The Vaga (23 page)

The beast lowers its head, stamping the ground harder.

‘That thing looks like it’s going to charge us. But it can’t do that, right? I mean, you protected this place, right!?’

Before I can respond, the beast does charge, its powerful legs bulleting it straight towards us. Neither one of us breathes.

Its body slams into the warding, sending a pounding echo through the property that courses through us, throwing us a little off balance. I see the shield flicker.

It’s not going to hold.

I grab Phoebe’s arm and push her towards the house. ‘Run!’

We take off and race through the door.

‘What was that noise?’ Ben says, looking out the window.

‘Get your stuff now, we have to go!’ I yell. ‘Aunt Lily? We have to go now!’

Where is she?

‘Aunt Lily?’ I call upstairs. ‘Everyone get your stuff and stand there.’ I point to the entryway. ‘I’ll be right back.’

‘But I don’t understand?’ says Nina.

‘Just get all the stuff, Mum, hurry,’ Phoebe says, collecting all their bags and huddling them together.

I race up the stairs and find Aunt Lily standing frozen at my bedroom window, looking towards the tree line where the beast is getting ready for another charge.

I grab her arm. ‘Aunt Lily, we have to go.’

Her face is pale, and she raises a shaky finger towards the creature. ‘What…what…?’ she stammers.

I roughly turn her body to face me. ‘Look at me.’ Her eyes blink once, but they remain unfocused. She’s in shock. My chest tightens knowing that this is all my fault. I pull her into me and teleport downstairs.

Tom jumps, letting out a small scream as I land in front of them.

‘Mr. Campbell, take Aunt Lily quick!’ I thrust her towards him and he wraps his big arm around her shoulders tightly.

‘What’s happening?’ he says, fear lining his voice.

The house shakes as the beast takes another shot at the shield. Tom cradles into his father’s other arm.

I look at their scared faces, their eyes wide and confused. Do they blame me? Are they angry? Guilt claws at my chest.

‘I’m so sorry I have to put you through this. I never meant for this to happen.’

Phoebe moves forward to hug me. ‘This is not your fault.’ She pulls away, flashing me one of her familiar smiles, and then her face hardens as she turns on her family. ‘Right, everyone grab onto each other. This is going to feel weird, but don’t let go, no matter what happens.’

Everyone clasps hands and I take one last look around at my favourite place in the world. So many memories are captured here. Will I ever see it again? A knot forms in my stomach.

I teleport them out.

We land outside the teepee and the breeze off the
swamp brings with it a smell of damp earth and grass clippings. I wasn’t sure whether bringing them to Taqôq Wiyon was the best choice but I know that it’s the safest place for them right now. He won’t let anything happen to them.

‘I think I’m going to be sick,’ Tom says, putting his head between his legs.

Ben places his hand on his son’s back. ‘You’ll be right, Tom. Just take a few deep breaths.’ As he takes a look around he says, ‘Where are we?’

‘My home,’ Taqôq Wiyon says, appearing out of nowhere and startling everyone, including me.

I move forward and embrace him, sensing that he is not completely happy with me. I then go about introducing him to everyone else and within moments he has won them over with his warm and gentle nature. I was hoping that his eyes weren’t going to freak everyone out, but it’s as if they don’t even notice. He grabs Aunt Lily’s hand and his soft words calm her nerves, bringing more colour back into her face.

‘You are welcome here. Come. Have some rest.’ He ushers everyone inside the teepee before stopping me with his hand. ‘Not you, Ray of Sun. You and me need to talk.’ He shuts the smoke flap in my face.

My eyes widen in surprise. I obviously sensed correctly. He’s upset with me alright.

I put my hands in my pockets and make my way over to the log, feeling a little wounded. The sound of a bullfrog somewhere in the wet landscape echoes out to me as I wait for him to join me.

Thoughts of my family, Erebus, and Julian swarm my mind. Fear is something I have had to learn to control in my life. It’s been an oppressive presence for as long as I can remember, and I’ve been able to keep it at bay most of the time. But now it stalks me like a ravenous beast, hiding in the shadows, waiting for me to let my guard down, and somehow I feel like whatever is coming will bring about the end in one way or another. The feeling sits like a lead weight in my gut.

I pick up a strand of grass and start to peel away its edges, lost in my own murky thoughts.

He emerges a little while later and takes a seat beside me, his opaque eyes washing over me. ‘It has begun?’

‘Yes.’ I then tell him what has transpired since I last saw him. He remains silent and thoughtful the whole time.

He reaches out and pats my hand. ‘You need to be strong now, Ray of Sun. Darkness is powerful, but it cannot survive in light. Remember that.’

I try and smile but it doesn’t reach my lips.

We sit in silence, looking out over the misty swamp. His presence calms the battle going on inside me and I wish I didn’t have to leave.

‘You think maybe this is the end?’ he asks.

I feel my throat close up. ‘There is a part of me that thinks that, yes.’

He smiles. ‘Maybe, maybe not.’

I keep my eyes on the swamp, knowing he isn’t finished but nevertheless surprised at his words.

Maybe it is the end? Maybe this is a war I cannot win?

‘There is a story, Ray of Sun, about old man sitting on log, teaching his grandson about life,’ he says, his melodious voice drowning out my negative thoughts. ‘He say, “A fight going on inside me. It is terrible fight between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, lies, false pride, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight going on inside you - and inside every other person, too.” The grandson thinks about this then he ask his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old man say, “The one you feed.”’

His words slam into my soul, causing a tide of emotion to sweep through me. I know what he’s trying to say and he’s right. Finding Isis and agreeing to be the vessel for the New Coming was only one piece of the puzzle. Uncle Jo told me that I need to stop fighting Isis and allow her magic to merge with mine, that this will calm the battle going on inside me. I’ve been scared that if I feed Isis’ magic that it will try and take over somehow, but I’ve forgotten one thing—Isis
is
the light, she
is
the New Coming. Her intention is to help humanity, not hurt it. I’ve been afraid of losing myself in the power, but if the power is good, which I know in my heart it is, then I have nothing to fear.

Except…

‘I hear what you’re saying, I do. But how do I defeat him when he is an Immortal?’

‘Ray of Sun, everything in universe must end. No one lives forever. All things bound by web of life. We are only one thread among many. Humans are born then they die, going back to Great Ancestors in the sky.’

Something he says triggers a thought. Would it be possible to make Erebus human? If there was then surely he could be killed? The pounding of my heart quickens.

Taqôq Wiyon’s eyes fall on mine and he smiles. ‘You have great strength, Ray of Sun. You listen to what’s in here.’ He points to his chest. ‘This why you are chosen one. This why
you
must be the one to face what coming.’

I raise an eyebrow. ‘Are you listening to my thoughts again?’

He chuckles softly. ‘Maybe, maybe not.’

I smile. My eyes flit towards the teepee and the smile vanishes. ‘Will you take care of them for me?’ My voice comes out a bit patchy and I will myself not to lose it.

‘Yes. Darkness will not find them here.’

I kiss his cheek and stand up quickly, avoiding his piercing gaze. ‘Thank you.’

Before he can respond I teleport out, the rush of time travel drowning out the pain of leaving them. Aunt Lily and Phoebe will be mega upset that I didn’t say goodbye, but I just couldn’t stand it. As an empath, it becomes overwhelming when you feel the emotions of others, and right now I need to stay on point. My feelings will only weaken me, and I can’t risk letting my guard down. I need to stay strong.

I land back in the kitchen and reach out for the bench, my energy weakened by the strain of teleporting so much. Or maybe it’s the terrifying feeling I have that I may not see them again?

‘Tomana betu.’ The spell works quickly, pumping me with some magic Berocca.

The house is eerily quiet. Where are they? They should be here?

‘I’m back!’ I shout.

There is no response, and a tingle of fear creeps across my skin. Where did they go? Magi suddenly barks and I run out on to the back porch and down the stairs, where I stop in my tracks.

All three men are standing side by side near the boundary of the property, their broad backs facing me, their bodies rigid and alert. Seeing them like that makes me wish Uncle Jo could have been a dad. He would have been great, and I know he would have loved a son.

Magi turns her head to look at me and sends me an image of a predator in the surrounding woodland.

Oh no
.
Not here too
.

I walk towards them quickly.

‘What is it?’

Uncle Jo puts his fist up. ‘Shhh, listen.’

None of them move. Their eyes are focused straight ahead. I stand between Julian and Uncle Jo, brushing Julian’s arm as I do. It sends a shiver of desire through me and his quick glance tells me he felt it too.

I try to ignore the urge to kiss him. Under the circumstances it should be easy, but it’s not. To feel his sweet breath against my lips once again would be more than okay right now. Even being away from him for this long, which on this plane was really only a few hours, caused me longing.

The sun is beginning to set, the soft hues casting speckles of light to dance through the trees. A flicker of movement redirects my vision.

‘There!’ I point to the field of wildflowers off to the right. ‘Can you see it?’

A faint mist moves low to the ground, weaving its way through the wildflowers, blending into its surroundings like a chameleon.

‘Got it.’

‘Yep.’

‘Good eyes, Ellie.’

‘What is that?’ I say, trying to make sense of its blurry outline.

‘I don’t know but the damn thing took out two of my traps about an hour ago,’ Uncle Jo says.

‘Is it testing the perimeter?’

Uncle Jo grits his teeth. ‘That’s exactly what it’s doing.’

Erebus must be getting desperate if he’s sending out his minions while it’s still daylight. First at the farm and now here. He’s amping up his tactics.

‘Has it tested the shield yet?’

Uncle Jo shakes his head. ‘No, not yet. But it couldn’t get through even if it tried. You’ve made them too strong.’

Have I? I replay the scene back at the farm where the boar beast rammed the shield so hard it started to shimmer. It wouldn’t have held much longer.

‘I wouldn’t be too sure about that.’

Sam frowns. ‘What do you mean?’

‘You’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you.’ All eyes turn to face me. ‘There was another creature at the farm as well.’

‘Are you alright?’ Julian asks, laying a hand on my shoulder, the feel of him sending hot sparks through me.

Uncle Jo scowls and Julian withdraws his hand. ‘Was anyone hurt? Is your Aunt…safe?’

Aunt Lily’s face flashes to mind, her blue eyes wide and terrified as she looked upon the beast. That nightmare will stay with her forever now, and there was nothing I could do to protect her from that.

I shake my head. ‘No, they’re all fine. I got them out before it got through the shield.’

A collective sigh of relief follows.

Uncle Jo frowns. ‘Through the shield? How big was it?’

‘
Big
,’ I say.

His frown deepens.

Magi growls as the image of the beast reaches her mind.

‘Can you describe it?’

I tell them what I saw. I don’t tell them about Old Olsen though. My bond with that tree is sacred to me and I would rather keep it to myself.

Julian’s face shifts. ‘What you’re describing is a Calydonian. A monster of a boar which once belonged to Artemis.’

‘
The
Artemis?’ Sam says. ‘As in…the Greek Goddess of the hunt?’

Julian nods, his expression unreadable, and his body tense. His gaze returns to the woods.

An eerie silence follows.

Sam grabs one of the chocolate muffins off the table. ‘Do you think that thing is still out there?’ He bites into the muffin and closes his eyes, revelling in the taste.

‘I’m not sure,’ Julian says. ‘It seemed to back off when it realised we were on to it. Maybe it wants the element of surprise?’

Sam snorts. ‘Yeah, well it’ll get a surprise if it tries to come in here.’

Julian smirks and I feel his eyes on me as I place some pasta bake down in front of them. Aunt Lily must have known we’d need sustenance because she left heaps of cooked meals in the fridge.