Chapter 13
Limbo
T here.
My eyes shoot open.
There.
Behind the piles of bodies, beyond the destruction. I feel them.
They're here.
I feel their fury, their frustration…but they’re still so far away. Their power is blocked from me… they can’t get in.
But their presence is an electric shock, a shot of fire and ice which gives me just enough energy to move my arms. I drag them along the ground and above my head, placing my right hand into the direction I sense.
I gently coax my power to return to me, urge it to stop devouring from the lifeless bodies and focus upon them. It likes this idea. It listens and quickly returns causing me to gasp from the connection.
When I place my palm flat on the ground, I send a silent prayer to the Goddess, and release.
Dark flames rush from my palm into the floor. I watch as the marble rises from the impact, rippling the concrete and creating a wide fracture in the ground as it extends into the darkness, seeking out its target.
It finds them.
The contact is almost unbearable and I let out another piercing scream. I rip my hand away.
It burns and I curl into myself.
There.
They’re closer now.
Their combined powers instantly seek me out and this time, I have no fight left. I tense, expecting more agonising pain, but sigh at the soothing sensation shooting through me.
I can still barely move, but it helps to regulate my breathing. I take a deep breath which burns in my throat.
Then I feel them.
They’re on this floor, somewhere.
I begin to unfold from my foetal position and crawl towards what remains of the bar. My arms and fingers shake as I grasp the ground, pushing myself up into a sitting position against it. When my back thuds against the side of the bar, the contact against my bare, raw skin makes me cry out.
I wonder when my wings were destroyed? The thought almost makes me laugh.
The room is still engulfed in darkness, most of the flames are dying out or smothered by the bodies which landed upon them. Burning flesh and smoke suffocates the space. I can just make out small movements from figures on the ground, but no one is left standing.
Then their powers pulse again, simultaneously, and mine responds. I gasp at the connection and wince at the burning shooting up my spine.
“We need an emergency escape route,” a murmured voice from the darkness, one filled with urgency, speaks. I try to focus on it, seek out their position, but I see nothing. “Fucking enforcers are here; we’re hiding behind a pile of dead bodies, we need support!”
“What?” The same voice, now filled with fear. “We couldn’t find the empath or the... we tried but—”
My eyes widen at the mention of my race.
The rest of the conversation becomes muted as my power coils and tightens. It’s no longer desperately feeding, and incidentally trying to kill me, it’s become almost passive since they arrived.
“Red?”
Even from far away, his voice makes my entire body hum.
I tilt my head back and close my eyes in utter relief, a warm comforting sensation quickly flooding me.
The first time I’ve ever had this kind of reaction to my stupid nickname.
He’s here. They’re here.
I can’t breathe.
There’s a punishing grip around my throat. It drags me up, holding my entire weight in one hand.
This touch is aggressive, powerful. I choke in attempt to fill my lungs as I’m strangled.
“I have the empath.” A new voice, the one attached to this hand. “I need an immediate exit; enforcers are here.”
I’m barely touching the ground as he drags me deeper into the clouds of dust and darkness.
Away from them.
No. No !
No fucking way have I survived all of this, death itself, to be kidnapped by this fucker in green. I call upon my power once more, it’s fragile and weak but I coax it, urge it to uncoil for me one more time.
An intense shock has it retreating. I scream as the pain continues to lace every nerve in my body.
“Don’t even try it,” the voice spits in my ear. The pain abruptly stops whilst he continues pacing forward and his grip tightens around my throat.
I call upon my power again and instantly, another wave of fire zips through my body, sharp and intense like a thousand needles.
I cry out and this fucker laughs.
My power is furious, eager to fight and devour, but we’re so tired, everything aches...
“Where are you?” My skin prickles at the sound of that voice. My power instinctively pulses in response, causing another round of sharp cuts.
“I told you to—”
My captor stops.
Before us, through blurry eyes, I watch the thick darkness part like a flame burning through paper.
And the three enforcers emerge.
Their eyes are bright, intense, purely vicious as they land on me before sliding to the man gripping my throat.
I had heard stories about the dark gods, how they emerged from their realm to inflict pain and suffering upon a world too light, too unbalanced. I had never believed those tales, those myths, until I saw the three men before me now.
My entire body becomes numb in their presence and then their combined powers crash into me without restraint. I sigh at the contact as it sinks into me and soothes the rawest parts of body.
“Give her to us, now .” His voice is a cooling balm smothering my skin and caressing my wounds.
I hate my body for reacting this way, especially to a man whose last words were to kill me, but I’m too weak to fight it. I’m in too much pain to care.
The man holding my throat doesn’t seem to hear the demon’s words because he doesn’t react. He just stands there, tightening his grip upon my windpipe .
And I know he does not like to repeat himself.
“If you move any closer, I’ll kill her,” is my captor’s response and, to solidify his point, he sends another burst of fiery pain throughout my body. “I’ll do it!”
I bite my tongue and grind my teeth. I try anything I can to help fight against the unbearable pain spiking all over. I want to be strong; I need to be strong, but when the fire continues internally burning, sizzling my nerves and causing new blood to pool in my mouth— an agonising sound escapes.
So loud and piercing; it’s a monstrous sound.
I'm on the ground, barely feeling the impact as I gasp and gulp in the smoky air, desperate to fill my aching lungs. My hands race to my mouth, coughing and spluttering. When I pull them away, I see the garish red of blood staining my palms.
I hear gurgling, like someone is drowning, and peer up with bleary eyes to see my captor.
Hanging above me.
He’s suspended in the air seemingly by an invisible force until I look closer and see thin lines of iridescent blue twisting like barbed wire into his rigid body.
Sai’s eyes are fluctuating between the brightest blue I’ve ever seen them, piercing even through the darkness, and a bottomless black which seem to stare into this man’s very soul. His power continues radiating in crackling flashes, the intensity causing the air to electrify and create flashes of lightning. It’s more power than I’ve ever felt from him before, yet I know this is only a taste of his capabilities.
Rather than being scared, the notion excites me.
It’s at that very moment, I decide my brain has been cut off from oxygen for far too long and I attempt to move. It results in sharp shooting pains all over my body and I hiss from the sensation.
“Try to stay still.” Julien's low voice makes my weak power purr. Only now do I realise he’s crouched beside me; he’s the reason I didn’t feel the hard bite of the ground.
His scarlet gaze searches every feature of my face before lingering upon my throat, which I’m holding. “We’re deciding what to do with him but seeing you like this… it’s hard to think rationally.”
I glance up, barely able to make out the demon and fae through the thick cloud of dust. They’re staring at my previous captor as he hangs in the air, he’s no longer producing sounds but his body is twitching.
Then it drops .
I jolt in surprise as the lump of a man, one who had me screaming in agony moments ago, now lays soundlessly at my feet.
“We agree, the Pit.” The demon languidly looks between Sai and Julien. I assume, and hope, ‘the Pit’ means something much more severe than a giant hole in the ground. “Sai.”
Sai’s eyes still remain on the man. I can see the tension in his body, feel the rage coursing through him as he takes choppy breaths. The urge to soothe him is innate, but impossible in my current state. If anything, that seems to amplify my own pain.
Then he looks at me. “Just so you know, Red, I voted to kill him.”
I have no idea how to respond as his piercing eyes search all of me, roaming over the many injuries, the trails of blood, my throat… there’s a sudden flare in his gaze and his markings pulse intensely.
“I’ve changed my mind.”
“Sai, we need him alive for questioning.” The demon’s voice slices through the air as he steps towards Sai, placing one hand upon the fae’s shoulder for reassurance but also in warning.
Everything is silent for a moment and then the sounds of chaos resume.
There’s less screaming and movement now, instead, there are sobs and pleas which create a terrifying harmony.
I swallow, wincing at the stinging ache it causes, before finally speaking. “I need to see Lewis.”
“Who?” Sai’s markings and eyes flare again.
“The fire elemental,” Julien calmly explains, gently picking up my hand and placing it into his large palm. “Your fingers, they’re black.”
“What?” I say in a daze, his touch spreading an immediate warmth throughout my body which I can’t ignore. I glance down at my hands, seeing the inky-black coating my fingers. “It happened... before.”
I feel their eyes searing into me before casting glances at each other. Even with the horrific background sounds, I revel in the silence whilst they communicate. The soft hum indicates the intensity of their conversation. During which, I stare back at the man on the floor when he groans.
Sai clicks his fingers, the man’s body jolts, he’s still again.
“You need healing,” Julien suddenly states. I realise their silent conversation must be over .
“I need... to see Lewis,” I reply, gripping Julien's hand, which hasn’t moved from holding mine, in preparation to stand. That’s when I notice the blood, my blood, covering his skin. My scent must be overwhelming, all-consuming, even in a room where the air tastes metallic. “My blood, it’s everywhere… How are you—”
“Now isn’t the time for those answers, Little Empath,” at his soft murmur, my eyes peer up into his. “After.”
Even this close, I can’t sense or feel anything akin to hunger. Although it seems my powers have temporality left me because when I try to use Julien as a crutch to walk, my legs shake and I instantly lose my footing.
His large hands consume my entire waist, pulling me up and into him like I’m weightless. I steady myself against his side which is when I feel a new emotion brim, one of concern. I widen my eyes as I stare at all three.
“Look... before you... came, I was doing... just fine.” My voice is weak, my breathing is erratic, I’m anything but fine. “I just… my power...”
The demon’s on the phone now, ignoring me and monotonously giving orders, I hear the word ‘healers’ and ‘crisis team’ at some point but the rest is blurred by Sai’s voice.
“Yeah, looked like it, Red. Especially with this guy’s hand around your throat,” he taunts, it’s mixture of sarcasm and real anger which drips from every syllable and makes me feel a range of contradictory emotions. “What happened to ‘I don’t need your help’ , ‘I decide who touches me’ ?”
I grind my teeth. “You see… all those bodies... over there?” I ask, tilting my chin in the direction because my arms won’t allow it.
Sai casts a slow glance in the indicated direction behind him, before giving me a little shrug. “Could have been anyone.” He finally smirks, hands casually slipping into his pant pockets as he steps closer.
My mouth pops open and brows pull together in fury. I feel my power attempting to build again, eager to be out and re-joined with them. This time, when I try to use it, it causes a deep, sharp jab. I wince and falter on my feet once more.
“Enough, she needs healing,” Julien warns.
Sai’s attempts at riling me end immediately, I see it in the way his smirk disintegrates and his expression darkens .
“How bad is it?” His concerned voice is so alien to me. He steps even closer and I’m so captivated by the sudden change in his demeanour I hardly react when the demon is suddenly before me too.
“What did they look like?” he orders, hardly a question, he sees my confusion and his brows narrow in annoyance before he adds, “The people who did this.”
“Take it easy, mate,” Sai warns, eyeing the demon with clear disapproval and I think Julien pulls me even closer into his side.
“Green robes,” I begin, memories flooding me, the reminiscent feeling of the Green Robe’s power cutting into me and making my spine throb. “Green robes… four of them... a warlock and… and there was a healer,” I recount quickly, my voice raspy, taking breaths every chance I can. “Then him.” I nod towards the unconscious body. “The rest… all in black… humans...so many… I—”
I wince, keeling over to try and counteract the slicing in my lungs. Something isn’t right. Julien's grip is steel, they’re having another conversation but it never falters, then the demon’s back on me.
“You need to tell me exactly what happened.” His dark eyes are intent on mine. “How did they get in, where did—”
“Enough,” Julien's voice bellows in a soft but clear order. The demon stops but his eyes darken at the tone. “She can answer questions after but she needs healing, now . She can hardly stand, can barely breathe and she has severe internal bleeding.”
Severe? The sudden image of my blood pooling inside of me, right now, makes me feel dizzy.
I assume, by the intense eye contact between the two, that another silent battle is commencing. One that Julien is unwilling to back down from as his grip tightens around me.
Sai stands behind the demon and to the side, openly scoffing every now and then. Then he frowns, glances behind and back to me. “Can you tell the Little Mermaid to stop?”
I frown back, confused. Until I hear someone shouting my name... Louise. She slowly comes into view, waves of her water crashing into an invisible barrier which is surrounding us.
My heart leaps at her appearance. I begin to step towards her but stumble, Julien's speed and hold being the only reason I remain upright .
“Get off of her!” Louise shrieks as she sends another blast of water towards us. It hits the barrier and is easily repelled.
“Let her in.” I turn to Sai, knowing this is him. He considers it for a moment, sticking out his lower lip and narrowing his gaze in thought. “Please... she needs to see me,” I add, forcing the words through gritted teeth.
Louise was pounding against the invisible ward but now falls into the space. She quickly regains her composure, icy curls whipping across her damp, marred skin as she heads directly towards me. Her hands immediately strike out and shove me in the chest, hard, so hard that Julien moves as though to step before me, but I softly shake my head at him.
She shoves me again; I wince but she doesn’t see it.
“How could you!” she cries out. Another push at my shoulders, softer this time. I hiss slightly but force myself to endure this. “You could have… you were going to…”
Her angry cries continue as her pushes become gentler, hardly a push at all, until eventually her arms drop to her sides. Watery, pale blue eyes rise to greet mine.
“You knew you would die, you knew you wouldn’t make it…” she whispers, tears falling freely along her ashy, bloodstained cheeks. “How could you do that to me? How could you do that to us? How would we—”
Her forehead falls upon my aching chest. Her hot tears sinking through the blood-soaked material of my dress and into my bare skin. Her emotions flood me and I drink them in, use it to power the muscles in my arms so I can drape them around her shuddering shoulders.
She crouches into me as she shakes and I hold her as tightly as I can, completely aware of the three enforcers surrounding us in silence.
“I’m sorry, Lou,” I murmur sincerely, stroking her damp hair and ignoring my hands which tremble. I take a deep, painful breath, my gaze feeling heavy. “It’s OK... to be mad at me.”
Her crying instantly stops, she looks up at me and that steely expression I know so well returns.
“At you? No, I’m mad at them!” She steps away from me and directs her vicious gaze in a circle, taking her time to stare at each enforcer.
My own eyes widen in panic as she opens her mouth .
“You gave her a death sentence,” she snarls, her ferocious tone feeding the tense atmosphere. “She was going to kill herself to save us because she knew she would die either way! You made her do this!” Her arms fly out around her to indicate the club.
The enforcers’ gaze doesn’t move from her, but mine does.
I take in the surroundings, the piles of bodies she’s indicating to, the ones I had previously flaunted about to Sai. A heavy wedge of guilt slices into my gut and I stumble.
“ You made her access that dark part of—”
“Lou, stop.” I catch her wrist, but she refuses to look at me. Her fury practically burns my skin as I attempt to hold on.
“You want to kill me too, huh?!” she yells, large orbs of water forming in her palms. “Is that what gets you off?!”
“Lou, stop this, you need to stop,” I beg, terrified at the anger I can feel building all around me. I try to move closer but Julien seems to be holding me firmer and I feel the fine thread holding them all from that final step before chaos.
“The dark should have been banished years ago, you sick—”
“Stop,” I order, this voice is cold and hard, barely alive. The power in that tone is enough for Louise to finally look at me. Her eyes widen a fraction, before a film covers the vicious flare emanating a moment ago. “No more.”
She slowly nods, her eyes transfixed with mine. Her anger, fear, terror, it all bleeds into me. I grit my teeth at the sharp pain it causes but her orbs of water finally disintegrate and her hands fall to her sides.
“Pull it back,” Julien interrupts, his voice only audible because of his proximity. “Or you’ll die.”
Will I?
The final reserves of my power seem to blur all the previous aches except the burning. I force my cloudy thoughts to piece together, forcing my nails to embed my skin and ground me a final time.
“Where is Lewis?” I ask, my voice is a curse now, she has no choice but to respond.
Her hazy gaze softens slightly. “He’s safe with the others outside, he’ll be fine.” The knowledge that Lewis is alive removes the mental hook keeping me here and now, I didn’t really care what happened .
I manage the briefest smile as I slowly pull away from Louise’s skin. The moment I do, my entire body droops, the pain returns tenfold and I feel my power finally seep away.
Julien is the only thing that stops me hitting the ground.
“Fuck,” someone mutters and I feel additional hands touching me, but I can’t recognise whose.
There’s a gasp then more hands.
“Don’t you dare die on us, don’t you fucking dare, Jasmine!” Louise is yelling; I think, but the sound is muffled. “I need you!”
I want to tell her to stop, warn her that she needs to leave now before the enforcers finally lose their temper, but the numbness finally permeates my muscles and now I’m floating.
Warmth and the dark are all that greet me now.