Ignition (Escaping Demons Saga Book 2)

by Stacy McWilliams

  Turning around in time to see an evil looking creature replaced Nathan. Taller than I and twice as wide, with green eyes and a brown face, it looked as though it was made by someone who had never seen human or animal features. The creature had a mixture of both. Looking at the creature, I had no idea what to do.

  It swiped at me and the claw bounced off some sort of sphere around me. It swiped again and bounced off, but this time I noticed that it had made a small hole. I knew if it managed to hit me again, I’d die. I didn’t know how I knew this, but I did. I looked at it and flicked my wrist towards the leg. A gash appeared there and the creature looked enraged. Flicking my wrist with more power this time, towards the hand that came towards my face, I heard the bone break and the creature screamed a horrible, gravelly scream and lunged at me.

  This time I flicked my wrists towards the knees and I heard the horrible sound of them breaking. The creature fell to the ground inches away from me, howling. I felt sick and exceptionally worried. Speaking to the creature, directly into the mind as it twisted and snarled at me from the ground, I asked it, “Who are you?”

  The creature didn’t answer, just glared up at me and I flicked my wrist gently across the arm. As I moved my wrist, I saw a gash appear. It was deep, right down to the bone. I again tried to speak to the creature, “I’ll ask again… Who are you? What do you want?”

  As it lunged at me again, I threw it across the room, but it sprang up faster than I had anticipated. As it reached me, I fell backwards cracking my head loudly on a rock and the creature trapped my hands. I looked into the face of the creature who wanted to kill me. Realising I was stronger than the thing, I froze it with its teeth bared an inch from my face.

  I could feel the shock flit across my face, but I needed to get up. Just by thinking it, I looked down at this frozen beast. I entered the mind of it again, but managed to keep a portion of my mind on the freezing power, to allow me to question it without it attacking me again.

  “Who are you?” I asked.

  The beast looked up at me maliciously, but didn’t answer. I froze its brain for a second before releasing. Feeling horrible, I knew if I wanted to survive, I had to find out what this creature was and who sent it.

  I could sense that the creature knew the answer. I pushed again. Eventually, it spat an answer out at me. “You are an abomination who must die. You cannot be allowed to live. No one should have power like you.”

  “Where did this power come from?”

  He didn’t answer so I removed his tongue. I heard it choking but I waited a moment before giving it back. His answer shocked me to my core, “You gain power from those around you. Why do you think the demons wanted your soul? The power you can gather, shared between all of them, makes you mouth-watering.”

  Looking down at him with pity, I asked a question to which I already knew the answer. “Will you kill me if I release you?”

  His answer shook me because he didn’t beg, lie, or cheat. “Of course I will. If the demons get you, all creatures will die. I am the great assassin and you must die.”

  Shock became my prevalent emotion as my power receded and he lunged again. This time, he made it only halfway before I placed him in an enchanted cage. I didn’t want to kill him. I needed to know where he came from and why he was after me. I heard him growl, puff, and pant as he tried to find a way out, but I knew, without knowing how or why, that he wouldn’t.

  Suddenly the lights came back up and I felt Nathan behind me again. “What happened there?”

  I was so exhausted that I collapsed in a heap at his feet. I was still conscious and I heard him ask, “What is that creature? Where did it come from?” Unable to answer, I drifted away, dreaming of my brother and sister, knowing that when I woke, I had to seriously consider how to get away from the hell that was the present and focus on finding them, before other demons did.

  When I awoke, I was still in the bright cave with loads of creatures around me. I wasn’t interested in them; I only wanted to see Nate. I looked around for him, or for Joe and Lisa, but I couldn’t see any of them. I walked around blindly, looking for them.

  Then I heard Nate calling me and I followed the sound of his voice. Finding him in an anti-chamber, eating with Lisa and Joe, I felt exhausted as I asked him, “How long have I been out?”

  “A day, give or take a few hours.”

  I asked him what happened and he told me that I had a test to take, but he couldn’t see me. He felt like he was taken to another dimension to allow me to complete the test. I realised I was famished and I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten. I had some grapes, bread and butter, and yogurt, but the food tasted like ash. After a few mouthfuls, I stopped, feeling more than a little queasy.

  I heard the voice of the lady again and I knew I had to go back through to the main chamber. As I left Nate with a kiss and a hug, I decided I wanted him to come with me, pulling him up by the hand. His instincts told him to stay and he dragged his feet, looking at the ground. I acted on impulse and overrode that command so he could come with me. I needed him with me; he kept me sane.

  Walking through the wall into the main chamber, I turned to look back into the anti-chamber the door bricked over. Nate looked shocked and I just felt angry. I could see plenty of pixies, fairies, white witches, wizards, and some Asari. Walking into the middle of the room with Nate right beside me felt like walking into a snake pit. From some of the looks I was getting, it was as though some of them were poised and ready to strike.

  As I looked into the chief’s face, my anger began to resurface, “what the hell is going on?” She smiled an evil smile at me and laughed as the room abruptly went dark again. I felt Nathan’s fingers slip through my grasp. Turning around in a circle, I realised that once again I was alone.

  A hand caught me on the back, sending me flying across the room. I bounced off the wall and landed in a heap on some rocks. I was not impressed by this. I saw a harpy flying at me. Her arms were winged and clawed and she had feathers on her legs, but her body was the shape of a woman. Her face had a beak and a cruel mouth. Her eyes were a burning orange, narrowed in delight and disgust at me. Stopping her in her tracks with a look, I waved my arm slightly, sending her falling to the floor.

  “Who are you and what do you want?” She just looked at me as if she wished I were dead, then I realised that I picked that thought right out of her head. I looked at her and she disappeared into the blackness again.

  Standing very still, closing my eyes, I tried to figure out what direction she planned to attack from. Pissed off by this point and more than a little exhausted of all these games, I sensed her above me and I reached out to grab her. As my hand closed around her, she was no longer there but at my back. Spinning around as quickly as I could, my footing was precarious and I lost it, stumbling down to the flat ground again. I scraped my hands and my knees.

  Grabbed from behind, her hand closed on my throat. I struggled to breathe. I relaxed and told her to freeze as I did before. Only it didn’t work this time; she laughed in my ear and said in her hoarse raggedy voice, “Your mind tricks won’t work on me, young one. Just die.”

  As she spoke, I realised I wasn’t powerless. I could still use Nate’s power of projection. I moved myself to the other side of the cave and my breath came in raged gasps. I heard her cackle, but I figured she couldn’t see me or sense me. In the few moments I had, I took in a few deep breaths and moved slowly towards her. All of a sudden, she flapped her wings as if she would try to fly, but I knew I had to stop her.

  “You can’t fly.” I almost felt like saying “Nanananana,” but that would annoy her more and the odds were tipped slightly in my favour. I looked at her, seeing her wriggle like a worm on a hook, as she was half up in the air, flapping around but not going anywhere. How do I deal with the harpy?

  I stared at her and could feel her hatred, but I couldn’t figure why she hated me. I decided to ask her a few questions while she just hung there. “What do you want? Why ar
e you trying to kill me?”

  She looked at me as if she loathed me and I searched through her head for the answers I sought, but she blocked me. I wasn’t aware of the power harpies had. I looked at her, trying to force her to talk to me. I decided to give her a little shock. I closed my mind down so she couldn’t possibly see what was coming next. I struggled to think what to do that would shock her into giving me some answers. I decided to be nasty and make her feel like her bones were on fire. Made me feel nauseas to do it, but I needed answers.

  I heard her scream, yell, and flap about but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop! I needed to know why all these things were after me and how to stop them from finding me and by extension, Nathan and our friends.

  Looking at her, I could finally see what I wanted to know. This was another test. Those creatures wanted me dead because I was destined to bring about the end of their rule. But their rule where? And how could I bring about the end? I didn’t even know what these things were until they tried to kill me. Things I would need to think about later; I needed to deal with her first.

  Keeping us both elevated without moving drained me. I let her drop and she tried to run, but knowing I had power over her, it was no problem to make her stay. I knelt down beside her because I knew she couldn’t hurt me, even though she wanted to, and asked her some questions.

  “I need you to answer me and I swear I’ll let you live if you do.”

  “Sure you will! You’re just a lovely innocent human! Ha!”

  I tried to figure out what she meant when she broke free of the bonds I’d placed on her, flying towards me. I managed to stop her with a look. It froze her while I tried to think what to do. I decided to unfreeze only her head, which was a big mistake. I let the bonds fall away from her face to allow her to talk. She looked at me in loathing and hissed as I spoke, “Okay. Let’s try again!”

  A bolt of fire hit me square on the chest, sending me soaring across the room. As I sat there in shock for a minute, the harpy landed on me trying to suffocate me again. Unable to think and breathe, I succumbed to the feeling of darkness before an image of Nate appeared in blinding light. Sending a wave of fire up my body threw her off and I used the fire to throw her across the room into a cage.

  Walking over in anger, I could feel power spread through me, from the tips of my toes to the bottom of my hair. I hit her with fire after fire until I saw Nathan in a vision.

  “I want answers now.”

  The cave shook in my anger; meanwhile the harpy looked terrified. I was too far past reason to acknowledge the fear in her expression. Walking slowly around her, I asked, “Who sent you?”

  Her answer terrified me and I began shaking myself.

  “The devil himself sent me to find you. I am the first of many who will find you and kill you. One of us will succeed.”

  I felt contempt and the urge to kill her, but I warred with myself as the good in me was disgusted. I was beyond livid and completely terrified, but I decided to use her for information. Reinforcing the cage around her, I slumped down, waiting for the lights to come up. I sat there for a while and every time she shouted at me, I just glared at her and shot her through with fire. I was not happy and I got tired of waiting. I decided to bring everyone back.

  The power in me scared me. When I saw Nate’s face, I realised that it scared him as well. I wanted to reassure him, but I couldn’t think of what to say to him. I just wanted a hug but as I made my way over to him, he walked away without looking back which felt like a punch in the gut.

  I turned around, searching around for the chief, but she looked completely dumfounded. Feeling confused, tired, and hurt, I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. I threw the harpy’s cage across the room into a free anti-chamber, sealing it up tight so that only my magic could unlock it.

  Walking out, faces turned towards me, but they turned to blurs as I felt more and more scared. My breath came faster because I didn’t understand why Nate walked away. I found myself walking onto the beach where I stumbled upon Nate and Joe talking about me. I stopped listening intently.

  “Mate, she is scaring me. Her powers are coming on too thick and too fast. Soon she will have no control. She is attracting the beasts and fairies. The other creatures are getting too tired to keep shifting us all dimensions. Did you know that she that pulled us all back there?” Nate’s words caused me to stuff my hand into my mouth to stop myself making any noises. Tears ran down my cheeks at hearing him say I scared him, he was supposed to love me, not fear me. Never fear me. My heart splintered painfully as I crept along towards them.

  I could see them standing a few feet from me. Staying hidden behind a big rock, Joe looked terrified, and his voice cracked as he spoke. “Was it really? How did she do that? Where have these powers come from?”

  I heard Nate’s answer in my head before he voiced it. “She copies powers and stores them, without realising what she’s doing. She pulled us back because I think she got bored waiting. I’m so worried about her.”

  Joe then asked him the question I dreaded most of all. “What happens if she loses control? How do we stop her?”

  I didn’t need to hear the answer. I could see Nate’s face and I read it there, but he said it anyway, “We have to kill her. In fact, it’s me that has to do it. I’m the only one who can get close enough to her to kill her.”

  As he said it, tears ran down his face. Joe put his arm on Nate’s shoulder and said, “Mate, I’m so sorry. Isn’t there any other way?”

  Nate just looked at him and shook his head. “Not that we’ve found yet and believe me, I’m looking. The last thing I want to do is kill Jas. I love her with my heart and soul. But if I have to stop her, I will.”

  I felt my heart crack right then. Within seconds, they walked right by me, and back into the network of caves. Feeling numb for hours, I tried not to think, but the words didn’t leave me. Repeatedly, I heard Nate saying, “I have to kill her.” My head felt like it would crack open and eventually, the tears stopped. His betrayal was worse than I could have ever imagined. He didn’t have faith in me. He thought he would have to kill me? How could he love me at all if he thought that? Was his fucked up idea of love so messed up that he had to kill me?

  When they realised I was missing, I could sense the panic that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. They were searching for me, but I sat by myself. The ocean began to sneak up on me, bashing against the ground around me. After everything we’d been through, I trusted him with my heart, my life, and my soul and now he plotted to kill me. I didn’t realise he had heard me. I was so lost in my numbness that I didn’t feel him beside me. Looking into his eyes, I could see the pain and regret on his face, but I couldn’t feel sorry for him. I didn’t betray him.

  Walking away from him and wishing I’d never met him, he reached down to help me up. His hands shook as I looked at him wordlessly. Making no move to take his hand, he sighed softly. Leaning down, he went to put his hand around me to help me out of the freezing cold water, but I flinched as his hand neared me, “Please get up, baby? Jas, please, for me, get up?”

  He touched me gently and as I jerked away from him, I had never seen him look so hurt. He fell to his knees, landing in the water with a splash, “Please Jas, talk to me?”

  “No!” I answered, surprising myself with how strong I sounded. I looked once more at him, seeing tears building in his eyes, pushed myself up, and walked away from him, leaving him kneeling there.

  “Jas,” his voice followed me like a broken whisper, “please don’t leave me.” His voice was breaking, but I had to keep moving. I had to keep him from becoming a murderer, no matter the cost. I wouldn’t give him the chance to kill me, it would destroy him.

  Hearing him call out my name, begging me to come back, almost destroyed me. He had saved me, fixed me, healed me, but now had broken me beyond repair. I could hear his desperation as I walked with tears running down my face. I reached the farthest part of the beach, hearing his voice in my head, pl
eading with me to go back. My answer cracked out a whip, “Why, so you can kill me easier?”

  He didn’t answer, he didn’t have to. All I could feel was our hearts breaking in unison as I walked away from the boy I had loved with my whole heart, the boy who had saved me on so many occasions, and the boy who crushed my heart into pieces. I needed to be strong and move on; I couldn’t forgive the betrayal. I could never trust him again.

  I walked up the path leading away from the beach, climbing over the rocks, with the waves crashing up and the spray hitting me. I walked up the hill towards an old cemetery nearby. I needed shelter from the pounding wind and the rain. I was soaked through.

  As I reached it, about half an hour later, I heard a scream from the beach and I instinctively knew that it was Nate but I was too hurt to care. I climbed into the graveyard, huddled under a gravestone, and sat for about an hour contemplating what would happen now. Through the fence, I could see demons taking Nathan away. He was unconscious, with a bloody lip. I couldn’t help him and I knew it. Even if I could, I didn’t know if I would. I just watched them lead him away!

  The next second I witnessed Joe being led away, finding that I didn’t much care about the boys. Lisa was another matter. I just had to help her. I pulled her away from them and put her inside the mausoleum, placing protection around it. I made the guards forget all about her and glamoured all the demons into thinking they were only after Nate and Joe.

  I waited until the coast was clear before heading into the mausoleum to check on Lisa. She was okay but it was pitch black. I lit the room some so I could see. I awoke Lisa and she just glared at me. I was just about to open my mouth to ask her what was wrong when a sound outside the door stopped me. I heard voices and a scuffle. When I went outside, some demons were beating up Joe and Nate. The boys regained consciousness and had escaped back into the graveyard. I looked at them and anger took over for a few seconds.