Her name was Ommeta, but I used to call her Mimi since she didn't like her name; I liked it though. She was my first real friend after you and Matty and we had known each other for three years, but it took less than a minute for me to kill her. "
I felt his hand slip into mine, his fingers writing words across my palm. "What about you? What did you do after we...left?"
"I stayed with my mother's family in the North throughout the year and on most holidays and I lived with my grandfather during the school semesters, then I moved out when I was old enough to." He shrugged. "My story hasn't been as eventful as yours."
I studied him as he spoke, the way his face seemed to harden on certain words. It was minuscule, but it was there. "The only way to know if that's true is if we compare stories, but I can't do that if I don't fully know yours."
"You're right." Was all he said.
"Whenever you're ready, Sai." I nudged his arm and took back his hand that had slipped out of mine. " Lean on me for a change."
He draped his arm around my shoulders, putting all his weight on me and almost had me face planting into the ground, but I somehow managed to shrug him off before I ate sand. "I meant figuratively Sairen!"
He laughed as he steadied me, his head falling back as his face lit up and I couldn't help joining in. "You wanted to tell me something earlier? Before we left the house. "
So I told him what the Schadeux told me; about the ritual, about its purpose and how we were in deep shit if that's what was really going on. ".....They said they'd keep an ear out for any news."
" At least now we know what we're looking for instead of going in blindly like before. If we find the spell we can trace it back to the place with the strongest surge— " Someone collided with Sairen, stumbling a few steps before righting theirself.
"Sorry man, been a lil unsteady ." The stranger's voice was thick with alcohol and its scent seeped through his pores, mixing with the thin layer of sweat that coated his skin.
"Are you okay?" I asked, taking in his disheveled state.
" Just had a bit too much to drink, is all. " The man waved his hand in a dismissive gesture at my question and something black at the back of his wrist caught my eye.
"What's that on your hand, Sir? "
The man laughed, revealing few yellowed and missing teeth. " Ain't nobody ever called me 'Sir' but I like it. This? " He pointed at his hand with his half empty bottle of beer and the remaining contents spilled on the sand, but he dropped his wrist before I got a proper look. "A pretty lady came up to me yesterday and stamped this thing on me. Said it was a ticket to a fundraiser they having for the homeless. I said, 'Lady, look! You pretty and all but I'm getting all offended! I ain't got no house cause the entire world is free real estate!'
He laughed, a tired soft of laugh that was interrupted by a round of dry coughs. "She just smiled and told me to come anyway." He shrugged his bare, bony shoulders. "Who am I to say no to free food? "
My throat went dry, but thankfully Sairen spoke for me. "This fundraiser, did the lady say where it's being held or when it is? "
" Oh yeah, yeah. " The older man nodded, it seemed like more of a way to clear his thoughts than acknowledging the question . "She said it's in some fancy house on the outskirts of Brooklyn. Said they'll pick me up from the shelter."
"And the date?"
" June ninth, I think. " My head spun. That was three days before our deadline. " It's on the stamp somewhere. "
He held out his hand again, and it wasn't a stamp at all but a branding of sorts, and sure enough between the swirls of black ink identical to the symbol in my living room, was a little date. Only it wasn't June ninth, but June twelfth.
And the Greats shit in my dinner once again.
I somehow managed to find my voice, though it sounded distant even to my own ears." I don't think you should go, the whole thing sounds a bit sketchy to me. "
" It does, doesn't it? " The man rubbed his grimy chin. " I thought so too. "
I swore when the man was far enough away, cursing at everything I could think of and everyone who deserved it. "The twelfth of June is the deadline we were given; it can't be a coincidence that there's a fundraiser for the homeless on the same day after months of them going missing. They have to be using it as a cover. They're planning on sacrificing everyone there, cause I'm assuming there isn't just one homeless man in Manhattan. "
Sairen groaned, "Your assumptions would be right."
My second time crossing the in-between wasn't as bad; maybe because my mind was too occupied on something else that I didn't have the time to feel sick to my stomach.
The house was quiet and dark when we entered, having long since fallen asleep.
" Where are you going? "
I paused on the steps at Sairen's question, turning back to look at him. "I have to tell them."
"It can wait until the morning, no?" I started to say that, no, it couldn't wait until morning, but he cut me off. " Everyone is exhausted Sol, let's give them a couple more hours of rest before we drop another bombshell."
"Okay. Yeah, tomorrow it is."
I didn't want to wait anymore than I had to, but Sairen was right; everyone was exhausted. Jules was working around the clock trying to find a cure for Aunt-Drea and still looking after her wound when she came home, Tomas had been looking through thousands of books for a symbol that we aren't sure even existed before; Matt had long hours at work and Akali was pregnant. They needed the rest, no matter how little it was. "Well goodnight."
"Are you tired?"
"Not really. Are you?"
"Not remotely. Come on."
I fell into step with him as he walked. " Why are we in the kitchen?"
" Ice-cream and advil. Maybe a shot of something stronger. Simultaneously. "
"Sounds like a plan."
He procured a large tub of ice-cream from the fridge and laid it on the island next to the glasses he had taken out. " Now this is Kali's and she'll kill me if I have any so you're going to have to take the fall for this one."
I took the spoon from his hand hesitantly. "Why me?"
"I think she likes you more than she does me." He uncapped a bottle of whiskey and poured a little into the glasses, scooping two dollops of ice-cream into the dark liquid. "It's unfair, but understandable. Go on,"
I took a spoon of the concoction hesitantly and was pleasantly surprised. "It's good. What do you call it?"
"A distraction."
"That works." I shoveled some more of the distraction into my mouth and sighed. "How do you deal with this on a daily? All the fights and mysteries and long days?"
"Routine, I think. After a while it all just becomes normal."
I stared down at my glass, watching the ice-cream melt in the whiskey. "I don't want this to be my normal; I want lazy days and free time, not sleepless nights and tired days plotting revenge. "
His spoon paused by hip lips. "Revenge, not justice?"
I shook my head, which wasn't the best choice since it woke up the headache that had been pulsing at the back of my head the entire afternoon. "I don't want justice. Justice implies that there was a degree of fairness in it all but none of this is fair; nothing he did was fair. I want revenge, bloody, cruel revenge. Besides, what's justice other than one person's views on what's right when they believe they have been wronged? Justice is just revenge in diplomatic terms. "
Sairen 's eyes bored into mine as I spoke, a crease forming over the little black crescent. " You surprise me Sol and that rarely happens anymore, so it's a welcomed one."
"Why do I surprise you?"
He took my empty glass with his and placed it in the sink, leaning against the counter as the water ran on the dirty dishes. "I wasn't expecting you to be the same person that you were all those years ago, but still, I wish that were the case. You've changed. "
I frowned; I wasn't sure I liked where this was going. "Did I ?"
"You did. I don't like that you aren't happy anymore, that I haven't heard your laugh in eight years, that that son of a bitch has drained your light." He shut the water off and I watched as the sink swallowed the last bit of water, distracting myself with that irrelevant action to steady myself. " The smile has left your eyes Sol; I want to bring it back."
So do I. "I think I... I think I'm going to bed now. Goodnight, Sai. Thank you for tonight."
He turned back to the sink, washing away the evidence of our late night snack. "Goodnight Sol."
I took the stairs as quickly as I could without falling back down, every step becoming harder to take until I had to practically drag myself the rest of the way to my bedroom. I was shaking and covered in chills by the time I stepped into the bathroom, covering my mouth to keep the contents of my stomach in, but the moment I reached the toilet everything came rushing out. Blood gushed into the bowl as I heaved on the hard bathroom floor, cold sweat coating my entire body.
I didn't sleep that night. Even after the vomiting stopped and the chills and fever subsided, I sat on my bed, coughing up blood and waiting for sunrise; wondering if I'd be dead come morning.