by Jade Frances
My eyes flew open with a new light burning inside me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
The rocky floor started rumbling beneath me, causing small ripples and waves to form in the water. What little light that shone through the cavern was dimming. I could see Aresollo trembling with excitement as he watched his master plan underway. Anticipation flowed through the eager crowd as they continued their chanting. Aresollo looked down at me with a sadistic smile on his face, then moved his gaze to someone behind me. I was barely hanging onto consciousness.
“Remove her binds, she won’t be going anywhere,” he said. I sensed the invisible weight that had been pinning me down lift. I willed my arms and legs to move, but I had lost too much blood, I was weak. Aresollo was right, I wouldn’t be going anywhere. The peaceful pull of unconsciousness was calling to me, but I fought for my weary eyes to remain open. The sheer fear of losing the will to live kept me hanging on.
Warmth was spreading through my chest. Lighting my energy within. With a lot of effort, I slowly raised my hand to where it had started. The movement was painful and sluggish, but somehow; I managed. My fingers brushed lightly over my necklace. It was heating, much like it had when I had first put it on. Aresollo was suddenly kneeling by my head, looking down at the necklace in my fingers. A look of recognition crossed his face. I watched as his eyes went blank, lost in thought.
“Surely not, I thought Akila had enforced a mental block,” he whispered more to himself than me.
“Who are you bonded to?”
That was definitely aimed at me. At that moment, something clicked in me. He didn’t know about Rose or Sandra. At least they would have a chance at staying safe.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I managed. Rage emanated from him as he yanked me up towards him.
“Do not lie to me child,” he spat into my face. I cowered and tried to draw myself back from him, but his grip was too strong.
What felt and sounded like an earthquake erupted from somewhere in the cavern behind me. It shook the walls so violently that rock and stone rained down on us. I felt each tiny shard as it bit into my skin. It had shocked Aresollo enough that he let me go. It wasn’t part of his plan then; I thought. I let out a scream as my head slammed back onto the cold floor, bouncing off the rock. The pain that erupted almost had me closing my eyes and drifting into darkness, but screaming exploded around me, drawing me back. The blood-curdling screams echoed high above the chanting. Which was now starting to fade out as people realised that something was wrong. I covered my ears with my hands, trying desperately to drown out the noise.
“Stop them,” I heard Aresollo roar into the crowd. My fingers were trembling, my breathing was labored. I’m not sure how much longer I can hold on for. Aresollo grabbed me by the shoulders and began dragging me down to the water’s edge. Once there, he flung me down, drawing out his dagger again.
“Looks like we need to fasten the pace dear daughter, time for you to say farewell to this world,” he cocked his head to look at me and for a moment I thought maybe, just maybe he would change his mind. Then he lunged.
Something flew above my head and went crashing into him. I watched as Pearce rammed his shoulder into Aresollo’s chest, sending him crashing into the wall behind. He recovered quickly though and used the wall to propel himself back upright, dodging Pearce’s next advance at the same time. I felt my breath catch as Aresollo landed a cracking upper hand punch to Pearce’s jaw. His head snapped back, and blood sprayed out of his mouth toward me. Reluctantly, I tore my gaze away from them to look around the rest of the cavern and the chaos that had exploded. Fights were breaking out everywhere, I couldn’t tell who was on what side, other than the few that remained cloaked. The chanting was non-existent now. I couldn’t see Rose or Sandra anywhere. My eyes darted over fallen bodies, some cloaked, some weren’t, but I was too afraid I would see someone I knew.
The action before me was blurring, the pain in my head and aches in my body were getting overwhelming. A rumble through the floor beneath me alerted me to the need to move away from the water. I’m not sure what rising a God entailed, but I was sure my blood still mixing into the water wasn’t a good thing. I tried weakly to drag myself across the floor. My movement drew Pearce’s attention from the fight. The distraction cost him. I watched as a moment of fear flashed through his eyes when he realised his legs were being swept out from underneath him. He flailed for a second mid-air before falling to the floor. Aresollo had him pinned down in a second. Slowly, Aresollo turned, glaring at me with his bright blue eyes. Nothing but coldness resonated through them.
“This will be finished today, daughter,” he said. Then he grabbed his dagger and with unbelievable force he drove it through Pearce’s shoulder and into the stone underneath him. A scream escaped my mouth at the same time a roar erupted from Pearce. A shadow cast over me. Tearing my gaze away from Pearce, I looked up into the green eyes of a wolf. It grabbed the material of my shirt with its teeth, dangerously close to my neck. It was dragging me backwards. I tried and failed to struggle, I had to help Pearce.
“Get her to them,” Pearce shouted weakly. As I looked back toward them, I could see that Aresollo had advanced on me again. But the wolf was fast, dragging me into a dark corner of the cavern.
I could sense energy in the darkness, but it was humming at a low frequency. Then I felt something enter my mind.
Stop struggling Evvy, we need you closer, Rose’s voice snapped.
Aresollo hasn’t sensed us yet, but the mask won’t last long. Stop struggling, girl! Sandra added. Tears pricked at my eyes at the comfort of hearing their voices. Hope flickered within me. We might just survive. Stones bit into the skin on my back as the dragging continued. Risking a look back, I watched Aresollo slow down as a gang of wolves descended on him. They all looked very similar to Adam and Darryl. They must be their pack, I thought. Adam had told us the truth, they were still loyal to him. They were snapping and snarling, being careful not to get too close. The distraction was buying us more time to get further away. Panting in my ear was growing heavier. It took all of my concentration to get a feel for the energy of the wolf that was dragging me. Through the haze, I could finally sense that it was Darryl. It was then I realised just how weak I must be, if I couldn’t even recognize one of my closest friends.
We had almost reached the corner when Aresollo broke free and began gaining on us again. With fire in his eyes and a flick of his wrist, Darryl went flying into the wall behind us. It had happened so fast neither of us could do anything to avoid it. A chill on my shoulder told me that part of my shirt had ripped off and was still in Darryl’s mouth. A quick glance his way, and I could see the rise and fall of his chest. Ok, so he is still breathing, that’s good. I have to keep Aresollo’s attention on me. I could sense the girls very close now. They were staying back in the shadows, but I knew they were there. Sandra had mentioned something was masking them, but if I was feeling their energy more strongly now, then it must be weakening.
“There is a reason that you can’t raise dear granddaddy yourself father,” I barely raised my voice loud enough to travel to him as I continued to shuffle back. The girls were almost within reaching distance now. I struggled further still, dragging myself with my arms and trying to gain momentum by shuffling on my bum. My muscles were burning, and pain was still ripping through my head.
“Why do you think so Evangeline?” Aresollo was stalking towards me, but he seemed slightly hesitant. That cost him. I felt the girls directly behind me now.
“Because you aren’t powerful enough,” I shouted as Rose and Sandra each placed a hand on my shoulders. Opening up the bond we shared, I let what little energy I had left flow into them and felt the electrical buzz of theirs flowing back into me. Strengthening me.
Through our connection I saw the light and gripped it tight with my mind, drawing strength until I finally felt whole again. My head snapped up just in time to see Aresollo leaping towards us, a look
of fear mixed with anger in his widened eyes.
“No,” I screamed and grabbed the girl’s hands from my shoulders, throwing them down onto the ground with all the force and energy I could. The floor rumbled beneath us, sending shock waves towards him, throwing him off balance. With a primal scream, I rose from the floor. Gathering the surrounding air into my palms, I forced it forward.
Willing it to drive him further away, I watched as he hit the stone wall opposite. The energy I was sharing with the girls was fading, turning into a low buzz. Sandra’s hand was the first to slip from mine, followed closely by Rosemary. Both girls dropped to the floor, panting and weak. I had taken too much from them. The battle raged on around us. The shock waves we had sent out were rippling through the cavern. Rocks were breaking loose and falling all around us. Cracks in the floor were forming pits of darkness, I could hear screams as people fell into them, into nothing. I could feel the now familiar darkness beginning to cloud my mind, taking over my thoughts. I took a step toward Aresollo.
“Evvy… don’t. Please Evvy look for the light, I can’t take some of the darkness from you” Rose croaked from behind me. I took another step toward Aresollo, who was now rising from the ground. A small flick of my wrist sent fire barrelling toward him. Causing him to crash back into the wall to avoid it. His eyes opened wide as he watched me. I don’t know what he saw, but I know what I was feeling. Power. A lot.
“No,” he stammered, shuffling backwards.
I needed to finish this; I needed to rid the world of him. This could never happen again. They were the only thoughts swimming around my mind. I raised my hands above my head, calling all the power and energy to them, ready to throw all I could at Aresollo. Before I could bring them back down again, I was tackled to the ground.
“No! There are other ways! You aren’t him,” Pearce shouted at me, but I could barely register his words against the power and rage that was radiating through me. I struggled against him, writhing, and kicking. Every fibre of my being needed to get to Aresollo and finish this, to protect everyone.
“Get off! I need to do this,” I growled. I could slowly feel the power within me beginning to fade. I was running out of time. Lightning suddenly crackled through the cavern, lighting up the battle around us. New energy filled the atmosphere. A shimmer rippled in the stones right next to Aresollo.
“No,” I screamed and used some power I still had left to kick Pearce off me. Before he could regain his balance and pin me again, I rolled and stood facing Aresollo. I drew every last bit of energy I could and threw the biggest ball of fire I had conjured yet, in his direction. I was too late. Aresollo threw himself through a portal, turning only to give me one last smile. My tidal wave of fire smashed into the rocks. Sending even more shock waves than before, through the cavern. “Noooooo,” I screamed again as I fell to my knees shaking. I was getting weaker by the second with the power draining from me. Sturdy arms were lifting me up.
“We need to go before this place crashes down around us, tell everyone to retreat,” I heard Pearce saying. I buried my head in his shoulder. The power and adrenaline I had was gone, and in its place came the pain I had pushed to the back of my mind.
“He got away,” I whispered as my body started shuddering in Pearce’s arms.
“Shh little siren, rest,” he whispered back and held me tighter. Yes, I needed to sleep. The last thing I felt was my head as it rolled back and my eyes closing. And hearing Pearce say.
“She needs a healer.” Then I fell into a deep slumber.
Someone was sobbing next to me. I could feel the wetness of their tears on my arm. As my fingers twitched, pain shot up my arm.
“Son of a...” I groaned as my eyes flew open, quickly adjusting to the light in the room. A gasp next to me was followed swiftly by a very painful hug.
“Ava,” I mumbled into her hair, she smelt of fruity shampoo.
“I didn’t think you would make it. You were so weak when they brought you in. My god never do that again,” she rambled on as she squeezed me even tighter. A hiss escaped my mouth as more pain radiated through me.
“Oh, sorry,” Ava stepped back looking sheepish. Her eyes were blotchy and her hair a wet, scraggly mess. She also looked like she hadn’t eaten a decent meal in weeks.
“You’re ok?” I croaked as I looked around. We were back in my bedroom in Moorway House.
“Yes, I’m fine Evvy but you’re not. Pearce told me to let him know when you woke up,” she started retreating towards the door. Pearce, he had stopped me, and Aresollo had got away.
“No!” I said, a bit too forcefully as I struggled to sit up. “Not yet, I need to see the girls.”
Ava looked at me, worry and concern etched on her face. She moved to help prop a pillow behind me.
“They all hate me you know; they blame me for you sacrificing yourself,” she whispered and looked down at the floor, shoulders hunched. I reached out to stroke her arm.
“Hey, it’s all going to be ok Ava, just please get them for me,” I croaked back. Ava didn’t have to move though. The door to my room swung open and in waltzed Rose and Sandra. Both looked a little worse for wear.
“Humph, the cow has awoken from her slumber,” Sandra said bitterly, not moving from the doorway. I winced at the anger in her voice.
“Sandra! Language! We have all been through enough,” Rose told her off. Ava was shuffling awkwardly side to side.
“I… I will go,” she said and squeezed her way hurriedly through the girls. Sandra watched her leave, a look of hatred in her eyes.
“It’s not her fault, you know,” I whispered to them. Rose came to join me on the bed, taking my hand in hers.
“We were so worried Evvy, you just disappeared, and we couldn’t do anything,” she muttered. Tears glistened in my eyes.
“Worried! Worried! You scared the crap out of us,” Sandra shouted. I looked up into her eyes.
“I’m so sorry, I thought I was saving everyone.”
“Yeah well you aren’t a one-man band! We are supposed to be in this together,” she shouted again, then sighed. I watched as some tension left her body. I reached my hand out toward her, painful as it was. Sighing again, she drifted to my side, taking my hand.
“You scared us,” she murmured, as tears fell from her eyes.
“I’m so, so sorry. I promise I’ll never run off to save you all again,” I said.
“Too right, arse,” Sandra replied. The three of us had a little giggle at that, but our hearts weren’t really in it.
“Everyone’s downstairs, you up to it?” Rose asked. I pulled them both in for a hug, squeezing lightly and trying to ignore the pain radiating from the wounds in my arms.
“How much trouble am I in?” I asked.
“Heaps. Bigger fish to fry though, there’s no sign of Aresollo. They’ve sent search parties out for days now,” Sandra responded.
“Days! Is that how long I’ve been out for?” shock reverberated through me. Rosemary grabbed me some clean clothes and threw them on the bed next to me.
“Yep, come on. It’s now or never got to face the music sometime,” she said.
“Wait, how did you find me?” I asked.
“Siren Calls, powerful melody it is,” Rose cryptically replied.
The dining room was alive with noise as we descended, rather slowly, down the stairs. The girls had me propped up between them, taking most of my weight. I was still very weak. As soon as we walked into the room, it fell silent and everyone turned to look our way. Darryl was the only one to move forward, pulling me over a chair and helping me down into it.
“Thank you,” I groaned.
“Anytime Princess,” he smiled, messed up my hair and moved back to the others. The conversations started back up again, slightly lower in volume than before. They were discussing areas that they had already searched for Aresollo and trying to figure out if they had missed anything. I could feel Pearce’s intense gaze burning into me, but I didn’t lift my head to meet it.
I wasn’t ready yet. A shimmer in the room caught everyone’s attention. My head snapped up, just in time to see Avetta step through a portal. Looking regal as ever, guardians surrounded her.
“Glad to see you up Evangeline, well I hope?” she directed toward me without even a glance in my direction. I knew better than to answer a question she didn’t really need the answer to. I gave a small nod and looked back down at my hands.
“Right. Everyone, this residence is no longer a safe space. I have been more than accommodating in allowing you to remain while Evangeline heals. That time is up. Time to leave,” she stated. Murmurs erupted around the room, a sense of unease accompanying them.
“And go where?” I spoke before thinking. Avetta finally looked my way. It was only a fleeting glance, but I couldn’t tell what she was thinking or whether she was mad with me. Holding her hand up to silence the room, she looked every bit the authoritative figure we knew of her to be.
“You will all come to the academy. You may have, miraculously, stopped the rise of Ares, for now. However, that is one minor battle in a much larger war. Aresollo will gather his followers again and he has more knowledge of our forces this time, especially of you girls. There is unrest among the gifted that needs to be made a priority to restore. Balance is how our world works. No more hiding our Sirens from them. Come now.” She motioned with her hands and reopened the portal that she and her guardians had come through.
I watched silently as Sandra took Egan’s hand and stepped through first. The image of Egan lying still on the ground in the first battle flashed across my mind. It relieved me he was ok. Taylor and Barak were next to step through, none of them hesitant in the slightest. Rose hung back, waiting for me. My eyes wandered to Darryl in the corner and I held my hand out. He shook his head in response.
“Not yet Princess, I have to stay back and reconvene with the pack. Adam isn’t strong enough yet, so it’s left to me,” he said. My shoulders dropped.
“Why are you calling me Princess?” I asked him.