Precious Anathema (24 page)

“
Brandon, look out!” Before
I could speak the men scattered from me, they were afraid and
that’s when I realized that jumping out at spirits parading around
as living men, living men who wanted nothing more than to see me
die a painful and torturous death may have been a hasty choice. I
outstretched my arms and held out my hands, open and face up with
my eyes closed in case these would be my last words.

“
I am sorry I scared you, I
am just happy to have some contact please come out I won’t hurt
you.” I kept my eyes closed as I heard the bushes around me rustle
from the movements of men.

“
Please don’t be afraid of
us Ma’am, we don’t want to hurt anyone either. Like you we appear
to have gotten lost.” I opened my eyes and a dark haired man with a
sincere smile held his hand out to mine. They had no idea who I
was, Tempest was right about this being my only chance with them,
and apparently Ailen had been right as well as I seemed to have
been forgotten, I never thought I would be so happy to find out
that I was invisible after all. I spoke up before I lost my
nerve.

“
What are you all doing out
here?” I watched as dozens of men came out from behind the trees
around me. I had no idea there had been so many of them around me
in the maze of the basement, as I looked at all of their faces now
so young and concerned for my safety out here, my heart became very
heavy and sad at the thought of what had been done to them. The
taller man that had been fighting spoke up before the sweet dark
haired man could answer, making him roll his eyes and step out of
the way.

“
Hello Madam, my name is
Brandon and we are on a quest.” He looked back at the other men
quickly before turning back to me to speak in a whisper. “It is a
secret quest we cannot tell you about, but if you would like to
accompany us to stay safe we welcome you.” I swallowed so hard that
it hurt inside my chest just thinking about continuing beside them
through the woods, knowing that at any moment they
could
remember
who
they are looking for
and
what
they
intended to do to
her
. I shook his outstretched hand and smiled.

“
Thank you so much, my name
is Ella and I have lost my companions so I would be very happy to
travel with you.” I hoped that using my nickname would help keep my
secret without lying to them just long enough to find out how I
would convince them to quit their quest and join me in
mine.

“
Nice to meet you Ella, if
it is ok with you I think we should rest here for a while before
continuing, and this way you can get to know all of us a little
better as well.” I nodded and sat down on a stump as he began to
delegate to the other men for wood and berries. They all appeared
annoyed by him, but he kept on giving orders seemingly unaware. I
started to question more than the fact that they seemed oblivious
to the idea that they should at least try to remember what they
were doing in the woods; I heard one of the men yell out as he ran
through a brush full of thorns. They seemed to have no knowledge
that they were dead, no memory of their rare and somewhat
transparent existence at all. I thought that if I were going to win
them, I had to understand them better, with the fire burning bright
from dead limbs and dried up leaves everyone settled around the
warmth and I started to ask the obvious questions.

“
So many of you, Brandon
how do you all know one another?” Both Brandon and Scott looked at
me, puzzled as in cooperation tried to give me an answer and at the
same time they looked around the fire at all the other men.
Realizing that we sat in awkward silence Scott began to tell me the
made up tale behind the group.

“
We are all hunters, and we
met some time ago during a quest deciding that as a pack we are
mightier than alone.” Brandon actually coughed up a berry and threw
it at Scott; I didn’t want to laugh and give away my secret but
smiled in spite of myself at his reaction. They acted like any
other men I knew, they all told made up stories, laughed at bad
jokes and each one tried to be the alpha among the others. I
started to think of them more as men, than of tortured spirits. I
started knowing each one not only by his appearance, but as his
name. Casey, Keith, Jeremiah, Aaron, Eric, Jeff, Bryan, Conrad,
Gabriel, Leo, Marc, Chadwick, and Kevin just to name a few of them,
this insight would prove to be the ace I held in my pocket to
ensure all of us getting out of the woods somewhat alive and
together. Scott realized late in the afternoon that I had been the
one asking all the questions, and shifted the weight of the world
back to me.

“
Ella you never did tell us
how or why you ended up lost in the thick wood, tell us a little
about yourself.” Here was my chance to play my damsel in distress
card, as much as I hated the idea I knew it would work on the
chivalrous nature in each of them.

“
I was traveling with my
family and longtime friend to get home when my family and I became
separated as we entered the forest and then my male companion went
to find help and never returned, I am not sure that any of them are
alive and fear my own death if I am left to face what lies beyond
the woods alone.” I shed a few tears for affect, and curled up in a
fetal position to show fear. I had no idea what I was doing, but
one by one watched the men actually sit up taller like a protector
and one by one they began telling me that they would postpone their
quest to ensure my safe return home. I had them all eating out of
my hands, I had done it. I had won over the savage souls and would
see the real world again. It was then I became aware of someone
else near us. I heard another set of hands, not from my head but
from behind me, clapping, slowly and getting louder. I heard the
low laugh and turned with a smile as my heart came out of my chest
at the sight before me, then I heard the words that crushed my
soul.

“
You stupid little girl,
did you really think I was going to let you get out of
here?”

TWENTY THREE

The sun was suddenly covered by a
large black cloud, the birds began to fly from the woods in large
groups and the temperature dropped what felt like ten degrees in a
moment as Freya threw her book on the floor and ran out of the room
without a word.

“
Freya, what’s wrong please
stop!” I screamed as I chased her threw the hall. “What is going
on?” I caught up with her at the top of the staircase and watched
as the light that had been filtering through the Estate became
darker as we ran to the stairs. A big storm was coming, that was
clear but why it was affecting Freya this way was not. We reached
the entry way and she began yelling, voice shaking and
panicked.

“
Kali, Carna come now!” She
took off into the study and stopped long enough to put her arm out
stopping me in my tracks. “Xander, say nothing about our
conversation because hell is about to be upon us and I will need
you.” She left me in the large room, with the light almost gone as
if hours had just past us by. Kali and Carna ran by me into the
study and I was afraid to move as I felt the temperature drop
again. I sat on the floor by the doorway so I could listen to them
as they lowered their voices.

“
It’s opening early and I
don’t know why.” Freya sounded as if she would cry; I couldn’t see
her but heard her chin quiver as the words came out. Carna spoke
anxiously to her mother.

“
Opening, what do you mean
opening? I thought only Delilah came out, not that I would open and
allow anything else out.” I heard Carna sit on the couch hard as
Kali gasped.

“
That is what Tempest meant
by helping Ella
after
she was through the woods isn’t it? We are opening hell to
earth if we want to get her out aren’t we Freya?” I felt my heart
race as I looked out the window, it was only four in the afternoon
but the sky looked more like it was almost nine. I had a quick
thought; if it was open then we could get inside. I jumped up from
the floor and started running to the door, when something stopped
me. I felt my feet come off the ground and saw the wall and then
the ceiling as my back was pulled violently to the
ground.

“
Xander, where do you think
you are going?” I opened my eyes, but everything was a haze from
the lack of air I could take into my lungs. “You should not have
been listening to us, and attempting to go inside that spell would
kill you.” I felt hands around my arms and as my vision improved I
could see Freya, and the aunts were helping me to my
feet.

“
I
have
to try to help her Freya,
I
can’t
leave her
alone. She
needs
to know that I
didn’t
betray her!” Freya walked closer to me and
smiled.

“
The anger she feels in her
heart for you right now may be the only fighting chance she has to
get out alive, you can’t go to her. All any of us can do is prepare
for what is coming.” Behind her I heard footsteps, it was Eris and
she was looking out the window with fear in her eyes.

“
Mom, what
is
coming?” Everyone
backed away and watched as Eris put her hands up to her face and
began to cry. Carna put her arms around her daughter to comfort her
as Freya and Kali looked at one another, it was as if they were
speaking but no one could hear, then Kali put her head down to look
at the floor and raised her head with fire in her eyes. I looked to
Freya as Kali began screaming for her daughter. We were all silent
as we waited to hear footsteps, but none came, Selene was
gone.

*

“
What are you doing here,
like this?” My knees trembled as I looked into his eyes; I thought
I would fall down crying at the sight of someone so close to my
real world and as I realized what it meant for him to be here, to
get in here. He stepped closer and looked me in the eye, bringing
his hand up to brush my tangled hair out of my face and
smiled.

“
It seems that beyond all
obstacles you are almost home, and
we
can’t have that.” We, why was he
talking to me like this?

“
Israel, how did
you
get in here,
I
need
to know so
we can get out
please
!” He raised his finger and pressed it against my lips as he
shook his head.

“
You don’t seem to
understand me
little
girl, you are
not
leaving here
ever
.” Brandon walked up to stand
next to me and looked Israel up and down with a cold stare before
looking at me with a smile.

“
Are you ok Ella?” I wasn’t
sure if I were ok or not. This was Xander’s father, not some
stranger to me and yet I didn’t recognize his tone or
expressions.

“
Israel, is that you?” His
sideways smirk told me more than his words as he laughed and raised
an eyebrow at my question.

“
Trust me you pint-sized
princess it’s a good thing I’m not Israel. He plans to have you
killed, all I want to do is keep you here but I can kill you if
that’s what it takes.” Israel plans to have me killed? I started to
open my mouth when two dozen men came into my peripheral vision, we
were surrounded by angry tortured spirits and they looked like they
wanted ‘whoever’ this was for lunch. He looked a bit panicked as
they moved in.

“
Back off all of you, what
is the big idea, you work for me!” They worked for him? Was this
Emma right in front of me, taking the form of a man? A female voice
I recognized caused me to turn and look behind the
trees.

“
No, that’s not Emma but I
am Bitch!” Selene stepped out from the dark thicket and I couldn’t
speak, couldn’t move just felt closed in as all the men created a
shield around me.

“
Selene, I know that’s not
true. You are stronger than this; I know that you are, just try to
fight her out of you!” I heard her laugh getting closer but
couldn’t see anything passed the large bodies of men. A soft male
voice began to speak into my ear from inside the wall.

“
Ella, I don’t know who
these people are but we won’t let them get to you.” I turned my
head to see Scott start whispering his plan to the other men; I
thought about how sad it would be when they figure out that they
want to kill me, these amazing men who did nothing wrong in life,
trapped and tortured by the woman who stood between freedom and
death to us all. I couldn’t tell them who she was, I couldn’t let
them hurt Selene and I knew that’s why she came to me like this. I
couldn’t hurt her without it hurting someone I love. I still
couldn’t figure out how they got in, and got ahead of us. I ran a
few scenarios through my head listening to Israel verbally fight
with them. They had to come in from the exit, we must be close to
it, and if they got in that meant it had to be open and maybe I
could use some of my magic. I closed my eyes and felt my ears turn
red when I heard a clap of thunder roll through the sky and shake
the ground we stood on. Selene reached for a branch to steady
herself and I stepped away from the wall of men.