Beyond the Sea (27 page)

The parking lot was empty. She pocketed the keys. Face set, she marched into the woods. Tendrils of fog whirled around the forest floor. Melia’s bravery diminished with each step she took deeper into the forest, leaves rattling under her boots. She thought of Lana, Jamie and Peter. It was too late for Lana; it literally hurt to imagine bad things happening to Jamie or Peter. And she remembered the gwyrrd’s last victim. She wanted to set him free.

Melia’s every instinct told her to run. She jumped at the slightest sound. She unsheathed the dagger and held it defensively in front of her, eyeing the dense trees suspiciously. Patchy moonlight cast eerie shadows, moving slowly across the forest floor in the calm breeze.

 
A branch snapped behind her. Melia spun, holding her breath. Leaves crunched. A bird took flight, the flapping of wings echoing. Melia’s heart pounded. The dagger shook in her hand. She circled, trying to descry anything. She forced herself to take a breath and move on.

The wispy fog thickened. She was getting closer. Her grip tightened on the dagger. She swallowed. Her footsteps were too loud. With more care, she took a few more steps forward. It was a bad idea coming here. Images of things other than the gwyrrd flashed through her mind.
 
Still, she pressed on.

The stream was close ahead. She was almost there.

“It’s been a while since someone so willingly wandered to my home,” a voice cut through the forest. Melia spun but didn’t see anything. “Come closer, darling. Let Granny help you find your way.” In a rush of water, a transparent outline of the gwyrrd rose from the stream.

Melia was a yard away. If she could just do it now… without hesitation she lunged. The dagger sliced right through the heart of the gwyrrd, and so did Melia.

Horrible laughter echoed through the trees. Melia landed hard on the other side of the creek. She tried to catch herself. Her right wrist twisted upon impact, and the dagger clanked against the rocks before sinking to the bottom of the water.

“Tsk, tsk. What do you think you are doing, my dear?”

Melia scrambled up the embankment, cradling her hurt wrist. The gwyrrd stood across from her, smiling and bearing her fangs. The water had just been a trick. Melia should have known. She looked at the dagger, water rippling over its sharp blade. If she dove for it, the gwyrrd could easily attack, taking Melia down. If she didn’t dive for it, well, she’d have no way to kill the gwyrrd.

Before she could decide, fog rose from the water. Temporarily blinded, Melia froze. She smelled the heavy stench of rotting right before the gwyrrd shoved her to the ground. The gwyrrd opened its mouth, lowering her head to Melia’s. Melia thrashed and clawed at the gwyrrd, trying to roll her over, but the gwyrrd was heavier than Melia, and she was pinned underneath the foul creature. She kicked, finally jarring the gwyrrd’s hold on her. Anger flashed through the gwyrrd’s black eyes and she jerked her head down, teeth breaking through the skin on Melia’s shoulder.

Melia screamed. Somehow she managed to get out from underneath the gwyrrd. She took off, tearing through the trees. Branches caught her face, ripping her skin and snagging her clothes. She didn’t know where she was going and didn’t know the way back to her car. She raced through the woods, jumping over fallen logs and tripping over undergrowth. Fog circled her. The gwyrrd’s laugh echoed from behind.

Heart pounding, Melia waved at the air in front of her, trying to dissipate the fog-with no success. She spun around. Something scurried past. She changed directions and took off. The fog thickened but Melia didn’t slow down. She was trapped inside a white haze, unable to see anything around her.

The stream.

If she could get back to the stream she could find her way to her car. She leapt to her right, following the call of the water. She sprinted forward and smacked headfirst into a tree.

-Chapter 11-

Melia laid on the dewy forest floor, dazed. Her whole body hurt, and the blow to her head did nothing to help her see through the already impossible fog. Just as she rolled over and attempted to push herself up, the gwyrrd’s scaly fingers wrapped around her wrists. Melia fought against her, pulling and kicking and screaming.

Something hot dripped in her eyes, burning and forcing her to close them. Blood. She must have cut her head when she hit the tree. The babbling water grew louder.
Yes,
Melia thought.
Let her try to drown me.
She didn’t know how far she had traveled from the dagger. She didn’t know if she ran up or down stream. She would need to incapacitate the gwyrrd somehow. Another rock to the head? Not just one will do this time around.

“It’s a pity you didn’t bring your friend, deary. Her blood was just a sample of how good her soul would taste.” She dragged Melia-who put up enough of a struggle to make the gwyrrd think she was trying to escape- to the water and shoved her face down.

Melia supposed a drowning human would panic and do everything she could to get out of the water. She flailed her arms and kicked her feet, counting. When she reached one hundred, she let her body go limp. The gwyrrd pulled her back and flipped her over. She pressed her fingers to the gash in Melia’s forehead and licked her fingers. She gasped in surprise just as Melia kicked her as hard as she could.

“You-you taste of merrow and yet you’re on land!” the gwyrrd shrieked.
 
Knowing the gwyrrd had tasted merrows infuriated Melia. She sprung forward, hands clamping the gwyrrd’s shoulders. She shoved the gwyrrd against the ground.

“I will be the last one you taste!” She punched the gwyrrd in the face and was taken by surprise at how much it hurt her hand. She stood and kicked the monster in the ribs before sprinting down the creek. Water loudly splashed around her feet. Stones unsettled underfoot and Melia fell, catching herself with her sore wrist. She cried out in pain but refused to stop.

Moonlight glinted off the blade. She dove for it, her fingers weakly wrapping around the handle. The gwyrrd had staggered after her, injured. Melia narrowed her eyes and smiled a wicked smile.
 
The gwyrrd advanced, hissing and showing her fangs. She crouched down, her arms out in a defensive pose, her eyes full of hate.

Then they flickered to the shiny piece of metal in Melia’s hand. She faltered, which was all the time Melia needed, and she pounced, knocking the gwyrrd to the ground. She held the knife above her chest, ready to bring it down when the gwyrrd said,

“You must be the one he wants.” Melia hesitated; the gwyrrd continued. “Such a beauty, he says. Can live on land as well as the ocean. She’s needed for his plans, he says. Others will be pleased. Others will be angry. All he talks about, this one.”

“Who?” Melia demanded. The gwyrrd struggled beneath her.

“Granny can’t tell you if she’s dead, deary.”

It was a trick. Melia squeezed the dagger, unaware of the pain in her wrist. “Go to hell, you bitch!” she cried and drove the knife into the gwyrrd’s heart. The gwyrrd opened her mouth and let out one last horrible scream. It was high pitched and resonated for miles. Melia held the knife steady as the body began to shake.

A beautiful, transparent, rainbow ribbon of light flowed from the gwyrrd’s mouth. Souls. Once trapped inside the monster; they were finally free.

The gwyrrd exploded into tiny droplets of water that vaporized the moment they hit the air. Melia collapsed on the ground, panting. It was over. The gwyrrd was dead. Jamie was no longer in danger. The boy who they had found in the creek could move on, as well as the others. Melia had no idea how long some of the souls had been trapped inside their host.

The forest was serene. Slowly, wildlife came out from hiding. Crickets chirped. Frogs joined in their chorus. The creek babbled. Wind rattled the branches, raining loose leaves down on Melia. She sat up, stuck the dagger back in her boot and walked back to her car.

She didn’t remember driving to Jamie’s. The next thing she knew, she was standing on her front porch. She saw Jamie and another girl— Lacey, right?—peer out from behind the living room curtain.

“Melia!”Jamie explained when she threw open the front door. Melia dropped to her knees, her body going rigid. “Oh!” Jamie yanked off the amulet and threw it behind her.

“You. W-won’t,” Melia stammered. “N-need that anymore. I kil-illed the gwyrdd.”

“How much distance?” Jamie asked frantically.

“A f-few miles,” Melia answered, knowing what Jamie meant. She heard Jamie scramble for her keys. She watched feet running past her and heard the Jeep peel out of the driveway. She was able to regain her composure by the time Jamie returned.

“I threw it in the bushes two miles away. I’ll get it in the morning, I promise!” Jamie said, helping Melia to her feet. It didn’t strike Jamie as odd that Melia’s clothes were wet. She ushered her best friend inside. “OMG!” She put her hands over her mouth. “You’re covered in blood!” Melia shrugged. The ‘I killed the gwyrrd’ part was finally registering in Jamie’s brain. “Are you ok?”

“Yes,” Melia said confidently, though her head and wrist throbbed with pain.

“What happened?”

Melia looked at Lacey. She didn’t care if this girl heard her recant the story. Did Jamie? “I went after it. I couldn’t risk it hurting you. You’re my best friend, Jamie. I wasn’t gonna let her hurt you.” She half smiled. “We got into a fight. But I took care of her; you don’t need to worry. She took me seriously.” There. It was secretive enough but she was sure Jamie understood.

Jamie couldn’t believe it. She was scared, though it was pointless. Melia was alive. Banged up, muddy, bruised and bloody, but alive. She would never be able to march into the woods alone. She considered Melia a lot of things, but brave and ferocious never crossed her mind. Reverence waved over her as she looked at her best friend. Dressed in all black, with blood running down her face and a knife in her boot, Melia looked absolutely lethal.

Then Melia’s knees went weak and she sank to the floor. Jamie rushed forward.

“Melia!”

“I’m ok,” Melia assured her. “Just tired now that the adren-dra-lyn wore off.”

“Adrenaline,” Jamie automatically corrected. Both girls laughed. Lacey cleared her throat. “Melia, you, uh,” Jamie began, fumbling over her words. “You really shouldn’t go horseback riding by yourself at night.”

Lacey nodded, not buying the story. Still, she helped Jamie get Melia to the couch.

“I’m all dirty,” Melia protested, refusing to sit down. Knowing Melia all too well, Jamie tossed a brown blanket over the cushions. Melia sank down, wincing as she put pressure on her wrist. She held it against her body, feeling suddenly tired.

Jamie’s cell phone rang. She raced upstairs to get it. She was arguing with someone as she walked down the stairs into the living room.

“Call Mom! I’m not coming to get you!” She threw her hands up in the air. “No! Something happened. I can’t leave. Jill! It’s not my fault you got drunk! Wait, what? Why on earth are you alone with
him
? And the cops? You’re hiding where?” She paused, listening to Jill ramble. “Hang on,” she shouted.

“Jamie,” Melia said sleepily. “If you need to get Jill, that’s fine. I can go home.”

“No! Melia, after all you did Jill can find another way home. Or I’ll call my mom and make her deal with my slutty, drunken sister. And I don’t think you should drive. You might be concussed.” She shook her head at the nasty wound.

“You are worried about her, I can tell by your eyes. Please, go get her.”

“Stay here?”

“I need to go…
home,
” she said, stressing the last word. Jamie understood she meant the ocean. “I will call Peter.”

Jamie shook her head, not liking the plan. Jamie wavered and eventually got unreliable directions from Jill. “You should take a shower first,” she said in a hushed voice to Melia. And change into something else. Peter won’t buy any story I feed him. He cares too much about you to not question things.”

Melia nodded and let Jamie help her upstairs. Melia winced when she took of her jacket. After turning the water on, Jamie helped her best friend strip out of her clothes. As soon as Melia stepped into the shower, Jamie grabbed a pair of athletic shorts and a tank top for Melia to change into. She even remembered to put a pair of flip flops out for her to wear home.

“Jamie,” Melia called. Jamie raced in, thinking something bad happened.

“Yea?”

“Go get your sister,” she reminded her.

“Melia, I-I can’t—I’ll wait until you’re out.”

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

“Uh, not you’re not.”

“Ok, I’m in pain, but I’ll live. And I’ll call Peter to come get me. Go.”

“All right. I’ll call you in the morning. Rest. Maybe have Peter stay with you tonight.” Lacey stood in the hall, a confused expression on her face. “Lacey,” Jamie began, “I’ll explain when I get home. Wish me luck that I find my sister before the cops do!”

Lacey silently nodded. Melia let the water wash away all of the blood and dirt. She would have liked to stay in the water longer but wanted to be at her own house in Peter’s arms even more.

“Melia,” Lacey called through the closed door. “A-are you alright?”

“Yea, I’ll be fine. Thanks,” Melia answered. She quickly got dressed and flipped her head upside down to dry her hair. The friction of the terry cloth over the wound scraped the thin scab off. Fresh blood dripped down her forehead. Ignoring it, she called Peter and got his voicemail. She waited a minute and called again. On the third time he answered, sounding alarmed