Dark Revelation

by S. E. Myers

  “I think I am ready. I really do,” she told Tristan. “But… But I am really scared.”

  Tristan pulled her into a tight embrace sending warmth over her body, “I am scared too. I am. I am also pissed. You need to push it down inside. “He pulled her to look in his eyes, “Push it down and save it. Use it when we need to.”

  Ryleigh closed her eyes and attempted to subside her fear. She breathed deep, pushing it into her core until she felt nothing. She looked at Tristan. “Ok.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Tristan and Ryleigh packed their backpacks with supplies they might possibly need. Ryleigh – always prepared. Once done, Vee and Nissa alighted on their shoulders and pulled them into the Sanctum.

  ***

  Ryleigh felt as if her insides were being pulled through her belly button. By the time she opened her eyes, they were there. Sandalwood and sulfur invaded her senses and she doubled over to puke.

  She wretched until her stomach was empty of its previous contents. She hadn’t expected that and Tristan didn’t tell her. It took a few minutes but Tristan allowed her to regain her senses.

  She stood up and drank in the scenery. It wasn’t anything that she imagined. When she thought of a prison for her kind, she imagined flames and chains; instead she was greeted by cave walls and gardens of strange plants.

  They called them Fae, but they weren’t fairy winged creatures in children’s stories. They beings of all sorts. The purveyors of energy. They kept things grounded and together. They assisted and helped humanity. And then thrown into prison because of Valen. And now Finar was just like his own father. Tristan and Ryleigh had to save her parents and kill Finar. But they weren’t even sure where they were going or even if they could.

  “I saved you that night,” Tristan admitted. He figured it was as good a time as any to come clean.

  Ryleigh gave him her raised eyebrow, “What night?” She wasn’t sure what he was talking about.

  “The night of the accident. Mia came to me and told me about you. I saved you.”

  Ryleigh stopped walking for a moment and looked at him. “You knew? You knew this whole time?”

  “I. I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on, “he continued to explain. “Mia said there was a girl who needed my assistance and faded me to the road.” Tristan took Ryleigh by the shoulders and looked into her eyes in all sincerity. “By the looks of it, you were almost dead but I could feel the energy inside still ebbing and flowing without a heartbeat.”

  “What did you do?” Ryleigh asked.

  “With the help of Mia, I was able to save you and bring you back. You had a metal rod shoved through your abdomen and we healed you and brought you back.” Tristan turned away closing his eyes thinking about the alternative, “Had your energy been gone, you would have been gone. You’d have been in the nether.”

  The nether. A place where their energy dissipated. Some believed that once one passed into the nether, they returned another time. Much like reincarnation. But in the nether, they sometimes would not return.

  Ryleigh started to remember her dream. The caves, the incantations. She knew that for whatever reason, this was where she was supposed to be.

  “I’ve been here before,” Tristan looked at her strangely. “Well, not physically, but I dreamed of this place before.”

  “Well, that has to mean something,” Tristan started to wonder about Ryleigh’s abilities. Premonitions, extra sensory perception… this was not unheard of among the Fae community. Usually, they left those abilities to the witches. They were used to channel the energy and provide help and healing to humanity. They helped build the communities that they lived in, but the witches had the premonitions and precognition. Precog was not predispositioned for the Fae. The Fae were healers and creators. They were the building blocks of life. The energy they siphoned helped create life, prevent death, set balance, and even brought those back from the brink.

  “I don’t know what it means, I only know that I am supposed to be here and I’ve been here before,” Ryleigh started to feel a little bit of pressure in her chest. Maybe a little bit of nervousness. Tristan grabbed her hand to reassure her. He could feel how shaken she was because of the connection they now had. Because they were threaded together they shared more together. This was a connection that they would never be able to break, unless one of them died. Ryleigh remembered Vera’s diary and reading about how much she was connected to and loved Finar. She remembered how much she longed for that. And now, now she had that with Tristan. She’d had it before she even knew what it was. Now she understood why she’d felt so incomplete before. That or it was because she was supposed to be a twin. The void she’d felt before, her entire life before this, was now filled.

  Ryleigh was ready for whatever was to come their way. She felt a pull, almost an urgent need to move forward. The detail inside the cavern was incredible. The walls were chiseled and yet looked as if it were man-made instead of stone formation. Six-foot stalagmites seemed as if they might crash to the floor at any moment. On the tips of each stalagmite, were points of light that illuminated the pathway. Strange and beautiful plants lined the walkway with burnt orange and purple hues. Ryleigh was entranced by the beauty around her.

  Tristan also felt a pull but he was feeling it through Ryleigh. He grabbed her arm, “Do you know where we are going?’

  “No,” she replied quietly. “But I feel it. Can’t you feel it?”

  Tristan didn’t answer her. Ryleigh sounded as if she were in a trance almost. Drugged by this place and its undercurrent of tones and music that it played. Tristan couldn’t hear or feel it. He could only sense it, and that was only because of his connection with Ryleigh.

  He followed her down the winding path. He hadn’t seen the rest of the Sanctum when he was released from his cell and didn’t know where they were.

  They could feel another presence around them, watching them move forward. Ryleigh didn’t want to call out and find out who or what was there. She wasn’t even sure what the Sanctum held or the types of creatures or Fae that would be present. Nissa was still sitting on her shoulder and grabbed her hair tightly.

  Ryleigh knew this was just for reassurance because Nissa was a little uncomfortable. This was Nissa’s home and if she were worried, maybe Ryleigh should be too.

  Ryleigh stiffened and Tristan stopped. “What is it,” he asked.

  “Don’t you feel it? Something is coming.”

  It was something. Something large and dark, lumbering towards them, headed their way. The smell of Sulfur continued to increase in strength. Tristan told Ryleigh, “Get ready.”

  Nissa and Vee moved behind the pair and grabbed hands to help the cycle of energy they may need to fight. Tristan took his form and Ryleigh stood there silently watching as the creature continued to move forward.

  The creature was a shadow with glowing yellow eyes peering from a place where its head should be. When it opened its invisible mouth to speak, the smell of rotting fish escaped its body. Ryleigh almost tossed her stomach - again.

  “What are you doing here?” the creature asked slurring each word placing extra emphasis on the vowels. “You are not allowed.”

  The creature stood there, waiting for an answer.

  Ryleigh was the brave one, “We are looking for … Finar. And my parents.”

  The creature laughed aloud, deep startling sound that reverberated throughout the room they were standing in.

  “You younglings are all the same.”

  “Can you help us?”

  The creature’s eyes narrowed to slits. The eyes barely visible as it looked at Ryleigh and Tristan up and down. It noticed Tristan in his form. And raised a globular hand to point at him.

  “There is no need for that here.” It said. “No harm will come to you.”

  Tristan backed down and waited for an explanation.

  The creature hissed each word that came through the stench of its mouth. Loud baritone bass echoed through their body as he tal
ked with them. He explained that younglings, as they are still called, are never to be harmed as told by the Elders. The Elders. Ryleigh read about them in the diary. They were the rule makers, the keepers of secrets, and the ones who should be able to help.

  Tristan and Ryleigh told the creature why they were there and about Finar.

  “Can you take us to the Elders?” Ryleigh implored. “We need help. We need Finar killed, locked away, anything. He is dangerous and killed my Aunt.”

  Soulebad, as the creature was called, thought for a minute before replying, “I can talk to the Elders. I am sure that they can help you. But, you must wait here.”

  Ryleigh and Tristan agreed to wait and Soulebad sauntered off to speak with the Elders.

  As soon as Soulebad rounded a corner, Ryleigh was moving forward.

  Tristan hesitated, “I thought we were going to wait.”

  “I’m not waiting. I’m going to find my parents,” and with that Ryleigh followed her gut and went the opposite direction of Soulbad.

  ***

  Tristan had no choice but to take Ryleigh’s lead. Pushing forward and taking the opposite path of Soulebad, the pair ventured into the darkness merely lit by the lights above. Ryleigh was unafraid. She felt…okay. She knew that if anything harmful happened, she would be able to make it and survive. She only wanted to find her parents.

  They continued along the path forward and felt other beings - creatures watching them. They dared not to show their faces because they knew what her and Tristan were about. This empowered Ryleigh. Gave her the courage to stand forward and keep going.

  She was the epitome strength. She felt as if she could take on the world.

  Tristan also felt a little empowered. He could feel the creatures surrounding him, not venturing to find out whom or what was invading this space. This Sanctum.

  He continued to trust in Ryleigh and followed her. They seemed to descend multiple levels. The Sanctum was complex, full of twists and turns. They only ventured along the paths, trusting in Ryleigh’s instinct.

  Tristan stopped, “This is where he kept us.”

  Ryleigh stopped, “This is where he kept you and Illeana?”

  Tristan nodded and started to feel anger rise within him. He swallowed hard feeling Illeana, inside him, her energy calming him. Tristan would have his revenge.

  Ryleigh stood fast for a minute. She wanted to see if she could reach out and feel her parents. Concentrating on the love she felt for them, she could almost see them in her mind.

  She felt them both. “I know they are here,” she said confidently. “I can feel them here. Just not… here.” She pointed around the cells.

  Ryleigh sighed, “I don’t know where he could have kept them.”

  Tristan had an idea, but he wasn’t quite sure how Ryleigh would react to it. Splitting up - never good in these types of situations; however, it was something that they needed to do in order to cover more ground.

  “We should split up,” Tristan resolved to suggest.

  “You’re right,” Ryleigh responded shocking Tristan. “It’s the only way that we will be able to cover the most ground.”

  “Be careful, okay?” Tristan meant it. After losing Illeana, he didn’t want to lose Ryleigh too.

  “I will,” she agreed. “And, I have Nissa.”

  The two held each other and didn’t want to let go. Ryleigh was the first to end the embrace. Taking a breath, she turned around and headed off. Ready for whatever might come her way.

  22

  The journey for lost souls

  Tristan wasn’t sure which direction he should go. With Vee on his shoulder he walked into what seemed to be another dark hallway. The hallway, instead, was a doorway that opened into a very large room with additional exits on either side. The room was decorated almost royally and set up like a conference room. A large table sat center, surrounded by gilded chairs lined with plush velvet. Although Tristan wasn’t exactly afraid of anything that might be lurking, he still was very cautious crossing the room.

  “Be wary,” he told Vee.

  “Yes, master,” Vee replied. Vee knew that in a moment’s notice hell could break loose.

  Tristan wasn’t sure which path to take so he took the one that was closest to him. The path in the middle of the room. He felt a cool breeze come through the doorway. It caressed his skin and carried with it a scent that he could remember. Finar didn’t keep him in his cell, he dragged him to Illeana’s… but how far exactly did he drag him. The smell – he knew it. He felt he knew it from something. It was sweet and pungent. It brought back sadness into the center of his chest. He had to find out what it was and started to increase his pace. Hesitating he peered around a corner, looking for anything or anyone. The pathway led to an avenue of cells that lined the walls. Door after door where some Fae were kept during the times they were in hiding.

  At the end of the hallway lay another dark entrance. Hearing a foreign noise, Tristan motioned to keep quiet. He thought he heard a muffled whimper coming from the way ahead. Tristan switched to his form to see once they reached the end of the avenue so he could see within the darkness.

  He was able to make out four doors that were similar to the one he had in his cell. Wooden with iron bars through it. He went to the window of the first cell and peered through. It was empty.

  The next cell contained a figure that he couldn’t make out. The third was empty and the fourth… twin girls. They had to be Sam and Cael’s girls. Their cheeks were painted with dust and grime. Their eyes, tired and bloodshot, were not the sparkling azure gems they should be.Mucus dried lips cried for hunger.

  “I am going to get you out of there,” Tristan reassured.

  They were scared. He could see the fear in their eyes. He had forgotten what he must look like to them. But he also knew that they had to have known their parents true forms and seen them at some point in their lives. “I know your mom and dad,” Tristan said.

  “That’s what the bad man said,” said one of the girls, her voice low and scratchy.

  “Yeah, that’s what he said and he brought us here,” said the other girl.

  Tristan thought for a minute. “I know that is what he said; I promise I am going to help you. I can’t tell you to trust me, but would I tell you that if I were here to harm you?”

  Tristan certainly didn’t know if they would understand what he was trying to convey. He had to think through and take a look at the other noise he heard.

  He went back to the first cell. He saw the outline of a body.

  “Hello?” he called out.

  He heard a muffled sound.

  “Are you okay?” he asked. He saw the figure move.

  “Water,” the voice called out.

  Luckily, they had thought to bring water with them, “Just in case,” Ryleigh said. “It was always an essential anytime my parents and I did anything.”

  Tristan was now grateful for the suggestion. He reached into his backpack and then passed the water through the bars.

  A haggard looking woman approached him. Although her face was gaunt, her natural beauty still shown through. Her stark green eyes shone brightly and seemed grateful for her thirst to be quenched.

  Tristan looked at the woman carefully. The familiarity of the face was too uncanny, “Adrianne?” he asked.

  The woman looked at him at first with shock and then fear, “Who are you?” she asked.

  “I am here with Ryleigh, we were looking for you.”

  Adrianne approached the bars with urgency, “You need to get her out of here!” Her face was the picture of panic. She did not want her daughter anywhere in the Sanctum. There was too much danger and too much risk. “She cannot be here. Where is she?” she asked quickly.

  “She took another path; she was looking for you and Tom.”

  Adrianne reached through the bars to grab Tristan’s collar. “She is special, Finar wants her. He never knew… he never knew…” she trailed off.

  Tristan looked at he
r earnestly, “She knows she was a twin.”

  Adrianne’s eyes were wet with emotion, “Save the girls and go. I am too much of a burden. I am weak and I can’t do anything. My imp… She is dead.”

  Vee heard her say this and allowed a high pitched sound to escape before clamping his long-fingered hand over his mouth.

  “I am not going to leave you in here alone, we are all going together,” Tristan remarked. “You may want to stand back.”

  “You can’t do anything to these doors. They are resistant.”

  “Not to me they aren’t. Now, stand back!” he ordered.

  Adrianne moved to the farthest corner of the cell and waited. She wasn’t holding her breath.

  Tristan in his true form started to gather energy from the twin inside him. He opened the palm of his hand and started an energy globule. It continued to increase in size until it was the size of a softball. Tristan opened his eyes and launched it at the door’s handle.

  The door splintered and fell off its hinges.

  Adrianne was shocked.

  Tristan entered the cell. “Come on, let’s go.” He reached out his hand to help Adrianne up from the floor. “We have to get these kids and find Ryleigh. She is looking for Tom and I am not sure where Finar could be.”

  Adrianne seemed to gather all of her strength, as broken as she displayed, and walked out of the cell with Tristan, “Right, let’s get these kids.”

  ***

  In the darkness, Ryleigh continued to look up to reassure herself the lights were not threatening to go out. It wasn’t that she was afraid, but she was. She could feel her stomach continuing to perform gymnastics in her abdomen.

  “It’s okay, Mistress,” Nissa reassured. Ryleigh knew it would be okay. She continued to follow the inner compass that guided her. She wasn’t sure where it was taking her but she was comfortable following it.

  She reached a fork. At this point, indecisiveness stepped forward. She wasn’t sure which way to go.

  “Just feel it,” she told herself aloud. She closed her eyes and listened. This was something she continued to practice with Nissa. Listening with her mind and her body. Paying attention to the signs that she received. She felt a whispering to her right. A whispering that pulled her more in that direction. It was the way she decided to go. It seemed that with each step the pathway grew darker. She pulled out a flashlight grateful for her family and their “list” anility. She wasn’t quite sure where she was going but it felt familiar to her. Almost to her core. This was a place she was supposed to be and supposed to recognize.