“What do you want?” I snapped. “If you haven’t noticed, I'm kind of on a deadline.”
She blanched at my anger, surprised by my attitude. “Is that all you can say?” she asked. “I’ve been trapped here for who knows how long and now my daughter appears—”
Whirling around to face her, I snarled a cruel response, “All I can say? There are a lot of things I'd like to say. Where would you like to start? With the part about how I’m a DEMON!? Or how about your old lover, Aidan, coming after me? But unfortunately I don't have time for polite conversation — I'm too busy trying to save my family.”
The color left her face as the reality hit her that I knew the truth. “I just thought…”
I snorted angrily to myself and kept on walking. “You thought wrong.”
“Wynn, I can explain.”
I turned around and screamed at her, “I AM NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION WITH YOU!”
Her mouth hung open for a moment, shame coloring her cheeks, but at least she held her tongue — it was the best I could hope for, considering the circumstances. Another time, I might have felt sorry for her or even apologized, but this was not that day and I was in no mood for coddling her ego.
“Don’t you understand? I don’t want to talk to you like everything is normal between us, because it’s not. I thought I’d have a lot more to say to you, but now that you’re here all I see is … nothing. Just a woman who broke my heart, sold me into exile, and made a deal with the devil for a few brief moments in the sun.”
Her dumbstruck expression was all the excuse I needed to take my leave and continue with my search. On the edge of the manicured hedges I saw a great stone archway with fearsome looking gargoyles on either side. It was the only path that appeared to be an exit, so I broke into a run, my bare feet racing down the grassy path and Mom still following a ways back. The closer I got, the larger and more foreboding the structure seemed, opening to an eerie wood beyond it.
When we finally came upon the archway, I slowed my jogging to a walk and gaped at the fairytale scene that lay before me. The torches did not extend past the gateway and the trees were so dense the moonlight barely filtered through. It was almost completely dark except for random veins of light that would illuminate the ground for a moment and then disappear. Something in the back of my mind warned me this was an evil place and it was dangerous to go inside, but I quickly dismissed the prudent council and advanced towards it briskly.
All my life I’d wanted to be part of a fairytale, some magical story where the impossible feats I dreamed about were not so out of reach. Now that I was part of one, it wasn’t as fantastic as I imagined.
I was just like Little Red Riding Hood on the edge of the forest, except without the basket of sweets, and no woodsman to keep me safe. I set my jaw determinedly and headed off into the thick of it, making sure I stuck to the narrow path.
As I walked amongst the trunks, there was a feeling of death and decay in the air. The trees were sickly and gray, as if all color had drained off into the festering pools of sludge at their bases. The rank smell of sulfur permeated the air and dead lichen hung from the gnarled branches and crunched under my feet. The thick humidity felt like someone had placed a wet cloth over my mouth and I gasped reflexively trying to get more air. The magical veins of light continued to flare up randomly across the forest floor, then fade into nothing and disappear as quickly as they arrived.
“What is that?” I asked myself aloud.
“The forest is enchanted,” a voice answered nervously. “It senses why we're here.”
I turned at the sound of her voice, unaware Mom had followed me into the canopy of trees. I clicked my tongue, trying to decide what to do. I may not want her here, but I also had no idea what to look for. “Then I guess we'd better hurry, come on. Do you even know what this flower looks like?”
She smiled sheepishly and started walking towards me, careful to avoid the undergrowth as we went. “If memory serves, it should be fairly obvious. It has white petals and only grows in the center of a hollow tree.”
“What kind of rubbish flower only grows inside a tree?” I demanded angrily. “It could be any one of these, they’re all rotting and hollow.”
“Not this tree,” she laughed. “Believe me, you'll know it when you see it.”
“Whatever you say.”
I started down the path again and swore when I accidentally stepped on a sharp twig and had to pull a barb out of my foot. “Where are your shoes?” she asked me in her stern mom-voice.
I scoffed at her judgmental tone and said, “It was almost three in the morning. I wasn't expecting to get spirited away to another dimension and go scampering through the trees.”
“Wynn, you’ve been blessed with the gift of magic,” she scolded gently. “That applies for practical use as well.”
“Well, it’s not like I’ve had much training,” I muttered sarcastically.
“Just picture them in your mind and the rest will come by instinct. Have faith in yourself.”
I followed her advice and tried to picture my shoes in my head, willing them into existence. For a second it felt like I was stepping into goo before the magic took shape, but when I looked down, I was wearing my favorite pair of sneakers.
“Wow, thanks,” I yawned as my eyes started feeling heavy. “You actually did something helpful.”
Mom eyed me with concern, her hair falling disheveled from its golden bands. She looked at the sky and frowned before asking, “Wynn, how long do you think we've been searching here?”
I too glanced up at the night sky, yawned again and shrugged, “I dunno, not very long.”
“We're in the world of dreams,” she warned. “Time moves differently here.”
“What are you saying?”
“I think it’s been longer than that. You’re starting to get tired, which means the Lotus Blossoms are starting to take effect. And the birds only sing when it’s close to dawn.”
“But I didn’t eat anything!”
She audibly sighed and looked around more frantically while we jogged through the forest. “Didn’t you hear when I said the forest is enchanted? It’s in the air you breathe. No one has ever conquered Abaddon’s task and she’s trying to keep you here. Help me look for a tree with silver leaves and wood that’s almost white. It should be … near water, like a stream…”
“How long do you think we have?”
“I’m not sure, but we need to get moving fast.”
I sobered up immediately and picked up the pace. Every now and then we would stop and listen for the sound of running water. Finally, in the distance I could hear something like a river crashing over stones and headed off towards it. “Come on, this way,” I called out after her.
Mom was on my heels in an instant, trying to keep up with me, but I didn’t even glance in her direction. “You’re sure it’s this way?” she asked me skeptically.
“Not at all.”
I jumped over the gnarled roots and broke into a run as the sound got even clearer. “Look, Wynn … I know you’re angry with me,” Mom started from behind. “But I just want you to know I’m sorry. It was never supposed to happen like this … but for what it’s worth, I’m really proud of you and the way you’ve risen to the task.”
Rolling my eyes, I kept running through the trees and pushed some branches out of the way until I finally saw a stark white tree growing on the rocky shore of a waterfall’s ledge. Its silver leaves reflecting in the moonlight were possibly the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. Growing in the hollow base of it was a pure white flower, whose petals were tipped with gold — the Myrra Lily.
“This is it!” Mom informed me with a laugh. “You found the Myrra tree!”
“We did better than that,” I told her, reaching to pluck the blossom from its perch. “Here’s the flower we’re looking for.”
“WAIT!” she warned.
But it was too late.
The instant the stem snapped between
my fingers, a groaning and creaking sound broke the silence of the forest. The branches spread themselves apart to reveal a woman’s face and I jumped back in fear. “MY CHILD!” a high pitched scream rang out.
I backed away carrying the lily in my hand. She eyed us murderously when she saw the stolen prize and began uprooting herself from the ground.
“What have you DONE?” she screamed at us as her long branches stretched towards us.
“What do we do?” I yelled to my mother.
“RUN!”
The shrieks of the tree filled the woods around me and long tendrils of roots lashed out to grab us. We raced back down the path towards the castle, the tree thundering behind us. The flannel shirt that I was wearing whipped around me as I ran, and I was very grateful for my shoes.
“MY CHILD!!” she wailed again.
I ran hard, trying to stay ahead of the grasping branches. Her wails got fainter as we pushed through and when the castle came into sight a victorious smile crept across my face. Mom caught up with me at the edge of the forest and cast me a sideways smile. Our pace slowed as we neared the safety of the hedges. I smiled back at her and opened my mouth to thank her for her help, when suddenly, one of the Myrra branches shot out from the trees, wrapped around her ankle and dragged her back into the darkness of the forest.
“MOM!”
She clawed at the ground furiously but it dragged her kicking and screaming back into the trees. I turned to chase after her, but hesitated — the sun was beginning to rise. The clock had run out. I wouldn't have time to save her and finish my quest. She deserves this for what she did to you, a voice in my subconscious said. Agonized, I glanced one last time towards the castle before turning my back on salvation and running into the forest to rescue her. Her strangled screams told me the tree was tightening its grip and was about to crush her as it hauled her along the forest floor. “Hang on, Mom! I’m coming!!”
Wide-eyed and desperate, she struggled against its grip on her while I tried to figure out what to do. You have the gift of magic, she had told me earlier. I focused my building adrenaline to a singular point inside me, trying to visualize the tool I needed to set her free.
“Focus. Breathe,” I chanted to myself.
With my eyes still closed, tried to will a weapon into existence, just like my shoes. Slowly, I felt my arms elongate and shift, then suddenly unshaped blades of darkness sprang wildly from my palms. They felt just like an extension of myself and I marveled at their existence. Armed with this new defense, I turned and leapt at the tree holding my mother captive.
I began hacking away at everything within reach, mercilessly cutting at the branches and roots. The tree’s screams filled the air around me, but I didn’t stop. Finally, I severed her grip on Mom and the tree shrank back to the darkness of the forest, still crying for her precious child. I looked at Mom, and she at me. We were both covered in sap and I was panting heavily.
“Come on,” I told her sharply, returning my arms to their original form and picking the flower up off of the ground. “We don't have much time.”
Dazed and hurting, she nodded and took the hand I offered her. Dawn was breaking on the horizon as we burst from the trees and I felt my stomach sink. It’s too late, I failed. The golden orb rising in the east was meant to be a sign of hope, but for me it devastating.
I kept moving forwards, even though it felt like my feet were made of lead and the trial was all but lost. There was no way I would make it to the palace in time. Then out of nowhere, I felt my body being lifted up and I was floating towards the heavens, the white flower still grasped tightly in my hand.
“You did it, honey!” Mom called up to me from below. “Find Nadia, tell her I was wrong. She’ll help you figure this out.”
Panicked I called down, “I don’t know where to find her!”
“Quarter Moon!”
The words fell upon me like gentle rain as they left her lips and I was pulled away, back to the cool gray shingles of my parents' roof where Caleb still sat, waiting. I landed with an “Oomph!” and a painful thud against my rear.
“—probably shouldn’t have done that,” Caleb finished as he unfroze, continuing apparently uninterrupted.
My heart still pounded in my chest and I stared back at him wide eyed. “What?”
“Did I miss something?” he asked a little confused.
I flashed back to where our conversation ended and felt the color returning to my cheeks. When he had brushed his hand against my cheek, instead of being able to celebrate I was whisked away to a Demonic Realm and went gallivanting through the woods.
Apparently, that’s just how I roll.
“Oh my gosh, Caleb. I’m not even thinking about that right now, I’m sorry.”
He took in my disheveled appearance and blood tinged pants and the look of confusion on his face was quickly replaced by understanding. Wordlessly, his hand brushed against my neck and traced the metal chain until he came to the woven knot. He looked as nervous as I felt when we both glanced down at the crystals. The second one glistened in the moonlight like there was an aurora borealis trapped inside— proof the second trial was complete.
Caleb exhaled in relief and I looked at him in panic. “What does that mean?” I asked. “Why is it doing that?”
“It means you passed.”
Chapter Ten
Playing Hookie
A week later, I had finally found the information I needed and was bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited outside Ryan’s second period gym class. After only besting Abaddon by the skin of my teeth, I knew I couldn't put this off any longer — it was time to get some help.
My only guess was that by saving my mother, the Elders had seen fit to pass me. It made me shudder to think how that split second decision had been the one I needed to redeem myself — an act of selflessness and diligence in a land of idleness.
It was never about the flower.
I scratched my arm underneath the wristband I was wearing and fidgeted nervously when the school bell finally rang. Once Ryan's unruly mop of hair was visible amongst the parade of boys filing out the door, I called out to him.
“Ryan!”
He turned at the sound of his name, backpack slung across his shoulder and beads of sweat still dripping from his forehead. “Hey,” he greeted me a little confused. “I didn't expect to see you here.”
“Actually, I need a favor, do you have a minute?”
“Sure, what's going on?”
I guided us over to a quiet corner of the hallway where we could talk alone. “I know it sounds crazy, but I need to borrow your car.”
“What? Why?”
I sighed heavily, glancing past him down the hall to make sure that no one was listening. “It's complicated, but can you just trust me on this one, please? I’ll be back before rehearsal ends, I swear.”
“That’s not the point, Wynn, and you know it. You can’t just take my car and play hookie because you feel like it. I need an explanation.”
I sighed, reaching into my pocket and retrieving a crumpled photograph. It was the picture of Mom and Nadia from back when they were in college. I offered it to him and he accepted it with a quizzical eyebrow. “This is my Aunt Nadia. She was Mom’s best friend in college. I need to talk to her about something that happened a couple weeks ago.”
“And this has to happen now? Why can’t it wait until the weekend?”
“Because my dad can never know. You always said that if I ever needed something I could come to you, right? Well, here I am — this is what I need.”
“I just don't understand why this is this suddenly so urgent,” he told me a little confused. “You said it happened a couple weeks ago.”
“Because I figured out how she’s connected!” I pleaded vehemently. “Look, I have to go to New Orleans, like, today. It's either this, or I go buy a Greyhound ticket. Now are you going to help me or not?”
He looked up from the crumpled photo and sighed. “Is this really tha
t important to you?”
I nodded, looking him squarely in the eyes. “Yes.”
The word hung in the air while Ryan processed my request. After a moment or two he pushed off from against the wall and started walking towards the door. “Okay,” he stated simply, leading the way out of the tiled hallway. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Elated, I skipped down the hall beside him. “You mean you’re going to let me borrow it?”
Ryan laughed, “No way! You haven’t driven since the accident, I’m not letting you near my baby! What I meant was, okay, I'll drive you.”
“Wait, you’re coming with me?” I asked, somewhat alarmed. “I don’t know if that’s the best idea; this is kind of a messy, personal family matter. Plus, what will you tell your folks?”
He shrugged, repositioning his bag upon his shoulder as we left the hall and walked down the sidewalk towards the parking lot. “Who says they need to know? I can tell this is important to you, so let’s do it. Besides, it’s our senior year, playing hookie is practically a rite of passage. If they find out then I'll tell them its senior skip day or something. I’m usually at rehearsal till late anyways, so they probably won’t even notice.”
I swallowed hard and nodded. “Okay, but Ryan?”
“Yeah?”
“It might get kind of ugly. I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me if things start going south. Promise that no matter what happens, when all of this is over you and I will still be friends.”
He laughed at the obscurity of my concern and pulled me into a hug, not realizing how very serious I was. “Don't be such a worry wart! You’re my best friend. Nothing this lady could possibly say or do is going to change my opinion of you, okay?”
I nodded slightly when he released me and followed him to the rusted old Buick on the edge of the senior parking lot. “Kay.”
I hadn’t intended for him to come along, but the weight on my shoulders felt a little lighter knowing I wouldn’t face this trip alone. It was getting wearisome keeping all this from everyone and I was tired of all the lies.
Dealing with the Devil (The Earthwalker Trilogy Book 1) Page 15