Ruin's Legacy

by ID Johnson

  She stifled a yawn and kept moving forward, one boot at a time, toward what might be her very last mission, if she had her way. Though she had fallen asleep for a few hours, for the most part, she’d gotten her wish and was able to stay up most of the night, with Cutter’s help, and the activity he’d chosen to occupy her certainly didn’t make her feel less worn out. The few hours she had spent in oblivion had been dreamless, as far as she knew. At least, if there had been dreams, they had been unmemorable.

  Her friends surrounded her as they made their way into the forest. Cutter was in front of her, Rider behind her, and Ivy and Lyric on either side. She wasn’t sure if this was their own plan for protecting her or if it had been some secret directive from Sky, but she felt safe, if not a little ridiculous. She wasn’t any more important than any of them, after all.

  Before Alfred, the codename Sky had given their team, even began to make its way through the thick trees, sounds of battle reached them, and occasionally, Ru would see blue lights flashing off in the distance or feel a particularly strong gust of wind. Lyric had informed them that the attack had begun almost four hours ago, and by now, if things were going as planned, they should be able to get to the portal without any issues. While Lyric was able to pick up strong vibrations of success from her sister, it was impossible under the circumstances to get a clear message. Sky was commanding a fair number of troops after all.

  Ru had wondered if any humans might see what was happening here and alert the media, but Cutter told her not to worry about it. They had ways of making sure they didn’t end up on YouTube, and that’s all she needed to know. The rest was too complex. Since she was tired of trying to wrap her head around the intricacies of how Heavenly beings operated, she decided to let it go—for now.

  Stepping into the woods, Ru made her way through the tangle of trees so close together it was impossible for them to step through three abreast and the other two girls often had to leave her side for a few moments as they advanced. Though she’d spent enough time recently walking through thick woods, this place was different. It was green and alive, much more so than the woods around Reaper’s Hollow. What was even more different was the silence. It filled Ru’s ears as loudly as any cacophony she’d ever heard before, much louder than the sounds of battle they’d heard before entering. Even when she saw flashes of blue in the distance, or streams of black smoke in response, there was no noise whatsoever, save the sound of five pairs of booted feet on the ground. Ru could imagine how a person could end up here and feel so all alone that he or she decided to end it all under certain circumstances.

  The ground itself was harder than solid rock beneath the top layer of discarded leaves and needles from the trees. The canopy above them was lush and green, streams of sunlight still managing to wind through enough to illuminate the path to some degree. It certainly wasn’t painted in shades of black and gray like the last forest she wandered through, nor was it dead and abandoned like Kayakoy. It was as if the forest itself was alive and it wanted to swallow all of them whole.

  Despite the fact that she wasn’t in the front, Ru was leading them, drawn by the pull of the portal. She’d felt it immediately, as soon as she stepped between the first closely sited trees on the outskirts of the forest. And with each step, she knew she drew nearer and nearer. However, the pull was from the darkness inside of her, not the light. It was as if the portal was beckoning her home. Not only was it causing her stomach to ache, as they approached, the powers inside of her began to undulate, begging to be released, and Ru knew it would be just a matter of time before she had to do something to gratify the hunger, the burning deep within her soul.

  Ru wiped her hand across her forehead. It wasn’t particularly hot, but the circumstances had caused beads of sweat to spring up all along her hairline and her upper lip. With one hand on her stomach, she carried on, longing to get the task completed as quickly as possible.

  Cutter glanced over his shoulder, as he did every few moments. Ru assumed it was not only to make sure he was headed where she knew she needed to go but also to check on her. She offered him a weak smile, but he stopped, “Ru? Are you okay? Why don’t we stop for a moment?” The last part wasn’t really a question as he came to a halt in front of her, blocking her path.

  “I’m fine,” she insisted, pulling a water bottle from the backpack she carried and leaning against the trunks of one of the trees. There wasn’t much else in it—some food, a map, her phone, and a flare. She didn’t think she’d need anything else other than the water, but they all had on similar packs, just in case. Ivy had also insisted they bring a pop-up tent and a couple of solar blankets, which Rider was carrying since he was the strongest. There was no way in Hell Ru was spending the night in this forest, not conscious anyway.

  “Take your time, Ru,” Lyric insisted. “Sky’s winning. I can feel it.”

  Ru could feel it, too, to a degree. While she could sense both sides as easily as the other, the force of white light inside of her seemed to be closer, stronger, while the darkness was fading. She was hopeful this meant she would be able to sneak in and get her job done while the Keeper forces were winning the field. But Lyric was right; if they didn’t slow down a little bit, she wouldn’t make it there without having to discharge the built-up negative energy within her, something she knew she couldn’t do without alerting others of their location.

  “Where’s the perimeter?” Rider asked. “Can anyone feel it?”

  “I don’t think it’s too far ahead of us,” Ivy replied. She was gazing off in the distance, her pretty face solemn, as if she was concentrating. “I feel Keepers of the Earth just ahead.”

  “Good.” Cutter stood with his hands on his hips, perspiration beading on his forehead as well, though Ru didn’t think it could be as prevalent as what she was feeling drip down the sides of her face now. She rubbed her water bottle across her forehead. “As soon as we get through our own first line, at least we’ll know nothing will be coming for us from behind.”

  He had a point, and Ru turned to look over her shoulder. She didn’t feel anything there, but she decided it was time to move. “Let’s go.”

  “Are you sure?” Cutter asked. “We’ve got time.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” Ru nodded, and he took a deep breath and turned back around. She gave him a gentle shove in the correct direction and he headed off, Ru right behind him, as they walked on in complete silence.

  It seemed like about twenty minutes passed before Ru saw something up ahead of them. Even though the trees were dense and it was darker near the center of the forest, the feathery white outlines of wings ahead of her was an indicator they’d almost reached the perimeter. The balance of power inside of her was still an ongoing battle, but she could sense the light in front of her and spurred Cutter on with another gentle nudge.

  Out of nowhere, a tall woman dressed in dark green stepped out of the trees, blocking Cutter’s path. Her hair was white, and her eyes were blue. He hesitated for only a second. “God, you scared the crap out of me,” Cutter mumbled.

  “Sorry,” she replied. “It’s hard to see anything in here.”

  “Well, yeah, when you’re standing behind a damn tree.” Rider was clearly just as startled as Cutter.

  Ignoring his remark, she pointed behind her. “I’ll escort you through the perimeter, Alfred.”

  “Thanks.” Cutter spoke for all of them, and Ru was just thankful her actions hadn’t gotten her a blue lightning bolt to the head. “How are we doing?”

  “Well,” the woman replied, leading on without turning to respond. “Our forces have successfully driven the enemy to the edge of the forest on the remaining three sides. We’ve taken or destroyed at least half of their forces with minimal casualties ourselves.” Her voice sounded confident, even cheerful, but Ru didn’t share the sentient. Something was wrong.

  “Were they outnumbered when the battle began?” she asked, stepping up next to Cutter when she could get through the trees beside him and then
passing him so that she was almost even with the woman.

  “Greatly,” she replied. “It seems they either underestimated us, or this portal isn’t as important to them as we thought.”

  Ru turned to look at Cutter and could see her concern mirrored in his face. Turning back to their guide, she asked, “Once we get to the portal, how far away from the perimeter will we be?”

  She seemed to consider the question. “About a half a mile.”

  “That’s too far,” Ru said immediately. “We need to bring the guard in with us as we go. There’s no reason to hold the perimeter this far off once we are beyond it.”

  “Sky has placed us,” came the reply, blue eyes looking at her sharply before the woman turned around and continued to walk again.

  “No, don’t you understand,” Ru said, pulling on her arm. She turned and looked at Ru and then shoved her hand off of her arm. “That’s what they want. They want us to back off.”

  “We have our orders.” They were at the line now, and several other Keepers and a few angels stepped toward the disagreeing pair.

  “Who’s in charge here?” Ru asked, looking at the others.

  “I am.” The Keeper who stepped up looked familiar, and she heard Rider say a word behind her that even he seldom let slip. He had a jagged scar down the side of his face, but Ru was having trouble placing him.

  “Great,” Ru said, smiling, though she knew it probably looked as fake as it felt. “We need the perimeter to tighten up behind us as we go. Otherwise, we’re going to have big problems once we reach the portal.”

  “No can do,” he replied, crossing his arms across his wide chest. “I have my orders directly from Sky. You pass through, and we maintain our position.”

  “Listen, Flint,” Cutter said, stepping back around her. “I don’t think what Ru is asking is unreasonable. I’m sure if Sky were here, she’d understand that.”

  Flint. Ru remembered him from Holy Island. The only Keeper besides Sky who’d opened his mouth.

  “Listen, Cutter,” Flint said, mimicking the other Keeper’s tone, though Ru could hear more animosity, “I’m in charge here. And I’m going to do what I was told.”

  “Well, that doesn’t even make sense.” Lyric rolled her eyes. “If you’re in charge, then why do you have to do what someone else told you?”

  Flint launched into a defense of his decision, but Ru shouted over him. “Flint! Look, the reason their numbers were so low at the beginning of the battle is obvious, isn’t it? It’s not because this portal doesn’t mean anything to them—it’s because it means everything to them. They’re not on the battlefield yet. They will come through the portal!” She had him by the shoulders, which caused him to jump backward, shaking himself free, and once Ru finished her statement she took a step back as well.

  “What? No,” Flint argued. “They’re not going to send them through the portal. That would be suicide. They’d have to come through a small opening into enemy controlled territory.”

  “Yeah, into a stream of five whole enemy fighters who cannot possibly hold them all off,” Rider reminded him.

  “You have to close in behind us.” Ru spoke slowly and evenly, holding his gaze.

  Flint let out a loud exhale, his nostrils flaring as he did so, and Ru thought perhaps she had his attention. “Fine. I’ll send a runner to Sky. That shouldn’t take too long. If she agrees, we’ll close in behind you. If not, well, I hope you’re wrong. I’m sure you are anyway.”

  His tone didn’t sound too convincing to Ru, but she was sure Sky would answer in the affirmative. The only reason she could think of for keeping all of these troops so far back, knowing that the Blue and Purple forces were beyond them still waiting in reserve, was to try to keep them out of the blast zone. Flint seemed like just the sort of smug bastard who would want to keep his own ass safe. Ru was pretty certain it would make no difference, however. He was underestimating her strength; they were already too close to keep from getting knocked unconscious.

  “How long will it take?” Ivy asked.

  “Patricia!” he shouted. One of the angels fluttered over and was by his side immediately. “Find Sky. Tell her Alfred thinks there will be something coming through the portal to meet her. Ask if we should close in.” He made a signal with his hand, and with a streak of white light, the angel was gone. “Not long.”

  Ru nodded. It seemed like that was the best they were going to get. “Thank you.”

  “Good luck.” He gave her a curt look, and Ru honestly wasn’t even sure if he meant it.

  She would’ve lingered, giving Patricia more time, but the pull of the portal began to tug at her insides again, and Ru stepped past Flint, through the line of troops, back into the dense woods, headed toward the siren that called her, though just like those sailors who met their fate bashed against the rocks, Ru wasn’t so certain her destiny would end any less tragically.

  Cutter and the rest of them were on her heels, but she was out front now, walking more briskly than she had since they’d left the comfort of the van that had brought them all to the forest. “Ru, slow down,” she heard Rider say a fair way behind her. “Give that angel time to do her job.”

  “I can’t,” Ru admitted, and even as the word left her mouth, she knew why. It wasn’t just the portal that was calling to her. It was him. He was there. Waiting for her. Waiting to claim her.

  With each breath, each step, she could feel herself drawing closer to her destiny, her legacy, what she was supposed to leave behind for generations as her story. Would her fate be closing the portal and destroying Thanatos, or would she die today, valiant on the battlefield but not victorious?

  Ru moved forward, her fingers trailing across the moss-covered bark, occasionally snagged on a branch or thorn. She felt nothing. From time to time, they’d come across a trail of tape that would lead off in one direction or another, left by someone entering the forest who actually wanted to get out. There were also remnants of past lives on the ground; an article of clothing, a discarded shoe, a scrap of paper, even a weathered doll. The ground was cracked in places and Ru imagined some of these people might’ve been swallowed up by the forest, one way or another. She didn’t dare look into the high branches above her for fear ghosts of the past might still linger there. It wasn’t the dead she feared, however. It was the feeling that was welling up inside of her, the same despair and darkness that likely drove these others here before her. Ru wouldn’t be taking her own life, but the idea that this might be her final resting place became more than a faint idea as she wound her way between the trees.

  Thoughts that she might be leading her friends, those who had stayed with her all along despite having no true evidence that she could perform the tasks she was appointed to, on a march to their own deaths also filled her mind. Visions of her teammates falling at the hands of Reapers, or any of the hundreds of demons she’d studied the past week invaded her thoughts. Tears began to stream down her face, but she journeyed forward.

  “Ru, seriously, slow down.” Cutter grabbed her shoulder, and Ru realized by the sound of his labored breath he must’ve been running to keep up with her.

  She stopped dead in her tracks and swiped at the tears on her cheeks before slowly turning around. She couldn’t see the others. They were either hidden by the tangle of trees or too far behind her.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded in response to his question, the one he asked so frequently, ignoring the look of tortured concern on his face.

  “Let’s wait for them to catch up.”

  “I can’t,” she replied, turning back to face the forest before her.

  “Why not?” His voice sounded exasperated.

  Ru peered between two trees which were darker and more twisted than the others, their canopy crowned with leaves black and elongated with curled edges. A ripple in the air before her, no more than ten yards ahead of them, set between the trees, beckoned. Turning to look Cutter in the eye, she whispered, “We’re here.”
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br />   Chapter 18

  There it was, right in front of her, the portal. The final one. And all she had to do was raise her hands and say the incantation. All of this would be over. If Thanatos wasn’t here, she couldn’t kill him. Surely, Raphael would understand that. She’d just close the portal and sneak away, leaving that confrontation for another day.

  Except she knew it wasn’t that easy. Just because she didn’t see him didn’t mean he wasn’t there. And even before she could raise her hands, the pull from inside of her became overwhelming, causing Ru to double over. The air between the edges of the portal continued to ripple and wave, and Ru recognized the sensation from both of the previous portals. Something was coming.

  She looked at Cutter and for the first time she could remember, she saw fear in his eyes. “They’re coming,” she whispered.

  He opened his mouth to say something, but before anything came out, a rush of heat shot out of the portal opening. Both of them instinctively dropped to the ground. Ru raised her hands over her head but glanced up between them to see what looked like a solar flare shooting out between the trees. It singed the trees flanking them, sending rivulets of smoke into the air. Once it had passed, Ru jumped to her feet, Cutter beside her. Six forms, still in the shadow of the portal were making their way through. None of them looked human.

  The sounds of footsteps approached from behind her, but Ru didn’t turn around. She could tell by the sounds of their breathing who it was. And then Rider shouted, “What the hell was that?” as confirmation just as the first demon stepped through.

  Suddenly, Cutter’s body was barreling toward the portal at breakneck speed, almost slamming into a tree in front of them. He was struggling against the pull, but only managing to slightly slow the swiftness at which he was being carried. Around his waist, Ru could see a thin black line that looked like a string reaching back to the outstretched hooves of the beast that stood on two legs before them. He looked like some sort of horse, though he was upright and his snout was shaped more like a lion’s. Nevertheless, the blackness in his eyes left no mystery as to what he intended to do once Cutter reached his destination.