Pursuit: An Urban Fantasy Novel (The Lillim Callina Chronicles Book 4)

by J. A. Cipriano

  “So you’re scared?” he asked, but his tone wasn’t mocking.

  “Yes,” I said. “I’m scared I’ll either die, or I’ll turn into someone I won’t like in order to beat Masataka. When we were in Fairy… I got dark… I don’t like being the person I was in Fairy. If that happens again, I’m not sure I’ll be able to live with myself.”

  Ordain shrugged at me. “Touching,” he said after a moment. “I don’t really care or anything, but it’s touching.” I glared at him, and he shrugged again.

  “You know, you’re really not the nicest person I’ve ever met,” I said as we crested a tiny sand dune.

  “I’m a demon,” he replied, glancing at me in a way that made me feel pretty dumb. “Now, play nice!” he added, grabbing me by the scruff of the cloak and flinging me down the dune.

  I hit the ground in a roll, which while it stopped me from breaking any important bits, sent me tumbling down like a scarlet snowball. I came to a stop a few moments later in a cloud of ruby dust.

  I scrambled to my feet, whirling around to glare back up the hill as I tried to ignore the places now occupied by sand. Ordain stood at the top with a smirk on his face. Very slowly, he lifted one hand and pointed behind me.

  I whipped around, and my eyes went wide as I took in the scene. There was a small, red-walled farmhouse with white trim. A well-manicured lawn of blue-colored grass stood behind the white picket fence that surrounded the property. A beat-up tan Ford pickup sat in the driveway, the bed piled high with farm equipment.

  That was pretty much where the niceties ended because sitting in the huge tree with pink fruit the size of my head was an enormous creature that vaguely resembled a caterpillar with spider-legs. Black fur tufted up from its body as it regarded me with yellow, multi-faceted eyes. Its giant pincers gnashed together as it scurried down the tree in a flash and leapt at the fence, barking.

  “Uh… good puppy?” I asked, taking a tentative step back as the caterpillar shook its head, spraying froth from its muzzle as it struggled to leap the fence, which for some reason, kept it within the yard.

  “I am not a puppy,” it snarled in a voice that reminded me of a mousetrap snapping shut.

  “Okay,” I said, swallowing. “What are you?”

  “I am the guardian of this home, and you are an intruder!” it barked.

  I took another step back, and the creature seemed to settle down… slightly. Before I could do anything else, the front door of the house burst open, smacking against the wall behind it. The giant caterpillar glanced over its shoulder, and the color drained from its body, leaving its neon-yellow body looking rather sickly.

  A woman about my height with short curly, mauve hair strode out onto the porch. She was wearing faded jeans and a white button-up shirt that hugged her thin body in such a way that I wondered if her diet consisted of actual food or if she lived just by looking at pictures of food in magazines.

  “Grover, you hush this instant!” she squeaked in a voice that reminded me of dainty mouse princesses.

  The caterpillar hopped off the fence and slunk away as the woman strode up to the gate. She fixed me with a gaze that made me feel… well not unwelcome exactly, but not welcome either. Her hazel eyes sparkled as she swung the gate open, gazing past me toward the hilltop where Ordain stood. Her chin nodded almost imperceptibly.

  “Hi,” I said, holding my hand out to her. “I’m Lillim Callina.”

  “Of course you are,” she replied, looking at my hand like it was covered in giant caterpillar doo. “Come in. I haven’t got all day.”

  “Okay,” I murmured, sparing a glance over my shoulder at Ordain. He seemed to be staring off into space with his hands crossed over his chest as though he was trying to ignore us.

  “He might as well whistle,” the woman growled, glancing back at us. “Acting like he doesn’t see us. Maybe I should beat you to death and feed you to Grover. That’d teach him.”

  “Are you going to do that?” I asked as I took a step past her into the yard. Sweltering heat welled up at me, and I was reasonably sure that if I was wearing sunglasses they’d have fogged up.

  “Not sure yet. But it’s early in the day, things could change.” She shut the gate behind me with the near inaudible clack of a bolt shutting.

  “Swell…” I murmured mostly to myself as she charged back toward the house.

  “I baked some cookies,” she added when I hesitantly followed her. “You can have one.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “What was your name again, I didn’t catch it.”

  “That’s because I didn’t throw it,” she snapped before entering the house and shuffling off inside.

  “Could you throw it now?” I asked, stepping into the house. The walls were covered in pictures of little girls riding horses, playing instruments, and doing all sorts of other Norman Rockwellish things. Aside from the entryway, which was made of cheap laminate tile, the rest of the floor was covered in plush, green carpet.

  “Take off your shoes before you step on my carpet,” she called from another room. “Unless you’re some kind of savage.”

  “Sure,” I muttered to myself, slipping off my tennis shoes and stepping onto the carpet. It swelled up around my feet like moss, and I had to resist the urge to leap back onto the tile. “So about that name…”

  “I’m not telling you my name, Lillim,” she said, appearing back in front of me with a blue ceramic plate. There was one cookie on it, and it was enormous, taking up the entirety of the dinner plate. Specks of varying colors glistened from within it, and as she thrust it toward me, the scent of rotting fish filled my nose.

  “Um… no thanks, I don’t want so spoil my dinner,” I said, waving her away in the most polite way possible.

  “Well, I didn’t want to give you my cookie anyway,” she scoffed, turning her back to me and disappearing into a hallway on my left. I made to follow her, but she whirled around and pointed one pink-nailed finger at me. “You stay there.”

  I halted and sighed, but only inwardly because I was trying not to be rude. She narrowed her eyes at me and made an “I’m watching you” gesture with her left hand before turning and continuing down the hallway. On her back, a pair of white wings were tucked together so they weren’t visible unless you were looking right at them.

  “Are you an angel?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  She glanced back at me, scoffed, and disappeared into what I presume was the kitchen. When she returned a moment later, she was sipping from a glass of bubbling green fluid. One giant bubble rose to the surface and popped as she swirled the drink with her straw.

  “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, Miss Callina?” she asked when she stood only a few inches from me. I guess she had a different concept of personal space than I did.

  “I have no idea. Ordain brought me here and then your giant caterpillar—”

  “Grover,” she interrupted.

  “Grover,” I amended. “Tried to leap your fence and eat me.”

  “Impossible. Nothing can leave this yard except through the gate.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Besides, Grover wouldn’t hurt anyone. He’s just a big sweetums.”

  “Sure,” I said with a shrug. And then it dawned on me. If what she said was true… I was trapped in her creepy house.

  “So, I repeat,” she said, her unblinking eyes boring into me like a pair of drills. “Why are you here?”

  I shifted uncomfortably, unsure of what to say exactly. “Uh… because Ordain brought me here?” I offered

  “But why?” she slurped through a mouthful of green liquid. “Why has the second brought you to me?”

  “Ask him?” was what I wanted to say, but I didn’t because I suddenly had an idea. “Because you’re supposed to help me.”

  “Help you do what?” she asked, pursing her lips around her straw and blowing bubbles within the drink.

  “Well, what can you do?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her. “How do I know you can help me?�
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  “Really? That’s how you’re going to play this?” she asked me, shaking her head in a flutter of curls. I blushed and looked at my feet, which were suddenly terribly interesting. “Well, it doesn’t matter anyway,” she added as she reached out and pushed on my chin with her finger until our eyes met. “No one can find you inside these gates, so if you’re planning on stalling until someone finds you… well you’ll be waiting forever.”

  Uh. Oh.

  Chapter 7

  A loud knock outside woke me up, and for a moment, I couldn’t remember where I was. As I stretched and wiped the drool from my mouth, attractive I know, I stared at the ceiling. The mysterious winged lady still wouldn’t let me out of the entryway of the house, but she had provided me a blue-green bed that reminded me of something you might give a cat.

  So… yeah, I was sleeping in a giant cat bed, which was a little lame, but also surprisingly comfy. I stretched again and pushed myself to my feet. I wasn’t sure how long I had been asleep, but my stomach was rumbling like a freight train. Since I had refused her cookie, the lady of the house hadn’t offered me anything else to eat.

  There was another knock outside, and Grover began barking incessantly. I turned and bent so I could look out the peephole. My breath went out with a whoosh, and my heart sped up, hammering so hard in my chest that Grover turned and looked at me.

  My ex-boyfriend Joshua stood on the opposite side of the gate knocking frantically, and the sight of me made my legs turn to jelly. How the hell had he found me? I was assured that I was unfindable, and besides, I’ve been here, what a few hours at best? I mean, I pretty much took a nap and that was it.

  Since we had broken up, the only time Joshua ever came to find me was when something B-A-D, bad was happening. I spun, putting my back to the door and looking up at the ceiling. Had he come to find me because something happened to my mother… or something worse?

  I moved to open the door and ask him that very question when the lady shoved me out of the way. She flung the door open, and it smacked against the wall with a loud bang that knocked several pictures to the ground. They hit the tile and went skittering across the floor, but amazingly, none broke. She turned, glared at me in such a way that I had to make sure I was still in one piece, and stormed out of the house.

  I bent down and picked up one of the pictures. It was of a girl on a tricycle wearing cowboy clothes. She rode round and round, like a three second movie that looped over and over. I ran my finger over the glass, and the girl looked right at me. Then she mouthed “Help me!” I screamed and dropped it like it was a live snake.

  “What are you doing here?” squealed the woman outside.

  “I’m looking for my friend. Have you seen her?” Joshua’s voice seemed a little too worried to be good. “Her name is Lillim Callina. She’s about this tall and has lavender hair, but it might be dyed black.”

  “I haven’t seen anyone. Go away, demon!” she snapped.

  “But I’m right he—” my words were cut off as the door slammed shut in front of me. I grabbed the knob, trying to twist it. It didn’t budge, not even a little. “Uh oh,” I murmured and a tremor went down my spine. I was trapped in here, in this crazy place with this crazy lady.

  “Look lady, I know she’s here. Bring her out here right now, and maybe we can avoid having the full force of the Dioscuri come down on your pretty little head,” Joshua said, his voice strained, fear threading just below the surface.

  “Mr. Landers, I’m going to say this slowly so you understand. Your. Friend. Isn’t. Here. Go. Away.”

  “You’re not understanding me,” Joshua said, his voice full of annoyance. “The Dioscuri are already coming here. The Royal Guards managed to get into this realm, and I’m only a few minutes ahead of them. They will come here for her. You need to let me take her—”

  “She isn’t here!” the woman snapped, and through the peephole, I saw her turn and march back toward the house.

  “Yes she is!” Joshua snarled and tried to open the gate. The moment he touched it, he was flung backward in a flash of blue light. He hit the sand and skidded several feet, throwing up a cloud of crimson dust.

  The door pushed forward, and I scrambled away from it so that I wouldn’t be knocked over. The lady stepped into the house and glared at me, her hazel orbs filled with such rage that I didn’t really know what I should do. Run away and hide under the couch?

  “People are looking for you,” she said, narrowing her hazel eyes at me.

  “I gathered,” I said.

  “I’ll hide you if you like, but you aren’t a prisoner here. You can leave if you want.”

  “Oh.” I swallowed. “So you’re trying to keep me safe?”

  “Lillim, the only reason people come here is to hide. I don’t make a habit of telling exes when someone is here,” she said with a sigh and pushed past me, disappearing into the hallway. “If you decide to leave, please shut the gate on your way out. I don’t want Grover getting loose.”

  “Lillim! Can you hear me? Please come out of there, I need to talk to you!” Joshua yelled, and his voice seemed strained.

  I looked back out the peephole to see Joshua glance over his shoulder. His entire body stiffened as several dozen Royal Guards crested the hill. He swallowed, his adam’s apple bobbing up and down as he cast one last wistful glance at the gate and took off running across the dunes. Joshua running away? That didn’t seem like him.

  The Royal Guards either didn’t see him or were unconcerned with his flight because none of them gave chase. Which seemed a little odd unless… well Masataka and Joshua were sort of on friendly terms. Were they ordered not to hurt him?

  The lead guard reached the gate, and as he extended his hand toward it, a mass of black tentacles exploded from beneath his sleeve, hitting the gate with a sound like a cannon. The gate exploded into light, throwing blue and red sparks into the air as it warped, twisting inside on itself like a soda can stuck in a vacuum.

  The Vajra’s tentacles turned bright white, glowing so brightly that it was like staring at the sun. That’s pretty much when the man’s clothing began to burn away, flaking away like bits of burning paper. He turned toward the others and beckoned for them to help.

  More guards seized the gate, their Vajras linking together in a sort of mesh-net that swallowed the whole of the gate. So… they were going to use their Vajras to absorb all the magical defenses? I didn’t know what kind of power was in that gate, or if the creatures were even strong enough to do that, but I had a sneaking suspicion I didn’t want to find out.

  “Um… Miss?” I called back down the hall. “The Dioscuri are trying to eat your gate. I think you should come have a look.”

  She pushed past me, knocking me to the side with a sweep of her arm as she bent down to stare out the peephole. I hadn’t even heard her come up.

  “That was sort of rude,” I groaned as I rubbed my arm from where she had pushed me aside. It already looked like it was starting to bruise. Swell.

  “Your friend is persistent,” she said, turning to look at me. “What do you want to do?” I must have given her a dumb look because she huffed and continued. “Do you want to stay here or to go?”

  “If they are here, they will just keep coming until there’s no way your magic can stop them,” I replied. “I don’t think staying here is an option.”

  “I didn’t ask for your justifications. I can walk out there right now and slaughter the lot of them. If they send a million more men, I can kill them all. I can kill all who come looking for you,” she said with a shrug. “You are safe with me.”

  I stopped, just stopped. I looked at her and knew she was telling the truth, but for some reason instead of reassuring me, it unsettled me. It meant only one thing. More people were going to die because of me. Letting her kill people so that I could hide was a whole new level of yellowbellied. I wasn’t at that level, at least not yet.

  “I don’t want you to hurt people because of me, either,” I said, rea
ching down and running my hands over the hilts of Shirajirashii. Their weight reassured me even though I knew I couldn’t use their magic on the Royal Guards.

  “So what do you want me to do?” she asked, and I could see the smile on her face starting to slip. In a second she would be in full blown scowl mode.

  “I think I should leave and face my fight. Running won’t change anything,” I said. Besides, it’s about time I put on my big girl pants and put a stop to this before even more people get hurt. “Besides,” I added, “While I like the bed, it isn’t really my thing.” I smirked, trying to make light of the situation. She merely glanced from me to the bed and shrugged.

  “The cat likes it fine,” she said, stepping to the side and opening the door. “Be gone with you then.”

  The moment I stepped out of the door was like stepping into a thousand degree inferno. The air licked the sweat from my skin and chapped my lips. Huge arcs of blue energy burst from the gate and cascaded around the fence in sheets. So many Vajras were latched onto it, that I couldn’t even see the fence anymore. Some of the Royal Guards slumped against the gate, electricity sparking through across their bodies. Evidently, even Vajras had limits. Good to know.

  “Hey yo,” I called as I whipped out the twin blades that made up my swords. “How are things?”

  “They are well,” said the modulated voice of the first Royal Guard, but I could tell he was in pain. I hated the sound of the modulator they used when they talked. I knew it was to help disguise their identity, but still… I mean it made them sound like some kind of robot.

  “Good to hear,” I said with a shrug. “If you back off, I’ll come out and you can leave this nice lady’s gate alone.”

  “Very well,” said the Royal Guard with a hint of relief as he pulled his hand back with a loud pop. Electricity arced between his hand and the gate like one of those tesla coils before dying away. “I am trusting you, Lillim Callina.”