Born of Shadows- Complete Series

by J. R. Erickson

  Abby heard a sound and froze. The study had only a single doorway for escape, no windows. She stood fast, blood rushing to her head, followed by a wave of dizziness. Unsteadily, she tiptoed to the door and slipped into the hallway. Someone was on the deck, their shoes shuffling quietly, but not quietly enough. Abby held her breath and edged up Sydney's stairs; she could not make it out of the house without passing the intruder.

  From Sydney's bedroom window, a chilling sight greeted her. The blond woman with dead eyes paced the dock, her hair billowing in the breeze coming off the water. The pale skin of her forehead was wrinkled in thought and her chin was tilted. She was sniffing the air.

  Downstairs, the front door groaned. Someone shuffled into the house; the door clicked closed quietly, intentionally. Abby searched the room for a place to hide, but knew that she could not risk getting trapped. Sydney's window was the only possible escape. If Abby climbed through it the blond woman would have a clear view of her; maybe she could already smell her. Her entire body perspired, her already filthy shirt stank. She cursed herself for putting on the sequin tank top. How could she be courageous in glitter?

  "Vesta!" The shout echoed from the lower floor.

  The blond woman's head jerked up, and she moved toward the house. Abby could see her scowl deepening.

  "Shut up, Tane," she growled as she crossed the porch. "What if she's close?"

  "She is..." Abby swallowed, her tongue thick and heavy. His voice was low and excited. "Look at your ring."

  Abby felt her body moving before her brain comprehended the danger closing in. She jerked open Sydney's window as their feet hit the stairs, each explosive smack blistering her thoughts. Tumbling onto the small eave, Abby felt her body thrown forward as she slid down the steep shingles. She hit the eaves trough and shoved her feet in, flattening her back on the hot roof. The ground lay fifteen feet directly below her, a straight drop.

  Above her, Vesta was screaming orders at Tane, who had stuck his head out the window. His dark eyes connected with Abby's. She did not wait, but pitched forward and flung herself from the roof, flailing in mid-air before she hit the grass with an audible thwack. A searing pain shot up her calf, but she ignored it, springing to her feet and running for the woods. Tane had followed her down the roof, but Vesta banged out the front door, already running across the lawn towards her, her teeth bared.

  Abby reached the woods first and raced in, searching for any place to dive and hide, but there were none. She'd entered a thicket of pine trees, the ground littered with red needles and the trees thick with green. She had only a second before Vesta would reach the woods. Darting ahead, she jumped to pass over a decaying log and sprang into the air. Her legs scissored wildly, but she shot straight up, hitting the bough of a thick pine nearly twenty feet high. Her fingers clawed the bark and she nearly fell back to the forest floor, but with a single heave she looped her bicep around the branch and hung on.

  Below her, Vesta rushed into the woods, her muscular arms pumping savagely. She passed beneath Abby, oblivious to her hanging high above. Tane followed, darting past, a slur of inaudible words coursing from his mouth.

  Swinging her legs and biting her lip against the noise, she arched back and up. Her right leg hooked the branch and she scrambled onto it, her body flat against it, legs and arms dangling over either side.

  She struggled into a crouch and shuffled to the trunk, pressing her back against the sappy bark. The forest floor stretched out below her, and she fought the dizziness brought on by the height; too high, she could not have jumped that high.

  She tried not to think of her current dilemma – of the power that had sent her literally flying into the tree to safety. She'd read about amazing strength during adrenaline rushes, though never anything as bizarre as jumping the height of a telephone pole.

  Vesta and Tane moved back into her line of sight. They were arguing, Vesta's face contorted with fury.

  "You're a fool, Tane. I knew that you were not ready. If she escapes..." She spoke through gritted teeth, anger banging out every word.

  "Come on, Vesta. No biggie. So we lost her... again. Big whoop. We'll get her." Tane was much more relaxed, even joking as he playfully punched Vesta's shoulder.

  She caught his fist, and he squealed in surprise, shrinking away from her.

  "I will not be shamed by you."

  She stomped ahead of him from the woods, her fists balled at her sides. He followed, but his head was cast down. He shot a final glance into the trees, but saw nothing.

  Abby wanted to scream at them, "What do you want?" But bit her lip instead. She didn't want to die, but she was tired and scared. She'd done nothing to deserve this. She'd only found the body. Dammit, why hadn't she just stayed out of it? They probably knew that she was investigating, trying to find clues. She had brought this on herself. But what was the alternative? Do nothing? No, it wasn't even an option. Devin had lived, she'd breathed, laughed, probably even loved. Abby could not stand idly by, she had lived that way for too long. Her crusade, however, did little to comfort her as she huddled high in the trees like a raccoon watching the wolves circle below.

  * * * *

  Ink had begun to dim the smoldering sky, and Abby's entire body ached. She'd shifted positions on her tree branch a hundred times, but to no avail. Frankly, she didn't know how the squirrels did it.

  She had no idea where Tane and Vesta had disappeared to - most likely back to Sydney's to lie in wait. Returning to the house was a death wish, and Abby intended to live. Of that, at least, she was sure. Her only chance was to backtrack through the woods, maybe watch the road for somebody to flag down to take her...anywhere.

  When the last of the pink slipped below the horizon, she began a slow crawl out of the tree. Her calf had swollen, throbbed and then stopped hurting. She kept putting pressure on it, but the pain seemed to have vanished. It was probably broken, and her body kept the pain at bay by producing copious amounts of natural painkillers, which might also explain why she felt buzzed, like she'd just drank a pot of coffee on an empty stomach. Halfway down the tree, headlights swept over the forest, pulling to a stop in Sydney's driveway. Pausing in midair, she squinted through the branches at the silhouette of a car. Had more of them arrived?

  She heard the door slam and a familiar shape emerged. Sebastian.

  She started to call out, but stopped herself, a shocked hand going to her mouth. If she called to him, they would hear her. She hesitated for a moment, considering a final time that he might be in on it, but the thought felt wrong. He wasn't in on it, and she could not allow him to walk into a trap. She had to get to him.

  Clenching her jaw against the fear that seized her, she dashed from the trees. He was crossing the porch as she reached the lawn, her arms flailing in a silent warning. Nearing the door, a single hand outstretched, he turned, his wide eyes glimpsed Abby and registered her hysterical gestures, but she was too late. The door flung open and Tane dived out, connecting with Sebastian and driving him to the porch floor.

  "Run!" he screamed at Abby, but she stayed rooted in place, her feet like cement boots.

  Tane straddled him, holding a hunk of his black hair in a single hand. Sebastian thrashed beneath him, but could not break free.

  "Abby, there's a gun in my car," he screamed, twisting to look at her.

  She started for the car, but Vesta rocketed from the back of the house. Abby turned, but her foot caught a divot, and she tripped. Vesta was on her, her black eyes flashing as she shoved Abby's face into the grass. Abby tried to lift up, twist her head to get a breath, but Vesta held her in a death grip. Her fingernails dug into Abby's scalp, pushing her face down and down. She opened her mouth to dirt and grass; it pushed in, suffocating her. She felt a sharp poke, like a bite on her shoulder. Lungs burning, her muscles gradually growing slack, twilight shoveled its darkness on Abby's bursting skull.

  Chapter 14

  Sebastian could not see. He blinked against the fabric covering his eyes and trie
d to assess his surroundings. His hands were bound tight, legs too, but he was upright. Something that tasted coppery, like blood, was shoved in his mouth, and it scared him to smell the scent so close.

  He was bound to a tree, his arms wrapped tightly behind him and around the trunk, which dug into his bare skin. The bark pressed into his back, and his head hung slack on his shoulders. He had been hit hard with something, a bat maybe, and wondered if the blood that he tasted was his own.

  He had failed, returned to Sydney's like a fool, hoping that Abby might have come back. Now they would both die, and the Vepars would go on.

  "No," he murmured. He had to, to maintain control of his thoughts.

  Claire had learned that from Adora. "It is the most important thing," Adora had said, "monitoring your thoughts. It is not the danger that kills you - it's the fear. Don't let the fear in."

  He heard movement, but did not want the Vepars to know that he was conscious. He had the advantage if they underestimated him, and he needed every possible advantage. The gun was gone; he'd left it in his car, foolishly imagining that Sydney's house posed no danger. He had kept a knife in his back pocket, but its familiar pressure was gone as well.

  * * * *

  Abby's head was slick with pain. She registered the ache and understood that she was still alive, not suffocated in Sydney's yard. She kept her eyes closed, listening closely to the sounds around her. Shuffling feet, something thick dragging across the ground, and a sharp scraping in the dirt. Her hands were bound separately above her head and her legs as well, her form in the shape of an X.

  Carefully, she stared out through slitted eyelids. Trees yawned over her, limbs reaching towards each other in a skeletal embrace, leaves thick and green bowing down. Darkness had closed in, but the moon cast a bright tunnel onto the forest floor. Three cloaked figures moved around her, their faces hidden from view. None turned as she opened her eyes fully, followed by a low gasp of fear as she recognized her location. She lay at the site of Devin's body, the rotted log in full view to her right. Twisting her neck, she stared at a leather coated stake dug deep into the earth. She followed a silk cord to where it wrapped tightly around her wrist. One of the hooded figures used a long sword to scrape symbols into the dirt.

  Sebastian. His face popped into her head and she jerked against the restraints. No point trying to play unconscious now.

  "Sebastian!" she screamed. It was pathetic, her voice, hoarse and sandpapery, barely filled the cavern of her mouth.

  "Relax, little girl." Vesta lifted her hood, long blond tresses rolling over her black cloak. She moved toward Abby slowly, a wicked grin stretched over her parted mouth. Riveted, Abby stared at the vicious animal that was Vesta, only moments before the attack. Vesta squatted down and dipped her fingers into a black chalky substance that she wiped roughly across Abby's forehead, pressing hard into her thumping skull.

  "Where's Sebastian?" Abby gasped. She craned her neck upward, but beyond the fissure of moonlight every space stood in shadow.

  "Uh, oh, getting upset? We can't have that," Vesta crooned. She crushed a palm hard into Abby's throat and pressed.

  Abby choked, her eyes bulging, as the soft tissue began to cave in, cutting off her airflow. Her arms fought against the binds, but they only made small flapping circles, a baby bird fallen from its nest.

  "Stop!" one of the cloaked figures barked. Abby watched the man who'd spoken. His voice continued to echo strangely. It sounded like many voices speaking at once. He flipped his hood back, and Abby recognized the man from her dream, Tobias. He turned on his heel, strode to Vesta and ripped her off Abby in a single flick.

  Vesta stumbled back, straightened herself and glared at Tobias in reproach. The third figure, Tane, turned to watch the scene unfolding.

  "Yes, Abby, at last we meet...in the flesh." Tobias took a deep bow, his white teeth gleaming.

  White teeth that looked wrong, too white in the darkness, too white against his red mouth. He and Alva had spoken of eating and of hunger. She pushed out a trembling breath, it stuck in her throat on a sob, but she swallowed it back.

  "Let the ground open beneath me," she thought. "Let it swallow me whole."

  Vesta walked behind Tobias, running her hand over his shoulder, her sharp nails fingering the fabric of his cloak.

  "Stunning in black, isn't he?" She looked adoringly into his eyes, and he smiled back at her, lifting her hand to his lips.

  "Almost there," Tane muttered, as he finished a final marking to Abby's right.

  "What do you want?" Abby whispered, awash in fresh terror. Each emotion came as a wave: shock, despair, confusion, and horror, with an underlying desire, no, obsession, to just wake up. Through the fog of emotion, she watched Tobias, his long fingers rubbing together as if in preparation for a tasty meal. Her skin crawled as his pink tongue glanced off his lower lip. His eyes continued to dissect her across the clearing.

  "I wanted you to be awake for this, my dear," Tobias whispered as though murmuring to a lover. He knelt beside her, ran a single chilled finger along her arm, wrist to neck. "I could have let you sleep, made you sleep, but this is my gift to you."

  He smelled like death, his breath stank of rot and decay. She recoiled, but the foulness stayed, making her gag.

  A low moan caught her attention. She broke Tobias's trancelike gaze.

  "Sebastian!" she screamed, and fire ripped through her swollen throat.

  Tobias laughed, contemptuous. Vesta sneered and kicked dirt at Abby's face. She closed her eyes too late and felt the gritty sting of sand beneath her eyelids.

  "Well, well, the entire party has arrived," Tobias said.

  Abby blinked hard until she could see again.

  "Abby?" Sebastian yelled as if a gag had been removed. He sounded groggy.

  "Yes, I'm here. Oh, God, please, just let him go," Abby's voice cracked and she clenched her eyes against the tears.

  "You have no power over us, Vepar," Sebastian said in a low, serious voice that shocked Abby to silence.

  "You use that name freely?" Tobias snarled, rushing out of Abby's sight. She heard a thud, flesh on flesh and Sebastian gasped, but did not cry out.

  She wanted to scream and protest, but understood that if she wasted her energy, she would surely die. Vesta had moved closer to Abby, taking long, deep inhalations like she wanted to smell her, taste her. Abby panted, terrified, and tried to focus on her breath. She had to calm down.

  Tobias returned, his dark lips wet and his eyes glazed. He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. Abby saw a streak of red on his pale hand.

  "Oh, God, help me! Please, someone, help us!" she screamed and started to cry, struggling against her bonds. She dug her heels into the dirt and ground down, but knew that she could not rip free.

  Tobias laughed, loud insane laughter that flooded the forest and made Abby's brain feel soft and swollen. She wanted to shove her hands over her ears. The others joined him, their laughter drowning out Abby's cries.

  Sebastian began to murmur and the laughter stopped.

  "What do you say, human?" Tobias shouted, mocking him. "Do you pray to your God for help? Or do you pray to your sister...Claire?"

  "Shut up!" Sebastian's scream pierced the silence, and, for a moment, even Tobias stopped to stare.

  Abby shook with fear, twisting into the earth like it might protect her. Her shoulder hit a rock and she winced, wishing she had fingers to grab it. She could murder, she would murder, if given the chance.

  "This is phenomenal, really, a phenomenon," Tobias sighed, turning his gaze back on Abby. "I have never met one who did not know, at least in some deeper sense. But you, you, my lovely, are completely innocent, so pure..." He bent down, his icy fingers trailing over her cheek. She jerked her head to the side, but he gripped her chin roughly, forcing her to face him. He leaned down and pressed his face into her hair and inhaled.

  Vesta hissed, but made no move to stop him.

  "However did you find her, Sebastian?" To
bias asked in his thousand voices. "You are like a magnet for them. Maybe we should keep you."

  "Get away from her," Sebastian wailed. Tobias only smiled and nuzzled his face into her neck; she felt a dull scrape as he dragged his teeth across her earlobe.

  Abby turned her head away, fighting the urge to face Tobias and bite whatever piece of flesh she could get hold of. Through the shadows, she finally spotted Sebastian. He was not staked to the ground, but to a tree, his arms and legs stretched behind him, concealed by the trunk. He bucked and jerked and howled, but could not break free. It looked painful and Abby lost another shard of hope. He could not possibly break free.

  "Let's get on with it," Vesta growled, whipping her hair back angrily. "These games bore me."

  Tobias turned and glared at Vesta.

  "Patience, Vesta, my killer, or you will not eat again."

  Tane fidgeted uncomfortably, glancing from Tobias to Vesta as if a fight might erupt.

  "Now, before we begin." Tobias stood and walked to Sebastian. Abby could only see Sebastian in shadow, but his head rose as Tobias neared. "You are already dead. You know that, don't you?"

  Sebastian remained silent.

  "Though I will hate to finish the man who has hunted me for so long. Such a shame that you had to be wasted this way. You might have joined us, I think, powerful human that you are."

  "I will follow you to hell," Sebastian whispered.

  "Oh, no, I don't think they'd let you in, but no matter." Tobias waved a hand dismissively. "You still live for one reason. The book. Where is the Book of Shadows?"

  "What Book of Shadows?"

  "Don't toy with me, human," Tobias said, low and quiet. "Where is the Book of Shadows?"

  "If you're talking about Claire's books, they're gone. I burned them a year ago, when I gave up looking for you," Sebastian lied.