Touched by Darkness (Young Creator Trilogy)

by Christiane Shoenhair

  With those words, he lovingly strokes the sword that Ididn’t notice by his side until now.

  “I was just a normal guy. I had a beautiful, loving wife, sweet boy and new baby girl. She was so

  beautiful with her mother’s blue eyes and blonde curls. I had no idea that there was a hidden

  world with immortal beings hiding in the shadows. To make a really long story short, one of

  your kind, Trish, decided to have some fun in my town, which cost me my beautiful wife and

  baby girl.” I’m used to hearing these sort of tales; they were our bedtime stories when I was growing up. They were the reason that I told my dad I wanted to be a Guardian, but the look on

  Trish’s face breaks my heart. Tears are glistening in her eyes and her lips are trembling. “I’m sorry, Trish, I just want you to understand why I chose the path I did. I cried for

  days, begging God to bring my family back. One night, while I was sitting in a bar getting

  drunk—Nick, who was only four, was home all alone—an old women sat next to me. Ididn’t

  pay her any attention and continued with my drunkenness. I must have blacked out, because

  when I came to the old women was cleaning off the throw up that now covered me.” I have to

  say that I’m getting bored with this story, I don’t understand what this women has to do with

  anything.

  I voiced my thoughts out loud, “What does this have to do with how you got your

  sword?”

  “The old lady was one of the Fates. She started muttering about how the balance had

  greatly tipped into the court of darkness and that it needed to be balanced. She asked me if I

  wanted revenge on the one that had killed my wife and daughter. It was the first time since that

  night that I felt alive again. Told her that my life was hers and I would dedicate it to a life of

  revenge against those that had hurt my family. The old women started cackling, and I thought it

  had all been a joke played on a heartbroken man. I started raging, telling her I would kill her for

  her sick sense of humor. The look that she gave me ended my outburst, and when she pointed a

  bony finger toward a chair I followed her instruction without question. One second an old crone

  was standing in front of me, and the next a beautiful women. Then, in the blink of an eye, a

  younger version of the women.” Chris shakes his head with a smile, and I think that he is

  marveling at the day that he found out about all of this. By this I mean Furies, Young Creators,

  Fates, and all the other stuff that existsbut shouldn’t.

  “The Fate explained that she was timeless. A being purely created to watch over the Earth

  and all of its creatures, placed in charge of a magical tapestry that kept count over darkness and

  light. The Fates made sure that one never overtook the other too far. They had to interfere on a

  few occasions and this was one of them. A few of the Young Creators had come unhinged and

  caused destruction all over, some by killing everything in sight by their own hand, others by

  causing natural disasters to do so. She told me that I had been chosen to stop all of this, but

  before I would be given the opportunity I first had to find myself and take care of my family. I

  had wallowed so deep in my grief that I had abandoned my boy. You can’t imagine the fire that those words caused inside of me. Since that day, I have dedicated my life to both my family and

  serving the Fates.” He reaches across and ruffles Nick’s hair in an affectionate gesture. “So … the sword?” I once again want to bring him back on track. I get that he feels like

  he has to share his story, but I just want to know about the sword that is going to stop all of our

  problems.

  “Yeah, about that. I get that Ican’t use your sword to kill Haddie,but why don’t you try?

  Why do I have to get myown weapon?” Trish asks from across the table.

  “It is how the Fates are making sure that the balance is restored. You see, I can kill the

  dark, but Ican’t make more light. However, if you bring Haddie to justice, dark will be beaten by

  light,which will hopefully be enough to restore balance. I don’t know if you have noticed, but

  when darkness overshadows light, things change in the world. Humanity is crueler and more

  wars break out, people are at their worst.” Giving her a sad smile, he takes a gulp from his halffilled glass. He empties the remainder and nods in the direction of the waiter, letting him know

  he would like another.

  “So, Sky here.” Chris pulls the sword up and lays it flat on the table. I’m in awe of the

  beautiful sword, a weapon that can slice through immortality. It’s not that the Young Creators

  are immortal, it’s just that theycan’t be killed by normal means. Especially if they are in control

  of their powers. No wonder the people in charge of Haven tried so hard to keep the Young

  Creators docile. I look at Trish and remember how things where for her in Haven, and

  immediately realize that it’s just not the place for anyone like her. I don’t know how Haven

  hasn’t been destroyed by angry Young Creators that may have gotten away. I guess the plan that

  Haven was founded on did actually work.

  Chris’ words break into the spell that his sword has cast over me. “Each of the three

  swords are connected to one of the three great gods that ruled the different realms of Earth. Sky

  is bound to Zeus, Typhoon is bound to Poseidon, and Flame to Hades. The three gods created

  these weapons as a fail-safe in case something happened and a weapon would be needed to bring

  other gods to their knees. Somewhat surprising I know, since none of those three lacked

  arrogance. I think Athena may have had something to do with it. Zeus always listened to his

  daughter, especially when it came to her wisdom in strategizing in war. But that’s just the story I

  heard. As far as getting my sword, I had to climb the tallest mountain. When I found the ancient

  cave that the Fate told me about, I had to go through multiple tasks before reaching the sword. I have a few scars that show how close I came to failure. Once I reached the sword, I tried picking it up and failed. I sat in front of it for days, then weeks. My food and water ran out and I was barely clinging on to the threads of life when finally I had a vision of Zeus asking why I was willing to give my life to acquire the sword. I told him of my mission to destroy the evil that was the Young Creators, and next thing I know I was at the bottom of the mountain, sword strapped

  to my side.”

  Everyone has gone quiet and is just staring at Chris, not really knowing what to say. I

  honestly don’t know what to think. I know that we have to stop Haddie from what she is doing;

  not only that, but Trish has to have a way to defend herself when Haddie comes for her. Which

  apparently is only a matter of time.

  “So now that you understand what is at risk, let’s take a day to get ourselves together and

  hash out all of the details. Then, the day after tomorrow we will go to the Underworld,” Chris

  says, breaking the silence. He gets up, throwing some money down and walking out the door. I

  can’t believe that he left it like that. I seriously want to bang my head into a wall. I still have so

  many questions and things that I need answered, but I let the opportunity slip. I look to Nick, and

  when I catch his gaze I motion toward the door, letting him know that I want to leave… now. I

  notice him whisper something into Trish’s ear, which has me gritting my teeth, and he gets up,

  grabbing his black leather jacket and quickly slipping it
on.

  Chapter 19

  Touched by Despair I watch Keagan head out the door with Nick. I’m glad to see that he has a friend, and I know that Nick is a good guy. Keagan needs someone, I know that, but right now itcan’t be me. He seems so lost; I just hope that he can dig his way out of this and find his way.

  Throat clearing pulls me out of my thoughts, and I look up to meet Riley’s smile. “You ready to head back to the hotel?” Riley asks.

  “I guess.”

  “You okay,Trish?” she inquires as she scoots out of her chair.

  “I don’t know,Riley. It’s just so much, and I’m hoping that I’m following the right path. By the way, how come Aunt Tisididn’t come along with you? I could’ve really used her advice right about now.”

  “Trish,I would’ve told you earlier, but I just didn’t want to add anything else for you to worry about. It has been bad back on the island. Haven has regrouped and is constantly launching attacks against the camp. They were barely able to spare me to accompany you on this mission. Keagan’s mom, your mom, and Tisiphone have been keeping everything in one piece, but just barely.”

  “I wish we could just turn all of them into frogs,” I tell her.

  “Why don’t you?” At my startled look, Riley quickly continues,“I mean,couldn’t you?”

  “I was just kidding. I honestly have never thought about doing that. They are people regardless of what their beliefs are, so I don’t think they deserve that. They just need to realize that how they are doing things doesn’t work.”

  “You are a lot nicer than I am! If I was able to do what you are capable of, I would’ve turned them into snails and then squashed them under my boot.” Riley is a fierce warrior and the fire that shines in her eyes, as she is squishing imaginary snails under her black combat boots, reminds me of that. I sometimes forget what she is capable of, she is just such a bubbly person. But underneath that sweet, carefree exterior is a bad ass warrior that will stand up for what she believes in and kick some butt doing it.

  “I don’t know, Riley. I hated my experience at Haven. It was horrible, humiliating, painful, and just something that I really want to forget. However, I can’t … it’s one of those things that gets ingrained into who you are. I’ve grown a lot since my time there, and through interacting with your brother I have found that sometimes good people do bad things. Especially when they think that it’s the right thing,or that they are doing it for the greater good.”

  “I don’t know, I still think that we all should know right from wrong and if something feels wrong then we shouldn’t do it.” She shrugs her shoulders as if to say duh.

  “Not everyone is as strong as you,Riley.” I walk over to her and give her a hug.

  “All right,I’m ready to go, let’s get outof here.”

  The ride back to the hotel is filled with light chatter. Instead of worrying about what the day after tomorrow holds, we decide to scope out Paris. Might as well enjoy the last day that we may have on this planet. The story that Chris relayed earlier keeps bouncing around in my head. I’m surprised that no one mentioned wedidn’t have weeks to spare when it comes to getting our hands on the sword.

  Riley and I stay up late, talking about anything and everything. She brings up the topic of Keagan just once, but I immediately switch the subject. I mean, how can I talk about Keagan and how I feel about him if I don’t even know, especially with his sister?

  By the time that we decide to turn the lights off, I can barely keep my eyes open. It feels like seconds before I find myself on top of the Eiffel Tower. I’m standing on a railing, and the only thing making sure that I don’t plunge to my death is the hand gripping the piece of steel above my head. I try to turn my head and find that Ican’t.

  “Beautiful,isn’t it?” I would recognize that voice anywhere. It’s Haddie. How is this possible? This must mean that she is here and knows of our plan to get the sword from the Underworld. I wonder what her plan is.

  “So how is Chelsey doing? Did that sweet little friend of yours ever tell you about all the fun we had?” She cackles like an evil witch. “I have to tell you, making that one scream in pain took quite a bit. She is definitely a lot tougher than I would have guessed. I knew I had her when her eyes turned glassy and the life just seemed to seep from her body.” I want to scream at her and rip her black heart out, but all that I can do is sit here and listen to what she tells me. It must be the most frustrating situation that I have ever found myself in. Just like last time, what I want to do is stop her and make her pay for her actions and words, but Ican’t do anything.

  “I know that you’re here, and I promise that we will be face to face soon. Do you know why I know this?I know because if you don’t find me by tomorrow night then you can just wave Paris good-bye.I’ll also make sure that I finish what I started with Chelsey. I will make sure that what you witnessed before was just child’s play compared to what I have planned for here. Make sure to bring your sidekicks along, I have some fun planned for them,too.”

  With those words, she jumps off the tower and I can feel the wind whipping my hair all around me. I know that I will not die, but having this body fall closer and closer to the cement below is terrifying. Just as we are about to make impact, Haddie gently lands on her feet. There is a couple on a bench kissing passionately, and I watch in horror as Haddie—with the lift of her pinkie—makes the bench with its two patrons smash into the wrought iron structure of the Eifel Tower.

  We walk over to the two now dead bodies. Haddie, with the tip of her brown boot, lifts up a limp, lifeless hand. Then she sits on her hackles, and with the tip of her finger, starts nudging the dead girl, and finally lifts up the boy’s head by the hair. When she is satisfied with whatever she was checking, she excitedlyjumps to her feet and claps her hands. “Oh boy, oh boy! What fun we are going to have. Just watch this, Trish! I have been practicing and it’s so much fun. I have been wondering, can you do this, too?”

  She takes a step back, and I watch out of her eyes as the two dead bodies—still with broken bones and lifeless eyes—are raised from the dead. They stand there waiting, no longer interested in each other but instead solidlyfocused on Haddie. “You,” she points to the boy, “go and find me something to eat.” The dead boy just stares at her and I can tell that Haddie is getting really frustrated. She turns to the girl and utters the same command, to which the girl runs off and returns with a half-eaten sandwich. Shetakes a bite and then spits it back out. “Yuck,it’s got Brie cheese on it. I have to tell you, Trish, I wish that this weren’t so one sided. I reallycan’t wait to meet you face to face. Just think of all the fun we are going to have.” She lets out another evil laugh.

  I want to tell her what I think about her and what she’s doing,but I’m stuck even though I want to get away from her. I don’t want to witness anything else that has Haddie involved. I just want to get back to my bed, wake up, and get to the Underworld so that I can stop Haddie from killing anymore people. She saysshe’s been practicing and that scares me. What exactly does that mean, does it mean that she has been going on a killing spree?

  I have to watch Haddie take out several more people, and each time she adds someone it hurts my heart. By the time I finally wake up and am released from the horror that Haddie made me a part of, my face has salt tracks from crying for hours in my sleep. I look over to Riley’s bed, finding her out like a light. I now know that I can’t do this alone, it’s just too much. It’s not that I don’t believe the rest of the people who have accompanied me on this journey will not be helpful, it’s just that I don’t believe that they are enough. I quickly slip into my tennis shoes and quietly slip out of our room. It’s still fairly early, but a few business people are making their way out of their rooms.

  I walk around the hotel for a few minutes until I find myself once again in the gym. To my surprise, no one is working out this morning. I walk to the far corner of the room, furthest from the door, and sit down on the floor. The workout equipment now hides
me from the door. I have done this before, but not across such a long distance. However, I’m desperate and don’t see any other way. I picture Aunt Tisi breaking down into billions of tiny particles and the air carrying her to me. I sit on the floor for a long time until I see a shimmer in the air surrounding me. The shimmer turns into my Aunt Tisi, and in the next instant I’m on my feet and hugging her.

  “Aunt Tisi, I’m sorry.I just didn’t know who else to turn to. I’m so happy to see you.”

  “Trish, what a pleasant surprise. I wasn’t expecting this, but I’m happy to be here. Why have you brought me to Paris?” She returns my hug patiently and then gently pushes me away, looking at me expectantly.

  “Aunt Tisi, I know you expect more of me and that I can handle all of this, but you’re wrong. Ican’t do it. She has gotten into my head and shown me what she’s been doing. She has to be stopped and I mean immediately. She is just going around killing people, making an army of undead. How am I supposed tostop that?”

  “Trish, take a deep breath. You’re right, she has definitely gotten to you. Maximus told me of what she did to that city, and that’s why you are now going to get a weapon to stop her. I know it’s hard to be patient, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the reason she is doing this is to draw you out before you have accomplished your goal. You have to realize you can’t stop her permanently without the weapon. But what I can do is lead you to the Underworld. It is a place that I’m very familiar with. We should leave as soon as possible,” Aunt Tisi tells me.

  “How come we don’t just turn her into a harmless mouse? Riley asked me about it the other day.” It doesn’t feel like a solution, but I want to see if it would be a last resort kind of option.

  “The force field prevents us from doing that to each other. If the force field were brought down, it may be an option,but it’s nearly impossible to take it down. Even if it were a possibility,would you do it?”

  “I really don’t know. Itmay be a better solution than killing my sister.”

  “Killing is never the easy option, and in general should only be used as a last option. Trish, I know that what we are asking of you is a lot, but it is your destiny. You, more than any other living being on this planet, knows what Haddie is capable of. Is her life worth that of millions?” I consider what Aunt Tisi just told me and have to agree; one life in the greater picture may not be worth much,but when it’s your sister’s life on the line everything changes. I know I shouldn’t feel anything toward her, but I still do.