by ID Johnson
“Well?” Rider called, impatience evident in his voice. “What do you see now?”
“It looks like a tunnel,” Ru replied. “The ceiling is pretty low, though.”
“Is there any chance the portal opening is right in front of you?” Ivy asked. “I mean, it makes sense that it would be. You’d think it’d be right at the bottom of the tree.”
“No, it’s not,” Ru replied. She stuck her hand out to feel, just to make sure, but she’d definitely know if the portal was here. “It might be on down the passage.”
“Well, let’s find out,” Rider suggested. “Best move, girl. Incoming!”
“No, but wait…” Ru began, but she didn’t have time to say anything more before she had to scoot out of the way. Rider didn’t tumble down like she did, however. He had a nice, controlled, levitating descent, which brought him down right next to her. “Thanks for the warning,” she said, brushing her hands off in preparation to stand.
“You bet,” he replied, extending his hand. She took it, and he pulled her up. “Lead the way.”
With her fingertips still ignited, Ru bent over and began to squeeze her way down the tunnel. She heard two more sets of footsteps behind her. “Who are we missing?” she called, though she didn’t try to turn around in that position.
“Lyric’s going to keep an eye on things up there,” Cutter replied. She could tell from his voice he wasn’t any more comfortable than she was. He was even taller than her; she couldn’t even imagine how he and Rider, were even walking.
Once Ru rounded the corner, she breathed a sigh of relief. The ceiling actually raised a bit, and she was able to straighten up some. Off in the distance, she saw a break in the stone wall ahead of them where a plume of foliage broke through, and she assumed that was an exit.
It was difficult to keep herself from hurrying because she wanted to get out of the cramped quarters before the ceiling came down or her strained shoulders gave way and she crumpled to the ground, but she took careful steps hoping not to disturb anything that might cause the tunnel to cave in. Reaching the potential opening, she smelled fresh air. Even if the scent of decaying leaves was unpleasant, at least it wasn’t the mineral-heavy, damp earth smell she’d been inhaling since she took the plunge.
The opening itself was even smaller than the one she’d fallen down. “I don’t know if you’re gonna fit through here, Rider,” she said, pushing fallen leaves and dead grass out of the way so she could more clearly see what they were working with.
“Are you insulting my girlish figure?”
She laughed, but she didn’t bother to come up with a response. Taking a step forward, Ru peered through the hole. Looking down, she realized where they were. “It’s the ravine,” she said quietly. “The passage comes out where I fought Nat.”
“Really?” Ivy asked, stepping up next to Ru, clearly wanting a look. Ru stepped aside. “Oh, yeah. But we’re at the other end, where you blasted him. See! The trees hang down over the sides of the hollow right there, making a little crawl space.”
Ru wasn’t able to understand what she was saying until Ivy stepped back out of the way, and she had a look for herself. The end of the ravine was obscured by an overhang, and from here, Ru could clearly see where the two banks met, sheltered by the forest floor, a large cedar tree standing guard on top. No one would’ve even noticed there was anything under there if they weren’t looking from this angle which gave a perfect line of sight right beneath the outcropping.
As Ru continued to stare, she saw a small shimmer in the air, like a wave, though there really was no light. It was like a disturbance caused by evaporation or the desert in a heat wave. She immediately knew what she was looking at. “The portal,” she whispered.
“Where?” Ivy asked, shoving back over. “I don’t see anything.”
“Under the overhang, back there,” Ru replied, though there was no way she could point it out through the small opening in the tunnel.
“If you see the portal, we need to get our asses out of this passageway,” Rider said, “before company arrives, and we are the proverbial ducks on their butts.”
“Right,” Cutter agreed. “Why don’t the two of you go out this way, and we’ll go back to the other opening and meet you there?”
“Okay,” Ru replied, but as Ivy began to hoist her up so that she could stick her head and shoulders through the opening, she realized she had two problems. First of all, it was at least ten feet down to the bottom of the ravine from this point, and she’d be falling head first. She had no idea how to levitate. Secondly, they were not alone. While she sensed Lyric had discovered their location and was rushing in that direction, she wasn’t the only one. A cloud of darkness was forming in the distance.
“Wait,” Ru said to Ivy, trying to figure out how she could get out without falling on her head, but Ivy was determined, and with one more shove, Ru found herself plummeting through the air once more. This time, she had a perfect view of the ground as it rushed up to meet her face.
Chapter 5
The bottom of the ravine was getting closer to her head, and Ru braced herself for impact, realizing no matter how she landed, it was going to hurt. Just before the top layer of leaves and other debris careened into her face, she felt two sets of hands on her. One from above had ahold of her legs; the other, from below, took her by the shoulders.
“Did you really think I’d let you fall?” Ivy asked as she and Lyric righted Ru and set her boots downs on the ground.
As Ru formulated a response, a line of shadows cut through the darkness, making the places on the ground before the three girls where the shadows fell even more inky black than the rest of the ravine. Having extinguished her light as she was falling, Ru was tempted to relight it, but looking up to the precipice of the ravine across from her, she realized she didn’t need to. Despite the darkness and their black clothing, Nat and his ranks of Reapers were visible.
“Oh, good, you brought them to me, Ru. Just as we’d discussed.” A wicked smile spread across his handsome face as his left eye crinkled.
“What?” Lyric asked, turning to look at Ru in shock.
“Shut up, Nat,” Ru replied, shaking her head, dismissing his ridiculous statement, although Lyric seemed to think it might be true, at least for a moment. As if she’d agree to trick her teammates into meeting him there. “Why don’t you and your little friends scurry back down your hidey hole so I can shut you all up in there together for the rest of all time, hmm?”
“Now why would you want me to do that?” he asked, his black robe billowing out behind him, despite the fact that Ru felt no breeze. “Everyone knows if I disappeared, you’d miss me. Don’t they Cutter?”
Ru turned to see Rider and Cutter screeching to a halt at the edge of the ravine just behind them. “I’d be willing to find out,” he replied, his hands in front of him but no light illuminating them yet.
Surveying the forces before her, Ru realized that there had to be at least fifteen Reapers besides Nat. None of them looked anything less than ruthless, either. Some of them carried their scythes, others had swords or other weapons. All of them wore black robes but beneath, they had on what appeared to be some sort of black armor. Even Nat wore it, and he looked both amused and confident. To his left, another familiar face smirked down at her. “Raven,” Ru muttered. She’d never met the woman in her Reaper form, but she had eaten lunch with her once, when she was disguised as Kyle’s sister, Jessie. Remembering that day brought a wave of foolishness back to Ru, and a burning in her gut she knew she needed to ignore. It was the power of her light she’d need to call upon if they were to win this battle.
“Listen, Rune, there are only five of you. You are greatly outnumbered. Not to mention, as I’m sure Cutter told you, the second you start messing with the portal opening, creatures far more sinister than any of us will begin to make their way out, not only in self-preservation but in an attempt to stop you. You should walk away before you do something you regret.”
&nb
sp; “Nat,” Ru said, taking a step forward and wishing they were on even ground, “I am going to close that portal. So if you need to run in and grab a change of clothes or a picture of your dear old dad, best do it now.”
The snarky look still on his face, he began to laugh. “That’s funny, Ru. We’re going to have so much fun together once you realize you’ve been fighting on the wrong side this whole time. That is, if you survive the battle.”
“I wouldn’t be too worried about that,” Ru replied, calling up the blue light within her and illuminating her left hand. “May as well get on with it.”
“Rune, you do insist on looking foolish, don’t you?”
His words cut her in a place that was bruised and battered, one that had only recently begun to heal. Not only did his latest ruse have her feeling less than intelligent, but for her entire life her adoptive mother had reminded her several times a day how foolish, stupid, worthless, and unworthy she was. The flicker in his green eyes let her know he was aware of how his words affected her, and a hint of smile seemed to make his eyes glow even more vibrantly.
Ru was done with games. Without another word, she sent a blast of light out of her palm directed precisely at Nat’s head. He raised his own hand just in time to counter it with a stream of black, the same type of power Ru had expelled herself only about an hour earlier. The two streams of energy hung in the air between them for a few moments before Ru raised her other hand. Only this time, she aimed at Raven, who seemed unprepared. The woman went flying backward at least ten feet into a tree, her black hair standing up with static electricity much the way an angry bird would raise its plume.
As Raven staggered to her feet, combat broke out around Ru. Gusts of wind whirled up from Lyric’s hands, Ivy began to send in her vines, and the ground beneath the Reapers’ feet shook, causing several of them to lose their footing and tumble to the ground. Beams of light from the other two Keepers on the ravine began to illuminate the night sky.
Ru knew she had to disengage from Nat so that she could concentrate on the portal. She tried using the power out of both hands, but it wasn’t enough to fight him off, particularly when he raised his other hand as well. They were in a standoff, and she needed to break free if she was going to finish her mission. “Cutter!” she shouted once she saw him knock another tall Reaper back into the trees, freeing him up.
Without answering, Cutter turned and shot a concentrated beam of blue light directly at Nat. In order to fend him off, Nat had to release Ru. The second his black energy disengaged from her hands, Ru pulled her own light back in and began to approach the portal. Around her, gusts of wind whirled, vines sprang up, and the ground continued to shake. The sounds of engaged mortal enemies desecrated the silence of the forest, but Ru didn’t give pause to assess the situation as she quickly moved into position. Cutter would hold Nat off as long as he could, but she would only have a few minutes before he would find a way to break free.
The closer she got to the portal, the more clearly she could see exactly what the opening looked like. It wasn’t round at all, more like a slit surrounded by shimmering darkness. It was small, and she assumed it must be more like the marking of a new plane rather than a doorway. Otherwise, she had no idea how someone as tall as Nat would ever make his way through.
She didn’t have time to contemplate any of that, however. Raising both hands, she took a deep breath and tried to remember the incantation Rider had taught her. She began to recite the first words as a steady stream of blue light flooded the area in front of her. “In nomine domini….”
“Ru! Watch out!” Lyric’s voice echoed through the ravine.
Before she could even finish the first phrase, a blast of hot air hit her, sending her careening into the small space beneath the overhang. Her head connected with the rock, hard, and she felt a warm trickle of blood streaming down her face.
She turned to see Raven approaching, fast, a triumphant look on her face. Her hair hadn’t recovered from the shock of earlier, and her outfit was also set askew, but her eyes were wild.
Ru jumped to her feet. “I don’t have time for this shit,” she mumbled.
“That’s right, Ruin. Payback is hell!” Raven raised her hands again, as if she was about to send Ru reeling into the rocks once more.
With a sigh, Ru quickly opened both palms, sending a quick blast of blue light at Raven. For some reason, this shot seemed power packed, and Raven went flying backward again. This time, she was sucked up into one of Lyric’s twisters, which, though thin, was several stories high. Ru imagined she might come shooting out the top at some point, but for now, the Reaper was out of her hair. She gave a quick nod of thanks to Lyric, for the warning and her assistance, and then returned her attention to the portal.
The rocks she’d recently become intimate with were right next to the opening, and as Ru regrouped, she sensed a disturbance in the portal. Ru shifted her position so that she was looking at the portal head on. While she felt something approaching, she couldn’t see anything. Taking a step forward, she leaned in, wondering what it might be as she’d never felt anything like this before.
“Ru! Get out of the way!” This warning cry was unlike any she’d heard before, and as a blast of warm air hit her from behind, she realized that was because it had come from Nat. Rather than sending her into the wall as his associate had, he lifted her off of her feet and placed her down on the edge of the top of the ravine so that she was staring down at the spot where she had been standing. Less than five seconds later, the opening to the portal began to shift and expand, and Ru watched in horror as a massive black bull sprang forth, charging right through the spot where she’d been standing. It rushed through the ravine, tearing up the ground as it sprinted past Lyric and almost collided with Ivy who jumped back just in time. Its tail swung around, catching the Keeper in the side, and Ru realized there were barbs on the end of it. Blood spurted out of Ivy’s side as she fell to the ground. Clearly, this was no ordinary bull.
“Ivy!” Lyric yelled, abandoning the fight she was engaged in and rushing over to her friend.
“I’m okay,” Ivy shouted back, somehow managing to regain her footing even though she was still bleeding.
“What the hell is that thing?” Ru asked as the bull continued to charge through the ravine. But there was no time for an answer because the portal began to shift again. This time, Ru readied her hands, and as another black shape began to crawl out, she illuminated the monster with blue light.
The beast slowed but didn’t stop, so Ru increased her concentration. She couldn’t quite make out what it was but it looked like some sort of a bird’s head on a very large body. It struggled against the energy she was pouring into it, gaining entrance into their world one inch at a time.
“The incantation!” Rider yelled as he attempted to fight off one of the Reapers and evade the bull. “It’s a demon, Ru! Send it back to Hell!”
So focused on preventing it from gaining entrance was she that it took her a moment to realize what he was talking about. Rather than closing the portal right away, she’d need to take care of this monster first. Her mind was blank, however. She’d been practicing the incantation for closing the portal and couldn’t remember the one for damnation.
She glanced out across the battlefield, trying to see if there was anyone who could help. Cutter was tangling with Nat, whose eyes flickered back to her as she turned her head, and she wondered why he’d moved her. Why not let the bull flatten her? Ivy was still bleeding and engaged with two Reapers, though she still seemed to have the upper hand, and Lyric was doing everything she could to keep her tornados spinning as Rider closed in on the bull. There were only about four other Reapers besides Nat in some position or another to be of any use to him. The rest were laid out on the ground or in the sky, spinning around uselessly in Lyric’s cyclones.
“Come on, Ru!” Rider shouted. “Say it!”
Suddenly, she could hear Cutter’s voice in her head and looked over to see him glanc
e in her direction. He was telling her the incantation, and even though she couldn’t make out all of the words, she remembered enough, and it came flooding back to her. “Mitto ego te ad vidisse igneos puteos horrendam daemonium de inferno!” Ru shouted with every ounce of conviction she could muster.
There had been a small doubt in her mind that the incantation would work, despite the fact that the blue light emanating from her hands should’ve been enough evidence that the tales she’d been told were true. Nevertheless, she was more than a little shocked when the beast let out a roar and dissolved right in front of her, leaving her staring at an empty portal again.
“Ha! It worked!” Ru laughed, looking around to see if anyone else was as excited as she was.
No one else had time for amusement. “That’s great,” Rider shouted. “Now close the damn portal!”
While Ru had every intention of doing just that, she had a few other matters to attend to first. She turned so that she had a better angle and shot her blue light at the bull. Rider already had it somewhat contained, but between the two of them, it began to slow. “Mitto ego te ad vidisse igneos puteos horrendam daemonium de inferno!” Once again, the demon shrieked before disappearing right in front of her eyes, and Ru giggled with glee, setting her sights on her next victim. She had no idea why the other Keepers didn’t just send these Reapers back to Hell instead of blasting them back and forth.
Settling in on one of the Reapers Ivy was fighting, Ru hit him with a beam of light. This time, however, there was resistance, and he shot a ray of blackness back in her direction. She ducked just in time for it to hit a tree behind her, igniting it into flames.