by J E Mueller
That just raised more questions than answers. Why would he follow us?
It struck me they’ve been working together for over a decade. Maybe he still felt responsible or attached to Rosalie. It was hard to say since I had not seen much of their friendship. In the years I’d known them, we hardly said more than a couple of things to one another. Now, I wished I knew more about these two. Hopefully, Jareth would come around, but I didn’t put much hope in that thought.
That night we camped knowing we were only a few more hours from our destination. I felt restless and wondered what the outcome of this would be. Part of me wished we had just stayed on course. It would have been nice to see Mother again. It dawned on me that I still could. Since I was supposed to be sleeping anyway, slipping out of my body wouldn’t be hard.
I snuck off. It was surprisingly easy to slip into the spirit realm this time and to locate where I wanted to go. Home was always close to my heart and easy to remember how to get to. I was in my village in no time, and seconds later I was back home.
I saw my brother still up late, speaking softly and flirting with a girl by the fire. I smiled. He hadn’t really shown interest in anyone, so it was nice to see him happy. He knew well he didn’t need anyone to complete him, and I hoped the two of them would work well together.
Mother was already asleep. It amused me that my brother was speaking so softly, with the illusion of letting her sleep better. Mother could sleep through storms. A tree had once, many years ago, fallen on the house. It startled everyone awake, and even some neighbors, yet she somehow slept through it. As a spirit, I couldn’t easily wake her. Seeing her was enough for me.
“I miss you,” I said to her.
She seemed to blink in confusion and looked around. With a yawn, she rolled back over. Did she hear me? It was hard to say, but I didn’t want to accidentally wake her again. Feeling worlds better, I returned to my body.
Morning, as usual, came too soon. My head throbbed, and I tried to relieve the pain by rubbing my temples. It wasn’t enough, but things needed to be done. I was surprised Lydia was already up and out of the tent. After getting ready, I found her sitting next to Danni. They were speaking so low I couldn’t hear them, and they stopped before I reached them.
“Morning, sleepy,” Lydia beamed.
“Since when are you up ages before me?” I yawned at her. “What were you talking about?”
Lydia yawned back. “Only half up before you.”
“Lliam said there seemed to be more spirit activity in the area,” Danni commented.
“Oh?” While I shouldn’t be surprised, we weren’t that far from some larger villages – a day or two in most directions – but still, I hadn’t often noticed many in this area.
“Whatever the reason, we need to be ready for problems,” Danni replied. “I assume you still have all your daggers?”
I nodded. “Of course. It’d be silly to leave anything behind.”
“Especially with how much we travel.” Lydia laughed.
“Very true,” I agreed, leaning against Lydia. “Do we even have a plan?”
“Eh, if it can be considered a plan.” Lydia glanced at Danni.
Danni shrugged. “I remember well enough how to make a gate, but creating a whole new realm thing is a bit more complex. It is a much more finicky process and if things change we need to adjust accordingly and immediately. There will not be hours or days to consider things.”
“I’m good at adjusting plans, shy of killing any innocents of course,” I replied.
Lydia nodded. “I can agree with that. That is a very reasonable limit. What about you, Danni?”
Danni considered the question for a moment before giving a reply. “Definitions vary. Drawing blood from someone living is hard, but spirits are still living beings. Their energies need to be harnessed and transformed in some way. Is taking essence from a different form killing something?”
Lydia paused, unsure how to respond. “I guess if it’s still actively part of something it isn’t really dead… but that is kind of a stretch.”
“Creating a new realm is a stretch,” Danni pointed out. “Something can’t really be created from nothing. Energies went into everything you see. Spirits are transformed upon death once they reach the gates here. The only way one world gets more of something is when it gets more energy from another place. We shrink and grow constantly. This will displace some of the energy elsewhere.”
Lydia blinked a few times. “I think I liked the for beginner’s version better. This is getting way too complicated.”
Danni gave a small laugh. “Just follow along and be ready to make choices. That’s all you need to do.”
Nodding, Lydia got up and stretched. “I think I can handle that.”
“Then we should be good to go.” Danni gave a more confident nod. She passed me a bowl of food. “Eat up so we can get going soon.”
I watched Lydia go to start breaking things down before looking back over at Danni. “I sense something is going on.”
“Well, you are not wrong.” Danni shrugged.
“So, what is going on?” I asked tiredly as I tried to force myself to eat.
“It’s going to take a lot more energy to make things work than I initially expected. Nothing bad or anything, but I’ve had to have several discussions with our little team here. We can make this work, and everyone does have a part to play.”
“That’s very vague.” I sighed.
“Your part is very clear.” Danni shifted as she sat.
“And that part would be?” I asked, watching her carefully.
“Key will need your daggers. I have figured out you don’t need special ones. Instead of using your spirit energy to slide into your other form, send that to whatever weapon you have. There’s a whole process to fuse it and create those weapons, but we don’t have time for that.”
“Why does Key need them?” I was more concerned by that fact.
“I have a gut feeling Mist has caught on to us,” Danni stated, getting up. “Eat up so we can go.”
I got up with my food and followed her. I had a feeling Mist would catch on sooner rather than later. “And what exactly does that mean? Obviously she’d like to stop us.”
Danni stopped and turned toward me. I took a large bite of food and motioned for her to answer. I wasn’t going to let her escape my questions that easily.
Sighing she continued, “That would explain the extra spirits Lliam and the others have seen in the area. We can use the Blessed to hide from demons. If she’s recruited any angels, we’ve no way to hide. What that means for us is that things are possibly going to get complicated soon.”
“How can she get in contact with them? She can hardly leave where she is, otherwise the demons could get in,” I asked curiously.
“With a few of the right strings pulled, she can have someone else watch. It wouldn’t take long to get in contact with an angel, and they have to take these threats seriously. Past that, it’s like a stalemate. Blessed against Blessed magic, like when Key faces demons on her own. They will be hard to vanquish, and hopefully none of the bigger names will get involved.” Danni sighed. “The bigger names would be an actual problem.”
“We seem to already have a big name demon involved. I don’t know if we stand a chance on that note.” I shrugged and took another bite. “So, we work quickly and hope for the best… or?” I left the statement hanging open.
“Pretty much,” she agreed and started to gather her things together. “If we can’t get enough done before they strike, then we’re pretty much done for.”
I took another bite and realized she had never answered my initial question. “So, why would Key need my daggers?”
“I have no doubt that Mist would gladly unleash some vial spirits on us and we could use the extra help.” Danni sighed.
I stared at her for a moment before I understood. “She’d release Romulus even after all that work she did to capture him?”
“He is more than crazy enou
gh to stop us and bring help.” Danni nodded firmly. “Sure, catching him again would be terrible, but if it gets her what she wants… I don’t know if Mist knows where to draw the line.”
“Better do that now, then,” I replied as I finished my food. If she were to set him free and he had figured out how to harm others, there was no doubt he would gladly attack our party and make Key his primary target.
I joined Lydia and helped her finish packing and tearing things down. While she was normally ready for a good fight, she looked tired.
“You doing okay?” I asked her as I joined in.
“This whole adventure has been exhausting, life-altering, and complete nonsense. We’re up against too much that's stronger than us. It’s really down to luck and who can work the fastest.” She shook her head. “We both know luck isn’t on either of our sides.”
“That’s why you’re the best dodger right?” I nudged her. “We do stand a chance. Sure, it’s not the greatest, but it’s there. We’ve got to try.”
“I can only dodge so much, and if the bigs on either side get involved, well, I’m not that fast,” she replied looking tired. “Even you’re not that fast.”
“Good thing no one can cross over right now.” I grinned. “I’ll give them hell before they can figure out what to do with my ghost.”
Lydia chuckled. “Well, as far as backup plans go, that’s not the worst.”
“So, die trying, and try after dying?” I smirked.
“Perfect. Worst plan yet.” Lydia laughed, slinging her pack over her shoulder. “Let’s do it.”
Chapter 25
With everyone ready to go, we set a hard, quick pace. Hoping to reach our destination before anyone knew where we were, and praying they hadn’t correctly guessed where it was. There was too much luck required for any of this to work, and none of us had that much good luck.
It was too late when I realized the biggest flaw in our plan. Jareth was following us. He was far enough back to not be a part of our protection and any force – demons, spirits, or angels – could simply follow him if they thought he was associated with us. I wanted to pray no one would guess correctly, but I was worried those prayers would be heard.
I held Lydia’s hand tightly as we neared the location. “Remember Juni’s magic?” I asked, remembering a conversation from weeks ago.
“Of course. It’s so odd but usually very cute,” Lydia replied.
“It is. Just little facts she knows without a doubt. She’s never wrong, even if she can’t see what it means,” I replied, walking myself through the thought. “Before I left, Mother and I had an argument.”
Lydia squeezed my hand. “That’s not uncommon. What about it is bothering you.”
“Mother swore she’d never see me again. I swore she would. Auntie Juni was there, and for a moment, I remember her looking torn about how to respond, but she replied nonetheless.” I took a deep breath. “She said I was right. I’d see her again.”
“That’s a good thing, though.” Lydia smiled for a moment. Seeing my concern made her falter. “What’s wrong?”
“I think Juni took so long to reply because we were both right. She didn’t know that could be true, so she agreed with me since it was positive. Well, it sounds more positive anyway,” I replied glancing away. “I visited her in spirit form last night. It was nice to be able to see her again.”
“Oh no.” Lydia stopped and hugged me tightly. “We still don’t know what it means. It could be anything. This could take years to really fix and solve. Maybe… I don’t know…”
While it could be many things, it more likely meant one of two things. Either Mother died before seeing me, or I died before she could see me.
I hugged her tightly for another moment. “Either way, we can’t stop now.” I dragged her along, trying to put on a strong face. I couldn’t lose this brave front now.
“I wish I could see the future.” She sighed, letting me drag her along.
“I don’t know if we’d really want to know the outcome of this in advance or not,” I replied. “Even if we succeed it may not end well for us. Victory doesn’t always end well for the victors.”
“I’m going to hope with every fiber of my being that this ends well for you,” Lydia replied.
“For us,” I corrected her, squeezing her tightly.
“Nah, I’d gladly lay my life down for you.”
“Stop that nonsense talk,” I grumbled at her.
“Too late. Guess we’ll have to work extra quickly so we can all survive.” Lydia smirked.
I was going to reply before Danni turned and stopped to let us catch up to her. “We haven’t much longer now,” she stated.
“Before reaching the spot, or before we have to fight?” I asked. I was glad I had already given Key my daggers before we left camp.
“Likely both. I’m sure you’ve noticed the spirits hanging around.” Danni replied.
“Any sign of the others we need to worry about?” I asked her.
Danni shrugged. “No. None at all. That concerns me more than seeing some actually.”
She didn’t look bothered by this at all. How many times had things been life or death for her that she could now look at this situation and not show worry? I had no doubt she was afraid, but she had it so well masked.
We continued walking for a few more minutes before Danni stopped the group. “Here it is,” she stated. Without another word, she took off her pack and started pulling things out. A small shovel, some stones in various shapes and colors, and a knife. As she started digging a hole, she began to direct everyone.
“Emmyth, you have the the strongest connection to the angels. Have you sensed any?” She asked as she continued to work.
“None,” he replied with a shrug.
“Good. Now concentrate. See if you can find one without connecting to it at all.” Danni kept digging and slowly rounded out her hole. “Lee, how much do you trust your instinct?”
“Fairly well… I’m unsure what you mean though,” Lee replied.
“You can see some of the future, correct?” Danni asked instead. After he nodded she continued. “When is the first strike against us?” She didn’t wait for him to answer before continuing. “Key, we’ve already talked. You know to stand your ground.”
“If I’ve survived this once, I sure as hell am going to survive this again.” She nodded, her determination alone was enough to cause Lee to pause.
“What did you discuss?” he asked confused.
“It is likely that the Mad King will pay us a visit,” she replied simply. “If and when he does, I’m ready for him.”
Lee looked instantly tired at the thought. “Why does he need to be involved again?”
“Visions now, pondering that later,” Key replied. “He’s been stopped before. I’ll gladly help stop him again.”
Lee sighed, but returned to the task at hand. His eyes were alight with magic as he considered the possible paths ahead.
“Lydia, remember our discussion?” Danni asked.
“What are you hiding now?” I asked Lydia.
Lydia just shrugged and smiled. “It’s nothing worthwhile. Just that angels can be defeated by Blessed…. But not easily.”
“You’ve really got to stab them deeply and blast your magic before they can heal the wound to cause damage,” Key commented. “An actual kill shot takes a lot of extra effort.”
“Exactly.” Lydia smiled. “Hopefully, that won’t even be necessary. I am still fond of most of my team. For the better of this world though, it’s time for them to go.”
Danni finished digging and arranging the other things she brought with her. Everything was laid out in a particular way within the dirt.
“Well, anything for me and Rosalie?” I asked curiously.
Danni glanced at Rosalie and they nodded toward each other. “Hack and slash.”
“Done deal,” she replied before glancing off in the distance. “And here’s my troublemaker.” I could feel her pus
h her magic toward him, signaling not only to him, but also to us that we knew he was there.
Danni looked at me. “I’ve no extra words for you, but I’m pretty certain you’ll figure out what to do without them.”
I wasn’t sure if she meant that in a good way or not. Following a plan I often tended to add my own spin to things. Or you know, just completely change the plan at the last minute… Sighing, I watched to see what she was doing and was surprised to watch her prick her finger.
“What are you doing?” I had to ask.
“There’s a lot of energy and magic in blood. It’s a good way to bind things together. If possible, I’d like a drop of everyone's blood. Nothing big, a prick of the finger is perfect. No need for drama or serious injury,” Danni explained.
“So you can bind us to this task,” Lee stated coming out of his visions. “Even if we die we can make this work if we’ve already been magically bound to this.”
“Yes, and it takes several souls to create a new realm. Not meaning your soul will be trapped by any means, just that the extra energies can be applied to something before you move on,” Danni explained, happy that Lee seemed to understand. “Unless you want to dedicate your soul to a planet. That would save lots of time and energy.” No one replied to that. “All right, suit yourselves.” She wasn’t bothered at all, likely having guessed no one wanted to do that.
Rosalie, not bothered by the comments, walked to the hole first and pricked her finger. Once a drop of blood fell in she walked away. “May this be my last encounter with demons in this realm.”
Danni smiled. “I hope you are right.”
With no more words or need for explanation, everyone else joined in.
“So, possible paths,” Lee stated, getting everyone's attention again. “There isn’t a good one. There are a few less terrible ones, but…” He shook his head and turned to Danni. “I don’t know what you’re looking for.”
“Just to see if the plan works, and which path makes it work,” Danni replied simply. “There is naturally no path where everyone lives, and yet we can still try.” She offered a sad smiled.