Forest of the Forbidden

by W. J. May

  “Seline, head the rear!” Demetri barked to the redhead and took the lead from Allison. He didn’t spare a glance at the Guardians when he asked, “Nolan?”

  “He’s keeping watch at the road.” Seline answered.

  A shiver moved through Sophie. The demons surrounded them, impatient for the moment they could solidify.

  They moved again, toward the road, at a quicker pace than before.

  “I’ll be so happy when we’re not in these woods anymore.” Morgan stumbled over a root but righted herself before she fell. “It’s just creepy that they’re waiting in the shadows, like stalkers.”

  “Do you know that because you’ve been stalked or are you so madly in love with me you had to stalk me for fear I wouldn’t return your love?” Aidan winked at her and darted around a tree.

  “You wish.” She shoved him to the side. He bounced right back to run next to her.

  It was hard to concentrate on the normalcy of Morgan and Aidan’s bickering with the wraith demons emotions flickering through Sophie. The lightheartedness of their comments was overshadowed by the misery of blackness sweeping over it.

  A man stood from a crouch when the group approached the edge of the road that cut through the forest. He was as tall as Seline, standing a few inches shorter than Casey. His ice blue eyes traveled instantly to Seline and then passed to Demetri.

  “I’ve seen a few shadows hovering around the road. They know we have to pass.” The man turned his head and a stripe of white stood out in his midnight hair.

  “There’s no other way, Nolan. This road goes for miles.” Ruth told him. The team made a huddle.

  The Guardians stood off to the side while the adults discussed strategy. Jackson faced the way they’d come, his eyes following the shadows that slid through the trees. Aidan and Morgan argued fiercely in whispers.

  Tristan stood beside Sophie and his eyes watched the team confer. She could feel him next to her but all she could focus on was the sudden stillness of the forest. Even the wind had died down. Opposite that the wraith demons’ emotions spiraled in a frenzy, their movements agitated.

  The cobweb feeling thickened until it cocooned her. Her breath hitched and her heart thundered in her ears.

  An arctic blast of cold shot through on a sudden burst of wind. It caused them all to shiver and Sophie’s heart stopped its rapid beat when she figured out what it meant.

  “Demetri!” She jumped and ran to the huddle.

  They looked up as she skidded to a halt. Tristan and the others weren’t far behind her.

  “S-she’s here!” Sophie bit out over the shaking in her body. “Akeldama i-is here.”

  Allison’s eyes widened in alarm and Demetri, Rory and Casey cursed.

  Again the forest went silent. This time the others noticed before Sophie could say anything. Everyone tensed, peering harder into the shadows.

  The sound of high heels cracking on the pavement echoed through the trees, each step louder than the one before it.

  Demetri's fingers tightened on his machete that he held loose by his side. He nodded to the team. They fanned out in front of the Guardians.

  Beside her Sophie heard the pulling of tendons and repositioning of bones that signaled Tristan shift. Orange, black, and white fur sprouted over his body while he crouched closer to the ground. When he was done, he chuffed once and brushed Sophie's upper arm with his head.

  Aidan smoldered, his fire just beneath his skin. He looked ready to release it at a moment's notice. Morgan stood calmly to his left but Sophie could feel the anxiety underneath.

  Sophie was anything but calm. Her hands shook at her sides. Akeldama had found them. She knew they were going to die, that this was the end. There was no way Akeldama was going to let them get away when they were this close to freedom. Not when she'd get so much satisfaction from ending them for good.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The temperature continued to plummet until it hurt to draw in air. The wraith demons stirred in the shadows.

  “Well, here you are.” Akeldama appeared on the other side of the road, directly in their escape route. The scarlet red of her corset and mini skirt stood out against the pale skin of her disguise from the station. “I can't have you escaping and making me look like a fool, now can I?” Her eyes shot to Sophie. “Have my pets been making you uncomfortable? The Light Keeper is too tantalizing for them. They may lose control around you.”

  Confusion settled over Sophie. Demetri's team risked shocked looks at her.

  “Not that you will have to worry about it much longer, but they are attracted to the Light you hold inside.” Akeldama surveyed the group, this time her eyes landed on Jackson in a way that could freeze your soul. “The way Lilli screams for you to save her is pathetic, really.” She poked her bottom lip out in a pout. Lilli's voice rustled through the trees, weak and tearful.

  Sophie tensed. Jackson's power swelled up.

  “Too bad you won't make it to her.”

  Jackson's control snapped. He charged toward the road. The anger coursing through him shot out in a tidal wave, making the trees sway. Casey stepped into his path, blocking him with his enormous body.

  Akeldama's pupil's widened, the black covering the deathly blue and white. “A healer can be tortured for millennia without ever reaching the escape of death.” She raised her face toward the sky and let out a battle cry.

  Jackson stopped struggling when the wraith demons solidified in the air around Akeldama.

  Morgan made a show of counting the demons, then threw her hands in the air. “We can't make it past them.”

  Akeldama giggled. The joy sounding in her laugh clashed with the brittleness of her eyes. “There is no way out, Guardians.” Her eyes narrowed. “Not this time.”

  “We can't just stand here all night.” Allison pointed out. “And we can't go back the way we came. The only way out of this is to get to the water.”

  “What's so special about the water?” Aidan asked.

  “The Council has blessed the water surrounding the boat and to the shore.” Seline answered from where she stood next to Nolan. “That's why we have to get there and soon.”

  Tristan growled his agreement, the rumble coming from his six hundred pound Siberian tiger body.

  Sophie wondered who the Council was.

  Demetri, who'd been silent during the exchange, didn't take his eyes off of Akeldama. She cocked her head and smiled.

  The slimy smile made Sophie shiver.

  Darkness teased at the edge of Sophie's mind. That same hunger she felt from earlier filtered through. She tried to block it out but something instinctive told her not to.

  Out of the corner of her eye, to her right, she saw Rory lift his longbow and aim at one of the wraith demons above Akeldama. His emotions steadied, as if he was born for this moment, and he let the arrow fly.

  The arrow nailed the demon above Akeldama directly in the skull. It wheeled backward and hit the ground behind her. She raised a single eyebrow and flicked a hand in Rory's direction.

  He froze in position. The bow tumbled from his fingertips. Ice crystals covered his body.

  “No!” Ruth watched her brother in disbelief. The crystals closed over his head. She turned back to Akeldama, anger in her eyes. “Let him go!”

  Akeldama shrugged. “Give me the Guardians and I will let him go.” “You can't have them.” Demetri didn't flinch under Akeldama's frigid stare. Neither did he look worried over Rory's rapidly declining health.

  Aidan, do something! Sophie nodded at Rory.

  Aidan went to Rory and laid his hands on the ice crystals over his head. His palms glowed molten red as he allowed some of his heat to escape. The ice began to melt.

  “Can't you go any faster?” Morgan hissed.

  “Not if you want him to keep his handsome looks.” Aidan snapped.

  Allison joined Aidan, slinging her medical bag to the ground.

  Ruth, seeing Rory was being taken care of, fired some rounds at the
demons. The shots went through when they shifted to shadow. She let out a slew of curses and reloaded.

  Nolan stepped to the very edge of the forest. He examined the gap of space between the sides of the road. Sophie could see the plan calculating in his mind.

  Shadows began to coalesce in front of him, just above his head.

  “Get back, Nolan!” Sophie screamed.

  The shadow formed too quickly.

  It sank its claws into Nolan's shoulders and yanked him out into the clearing. The demon gave a screech of triumph that alerted its brethren to the catch.

  Tristan's tiger body sprang from beside Sophie and landed in front of where the demon crouched on the pavement, Nolan pinned to the ground beneath its talons.

  The sight of the demons swarming around Tristan and Nolan made Sophie's chest to burn. What was he thinking?

  Heels clicked on the pavement. Akeldama walked through the swarm like the demon's weren't there. Above her head they snapped and snarled at each other, wanting Nolan for their own. She stopped a few feet in front of Tristan, Nolan, and his captor.

  “No.” Sophie raced out onto the road before she thought about it, dodging Demetri when he tried to grab her.

  Tristan crouched down, muscles bunching in his flank. His cat eyes watched Akeldama steadily. A low growl of warning grumbled in his throat.

  “Shut up, kitty.” Akeldama waved a hand to demonstrate how unaffected she was by his warning. She looked over him to the demon behind. “Shoo, pet. And take your dinner with you.”

  Leathery wings pumped the demon into the air. It flew over the trees, Nolan’s body tight in its talons.

  Seline screamed, the sound coming from the depths of her agony.

  Demetri signaled to the team. They nodded to him, all except Allison who waited beside Rory. They fanned out, falling into position.

  I've got Rory's face clear. Working on the rest. Aidan said.

  Jackson and Morgan stepped out onto the road, flanking Sophie. Jackson's barely restrained anger simmered under their resolve. His balled his fists.

  Akeldama stalked toward Tristan. The way she moved reminded Sophie of a cobra, right before it struck.

  She knew Akeldama could attack suddenly and without mercy. She couldn't let that happen to Tristan. There was no way she was losing him too.

  Morgan winked out of sight. The slight glimmer in the air let Sophie know that she was still near. Jackson glanced over at Sophie. He nodded to her. They were going to fight for their freedom and knew death was something they might face. The anguish was clear in his eyes.

  We'll get her back, Jackson. She let him see the determination in her eyes. Yes, Akeldama terrified her, but she had a purpose and that was to keep the Demoness from harming anyone else. To do that she had to stop cowering behind Demetri and his team, to use what she had inside of her.

  She faced Akeldama and closed her eyes. At first nothing happened. All she could concentrate on was the hunger and hatred flowing from the demons above them. It permeated every crevice in her mind. Sophie thought back to when the Light had first appeared.

  The night the demon disguised as Roman had almost succeeded in killing her.

  It took another moment but when she reached down she started to feel the Light stir. She focused on coaxing it out.

  The glow started beneath her skin, spreading over her body. Its warmth steadied her.

  Akeldama stopped walking toward Tristan. Her eyes narrowed when she noticed the crackling energy flowing from Sophie. A flash of fury turned her eyes red. Akeldama growled back at the tiger, the sound reverberating through the forest.

  The wraith demons stilled in mid-air and gave small chirps of fear.

  Akeldama’s chest heaved and she focused on the tiger. A smile spread across her lips, twisted with hate.

  Demetri and his team paused in their movements and they watched Sophie glow like the Northern Star. It pulsed like a heartbeat through her, no longer purple but a white gold brilliance.

  The wraith demons were equally intrigued, forgetting their fear of Akeldama. Sophie sensed their hunger multiply but ignored it. She focused on the Demoness.

  Akeldama's form changed. Talons ripped through the tips of her fingers and toes, busted through the heels on her feet. She crouched down, her head cocked to the side. When she leaped toward Tristan, Sophie's breath caught in her throat. Tristan didn't flinch when the Demoness landed just in front of him.

  Sophie's heart kicked into high gear. So did the pulsing of the Light inside of her. Whispers filled her mind. Voices from the past, the future. She couldn't focus on any one voice. They collided together, forming twisted sentences. One phrase repeated itself no matter what voice said it.

  Control them.

  The wraith demons shrieked their excitement when Akeldama brought her arm back to swipe at Tristan.

  Jackson waved a palm. His energy swam around him. Before he had a chance to unleash it, Akeldama let out a cry of pain. She folded in on herself and dropped to her knees.

  Demetri held up a hand to the team and they stopped in their tracks. No one was sure what Akeldama's game plan was but they didn't want to underestimate her. Everyone tensed, waiting on the Demoness' next move.

  “I didn't mean it as an oath.” Akeldama forced out between her clenched fangs. Sweat broke out on her brow. Every few seconds her body tensed up and then released, shaking violently.

  Sophie remembered what Akeldama had taunted her with when she was locked in the jail cell. He wants you to die by the hand of the very people you are trying to save.

  The voices began to whisper again. Showing her the attack on Morgan again, and then after—the dark voice whispering to Akeldama, ordering her to let history repeat itself. That humans had to kill them. Even though there was something darkly seductive about the voice that called to Sophie, she felt a bitter relief. “She can't hurt us. The Guardians. When she spoke aloud that she was commanded to let us die by the very people we were trying to save, it became an oath to her master. If she tries to hurt us it causes her agonizing pain.”

  Akeldama took a shuddering breath. She forced herself to stand, only wincing once from the pain clearly written on her face. Demetri and his team aimed their weapons at her. “That oath is only for me. Not for any other demons.” She narrowed her eyes at Sophie, flung her arms wide and screamed, “Attack!”, the word full of fury and pain.

  The wraith demons reared back, screeching, and dove. One eyed Tristan with hunger.

  Sophie felt Demetri's team and her friends move into action. She sensed the hunger from the demons with each heartbeat that thundered in her ears.

  Control them.

  Sophie finally understood. The thread of darkness connected her mind to the wraith demons. She could follow that thread and control them. With a small push she latched on to the weakest thread and mentally saw her Light bleed into the demon's mind.

  Sophie forced the demon to slam into the one diving at Tristan. The demons pain raided her own body.

  Underneath the pain the blistering burn of Akeldama's rage surged.

  “You can't control them for long, child! You are a mewling baby compared to me.” Akeldama stalked up to Sophie.

  Sophie forced herself to keep her hold on the demon's mind as Akeldama came nose to nose with her. An icy chill spread over her skin again.

  I've got Rory free! Aidan signaled as he came to Morgan and Jackson.

  Akeldama glared at Sophie before she turned, her eyes completely black. She focused her connection on three wraiths.

  They headed for Morgan, Jackson, and Aidan.

  Sophie's heart lurched in her chest. Could she control three? The Light pulsed strongly. She let it travel over two more threads, connecting her. She sent the wraiths after the ones attacking her friends.

  Bullets and arrows aimed at the demons, chaos reigned. Demetri and his team took advantage of the interest in the Guardians.

  Seline stood motionless, her eyes glazed over in shock. Allison jerk
ed her back into the tree line and fired at the demons that swooped after them. The creatures dissolved into shadow when they hit the trees and swirled through the forest to solidify back in the air.

  Sophie heard the hungry calls of the demons and the echo of gunfire. The power undulated inside her, pushing to be set completely free. Fear tingled across her skin. It would overcome her, destroy her, if she set it loose.

  On top of that Akeldama's rage boiled out. Sophie didn't understand exactly what had changed to make Akeldama's cold emotions fire up, but it was frightening. It was as if she'd stolen something and the Demoness was desperate to get it back.

  It was too hard to hold on to so many demons at once. Sophie drew back to the original three. She used them to deflect some of the other attacks away from the Guardians.

  Thunder boomed in the distance, signaling a storm that rivaled the battle going on in the road. The sound shook Seline from her shock. She took off across the road in the direction Nolan was carried.

  “Seline!” Allison yelled after her. “What is she thinking?!”

  “That the demon has her husband.” Casey shook his head. “We can't go after her.”

  Allison nodded once to signal that she understood.

  It was only a matter of minutes before Sophie had to disengage herself from the Light or she would lose her soul to it. If she held on for much longer she would never be the same.

  We have to get to the other side of the road. If Akeldama can't attack us, we need to take advantage. Tristan nudged Morgan toward the other side of the road.

  Akeldama stepped back from Sophie and narrowed her eyes at Morgan who was almost to the tree line.

  One of the demons dove at Morgan.

  Morgan gasped. She shimmered, but not fast enough. The demon's talons clipped her shoulder and sent her crashing to her hands and knees.

  “Morgan!” Aidan jumped over Tristan's tiger body and slid to a stop beside her. He pulled her up by her arm and shoved her into the trees as she shimmered fully into invisibility.

  Demetri couldn't use telepathy like the Guardians but he caught on to their idea. “Ruth, Rory. Cover the Guardians. Allison, take Casey and lead them toward the water.”