by A Lonergan
I felt sick thinking about it. Good things never came from using blood magic. I wouldn't be blessed for my dabbling in the darkness but it didn't matter. I had to keep Jessa alive and that was all that mattered.
I pulled a, greatly despised by Jessa, granola bar from my pack and ate it slowly, watching her out of the corner of my eye.
“If you’re going to ignore me, then I see no reason in staying here with you and I might as well go continue looking.” Jessa pushed herself off the jagged mountain wall and turned her lip at me.
Stubborn little minx. “Why must I explain these things to you?”
“Um, because I would feel safer if you did?” She pouted.
“Do you not trust me?” My voice sounded sad even though I hadn’t meant it to.
“No, I do.” I could hear the truth in her words but there was more that I couldn’t quiet put my finger on.
Something stung my wrist, this time I let out a hiss of pain. I groaned loudly and ripped my long sleeves away from the wrist I had cut open. If I had thought I was going to be able to use dark magic without any consequences, I was wrong.
I threw my head back and bit my lip, trying not to cry out against the terrible pain. I didn’t notice that Jessa had moved until she put her palm on my arm. I blinked open my eyes and tried to keep the moisture from leaking out. Worry was etched across her face and I felt a pang in my chest.
“You’re hurt!” She pulled my sleeve back more onto my arm as she examined me. I couldn’t hold in the tears anymore and felt them make tracks down my face. I took a deep breath to try to calm my body but it wasn’t working. My hands were starting to tremble.
What was happening to me?
“Keenan, what did you do?” There was so much fear in her voice and I couldn’t even comfort her.
My fault.
Breathe.
Breathe.
Breathe. I had to chant it to make it real. I had to force myself to allow the air to enter and exit my body. I had to or I knew I would pass out.
Then out of nowhere, the pain was gone. Just like that. I hadn’t felt Jessa move but she now had both of her arms wrapped around my torso, almost as if she was holding on for dear life.
“What did you do?” Her voice was a whisper, like she didn’t want to know.
“Blood magic.” I choked the words out.
Chapter 9
Jessa
I wasn’t one hundred percent sure I had heard him right. “Excuse me?” When he wouldn’t look me in the eye, I knew it was bad. “How bad we talking, Keenan?” The cold had seeped from my bones with his admission. I felt like my backbone was finally returning once more. The cold would take that from you.
It would cripple you.
Mind.
Body.
Soul.
But somehow, Keenan had managed to help me get through it. Like he always did since Crawley had been away. I pulled his hand up to my face for closer inspection.
I gasped and let it fall onto his lap. There was no way. There was no possible way.
Keenan’s wrist now bore a mark very similar to my own. But unlike the gold on my skin, a thick band of black had encircled his wrist like a fat cord.
“I don’t like jokes, Keenan, I should warn you.” But when I looked to him, he had his eyes closed tightly, like he was still feeling the pain.
“Yours is a blessing, Jessa.” He gritted his teeth before opening his eyes. “Mine is a curse.”
I had tried to sleep. I honestly tried. I closed my eyes and fluffed my coat under my head a few times. I had rolled around restlessly on the hard ground.
Nothing. There was no way I could sleep after what Keenan had done.
I knew he was here to protect me but I didn’t feel protected, exactly. Not only that, I didn’t need anyone to protect me. He didn’t need to be here. I gave him the choice so that he would be able to see his brother again. I was pretty sure another reason was because I wanted his trust back in a small way.
The only way that was going to happen was if he saw his brother alive. I needed him to bring that information back to his people. But now, seeing his eyes and the haunting look there, I wondered if he would go back. Hiding a mark like that would be a difficult one. He would struggle.
What if he couldn’t hide the mark well enough? Would his people shun him? Would they turn their backs on him?
I wished I could answer my own questions, I wished for a brief moment, I had grown up in the Valley, that I had known them all. I wished I had had the opportunity to grow there like I should have. Anger tightened in my gut.
They had taken everything from us. The gods had taken all of our free will and it didn’t bother them one bit. I glared at Keenan across the fire but couldn’t hold his gaze for long. The anger inside of me was whispering dangerous things.
I let out a huff of air and I poked my finger in the soft dirt next to my head. I drew circles mindlessly and tried to calm my thoughts.
It was no use. I slammed my palm into the brown grit and stood. Keenan’s eyes followed my movements.
“I need to take a walk, clear my head.” My voice sounded strange to my own ears.
“Be careful.”
I scoffed.
“I’m serious, we’re in bear country. They’re ruthless here.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Good to know.” I wanted to have a normal conversation with him. I wanted things to be normal. I wanted my feelings to be normal. I wanted to be fine with what was happening but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know anything anymore.
Life wasn’t normal. There wasn’t anyway around it. Whatever normalcy had been in our cards was destroyed when Keenan slit his own wrist for my protection.
I kicked a clump of snow out of my way and tried not to scream. Nothing was going the way it was supposed to, the way I thought it was supposed to.
I wrapped my arms around my chest and whispered to myself, “Where are you Crawley?”
The wind howled around me in response. I kicked a hard piece of ice and stubbed my toe on it, but before I could let out my string of curses, the ground fell out from under my feet and a scream ripped from my throat.
The fall was a lot longer than I was expecting and when I hit the hard bottom of the hole, my head swam. I blinked my eyes hard and tried to sit up.
A large animal was growling somewhere in the darkness and I couldn’t get the dizziness to leave me as I tried to stand and look around. My hands frantically searched the ground for anything that would help me against the predator stalking me in the shadows.
Fear ignited inside of me as I noticed the bright green eyes glowing across from me. I swallowed hard and tried to stand but my knees were shaking too hard. I could hear some shouting above but couldn’t make out the words. It was like I was in a different world down here. Everything else was muted and dark.
I tried to think of something that would help save me but I couldn’t think of anything besides, don’t give a predator your back.
I scouted backwards, leaves and twigs crumbling and cracking underneath me. Just a little bit of light filtered out of the hole I had fallen through and as I continued to scurry back, the beast just got closer and closer until his snout was in the small amount of light.
I gasped and fumbled with the large boulder I had stopped next to. The animal continued to come for me but its body was still hidden in the shadows. I pulled the rock closer to me and gripped it tightly. It was the only protection I had.
I closed my eyes tightly and felt frustration well up inside of me.
Why hadn’t I listened to Keenan? Why I hadn’t I brought a weapon out in the bear country? Why had I been so stupid?
The beast stalked forward and it finally dawned on me.
Bears don’t have green eyes.
“Crawley?” Chills blasted up my arms and legs and I couldn’t control the tremors that started to move through me. I pushed myself off of the cold ground and reached my fingers out.
A loud ru
mbling, growl was the only response. I moved closer to him but stopped when I noticed the blood on his muzzle and the smell of copper in the air. I gripped the large rock closer to my chest. He moved into the light all the way and pulled himself to his full height.
A scream made its way up my throat but it wouldn’t come out. I knew he smelled the fear on me; his pupils were huge as he sniffed the air around us. His pupils dilated even more as his large eyes landed on me once more. I didn’t think it was possible for his pupils to get any bigger.
“Crawley, oh thank goodness, I thought you were dead.” My words made the large animal stop.
I took a deep breath. I didn’t know what else to say. All the thoughts and dreams I had had about this moment had disappeared the moment those large eyes landed on me. I bowed my head low in submission.
“Crawley, I know you won’t hurt me. Let me help you, please.” I sounded desperate. Hades, I was desperate. I needed him to remember me. I needed to bring him home.
Crawley backed up a step before charging at me. I let out a girly scream as I brought the boulder down onto his head. It stunned him for a minute then his lips peeled back from his large canines. I put all my strength into smashing him over the head again and this time it knocked him out. The large animal lay at my feet but as soon as I went to run my fingers through his matted fur, the fur vanished and I was touching rough skin with goose bumps all over.
“Jessa?” I could hear Keenan shouting in the distance.
“Keenan! We are down here! I found him! I found Crawley! Hurry, he’s naked and cold and I don’t know what to do!”
“Naked?!” His voice boomed through the hole above me. I could barely make out his face in the darkness.
“Yes, he was a beast and doesn’t remember me, he attacked me, I had to knock him out. When I did that, he transformed back or whatever you call it! I don’t know, Keenan! I just need some help.”
“I’m coming, I brought some rope.”
“Some rope? Really?” I scoffed. Rope.
Yeah, okay, that would work.
“Take what you can get! I didn’t know what we would be dealing with. All I knew was that there was a hole, had no idea how deep…” His words started to fade off as he got farther and farther away.
I rubbed Crawley’s back in slow circles, hoping it would help warm him up. Then I wanted to smack myself. I shrugged my coat off and laid it on top of his body then I shook my head. That wouldn’t work. I pulled the small thin jacket off that had been in between my large coat and my sweater then laid down next to him. I cuddled close to his side and pulled the jacket and coat on top of us. I hoped that my body heat would be enough.
Something cold and wet slithered around my ankle. I jumped up quick and left the coats on Crawley. He needed the warmth more than I did. His body was starting to convulse.
I looked back down to where my feet had been but nothing was there. I shivered but decided that standing was my best option; I knew my mind hadn’t been playing tricks on me.
Come on, Keenan.
I bounced on the balls of my feet, impatient. We weren’t out of the woods yet and I had a feeling the worst of the night was yet to come. My body felt on edge.
Something slick and slimy slid up my ankle again. I let out a yelp and jumped out of the way. I looked down again and gagged.
A hand came through the dirt next to my foot. Not just any random hand either. A green, skin peeling, decaying hand. The fingers started to wiggle as it disappeared.
Solo clapping interrupted my disgust. “Well done, Keenan! Somehow he managed to open a portal to the underworld. Aren’t you proud?” Apollo’s voice boomed around me in a sarcastic tone. “Though, I’m not entirely surprised. He is much more powerful than you could even imagine.”
I couldn’t see Apollo but I knew it was him without a shadow of a doubt. Once you heard his voice, you would never forget it. It was distinct, magical, and musical and everything you could expect in the perfect voice. It was beautiful and horrifying.
“Hello, Apollo.” I said dryly.
“Oh, dear, where is the excitement? Didn’t you miss me?” He chuckled.
The hair on my arms stood up as I realized something terrifying. If Apollo was here then that meant he obviously knew that Crawley was alive and his daughter wasn’t.
As if he read my thoughts, Apollo spoke up again. “Gemma would love to see this right now. Don’t you think, Jessa?”
I rubbed my hands down my arms, trying to sooth myself. “I didn’t know he was still alive.”
“And you weren’t supposed to find out. But no matter, I’m not done with either of you. In fact, we are just now getting started.” Apollo clapped his hands again but this time the floor cracked beneath my feet and all I could smell was burning, rotting flesh. I couldn’t help but gag again.
“You see, all I needed was Keenan’s help and ta-da we have the underworld right here at our fingertips! Don’t you just love magic?” Just like that, he was gone. Poof.
The ground was crumbling around my feet, quicker now. I dove to Crawley’s side. I wasn’t going to lose him again. I wasn’t going to go through all of that, once more. I draped myself over his body as hands and feet burst through the ground around us.
It was my worst nightmare come to life.
Zombies.
Freakin’ zombies.
Of course, Apollo knew my fears, I was sure of it. I clutched the jagged boulder to my chest and prayed for a miracle. I didn’t know if I even believed in miracles anymore but Crawley was still alive, that was something. Small pebbles and dirt started to fall around us. I looked up to see Keenan coming down from the top of the cave.
“Can you hurry, please?” I shouted at him as he continued to slide down the damn rope he had mentioned.
“What’s the rush? Don’t you want to see where Crawley has been living?” He laughed as his feet touched the ground.
“No! I want to get the heck out of here now!” A hand burst through the ground as I finished talking and grabbed my ankle. “Ahhhhh!”
“Oh, my gods.” Keenan slammed his boot clad foot onto one of the arms poking through the Earth. “I was gone a few minutes! How the Hades did you let something like this happen?”
I rolled my eyes, the nerve. “Apollo said you did this!” My voice was on the edge of panic. I smashed a hand with my boulder and tried to keep myself from vomiting. I was trained as a warrior, to fight people that were alive, this was a whole different ball game.
Keenan looked at me with wide eyes. “He was here and you’re still alive?”
“He doesn’t want to kill me. He wants to see me die in some sick obstacle he has put together. He’s toying with me like cat and mouse. He’s playing with his food.” I squealed.
“Okay, I get it. This all makes a little more sense now.” Keenan squeezed his eyes shut and tapped his foot in thought. “I don’t know how we are going to get past this.”
“It’s not your place to save the day.” The words sounded harsh to my ears but it was true. Apollo wanted me to fight these battles, no matter how crazy they were.
Keenan pulled a pistol from his back pack and let off a few rounds into the undead surrounding us. Most of the hands and feet retreated but others started to get braver and soon became full body parts and then whole decaying bodies bursting through the ground.
I grabbed ahold of Crawley’s massive shoulders and shook him. I didn’t care if he needed the rest any longer. I just needed him to go into bear mode and get us out safely. Life or death situations would do that to you, especially if there were zombies.
The shaking wasn’t waking him up, I resorted to slapping. Keenan was steadily shooting off heads but they just kept coming. They crawled closer, their bodies folding over and over, looking like something that had crawled out of The Ring.
I was out of ideas. I didn’t have a weapon and I didn’t have Crawley’s bear. I was on my own to defend myself.
I smacked Crawley across the face once mo
re, hopeful. Dirt exploded around me and I came face to face with a very dead Gemma. One of her eyes was missing and there were bald spots on her rotting scalp. She smelled worse than the others rising from the Underworld.
“Hello, friend.” Her voice invoked chills all over my body.
“Gemma, you look… dead.” I said, horrified.
“No shite.” She pulled herself free from the dirt and gave me a slow, sinister smile. “I came for a little revenge. Nothing is more alluring than blood magic and you’re both drenched in it.” Her eye rolled back into her head as she inhaled deeply.
Blood magic. That’s it.
“So, what? You’re here to finish the job? Here to finish off Apollo’s mission?”
I glanced at Keenan from the corner of my eye, he had run out of bullets and was swinging the gun around, knocking undead heads off. I focused my attention back on Gemma and smiled back at her. I needed to distract her and get Keenan by my side, I couldn’t leave Crawley. I touched his back lightly to make sure he was still breathing. When I was reassured, Gemma came at me full force.
I had no doubt Apollo had given her some strength or magic. She wasn’t stumbling around like the ones going after Keenan.
“It’s simple really, Apollo wants to prove that you are more human than you are god, why must always explain these things to you.” I was so distracted by her words that I almost missed her lunging for my throat. Her long finger nails bit into the skin on my neck as she fell back to the earth she had crawled from.
“Keenan!” I hissed between my teeth. When he looked my way, I motioned for him to come as fast as he could. Gemma was still struggling on the ground.
“Why can’t you just die? Why must you make this so difficult?” Gemma cried from the ground. I saw the light reflecting before I saw the dagger in her hands. I moved at the last second but it was no use. She buried the shining metal all the way to the hilt in my calf. The pain was unbearable as I tried to stay upright.