An angel’s road to hell

94. Of traces, apparitions and a little bit of fate

Cassandra Pendragon

Being right could suck, from time to time. Now it did. After we had rushed across the camp my brother had led us to a couple of trees behind the pond. Astra had prepared a small spelling area I hadn’t seen before, a low trunk serving as an improvised table. Several parchments and a dimly glowing crystal were still lying there, apparently forgotten. A few meters away, Astra was on the ground, her head resting in her sister’s lap who was struggling to keep her still while cramps ran up and down her body and strange words rolled off of her tongue. My mum and Archy were on either side, working some kind of magic on the convulsing elf while Golamosh was busily applying a circle of runes to the ground around them. They were all covered in sweat, streams of energy slowly rising from Archy’s and my mother’s hands to envelop Astra in a multicoloured blanket of light.

Erya hurried over to add her own energies to the mix, while Ahri, Viyara and I stared at each other, somewhat lost. Mordred finally managed to catch his breath and joined us on the sidelines. There wasn’t much we could do, Ahri and I weren’t even capable of casting spells. With a thought I changed the world around me to shades of silver, determined to at least observe what was going on.

Archy and my mother blazed brightly with all the magic that was running through them and Golamosh nearly vanished behind a fog of energy. The two soul bound sisters on the other hand appeared surprisingly normal. While I could understand why Aspera, she was a fighter after all, wasn’t aglow, Astra should have shone like the sun, but she didn’t. Instead it seemed like she was constantly becoming darker, her inner fire unable to outshine the magic surrounding her. She was fading, slowly but surely and I didn’t have the shadow of an idea as to why.

I pushed more energy from my core into my eyes until I could follow every particle of light that travelled through her body. I picked one at random and focused on its path, how it travelled through her veins, through her organs until it reached her heart and suddenly disappeared. That shouldn’t happen. I concentrated harder on her centre, willed my gaze to pierce straight through the maze of energy until bright strands of light unfolded before me and I finally saw… something.

It wasn’t like it had been in the spell, I didn’t enter another realm, I just perceived much more. Little details like the structure of the magic and the precise flow of energy stuck out to me, the same as a small hole, for want of a better word, in the middle of Astra’s heart. Like a drain it channeled the magic my mother and Archy were pumping into the elf away and sucked her own reserves dry in the process. While I watched, the thing flickered and for the briefest moment a surge of light flashed through Astra’s body before vanishing into the ground. It was over much too quickly to understand what had happened but at least I managed to get a glimpse at the torrent of power that left Astra and raced towards the centre of the island. A grim smile formed on my face, despite all the fretting, there would be no Trial.

I tapped Ahri on the shoulder and gestured for Viyara and my brother to follow. As soon as we had left the shadows of the trees, I turned towards the line of sentry fires at the edge of the camp and the verdant hills in the distance while I started explaining:

“If one of you thinks he can help with the healing they are attempting back there, please stay. Otherwise I have an idea. Every ounce of magic they are currently trying to shove into Astra is somehow redirected into the earth and towards the centre of this island. I don’t know how or why, but I’m going there right now to find out.” They quickly exchanged glances and since no one seemed to think that there was something meaningful to add to the efforts of our healers, we continued on as four. I took a moment to inform one of the dwarfs why we were heading out and to ask him to relay what I had said to Xorlosh. He obliged me with a deep frown on his face, mumbling something about cursed lands into his beard before he scampered off.

Some of the children saw us moving through the night but none approached us, cowed by the stories that must be circling the camp by now and we probably didn’t appear like we’d welcome a distraction. Well, none but Reia. She didn’t even hesitate on the way over, as if it’d be the most natural thing to join us. I was just about to tell her exactly what I thought about that idea when I bit my tongue. Again I felt this strange… certainty that she should come with us. This time around, though, I didn’t simply give in but tried to pinpoint what was making me feel that way. I was still rationally convinced that taking her along was a terrible idea, who in their right mind would take a child with them to investigate the source of an obviously dangerous spell? But somehow I knew we’d be sorry if we left her behind. That was it, I didn’t think or believe, I knew we needed her with us, as if I had lived through this before. Which begged the question if I could trust that knowledge and how the hell I could know things I hadn’t lived through, yet.

Wearily I massaged my temples and slowed down enough for the little fox to catch up with us. “Do you honestly consider taking her along, after everything you just said earlier,” Ahri whispered into my ear. “By all the gods, have you lost your mind? If you hesitated before, why would you think bringing her along now makes any sense at all?”

“I don’t!” I snapped. “Sorry, but I just know she should be there and it’s driving me nuts! Alright, you decide. I don’t want her with us but if it’s up to me I’ll take her because of some strange malfunction in my brain. What do you want me to do?” She blinked once, twice before she replied: “I trust you. If there’s a part of you that believes we’ll need her, that’s good enough for me. But I’m not going to be the one on babysitting duty for the whole time.” I only nodded and mumbled quickly: “we’ll share,” since Reia was already close enough to understand us.

“And what do you think you’re doing here?” Mordred welcomed her. She took a moment to catch her breath before she answered:

“Since you’re headed out towards the centre I’m not going to simply stay behind and forfeit. I already heard what happened to Astra but I’m not going to give up. Who knows, maybe I’m going to save your tails before this is all over.”

“You, save me? Let me tell you…”

“Enough,” I said quietly. “If she wants to come, we’ll let her.” I took a step closer to Reia, the top of her head was somewhere below my chest and she had to strain her neck to look me in the eye. “I’m only going to say this once. This is not a fancy event back home where the worst that can happen is a little humiliation and maybe a broken bone or two. I don’t know what we’re going to find but I’m fairly certain it won’t be all sunshine and rainbows. You don’t have to join us, I’m sure we’ll come up with another task, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m not going to stop you either, but you had better be certain, there might be no turning back.” For good measure I pushed a trickle of energy into my eyes to intensify their glow. A bit melodramatic but hey, it got the message across. To Reia’s credit, she didn’t even flinch. She stared at me for a long moment before she replied steadily:

“I’m sure. I don’t want to turn back.”

“Fine. You’ll stay behind me at all times and, if I’m not around, you’ll cling to Ahri like her shadow. Understood?” She nodded and I exchanged quick glances with the others. While Ahri had known what was to come, Mordred and Viyara hadn’t expect me to allow her to stay. Viyara appeared thoughtful while my brother was simply confused. I tried to reassure him wordlessly that I knew what I was doing, in a way. He seemed about as convinced as I myself felt, but at least he didn’t argue.

“Alright, Let’s get going. I’m going to fly ahead and take a peek from above. Maybe I can guess where we need to go. I’ll be back in a couple of minutes. If I’m not, I’d much appreciate it, if you came looking for me. Also, could you get a rope before you leave? I’m sure one of the dwarfs can help us out.” This time all of them looked quite confused. My wings materialised behind my back and I rose into the night sky while I called down: “trust me, if we don’t bring one to explore an unknown island, we’ll regret it soon enough. You always need a rope.” At least this time I knew I was speaking from experience, even though I couldn’t quite remember how often I had wished for one without ever receiving an answer. What would make an immortal wish for a rope, I wondered.  Maybe it hadn’t been first hand experience, after all…

Cool air brushed over my back as I spiralled into the sea of stars above us, the incredulous look that had appeared on the faces of my companions made me chuckle softly. I angled my body to allow a warm streak of air to carry me higher while I constantly pushed towards the centre of the island. The fragrances in the air changed with every wing beat, form the aromatic herbs among the rolling greens close to the cliffs to the heavier scents of trees, forests and larger animals. The birdsongs that had been loud and clear when I had arrived where nearly gone by now, an occasional cry that reminded me of owls or the harsh caw of a crow the only noises I could pick up over the rushing wind.

The old trees that covered the hills at the centre seemed foreboding under the starlight, their crooked silhouettes reaching for me with gnarled fingers. I felt certain that whatever we were looking for would be hidden somewhere in their shadow, buried beneath their roots. A pity my second sight would be no help at that distance. I relaxed my eyes and allowed the shapes below me to flow together, searching for any form of structure among the forest that would hint at ancient ruins or some other form of civilisation. Details became blurry but in exchange the overall layout became visible. The treetops vanished and turned into a dark blanket, spread over valleys and peaks with visibly frayed holes where the forest was less dense. Outlines of the underlying topography stood out as harsh cracks in the otherwise smooth surface.

At first nothing seemed artificially created but once I circled above the hills, the structures around the source of the creek caught my attention. From up high I was able to spot a circular elevation and several straight lines that could have been walls, a long time ago. Slowly I descended and landed lightly just a few steps behind the spring. Lush grass muffled my footsteps and the smell of moist earth welled up when I turned in a circle.

The first thing I noticed was the silence. No rustling leaves, stirred by the wind or the hurried movements of animals that fled my presence reached my ears. I could hear my own breath and the soft thudding of my heart but other than that, everything remained quiet. Goosebumps erupted along my arms and down my spine but I wasn’t sure if it was from the eerie stillness or the temperature. It was cold, much colder than it had been up in the sky. A cloud of faint vapour escaped my mouth when I exhaled, obscuring the trees and the swiftly flowing creek for the fracture of a second. The canopy was much lighter than I had expected and several stars as well as the rising moon provided enough light to take a closer look at my surroundings.

Behind the spring, the trees stood further apart than elsewhere and appeared… younger. A rectangular shape formed by elevated, straight lines broke the natural vegetation even though it was covered by moss and vines. The circular outline I had seen before was even further away, a group of healthy and tall cedars grew at the centre of a ruin that must have once been a tower, their mighty trunks and straight branches towering over the trees around them. As if on cue, I felt the faintest tingle of energy flow through my tails and the earth trembled.

Deep vibrations sent waves across the gurgling creek and shook leafs and dead branches from the trees. The next second the flowing waters shimmered with a pale light and I felt a mounting pressure, as if I’d be diving deeper and deeper into an ocean. Old wood groaned under the strain with a sound awfully similar to cries of pain. A pulsing glow shone from deep within the earth and illuminated the scene with a ghostly, hazy brightness while the pressure I felt disappeared. Instead I heard a voice, my voice to be precise, reverberating through the air: “bring the girl, or he will come through. Bring the girl or we will fail.” The light died down and the vibrations ceased.

Right, on the plus side I had definitely found the place, on the other hand… that hadn’t been ominous at all. I sat down on the grass, even if I was going to go along with “my” demands, I didn’t intend to jump at anyone’s say so. Defiance aside, I had a decision to make. I could either go on on my own, the others would come after me soon enough, but I could probably get a decent head start. If I had stumbled into some kind of trap, doing what it says would be close to suicidal. Pressing on alone would make sense in that case. But… first of all I couldn’t imagine what kind of idiotic scheme would result in a trap like that. Secondly, considering that I had already been influenced in that direction despite my immunities implied some sort of connection. If it was malevolent, I’d be screwed anyways since it could apparently manipulate my thoughts to a certain degree. One minute later I was setting down in front of my friends, smiling brightly when I realised that Mordred had even tied a rope around his mid. They had already crossed the grassland and were waiting for me under the protruding branches of an araucaria. I lost no time to tell them what I had seen and heard.

“… and then I flew back here, as fast as my wings could carry me. I’m willing to listen to the… to my voice, but essentially it’s up to you, Reia. Do you still want to come?”

“More than ever. I don’t have an explanation for what’s going on and honestly, I’m a little scared, but I believe there’s a reason why I’m here. I think I can help with whatever lies ahead.”

“Let’s go then. It isn’t too far and I haven’t seen any signs of large predators but keep your eyes and ears open, plenty of animals could have hidden in the shadows when I flew over their heads.”

“I can solve that easily enough,” Viyara replied. With an elegant movement she stepped out of the loose clothes she was wearing. A shimmering, golden fog enveloped her before her shirt could hit the ground and a moment later the already familiar, toothy grin of a golden dragoness made Mordred gulp and Reia turn impressively pale. “Show off,” I murmured beneath my breath as I picked up her clothes but Viyara had heard me nonetheless. She winked at me, her scaly eyelid obscuring the glow from underneath for the fracture of a second while I felt her consciousness press against mine. A moment later I could hear an echo of Reia’s and Mordred’s surprise flow through her, while Ahri’s thoughts reached me directly through our tattoos.

“There’s no animal under the sun that’s willing to hunt a dragon. Climb onto my back and I’ll get us there swiftly and safely.” That was indeed much better than walking through the underbrush. I swatted Mordred’s behind on the way past and used my wings to jump onto Viyara’s head.

“Not afraid of heights, are you?” I teased our only two members who couldn’t fly on their own. Reia became even paler and Mordred apparently started to question some of his choices.