5.0 - Light Of The Stygian Orb

by Krista Walsh

  She put her whole weight into it, expecting to feel some kind of pushback at the pain. He gave no reaction.

  The longer she waited, the more her panic rose. Desperate to help, she tried to open her mind to the rest of his body. Her spatial awareness had grown stronger when she’d been in danger, so why shouldn’t she try to discover some previously unknown ability when the fate of her friend was at stake?

  But no matter how hard she tried to sense his condition, he remained an abstract form in front of her, his heartbeat slow beneath her palms.

  When voices reached her from the other end of the alleyway, it was all she could do not to drop everything and run toward them, demanding to know what had taken so long.

  “Holy shit,” a male voice exclaimed.

  “It looks worse than it is,” Daphne said. Molly sensed her kneeling down across from her. “How’s he doing?”

  “I don’t know. He’s not answering, he’s not moving. He’s just lying here, bleeding, and I don’t know what to do to help.”

  It was difficult to get the words out as the muscles in her throat seized. Her cheeks felt stretched with dried tears and her upper lip was damp where her nose had run. She was surely making a good impression on the new boy.

  “He’s still breathing, pet,” Daphne said. “We’re going to get him out of here. Get him somewhere safe. Are you ready to help us move him?”

  Molly nodded.

  “Wait, we need to get this guy all the way to the van? You said he was big, but I didn’t know you meant giant,” Emmett said.

  “He’s a daemelus, not a giant,” Molly corrected. She knew how sensitive Zach was about that word, but she didn’t know what else to call him, and he deserved to be named for what he was.

  “Sorry. Either way, he’s huge.”

  “And we’re going to have to move him,” Daphne said. “There’s no other option. I’m not about to leave him here. So come on, we’ll take this in careful starts and stops. The van is just around the corner.”

  Molly collapsed her cane and slid it into her quiver before moving around to Zach’s head. She looped her arms under his shoulders and braced his head against her chest.

  “I’ve got his legs,” Daphne said, her voice strained.

  “I guess that leaves me to prop up his middle,” Emmett said. “Wonderful.”

  “On three, take a few steps forward. Let’s do our best not to drop him.”

  “God, that’s a lot of blood,” Emmett said, and Molly wished he hadn’t. She’d been content with the situation she’d formed in her imagination. To have facts thrown at her about the reality made her head swim.

  “Good thing he’s got a lot of it,” Daphne said. “Now stop talking, start walking.”

  They only made it three steps before Molly’s arms gave out and they had to stop for a few seconds to rest. Slowly, they made their way through the alley. Every second, Molly mentally scanned the space around her, opening her mind to any shapes moving up from the alley. This moment would be the perfect time for those demons to strike, when they were weak and distracted by getting Zach somewhere safe.

  But the passageway remained quiet except for what Molly suspected were raccoons slamming around in the garbage cans. Zach remained a deadweight, making no sounds or movements as they shifted him around the corner, his upper body dragging lower than his legs as Molly’s arms trembled to hold him up.

  If it wasn’t for all the archery and tree climbing she’d been doing, she doubted she would have been able to move him at all.

  “The van is just up ahead,” Daphne said. “A few more feet.”

  Molly wondered if it would have been easier if the sorceress hadn’t updated her. Now each step took twice the effort. Only the thought of having Zach slip from her arms and crack his head against the pavement kept her muscles from going slack. She focused on her breathing, acknowledging her shakiness without letting it overcome her.

  “I’m setting his legs down,” Daphne announced through strained breaths. “Emmett, keys.”

  A loud beep as the van unlocked, and then a door sliding open.

  “What the hell is a daemelus anyway?” Emmett wheezed. “Does it mean six hundred pounds of muscle who has to be dragged around everywhere?”

  “Stop whining. I wouldn’t put him higher than two-fifty,” Daphne said. “But he’s part demon, so I’d watch his balls as you help me get him in here.”

  Emmett groaned. Zach shifted in Molly’s arms as Daphne lifted his legs again, and as one they shuffled forward to get him into the cargo space at the back of the van.

  The moment the other two took the weight of his shoulders and head, Molly’s arms dropped to her sides, numb. She wavered on her feet and wiped her bloody hands on the thighs of her jeans.

  “We put blankets over the seats, so hopefully Mrs. McNally won’t notice all the blood we’re tracking in,” Daphne said. She put her arm around Molly’s shoulders and guided her forward.

  Molly shook her head and held back. “I want to sit in the back with Zach.”

  “You’ll be wedged on the floor against the seats,” Daphne warned.

  “That’s fine. I’m not leaving him alone.”

  A rough hand, she guessed Emmett’s, helped her into the back. She pulled her bow free and set it carefully on the floor beside her, then tucked herself against the row of seats, which had been pulled forward to accommodate whatever the owner of the van usually stored back here. Molly’s feet, wedged in next to Zach’s side, didn’t have much room to move, but that was all right. She took hold of Zach’s hand and didn’t let go as they started to drive.

  “I knew I should have brought Hunter into this,” Daphne said with a bit of a groan, her voice muffled as it came around the seats to the cargo space. “He would have been equipped to help us handle an emergency. At least he would have been decent backup.”

  “You have me now,” Emmett said.

  “What good are you in a fight, huh?” she asked. “Last time, you stood there and waved your arms, bringing the wrath of a bunch of ghost demons down on you. You call that help?”

  Emmett grunted.

  “Here, take my phone and call Denise. We might not be able to deal with the bad demons, but at least she might have an idea on how to keep this one alive.”

  “Hey, Denise, it’s Emmett…No, the barbecue is still on. I think. But we might be a little late. As might you, as it happens…Yeah, Daphne’s with me. So is, well, this very large bloody man in the back seat…Trust me, that’s how I felt when I got the call. I was right in the middle of the season finale of my show. It sucks…Right, anyway, apparently we need your help making sure this guy doesn’t die.”

  Daphne passed along the directions to the college through Emmett, who finally ended the call on a note of apology.

  “I think she might try to kill you,” he said.

  “That’s fine. She’s tried to kill me before and it’s never ended with any bloodshed beyond my shattered eardrums. Hopefully once she sees the extent of the crisis, she’ll agree that enough blood has been spilled today.”

  Molly just clung to Zach’s hand and hoped he wasn’t drifting too far away from them. “Why are we going back to the college?” she asked. “They’ll know to look for him there, won’t they? Why can’t we take him somewhere else?”

  “We could take him to Peony House,” Emmett suggested. “Or home?”

  “Too far,” said Daphne. “With traffic at this time of day, it’d take us at least a half hour. No, wherever we go, the demons will track him. At least the college is close enough that we might have time to save Zach’s life before they arrive. Only a few more minutes. Stupid streets. It was a much faster trip going through the alleys.”

  The van pulled to a stop shortly after, jerking Molly side to side with the sharp movement. Two doors opened and slammed shut, and a clicking latch and the shriek of hydraulics echoed in front of her as the trunk door opened.

  “Are we ready for this again?” Daphne asked.

/>   “We could wait for the nurse,” Emmett suggested.

  “You were worried about her killing us before, imagine how she’d be if we asked her to take a leg. Don’t be so lazy. Consider this your workout before all those burgers later.”

  “If we make it back in time.”

  “There will still be burgers.”

  They helped Molly out of the van, then eased Zach out by his shoulders. This time Molly took his legs, hooking them around her hips. They were no lighter than his upper body had been, but at least she was using a different set of muscles.

  They moved to the side door, once again taking breaks every few steps to make adjustments. Finally, Emmett let go of Zach’s middle to open the door, letting them through.

  “Where are we headed?” Daphne asked, her voice thin with restrained breath. “Please tell me he uses one of the classrooms nearby.”

  Molly’s breath caught in her throat as she realized who she was here with. Daphne had never been inside the college, which meant she didn’t know about the changes Zach had made. Images of Daphne and Emmett being crushed under heaps of wooden beams and cracked drywall nearly made her lose her grip on Zach’s legs, but she quickly came back to herself. “Don’t go near the classrooms. He has traps set on random doors, and I don’t know all of them.”

  “Traps?” Emmett wheezed.

  “Booby traps. Most of them are set around the outside of the college, but he has a few throughout the hallways in case anyone gets in.”

  “Would that explain the heap of plaster around the hole in the floor?” Daphne asked. “Looks like someone missed the memo.”

  “Watch the stairs,” said Emmett.

  Molly groaned. She’d forgotten about the stairs.

  “I see them,” Daphne said with a sigh. Emmett muttered something under his breath that Molly couldn’t make out.

  “Are you going to be all right, Molly?” Daphne asked.

  Molly’s stomach was churning and sweat was creating pools in uncomfortable places, but it wasn’t like she could back out now. “Take it slow and I’ll be okay.”

  She moved carefully, taking on the extra weight as Daphne reached the stairs and Zach’s body angled downward.

  Using her toes to gauge when the floor gave way to the top step, Molly eased her way down, shuffling the soles of her shoes to assess the width of each stair.

  “Be careful when you hit the floor,” she said. “Zach has a whole bunch more traps down here so people don’t find out where he’s been living. Against the wall on the right, which is close to his doorway, there’s a pile of empty paint cans. Don’t bump into them. If they topple, it’ll unleash the buckets of nails he has balanced on the beams overhead.”

  “Sneaky,” Emmett said, his tone wary.

  “Basically, don’t touch anything except for the door when you reach it.”

  “What does he hope to accomplish with all of this?” Daphne gasped between breaths. “Seems like a lot of trouble just to keep people out.”

  “That’s what I thought, too,” Molly said, clenching her teeth to find a new wave of strength in her arms. “Now I’m starting to understand.”

  “One more step,” Emmett guided.

  She hit the floor with a breath of relief and directed them through the maze to Zach’s hideaway. As she went, she worked to remember all the traps Zach had told her about, hoping he hadn’t missed or forgotten any that they might accidentally set off.

  Molly couldn’t guess how long it took them to reach the hidden door behind the boiler room between the shuffles and breaks. Sweat dripped down her neck and had soaked through under her arms. Her breath came sharp and quick, and she would have killed for a cup of water. Unfortunately, she didn’t trust any of the water that Zach kept on hand until it had been thoroughly boiled.

  “Jeez, and I thought I used to have it bad,” Emmett said as he entered the room.

  They shuffled Zach toward the bed, Daphne and Emmett guiding Molly left and right with their voices until they had him on the blankets.

  Dusty brushed against the backs of Molly’s legs. She crouched and extended her hand, smiling as the tiny nose scraped along the outside of her knuckles.

  “You can’t be serious,” Emmett said. “That belongs to this guy?”

  “What have I told you about appearances?” Daphne asked.

  “Still…it’s so tiny.”

  Molly picked Dusty up and set her next to Zach. She was certain both of them would appreciate the other’s company right now.

  As she stood up, her hand brushed over the quiver at her side. “I forgot my bow in the van.”

  “I’ll get it,” Emmett said. “I’ll hang around outside and flag Denise when she gets here.”

  “Be careful with it,” Molly said. “It’s expensive.”

  “Which means bring it back,” Daphne added, and Molly thought the teasing in her voice was only half in jest.

  “Yeah, yeah. What do you take me for? I stole the van at your request, don’t forget.”

  The door closed again as Emmett slipped out, and Daphne released a loud exhale behind Molly.

  “This was supposed to be a fun day,” she said. “Mom was hosting a Halloween barbecue. Instead, I’m holed up in the basement of an abandoned college trying to save a demon from a bunch of other demons.”

  “I’m glad it doesn’t only sound crazy when I say things like that,” Molly said. “Does it ever get less weird?”

  “No. I wish I could say it did. I was raised a sorceress, and I’ve delved into some really dark and bizarre crap, but even after all I’ve seen, I’m still regularly surprised by what the world throws at me. The worst part is, it’s not always the otherworldly BS that shocks me the most.”

  Molly thought of Steve’s reaction. “I can understand that.”

  “I just saw some feet pass by,” Daphne said. “I think they’re here.”

  Sure enough, a minute later, the door opened again.

  “Daphne Morgan Heartstone,” a woman greeted in a less-than-cheerful tone. “First you call me up asking to help you burn bodies in our incinerator, and now you drag me here when I’m getting ready for a family event to save some — oh, damn.”

  Denise’s voice had grown louder as she’d turned her head toward Molly, then fallen silent. Molly guessed she’d gotten a look at Zach.

  “I need hot water and clean sheets to start,” she said. “I brought my first aid stuff, but I think this goes far beyond that. What the hell happened to him?”

  The air shifted as she stepped closer to Zach, and Molly stepped backward to give her room, not feeling slighted that the woman hadn’t noticed her yet. Hard to pay attention to the teenager when a large bleeding man was stretched out right beside her.

  “My best guess is that some buddies of the demons we killed the other day came back for revenge,” Daphne said. “We’ll want to work fast, if we can. This is the closest and safest place I could think to bring him, but if they don’t find him on their search, I suspect they’ll be back.”

  “Wonderful,” Denise said. “That’s just the news I want to hear. Not only do I have to stop what appears to be some serious internal bleeding, but I have to watch my back so I don’t end up being shredded myself. I’m sorry, I’m being completely rude. Who’s this?”

  Molly extended her hand outward, but when her skin stretched taut, she realized it was still covered in blood, so she offered a wave instead. “I’m Molly Harris. Zach’s friend.” She frowned and swallowed the ball once more rising in her throat. “Is he going to be okay?”

  “Let me do the assessment first, sweetheart, then we’ll see. Right now, he still has a pulse, so that’s not a bad start. I need to get his shirt off so I can see the wound. Daph, can you help me?”

  “What do you need?”

  “I can cut through the shirt, but it’s better if we take off the coat. Let’s roll him.”

  Grunts and heaves filled the air as the two women worked to move the man. Molly swallowed hard. She w
as terrified of hurting Zach more than he was, but couldn’t sit by while the others did all the work. “Can I help?”

  “Sure, sweetie. Take his shoulder and hold him steady.”

  Molly knelt down and allowed Denise to guide her hands where she needed them. Molly’s palms were so slick with blood and sweat that Zach’s weight threatened to slip out of her grip, but she held strong.

  They took it step by step, carefully shifting him back and forth as they pulled off his coat. Molly kept hoping the movement would wake Zach up, but he continued silent and still. She knew it had to be her imagination, but she couldn’t help but think that his limbs were getting heavier as time went on.

  Metallic snips replaced the movement as Denise cut through the shirt.

  “Oh, man. That does not look good.”

  Molly’s throat closed, but she refused to panic.

  “We’ve got a four-inch slash across the chest,” the nurse said, although Molly didn’t know if it was out of habit or for their benefit that she spoke aloud. “We won’t know how deep it goes yet, but let’s cross our fingers it didn’t pierce anything. Help me roll him on his side again. I want a full picture of what I’m dealing with before I start poking around.”

  They shifted him again, and someone sucked a breath in between their teeth.

  “There are five deep punctures to his lower left side,” Denise said aloud, and she still didn’t seem to be expecting any kind of response. “It almost looks as though someone drove nails through his skin.”

  “They did,” Molly replied. “Fingernails. I got them in my shoulder yesterday, but Daphne patched me up.”

  “You’re lucky she was there,” Denise said. “These might have pierced his kidney, which has me worried.”

  “Would he even have kidneys?” Emmett asked.

  “Who knows,” said Daphne.

  Denise made a noise of frustration. “Even if by some lucky chance he doesn’t have kidneys and they missed everything important, there’s the blood loss to worry about. All right, help me lie him down.”

  Molly eased Zach onto his back.

  “Based on the swelling on his face, he might have fractured a cheek bone. Nose is definitely broken.” A pause. “Pupils aren’t responding, but with all the facial swelling, it wouldn’t surprise me if there was some local damage. No response to the hands or feet.”