Legions

by Karice Bolton

  “Hey, miss. Is everything okay?” The man asked Arie, as she was picking up the scattered items from her purse that she only moments before spilled on purpose.

  “Oh yeah!” She said giggling. “Just my clumsy self. Got it all now, thanks.” She said, with her beautiful smile, surely melting the guy where he stood. He hadn’t a clue.

  She stood up completely and walked towards me, grabbing my hand as we proceeded to meet the guys in the village.

  “Seamless.” I whispered.

  “Pretty sweet, huh?” She whispered back.

  “Yeah, now I have to only figure out what the heck you did.” I playfully scowled at her before heading into the village.

  ***

  We were sitting at a table in the far corner of the Dublin Gate, surrounded by the beautiful cherry wood booth and exposed brick wall, it felt especially cozy and secluded for the conversation that was bound to happen.

  After we all ordered our pints, I looked around at everyone waiting for some sort of explanation, and none came. What I did notice, however, was Cyril’s arm wrapped around Arie’s shoulder.

  “Okay, well, this is overly informative. Not to be a pest, but you guys are expecting me to give it a go on Karen, and I don’t have a clue about what I should be doing. Oh, wait. Lemme guess. I need to feel the target and pow. I’m there.” I said grinning.

  “You know how everyone has a first impression or a vibe they give off? It’s kind of an essence of who they are? That’s what we tap into.” Athen said.

  “Like Karen - what strikes you most about her?” Athen asked.

  “I’d say her protective nature, but how would that create a way for me to go for it?”

  “Check this out.” Cyril said, nodding at our waitress who was coming over with our poutine. “What do you get from her?”

  She put the poutine down and paused, looking at us a little curiously, and then giggled.

  “Did I forget something? I feel like I forgot something?” She asked.

  “Nope, we’ve got it all. Thanks.” Athen told her and she spun away.

  “She seems a bit goofy, fun spirited.” I replied, sipping my Guinness slowly.

  “So when she comes back, we’ll keep her here for a sec, and I want you to really concentrate on her. Tap into that energy. That’s what you can channel a bit. Get the feel for it.” Arie whispered.

  “I’ll give it a go.” Was all I could come up with as we dug into our appetizer. Slowly scanning the pub, I decided to pause on each individual to see how different the feelings were that washed over me. Not expecting that much of a difference from person to person, I was completely surprised at how vast the emotions were that I was able to pick up on. The one bartender had a darkness around him, a very pessimistic vibe, whereas the other one was totally happy-go-lucky, kind of reminded me Arie, actually. The three customers who were lined up at the bar, each had something different to offer up too. Staring at the cast of characters in the pub, I almost missed that our waitress had returned to check on us. Next thing I know Athen’s asking where she’s from and Arie started piping in all sorts of things.

  Trying to not freak her out, I did my best to look past her rather than at her as I tried hard to tap into what made up her most human self. The colors of her soul began swirling through my mind, the spirit of her character becoming tangible. Feeling as if I could almost touch her beating heart, my head began spinning as I felt my own cells beginning to merge with hers. Something was beginning to happen that I wasn’t sure was supposed to happen, at least at this very moment. A commotion began quietly as Athen began distracting me, and Arie stood up making the waitress move suddenly, disconnecting our connection. The waitress touching her head, began moving away from our table cautiously.

  “Hey, guys. I’m actually due for a break so if there isn’t anything else I can get you right now, I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” She said, rubbing her temples.

  “Yeah, sure totally – no problem.” Cyril said, quickly trying to dismiss anything as unusual.

  Watching the waitress take off towards the back entrance, I was pretty certain something came over her that I hadn’t intended.

  “Is she okay?” I murmured.

  “She’ll be fine. Honestly, I can’t believe that just happened.” Athen seemed like he was about to jump out of his seat. He was more interested in me than the poor waitress.

  “Wasn’t that what you guys wanted?” I asked confused.

  “We never thought it would go there, Ana. She’s a complete stranger. You actually started to experience the shapeshifting. If we hadn’t broken it up, I think you would have completed it.” Cyril was shaking his head in complete disbelief, and that wouldn’t have been the best spectacle in the middle of the pub.

  “GOD, I’m proud you,” Athen said nestling his head into my hair, “You never cease to amaze me.”

  “Does this mean I don’t have to do it to Karen?” I asked hopeful.

  “You know, not sure you have to actually. What’s the point? Right? Apparently a stranger is just as easy for you.”

  “Thank God! Between a room full of chains and blood, flying around a mountain top, and possibly entering into someone else’s body, I think I’ve had enough action on my Whistler trip.”

  The tension completely left as I relished the idea of a restful and drama-free dinner with Karen tonight before we headed back to Victoria the next morning.

  Chapter 26

  The viciousness and frequency of the attacks were getting worse. As soon as we got back to Victoria, we were dealt more of my visions. The last three restless nights left us with no options. An attack was on the horizon, and we had the chance to stop it. My family had begun to decipher the pattern, and we had decided to try to thwart the next one, hopefully sending a message. If it was me that Azazel wanted to fight, then it was me he should fight, not the mortals. They had no chance. The demons were obviously cruel by nature but knowing their true intent had nothing to do with the mortals and made it that much more painful to witness.

  Their next attack was going to be this evening at Witty’s Lagoon. Again, they chose a park that was covered in Douglas fir trees and maples, providing plenty of shelter for them to hide and pounce on their intended victim or victims. Unfortunately, we were pretty certain that they were planning on attacking several tonight. There was a family reunion picnic planned, and that seemed to be their target.

  As we walked along the long trail through the forest, the echoes of the Orange-crowned Warblers filled the air with their beautiful melodies. With spring’s arrival, the delighted birds were welcoming the warm weather that would arrive in the months to come. It saddened me to know that such happiness and innocence could be located on the same ground with predators and evil lurking at every turn. I had one vision of this attack the night before, and the images in my dream pointed near a waterfall. As it turned out, Witty’s Lagoon contained a waterfall so things were beginning to fall into place.

  “So are we heading straight for the falls or are we checking out the other places first?” I asked Athen. He squeezed my hand and put his finger to his lip. He was sensing something that I wasn’t. My heart began to patter faster as I realized that a fight could happen at any time. I nodded at him and kept following them all as we made our way down the trail. The birds fell silent, and things became suddenly clear as to why Athen signaled for my silence.

  Ahead, where the black boulders were finally showing themselves signaling the waterfall directly behind, I heard squabbling that was in no way any sort of human language. I reached for Athen’s hand and squeezed it. Turning back to look at me, his eyes provided the comfort that I needed. The gentle green radiated warmth and reminded me of the strength that I’d been slowly accumulating and needed to keep building up. He let go of my hand and secured his black knit cap, readying himself for whatever might be on the other side of the boulders. Following his lead, I secured my hair into a ponytail and took a deep breath in.

  Cyril and A
then moved slowly up the closest tower of bark and pine needles to spy on our enemies. When they reached the top, I saw them communicating an attack plan. The adrenaline began pumping through my veins. I wasn’t sure of what to expect but felt secure in the knowledge that we would be able to conquer this group. Before I realized it, Cyril and Athen were back on the ground behind Arie and myself. Athen wrapped his arm around my shoulders and gave me a gentle hug, reassuring me and helping the doubts that kept appearing to vanish. He let go and began pointing towards the right for him and I to go, and Cyril took Arie to the left. Waving feebly at Arie, I forced myself to buckle up for the impending fight. We were going in for the attack, ready or not.

  I followed closely to Athen as we made our way to the top of the waterfall area. The trail was steep and slippery, with exposed stones making every step a precarious effort. The tall rye grass rustled in the breeze leaving an eerie feel in the air. With every step I took, my fear diminished, and a strength stirred deep within me. Hopefully, the element of surprise would be in our favor as we fought these evil monsters.

  Athen slowed his pace and turned back towards me signaling for me to slowdown and creep along the trail as he began. My body began its usual twist as I lowered my body in position ready for a fight. The cackling from the creatures got louder with every step towards their hiding place. The evil that was ringing through the air filled me with the last bit of anger to ensure my success with this battle. I knew they were right around the corner, and I saw a glimpse of Arie down at the fall area, positioned behind one of the large, glistening boulders where the splash from the falls had completely coated. Athen and I were going to initiate the attack, and any stragglers were going to be pushed down the falls towards Cyril and Arie.

  Before I knew it, Athen had jumped toward the group of demons, surprising them and flushing them in all directions. The cackles quieted, leaving the rushing sound of the waterfall to reach my ear. Leaping onto the slippery rock, I quickly scanned who to attack first. Finding my target, I flew through the air, landing on the back of the demon who was fleeing the furthest. He crumpled to the rocky floor with a thud, collapsing back on my leg. Not wanting to show any sign of weakness, I wrapped my arm around his neck, snapping his head to the left quicker than he ever saw coming. The weight of his body fell off my leg; his lifeless shell began its black mist ascent into the sky.

  A stabbing pain stung my back. As I flipped around to see the cause, I saw a completely distorted female demon staring back at me, smiling with a callousness that I’d seen many times before. Not sure if my mind was seeing how she truly looks or how miserable her inner spirit was, I dismissed the horror that was looking back at me. Lunging towards her, I saw the red glowing metal that she was waving at me, which must have been the source of the pain. Not recognizing what it could be from, I did my best to stay far away from her weapon. Noticing a limb from a maple that dangled right behind her I jumped over her head, grabbing on tightly and spinning my body with all the force I could, shoving my feet into the back of her. Caught off balance, she tumbled towards the rocky falls, falling directly into the crashing water.

  Athen was downstream where the majority of the demons were now forming a circle. When I saw Cyril and Arie jumping into the mix, I shot over to the group as fast as I could to help finish off the bunch. Athen’s shirt was ripped, and he had a severe scratch on his chin, but I did my best to push my fears away and finish these creatures off. I hadn’t wanted to look to see where or who Athen was fighting earlier for fear I’d be distracted.

  The ground began trembling with the force of all of our energy gathered so close together. The leaves began fluttering, signaling the last battle was about to begin. Screams began releasing into the air, as I dove toward the female demon who had been staring at me so intently as I flew down the mountain. Cyril had the largest demon by the throat, squeezing with all of his might as Arie had another one pinned down to the earth. Athen wiped at his wound and dove into mess flinging flesh into the atmosphere with every swipe.

  I tackled the glaring female, who whipped out a slicing piece of silver chain tearing at my flesh. I yanked on the end piece as hard as I could hoping to dislodge it from whatever it was attached to, unsuccessfully. Grabbing my neck, she began squeezing tightly as I felt my ability to take deep breaths diminished. The harder I pulled on the chain, however, the less power she was able use when squeezing my neck. It was a bit puzzling why one would be connected to the other, but I did my best to continually yank on the metal. My strength was quickly waning. I began kicking her over and over again in any attempt to thwart her efforts. The pain around my neck was getting worse with every breath. I scanned to see where Athen was, and I couldn’t place him among any of the figures. Arie was busy with a male demon, and she too, seemed to have figured out to pull on the metal chains that seemed to be dangling from so many of these Legion members. Cyril was shooting right towards Arie’s opponent, ready to finish him off. A comforting sight, after the concerns Arie raised up in Whistler.

  Whipping me back to the seriousness of my situation, the throbbing pain in my windpipe began to create a hollowness with every breath in. My time was limited if I couldn’t figure out a way to defeat this creature. The wetness from my eyes began streaming down my face. The strength in the demon’s arms began to lessen just enough for me to crane my head to the left, only to get a little glimpse of Athen overhead.

  He was fighting one of the last remaining demons that we all had our hands full with. I was truly on my own. I closed my eyes and thought of Lilith. I’d use her to my advantage. Remembering seeing her hand brush against Athen’s began the stir of hatred that I needed to build the strength to destroy this creature. I took the largest breath in that my weakened lungs could handle, raising my chest enough to create a gap for my hand to slip through and twist the demon’s grasp away from me. Surprising her was to my advantage, and I immediately wrapped her dangling chain around my hand several times and yanked it down to the ground, slamming her entire body onto the boulder. Quickly placing my foot on the chain, I released it from my hands freeing them to go in for the kill. Athen jumped down from the rock above, finishing her off as I let the anger of Lilith escape, along with the evilness of the creature now laying before me. I was exhausted, but it looked like we were finished. There would be no more cougar attacks for now.

  Sitting at the base of the falls, I let my hands hang into the swirls of water, wondering if I’d been as close to defeat as I felt inside. The coolness of the water began to stabilize my thoughts and bring me back to the discussion of my family.

  “What did you notice about all of those demons?” Cyril asked.

  “Besides their ridiculous clothing?” I chuckled.

  “No, actually that was exactly it!” Cyril exclaimed. “They all had those silver chains dangling from them. What’s up with that?” He asked, shaking his head.

  “You know, I didn’t even think about it at first, but that was weird. Even the one female who I thought didn’t have a chain, actually did; it was tucked in her jeans. I saw a piece of it shining under her shirt right before I flipped her on her back.” I announced, a bit proud of myself. Thankful that a tiny bit of confidence began to show itself.

  “Huh. Yeah, I didn’t really think about it, but you’re right. They all had metal on them.” Athen said, coming over to walk with me back up the trail.

  “Well, with every yank, I think some sort of pain or something must have shot through them, because their grasp lessened, or the fighting capabilities slowed a bit, unless it was in my mind.”

  “No, I noticed it too. I didn’t want to announce it in case I’d made it up too.” Arie said, instantly making me feel better.

  “Another thing to file away, I guess.” Arie said, as she climbed over the last of the shells who hadn’t disintegrated yet.

  “Guys, I’d kind of like to see the family who the demons had targeted. I think it would make me feel better knowing they are all intact and everything. Tha
t okay with you?” I asked not exactly sure why I wanted to see the family.

  Looking as disheveled and beat up as we all did, we shuffled along the forest line on the way back to civilization, hoping to run into no one, making certain to avoid the spattering of picnic benches with beach views, and hikers spread along the sandy beaches scavenging for purple star fish or whatever exciting find they might spot. The confidence and strength from this last win between good and evil created a sensation that I enjoyed. I took pleasure in destroying the demons, the evilness that they embodied. Everything about the process created a delight deep within my soul. My fear was beginning to be replaced with absolution. Certain that I could play a vital role in the battles to come, I vowed to channel my anger properly and make certain that human casualties were at a minimum regardless of what they meant.

  Feeling a warm trickle puddle in the base of my ear, I reached up quickly to rid myself of the sweat or whatever had accumulated. Once my fingertip touched the warm, thick substance, I realized it wasn’t sweat at all, but blood. I was bleeding and had no idea where from. Suddenly feeling like I was in a lot worse shape than I knew, I quickened my step to get the spying over with so we could get back to our place.

  Once we reached the outskirts of the forest that was overhanging against the slight cliffs, I peered down to see the picnic area confiscated by what I suspected was the family reunion. Children were playing alongside their older family members, while the parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles were spread out setting up food station after food station and laughing and enjoying each others’ company. Even though there was a slight chill in the air, the warmth from seeing the love below was enough to warm us all up. Thankful for what I was seeing and for what we stopped, I knew I was coming into my own. Nothing could compare to this feeling, knowing the family was now going to be alright.