The Paradox

by Lola StVil

  “Grace, portal everyone back to the cabin and get ready. You have to retrieve the dagger now. Today. And I have to take this stupid body back to the school,” Nexus says.

  My heart is racing again. We’re about to get the dagger that can kill the horseman. I should be pleased. It brings us closer to achieving the first stage of what we have to do. But instead, I feel a knot of dread in my stomach. As strong as Sailor is, she isn’t even close to ready to be able to kill a horseman, and once we have the dagger, things are going to move quickly.

  ***

  “Is everyone ready?” I ask, looking around at the team.

  Everyone is loaded up with weapons and I get a round of nods back.

  “Grace, whenever you’re ready,” I say.

  Grace steps forward and opens up a portal.

  “This will take us back to where we came out of the tunnels. Sailor, you’ll need to use the medallion to guide us the rest of the way. We know where the cave is, but unless the medallion leads us there, it won’t open the door to the dagger,” Grace says.

  We all step through the portal and are soon back in the woods in the spot we left less than an hour ago. Sailor reaches into her pocket, suddenly looking nervous. She pulls the medallion out and I can see her relax when she sees it’s glowing red. She points it toward the hill and the red intensifies. I don’t think I’m the only one who breathes a sigh of relief when it works.

  “Lead the way, Sails,” Mel says.

  I walk at the front of the group beside Sailor, on high alert, waiting for an attack. This isn’t going to be easy and I know we’re far from the only people looking for the dagger. We reach the top of the hill and the cave entrance comes into sight. The medallion is almost fluorescent now it’s glowing that brightly.

  “Put it away until we’re inside the cave,” I say to Sailor, nodding to the medallion. “This feels too easy. Something is going to try and stop us from accessing the cave, and when it does, we can’t afford to lose the medallion.”

  Sailor nods and pushes the medallion back into her pocket. We keep moving down the other side of the hill. Everyone has a weapon drawn. We reach the bottom of the hill and start making our way across a clearing toward the cave mouth. I hear a rustling from the trees to my left. I turn my head as a Mung Demon runs out of the trees. All around us, more pour out and within seconds, we’re surrounded.

  We stand in a loose circle, our backs to each other, covering each other. The Mung Demons circle us. They’re fucking huge, easily twice our size. Where their eyes should be, two fiery orbs burn. Their skin is the gray of days old corpses. And that’s what they smell like. Rotten meat. Their arms end in long, sharp metal hooks.

  “What the hell are those?” I hear Sailor hiss.

  “Mung Demons,” Sunday whispers back. “They’re the meanest demons we know of. They kill indiscriminately and if you look into their eyes for too long, you’ll start to burn.”

  “Nice,” Sailor says. “Why aren’t they attacking?”

  “Because they’re waiting for my orders,” a voice says.

  A Mung Demon who is larger than the others emerges from the trees. The circle of Mung Demons opens just enough for it to slip through.

  “Who leads this mission?”

  “I do,” I reply.

  “Then you have a decision to make. Give us the medallion and live, or we’ll kill you all and take it.”

  I throw my head back and laugh, sounding much more confident than I feel. We’re seriously outnumbered and I don’t like our chances one bit.

  “I have a better deal. How about you fuck off now and take your ugly little friends with you and we’ll let you live.”

  “That’s a good plan,” Ya-Ya says thoughtfully. “I’m wearing brand-new pants and I’d hate to get them dirty killing these demons.”

  I tense up, waiting for what I know is coming.

  “Attack,” the Mung Demon leader shouts.

  The demons pour in from every angle and instantly the air is filled with the sound of daggers and knives colliding with the tough, scale-covered skin of the Mung Demons. Shouts of rage from the team and roars of anger from the demons fill the air. I am instantly surrounded by three Mung Demons. I swipe my knife across the throat of one of them while kicking out at another. I spin as one goes down and the one I kicked falters. I move quickly, sticking my knife into the third Mung Demon and then going back to finish off the stunned one. Three down, lord knows how many to go.

  I find myself face-to-face with the leader, which was my aim. Mung Demons work as a pack, and with their leader down, their orchestrated attack will become chaotic, making it easier for us to overpower them.

  I face off with the giant Mung Demon.

  “You had your chance, God,” it snarls.

  It runs at me, claws outstretched. I jump back just in time to avoid being disemboweled. I stab out with my dagger, but the leader jumps to one side and manages to scratch its claws down my side. Red-hot pain grabs me and I grit my teeth and try to ignore it. We circle each other, both waiting for our moment. A lone Mung Demon catches my eye to my right as it scurries closer to me. Without taking my eyes off the leader, I wait for the right moment, and when I sense it’s about to grab me, I swipe out with my knife and slit its throat.

  The leader moves in closer as my knife is busy with the other Mung Demon. I throw a punch that connects with the leader’s chest, but I honestly think it hurts my fist more than it hurts the demon. I move my knife back in front of me and stab toward the leader. I manage to get the tip into its stomach, but it’s not enough of a wound to slow the leader down any.

  It keeps coming at me and I back up a little, still waiting for my chance to take it down. It laughs and runs toward me. I stick my knife out, hoping it will impale itself on my blade, but it sees the move coming and swipes the knife from my hand. I am suddenly falling as my feet get tangled up in a vine that grows across the forest floor, hidden by the long grass.

  I go down hard and the Mung Demon leader throws itself on top of me. Its claws are dangerously close to my face as I press my hands against its chest, holding it off. I can feel the heat inside of me as my body begins to burn, and I realize I’m looking into the flaming orbs. I blink and force myself to look away from them and my body cools down before I can burst into flames. I punch up at the leader’s face as a claw comes flying toward me.

  From nowhere, a foot flies in and smacks the leader in the temple. It goes flying to one side and I jump up and grab my knife from the ground, sticking it straight through the Mung Demon’s chest.

  Jinx laughs. “Remind me again why you think Sailor needs your protection. You’re the one who needed rescuing, and I swear she’s on fire.”

  I follow Jinx’s gaze. Sailor is surrounded by four Mung Demons, and while my natural instinct is to run to her side, I am so mesmerized by her movements that I hesitate. The couple of seconds I hesitate for is all Sailor seems to need to prove she’s anything but weak. She jumps into the air and kicks out, taking down two Mung Demons with a boot to the face. She lands and spins and her dagger finds the eye of the third Mung Demon. The fourth one reaches for her but before its claw can make contact, she cuts its arm in two and then finishes it off with a swift kick to the face.

  “Well shit,” I breathe.

  “Yeah. Looks like her training paid off. It’s brought out the natural reflexes of the Paradox.”

  A Mung Demon spots Jinx and I and runs toward us. A quick flick of Jinx’s wrist and the demon falls to the ground writhing in agony. Killing the leader worked like I hoped it would and the Mung Demons no longer attack in organized groups. They flail around, attacking when they see fit and making easy work for the team.

  Aziza and Ya-Ya are moving through the remaining demons in a pair, showering the ground with bodies as they go. Mel and Grace are doing a similar trick on the other side of the clearing.

  A small pile of Mung Demons are gathered in the center of the clearing, and Jinx and I work out what’s ha
ppening at the same time. We both shout Sunday’s name and run toward the pileup of demons. I swipe out with my knife, cutting through Mung Demons as Jinx does the same. We drag their bodies away, throwing them to each side until finally, we reveal Sunday at the bottom of the pile.

  I have to look away for a second as bile floods my mouth. Sunday is a burnt-out wreck, skin hanging off him all over. His leg is bent in three places and one of his eyes is leaking yellow pus down his cheek.

  I look back toward him and spot a Mung Demon walking toward me. I reach out with my knife and suddenly, I am surrounded. Even without their leader, the Mung Demons can sense that Sunday is almost dead, and they seem to instinctively know if they can keep me away from him, then he’s dead.

  I swipe out blindly with my knife and the rest of the team run to help me. We manage to kill the remaining demons, but it’s taken time; time Sunday didn’t have. Mel drops to her knees beside Sunday, screaming his name. She is trying desperately to heal him but her emotions are getting in the way. Sailor puts her hand on Mel’s shoulder. Aziza meets Sailor’s gaze and they just stare at each other, white faced and terrified.

  I break out of my stupor and throw myself on the ground beside Mel. Sunday is just alive. He’s breathing, but it’s an awful, labored sound as blood foams over his lips. I meet Mel’s eyes and with that look tell her he needs us. She takes a deep breath and we lock hands. I close my eyes and reach out my remaining hand as Mel does the same. The instant I touch Sunday, white-hot agony hits my stomach. I want to wrench my hands away to stop the pain, but if I do that, Sunday will die. The intensity of the agony tells me how close to death he is.

  The pain isn’t going away and I open my eyes, willing Sunday to respond to my touch. His wounds remain. He isn’t healing. I start to shake my head, but Mel grabs both my wrists, holding my hands in place, cranking up the juice.

  “Don’t you dare give up on him. We can do this,” she pleads.

  I keep my hands in place, consumed by agony, knowing it’s no use, but knowing Mel will never forgive me if we stop now. My head is spinning and I am losing my grip on consciousness.

  “Mel, let go. You’re killing him,” Grace shouts. “We’re going to lose them both.”

  Her shout registers with me, giving me the extra strength I need. I grit my teeth.

  “We’re not losing anyone today,” I hiss.

  I press harder on Sunday’s body, As Mel holds my wrists tighter, we give it everything we’ve got; a scream tears from my lips as the agony sears me. But I can feel it starting to work. The pain is beginning to subside. I risk another look at Sunday and feel relief grab me. The blood is no longer foaming on his lips and his skin is starting to look pink again, the burnt places starting to heal. His eye is no longer leaking.

  “Someone straighten his leg out,” I say.

  Sailor runs to Sunday’s foot. She hesitates when she realizes what she has to do.

  “Now,” I scream.

  She starts visibly and grabs Sunday’s foot. He screams in agony, beads of sweat coating his face as Sailor forces his broken leg straight. She holds it in place, tears running down her face as it begins to knit back together. I keep my hands in place until Sunday is healed and then I pull them back, panting.

  “That was way too fucking close, guys,” I say.

  No one argues with me. Everyone just looks shell-shocked. I push myself to my feet on shaky legs.

  “Let’s just take a moment to breathe,” I say.

  Mel stands up and before I can say anything, she passes out. It took everything we had to heal Sunday. Ya-Ya rushes to her side and Aziza kneels next to me.

  I run my gaze over the team. We’re all battered and bruised, but the rest of the wounds are nothing that can’t be healed once we get the dagger and get back to the cabin. My eyes meet Sailor’s and the vacant look in her eyes scares me.

  “Sailor? Are you alright?” I ask.

  She shakes her head.

  “I hurt him, Rye. I…I made him make that awful noise,” she says.

  “You helped him,” I correct her.

  She just keeps staring ahead, shaking her head.

  “Hey, listen to me,” Sunday says. He takes her chin in his hand and forces her to meet his gaze. “I’m all healed, Sailor. Sure, it hurt, but it’s done now. If you hadn’t done what you did, my bones would have healed in the position they were in. And trust me, re-breaking them would have been a hell of a lot worse than that.”

  Sailor nods slowly and then she blinks and the vacant look is gone.

  “I’m so sorry,” she says.

  “Say sorry when your nerve goes and you don’t act, not when you do.” Sunday smiles.

  She smiles back at him and she looks almost normal again. He pulls her into a hug and she holds on like her life depends on it. Ideally, I’d like to give her a bit longer, but the longer we stay here, the more likely we are to be attacked again. Mel is awake now. Aziza gave her a power bar she had in her bag and she is looking more like herself. She rushes to Sunday’s side and hugs him.

  “Guys, we have to move,” I say.

  Reluctantly the rest of the team gets to their feet and shakes their limbs out, making sure they’re all in one piece. Sailor reaches into her pocket and produces the medallion and we step through the entrance to the cave. The cave is large and airy and totally empty.

  “Where’s the dagger?” Sailor demands.

  Jinx points to a spot on the wall opposite us. The outline of the medallion sits there on the wall.

  “You need to unlock it,” he reminds her.

  She nods and steps forward. We all crowd close to her as she puts the medallion into the outline. She turns it and it clicks into place. The wall before us begins to flicker, and slowly, it vanishes altogether. The dagger sits on a plinth a couple yards away. Aziza takes a step forward, and as she does, the ground beneath us lurches.

  The ground before us melts away, leaving a gaping chasm between us and the dagger. Aziza is now standing on empty air. I reach for her as she begins to fall, snagging the back of her leather jacket. She plummets down and I feel myself being dragged forward. I go over the edge, and Aziza and I are falling.

  I feel a hand grab mine and at the same time, grab Aziza’s. I look up into Sailor’s frantic eyes as she keeps her grip on my hand. She may be brave but she is still small; her weight is no match for gravity. As she starts sliding toward the edge, we have seconds before we all plunge to our deaths.

  I feel my whole body jerk as Sailor abruptly stops sliding. My hand is almost wrenched from hers but she holds on with a fierce strength. Another hand appears over the edge of the chasm and I take it. A hand appears beside Aziza too.

  Sunday yanks me up as Jinx yanks Aziza up and as I come level with the chasm, I see Mel, Grace, and Ya-Ya holding Sailor’s ankles. We scramble backwards as more of the ground crumbles away. I lie flat on my belly and look over the chasm. It’s pretty deep and the bottom is all jagged rock. We were damn lucky not to end up down there.

  “Now what?” Mel says.

  I push myself up to my feet and look toward the dagger. A thin beam runs from our side of the chasm to the dagger’s side. It’s no more than five inches wide.

  “I guess one of us walks over that,” Sunday says.

  “I’ll do it,” Aziza says. “I’m pretty sure-footed.”

  “No, I’ll go,” I say. “I’m the leader, so it’s only right I’m the one to risk it.”

  The whole team starts talking at once, everyone saying they should be the one to go.

  “Guys, enough,” Sailor shouts.

  Everyone quiets down and looks at her.

  “We all know it has to be me. I’m the Paradox and I’m the only one who can retrieve the dagger, remember?”

  “But Sailor, you’re so clumsy,” Ya-Ya bursts out.

  Sailor glares at her.

  “Sorry, but you are,” she says.

  “Maybe, but I’m also not completely dense.” Sailor laughs. “Do you
really think I’m going to be dumb enough to attempt to walk over that? Damn, for a bunch of gods, you guys really don’t like to think outside of the box do you?”

  Sailor goes to the edge of the beam. She sits down and slides herself forward so she’s sitting straddling it. She pulls herself forward with her hands. The knot of tension I’ve felt in my stomach since Sailor pointed out she had to be the one to get the dagger doesn’t release its grip on me at all. Even shimmying across how she is, I can’t help but picture her falling to one side and crashing to her death.

  The whole team watches silently. Mel and Grace are clinging to each other’s hands. I hardly dare to breathe as Sailor reaches the middle of the beam. She keeps going, dragging herself forward. She’s almost at the other side when one of her hands slips from the beam. She leans scarily close to the right, a small scream escaping her lips as her arms flap desperately. She locks her feet together beneath herself and makes a grab for the beam. She manages to hang on and right herself and I finally breathe out.

  “That was close,” Sailor says with a shaky laugh.

  She reaches the other side and gets to her feet. My heart is almost in my mouth and even seeing her back on solid ground does nothing to calm me down because I know she still has to get back. She pauses in front of the dagger for a moment and then she reaches out and grabs it. For a moment, the silver blade seems to light up white, but the effect is gone in the blink of an eye and I know I must have imagined it. Sailor pushes the dagger into her boot and turns back to us. She gives us a shaky smile.

  “Right, I’m coming back,” she says.

  From a small opening in the wall behind the dagger, a Voke Wolf appears.

  “Sailor, look out,” I scream.

  She glances behind her and then she’s running across the beam. I run to meet her, stretching my hands out to grab hers. How the fuck she is managing to stay on the beam is beyond me. Jinx reaches his hand out and fires a painful force field at the Voke Wolf. He’s a second too late.