by Martha Woods
“Do you really think I could handle you dying?” I hear Darien’s voice again. “After getting you back in my life after all of these years, do you really think I could handle losing you again?”
I try to ignore the words, but they none the less carry some sort of truth. I feel foolish for coming all this way to see Darien. I should have listen to my mother and allowed her to send someone else. I should have never let my emotions get in the way and distract me. Now I’m stuck in another dimensional trap without a way out.
“No matter what you choose, Princess,” Malbious says, returning back into his own form. “I will win no matter what. You can either give me your powers and I set you free with them. Or I sacrifice my muse and use her powers to escape. Even if you shatter the token and brake my hold on your world, I will find my way back home.”
“After all these years, you’d really do that to me?” I hear Eliana say as she enters the room. I look between them as Malbious stands calmly and Eliana looks like she is ready for a fight.
“Of course, I would. Your nothing more than my personal good-luck charm. Why else would I keep you around?” he spats at her, causing Eliana to boil with rage.
“Fine then, have it your way. But I will not find my life’s end in the presence of you!” she yells as she turns and disappears.
“Come back here!” Malbious calls after her. In a moment, he is gone as well as large thuds erupt from upstairs. Not wanting to discover what they are doing, I continue my search for the exit. As I cross through the front room, I glance down at my chalk mess on the floor to see a message has arrived. As a kneel down, I notice my mother’s hand writing and quickly read that she plans to fly into town and find an exit from the outside. For a moment, I am filled with relief as I brush the message away with my hand. But then I remember the spell I have put on the house that won’t allow anyone inside.
This must be what my uncle felt, I think as I sit on the floor and focus my eyes on the outside world. My escape feels so close, yet there has been near clear exits out of this trap. I remember my uncle frantically looking for a way out as I sat and cried for what seemed like days. Only when he told me I was about to die did I finally lose control of my emotions and power. Though I was able to burn everything away and escape, I had killed my uncle in the process. Since then, I had been hesitant to ever use my powers again.
“I have made a decision to force your hand,” Malbious speaks as he appears back in the room. As I look over at him, I see Eliana sitting on the stairs, this time with a bruise over her eye. It appears that Malbious has won the fight.
“How so?” I ask as I grab the wine bottle from where I had set it on the floor and slowly stand to face him.
“Eliana, as a muse, has the ability to influence humans. Hence the reason why people are so tempted to drink Mr. Yung’s wine. I supply the addiction why Eliana causes the attraction. You can see why I love her so much,” Malbious rambles as he glances down at Eliana, but she refuses to look at him. “So, I have promised Eliana her freedom if she agrees to influence your precious Darien to come and open that door.”
I can’t help but laugh as I point to the spell behind me. “Can you really not read your own language anymore? I have sealed this house from anyone getting in or out of this place till you are either contained once again or destroyed.”
“Oh, my dear child. It is my language that I can do with as I please. You might be the author, but I am the controller of all things in this place. Therefore, I can dismiss all notions of your silly spells and do as I wish,” he spats at me. For a second I simply believe he is lying to me, but as I look at Eliana I can tell she is happy at the news. In that moment, she disappears, only to reappear again in front of Malbious.
“It is done,” she says as she bows before Malbious. He gives me a wicked grin as he claps his hands three times and motions for Eliana to rise.
“You are free, you wretched creature. Now, once I have the princess’s powers, I’ll free us and send you back to the pits,” Malbious says before he shoves Eliana to the ground.
“But you said I would be free!? I want to return to my family!” she yells from the crumbled spot on the floor. Malbious ignores her cries as he keeps his focus on me. Then a small grin crosses his face as he points towards the window.
I turn and see Darien’s face as he stands on the front porch, looking down at the door handle as he moves to open it. My heart starts to beat rapidly in my chest as I wonder if this is just another illusion to keep me from looking for a way out.
“Either give me your powers, or we all die, including the boy,” Malbious says in a low voice from directly behind me. I quickly turn and strike out at him with my rage, but he is already gone. All that remains is Eliana weeping on the floor. I look at Darien for just a moment longer before I turn and begin frantically looking for a way out. I place my hands on every inch of the walls and floor, feeling for something loose that I can ripe away and reveal my way out. I imagine a tunnel or doorway appearing before me that will allow me to escape. But every time I make it back to the front room, all I see is Darien at the front door, stuck in time as he reaches his hand out to open the door.
The crying has stopped as I look over at Eliana. I’m surprised by her form as now she appears in a white, long dress with a high collar. Her hair is braided tightly around her head and a small silver pendant hangs from her neck.
“You look better,” I comment as she looks up at me while she brushes the tears from her face. She walks up to me and looks to see if Malbious is around. She appears confident that we are alone and quickly places her hand on my forehead. Before I can strike her hand away, my vision blurs as I appear in a dark space with only Eliana.
“We don’t have much time, so listen closely. What I’m about to tell you will change everything your people know about the supernatural realm. Where you are in right now is not a different realm, but we are simply trapped in your mind. When you touched the token, you fell unconscious and we all ended up here. That is why you can’t find a way out because there is nowhere to go but out of this dream. You appear in your spirit form and are able to communicate with us. When your people cross over into our realm, you don’t travel with your bodies but through your spirits.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask softly.
“Because I’m as good as dead if Malbious is going to take me back to the pits. I’ll be sold as a slave to another creature and continue my existence in slavery. I rather be dead than end up there. So, I’m sharing these secrets with you so you can destroy Malbious, even if it means my own death. If you want to free yourself, shatter the token and this dream. Unleash your true power and simply wake up,” Eliana says quickly.
“But won’t that destroy Darien too?”
“Darien is close by, but he is not alone. Unleash your power now before you run out of time…” Eliana screams as she removes her hand, forcing us back into the townhouse where Malbious holds his hands around her neck.
“What have you done?!” he yells as he throws Eliana to the ground.
“I’ve secured my revenge,” she spats at him as she tries to move herself further away from him.
“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” he growls as he closes the distance between them.
“Do it now!” Eliana screams at me. Confused by her words, Malbious turns towards me as I throw the wine bottle as hard as I can towards the ground. Malbious dives to the floor, trying to catch it before it shatters, but he fails as glass and wine spray against the floor. The room begins to spin as day and night mix together, making it hard to see what is happening around me. Feeling begins to return to my body as immense pain fills my body. I can’t help but scream as I turn away from the djinn and muse as I try to focus my last moments on Darien’s face. A part of me wonders if this has all been Malbious’ plan to escape as rage boils to the surface and overcomes the pain I am feeling.
I will gladly burn it all down, I think to myself as I unleash a powerf
ul scream and every ounce of power I have ever once felt. Blue fire erupts around me as the room catches on fire as though it has been doused in gasoline. I can hear Malbious and Eliana screaming as a feeling of relief feels my body. For once in my life, it feels good to finally let go and not fear about what may happen when I release my power. Despite the burning creatures around me, it almost looks beautiful to see the fire rage from my body.
I begin to feel weighted down as the room grows dark besides the flames. I feel the sensation that I am falling as my eyes catch sight the ceiling. My eye lids flutter as I feel an overwhelming need to shut them and sleep. But all I keep thinking is that I want to see Darien one last time before I die. Even if this is all an illusion, I just want to see his face one more time as I struggle to keep my eyes open and search for his face.
I hear his voice as I close my eyes. It grows louder as I realize how stiff my body feels on the ground. I start to hear multiple voices as I feel someone shaking me. Hands are on my chest, forcing my blood to pump through my veins as my eyes shoot open. I shove the hands away from me as I finally open my eyes. I see sunlight above me and as I look down, I see the wine bottle still clutched in one hand as the other grips Morgan’s shirt. As I glance around me, I see Darien on the other side of me with tears streaking down his face. With my eyes on him, a smile begins to grow on his face but then his expression changes as he continues to look into my eyes. I quickly turn away as I notice the scorch marks on the wine crates and ceiling.
“How do you feel?” Morgan asks as I push myself into a seated position.
“Horrible,” I say softly as I look at the wine bottle in my hand.
“You were dead for a moment,” Morgan replies as he places an arm around my waist to pull me to my feet.
“How long has it been since we last saw each other?” I ask, afraid of the answer.
“Two days, Anna. It’s been two days,” he says as he helps me to walk across the room and out of the house.
“What the hell just happened in there?” Darien asks, his voice wavering as he follows us down the stairs and onto the sidewalk.
All I can think about is my next meal and hopefully a shower as I lean heavily on Morgan. He leans me against the car and opens the door for me, but I pause and look back at Darien. It seems there is no hiding now as the sunlight rests on my face.
“I’ve been trapped in that house for two days, completely unconscious. Morgan will take me to recover and then I’ll be by to explain everything,” I tell him, unsure of what words are the most appropriate for the situation.
“Then come to the house. We can take care of you there,” Darien quickly responds as he walks up to me, afraid of what is going on. I look away from him as I glance over at Morgan.
“That’s probably a good idea, Anna. We shouldn’t stay in the city after that explosion,” Morgan admits. I nod my head in agreement as I sit down into the passenger seat. I hear Darien climb into the back seat, followed by the sound of the engine starting and the feeling of the car pulling away.
“Try to stay awake, Anna,” I hear Morgan say, but I can’t help but fall asleep knowing I’m now safe.
Chapter 7
I take a deep breath when I finally wake up again. Thankfully, my dreams were blank and empty, allowing me to truly rest. At first I feel the soft sheets on my naked body as I wonder how I both ended up in bed and without any clothes. The next thing I feel is a small pain in my arm and as I open my eyes to the dimly lit room, I can see someone has inserted an IV into my right arm as a long tube runs down from a clear bag hanging over the bed post. As my eyes start to travel, I realize I’m not alone as I stare back into black eyes.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Morgan whispers as he brushes a fallen strand of hair from my face as I tilt my head towards him. He is lying beside me, completely unmoving.
“Your handy work, I presume?” I ask as I raise my arm. Morgan smiles as he glances down at the IV.
“Your vitals were weak, so I made sure to do everything I could to keep you alive, besides forcing food down your throat,” he explains as he moves from the bed and tosses a pair of clothes at me. “I even made sure you were bathed before I started your IV.”
“How kind of you,” I say sarcastically as I push myself up into a seated position.
“It is very kind. I could have just eaten you instead.” Morgan returns to my side as he checks the IV bag and inspects the port in my arm. “Once you’ve eaten normal human food, I’ll remove this.”
“And what of the rest of the household?” I ask once I realize what room I’m in. The familiar blanket makes me feel like I am finally home.
“Patiently waiting for your full recovery. I haven’t told them anything yet, if that is what you’re asking.”
“That is what I’m most worried about,” I admit as I start wiggling my fingers and toes. Having feeling again in my body helps me feel alive and awake. Morgan leaves my side as he walks over to the door and pushes it open.
“I’ll go down and let them know you’re ready for visitors. I’ll also mention you need lots of food and drink,” he says as he sticks his head out the door. “Oh, and one more thing. Your mother called me, surprisingly. She wants to know what’s been going on.” Morgan gives me a wink before he disappears out the door. I sigh as I think about what I’m going to tell my mother. She won’t be pleased that I fell into a token trap…again. But as I think about what happened in there, I slowly start to remember what the muse had told me. It gives me a lot to think about, and if what she says is absolutely true, then we will have to approach the supernatural realm from a different playing field.
A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts as Elizabeth and John come walking into the room, both with trays in their hands, followed by Darien closely behind. I can’t help but smile brightly as they set the trays on the bed beside me and take turns crawling into bed and giving me a light hug.
“This looks marvelous, you three. You seem to really out done yourself,” I say as I lift the lid and see all manner of foods from breakfast dishes ranging to burgers and fries. I start eating bits and pieces of food, trying to eat carefully as not to shock my system after not eating for three days.
“We were so worried about you. When Darien received a phone call that you’d been in a horrible accident, we all came home immediately,” Elizabeth says as she takes my hand and holds it. I look over at Darien, wondering who had made the call and thinking that Eliana had really done what Malbious had tricked her into doing.
“Well you don’t have to worry now. I’m alright and by the looks of things, I have been well looked after.”
“But what happened to you?” John asks softly by my side. I smile weakly at him as I rest a hand on his head for a moment.
“I got in big trouble looking for something in a place I shouldn’t have been alone. But your brother arrived just in time to rescue me,” I say convincingly as both Elizabeth and John’s eyes light up with surprise.
“Speaking of trouble, I’d like to talk to you, alone, about what happened,” Darien finally speaks up. I give a quick nod as I continue to eat small bites of food. Darien ushers his siblings out of the room as he lets them know they can come back in a few minutes to visit. Then he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and at first, he doesn’t look at me.
“I’m sorry that you got dragged into all of this,” I speak, hoping to break the acquired tension between us as I continue to eat.
“And what exactly is ‘this’?” Darien asks in a stern voice as he lifts his eyes from the floor and focuses them on me. I can tell that he is having a hard time wrapping his head around what he saw, and more than likely he is a bit scared.
“My mother wasn’t happy about me leaving home, so I promised her while I was here I would make sure to find any antique pieces that someone might owe us. Specifically, objects that we call tokens,” I begin as I push the food away.
“Why would someone owe your parents this token?” Darien asks
as he turns his body towards me, giving me his full attention.
“Anyone who knows what a token is understands that my family has been searching for them for generations. We are trying to collect them all and either destroy them or contain them. More importantly, we want them hidden where they can’t be used anymore.”
Darien gives a weak chuckle as he looks away momentarily before looking back at me. “You speak as though these tokens are as dangerous as nuclear weapons.”
“No, not as deadly or dangerous as a nuc, but they equally have the ability to affect a large number of the human population.”
“Then just tell me what they are, Anna,” Darien pleads as he leans closer to me.
“Tokens are objects that have trapped demonic and spiritual powers within them. They contain the creatures from the supernatural realm. A place my ancestors were able to tap into, creating gates between our worlds where creatures could pass through. Thankfully, the most powerful creatures were contained inside these tokens, but most have been lost through time. That is why my family has always been so active in the antique industry. We are trying to relocate these tokens and find a way to close the gates for good.”
Darien looks like he is going to be sick as his face pales and he nervously starts looking around the room. “This has to be some kind of joke. You just don’t want to tell me the truth.”
“Darien, go open the blinds. I can tell the sun is still up. If you want proof, I’ll give it to you,” I stammer as I use my leg to move him off the bed. He does as I ask, allowing the setting sun to flood the room. I scooch to the end of the bed with the sheet wrapped tightly against my naked body and motion for Darien to come close. Turning my face towards the windows I say, “Look into my eyes and tell me what you see.”