by Lola StVil
“You were about to tell Sadie you don’t want to be the Seeker,” Kane says.
“What—no! I do. I will be the Seeker,” I reply.
“Okay, Disney, you spaced out a little, so you might have missed the part about Arken being allowed to use whatever means he wants to end your life before you can complete your quest,” Kane replies.
“No, I got it. Many other Seekers have been killed,” I reply.
“Not many—all. All six have been slaughtered in ways you aren’t even ready to hear about, let alone experience,” Kane counters.
“You don’t know me and what I can and can’t handle.”
“Oh, I know you. You’re the kind of girl that looks at a pile of dog crap and sees rainbows. You spend your time finding rhyme and reason in things that can’t possibly have a rhythm or a reason.
“You think this moment happening right here and now is the best that’s ever happened to you. And that from now on, your life will be interesting. You’ll have something to gossip about to your friends: oh, guess what I discovered today? There’s a whole world out there I didn’t know about! It’s filled with unicorns, magical witches, and wonder.
“Well, Princess, this isn’t the best day of your life—it’s the worst; you didn’t step in a pile of rainbow goodness, you stepped in dog shit. And it will stink more and more as you go along. You didn’t just enter a fairy tale; you were pushed into a nightmare. The entire Shadow world now knows you are the last Seeker. You can’t even begin to understand how much blood and mayhem is headed your way.
“You think you’re a character in some adventure novel with a moral message, a justice cause, and a happy ending. Let me help you: the vampires in our world don’t sparkle, the witches here don’t break out into song, and I guarantee you, you won’t be able to tame a pissed-off werewolf with a sweet sentiment and a smile.”
“I know what I’m getting into,” I protest.
“THEN WHY AREN’T YOU RUNNING!” he demands.
“Kane, enough!” Sadie says in a tone that leaves no room for arguing. She turns to me and places her hand on the side of my face. Her touch is cool and comforting. Her tone is warm, and the concern in her eyes is unmistakable.
“Kane is not wrong; if you choose to go on this quest, it will be very dangerous. There are new alliances formed between Arken and Shadow members every day. Just because the Alliance is with you doesn’t mean other members of the Shadow world are. Arken will bribe, threaten, and kill in order to get them to join him. You never know whom Arken has turned against humanity. There will be no one you can trust. No one but the five angels sent to protect you: the Maitoe,” she warns.
“The what?” I reply.
“Maitoe. They are your protectors. They will be waiting for you in the Hall of Grace, where you are scheduled to meet the Alliance,” she says.
“Okay, so the Maitoe can be trusted?”
“Yes, they were selected by Nyten because they are the most skilled and the most noble of angels.”
“Then I should be fine, right?” I ask.
“That’s not what she said. She said they were skilled. That doesn’t mean that they can stop you from getting killed,” Kane points out.
“What do you want me to do? Say “no” to saving the world?” I ask him.
“Do whatever the hell you want, lady. Just thought you’d like to know the facts about what you’re up against,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.
“Fine, you have warned me. What next?” I ask, ignoring the temperamental angel in the corner shaking his head in disapproval.
“I recite an ancient over the flames; I take a drop of your blood and let it drip into the fire. A symbol will appear, letting us know what the fifth requirement will be in the quest,” Sadie says.
“The requirement set by Arken? The one he asked his father to allow him to add, right?”
“Yes, Atlas, the four sacred things you need to gather are set by Orah. Every round, he selects different objects to be obtained in a certain order. But Arken selects the fifth sacred object. The first object will be made known to you in the upcoming days. However, as soon as your blood enters the fire, you will know what Arken requests of you because while it’s the fifth and final item, it will most likely be the most difficult to obtain.
“So, to be fair, the Alliance lets you know what Arken requires before you start your quest. If, after knowing the fifth item, you decide to take up the quest, we would then lock hands over the flames and repeat the chant. That would make you the next and final Seeker,” Sadie says.
“Got it. Drop of blood, some “old-sounding” words, an impossible to find object, and another chant,” I reply, trying to sound like this is something I do every day. She nods and then looks over at Kane, who glares at her before turning away. Sadie calls the fire to move closer to her. The flames are now inches away from our reach. Sadie chants in a language I’m sure I’ll never understand. The flames glow even brighter as she chants.
When she’s done, she nods her head signaling for me to hold out my right hand. I do as she says. She summons up a small dagger with a sharp, curved blade with symbols on the handle. She pricks my finger and drops the blood into the fire. The flames rise high in the air and form an odd symbol: a heart that twists itself into a cross.
“What does that mean? What does Arken want from the last Seeker?” I ask.
“Your heart,” Sadie says, filled with sorrow.
“Well, guess this little adventure ends right here,” Kane says.
“No, he wants my heart, he can have it after I gather the other objects,” I reply, hoping my voice doesn’t crack.
“You get that he’s not asking for chocolate-coated candy hearts, right?” Kane says.
“Yeah, I get that. He wants me to give him my actual heart. After we’ve gotten the other objects, I’ll have the Maitoe kill me. Then the world will be safe.”
“So, if the quest doesn’t kill you along the way, then the final act of winning the quest will require your life? You get how fucked up that is, right? I mean, when you fell out of the window, did you do so on your head?” Kane asks.
“When you pushed me and no, I didn’t. But I’m doing this,” I vow.
“Why? Why the hell would you agree to this bullshit?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do,” I reply. He studies me as if I’m some deep mystery he’s trying to solve. Then he finds a clue—in my eyes. I have no idea what that clue is, but it’s big enough to make him smile as if he’s solved a major mystery; he nods to himself.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?” I demand to know.
“Nothing—go on, Sadie, make it official,” he says, looking at me with newfound interest.
“Whatever, can we keep going?” I ask. Sadie nods but does not join her hand with mine.
“What is it?” I ask.
“Arken has never demanded a heart. I didn’t know that you would die,” she says gravely.
“The hell you didn’t!” he says sardonically.
“I didn’t! I knew she’d face danger but she’d have help. But now…maybe I can take your place. Maybe I—”
“Sadie, you know Sia is the one who chooses the last Seeker. You don’t have a choice now,” Kane says.
“No, I suppose not,” she says sadly as she takes my hand in hers. As soon as we touch, the flames grow once again. The fire comes alive and starts to encircle us. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t break the bond forged by our hands interlocking. Sadie chants and shouts for me to repeat after her.
None of the words I’m saying make sense to me. But the more we chant, the more the fire around us grows. Sadie chants one last time, this time shouting at the top of her lungs. I follow her lead and shout out to the heavens. The fire engulfs us and explodes, sending all of us tumbling into the air. Kane and Sadie are able to land gracefully on the ground; me, not so much.
I place my hand on my sore lower back and curse the rock that I landed on. Kane comes over
and looks down at me.
“It’s official, Princess; you are now the last Seeker,” he says, shaking his head. Sadie helps me up off the ground. The concern on her face is unmistakable. She looks like she’s going to cry.
“Sadie, it’s okay,” I promise her.
“How could they let Arken demand your heart? That’s cruel and insane. You’re like my daughter. I would never have sought you out if I knew that the fifth requirement…” She can’t bring herself to finish her thought. She places her hand over her mouth, and tears begin to form.
“Sadie, please stop crying, okay?” I plead. I look over at Kane and silently demand he say something to help me comfort her.
“Okay, look. If it helps, Atlas here was looking for a way to die.”
“What! Kane, that’s ridiculous. Atlas would never do a thing like that. Tell him he’s wrong…” Sadie says.
“Yeah, Princess, tell me I’m wrong…”
I have never seen Sadie this heartbroken, not even when my mom died. She looks at me as if I betrayed her in some way. I would give anything to take that expression of sorrow and despair off her face. She inhales deeply and walks past me and out of the cave. Once we are alone, I tackle Kane, kicking and punching him as hard as I can.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” I shout as I hit him. He blocks me effortlessly.
“Hey, calm down!” he orders.
“I should kill you for hurting her like that!” I rage as I raise my fist high in the air and land a blow to his face as hard as I can. He catches it inches away from his face and twists my arm so that it’s behind me.
“Let go of me!” I holler.
“You have new powers you don’t know how to use yet. Stop,” he warns.
“Get. Off. Me,” I bark, seething. He lets me go and wisely takes a step back. I watch from the opening of the cave as Sadie tries to compose herself.
“So, what it this? Have you been watching me? Did you use some angel-magic-fairy dust thingy to spy on me? How did you know I wanted to…?” I ask.
“I know what someone looks like when they are praying for death. I’ve been in battle,” he says.
“That’s it? You weren’t spying on me for months?”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Princess. I have things to do,” he spits out.
“You didn’t know that just by looking at me,” I reply.
“Look, forget it, okay? I should have just kept my damn mouth shut.”
“Kane, you had no right to say that to her.”
“You wanted me to make her feel better. So I did.”
“Argh! Does it look like she feels better?” I shout as I look towards Sadie, who’s outside the cave with her head down and her arms folded before her.
“You wanted my help, so I gave it.”
“You really think that was helpful?”
“Look, she was freaking out and I told her the truth.”
“You broke her heart,” I accuse.
“Really? Who’s more at fault here? I just pointed out what anyone could see you were feeling. She’s not mad at me for saying it, she’s angry as hell at you for thinking it.”
“I never would have gone through with it. I wouldn’t take my life,” I reply weakly.
“Well, now you won’t have to. The quest will do it for you.”
“No, I’m helping because I want to save the world.”
“Yeah, whatever you need to tell yourself, kid,” he says. I head outside the cave and try to talk to Sadie, but she tells me she just needs a few minutes alone. She sounds really upset and deeply disappointed. I head back into the cave to kill Kane.
“Look at her, she’s really hurt. What is wrong with you? Seriously, why would you say that to her?” I demand, marching right up to him, leaving very little room between us.
“Because I wanted you to know that I see you,” he says.
“What does that mean, Kane? Are you trying to show me that I can’t ‘pull anything over’ on you? Wow, you must be really smart. You figured out that a girl who just lost her mother gets sad sometimes and has a few bad thoughts,” I scold.
“Not sometimes, all the time. And it’s not just sadness; it’s a huge fucking hole that drains all the color from the world and eats away at you every second of every day. But that’s not the way I meant it when I said ‘I see you.’”
“Then what did you mean?”
“Argh! I don’t know… I… Fuck!” he says as he starts pacing up and down the cave.
“Did you say that to her to be cruel? Is this fun for you?”
“No.”
“Then what?” I push. When he replies, his voice isn’t laced with its normal cold, sardonic tone. Instead, he speaks in a whisper as if saying what he’s about to say will somehow come with grave consequences.
“When you lose someone, it’s like you die too. You do normal things, go about your life like you’re okay, but inside you start to fade. It’s like you are a ghost haunting your own life. You don’t care about anything or anyone, least of all yourself.
“I couldn’t figure out why you weren’t scared of our world or why you agreed to the quest so quickly. But then I realized you’re not really here. I mean your body’s here, but your heart and soul are vanishing. I thought maybe if you knew that I saw you, maybe it would stop you from fading away altogether…”
He looks into my eyes as if he can see right through what’s left of my soul. I feel more naked now than I did when I was naked on the roof of the motel. He’s exposed a secret I’ve worked so hard to conceal. I should hate him for that. I do. But there’s something else I’m feeling—what is it? Relief. Holding on to the depression I’ve had since my mom died has been hard; it’s made me feel heavy. But right now, standing in front of the angel, I feel weightless.
It’s not just what he said, it’s the way he said it. It’s the empathy in his voice that shakes me to my core. There’s also the matter of his eyes. How the hell does he get them to be so damn blue and mesmerizing? His intense gaze quiets the world outside. It keeps the winds from blowing and somehow holds both time and me hostage.
He takes a step forward, closing the small gap between us. My head says take a step back, but I don’t remember how to move. My face is flushed; I’m tingling from the tips of my hair down to my toes. My pulse is racing at speeds that will soon require medical attention. There’s a flutter in the pit of my stomach, like the kind you get when you’ve reached the highest peak on a roller coaster and start to drop back down; it’s exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
He looks at me with a dark expression. He wants me; I can tell by the way his eyes study my lips. But it’s easy to see the longing he feels upsets him. It’s as if his feelings are betraying him, and like me, he’s powerless to stop what’s about to happen…
“We have to go, now!” Sadie says as she bursts into the cave.
“What is it?” Kane asks, on high alert.
“Lycans,” she says.
“What pack?” he asks.
“Santos.”
He swears under his breath as he ushers me towards the back of the cave.
“What are Santos lycans?” I ask.
“There are three werewolf packs. And the Santos are the least reasonable of them all,” Sadie says, and she begins to chant at the wall of the cave.
“What Sadie’s trying to say is that they’re all assholes and they’d kill us before they let us explain we didn’t come to cause trouble,” Kane replies.
“We’re not allowed to be here?” I ask.
“We have a treaty with the lycans. We do not enter their land without permission,” Sadie says as she taps on various points of the wall of rock, forming a circle. The wall melts before our eyes, and a swirling void appears before us.
“That’s so cool. Am I gonna learn to do that?” I ask.
“Not if you’re dead, Princess, so move it!” Kane says as he points me towards the void.
“These woods are heavily enchanted, and now th
at they’ve seen me, the shields are up. That means Kane won’t be able to take you by air. You’ll have to make it out of the forest by foot. This will get you close, but you’ll still have a few more miles to go.”
“What about you, Sadie?”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. You’re all that matters. Kane, get her to the Hall of Grace. Please,” she says.
“I will.”
She turns towards me and puts her hand on the side of my face.
“Atlas…” she says in a pained whisper.
“Sadie, I wasn’t going to—I mean…”
“It’s okay, we’ll talk later. Do what Kane tells you. He’ll get you to the angels. I’ll see you there,” Sadie says. We hear the sky crack open with a loud howl that shakes the earth beneath us.
“Let’s go!” Kane says as he drags me into the newly formed pathway. We enter the void and only see a flash of lights. Moments later we are surrounded by massive tree trunks, branches, and large rock formations. The sun vainly tries to break through the ceiling of leaves overhead. There are only a few breaches in the greenery where the light’s getting through, just enough to see all the stones and boulders and rocks strewn about.
We can see the clearing that leads out of the forest—it’s less than a mile away. Kane and I are about to make our way down the path, but we are stopped cold by a booming voice.
“Now, you weren’t going to leave without saying goodbye, were you?” someone says behind us. We turn and find four large, buff guys with beefy necks. They are built like linebackers on some serious steroids. The one who spoke is leaning on a tree with his arms folded before him. He has long dark hair and a menacing voice, and his cool smugness tells me he’s the one in charge.
Next to him are three guys—each more buff than the next. One of them has an earring and spiky hair. Next to him stands a black guy with dreadlocks and dead eyes. The third guy has a large scar down his face.
“We don’t allow trash on our land. You know that, Kane,” the leader says.
“What can I say, the girl has a thing for doing it in forbidden places,” Kane says, shrugging his shoulders.
“You want us to believe you came here to score with some random human?” the spiky hair guy asks.