Ileana, come with me, Aero said.
“I want you to know...that…I love you,” Felix said. He coughed again and blood sprayed from his mouth.
Demona sniffed. “I love you too. I know…I know I do.”
Felix smiled up at her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry, this isn’t your fault.”
“It’s not…yours either. I’m sorry that I messed…things up.”
Demona chuckled. “None of that matters now.”
Demona watched the blue irises of Felix’s eyes begin to fade. “Aero! Ileana!”
Ileana and Aero reemerged from the structure and walked towards them.
“Help me! I know what I have to do. I have to turn him!” Demona yelled.
Aero stomped his hoof. No, you will do no such thing.
Ileana bent down over Felix. She tore his shirt away from the wound. Then, she scooped a poultice from a clay bowl and spread it around the blade.
Demona watched Ileana, she was dazed by the events but tried to clear her mind and focus on what was taking place around her. She stared as Ileana took control of the situation. Demona felt lost, she felt numb. Aleph, I need you.
Demona, Aero said. Ileana needs your help now. You must do exactly what we say.
When Aero said her name, it was as if Demona was woken from a foggy dream. She looked at his long face and waited for him to speak.
You need to pull the sword from Felix’s body, Aero said. Do it quickly.
Demona lifted Felix carefully and slid out from under him. She laid his body gently on the ground so that he would not put weight on the sword. She stood above Felix and looked into his eyes. His breath became ragged, but he was still hanging on, even if just barely.
Felix looked at her and nodded.
Demona yanked the sword from his chest and it came free with one pull. Felix screamed in pain. Demona flung the sword to the side and dropped to her knees beside Felix. Felix was unconscious from the pain.
Demona delicately slapped his face. “Felix, wake up!”
Aero blew at her. It is no use. His body has shut down from shock. Focus on the task at hand.
Ileana continued to slap more of the poultice on Felix’s chest and rubbed it around the wound. She stuck a hand full of the substance inside the gaping hole and used her finger to spread it around inside. Felix grimaced even in his unconscious state.
Now, roll him over. Carefully, Aero said.
Felix groaned as Demona and Ileana rolled him first to his side and then onto his stomach. The blood soaked dirt clung to his shirt and skin. Demona tore a piece of cloth from her own shirt and took one of the water skins Ileana handed her. She soaked the cloth and wiped his back clean. Ileana slapped more of the poultice onto Felix’s back and repeated the same motions that she had done before.
Demona grabbed one of their packs and pulled out a thin blanket from inside. She laid it on the ground and they dragged Felix onto it. They propped him up with one of the packs and gave him water from a skin to drink. Felix swallowed and coughed, but he was still unconscious.
Demona looked up at Aero and noticed that the tip of his horn was missing. “Aero what happened?”
Aero bowed his head. I have made my own sacrifice. We must let him rest now.
The sky had grown overcast and dark with clouds. Demona and Ileana drug the blanket, with Felix on top, into the slab structure. Then, Demona pulled what scrap wood she could out of the other building. She snapped the wood into smaller pieces and placed them neatly on the ground near Felix. She bent over the fire and watched as the light kissed Felix’s face.
Ileana handed a flask of rations to Demona, but Demona pushed it away. “You have to eat,” Ileana said.
Demona knew she was right. She took the flask and tried not to taste the blood as it ran down her throat. She almost choked on it, but forced herself to swallow it. Blood, I’m so done with blood.
Demona watched Felix carefully as he slept. She watched as his chest moved up and down to make certain that he was still alive. Why did I wait so long with him? I’ll never make that mistake again.
Aleph, if you are listening. I can’t do this alone. I can’t be who you want me to be without some extra support. Please, just show me what I’m supposed to do. Show me who I’m supposed to be! Please, help Felix. I can’t do this without him.
Aleph did not answer her prayer, but Demona hoped that he was listening now more than ever. She looked down at Felix again and felt oddly calm. Demona walked around to Felix and threw a blanket gently over top of his still body. Then, she lay down beside him. She would be Felix’s guardian and be there for his every need.
Chapter 20:
Return to Gleannbroch
Demona delicately wiped the dry blood from around Felix’s wound. He had not woken since they pulled the blade from his body. She watched as he slept peacefully in the structure where they had spent the remainder of the day and night. Demona chewed on her lips in anxiety. She feared that Felix would never again wake.
Ileana sat up from her resting place and yawned. She watched Demona momentarily before exiting the structure. Aero had already gone outside, when the sun had begun to rise. Nobody had spoken much since the incident. They just waited and hoped that the unicorn horn poultice would be enough to save Felix.
At least he isn’t bleeding anymore.
Demona took a moment to step out of the structure and felt the fresh morning air sweep past her face. She looked up at the sunny, cloudless sky and wondered what the day would bring for her and her companions. She hoped that whatever came was no worse than the events that had unfolded the day before.
Ileana rested her hand on Demona’s arm. “Take a break. I’ll watch over him for a little while.”
Demona nodded her head. She saw Aero standing by the cliff that overlooked the valley far below. Demona walked to stand beside him and stared down at the miniature treetops on the valley floor. It was forests and bodies of water for as far as the eye could see. Only patches of yellow grassy fields dotted the tree covered landscape.
Demona reached to pat Aero’s side, but hesitated. Instead, she leaned her head against him. Aero shifted under her, but did not resist her touch.
“Thank you,” Demona said.
Aero whinnied. There is no need for thanks. I did my part to save the human. His bravery and selflessness deserved no less.
Demona looked at the broken horn that protruded from the unicorn’s head. “Your horn, will it grow back?”
Aero shifted his weight again. Perhaps, with time. Great amounts of time.
“Aero! Demona! My friends!” Father Jandro crested the trail onto the flat surface of Bretthirg. He was followed by two other light beings. “I came as quickly as possible. Aleph’s message was urgent that I meet you here.”
Father Jandro looked around, until his eyes rest on the blackened stain on the rocky earth. “Who has been injured? Is the Dark Queen responsible?”
Demona looked at her feet. “Felix and yes.”
“Quickly, where is the new initiate?”
Demona pointed to the structure and father Jandro sprinted in its direction. He ushered his companions in the direction of the large stone slabs and they disappeared inside. Before Demona could make it to the entrance, Ileana stepped out.
“Father Jandro has taken control…and kicked me out.” Ileana gave a disappointing scowl. “Father Jandro is praying over him now and says they need silence.”
Demona gave Ileana a hug. “Thanks for your help” Demona said.
“No prob,” Ileana replied. “The least I can do.”
Father Jandro stepped out from the structure and walked towards the three companions. “Felix is stable enough to travel. Sven and Leiv will prepare a stretcher to aid us in our descent down from Bretthirg. Sven is praying over him now, as it will help with the healing process, but he needs a team of faith healers.
“Old friend, thank you for your sacrifice,” Father Jandro bowed in thanks to
Aero. “Had you not given part of your horn, the young man would surely be dead. He is fighting to heal, but his body and mind are exhausted from the efforts.”
“We need supplies for a stretcher: wood, rope, and cloth. We need to be done as quickly as possible.”
“There’s a ladder in that structure, and some old rotting cloths, and other random stuff,” Ileana said. She pointed to the structure that led to the Tomb of Beginning.
Father Jandro called to Sven and Leiv. They entered the structure to gather the necessary items. Soon afterwards they began assembling the stretcher with the ladder legs, a bear skin, and what scraps of cloth they could find to rip into strips.
Within an hour, Felix was loaded onto the stretcher, with Sven on one end and Leiv on the other. They lifted the stretcher and began the descent down the passage. Demona swung her pack onto her shoulders and Ileana grabbed Felix’s. Their journey to the valley below gave Demona a sense of relief the farther down the incline they traveled.
****
They reached the valley floor by midday. Father Jandro led the way through the forest to the new light being camp. The new location had not been fortified and was easily exposed to an attack. They entered into the camp where tents were half erected and the people were just beginning to make their home.
“Sven, call the elders together,” Father Jandro said.
Demona lifted Felix’s head and let water trickle into Felix’s mouth as he slept. He swallowed and she allowed his head to rest back down on the stretcher, which now lay on the ground below. Demona brushed the hair from his face and tucked the blanket tightly around his body.
Demona looked up at the sound of running feet on ground. The seven elders in their dingy white robes stood around Felix. They looked at the young initiate and then to the Father. They remained silent, waiting for his instructions.
“If the boy is to live we must send him back to Gleannbroch. It is the only place where there are enough faith healers to repair the damage. Leiv, call the guards together. We must make certain that nothing disturbs the process of the summoning.”
Leiv reached to remove a hollowed bull horn from his side. He raised it to his lips and blew into the instrument. It let out a long blasting noise and the camp was still, listening quietly. The third blast was followed by a brief silence and then the camp people were in motion.
The light beings gathered around Father Jandro and the rest of the group. The guards and warriors assembled waiting for their next instructions. The whole camp was ready and waiting for Father Jandro to speak.
“Thank you all for the prompt response. We have a dire situation and a young man needs to be returned to Gleannbroch in order to seek medical help. Our defense is down in this new camp, and we need to make sure that the summoning of the Power is successful. I ask that you all form a circle around this young man and his friends, while I and the elders prepare for their departure.”
Father Jandro had no need to say anything else. The light beings jumped into action. Warriors and guards formed the outer ring of the circle. The elderly, women, and children formed the middle ring that surrounded those vital for the ritual performance.
Father Jandro and the elders prepared to perform the ritual summoning.
“Aero, do you think the Queen is still around?” Ileana asked.
Aero nodded his head. If not the Queen, then her minions. There is no doubt that they have been watching the pass since their departure. If they saw us on our descent it is guaranteed that they know where we are now. They know the risks of what they are doing.
“But they risk their own lives to save him,” Ileana said.
Aero stomped his hoof. They would do so for any of their kind. I must join them; my place is by their side. Go, save the light one.
Demona wrapped her arms around the unicorn’s neck. “Thank you for everything.” She pulled back and stroked his muzzle.
Ileana nodded to Aero and he turned to make his way to the outer rim of the protective circle of bodies.
The elders were down on one knee and murmuring under their breath. The Power appeared in his feathered form and he slowly unwrapped himself from his folded wings. Father Jandro stepped up to the Power and proceeded with the same ritual Demona had witnessed at Gleannbroch. Then, he whispered to the Power and beckoned to Demona and Ileana.
“First, each of you needs to place your hand into his. Then, get Felix and carry him through the portal. We will pray for his health.”
“Thanks,” Demona said. She first approached the Power and put her hand into the angel’s. She withdrew it and let Ileana take her turn. Demona went back to one end of the stretcher and waited for Ileana to join her.
Cries rose from around them. Arrows flew overhead and Demona heard the sound of clashing metal at the outer ring of the protective circle. She watched as Ileana came towards her and their eyes met as Aero screamed in the distance.
“There is no time. Go, before the portal closes!” Father Jandro shouted.
“Demona lifted one end of the stretcher, while Ileana took the other. The light beings were dancing around them as they faced their oncoming attackers. Demona could not spare another thought to those that she left behind. She and Ileana sprinted in the direction of the portal and disappeared inside.
****
Demona sat outside one of the rounded stone structures on the docking system. Gleannbroch was hustling and bustling all around while she waited outside the faith healers’ hut. She let her feet dangle into the lake’s cool water and swung them back and forth. She stared out towards the lake shore and watched the ripples of water lap up against the shore. Demona was glad to be back, far away from Dissium and far away from Bretthirg.
The events that took place in Dissium were only beginning to fade, but the pain she had experienced had not decreased. The images from a few days before at the Tomb of Beginning frequently flashed through her mind. They recalled the moments of the death of her parents and the meeting with Queen Yuriko. These memories were ones she was not certain she could shake.
The Council members had already received word of their travels and were waiting for the three of them on arrival. Felix was sent to the faith healers who worked on him tirelessly. They had informed Demona that Felix would not have survived had it not been for Aero. The poultice made of his horn helped to stop the bleeding and increase his healing rate. Despite their efforts, Felix was still unconscious. They told her to wait and that he would wake when his body was ready.
“He’s awake! He’s awake!” Benen yelled. He burst through the opening of the structure.
Demona smiled and brushed her long hair behind her ear. She gathered her legs under her and stood on the dock. Benen grabbed her arm and pulled her through the door frame. Demona pushed back the linen that hung around Felix’s cot.
Felix smiled at her in between spoonfuls of broth that a healer kept shoving into his mouth. The color had returned to his cheeks and the vibrancy to his blue eyes. Demona could hear his heart beating steadily as she drew closer. Felix tried to grab the spoon from the healer’s hand, but the healer resisted.
“I’ll do it,” Demona said. The healer handed her the spoon and she sat in the now empty seat.
Demona looked back at the linen, where Benen stared wide eyed and grinning at Felix.
“What’s with the kid?” Felix asked.
“You’re a hero, you know. And apparently being a hero means that you have fans.”
Felix chuckled and grabbed the wound on his chest. “Owe. That’s funny.”
“It is,” Demona said. She shoved the spoon in his mouth.
Felix swallowed quickly. “So, what did I miss?”
Demona paused. “Well, the Council has been in session for about an hour now. I refused to go, because I wanted to be here when you woke up. Ileana has been up at the Sky Level in my place. I’m glad I decided to stay.
“Let’s see…Since the artifact is gone and hopefully, or not, on its way to Darius. I don’t even want t
o begin to think about what this is going to cost us,” Demona said.
Felix looked concerned. “What are you thinking?”
“Well, considering he was responsible for every loss in my life…I’d say that the costs will be big and we probably won’t even realize it until it’s too late.”
“That’s no good,” Felix said.
Demona shook her head. “And…I’m going to be initiated into GLC when we return home.”
“What?” Felix sat upright a little too quickly. “Owe.”
Demona pushed him back, “Part of the option that Aleph gave me was to know my past. My father was a lord of the ljosalfar bloodline. Apparently, ljosalfar are light elves. And since my mother was a GLC member, becoming one is my birthright.”
The Artifact of Dissium (Demona Book 2) Page 19