We could have moved to another compartment, Charlene thought. Stupid! We should have. Why did we stay? Maybe it wouldn't have followed us.
She didn't have an answer. It would have made sense moving away from this persistent feeling of unease. And yet, somehow, Charlene knew that it wouldn't have made a difference. She got the distinct impression that whatever it was, was interested in her and Eleanor. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched and it freaked her the hell out. The fine hairs across her entire body had been standing to permanent attention for well over ten minutes now. There was cold sweat on her brow and down her spine. An unshakable feeling of dread gripped her firmly and squeezed her heart.
In her seventeen years, she had never experienced anything like this. Not even the anticipation of her stepfather's harassment and physical abuse had been like this. That had been a fear she had expected. She knew what was coming. She had always been able to prepare herself for it, almost shutting down her emotions and turning into a rag doll.
This was something else. It was inexplicable. Unnatural even. Something was happening here on a different level of human emotions and perceptions. Perhaps it was something metaphysical. A spiritual attack of some sort? She had read of many encounters involving malevolent spirits where people had described being pinned to a bed, unable to move, staring at the ceiling, expecting to see death come for them.
Charlene was interested in stories of the supernatural because they proved that there was a world beyond this one. And anything had to be better than this place, right? Well, so she had thought when she had been caught in the jaws of depression and anxiety. Now she was better and she read scary stories more for entertainment than escape. She believed in the afterlife, but believing in the supernatural had seemed like a stretch to her. It was fun reading about it though, and she had seen it as entertainment. Now, however, she wasn't so sure. This persistent feeling of being watched by an invisible, evil entity was starting to take its toll on her nerves and resolve.
She wanted to believe in an afterlife and so tried to live a good life. She refused to give in to the old feelings of hatred towards the world and despondency for her future. These feelings had threatened her well-being every day. She had fought the black dog with tooth and nail. She knew what it looked like and why it had been in her life. She could handle those feelings these days. She kicked their ass into submission, refusing to bow before them.
But this was something else. This was something that no one could prepare for. It had no probable source. No reason for existence. There was no explanation for it. It was simply there. That dark spot that somehow stared at her with a hunger that she didn't understand. She hated how it made her feel. Besides being frightened to her core, it made her feel weak, and insecure. She hated not feeling in control. And so, she hated the unseen enemy as she had never hated anything in her life. That hatred and anger was bubbling just below the surface. She hated feeling like this, and so she directed her newfound anger at whatever was lurking in the back of the train. It didn't have a face, but she knew it was there.
“Ready?” Eleanor asked.
She nodded. Charlene hated running away, but what choice did she have? She couldn't see this enemy. She couldn't confront it. Couldn't even identify it. This reminded her of the panic attacks she used to get. She could never explain her anxiety. It never seemed to have one single cause. Small things would trigger it. Small things that were supposed to be inconsequential in the grander scheme of things would set her off on a dark path, spiraling downwards towards depression that sometimes lasted for days. She loathed those days. Charl felt that months had been stolen from her life and she had vowed to never entertain those feelings again. And yet, here she was feeling hopeless and scared and angry and confused again. There was no explanation for this situation. It wasn't a physical thing she could stand up to and fight. The only option available was to run.
The doors started closing when they made their move.
From the corner of her eye, Eleanor saw the thing react and also move, as if it was expecting them to make a run for it, enjoying the little chase it was offered.
She jumped to the concrete platform and immediately sprinted towards the parking lot. She wanted to make sure that Charlene was right behind her, but resisted the urge to look. Instead, she listened and was sure that she could hear Charlene's footfalls right behind her.
They made it to the car park without incident and Eleanor managed to open the Honda remotely before they got there. They opened the doors and jumped in, Charlene locking the doors behind them and Eleanor pushing the start button as soon as her foot was on the brake pedal. The reliable Honda fired to life and Eleanor floored the accelerator, as she reversed, praying that she wouldn't crash into anyone as she sped out of her parking space without so much as a cautionary glance.
The gods answered her prayers and she sped out of the lot, made a sharp turn onto the main road and headed straight home at twice the legal speed limit.
“What just happened back there?” Charlene asked as they sped down the road.
“I have no idea,” Eleanor said.
And then she started to laugh. It wasn't the manic cackle of an asylum patient. It was the sound of freedom. Of breaking free from the stress she had been under for most of the day. It was half past four in the afternoon and all she wanted to do was get a roaring fire going, yes, even if it was summer, curl up in front of it, and fall asleep. She wanted this waking nightmare to be over and done with.
She was surprised when Charlene joined in. They laughed like a pair of loons, the joy of their escape bubbling forth from deep in their stomachs, sending tears to their eyes.
Happiness restored, Eleanor looked in the rear view mirror. Nothing was following them. The road was clear behind them.
“That was whack,” she said.
This sent Charlene into another fit of laughter. “Whack?” She managed through bouts of laughter. “Who the hell still says whack? How old are you?”
This sent Eleanor over the edge and they both laughed again. They embraced and enjoyed the laughter, both knowing why they were laughing hysterically. Their nerves and instincts told them that they had made a narrow escape. This was the laughter that accompanied people who had just managed to swerve out of the way of a boulder that would have crushed their car. Or someone that almost threw out a winning lottery ticket. It was the sound of relief. Of defying the odds. Of escaping from Hades unscathed. They enjoyed it for what it was and it seemed to seal an unspoken pact. They would not be talking of their inexplicable train ride experience any time soon. They wanted to forget about it and move on.
CHAPTER 15
Their run was comically predictable. Urøk had seen all the telltale signs in their body language. They tensed when the doors opened, subtly changed their body positions and waited. He knew that they would make their move when the doors started to close. They were hoping that he would be caught unawares and that they would be safe when the doors closed behind them. But Urøk knew how the doors worked. He had seen other humans place a bag or even their hands in the way of the two closing doors, forcing them to open again. It didn't always work though, as some of the humans didn't have the strength to force the doors open, but he didn't foresee any problems, as long as he could get a hand in the gap.
His plan was for them to think that they had escaped and then to follow them without being seen. That wouldn't be difficult as he knew how to stalk prey. It was something he had perfected against other predators in the Void. The humans would never even suspect that he was behind them. He had to stay back, especially now that he had seen the girl. Her Glow was strong and he needed the time to study her to see if she could be the Harbinger. He cursed his decision for leaving the beiier behind in the city, but it had been necessary. He needed to know who or what was coming for him.
As the doors started to close, they made their break and Urøk couldn't help but smile at their naivete.
His reactions wer
e lightning quick and he grabbed the edge of the nearest door before it could completely close. He pulled and it opened without effort. He slipped out, careful not to bump into anyone on the concrete walkway, and equally careful to disappear, in case the older woman with the Sight should look back in search of him.
He needn't have worried. Neither of the two females spared a glance backwards in their haste to escape.
Urøk didn't anticipate the vehicle though. He had seen enough of the wheeled machines in the city to know that they were modes of transport, but he didn't expect the woman to have her own. They were already inside the vehicle before he realized his mistake.
He started running towards them but knew he wouldn't get to them in time. What would he do if he was able to catch them anyway? They were supposed to make a getaway. He wanted them to think that they were rid of him. The problem was that he didn't know where they were heading. Yes, he had their scent and would be able to track them, but time was always a factor. That these pitiful lowly creatures could evade him was disgraceful. He hoped the Master wasn't following his progress closely. The Lord of Darkness wasn't omniscient and could only cast his consciousness to one place at a time. Hopefully, he was occupied with other matters. There would be no need to check up on him so early in the mission. Or so he hoped.
This didn't assuage Urøk’s anger though. He wanted to lash out. He wanted to crush the life out of something. He wanted to see blood splatter.
“Doctor Black!”
Someone called out next to him, startling him from his reverie of screams, maiming, and death.
A human was hailing another and this individual immediately caught Urøk's attention. The man being called had a near perfect white halo. This was a man amongst men. A man devoted to the Light in everything he did. Urøk wondered if he could be corrupted.
“Simon,” the doctor returned the greeting with a warm smile that not only showed on his face, but also his eyes and entire demeanor. “Good to see you!”
The two men shook hands.
“I haven't had the chance to thank you yet,” the first man said.
“You called me, remember?”
“It's not the same as thanking someone in person,” the man smiled, “and you know it.” The man still held onto the doctor's hand. “Thank you,” he said. Emphasizing his gratitude by gripping the doctor's right hand in both of his.
“It's my pleasure,” the doctor replied.
Urøk was fascinated. The man's aura showed that he was genuinely pleased. Not with himself, but with the opportunity he had had at helping someone else. This was a truly selfless man, something Urøk thought was only possible amongst the álvur.
“Thank you. again.” The first man said. “You don't get doctors making house calls anymore, and my mother really appreciated you looking in on her while I was out of town. She needed someone to remind her in person how important those meds are.”
“It was no problem, really.” The physician replied, allowing the other man to break the handhold. “I enjoyed her company,”
The first man laughed heartily. “Now I know you're not a saint. No one likes my mother's company!”
“The homemade biscuits made it worth it,” the doctor smiled with good humor in his eyes.
The first man laughed again. “Yeah! You got that right. She definitely can bake a mean batch. Either way. I appreciate you checking up on her. You're a saint, Walther.”
The doctor smiled again. “It's no problem Simon. I'm just glad the medication's working. She looks better.”
“About that,” The man said in an obvious bantering tone. “If you extended her life by a decade, I'm going to have to come to you for Xanax.”
This time Walther Black laughed. It was a warm laugh from the belly that irritated Urøk. He wanted to rip the man's guts out, right there in the parking lot. He wanted to hear what his screams sounded like. Would they also come from his belly?
“Anytime Simon,” he answered. “Regards to Rachel and your mother.”
“Thanks, Walther. Keep well,” the man said, extending his hand in farewell.
“You, too.”
The men broke the shake and turned their separate ways.
Urøk decided to follow the doctor.
Two separate people greeted him, and the doctor returned the greetings with sincerity. Goodness seemed to flow from the man.
Urøk hated the human.
He knew he was going to kill him before the day was out.
The question was how?
CHAPTER 16
The city assailed his senses in an unpleasant way. Everything seemed to be toxic. The air was poisonous with fumes he didn't recognize and it burned his lungs with every breath. But that was only the start of it.
There was also so much noise. It bombarded his eardrums and threatened to drive Jöanth to his knees the moment he stepped through the barrier of the CéataCranné. The Tree Portal immediately closed, as if it too, was afraid of becoming contaminated by this place.
Growing slightly accustomed to the noise, Jöanth breathed in through his nose, wanting to get accustomed to the sensory overload.
Terra had changed. Man's cities were bigger now than they had been fifty years ago. Jöanth barely recognized this place they called New York. It smelled different. It smelled like nothing natural. It was a smorgasbord of things that weren't alive. Concrete. Steel. Machines. Oil. Exhaust and other fumes. The detritus from discarded garbage in alleyways drifted on the dead breeze to him. Even the park smelled faintly of decay.
The city felt wrong. When last he had visited, it had felt alive. Now, it was as if a shroud had been pulled over it in preparation for a death dirge. It didn't smell, nor feel like progress. No longer was it a testimony of man's greatness. Now, it seemed like a tombstone. An epitaph to what once was.
It made Jöanth sad. It reminded him of what he had read about the great cities of Rome or Athens of old. He hadn't visited them, but at their height, they were recorded as having been amazing places to behold. This city had been like that once. Full of promise, of life, of hopes, and dreams. Now it seemed to be in decline. It was dying. The greatness of yore already faded.
Jöanth shrugged off his feelings of despondency and tried to focus on his task. He had to find and kill the creature that managed to climb out of the Void in broad daylight. The thing that had somehow managed to cross the barrier of the Stone Sentinels. The thing that had murdered Ylándl and Prosíus. The thing that managed to open a CéataCranné and escape here, to Earth.
There were so many questions and none of them made sense.
Creatures from the Void could not survive in the light of the twin suns of Edínu. Neither could they cross the Ring of Guardian Stones. Neither could they use a Tree Portal unless they had a key. And where would a creature from the Void find a CéataCranné key, anyway? And finally, why would it escape here, to Terra?
None of it made sense.
Too many questions and only one possible answer. He was hunting a svartálvur. He had said as much back in Edínu, but it was still difficult to comprehend. There hadn't been a Corruption of an álvur in millennia.
The list of possible suspects wasn't long. There had only been five missing álvur in the last thousand years, two of which had been too recent to have been Turned. That left only three possible suspects. It didn't matter which one of the three really. The odds of Jöanth hunting down a svartálvur was slim anyway. An álvur very rarely survived the Void.
But it had to be one, that was the only explanation. Yet, this svartálvur was somehow different. It didn't leave behind the normal tracks of an álvur. And the damage that had been done to both Scout and Steed had been too severe for a mere svartálvur. By all accounts of previous svartálvurs, they were by nature cowards, operating in the shadows. They relied upon treachery, being sly and cunning, using indirect, cowardly tactics, rather than facing an enemy head-on.
This one was different. It was bold. It attacked in broad daylight and was exceed
ingly vicious and violent. The thing had obviously enjoyed killing Ylándl and Prosíus and had mockingly left the Tracker a message of depravity, showing that he wasn't afraid of the consequences.
Jöanth knew that he would have to approach this monster differently. That this creature would be totally unpredictable. This wasn't a thing that had been recorded in any of the training manuals. This wasn't a creature with set habits, certain strengths and weaknesses. It was a whole new species of evil and it came to Earth to hide.
Why Terra? Jöanth wondered. Was it because it thought it would be easier to hide here, than on Edínu? That much was true, but why not choose a world easier for it to disappear in? Why here? Why come to Edínu's twin world and not another? He could think of several other worlds where the creature could have disappeared to.
Jöanth could only speculate, but he thought that the thing had a mission to complete here. If he knew what that mission was, then he would be closer to understanding the thing. It would also make it easier to find the thing. Svartálvur's were corrupted by the Dark One for a specific purpose. There was always a nefarious mission to complete. A mission that would require intelligence and cunning. Svartálvur's were usually puppet masters pulling strings from the shadows, corrupting others to do their nefarious deeds for them. In the end, it always ended in disaster. Many souls were lost, many good sentient beings killed.
Jöanth was sure that this creature's mission would be no different. The difference was in the way it moved. The way it acted and operated. It was different in the things that it did.
Flashes of horse and rider came unbidden to Jöanth and he quickly dispelled them. He couldn't be distracted now. There were already too many distractions in this city. The thing's spoor was faint. Jöanth had to follow it before it disappeared in the grayness of this place.
There was something else though. Jöanth became aware of being watched. He turned in a full circle, looking into nooks and crannies, but from his vantage point he couldn't see anything. There were humans gifted with the Sight, but they were few and far between and Jöanth couldn't see one looking at him. The feeling passed and he shrugged it off. He had work to do and he set off from the Tree Portal.
Stirring Embers: An urban fantasy action adventure (The Light and the Void Book 1) Page 11