Eventually she heard his voice, urgently, desperately pleading, “Adi, come on, snap out of it!” Her mouth twitched weakly before she broke into sobs. He held her tightly to his chest until she pulled herself back together. “You gotta stop scaring me,” he whispered into her hair. “You looked like you had an epileptic fit. What the hell happened?”
She couldn’t speak about how violated she’d felt. Maybe later. Now they needed to figure out who or what this thing was that had nearly taken control of her. Honi shook his head when she finished telling him what had happened. “Was it the same woman you saw last time?”
Adi was stunned. Honi was right. It had felt the same, a deep pull she had felt in the depth of her mind. The physical sensation was slightly different but equally disturbing. Her head was shaking violently until a large hand cupped her cheek and forced her to stop.
“It’s okay. That’s why we’re a team, right?”
His gaze took her breath away with the depth of warmth and protectiveness she read in it. Yes, he had pulled her back. Without him, she would have had no choice but to give in and surrender to a fate she knew instinctively would allow no way back. And then she realized something else. She turned to Honi with a gasp. “Oh my God. I think… when you pulled me back…” She inhaled sharply, trying to calm down.
“Slow down. When I pulled you back what?”
“She knows where we are now. She’ll be coming after us.”
Honi thought about her words for a moment. Adi waited with wide eyes, barely stomping down her panic. Then he looked at her with fierce determination. “That’s it then. The confrontation John talked about. It would have happened sooner or later. At least now I’m with you, and together, we have a better chance than you would on your own.”
Adi smiled shakily at the never-ending optimism of this amazing young man. All the trouble she had in real life—would she lose her trust fund, was her TA spying on her, was Mrs. Worthington a bitch—which she was, duh—it all shrank away in the face of this challenge.
Adi had no idea if she’d survive or die with Honi. The only regret she had was that she might be responsible for his death. The very thought made her shudder. That was the one thing that wasn’t gonna happen. She didn’t care anymore if she made it back or not, but Honi was going to live. End of story.
14
Sitting in a tree wasn’t as much fun as K-I-S-S-I-N-G. Soon enough, Honi began shifting around, muttering about his butt cheeks falling asleep. Adi wasn’t doing much better. There were pins and needles running from the toes to her calves, and the occasional spasm made her yelp. Honi cursed under his breath.
“I hate waiting. Why the hell won’t she show herself?” he muttered.
Adi agreed wholeheartedly. Waiting sucked. She leaned her head back against the trunk and sighed. The light had faded again, making it impossible to see beyond the edge of the woods. The silence between them was growing awkward. She was just about to say something, anything, when Honi beat her to it.
“So tell me, what is Diepger’s beef? He really seems to have it in for you.”
Adi sighed. Might as well tell him what was going on. “My father’s family hates me. They didn’t approve of my mom. Both my parents are gone, and my dad tried to provide for me after they… you know. If I show signs of mental illness, my trust fund has to be used to pay for my treatment.”
Honi interrupted, “And I assume the executor would be one of your remaining family members?”
“Yes. I’m pretty sure that Diepger is being paid by my grandmother to spy on me. I’ve probably given them enough reason to strip me of my support. I don’t have enough money to pay for college fees without the trust fund.”
Honi’s face had grown darker and darker the more Adi talked. Now he said angrily, “Hang on a second. My pre-law advisor gave me some stuff to read on legal concepts. I don’t remember too many details, but I doubt it’s that simple.” Adi was taken aback by his vehemence. His eyes grew softer as he continued talking. “They can’t simply take away all your financial support, even if you were committed to an institution. For that, they would have to find a mental health professional to sign off on it. There are checks and balances and all kinds of legal provisions that safeguard the rights of patients.”
Adi huffed. “You don’t think you’re being naive? Senator Worthington can probably buy a health professional. Money talks, and I’ve got no legal representation…”
“Not yet you don’t. I promise you, once we’re back, I’ll look into it. I’m sure we can find a lawyer to help you. Either way, you don’t have to roll over and take it lying down.”
He sounded so sincere and convincing, a large load lifted off Adi. His righteous anger still blazing off him, he put his hand on her knee. Right there, at this moment, Adi felt sorry for Diepger and Mrs. Worthington. They didn’t know what was coming for them once they got back. She sat up straighter. Right. Back to the job at hand.
“I appreciate your help. But we can’t do anything until we get back. We can’t stay here forever. You might wake up first and get pulled back, or we’ll fall out of this damn tree. Either way, it’ll hurt!”
Honi nodded. He looked around and stood up. Above their heads was another tangle of branches that bunched together into a slightly larger platform than the one they were sitting on now. Adi couldn’t believe she hadn’t looked up earlier, but then she had been busy, trying not to be mind-raped and all. Honi quickly clambered up and pulled her effortlessly behind him. She tried not to get turned on by yet another demonstration of his strength, even though she knew he could manipulate some things in this world, like her weight.
Honi leaned against the trunk, spread his legs and pulled her against him. She rested her back against his chest and sighed, soaking up his warmth and once again inhaling his spicy scent through her nose. What was it about his smell? She was becoming conditioned to it, getting turned on a little and feeling protected all at the same time.
His arms tightened around her and he whispered, “Are you sniffing me again, you weirdo?”
His breath against her ear tickled, and she wiggled her butt a little, until he groaned. “Stop that. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but we’ve got work to do, battles to fight…” He left the rest unsaid, but she felt against her lower back how much he enjoyed her rubbing against him. She giggled before turning serious.
“Whatever happens, I want you to know that I…” She swallowed what she really wanted to say and finished lamely, “that I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me.”
“That’s alright. And when we get back, you’ll get a chance to show me just how thankful you are.”
Oh. My. God. How cheesy was that? She rolled her eyes while at the same time feeling a shot of arousal rush through her belly. She dropped her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. Concentrating on the ring of hard arms around her waist, she sank back into the darkness. She used Honi’s presence as an anchor and prayed that he wouldn’t let go. She knew it wouldn’t take much for the malevolent presence to pull her back in, and the only thing stopping it was her anchor. Honi was her anchor. Huh. Another thing to think about when they got back.
She let that thought go like all the others and drifted for a little while. She could feel colors not far from the tree they were sitting in. Blues, pinks, purples, the odd ocher blob. Adi didn’t know what they were, but they seemed to come closer. In fact, there were a lot of them, slowly converging on her. She stretched her mind out towards them, hoping to get a feel for what they were.
Pretty soon she felt like she was dangling over a chasm while holding on with one hand. Overstretched and not entirely in control. Just as she retreated back to safe ground, she felt it again. The slickness, a stain of nothingness perverting everything around it. It wasn’t close, but Adi felt its anger towards her.
It was like nothing she’d ever experienced. Pure unadulterated hatred. The moment the presence decided to act, a wave of fury slammed into her mind. Adi’s eyes
flew open and she whimpered. Honi’s arms tightened, and he stared at her worriedly. “They’re coming. She’s sent them to destroy us.” Now that she had felt the creature twice, she knew it was female but not human. Far from it. The power that had grazed her mind was soul-destroying.
Honi rested his chin on Adi’s shoulder and pulled her firmly to his body. He closed his eyes and unconsciously followed her cues to breathe in and out. After all these years, it came as naturally to him as walking or talking. He was proud of his ability to calm himself quickly and not lose his temper… much. He smirked involuntarily. The only person to wind him up to the point of snapping was the firebrand snuggled against his chest. He’d been pissed when she told him about her problems. His family was a pain in the butt sometimes, but he never doubted that they loved him.
He kissed her ear and snuggled closer. He was intrigued by her innate ability. Despite having walked the spirit world many times, he’d had no idea that he could exert any physical influence with his mind. Maybe because he’d never tried it, or maybe because his regular spirit-walking was in dreams or meditation, never as prolonged as this time.
After her episode a few minutes ago, it hadn’t taken him long to calm her down. He winced as he thought of her shaking violently, the terror in her eyes making him ache. There couldn’t be any greater proof of her trust in him than how quickly she’d responded. He had hugged her and whispered into her ear how much he loved her, how proud he was of her, how they would get through this together. Eventually she had returned his embrace with a strength he would hardly have thought her capable of.
The determination and pure stubbornness in her eyes when she’d finally moved away from him had been breath-taking. She had readied herself for battle like a warrior in the old stories. He couldn’t help but admire her for it, even though they both knew there was no guarantee either of them would walk away from this. What did they say? “Bravery is being afraid and doing it anyway”? That was Adi, and he would do his damnedest to fight by her side.
He sat up a little straighter and squinted his eyes. Adi had said they were coming. So where were they? And what was coming for them? He swallowed down the apprehension that made him slightly nauseous. Whatever it was, they had picked battleground. Better up here than waiting like sitting ducks out in the grassland.
He thought he saw some grass move and whipped his head around. There was something hiding among the trees, slinking low on the ground. He was struck by the silence. A moment ago, they’d been surrounded by bird song, the odd noises you’d hear in a forest. The echoing of deer grunting, twigs breaking under the hooves of wild pigs. None of them had seemed particularly dangerous, but now, all of a sudden, a leaden silence lay over the woods, dense enough to press onto Honi’s eardrums.
He stared harder and concentrated so much on the shadowy figure, he nearly missed the much larger bulk coming from his left. Now there were two creatures, still a few yards away but moving inexorably closer. His body tensing, Honi grabbed tighter onto Adi. She was so far under, he doubted she would wake up if she fell off her perch. He didn’t want to risk finding out. The tension in the air was spooking him, even before he got eyes on the enemy.
Then the first hostile animal broke through the thicket right underneath the giant tree that Honi’d hoped would protect them. It looked just like one of the hyenas that had nearly killed Adi back at the college building. Honi stared at its face as it grinned up from the ground. He didn’t really know how to deal with the creatures. They weren’t real animals, not like Honi knew them, and he had no problems anthropomorphizing them. Because that thing down below wanted him dead. There was a sullen intelligence in its eyes. The hyena didn’t need to speak to promise pain, despair, and an agonizing death. Its head turned this way and that as it looked for a way up the tree. Honi didn’t imagine the disappointment flashing in the animal’s eyes.
Their exchange only lasted a few seconds, then the second assailant showed itself. Honi’s eyes widened. If he had had any doubts about the nature of these animals, this… this monster removed them. A gray behemoth with mottled flanks and a malevolent gleam in its eyes, it reminded Honi of a rhino, but larger, faster, and judging by the way it flashed its teeth, carnivorous. It stopped for a moment when it saw the hyena, then glared furiously back up at the two humans. Honi barely anchored himself on the branch when the rhino lowered his head and charged the trunk.
The impact echoed through the forest, and Honi was glad they had moved to a more stable position. Even though their tree was massive, it shuddered and groaned under the impact. Had they been asleep, the attack might have thrown them down to the ground. If the fall hadn’t killed them, the creature would have trampled them in its fury until nothing but gristle and wet blood smears remained. Man, this had just gotten real. Honi gulped. They were safe up here for the moment. He checked on Adi.
If he hadn’t known that she was deep in a trance, he would have thought she was asleep. He could feel the occasional tremor running through her body, and once she’d jerked against his chest, taking him by surprise. She was still breathing easily though, and remained relaxed in his arms. He had only taken his eyes off the monsters below on the forest floor for a second, but when he looked again, he was shocked to see more and more animals joining the siege. He counted at least several dozen smaller mammals. They were tiny, so he wasn’t too concerned.
For a while, nothing else happened other than lots of stomping and hissing when one creature got too close to another. What worried Honi was the constant stream of new spirit animals. Soon there were dozens and dozens milling around, staring at Honi and Adi. None of them made another attempt to charge the tree trunk or climb up, so Honi relaxed a little. He felt jittery, waiting for something to happen.
He gave up trying to count the ever-increasing number of beasts and concentrated instead on identifying species or breed. This was strange. The animals looked… not quite right. Some of them were downright sick, staggering in circles. Others showed bare skin through their fur, as if patches of hair had fallen out. Some had eyes that were nearly swollen shut.
As he watched, a large cat spun around. A smaller cat had wandered too close, probably because it kept falling over as if it were drunk. Was rabies a thing here in the spirit world? He didn’t think so, but some of those animals sure moved oddly. The large cat hissed at the smaller animal, then, with terrifying speed, closed its giant maw around its neck. With a dry crack, loud enough to stop the other monsters in their tracks, the large cat broke the smaller’s neck. Honi watched in fascinated horror as the eyes of the doomed animal rolled up and its limbs twitched weakly. The attacker spat its victim onto the forest floor and slunk away as if nothing had happened.
After staring motionlessly for another moment, Honi pulled his belt out of his belt loops and tied Adi to the branch. No way was either of them falling down there. They were staying right up here in the tree until Adi saved them. He nodded to himself after checking the girl’s position one more time. She needed to hurry up—the sheer numbers building up below were making him nervous.
He must have dozed off for a few minutes, because when he opened his eyes again, Adi had slipped sideways. He silently thanked whatever deity had made him think of securing her with his belt, because she was very close to slipping off the branch entirely. He gently pulled her back into position.
When his fingers touched her skin, he swore. She was ice-cold, far colder than she should have been. Sure, it wasn’t warm under the trees, but her skin felt as if she had played in snow without gloves on. He covered her fingers with his hands and tried to rub a little heat back into them. It seemed to work—the skin lost its sickly pale color and pinked up a little. What was going on in her mind? Had she encountered the woman she was so terrified of? He wished he could help her, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to go deep enough to follow her.
A sudden eruption of growls and chitters made him look down at the threat below. His eyes widened at the mass of bo
dies, writhing and slinking around each other. As far as he could see, there was a sea of fur, scales and skin. The animals were starting to climb on top of each other, the sheer numbers pressuring smaller creatures towards the top. Honi felt cold as he understood what that meant.
He remembered this stupid zombie movie with Brad Pitt, the hordes of undead piling up against a giant wall—was it Jerusalem? How the pressure of thousands of bodies had pushed them up, up, until they spilled over the top. If the creatures pushed any harder against the tree they sat on, this would happen. And within a few more minutes, it did.
His limbs grew numb, and he couldn’t breathe. This was the worst thing that could have happened. And they hadn’t anticipated it at all. Before his very eyes, a cone of bodies pushed up with the trunk at its center. Many of the attackers perished in the pushing, shoving, and squeezing. Again and again, a creature got stuck in between the mass of bodies, gasping for air until its rib cage collapsed. Then the limp body dropped back down into the mass and was absorbed by the flood of larger, sturdier bodies.
Within a few seconds, the cone had grown to chest height, and it pushed higher and higher. Honi shook himself out of his state of shock. He had to do something, but what? By the time the first attackers were within reach, it would be too late. If he could kick at them with his shoes, they would be close enough to pull him down with their claws and teeth. He was under no illusion about the fact that he couldn’t let them get even close.
He had no weapon. He was too weak to fight them off. His wolf was no-where to be seen, thank God. Ho’neo would be torn into little bits just like the humans would. At least he was safe, although Honi had no idea what would happen if he died. Would the wolf disappear for good? Would he go and find another young boy to guide? The thought made him both jealous and sad.
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