I reach him with surprising ease and then he pulls me upright. Lawrence gives me a look of pure pride and I smile back at him with the satisfaction of knowing that he thinks there is a potential inside of me to be a great warrior. Then, I also understand that he will absolutely push me to my breaking point in order to make me reach a level that is satisfactory to him. I’m in for a hell of a ride.
Lawrence pats me on my back. “Come. We will run back to the village. You will try to keep up,” he orders.
“Fine,” I say, knowing this is going to be interesting. He bolts in front of me before I even have a chance to gather myself. I can already tell that he’s going to be a bit of a show-off.
It is interesting alright. What I didn’t know, on top of me not having any kind of footwear, is that I’d be zig zagging through trees, running up hills, jumping across divides, and much more. I get lost once or twice when I can’t keep up, but Lawrence comes back for me, encouraging me, or rather, pissing me off by laughing at me until I try harder, run faster and finally make it back to the village.
We traveled one hell of a distance in a short amount of time. My muscles feel amazing as if they are a brand new model. I begin to understand my strength and my speed, when to push it, when to keep it in check. My mind is quicker as if all my synapses have begun to fire; more of my brain is being used. This feels like the state I was meant to be in all along. The power is swirling through me as if it is finally free from a prison, long forgotten with no hope to ever be unbound. There are no longer any invisible chains holding me back. Only forward. One step at a time.
◊◊◊
“Let us prepare,” Diana states as she appears from the entrance of her enormous home. I look around at all the homes in the village. They are all grand in some way, from the gold that trims them to the sheer size. Each one is built in a design from a different era, probably a time that each liked best. I see villa styles, Roman designs, temple-looking homes, and even some that look like small castles. I guess when you have nothing but time to acquire wealth, this is what you get. There is no excess dirt on the paved road, hardly any commotion, and everything seems to be in its place. This land has had a long run of peace.
“Kaede! Take her to her chamber. We will being at dusk,” Diana orders.
I look around for this Kaede until I see a girl who looks no older than ten peek around the corner of the doorway. It creeps me out that in reality she’s probably over 900 years old. She bows to Diana and then me. I do the same, not knowing the proper custom for greetings. Diana then looks towards me. “Go now child. There is much anticipation over you.”
I nod and follow Kaede until I reach the room I woke up in. She follows me inside and points me to the bed where there is an elegant red robe with intricate black flame patterns covering it. There is also a black sports bra type thing and some type of spandex looking shorts. I pick each item of clothing up off of the bed and examine them. The quality is good and the material is breathable. Although I’m not digging the idea of these spandex shorts, I know that they serve a purpose.
Finally, Kaede speaks and I’m aware that I’m getting more used to the surround sound of their voices. Hers is more like a soft wind chime than the powerful melody of Diana or deep drum of Lawrence. “You must purify yourself first by bathing in our special herbs and salts. When you are done, you will dress and I will then escort you to the receiving chamber. When you arrive there, you will light all three candles and wait to be called upon. The rest of the ceremony will be easy to follow.”
“Who will all be in attendance for this?” I ask as she walks me to the pre-made bath.
“The ceremony itself will consist of our twelve elders and maybe a few others. When the celebration begins, the numbers will be much more. It has been a couple hundred years since the last ceremony and I’m sure all are excited to see what makes you so special.”
Great, so I will basically be put on display for the entire world to see. How fun.
“Where will Selene be?” I ask her.
“Your witch will be allowed entry into the chamber but I do not know if you will be allowed to converse with her or not,” Kaede further explains.
I become slightly irritated. I will be extremely excited when I can do things on my own terms, especially seeing my girlfriend.
“Do not get upset young warrior. You must understand that you now have responsibilities that must be taken care of before pleasure. Is that not why you are here?”
I turn to face Kaede who is looking at me with a serious look on her face. I frown. “Did you just read my mind?”
“I cannot simply pull any thought from your consciousness; however, I am attuned to heightened emotions. My empathy can weaken the barriers of your mind and allow me to glimpse those deliberations,” Kaede explains matter of factly.
My temper begins to flare at the violation as I recall how Diana had pulled thoughts from my mind, but I quickly put myself back into check for fear of being exposed once again. I will have to remember to be careful about what I’m projecting around these Immortals because if they discover something they decide they didn’t like about me, I’ll be in no position to do anything about it.
“That is an interesting gift Kaede, thank you for sharing that with me,” I tell her as sincerely as possible.
“I will take my leave now. When you are ready, all you have to do is call. I will hear you.” She bows once more and then disappears from the room leaving me standing alone and not entirely trusting of these Immortals.
For now though, I’d have to just stay on guard and learn all I need from them.
I hope I purified myself correctly by soaking, then submerging myself in the bath for a while. I don’t feel any different and it isn’t like it’s something that I do on a regular basis. After putting on the under clothing, I drape myself in the robe. It feels soft and silky against my skin and for a second I feel as though I’m back at home in my robe getting ready to watch movies in my bed. My heart aches and I wonder if I will ever not feel the big gaping hole in my soul from the loss.
After a couple minutes, I call Kaede who appears just outside of the doorway. She motions for me to follow and I fall in step behind her as we travel through the halls, courtyard, the center of the village, and into a small arena. The sounds at night are much more alive than during the day or maybe it’s because I am focusing harder this time. I can hear crickets chirping see lightning bugs dancing in the distance. The sound of the lake gently caressing the shore calms my nerves and the laughter of people preparing for my celebration in the distance makes me feel welcomed here.
Kaede points me to a door which must be the receiving room and I step through. The room is musky and dank and has the feel of a holding cell. I look around and find three different sized candles on a small round table. For a couple seconds I look around for something to light the candles with, but I quickly realize there is nothing. They must have forgotten the matches or something when they were prepping for the ceremony.
Then suddenly, it hits me as if I’ve had the knowledge the whole time. Reflexively, I walk to the first candle and state. “Life.” It flickers to life right before my eyes and amazement washes over my entire being. I step to the second candle and say, “Death.” Again, it begins to burn brightly. At the third candle, I smile, and think of my un-making, how I felt a new me had arisen. I begin to understand the cycle of the life of an Immortal and how it ties in to the test that I had endured. Loudly, I say, “Rebirth.” The third candle shines brightest of all.
Chapter Thirteen
As I turn away from the three candles, attempting to still understand the knowledge that I was somehow gifted with, my mark begins to glow. I place my hand over it and feel the warmth radiating from it. Beneath it, I can feel my heart pounding excitedly for what’s coming next. The wall in front of me slides away and I am facing the center of the arena, with twelve glowing faces looking down at me in a c-shape, from their seats above. I become still as the force of thei
r power hits me, threatening to knock me over. I can tell that it is a purposeful thing and I know that I am still being tested. As I look around, I see Selene to my right, standing in anticipation.
“Rayne Whitmore. You have proven that you are indeed worthy of the promise we made to your kind many millennia ago. You may step forward young warrior,” a voice prompts.
I step into the center of the floor and wait.
“You were able to reach inside yourself when death and defeat were claiming you as their own. You found you power, a power that was embedded deep within you, a power that was allowed to stir due to your mark, and that was broken free of its chains by your will. This is not something to take lightly. Power can create chaos and destruction in one’s life if it is not cultivated in the correct way.”
I nod and bow. I know full well the price that power could have on one’s life.
“Now, show us what you can do,” another one of the Immortals says, standing up and clapping his hands as if calling on something.
Selene walks up to me and kisses me on the cheek before taking off my robe. “We have a gift for you,” Selene whispers to me, a fire in her beautiful eyes and I look around, wondering what it could possibly be.
I feel its presence before I see it. My mouth becomes dry and I have to lick my lips a few times. Lawrence appears with a longsword and hands it to me. I look him square in the eye, then he kisses me on the forehead.
“Destroy it. You have a fighter’s instinct, just listen to your gut.”
My heart rate quickens. I didn’t think that revenge would come this soon or easily. I’m almost disappointed at that. Two more people, cohorts I’m assuming since they are not immortals, bring in the Devourer, chained and fighting back, its mouths snapping every which way. Its footsteps pound loudly against the stone floor and I clutch my sword tighter. I stare at its dirty, massive body that seems to be covered in years of grime and filth. I didn’t notice that before, but now, I’m more aware of the smallest features this monster possesses. I watch its face turn towards me, saliva dripping down its fangs, two slits on its face sniffing the air. I hope it remembers me.
“Release it,” demands Diana. The cohorts quickly unchain it and I steal one more glance at Selene before motioning the Demon to come and fight me, sword clutched in both hands, my stance low as I wait to strike like a viper waiting for its chance.
This time it’s different. This time, the Devourer knows that it’s not the predator and that it’s fighting for its survival. The pure animalistic instinct kicks in as it lets out a thunderous roar that shakes the walls of the arena and comes barreling towards me with the size and speed of a small truck.
I think about my father’s martial arts lessons and root myself firmly into my stance. As the Devourer gets closer, swinging its massive arms towards my face, I sidestep with a speed that matches its own and throw it off balance. The Demon crashes into a wall with pieces crumbling all around it. With fury, it grabs a large stone that broke off the wall on impact and hurls it towards me with such speed that I barely have time to raise my sword and react.
I swing fiercely and bat it away, but in no time, the Devourer closes the distance and lands a blow that has me skidding across the floor like a grounder in major league baseball. Finally, my back finds the wall and the wind is knocked out of me followed by stars in front of my eyes.
Then, I’m being slid up the wall by my neck and I barely get my hands up in time to block the blow that is directed at my face. I find enough leverage to push off of the wall to knock the Demon down and roll free of its grasp. It’s clear to me that waiting for it to attack is not going to get me anywhere except for pummeled, so I go on the offense, trusting that my speed is superior to its own. I sprint toward the Devourer, sword raised, but at the last second switch my grip to land a slice right in the midsection of the monster.
It cries out in rage, but my rage is greater as I remember my mom’s broken neck, my sister’s bloodied body, how Selene said that my dad’s heart was ripped out of his chest. I don’t care if these Immortals can read my mind when my emotions are high. I want them to see the pain and suffering in my mind, the need for the justice that I am about to deliver. I want them to feel my resolve as I promise myself to never again be weak or afraid.
We exchange blows and blood pours from both of us. It doesn’t matter though. I see clear enough to understand that the blood I shed will be no where equal to its own. It feels like the fight is lasting for hours as I feel my muscles grow tired, but I push on, giving as much as I’m getting, my face bloody, and painful. The Devourer manages to knock the sword from my hand. I think about scrambling to get it, but change my mind. I don’t need it anymore as I can feel the Demon’s strength weakening as it is the one who is now afraid. It probably has never had a human who fought this hard. I got away once and this time, this demon won’t.
It lands another kick into my midsection but I manage to scramble out of the way before it can inflict any more damage. I dive under its legs as the Demon tries to tackle me. Next, I land a kick with so much force that it jars my whole body and sends the monster to the ground so hard that it bounces off the stone.
It doesn’t get back up. I walk to the spot where the Demon had first broken the stone off the wall and pick up a nice large piece. The Devourer begins to stir as I reach the spot where it now lay. I stand over the Demon, victoriously and burn the image firmly into my memory. I study the thing that murdered all the family I had.
“I will find out who sent you, and then I will send him to hell to visit you,” I promise, before I send the stone down on the Devourer’s skull, over and over, until there is no skull left to shatter.
In that moment, I truly know that I will never ever be able to go back to the Rayne that I once was.
Chapter Fourteen
Drunk, happy, and naked, I lie in bed with Selene. Finally alone. After my ordeal with the Devourer, the Immortals, threw me a giant party the likes that I’m sure not even Charlie Sheen, Jay-Z, or Hugh Hefner has ever seen. There were naked men and women everywhere. Not just naked, but attractive, supermodel attractive, every last one of them. Plus, they were having so much sex it was insane. Their equivalent to alcohol is incredibly strong, tasty, and had me rethinking my monogamy as well as my sexual explorations.
Boy, did they know how to throw a party. And the best part, it was all because of me. Most of them had not seen a human for so long that all of them were willing to entertain me. Even the music, though a bit medieval for my tastes, had been in full swing the entire night. And people said that my generation practically had sex on the dance floor when we danced. Well, they literally had sex in the town square, while they danced. It’s safe to say that Selene kept a close eye on me. I had to remind myself about twenty times that I had to eventually go back to our world.
“Come on Selene, it’ll be the first time we’ve done it now that I got powers. We don’t have to hold back. Plus I got more stamina,” I tell her, rolling my hips seductively.
Selene looks at me and shakes her head. She’s pretending to not be as drunk as me, but I know the truth. I saw her downing those drinks like a sailor. Is that even the right phrase? Who cares. “No. Your drunk ass will prolly jusss throw up on me,” she tells me, slurring her words. Fake.
“Who’s drunk? You are the one wobbling and s-slurring.” I reach out, grab her arm, throw her on the bed, and claim her lips. She fights me for all of two seconds before returning the kiss, then deepening it. I moan quietly in her mouth and shift my body so that I’m on top of her.
“Do you. Still. Think. I’m sexy?” she asks me in between kisses.
I freeze just before I make my way to her neck and lift up so that I can look her in the eyes. I may be drunk, but I can be serious in order to assure her.
“You are incredibly sexy and I am so attracted to you. Yes, these Immortals are very good looking, but you have everything they have if not more.” I tell her, head pounding.
“And what�
��s the more?” she asks.
“Your personality. You are actually someone who knows how to brighten a room.” I smile at her. I don’t particularly like the temporary setback to my foreplay, but if I can make her feel good about herself, then it’s just as well. “None of these Immortals know me like you know me. We have a bond and no matter how pretty someone is on the outside, if they can’t make me smile or laugh the way you do, if they don’t care about me the way you do, then it doesn’t matter. I love you Selene. I’m in love with only you. Their looks don’t have anything on what’s real between us. You’re here with me in this weird world because you care about me. No one can compete with that.” I gauge her reaction and hope that she understands me.
She smiles and kisses me on the lips, but I pull away, needing to add one more thing.
“Plus, no one here has an ass like yours, and I need me a woman with some ass.”
She laughs and flips me on my back. “Well then. I expect you to show me just how much you appreciate this ass.”
“Oh, I will,” I respond, getting turned on as she traces her electric fingers from my neck to my center. I feel her magic surround me and I moan in delight. “Thoroughly.”
Selene then enters me with two fingers as she pushes a storm of power deep within my middle. I gasp and arch as I feel all my nerves come alive. The magic courses through my body until I’m shivering with desire and need. She then removes her fingers from inside me and I immediately feel their loss.
Licking her two fingers slowly, seductively, Selene whispers, “You’ve always tasted so good to me. Warm and sweet.”
“Then, don’t tease me. Why don’t you just take it?” My voice is low and needy with anticipation. I watch her green eyes grow darker with desire just before she lowers her head to my dripping middle and takes a long, agonizing stroke from my clit to my opening. I can feel the controlled magic dancing on her tongue. The heat of her driving me crazy. My body threatens to explode all too quickly, the need to finish so great.
The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1) Page 11