by Martha Woods
“But you said I would be free!? I want to return to my family!” she yells from the crumbled spot on the floor. Malbious ignores her cries as he keeps his focus on me. Then a small grin crosses his face as he points towards the window.
I turn and see Darien’s face as he stands on the front porch, looking down at the door handle as he moves to open it. My heart starts to beat rapidly in my chest as I wonder if this is just another illusion to keep me from looking for a way out.
“Either give me your powers, or we all die, including the boy,” Malbious says in a low voice from directly behind me. I quickly turn and strike out at him with my rage, but he is already gone. All that remains is Eliana weeping on the floor. I look at Darien for just a moment longer before I turn and begin frantically looking for a way out. I place my hands on every inch of the walls and floor, feeling for something loose that I can ripe away and reveal my way out. I imagine a tunnel or doorway appearing before me that will allow me to escape. But every time I make it back to the front room, all I see is Darien at the front door, stuck in time as he reaches his hand out to open the door.
The crying has stopped as I look over at Eliana. I’m surprised by her form as now she appears in a white, long dress with a high collar. Her hair is braided tightly around her head and a small silver pendant hangs from her neck.
“You look better,” I comment as she looks up at me while she brushes the tears from her face. She walks up to me and looks to see if Malbious is around. She appears confident that we are alone and quickly places her hand on my forehead. Before I can strike her hand away, my vision blurs as I appear in a dark space with only Eliana.
“We don’t have much time, so listen closely. What I’m about to tell you will change everything your people know about the supernatural realm. Where you are in right now is not a different realm, but we are simply trapped in your mind. When you touched the token, you fell unconscious and we all ended up here. That is why you can’t find a way out because there is nowhere to go but out of this dream. You appear in your spirit form and are able to communicate with us. When your people cross over into our realm, you don’t travel with your bodies but through your spirits.”
“Why are you telling me this?” I ask softly.
“Because I’m as good as dead if Malbious is going to take me back to the pits. I’ll be sold as a slave to another creature and continue my existence in slavery. I rather be dead than end up there. So, I’m sharing these secrets with you so you can destroy Malbious, even if it means my own death. If you want to free yourself, shatter the token and this dream. Unleash your true power and simply wake up,” Eliana says quickly.
“But won’t that destroy Darien too?”
“Darien is close by, but he is not alone. Unleash your power now before you run out of time…” Eliana screams as she removes her hand, forcing us back into the townhouse where Malbious holds his hands around her neck.
“What have you done?!” he yells as he throws Eliana to the ground.
“I’ve secured my revenge,” she spats at him as she tries to move herself further away from him.
“I should have killed you when I had the chance,” he growls as he closes the distance between them.
“Do it now!” Eliana screams at me. Confused by her words, Malbious turns towards me as I throw the wine bottle as hard as I can towards the ground. Malbious dives to the floor, trying to catch it before it shatters, but he fails as glass and wine spray against the floor. The room begins to spin as day and night mix together, making it hard to see what is happening around me. Feeling begins to return to my body as immense pain fills my body. I can’t help but scream as I turn away from the djinn and muse as I try to focus my last moments on Darien’s face. A part of me wonders if this has all been Malbious’ plan to escape as rage boils to the surface and overcomes the pain I am feeling.
I will gladly burn it all down, I think to myself as I unleash a powerful scream and every ounce of power I have ever once felt. Blue fire erupts around me as the room catches on fire as though it has been doused in gasoline. I can hear Malbious and Eliana screaming as a feeling of relief feels my body. For once in my life, it feels good to finally let go and not fear about what may happen when I release my power. Despite the burning creatures around me, it almost looks beautiful to see the fire rage from my body.
I begin to feel weighted down as the room grows dark besides the flames. I feel the sensation that I am falling as my eyes catch sight the ceiling. My eye lids flutter as I feel an overwhelming need to shut them and sleep. But all I keep thinking is that I want to see Darien one last time before I die. Even if this is all an illusion, I just want to see his face one more time as I struggle to keep my eyes open and search for his face.
I hear his voice as I close my eyes. It grows louder as I realize how stiff my body feels on the ground. I start to hear multiple voices as I feel someone shaking me. Hands are on my chest, forcing my blood to pump through my veins as my eyes shoot open. I shove the hands away from me as I finally open my eyes. I see sunlight above me and as I look down, I see the wine bottle still clutched in one hand as the other grips Morgan’s shirt. As I glance around me, I see Darien on the other side of me with tears streaking down his face. With my eyes on him, a smile begins to grow on his face but then his expression changes as he continues to look into my eyes. I quickly turn away as I notice the scorch marks on the wine crates and ceiling.
“How do you feel?” Morgan asks as I push myself into a seated position.
“Horrible,” I say softly as I look at the wine bottle in my hand.
“You were dead for a moment,” Morgan replies as he places an arm around my waist to pull me to my feet.
“How long has it been since we last saw each other?” I ask, afraid of the answer.
“Two days, Anna. It’s been two days,” he says as he helps me to walk across the room and out of the house.
“What the hell just happened in there?” Darien asks, his voice wavering as he follows us down the stairs and onto the sidewalk.
All I can think about is my next meal and hopefully a shower as I lean heavily on Morgan. He leans me against the car and opens the door for me, but I pause and look back at Darien. It seems there is no hiding now as the sunlight rests on my face.
“I’ve been trapped in that house for two days, completely unconscious. Morgan will take me to recover and then I’ll be by to explain everything,” I tell him, unsure of what words are the most appropriate for the situation.
“Then come to the house. We can take care of you there,” Darien quickly responds as he walks up to me, afraid of what is going on. I look away from him as I glance over at Morgan.
“That’s probably a good idea, Anna. We shouldn’t stay in the city after that explosion,” Morgan admits. I nod my head in agreement as I sit down into the passenger seat. I hear Darien climb into the back seat, followed by the sound of the engine starting and the feeling of the car pulling away.
“Try to stay awake, Anna,” I hear Morgan say, but I can’t help but fall asleep knowing I’m now safe.
Chapter 7
I take a deep breath when I finally wake up again. Thankfully, my dreams were blank and empty, allowing me to truly rest. At first I feel the soft sheets on my naked body as I wonder how I both ended up in bed and without any clothes. The next thing I feel is a small pain in my arm and as I open my eyes to the dimly lit room, I can see someone has inserted an IV into my right arm as a long tube runs down from a clear bag hanging over the bed post. As my eyes start to travel, I realize I’m not alone as I stare back into black eyes.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty,” Morgan whispers as he brushes a fallen strand of hair from my face as I tilt my head towards him. He is lying beside me, completely unmoving.
“Your handy work, I presume?” I ask as I raise my arm. Morgan smiles as he glances down at the IV.
“Your vitals were weak, so I made sure to do everything I could to keep you alive, besides forcing food down your throa
t,” he explains as he moves from the bed and tosses a pair of clothes at me. “I even made sure you were bathed before I started your IV.”
“How kind of you,” I say sarcastically as I push myself up into a seated position.
“It is very kind. I could have just eaten you instead.” Morgan returns to my side as he checks the IV bag and inspects the port in my arm. “Once you’ve eaten normal human food, I’ll remove this.”
“And what of the rest of the household?” I ask once I realize what room I’m in. The familiar blanket makes me feel like I am finally home.
“Patiently waiting for your full recovery. I haven’t told them anything yet, if that is what you’re asking.”
“That is what I’m most worried about,” I admit as I start wiggling my fingers and toes. Having feeling again in my body helps me feel alive and awake. Morgan leaves my side as he walks over to the door and pushes it open.
“I’ll go down and let them know you’re ready for visitors. I’ll also mention you need lots of food and drink,” he says as he sticks his head out the door. “Oh, and one more thing. Your mother called me, surprisingly. She wants to know what’s been going on.” Morgan gives me a wink before he disappears out the door. I sigh as I think about what I’m going to tell my mother. She won’t be pleased that I fell into a token trap…again. But as I think about what happened in there, I slowly start to remember what the muse had told me. It gives me a lot to think about, and if what she says is absolutely true, then we will have to approach the supernatural realm from a different playing field.
A knock on the door brings me out of my thoughts as Elizabeth and John come walking into the room, both with trays in their hands, followed by Darien closely behind. I can’t help but smile brightly as they set the trays on the bed beside me and take turns crawling into bed and giving me a light hug.
“This looks marvelous, you three. You seem to really out done yourself,” I say as I lift the lid and see all manner of foods from breakfast dishes ranging to burgers and fries. I start eating bits and pieces of food, trying to eat carefully as not to shock my system after not eating for three days.
“We were so worried about you. When Darien received a phone call that you’d been in a horrible accident, we all came home immediately,” Elizabeth says as she takes my hand and holds it. I look over at Darien, wondering who had made the call and thinking that Eliana had really done what Malbious had tricked her into doing.
“Well you don’t have to worry now. I’m alright and by the looks of things, I have been well looked after.”
“But what happened to you?” John asks softly by my side. I smile weakly at him as I rest a hand on his head for a moment.
“I got in big trouble looking for something in a place I shouldn’t have been alone. But your brother arrived just in time to rescue me,” I say convincingly as both Elizabeth and John’s eyes light up with surprise.
“Speaking of trouble, I’d like to talk to you, alone, about what happened,” Darien finally speaks up. I give a quick nod as I continue to eat small bites of food. Darien ushers his siblings out of the room as he lets them know they can come back in a few minutes to visit. Then he takes a seat on the edge of the bed and at first, he doesn’t look at me.
“I’m sorry that you got dragged into all of this,” I speak, hoping to break the acquired tension between us as I continue to eat.
“And what exactly is ‘this’?” Darien asks in a stern voice as he lifts his eyes from the floor and focuses them on me. I can tell that he is having a hard time wrapping his head around what he saw, and more than likely he is a bit scared.
“My mother wasn’t happy about me leaving home, so I promised her while I was here I would make sure to find any antique pieces that someone might owe us. Specifically, objects that we call tokens,” I begin as I push the food away.
“Why would someone owe your parents this token?” Darien asks as he turns his body towards me, giving me his full attention.
“Anyone who knows what a token is understands that my family has been searching for them for generations. We are trying to collect them all and either destroy them or contain them. More importantly, we want them hidden where they can’t be used anymore.”
Darien gives a weak chuckle as he looks away momentarily before looking back at me. “You speak as though these tokens are as dangerous as nuclear weapons.”
“No, not as deadly or dangerous as a nuc, but they equally have the ability to affect a large number of the human population.”
“Then just tell me what they are, Anna,” Darien pleads as he leans closer to me.
“Tokens are objects that have trapped demonic and spiritual powers within them. They contain the creatures from the supernatural realm. A place my ancestors were able to tap into, creating gates between our worlds where creatures could pass through. Thankfully, the most powerful creatures were contained inside these tokens, but most have been lost through time. That is why my family has always been so active in the antique industry. We are trying to relocate these tokens and find a way to close the gates for good.”
Darien looks like he is going to be sick as his face pales and he nervously starts looking around the room. “This has to be some kind of joke. You just don’t want to tell me the truth.”
“Darien, go open the blinds. I can tell the sun is still up. If you want proof, I’ll give it to you,” I stammer as I use my leg to move him off the bed. He does as I ask, allowing the setting sun to flood the room. I scooch to the end of the bed with the sheet wrapped tightly against my naked body and motion for Darien to come close. Turning my face towards the windows I say, “Look into my eyes and tell me what you see.”
I keep my eyes focused on the window as he bends down and looks at me. I hear his breath catch in his throat, causing me to lose my focus and look at him. He looks confused as he continues to stare into my eyes. I had imagined this moment so many times, and now that I was sharing my secrets with a normal human, I was becoming as scared as Darien.
“It’s like watching a fireplace burning at the back of your eyes,” Darien says softly as he sits next to me on the bed. I move back to rest my body against the pillows and to adjust the IV line that is tugging at me.
“What you see are my powers, constantly moving and burning, ready to be used. My people call it ‘hell fire’ because the flames were acquired from the beings we destroy. It’s our only defense against supernatural creatures. And though I rarely use it, I had to unleash every ounce of my power to free myself from the trap I had fallen into.”
“So, that was the trouble you were in?” Darien asks, the color in his face seeming to return and his voice sounds stronger. I can tell his concern for me is over riding the fear he his.
I can’t help but chuckle at the memories of Malbious. “Touching a token released the trapped spirit inside. But each token has a contingency spell for such occasions. The creature is trapped with the person who touches the token and they are given an unknown amount of time to escape. If they don’t find a way out, the person who touches the token is destroyed and the creature is sent back to its realm. This way the creature can’t be unleashed on our Earth and the person who touches it is never given a chance to do something so foolish again.”
“So, you found a way out?” Darian then asks softly.
I shake my head as I look away from him. “I created my own way out. I burned everything and everyone trapped with me. Then I woke up.” For the next few minutes we were silent. I could tell Darien had more questions but for a moment he simply thought about what I had said.
“Is this what happened in the house all those years ago?” he finally asks as the sun dips below the horizon, allowing me to hide once again. I nod my head as I close my eyes and fight back the tears that want to spill through. Now that I know more about the environment of these token traps, it tempts me to rethink if there would have been anyway out for both my uncle and me. It would be easy to lose myself in the idea of what I could have d
one differently, allowing me to be with my uncle this day instead of continuing to mourn him through my guilt.
“I’m glad you alive, at least. For now, I can just focus on that thought and try to forget everything else,” Darien says after a while. I open my eyes as he stands from the bed and walks over, leans down, and places a gentle kiss on my forehead.
I grab his shirt and hold tightly to keep him close to me. I hear him chuckle as he raises his hand and starts to run his fingers through my hair. At that moment, I’m thankful that Morgan took the time to clean me as I smell the sweet aroma coming from my hair.
“There was a moment that I honestly thought I would never see you ever again. I tried to keep your image in my mind as I prepared to destroy everything, including myself. I was so relieved when I woke and saw you next to me, even if that meant I’d have to tell you the truth,” I ramble as I try to calm my breathing and keep myself from having a complete breakdown.
“Shhh…” Darien speaks into my ear as I continue to hold him and he keeps his face pressed up against mine as his fingers stay tangled in my hair. It is only when we hear a knock on the door that Darien straightens up and I pull my hand back to my side.
“Come in,” I call as Darien steps back so I can see who has come to visit.
“Are you feeling better?” Morgan asks as he immediacy enters the room and begins checking my IV bag.
“Yes,” I say confidently as I take another bite of food.
“Then let’s get this out so you can get up and shower. You need to get up and move around before your muscles start to weaken,” Morgan instructs as he removes the IV with one swift motion. I ignore the pain as I keep my eyes on Morgan, seeing if he’ll fall into temptation and lick the blood from the IV line.
“Since when do you care about my strength?” I joke with Morgan as he deposes of the medical supplies in the bathroom waste basket.
“Since you’ve been battling against demons,” Morgan replies. Based on his choiceswords, I can tell he heard the whole conversation I had with Darien.