by Mindy Majors
CHAPTER 13
“Can you heal him, Jareth?” Duncan asked, as he placed Daire's lifeless body on the couch.
“I'm not sure, I don't know what's wrong with him,” Jareth answered, as he rolled up Daire's shirt sleeve and examined the wound on his arm.
“I thought the dagger was deadly to Atlantean gods,” Symarah said, barely able to control her panic.
“Only if the wound is deep enough. This cut is superficial, there's hardly even any blood,” Jareth said. He placed his hand over the wound to heal it. “I can stop the bleeding but he will still have a scar.”
“If the cut is superficial, then why is he unconscious? Kassie questioned.
“I think Vaiden tipped the dagger with a sleeping potion,” Jareth answered. “I've done all I can, he should only be out for another five or ten minutes.”
Jareth collapsed into a nearby chair.
“Are you okay?” Conner asked, handing him a bottle of water.
“I'm just weak. Healing a god is draining, not to mention flashing five people from the backyard into the living room all at once. I'll be fine in a few minutes.”
“Is everybody okay?” Daire asked in a groggy voice as he struggled to sit up on the couch.
Symarah hugged him so tight, he almost passed out again.
“We're all fine, we are just thankful that you are okay,” Duncan said.
“I don't understand though, if Vaiden was trying to kill you with the dagger then why would he need a sleeping potion?” Kassie asked.
“Maybe he thought you would be easier to kill if you were asleep first,” Conner suggested.
“It is unlikely that Vaiden would give up so easily. He must have had another motive,” Jareth replied.
“Or maybe he just didn't expect us to fight back so well, I mean we kicked ass,” Kassie said. “Did you see Symarah knock Farkas out? That was awesome!”
“What about you with that spell, all the bones in their hands were just gone. That was so gross … impressive, but gross,” Symarah laughed. “What was that other spell you were chanting? It was in a different language.”
“It was old Latin. Roughly translated it means evil shall not pass, no harm shall be done.”
“Why did you say it Latin?”
“Spells are usually more powerful when spoken in Latin, or at least they always have been, until tonight.”
“I'd say that disappearing bone spell was way more powerful than anything I've seen you do so far, which is saying something because I've seen you do some pretty impressive stuff,” Duncan smiled admiringly at Kassie.
“I don't know, maybe the spell is most powerful when spoken in its original language. That is the first spell I've ever come up with on my own, maybe it packs a stronger punch if you create it yourself.”
“That makes sense, a spell won't be as strong if you're borrowing it from another witch,” Daire agreed.
“I think you girls did more damage than any of us,” Conner smiled.
“We did kick some serious demmic ass,” Kassie agreed, “especially Symarah.”
“I didn't do all that much, I only fought one person,” Symarah replied modestly.
“You did well Symarah, I'm proud to say that all of your hard work is paying off,” Jareth complimented.
“Still, as Vaiden said, this is just the beginning; we haven't seen the last of him, and next time he'll be ready for us,” Daire reminded them.
“He's right,” Symarah agreed, “we need to find him and end this before the premiere party. There will be too many innocent people there to risk it.”
“What premiere party?” Daire asked.
“The one I told you about over a month ago, for my second movie in the series. It's in two weeks.”
“You will have to cancel,” Daire said.
“Like hell I will; I've worked too hard for this, and I'm not going to let Vaiden or anyone else take it away from me.”
“Why do you always have to be so obstinate?” Daire scolded.
“I don't know; why do you always have to be so bossy?” she replied.
“Ding, ding, ding, back to your corners,” Kassie chided. “We'll just have to get rid of him before that.”
“Well, we only have two weeks, so we need to figure the riddle out as quickly as possible,” Jareth told them.
“What riddle?” Symarah and Kassie asked in unison.
“Dacian managed to obtain a riddle, written by Vaiden, while he was interrogating Farkas,” Jareth answered, “but we have yet to decipher its meaning.”
“Well, it's almost dawn and we are all overdue for some much deserved rest, so I say we hit the sack and figure all this crap out tomorrow,” Kassie said, as she let out a huge yawn.
“I second that,” Duncan said as he followed Kassie toward the stairs.
And with that, they all headed off to bed.
“We've been at this for hours and we're no closer to solving this riddle now than we were when we started,” Daire bitched, as he paced nervously around the living room.
Daire and Jareth had started working on the riddle as soon as the girls had left that afternoon. The day walkers were taking them to Kassie's new shop to check out the finished product. Kassie had gotten a call early that morning, telling her that it was finished and after a few tense moments and some strong words from Kassie, it had been agreed upon that Duncan would stay with her at the shop during the day, and Daire would take his place as soon as the sun went down, since Symarah was still training with Jareth in the evenings. Kassie refused to let Vaiden interfere with her life and livelihood any more than he already had, but even she agreed that it would be best for her to spend her nights at Symarah's house after the shop was closed; she might be stubborn, but she wasn't stupid.
“We can figure this out, we just have to stay calm. Maybe we should just concentrate on each section, instead of trying to decipher the whole thing at once,” Jareth suggested.
“Okay, let's try that,” Daire agreed.
“Beyond the sea of demons am I,” Jareth read the first line. “This could mean a number of things. Is he referring to inner demons or real demons, and if he is talking about real demons, does he mean human demons or actual demons?”
“Well, self-reflection isn't exactly Vaiden's style, so I think we can rule out inner demons.
“If he is talking about real demons, then the “sea of demons” would be hell or the underworld, unless he is referring to an actual sea,” Jareth said.
“There are no demons in the sea, unless he is talking about Atlantis.”
“The gods who chose to stay in Atlantis are all peaceful, I think Vaiden considers them more weak than anything,” Jareth pointed out.
“So that brings us back to hell,” Daire said.
“Okay, what is beyond hell?” Jareth wondered.
“I don't know, but at least that narrows it down a bit. On the other hand, if he's talking about human demons, it could be anywhere.”
“So for now let's just say he's talking about hell.”
“Okay, next line?”
“Below the earth and above the sky,” Jareth read the second line.
“He could be referring to himself, he is evil and evil beings belong in hell, which is below the earth, but he is also a god, and gods are usually thought to be in heaven which is above the sky,” Daire suggested. “Unfortunately that doesn't help us find him though.”
“Heed these words if you so wish to seek me out if you dare try,” Jareth read the next line.
“That line is self-explanatory, next line.”
“Once you see clearly what cannot be, then you will know what you once did not see.”
“When we see something that is seemingly impossible, then we will know where he is. That could be hundreds of things.”
“Next line,” Jareth said, as he read the last part of the riddle. “Be one with yourself, only then are you able to save truest love from thine dread enemy.”
“So to save Symarah, I h
ave to be one with myself; what the hell does that mean?” Daire growled in frustration.
“This is getting us nowhere, maybe we should call for Athena,” Jareth suggested.
Daire didn't want to involve Athena any more than they absolutely had to; after all, even the most just of gods has a fairly short temper when things aren't going their way. Before he could voice his objections, though, Athena appeared right in front of them.
“Am I to assume from this request for my presence, that Vaiden's cryptic riddle has not yet been deciphered?”
“You know about the riddle,” Jareth said, not at all surprised. She seemed to know just about everything, except for Vaiden's whereabouts.
“I went to the fates to try and locate Vaiden, but they are either unable or unwilling to reveal his location,” Athena said, ignoring Jareth's statement, as she reached for the paper in his hand. “He has created another pocket realm,” she stated matter-of-factly after quickly reading the riddle.
“He already has one, why would he create another one?” Daire questioned.
“This one is different, it is a hell realm,” Athena said, handing the paper back to Jareth.
“What makes you think it's a hell realm?” Daire asked.
“Below the earth, and above the sky,” Athena recited one of the lines from the riddle.
“Creating a hell realm, requires blood magic,” Athena explained. “The spell has but three ingredients; the blood of a demon, the blood of an angel, and the blood of the individual who is creating the hell realm, in this case Vaiden's blood. You begin by making an altar in front of what will become the doorway to the hell realm. As you sit at the altar, mixing the blood of the demon and the blood of the angel, you envision your realm, and what it will be used for; you picture it in your mind, with as much detail as possible. When the blood has been mixed thoroughly, you use it to write the words porta inferni on the object you intend to use to enter the portal. Once the blood incantation vanishes, the spell is complete. All that is left is to cut your finger, and outline the doorway in your blood.”
“What is the significance of sealing it with your blood?” Jareth questioned.
“Once the portal is sealed, it opens only for the one who shares the same blood,” Athena replied.
“If the portal will only open for Vaiden, then how does he expect me to get in?” Daire bitched.
“Has he not taken your blood already, as well as Symarah's?” Athena pointed out, her patience obviously wearing a bit thin. “He has most likely used it to seal the portal as well.”
“So Vaiden, Symarah, and Daire are the only ones who can get in, how are we supposed to help protect them if we can't get to them?” Jareth groused.
“You will just have to find him before he makes his move for the girl,” Athena advised.
“That gives us just under two weeks,” Jareth grimaced.
“How do you figure that?” Daire asked.
“The best time to attack is always in a crowd, the more distractions there are the easier it will be to take Symarah. The premiere party is the perfect opportunity for Vaiden to strike,” Jareth explained.
“Great, no pressure,” Daire said, sarcastically.
“Your sarcasm is not helpful, I think your time would be better spent in deciphering the remainder of the riddle and finding Vaiden,” Athena admonished. “I know you are frustrated, but negativity is never the answer. We know now that Vaiden is hiding in a hell realm, all that is needed is to figure out its location.”
“Do you have any ideas?” Daire asked.
“There are many possibilities, only someone who knows how Vaiden thinks would be able to determine the meaning behind his cryptic words. I have complete faith that you will figure out its meaning, you know him better than almost anyone,” Athena assured him.
“Thank you goddess.”
“Daire, there is one more thing before I leave you; I spoke to the fates about the dagger. As you know, the dagger will kill you, but according to the fates, if he uses it on Symarah, she will never be reincarnated again. If her soul dies, yours dies with it.”
“Where the hell is my unden, he never reported back to me after the incident at the zoo; was he injured?” Vaiden questioned Farkas.
“No, he ran off after the surien healed him,” Farkas answered.
“I've been calling to him, but he doesn't come, and I can't locate him with my powers.”
“Maybe he's hiding from you because he failed his mission,” Farkas offered.
“He is tied to me by blood, he should not be able to hide from me!” Vaiden roared.
“Why do you even care about some stupid slave anyway?”
“Because I still need him as my eyes and ears, unless you would like to follow the humans in the daytime,” Vaiden said with an evil smirk. “I need to know how close they are to solving my riddle, I can't have them finding me before I'm ready to complete my plan.”
“And when will that be, because it's taking an awful long time,” Farkas complained. “You've had plenty of chances to kill them both. The unden could have killed the bitch in her back yard, but you told him just to wound her. You had the dagger last night, you even cut Daire with it, but instead of killing him, you chose to put him to sleep.”
“IDIOT! Vaiden shouted, as he flung Farkas against the wall with a wave of his hand. “Do you really think they would have let me kill him and get away, they had two suriens and a very powerful witch on their side, not to mention two highly trained day walkers; and the bitch, as you call her, kicked your ass, but I guess you wouldn't remember that seeing as you were unconscious.”
“Then why bother attacking them at all?”
“I needed their blood to seal the portal. Once they are inside my hell realm, they will be on their own,” Vaiden explained. “Daire won't have Jareth or Dacian to save him, or any of the other suriens. Not even Athena herself could enter the portal.”
“But the other suriens will be waiting for you when you exit the hell realm, they'll kill you the second you leave,” Farkas pointed out.
“Do you take me for a fool,” Vaiden scoffed. “I have created a second portal for my exit. They'll all be gathered around the first portal, leaving a clear path for my escape, and now that I have the scalphen dehiette there is nothing stopping me from killing every last surien in Athena's pathetic little army.”
“Symarah, we need to talk,” Daire said, as he entered her bedroom, closing the door behind him. He had intended to try, one last time, to talk her out of attending the premiere party, but the bedroom appeared to be empty. Jareth said that she had gone up to her room after they returned from their latest training session. She probably decided to take a shower, Daire thought to himself as he headed for her private bathroom. He could hear the water running as he opened the door. He stood just inside the doorway watching her bathe, mesmerized by her every move. Daire licked his lips, he could almost taste the water on her skin.
“I can think of better things you could do with that tongue,” Symarah teased.
He hadn't realized she had seen him there, watching her. He instantly hardened at her playful invitation. His clothes disappeared in an instant as he stepped inside the shower. He cupped her breasts as he claimed her lips. Her kisses were deep and passionate. Symarah loved the feel of his hands on her body. She kissed her way down his chest to his chiseled abs. As she sat down on the glass bench behind her, she placed her hands on Daire’s hips and pulled him to her. Daire moaned as she took him into her mouth, just the tip at first, but gradually going deeper. He could tell that this was her first time. She was timid, and a bit unsure at first, but it still felt amazing, and she got the hang of it pretty quickly. She had him ready to explode within minutes. Daire stepped back, and picked Symarah up.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“No caria, you were amazing. I just didn’t want to finish yet,” Daire said, with a mischievous smile, as he sat down on the bench, with Symarah now straddling him.
&nb
sp; She raised up a little, and guided him inside her. Daire claimed her lips, as he slowly began to move his hips against hers. She could feel his hip bones digging into her inner thighs with every thrust. The mixture of pleasure and pain was exquisite.
“I can’t hold back any longer,” she whispered, as she ran her tongue across his bottom lip.
Daire grabbed her hips, and pulled her down hard, as he thrust himself deeper inside her. She dug her nails into his shoulders, as her body gave in to him; causing him to join her in her climax.
CHAPTER 14
“Look at all these celebrities!” Kassie asked, barely able to contain her excitement. “Will Kyle Burke be here!?”
“Who is Kyle Burke?” Daire questioned, as they walked the red carpet that led into the premiere party.
“Who is Kyle Bur...are you serious right now?” Kassie said, astonished by his lack of knowledge on the subject. “I'll have you know, that Kyle Burke is the most talented actor to ever play the role of Spiderman.”
“Should I be worried?” Duncan asked, only half joking.
“He's married to that actress who looks just like Sophia Giavanna, so I think you're safe,” Symarah laughed.
“The supermodel? Lucky him,” Conner smirked.
“Oh, her you know; typical guy,” Symarah rolled her eyes, as they stepped off the elevator onto the 17th floor, and entered the party.
“I just hope he makes an appearance,” Kassie said, scanning the room to see if he was already there.
“I just hope Vaiden doesn't make an appearance. I wish we could have found him before tonight,” Symarah said. “A lot of innocent lives are in danger if he does show up.”
“Not to worry, my lady, Vaiden would never strike here, too many witnesses,” Conner assured her.
Symarah knew that wasn't true, but she appreciated his attempt to calm her frazzled nerves.
“And if he does strike, we have reinforcements,” Daire assured her, “half of Atlantis is in this room.”
“Really, like who?” Kassie scanned the room, to see if she could spot any of the Atlanteans.