Dancing With Monsters (18 page)

“
What question?” She
asked.

“
I need you to do a
Taking. I need…I mean, I’m asking you to take Ezra’s life
force.”

“
What?!” Nessa yelled, but
didn’t even disturb the hold I had between April and me. “You can’t
ask that of her.”

“
She’s dying and she will
be lost beyond the Shadowlands, unless I take her life force and we
will be as one.” April read my thoughts and my feelings as I
relayed them to her. “You love her very much and the mission, it
depends on it. I’m incomplete and to be that way, will be the death
of me.”

“
Stop it Seth!” Malachi
jumped from his chair and shoved me to the floor. “You are risking
her life to try to save Ezra’s! Do you not think of anyone else?!”
Malachi’s blue eyes burst with flames as he pressed me to the
floor.

“
You don’t understand,
Malachi.” I didn’t want to fight, but he left me no
choice.

I flipped him over in the matter of a
heartbeat and he retaliated by quick punch to my mouth, and a slam
back to the floor. I tasted blood, but the pain in my heart was
deeper that any physical pain. I didn’t punch him back; as I knew
he had taken a liking to April and was just defending
her.

Malachi had anger that ran deep and
had been bottled inside him for a long time. I could see this
clearly now like a geyser breaking land’s surface. He raised his
fist, and readied it to slam it into my face. I had to get him
under control.

“
Malachi, get off of
Seth!” Nessa grabbed Malachi’s clenched fist in her delicate hand.
“Seth’s right.” She admitted. “Fighting your brother will get you
nowhere.”

Malachi calmed at the sound of Nessa’s
voice. He got off of me and I stood up and was going to ask April
one last time to do a Taking, but she wasn’t in the kitchen. “Where
did April go?” I asked rubbing my mouth knowing the answer to my
own question.

April

Seth could compel, but I wasn’t
compelled, and did what I’ve only done once on my own free will.
Seth had opened his thoughts to me, and I understood more than he
could ever explain to me in words. I also believed in Ezra, she
risked entering my dreams so she could talk to me, and comfort me.
This was the least I could do.

I walked up to Ezra, and her eyes
opened upon my presence. She smiled and reached for my
hand.

“
It’s alright, little
one,” her voice was gentle as a white-golden fog curled around
us.

“
You are brave and scared
and old and young all at the same time. I will make you complete
and give you the strength you will need one day.”
Ezra smiled at me as she spoke in my
thoughts.

I knew time wasn’t on our side, and I
had to act quickly. I wasn’t scared of doing this Taking as I was
with the one I did before to the man in the alley. I relieved him
of pain and given him a quick death, but this one would be
different, because this was a favor. And as Ezra explained to me,
she wouldn’t die, but become a part of me. I wasn’t scared, but
felt a piece of me was finally being made whole.

I linked my fingers through hers, and
stared into her eyes. Her strength was never-ending, but disease
had taken over. Her time in the Shadowlands was over—I was her last
hope.

“
You are an heir, April
Snow to a great destiny, and Malachi will help you get
there.”

I didn’t speak or ask any questions as
I felt her light and energy mix with mine. Even in her weakened
state, she was stronger than me. Released from the sickness that
took her body, her energy was freed and mixed with mine. Golden
light flickered around us like stars and the white mist thickened
until her pale skin, dark hair, and indigo eyes were all but lost
to the shroud of mist.

I tightened my fingers through hers,
but they weren’t there. I opened my eyes to see a pool of glitter
where Ezra had been lying in bed. I could hardly breathe as I felt
a hand gently touch me on the shoulder.

“
April?” Questioned Seth’s
voice.

I turned around, let my eyes mingle
with his, and then smiled. “Her strength is my strength,” I said in
my voice, but clearly heard Ezra’s voice join mine.

“
We can’t stay here,”
Nessa said, pacing the floor. “And now with April doing a Taking,
we
really
can’t
stay here.”

“
We need to go to
Nethopania, and at least start at the night market there,” Malachi
said sitting next to me. I felt an unspoken bond had formed between
us, and even though Ezra said he’d help lead me to my great
destiny, I wasn’t sure if I’d make it there without being
embarrassed to death for the things I say aloud , or me killing him
from his over-inflated ego he had for himself.

“
It will be a place to
start.” Seth put on his long, dark coat. “Let’s go.”

Everything that happened had gone by
in a blur, kind of like a car crash that kept replaying in my head:
us leaving the safety of Ayil’s home, doing my second Taking, and
now going to Nethopania in Iethia to a night market. I still felt
slightly numb as I walked towards the outskirts of town under the
cover of darkness. I was going to another realm—a realm that
monsters came from, but not the monsters humans had designed them
to be, real ones that are like humans in many ways.

Nessa walked beside me and Malachi
with Seth. Through the darkness, Malachi would glance back at me as
would a parent watching their child. Ben looked at me the same
protective way. I drew in a deep breath thinking of Ben. He had
saved me from a demon, and no random one. Eveie was the demon that
had bit me, and turned me into what I am, or was I this way
before?

“
Are you cold?” Malachi
asked me pulling me out of my pondering thoughts as we walked along
the edge of the desolate road.

“
No, I’m fine,” I
replied.

“
Quick in the ditch—car
coming,” Seth said as distant piercing lights shone in front of
us.

Malachi grabbed me by the shoulders
and guided me to the deep ditch. Nessa and I were sandwiched
between Seth and Malachi as we peered towards the road through the
tall blades of the dead grass.

I heard the engine coming closer and
lowered my head. The ditch was deep enough that no one would even
know we were there. I waited with pounding heart for the car to
zoom by, but it didn’t. Instead, wheels screeched to a sudden stop
right in front of our hiding spot.

I looked at Malachi who kept his
glowing eyes forward. We stayed quiet as two car doors opened and
slammed shut.

“
We are just about there,”
said Ayil’s voice. “And you have to stop again to take a piss.” She
seemed aggravated at whoever was with her.

“
I’m four-hundred and
thirty-six years old—you’d have the same problem as well when you
reach my age.” A male voice replied with a slightly amused
chuckle.

“
Yeah, well I have a demon
contained in a stone, a monster with archangel abilities, and
another monster with a royal hexmark, and a ring with the last
remaining power of the first angels around her finger.”

I looked at Malachi who kept his gaze
forward then at Nessa who did the same.

“
Look, I’ll be quick, my
lovely, or I’ll be having an accident in your car.” He stepped
closer towards us. “Besides, they are safe and secure in your
little home. Just like a present for us angels—and we don’t get
many presents.” He chuckled.

I tried to see what he looked like,
but it was too dark. All I could hear was his footsteps and the
sound of him unzipping his pants along with the splatter of urine
hitting gravel. I wanted to run, and felt the urge to do so. I
slowly slid down deeper into the ditch as Malachi flashed his eyes
at me and grabbed my hand.

“
Don’t move, even if he
pisses all over you,” he moved beside me and whispered in my
ear.

“
This area is very nice,”
he said as I heard him zipped his trousers back up, “quiet, but
nice. Kind of reminds me of the rural setting of the vineyards of
Shangri-La.”

“
Thank you, but we need to
be moving,” Ayil prompted.

“
Yes, of course,” he
replied.

“
Father, are you coming? I
have council to attend to in a few hours,” said a younger male
voice.

“
Yes, yes, I know,” the
car door opened, “just to deal with a few monsters and we’ll be on
our way.”

I held my breath until the sound of
the engine faded.

“
I told you, Seth,” Nessa
said with more fear than resentment. “They’ll be after
us.”

Seth glanced down the road and then
turned to us. “All the more reason to hurry.”

Seth

With a few drops of my blood on the
portal threshold, we were in Iethia. It was dawn here, and I knew
we had to move quickly. The portal had taken us back to the same
place when we left, except this time, the portal wasn’t in ruins,
but in near perfect condition.

“
The angels that were with
Ayil must have used it.” Malachi gazed up at the intricate
structure that glowed in white light and its silver-lined stones
that were carved with foreign inscriptions.

“
It’s being monitored,”
Nessa stood beside Malachi reading what she could of the words that
were nothing more than scribbles to me. “I mean it’s being
watched…they know we used it.” Nessa turned and gazed at me with
worry.

“
Great,” Malachi said as
April stood frozen gazing up at it as if mesmerized.

Everything, I knew, was new and maybe
a little frightening to her. I walked towards her when suddenly she
raised her hand and expelled a burst of light. The ball of glowing
light floated through the air like a perfectly spherical bubble
towards the portal.

“
April,” I said as she
turned and smiled gazing at me with indigo colored eyes—Ezra’s
eyes.

I took a step back as she turned
towards the ball of light and guided it with her hands. With a
final wave of her hands, it went into the portal.

April stood in front of the portal
with arms outstretched as it glowed brighter, and then exploded
with a burst of sparkling light. I turned, grabbing Nessa as I did
to protect her from the blast. Malachi fell to the ground as April
stood undisturbed from the force.

Sparks burned the air around us and
landed on the leaf-covered ground sizzling as they did. I pushed
myself up as Nessa and I looked at the portal that once was all
silver and white light, was now black-grey and had emitted a blue
light.

“
April,” Malachi walked up
to her as she stood gazing up at the portal.

“
The angels won’t be able
to use this portal—we control it now,” she said, looking up at
Malachi.

“
How did you do that?” I
asked standing beside her.

She looked at me with her brown eyes.
“I-I don’t know exactly. I just knew what to do. It’s sealed.” She
glanced back at with a mix of awe and accomplishment. Ezra had
helped her—not only from the obvious, but I had looked into her
eyes.

“
Are you alright?” Malachi
turned April towards him.

“
Yes, I’m ok,” she replied
with a nod.

“
Let’s move then, because
even sealed portals won’t stop determined angels.” Nessa stood at
the forests edge and then turned to be swallowed by low
branches.

The night market at Nethopania, was
just that—a night market. Tolerated by angels, and sometimes used
by demons, the market was a mixture of everything Iethia had to
offer from legal to illegal. You could get anything here from
anywhere. I had only been there once with Malachi when we were
younger, and on the grounds of adolescent curiosity rather than the
importance of a mission.

Music played, venders displayed their
wares outside their shop doors, and it was crowded with people from
all walks of life. Rich, poor, and everything in between came
here.

The stone buildings were small,
two-leveled structures, and served as the business on the lower
level and as the peddler’s home on the second. Arranged in square
blocks, about three or four buildings stood connected and separated
by dark, narrow alleyways that no one would dare travel down—at
least not at night.

Nethopania used to be a grand city,
but after the Angel-Demon wars, most of the historic sites had been
laid to waste. It became a trading place that kept the old name,
but from what Uncle Hes had told me, it once was a place of
architecture, culture and beauty.

“
Any of the buildings look
familiar?” I asked April as Malachi walked beside her and Nessa
beside me.

She shook her head as she gazed around
at everything.

“
Let’s start on Center
Street, it might be a little more of what we are looking for. This
is Stack Street—nothing but herbs and food items here,” Malachi
glanced over his shoulder as we stood in the middle of the
half-paved, half-dirt street. “Remember, that’s where we bought
fireworks.”