The noise increased rapidly. Just as Ashley put her hand on Jade to wake her, hundreds of tiny lights burst into their campground. The lights were grouped closely together, clearly the source of the sound. They stopped just out of Elise’s reach and hung suspended in the air. “They look like fireflies,” Elise said, bringing her hand up in front of her. One of the little lights landed on her finger. She thought it was sort of cute. “I don’t think they’re… Ow!”
Elise pulled her hand back and the light fluttered away. She couldn’t see any damage, but it felt like an electric current had run through the tiny light into her finger. She stuck the finger into her mouth and tasted the metallic flavor of blood. “I think it bit me!” she said, indignantly. She turned toward Ashley and saw that both Jade and Aroon had woken up, probably at the sound of her exclamation.
Jade said in a calm, quiet voice, “Move very slowly to me, girl.”
Elise did as she was told, glancing back at the little balls of light. They undulated together, giving off the impression of a singular glowing giant. They stayed where they had stopped, and Elise began to believe if they moved slowly the little creatures would leave them alone. Just as she closed in on the group in front of her, Chase emitted his distinctive growl. “No, Chase,” she whispered. The dog took no notice of her words and let out a chorus of deep, bass barks that made the hair stand up on the back of Elise’s neck.
Elise turned to look at the small, glowing creatures. For a count of two breaths they stayed in formation. Then chaos erupted. They buzzed around the group with fury. Elise ran, swiping her arms around as she battled an onslaught of electric stings. Chase’s yelping and Aroon’s cries came from the opposite direction. The fatigue she’d been feeling from her earlier exertion disappeared in the mad instinctual need to escape the stinging creatures. She ran as fast as she could, tripping over roots and rocks that protruded unseen from the ground. More than once she fell to the ground and was enveloped in the lights. Each time she pushed herself back up and continued to run.
After several minutes the lights broke off from her in ones and twos until she was alone in the darkness of the woods. Her first instinct was to call for her friends, but she bit back the impulse. She didn’t know how she escaped the orbs, but the last thing she wanted to do was attract their attention again. Instead, she sat on the ground and took stock of her injuries.
Her hands were the worst. They burned, not only from stings but also the falls. Overall, she thought the orbs could have caused more damage than they did. She could move all her limbs freely.
Once she could move unimpaired, she stood again. She could still hear Chase. He didn’t sound too far, but it was clear he was moving away from her. She decided to make her way to him before he got too far. She took three steps and promptly tripped over something else on the ground. She put her hands out to catch herself and was surprised when they hit something somewhat squishy right in front of her. In the light of the moons it looked like the trunk of a tree. It went straight up out of the ground and led up well above her head.
Looking up, Elise discovered the squishy object she touched was hanging from one of the branches. Suddenly, it began to move up beneath her fingers. She took a step back and watched as the object slowly disappeared into the branches. Feeling the need to escape, Elise turned around.
Directly in front of her a gigantic snake blocked her path. In the darkness it was difficult to tell what color the creature was, but its bone-white two-foot-long fangs were too obvious. Its white eyes glowed as it raised its body up. The viper opened its mouth and let out a high-pitched screech. Elise was frozen in fear. The snake held its body still for a moment and then struck down toward her.
It took Elise’s mind a few seconds to process that something heavy had knocked her out of the way at the last second. “Run!” Jade screamed as she unleashed the blades strapped to her back. Having had the air violently emptied from her body, Elise was unable to comply with the command. Instead, she watched as Jade jumped and dodged the attacks of the giant viper.
The beast had to be over sixty feet long and twice as wide as the lithe woman that he fought. He struck at her with incredible speed, but no matter what, she avoided his jaws. Her blades shined in the light of the moons. They moved in intricate, weaving patterns, never stilling for a moment. The viper screamed as time and again Jade dodged into his body and sliced. Black ichor rained down on Elise as the battle raged, and soon the battleground was littered in the creature’s blood. Jade’s victory was all but assured when something out of Elise’s view distracted the woman for an instant. The viper wasted no time and curled his body tightly around Jade. Elise heard an audible pop as he squeezed.
“No!” she yelled, not knowing what she could do.
At the same moment another, “No!” rang out from the trees. Ashley sprinted out and jumped onto the beast’s head, first try this time. She raised her staff above her head and jammed it directly into his eye. The viper shrieked as his eye exploded into a bloody mess. He loosened his hold on Jade and the shape changer took the opportunity to run up his back to where his thick body thinned a few feet below his head. She held her swords to either side of her body and brought them together, one just above the other. They sliced cleanly through the creature’s neck. Ashley jumped from his head as his body went slack. The long muscular body contracted as black blood squirted in rhythmic pulses that slowed and finally stopped.
Elise sat rooted in one spot with her mouth hanging open. Never, in her life, had she seen anything so violent.
“Kid,” said Ashley, “hey kid. You okay?”
“I…I… uh…” Elise was completely unable to make words.
“It’s okay, Ellie.” Ashley said. “The big, bad bastard is dead, and we’re still kicking.”
“I haven’t had my back cracked that good in a long time,” Jade said as she made her way over to the girls. “I would have paid someone good money for that.” She sat down next to the two girls and twisted. First one way and then the other.
“Chase? Aroon?” It was all Elise could ask.
“Don’t worry,” said Ashley, “we got them into a safe place. The lights scattered us at first, but once you took off, they lost interest in us entirely.”
“But I heard Chase yelping.”
“I’m pretty sure the entire forest heard him,” said Jade. “I think he was pretty freaked out for you.”
“Why did they come after me?” Elise asked.
“I don’t know,” said Jade, “but I remember stories about creatures like them dating back to the War of Souls. They were scouts for the floreans, but they all were supposed to have been eradicated when the floreans turned to stone.”
“What’s a florean?” Ashley asked.
“I’ll take you to the others and tell you along the way,” said Jade.
Chapter Fourteen
Henry
It had been over twenty-four hours since Henry had seen Caitlin on his television. He had flipped through the channels for hours, barely noticing the sunrise, trying to get another glimpse of his wife. He also turned his shower radio onto NPR, hoping he would hear his daughter’s voice. As time continued without any sign of his family, he convinced himself it had all been a vivid nightmare. He knew he was lacking serious sleep, and his imagination had been running wild since their disappearance. Finally, at around 8:30 am he gave in to his exhaustion and passed out without dreams.
He would have continued sleeping the day away if his phone hadn’t started ringing a few hours later. Still groggy with sleep, he answered without looking. The sound of Sandra Cho’s voice on the other line was like ice water to the face. He swiftly hung up on her and got dressed to continue his search in the woods. When he stumbled back into his home later that evening, he ignored his phone, which showed he had twenty-seven voicemails and eighteen text messages. He purposefully left it at home so he wouldn’t have to deal with anyone. He made himself a sandwich with a glass of milk and then passed back out on the
couch in his living room.
He was woken up the next morning by pounding at his front door. He would have been happy to ignore it, but a familiar voice flooded his ears.
“Open up, dammit! I swear if you don’t open this door, Henry, I will break it down.”
The pounding continued, and Henry reluctantly went to open it. Karen’s hand was poised to continue knocking as he swung the front door toward himself. “Finally,” she said, brushing past him into the house.
“Come in, Karen,” he said to the empty air.
“Do you not check your phone messages?” Dr. Watson looked at him with a frown on her face.
“I’ve been a little preoccupied,” Henry responded, defensively.
“I’m aware of that.” Karen said as she walked into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. “Good Lord, Henry, when was the last time you cleaned this out?” She didn’t wait for a response as she pulled out a carton of eggs and sniffed the barely outdated milk. “You’re not doing yourself any favors by hiding from those of us who care about you.” She opened a few cabinets until she found the one that held the plates and bowls. She pulled a bowl out and placed in on the counter. Then she walked over to the trash can and dragged it over to her workspace.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Making breakfast,” she said. “What does it look like I’m doing?” She diligently started cracking eggs on the side of the counter and deposited their innards into the bowl.
“Shouldn’t you be getting ready for work?” Henry filled up the coffee pot with water and dumped it into the back of the machine.
“I took the next two weeks off,” Karen said as Henry was measuring out the coffee to pour into the filter. “Now don’t you worry about the patients. Dr. Quinault owes me. He’ll be coming in on his day off for the urgent patients and the girls are rescheduling everyone else.”
“You shouldn’t have done that for me.”
“I didn’t do it for you.” Karen poured the milk into the egg mixture. “I did it for me.”
“That makes no sense,” said Henry. “Who knows what could happen in two weeks. The girls could be home by then or…” he trailed off. Henry didn’t want to say out loud what the other options could be.
Karen had been beating the eggs with a fork. She stopped to look at Henry with tears threatening to drop. “She died, Henry. Chris died.” Her arms sagged. “It happened that night. Just a couple of hours after I left the restaurant.”
Her wife. Henry knew that Christina’s time was limited, but he hadn’t realized just how much. “Oh God, Karen,” he said. He walked over to her, grabbing the bowl from her hand and placing it on the counter. He wrapped his arms around her. “I am so sorry. I have no words. You should be at home with your family, not here with me.”
Karen laid her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him. Henry didn’t push her. Her silent tears dampened his shirt. After a few moments she pulled away, eyes red and puffy. “Annie flew in from DC on Saturday,” she said. “She and the girls are working on the funeral arrangements. She never approved of our relationship, even after all these years. I just can’t deal with fighting her. Not over this. I have mourned her sister for months. I’ll let her choose the way she mourns her as she sees fit.”
“You know your girls need you right now.”
“And they’ll have me.” Karen wiped her eyes and picked the bowl back up. “I’m not proposing moving in with you. I just know there’s nothing I can do for Chris now, but I can still help you. I told the girls last night I’d be out for a few hours today. They have plenty of family with them. More family than I think they want. I won’t be surprised when they tell me they’re running off to be with their friends, and I won’t stop them when they do. Now let me make you breakfast, okay?”
“Okay.” Henry pulled out two mugs and filled them with coffee, adding two sugars to his and four sugars with a generous amount of creamer to hers. He handed her the mug and leaned in to kiss her cheek.
Karen patted his chest. “Henry, you know I love you, but you smell like a hog who has rolled in his own filth and laid out in the Georgia sun for days. Go clean yourself up while I finish breakfast.”
Henry laughed. “Have you even been to Georgia?”
“I road-tripped to Universal Studios once when I was going to school at Columbia. Drove through Georgia on the way. Now go do what I said, or you aren’t getting any of my delicious cooking.”
“Yes, mom,” said Henry, making his way to his bedroom. He jumped into the shower, purposefully leaving the Bluetooth speaker off.
When he had washed and dressed Henry walked back out into the kitchen. The smell of toast and eggs lingered in the air. Karen had moved out to the dining room with a plate in front of herself as well as one to the left. Henry sat down in the empty chair and began eating. The food was warm and delicious. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was until the first bite of eggs touched his tongue. With a quiet intensity, he shoveled food into his mouth until it was gone.
“Thank you,” he said, wiping his mouth with a paper towel. “I really needed that.”
“I could tell,” Karen said. Most of her food was still on her plate.
“I don’t know what to do,” Henry said, suddenly feeling extremely vulnerable. “I spent all day yesterday searching for a sign. Something to show me the girls are out there somewhere, but I couldn’t find anything. I’m so lost, Karen.”
“I cannot even begin to imagine what you’re going through,” said Karen as she placed her hand on his shoulder. “What have the police told you?”
“Nothing,” said Henry, anger flaring inside him. “They say they’re looking for the girls. There are people combing the woods and missing persons notices have gone out, but I feel like it’s useless. I’ve watched enough TV. Forty-eight hours, Karen. Forty-eight hours and then they’re looking for bodies. Everything inside of me tells me this connects back to Arthur.”
“Then why don’t you talk to him?” Karen asked, her voice gentle.
“Who? Arthur? Is that even possible?”
“Sure, why not?” Karen asked, her face becoming more animated. “You and I both know there was another man involved in your wife’s assault. You already know where the one person who could truly identify that man is located.”
“The police have talked to him for months. He either can’t or won’t give them any information.” Henry chucked his balled-up paper towel onto the table.
“I don’t know if talking to him would help you or hurt you,” said Karen. “All I know is if it were me, I wouldn’t give up until I’d exhausted every avenue. I will support you in any and every decision that you make. Just don’t give up on those girls, okay?”
He looked deep into her chocolate eyes and saw a fierceness that he had never seen before. Henry knew Karen wanted the best for him. “I will never give up on them,” he said, trying to impress on her the truth behind his words. Her facial expression told him she understood. “How do I set up a meeting in prison?”
*
Henry had shown up at the prison about forty-five minutes earlier. The guards took liberties while checking him for hidden weapons. They acted like he had a top-secret plan of breaking through the four-inch plexiglass wall that separated his elementary-style blue plastic chair from its duplicate on the opposite side. Once they determined he wasn’t a risk, they confiscated his phone and gave him an in-depth informational session on proper prisoner conversational etiquette. Henry promptly forgot everything they said when he entered the gray concrete room.
He waited for another twenty minutes until Arthur was led to the previously unoccupied chair. His hands were bound by cuffs in front of his body, but that was the only concession to his status as a criminal. It looked like he was on his way to a photo shoot. Arthur’s perfectly pressed tan Brooks Brothers trousers blended well with his luxury button up long sleeve shirt. It was a simple off-white color and was accented by his green and tan tie.
“Henry,” Arthur said jovially, “it is so wonderful to finally meet you in person. I don’t count those times in the courtroom, do you? So impersonal.”
“I’m here for a simple conversation,” Henry said, jaw tight. “Tell me where Dave is.”
“Now, now,” Arthur replied, “that is no way to start a conversation. Those are just bad manners. Tell me, how is Caitlin doing? Does she mention me? I hope she does. She looked so sad the last time I saw her. I just wanted to pull her into my arms and tell her everything would be all right. I bet you did too. I noticed she wasn’t sitting with you when I was sentenced.”
Henry inhaled, forcing himself to ignore the jibe. “Caitlin’s missing, but I’m sure you know that. You get the news in here.”
Arthur’s face twisted. “I heard a rumor. I prayed it wasn’t true. I didn’t think he would take her. He promised her to me, you see. All he wanted was her power.”
“Who, Arthur?” Henry leaned forward. “Who took my family? Was it Dave?”
“The sorcerer.” Arthur nodded. “I’ve told the police all about him. I’m surprised they never mentioned anything to you. I met him very soon after meeting Caitlin. It was fate.”
“Who is the sorcerer?” Henry frowned, bouncing one knee.
Arthur smiled and let out a whisper of a laugh. “It’s all very convoluted, my friend.”
“I am not your friend,” Henry replied reflexively.
“My apologies.” Arthur leaned back and crossed one foot over the other. “You have to understand something, Henry. I fell in love with Caitlin the moment I laid eyes on her. Something about her radiated and called to me. I had to have her, and the sorcerer provided an avenue to make her mine. He explained to me he’d been exiled from a land full of magic, and Caitlin possessed the necessary power to take him home. In return for getting her to drink his potion, he would make her feel the same way for me as I felt for her.”
“So, some insane person convinced you to drug my wife for him? And then what? You were going to rape her? You’re deranged, Arthur.”
A World Divided Page 16