Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Sage
Agasp like I can finally breathe wakes me. It’s as though I’ve just taken my first real breath for far too long.
Hack.
I can feel him stronger than ever before. His pain, his longing, it all accentuates my own and I burst into tears, unable to hold them back.
Everything from George, to Trina, to Danika, dying over and over again, all the lives that have been cut short, the love that I’ve missed, the love that is but a dream away…
the sobs are for all of it, every teardrop full of loss and hurt.
Some have a glimmer of hope, that positive spark I love to cling to so much, trying to push forward.
“Sage?” Saffron’s soft voice makes me close my eyes and take a deep, shuddering breath. “Has something happened?”
Another deep breath helps to calm me and the freefalling tears streaking down my cheeks begin to slow.
“I think Hack has just had his visit with my mother. Our bond has been strengthened.” In my last dream visit he said that was his next stop. Visiting the goddess Hekate. Never not gonna be weird that she’s my mother.
“That’s amazing! How long do you think it’ll take for him to find you now?
” Because that’s the whole point. Our bond usually leads him straight to me, but the wards around the mountain have thrown everything off.
Visiting Hekate was our last hope of him having any idea where I am because she must be linked to me in some way, too.
“No idea. But when the veil thins on Halloween, he can usually find me before the day is over.”
“Okay, we’re on a twenty-four hour countdown then. And we’ll be saved by the time it’s over.” I think Saffron is the reason I haven’t fallen into a pit of depression. In fact, I know she is. Her optimism is keeping our hope alive and I’m here for it.
We both fall silent when the clip clip clip of shoes echoes through the space outside our mini-caves. It isn’t the same echo that we usually hear when Mera and Aggie come around with bread and water.
“Ah, there she is. The new troublemaker.”
A man wearing a dark-red kimono and Hamaka pants with a silvery diamond pattern is standing in front of my cell. The clip clip clip had come from his shiny black boots with a small heel.
“The harpies tell me that you’re Sage, and the one with purple hair is Saffron.”
I wish I knew that for myself, but in all our time spent together, I have no idea what she looks like because she can’t appear in the dreams, only facilitate them…or something like that.
“And you are?”
This feels like that Beauty and the Beast moment where Beast steps into the light and Belle gasps at the sight of him, because this man is gasp-worthy.
But absolutely not in the strangely hot way Beast is.
Snakes writhe around his head in place of hair, and bright yellow eyes like that of a reptile are peering through the bars at me.
“Feisty little thing, aren’t you.” Not a question, and I move backward into the darkness, away from what feels like danger.
“It seems you are in a position we didn’t anticipate.
And now, I’ve been called in.” He sighs, picking at his fingernails and pacing as though he’s bored.
“Because you, girl, are extremely traceable.” Sharp and fast, he stops pacing and snaps his gaze in my direction, the disturbing snakes on his head hissing.
“It’s my job to make you disappear…technically speaking because we still need you until the…
” He trails off and clears his throat, bored pacing again.
“What do you need me for?” If I can make him spill even a little more information, then it’ll be more than I currently have.
“Stupid anthros-witchling. It’s not all about you, but you are essential.” His deep chuckle is unsettling.
Stepping forward, he pulls a key from his Hamaka pants’ pocket and unlocks the cell, opening the door of bars with a stiffness I would imagine from someone with a broken neck. Maybe all those snakes on his head are too heavy…
“Get out.” He leaves no room for argument, but that doesn’t mean I’m in the mood to comply.
“Why?” I’ve been here for weeks and this is the first time I’ve been asked to step outside the cell. Well, not that he asked. More like ordered.
“I don’t have time for you to question everything. We are on a deadline. Get. Out. Now.”
“No.” Although, a part of me is curious, because maybe he’s the same guy who took Danika, and she was only here for a few days before she had to leave. But Saffron has remained for years…I don’t understand any of this and I’m torn between staying with Saffron or the chance at a lead on Danika.
The ground vibrates and a deafening growl makes me cover my ears right before a large white paw slams down beside snake-guy. From my position, I can’t see the whole of what it’s attached to, but if I had to guess, I’d say it’s a giant wolf.
“Shall I ask my friend here to pull you out with his teeth, claws…?”
I guess I’m coming out.
The space outside the cell feels smaller with what I guessed correctly to be a giant wolf taking up a whole lotta room. I wonder if it’s a human, like a shifter or something. Hack said they exist, but I didn’t think they were giant.
“Now what?” I’m avoiding making any eye contact with those snakes of his because I’m pretty sure he’s like a gorgon or something, unless I am mixing up my Greek mythology with what’s real…
because I have zero idea either way. This is all assumptions here because my supernatural knowledge, in any life, has been minimal.
“If you move, the fenrir has permission to maim you.” He doesn’t wait to see if I’m obeying his command as he steps toward Saffron’s cell and opens that next. “Get out.”
“Well you’re very rude.” A petite woman, shorter than me, with pastel-purple hair that falls in messy knots below her ass, walks out of the cell.
There’s a slight wobble in her steps, but with the aid of the wall, she makes her way over toward me and links her arm through mine.
“Nice to officially meet you.” She gives my arm a gentle squeeze but keeps her gaze forward.
Like me, she’s probably watching for what is going to happen next.
“Now follow me.” His silent threat moves behind us as we obey, its legs as long as we are tall, which means its teeth are definitely not worth starting a fight with. At least not until we have some kind of clue as to what’s going on.
It doesn’t take me long to realize that Saffron’s wobbly legs on exiting her cell is a permanent thing.
I don’t know the exact number of years she’s been cooped up in that cell because she doesn’t know herself, but it’s been enough that she’s lost count.
Her weakened body is a testament to that and it explains why she insisted I regularly exercise and stay on my feet rather than giving in to the boredom and staying seated.
There isn’t much to see, other than rock walls, the occasional damp patch or puddle to step over, until we finally reach an opening.
Tall, thin mountains covered in greenery and strange dome-shaped trees of pinkish-red are all I can see, some with doorways, which is kinda cool if those are homes.
Disappointing that I won’t get to investigate and explore, seeing as Mr. Gorgon is charging full-speed ahead and there’s a fenrir up our asses.
My energy levels are severely depleted, but considering my diet of bread and water for the last month, I’m doing pretty damn well.
It’s my birthday the day after Halloween, and according to Saffron, this close to my thirtieth birthday means I should already be feeling some things.
Not that she has any idea what a hybrid witch-goddess will experience.
Maybe this strength to continue walking while my legs feel like jelly comes from my kyn side.
I really should get used to thinking of the supernatural as kyn.
“Oh my goddess, will I live forever?” I blurt the question out in a loud whisper, just for Saffron, even though she has no idea of my thought process that prompted me to ask.
She chuckles, but before she can answer, Mr. Gorgon stops in his tracks and spins on the spot to face us, making us stop too so we don’t walk into him.
“You will not live forever, no, for you have an expiry date once the seal is opened. Now, do not speak again. Your voices are abhorrent.” He doesn’t raise his voice at all, more of a quiet telling off, before he turns and begins walking again.
It looks as though he’s listening for something, searching for something, but he walks with determination all the same, his hair-snakes writhing at all times.
I really want to talk, to ask questions, to delve more into what he said about this seal and yet another expiration date for me. I overcame the before thirty thing…unless fate is playing a cruel trick on me and I’m still going to permanently die before I hit my birthday. Fuck it.
“What seal is going to be opened?” May as well go straight in for a big question. It feels important and if I can feed any of this information back to Hack in our next dream walk, then he may be able to make more sense of everything.
Quicker than I can blink, he spins again and a sharp pain heats my cheek. That fucker just back-handed me. From behind, a large paw pushes me forward when I stop to clutch at my face in shock.
“I said do not speak again. Let that be your only warning.” He continues walking as though he didn’t almost knock me out with one hit.
Me, on the other hand, well, my head is now throbbing, my cheek hot and raw, and I still want to ask questions. But also, I’m not stupid.
The landscape doesn’t change for what feels like hours until we pass through one of the strange dome-shaped trees into…
The Shade. The dizzy feeling I get when passing through a portal wasn’t there this time, so maybe I’m getting used to them?
But also…we’re in The Shade. I recognize this train station vibe for portals.
If Saffron and I just run off now, we could escape.
We could truly make it by going through any one of these portals or screaming for help.
It’s too late. We’re pushed through a new portal before I can conduct some kind of plan and now I need to rethink.
Escaping feels entirely possible though.
Saffron can fly away with her beautiful transparent-purple wings that glitter in the current moonlight.
She can get help and I can run as far as my weak legs will carry me until they inevitably catch me again, awaiting the help Saffron gets. Easy.
In theory.
Through the portal, the landscape is completely different than where we were.
The moonlight accentuates the fog around our feet as we walk through a thick marshland.
Shallow water and moss or grass or something in a variety of greens and browns is the main color palette, plus…
yes! A couple of homes. They look kind of like large shacks on raised sleeper logs with crooked wooden steps leading to off-center doors.
Tugging on Saffron’s arm that she still has linked through mine, I get her attention and nod toward the homes, trying to communicate with my eyes that we should run to one and ask for help. She shakes her head, telling me no, but that feels so defeatist and unlike what I know of her.
We can do this.
As we pass closer to the homes, I start yelling.
“Help us! Get Hack! The Horsemen!”
Not only do I yell, but I’m running too, with Saffron firmly in my grip because I won’t leave her with them.
Mr. Gorgon and the fenrir prowl toward us, fast enough to keep up with our run, but barely breaking a sweat.
We get to the first door and I bang on the wood, hoping that the light from the square hole in the side of the house—where a window would usually be—means someone is home.
A woman answers, tall and lithe, all the grace of a queen, but her home is full of spider webs.
She looks us up and down, then rolls her deep-black eyes.
“Run to the woods. I can’t help you.” Slamming the door in our faces is all the encouragement we need to bolt, because this is clearly a dead end and I really don’t want to get caught. He slapped me for asking a question…
It’s like they’re not even trying, enjoying the chase, but Mr. Gorgon and the fenrir are still prowling toward us at their leisurely pace, the promise of pain in their eyes.
The tall forest here is dark, almost black, with the trees shaped like a noble fir. It’ll be easy to get lost, especially considering I have no idea where we are.
“Where are we?” I whisper, continuing to lead us farther into the darkness.
“East Kohrye, I think. This is my first time too.” Her legs are still uneasy beneath her but we’re going as fast as our bodies will allow us, which isn’t as fast as I would like but it will do. “Over there.” She points. “Kyn.”
I see three bodies, all with hair that moves like Mr. Gorgon’s, which feels like it doesn’t bode well for us. If they’re his kyn, they’re not going to want to protect an anthros-witch-goddess and a faerie. Despite my hesitation, Saffron takes the lead in their direction.
“Please, help us!”
The three all turn as we get closer, and I realize they’re probably a family. The woman gorgon is holding a baby in her arms and a young boy with much tinier snakes than the others is holding the hand of the male gorgon.
A few feet away from them, our hopes are dashed—more like brutally murdered—in front of our faces.
The female gorgon shouts, “Run!” right before her head explodes, quickly followed by the male’s head, and the next small silver exploding pouch lands beside the two headless bodies, blowing them up too, but missing the young boy, young gorgon, who is long gone, running through the trees.
Another explosion lands in front of us when we attempt to run, then another and another, each blocking our escape direction.
The small explosions aren’t enough to hurt us, it seems they have to come into contact with the thing they’re trying to blow up, but they are enough to stop us from moving forward for fear of being hit.
That dash of hope I keep clinging on to is getting smaller by the day, and with the anger practically vibrating from Mr. Gorgon and his scary-as-fuck fenrir pal, I see pain in our future.
My intuition and instinct are usually on point, although it was way off with the whole escape attempt, but this time, I know I’m not wrong.
If I had the time to give us a card reading, I’d have a much better idea what to expect, of how long this promised pain is going to last. Instead, Mr. Gorgon smirks, his human face distorted with the action.
“I have to say, thank you. I’ve been searching for an excuse to make you both bleed.”