by S. E. Akers
“Still feel like laughing?” Damiec goaded as he slowly turned the lodged barb.
I grunted out a long, agonizing squall while I prayed for him to stop.
“I DIDN’T THINK SO!” Damiec bellowed as he tugged out the last barb and dropped it on the ground.
The dream I had about him months ago surfaced, adding insult to my current injuries. And I thought he was “hot”.
Damiec stared at his blood-soaked hands. I watched and waited for him to take the bait through a blurry pair of watery eyes. The longer the intoxicating scent flooded his nostrils, the more his demeanor began to shift. And that wasn’t all. Damiec’s hands had turned into the hideous talons I’d seen him sporting in New Orleans. I trailed them up his arms and straight to his head to find that even it had morphed into something more animalistic in appearance — a gruesome, fanged gargoyle-like mug. An ashen covering of flesh and the shape of his eyes were the only humanly features that remained. Even his seductive, high-arched brows were now protruding like two knotty horns.
Damiec pressed his monstrous face against the maiden. “My nightmare ends tonight,” he vowed. “But yours has only begun.” He snatched the handkerchief from off the floor and began wiping his hands. I watched with a crestfallen gaze while my heart crashed into my stomach. “I don’t want to spoil my appetite,” he growled. The more he wiped the blood off his hands, the faster his appearance changed back into a human being. “You should have never darkened the door of that voodoo shop,” Damiec smirked. He threw what now looked like a bright-red rag down on the table and stormed out of the cell.
My breaths turned into restless pants. All THAT…for nothing? He didn’t take a single drop! My head crashed against the front of the maiden. There goes my “ingenious” plan. My pulse quickened with every minute that passed. Kamya’s agonizing screams were only making the thoughts of my grim future even worse. My only hope now lay in the remote chance that he would discover Helio when he was stripping me of the diamond’s power…before it was too late.
I lifted my head to find Damiec standing in the doorway. His gaze looked full of suspicion, like he was entertaining some curious thought. Nervously, I watched him walk over to the table. Though he was blocking my view, I could tell he was either going through my things meticulously or possibly searching inside my purse again. Oh, crap! Does he suspect that it’s a gris-gris? Can he break the spell? I waited with bated breath for him to pull out his hand, praying it would be empty. He stood there for a minute and then slowly turned around. Empty-handed and arms now down by his side, Damiec approached me sporting an inscrutable expression. He reached down to pick one of the bloody barbs off the floor and then paused to simply look into my eyes.
What the heck is he doing? I quickly held my breath and locked every one of my throbbing muscles, anticipating another nasty round.
The sound of clomping footsteps blared throughout the room. “It is time you wrap up your fun, Damiec,” Federo laughed as he entered. “We must get going.”
“Yes,” Damiec agreed and then pitched the barb off to the side.
Federo snapped his fingers. “We will load her into the back of the truck as she is,” he ordered to his men and scooped up my two rings lying on the table.
Damiec cleared his throat suggestively. “I hope you are planning on putting that ring on her finger before I claim the diamond. She needs to be wearing the tiger’s-eye, so its ownership will transfer to me.”
Federo forced a grin. “Of course,” he insisted.
“What about her bag?” Damiec inquired.
“She won’t be needing it where she’s going,” Federo laughed.
“Take it,” Damiec insisted as he placed all of my belongings back inside the purse. “Tanner will eventually come looking for her. The less evidence, the better.”
“I suppose you are right,” Federo concurred. “We’ll pitch it into the lava, right along with her.”
LAVA? I slumped as much as my quarters would allow. Helio, if you’re really in here, PLEASE help me…
Valisco whispered something to Federo. “My apologies. We will dump you into the lava AFTER Valisco has claimed your head. You won’t feel a thing…from the lava anyway.” The two cohorts exchanged a boisterous round of laughter as they headed out of the dungeon cell. “Always the collector, aren’t you?” Federo remarked with a hardy chuckle. Not a second later, Federo’s men had a hold of the iron maiden, threw me back in a jerk, and began carting me out of the cell.
Screw Helio! Tanner Grey, where the Hell are you!?!
Within minutes, they had pitched me into the back of a truck with a carless sling, worthy of any delivery schlub’s praise, and I found myself bumping helplessly down the road. We finally came to a stop after a long, extremely grueling, and unquestionably painful ride through the mountains. I thought four wheelin’ in Samuel’s old Jeep was rough, but it had nothing on this backwoods ride-from-Hell. My butt was still rattling and I couldn’t feel my shackled wrists anymore because they were so numb. Though I was sure when the feeling came back, they were going to ache like a mother.
The next thing I knew, my confined horizontal frame was being slid out of the truck. With one harsh “thud”, they plopped me on the ground. Now my feet were jarred. Someone banged on the iron lid three times. As soon as it opened, several of Federo’s goons yanked me out and propped me onto my stinging feet.
Federo approached me. “You will walk from here,” he ordered.
I scanned our dark jungle surroundings. We were standing amongst a chain of mountains, but oddly beside the edge of a cliff. There was nowhere else to go. The closet thing was another mountain, but it was hundreds of yards across a perilous canyon. The river below looked even farther down.
Federo turned to his shuar witch. “Valisco, if you would be so kind,” he remarked with a nod. Valisco strutted to the edge of the cliff and raised his staff. He chanted some strange words, over and over, while he waved his mystical skull-topped stick violently. As soon as he slammed the staff onto the ground, the earth beneath us started to quake. Magically, rocks from both sides of the canyon started breaking away from the mountain walls. They swirled in the air and melded together, slowly forming a rugged, narrow bridge.
“Come,” Federo urged to Damiec. “Destiny awaits.” Damiec trailed the jaguar-in-sheep’s-clothing onto the bridge. Valisco grabbed my arm, practically pushing me to play follow-the-leader. Halfway across, I stopped abruptly and threw my back into Valisco. He lost his balance, but was able to use the man behind him as a brace. Federo’s thug didn’t fare as well. He was thrown off guard and went off the side screaming as he plummeted down the treacherous canyon. His echoing wails eventually came to a loud, “bang” of an end. Valisco whipped his head up like he was ready to pitch me off the bridge, right then and there.
I shrugged my shoulders. “Ooops,” I mumbled through my gag.
Valisco sharpened his scowl and pointed his machete at my neck. “Move!” he growled. “Or I will claim your head right now!” I whirled around to catch Federo’s glare and a surprising grin on Damiec’s face, though it flattened almost immediately.
As we approached the end of the bridge, I spotted two large, crumbly columns framing an austere opening in the side of the mountain. A crude beam rested above that revealed countless scratchy carvings. They appeared to have been made with animal claws. I didn’t know what they symbolized (if anything) but they sure didn’t scream “welcome”.
My captors led me through a craggy and cramped tunnel. The light from their torches illuminated heaps of skeletons, both human and animal, scattered all along our earthy path. The sight was bad enough, but the air wafting in the tunnel was worse. It reeked of brimstone and death.
An orangey glow just up ahead let me know that the end of the road was near — mine. We stepped into an ominous cavern that looked as if it had been painted and lit with the fiery side of a color wheel. He wasn’t kidding about the volcano either. A river of thick molten rock was surging at
the bottom of a rocky ravine inside the cave. Scores of savage-looking peaks zigzagged through the interior like a ridge of sharp blades. Everything else was just dismal and stark. Even the scorched earth that flowed under our feet looked like a gritty black sea.
“Home sweet home,” Federo announced as he carelessly flung my purse on the ground. He turned to Damiec. “Is it still as you remember?”
“My eyes are misty with sentiment,” Damiec grumbled.
Federo grinned. “I could not think of a place more fitting for you to receive your just deserts.”
My lips parted. This has to be where Adamas left Damiec to die.
Federo pointed to two of his men and clapped his hands. “Lay her on the stone,” he ordered.
As one of the men approached me, several globs of lava shot up from out of the magma chamber and exploded in the air. One of Federo’s men got hit in the face and fell to his knees screaming.
Federo snapped his fingers. “Valisco, check his wounds. See if you can be of assistance.” The shuar witch jerked the cowering thug to his feet. After a superficial examination of his gory smoldering flesh, Valisco whipped out his machete and sliced off his head with one swipe.
Valisco held the man’s head in the air. “There. His pain is gone,” he assured with a stone-cold glare and then kicked his carcass into the fiery ravine.
Every hair on the back of my neck shot to attention. I was sure his sympathetic gesture was strictly for my benefit. I guess he’s still ticked about the bridge… But then again, every batter needs a freakin’ practice swing. Valisco prowled straight towards me, honing his lop-sided dark grin as he etched the tip of the machete into the ground behind him.
Damiec stepped in front of his path. “Enough with the theatrics,” the Bloodstone Talisman ordered. “I’ve appeased them long enough. Let’s get this over with!”
“You are right, old friend,” Federo conceded. “Valisco, you will have your fun soon. It’s time to get the festivities under way.” The Amber Talisman snatched my arm and threw me down on a large slanted slab. “My apologies, young one, but fate cannot be denied.”
“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Damiec interrupted. “Her ring?”
“Ahhh… But of course,” Federo affirmed with a nod. “Where is my head?”
Damiec grinned. “I’m sure it was a mere oversight.”
Federo threw Damiec a curious look. “Yes,” he muttered and then slipped the ring on my finger. “There. Now you may proceed.”
My heart was about to explode through my chest. Crap! This is really happening! I think in the back of my mind I’d hoped Tanner or Kamya would have shown up out of the blue to rescue me, but as I watched Damiec lower himself beside me, I knew all the wishful thinking in the world couldn’t save me now. My only chance rested with the monster staring back at me. Surely he’ll be able to see who’s inside me. I began pleading to the cosmos. Please let him see Helio before he takes my powers completely!
Federo walked over, tossing the diamond I’d given Tanner in his hand. “Allow me,” he insisted to Damiec and then scored a spot on my neck with the stone, plunging it deep into my artery. The excruciating pain was met with a rush of wet warmth flowing down my skin. I didn’t have to see it. From the looks of the transformed creature now staring back at me, I knew exactly what it was and how much was pouring out.
“I wasn’t always the beast you see,” Damiec announced as he swept one of his talon-like fingers across my cheek. He took a deep breath. His forest green eyes swirled with flecks of red, prompted by the scent of my fear. Damiec leaned closer to my ear. “It will be over soon,” he whispered. The emotion in his voice took me off guard. It seemed surprisingly tender, for a vengeful monster. Before I could ponder anything more, his mouth moved over the gash in my neck and I felt his razor sharp fangs sink deep into the wound. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of their sockets it hurt sooo bad! I wanted to scream, but I still couldn’t — not with the iron gag. Bit by agonizing bit, Damiec fed on my blood. From out of nowhere, I felt a slow tearing ache, like something was being ripped from my chest. That had to be the diamond’s grasp loosening. I clenched my fists and bit down hard on the metal plate in my mouth. It felt like he was peeling my soul away, layer by excruciating layer, and shredding me from the inside out, trying to lacerate every last trace. I didn’t think the raging pain would ever stop, and I desperately begged it would finally come to an end.
Valisco’s thunderous chants rang in my ears. I wasn’t sure exactly what he was doing, but it felt like something else inside me was playing a vicious game of tug-of-war. He had to be keeping Helio a bay, holding him in place somehow until Damiec had finished draining me.
A jolting shock coursed through me, adding to the pain my ravaged body was already reeling with. The heat it generated was immeasurable. I arched my back, feeling like something had set my insides ablaze. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more, Damiec retracted his fangs. I collapsed back onto the slab, completely numb and utterly weak.
“Is it done?” Federo questioned anxiously. “Are you sure it was a success?”
Damiec threw his hand up towards a small vent in the ceiling of the cave. A bolt of lightning shot into the volcano and landed in his awaiting hands. “I’m sure,” Damiec announced with a triumphant grin.
With a despondent gaze, I stared up at the grim ceiling that lay above me. That was that. Damiec had taken the diamond’s power. My weary eyes fell to a close.
Enjoy it while it lasts…
Chapter 25 — The Enemy of My Enemy
As I lay on my ceremonial deathbed catching my breath, I sensed an escalating source of hostility pulsating throughout the cave. The tension felt so thick, you could cut it with a knife, and understandably so — Damiec was twirling the fiery hot bolt while his gaze remained locked on Federo.
“You have what you wanted,” Federo remarked. “Now it is my turn.”
“By all means,” Damiec advocated with an overly gracious nod as he continued to manipulate the lightning in his hand. Federo roused a courteous, though stern smile. The Amber Talisman kept his eyes solely on the bolt as he made his way towards me. In a taunting fashion, Damiec pretended like he was going to hurl it our way.
“I sincerely hope you do not have any plans to use that,” Federo warned. “Like I told you, I am to be the one who kills her.”
Damiec gave the lightning several flippant whirls. “What makes you think this is meant for her?”
While the two of them remained engaged in their version of a supernatural pissing contest, I became distracted by an odd sensation resonating deep inside me. It was subtle, but the peculiar vibe appeared to be growing stronger by the minute. It wasn’t the diamond’s energy or Helio’s presence. It was something else… Something I found more welcoming than I would’ve ever acknowledged any other time.
“You would be wise to dispose of that,” Federo advised. The Amber Talisman pointed down to the ravine churning with lava.
Damiec grinned. “I can think of a better place to put it.”
While Damiec flipped the bolt of lightning in the air, I spotted someone stepping out of the shadows. I would know that one-eyed bastard anywhere. It was Ferrol, and rest assured, that conniving backstabber was up to no good. The patch that now covered the socket where his eye used to be made him look the part too. The only question that remained was whom he was going to screw-over first. I didn’t have to wait long for my answer. In a stealthy fashion, Ferrol inched out a silver chain from under his coat and whirled it around unsuspecting Damiec’s neck. The Howlite Talisman jerked Damiec back and had him locked in a chokehold before he could react. The metal ignited the skin around his neck and brought the Bloodstone Talisman down to his knees in a violent, convulsive fit. The lightning flew out of his grasp and hit one of the walls in an explosive crash, rocking the entire cave.
Federo approached Damiec. “I think you stared at your dynamite a little too long…my foolish friend,” the Amber Tal
isman quipped with a cocky grin. Not only was the silver burning Damiec, it had caused a disfiguring chain reaction that forced him to take on his more ghastly form. “Restrain this creature,” Federo sneered. With a snap of his fingers, several of his thugs surrounded Damiec and began winding more clunky silver chains around his arms and chest. They threw him on the ground once he was securely bound. The Amber Talisman gave his head a few disdainful shakes. “What a pity. It seems the diamond’s power has done nothing to help your plight.” Federo knelt beside him. “Have no fear. I will be the one to put you out of your misery, once and for all.” He pulled the lifeless sunstone out of his pocket and paraded it in front of Damiec’s face with a few haughty passes. To make the Bloodstone Talisman’s situation worse, Valisco appeared from behind some rocks carrying the domed discus I’d seen the other night — the one they had stolen from Kamya. The witch placed it on the gritty ground in the center of the cave and whisked off its metal cover. The awesome flames roared all the way up to the ceiling in one blinding flash of light.
Damiec growled viciously while he tried to wrestle out of the chains, but it was pointless. The silver had the same effect as the iron did on me — direly draining.
Federo tossed the sunstone to Valisco and then motioned to one of his men. “It is time to begin. Take the bridle off her. There’s no need for her to die like an animal too,” he added and threw Damiec a repulsive glare.
The thug lifted me up and removed the heinous contraption from around my head. I choked as the iron wedge came out of my mouth. I could finally speak — now — but that wasn’t what thrilled me most. My free and clear orifice offered something more crucial. I planned on exhaling something, but it wasn’t any “last words”.
The savage, head-collecting witch slowly pulled the machete out of the holder hanging around his waist. “I have been looking forward to this,” Valisco announced, hovering at my face. “Yours will be a powerful addition. The finest in my collection,” he bragged.