Rage (Scarlet Dawson Book 3) Page 14

  “Not sure I liked that experience,” Jared says as another louder howl echoes around us.

  I look up to see a giant grotesque devil-like creature with black and red leathery skin. Even though it’s higher up than we are I can tell it must be well over seven feet tall. Its horns sweep back from its forehead, and its teeth are jagged points. Spit flies from its mouth as it howls when a ray of sunlight hits its skin. Smoke rises from its skin as it flinches away from the light.

  It takes a step back away from the edge but watches us with far too much intelligence.

  “They can’t follow us now, they’ll have to wait for nightfall,” Lykos says as he leisurely turns to face the direction which we need to head.

  “So, what’s to stop them finding us at camp,” I ask, slightly panicked.

  “I would assume our camp has preventative measures because, without them, we’re all dead,” Lykos states flippantly.

  “Will someone explain to me what that is?” Jackson asks as we all follow behind Lykos.

  “Formorians are an indigenous animal to Faerie, they are also their greatest enemy. One drop of their venom could kill a thousand Fae. They’re also the strongest, cleverest, most vile and vicious creatures known to both worlds,” Lykos says like he’s really not concerned that they could be hunting us to kill us later tonight.

  “Why would you have something that dangerous protecting your home?” I ask.

  “Because the Fae are scared of them,” he answers like he’s speaking to an idiot.

  I fall into step with Aylesbury and Silas as I narrow my eyes at Lykos.

  “What about those creatures though would make you and Bastian afraid?” I ask Aylesbury. From what I’d seen they didn’t look too horrific and Bastian didn’t seem that easily spooked.

  “They were watching us with nothing but cold calculation. Some of them were in various stages of what I can only assume were sexual acts, with dead and decomposing Fae. One of them walked up to one of the ones watching us, ripped his head off and—

  “She doesn’t need that visual,” Bastian says, cutting Aylesbury off.

  The curious part of me wanted to know but I’m not sure I actually did.

  “I always thought they were an old wives’ tale,” Silas says.

  “Their race was hunted to the point of extinction a long time ago. Most Fae don’t even believe they exist anymore,” Adam says.

  “So, the stories are true,” Silas says, interacting with Adam for the first time.

  “It depends which story you’ve heard,” Lykos says.

  “That they used to come at night, kill the men, and take the women, raping them till their bellies bloat with children that burst from their mothers’ wombs.”

  “Okay, that’s a pretty sick story,” I say, looking at Silas like she’s grown three heads.

  “Not just sick its true. Formorians are all male, without the Fae they can’t breed,” Lykos states.

  I shudder. What the hell is wrong with the Fae. These Fae games were going from bad to worse.

  “No need to worry, now I know there is a colony of them here, I can help Zeke fortify our camp each day,” Lykos says like there’s nothing to worry about.

  “And how are you going to do that,” Trenton asks.

  “With a few gallons of Formorian piss,” he replies before hoisting himself onto a fallen tree that’s blocking our path.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Once Bastian is happy that we have put enough distance between us and the Formorians he finally allows us to rest for a few minutes. I honestly think we are only stopping now because Bastian is sick of hearing me complain that I’m dying of starvation again. I was amazed at how much food I was managing to devour.

  We are all gathered in an open area, eating a selection of meats, cheese, breads, and fruit. There is a low wall about a foot-high surrounding us and we are all facing each other with our backs to the wall. The maps are spread out on the ground in front of us as we discuss the clue from last night.

  “So, we need to go through the valley of leaves, where do you think that is again?” Jared asks.

  Bastian points out two areas on the map.

  I frown at him and say, “But how do you know these areas are the valleys mentioned? Surely if this city was ruined thousands of years ago then the landscape itself could have eroded and changed. What was a valley then, might not be now?”

  “Ah, I see what you’re saying,” Silas says. “What we need to decide is are the clues based on the map as it was or what is here right now.”

  “I’d say that it’s based on how the city is laid out now, otherwise they wouldn’t have had to specify going right to the top so that we can go under,” Phoenix says. “Surely to give clues that make any sense they have to base it on the landscape as it is.”

  “So which valley do we choose?” I ask, looking at Lykos.

  “Don’t look at me, I’m just here to help you with the stone,” he replies like the ass that he is.

  “I think we should go with this one,” Silas says, pointing to the maps, she then pulls the underground map to her and overlaps them both. “They want us to go under, which you would think means the underground. On this map, the underground tunnels open into a large blank space. It would make more sense to head there than to the valley that ends in a load of interconnecting tunnels.”

  Everyone murmurs their agreement. We all pick up our backpacks and follow Silas and Phoenix who have decided to take point for the next leg of our journey.

  I hang back again and fall into step with Adam, hoping to question him a little more. Before I even open my mouth to speak, I see another horde of what I can only assume are dead soldiers. I can only come to that assumption because they are all Fae and are suffering from a range of violent wounds.

  I stop walking as the horde approaches. Their eyes are on me alone, they do not look like they can see the others as they pass through their rotting bodies. They reach me and stand in front of me.

  “Join me. Join us,” one says.

  “She’s waiting for you,” says another directly in front of me. I swing my gaze towards the voice. The creepy cadence comes from a man with half his face missing. I can not only see the ravaged edges of his face but the inner workings as he moves his jaw.

  I shudder as I look for Bastian.

  They’ve gone.

  Left me alone to deal with the dead. I’m more afraid now than I’ve ever been before.

  “Take my hand and I’ll show you the way,” a woman shouts, the crowd of dead parting before her.

  She’s the most gorgeous woman I have ever laid eyes on. Hair as black as a raven’s wings hangs to her waist. Her peaches-and-cream-coloured skin glows like its lit from within. But her eyes will haunt me forever because they are identical to my soulless grey Fae eyes.

  She reaches out for me, and I lift my hand. The minute the tip of my finger connects with her I feel the well of anger I’ve always known was inside me, swirl up and expand into a rage that I’ve never felt before.

  I close my eyes at the onslaught of power that’s suddenly unleashed. When I open them, the dead surrounding me have disappeared. The only ones left in this place are me and the woman, the woman with my eyes. I drop my hand and take a step back.

  She holds out her hand and says, “Take my hand so that I can show you the way.”

  I take a step back.

  “You need not fear me, granddaughter.” My eyes widen as the truth of my ancestry is confirmed.

  Her voice is like a thousand voices resonating as one, like each soul she takes becomes a part of her. It creeps me out and makes me fear her.

  “Tera,” I say, my voice squeaks out as I take another step back.

  She smiles at me and tosses her dark hair over her shoulder.

  “You must listen to me, we don’t have long,” she says, taking a step towards me. “I have waited many lifetimes for you to come to me, but I cannot wait any longer. I had to show him the way to you before he fi
nds a way to corrupt my power.”

  I feel the desperation in her voice and the fear begins to reside.

  “You mean Vex?” I say, gaining back my confidence.

  “Yes, granddaughter, the vile monster my daughter birthed. I have watched and waited for centuries, unable to move on until my power is released. I have whispered in his ear for years so that he could make the circumstance of your birth possible.”

  My eyes widen at her revelation. “You’re the reason my mother is dead, and my father’s soul is trapped in the body of that foul being,” I say, the anger I hold bubbling inside me. “I don’t wish to hear anymore,” I say, shutting my eyes hoping it will take me back.

  “I had no choice. Over the years it became apparent no one else could destroy him, he’s too powerful. I see what the world will look like if he succeeds. I see what he will become. He has perverted every power he has taken inside himself and he will exploit anything he can to reach his goal. He will never stop and will only grow stronger. You cannot let this happen. The last of the God Killers have long since died, you’re my only hope.”

  “I’m already trying to stop him, what more can I do?” I say, pacing the ground in front of her.

  “I can show you the way,” she says, reaching out her hand to me again.

  I stop and stare at her outstretched hand, unwilling to take it in my own, fearing the power it wields.

  “It is not me you should fear, you have to understand everything I have done was to bring you here to me. Please do not hate and fear me, granddaughter.”

  “You took my family away from me,” I say, disgusted that it was Tera manipulating Vex the entire time.

  “And for that, I apologise, but if your mother and father were alive you wouldn’t have the strength to do what I need you to do. Your father would have lived if Vex had not consumed his soul. Only my descendants can drink from their brethren and become stronger. I only led Vex to believe that a child born with these traits could unlock the power in the stone. I had no control over what he did to your mother and father after you were born.”

  “Are you saying that my father would not have turned into one of those blood-crazed Vampyres?” I ask her.

  “It merely made him stronger. The more he drank, the stronger he would have become. Only a child born with that strength could carry my power.”

  “I’m not that child; the power frightens me, it’s too strong,” I say, shaking my head as if the denial will make this all go away.

  “If you did not fear the power you would not be able to wield it. My power over death was always feared, but it was feared because it was misunderstood. You must understand that without darkness there can be no light, without death there can be no life.” She pauses and holds her hand out to me again. I take a step forward.

  “Vex believes my power to be destructive and evil. It is neither. My power is what balances the world. Inside every soul, there is both dark and light, and it is the person’s actions that guides that soul to lean one way or the other. It is your choice what you will become, you decide your own fate.”

  “Then why does it feel cold and dark when I touch the stone?” I ask, reaching up to the stone lying under my top.

  “Because death is cold and all-consuming,” she says with a smile.

  “You say that like it’s a good thing.”

  She smiles again, and her soulless eyes bore into my own. “Take my hand and let me show you the way.”

  I take a step towards her and reach for her hand. Images begin to flood my mind and my past, present, and future flash before me. I know now that I must embrace the rage inside me. It’s my only chance of controlling the power.

  “Be careful, Scarlet, the power you hold can consume you. Just remember, do everything he asks, for every action he takes puts him a step closer to his own death.” Tera’s disembodied voice echoes in my head.

  I take a hold of that place inside me and feel Tera guide me.

  Death is beautiful and terrifying; its cold and dark power spreads out from my soul and saturates my body.

  At that moment I know what I must do to survive.

  I know what I must become.

  I must become more of a monster than he is.

  “Just remember you control the power; it does not control you,” Tera says, her voice becoming distant.

  I was not certain that was true, at the minute the power controlled me.

  I feel arms wrap around me, but I can’t see them. They’re familiar but I know they’ve caused me pain. My hand disconnects from Tera’s and the dead begin to close in. Darkness clouds my vision and I succumb to the rage that’s riding my soul.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I wake again to being carried in Bastian’s arms. I don’t rouse fully. Instead, I feel like I’m fighting to reach the surface. I feel his massive arms holding me close to his body and I can hear his heart beat, even over the voices that woke me.

  “You need to stop blaming me for this.” I hear Lykos growl at Bastian. “Her Fae magic was blocking her natural ability as a Nymph. How was I to know that she would already have Tera’s magic in her veins as well.”

  “It’s got to have been the stone. Surely the power was seeping into her somehow,” Silas says from further away.

  I fight closer to the surface of consciousness as I strain to hear the conversation.

  “She turned the entire valley into a petrified forest then started to pull on our life forces,” Phoenix says, the disdain in his voice showing.

  “It wasn’t the stone. She wasn’t even touching it and it was, and still is, on top of her shirt. It’s not even touching her skin,” Jackson says.

  “The magic is too much for her. They know they created a monster and they’re waiting to unleash her,” Trenton says, his voice deeper than normal.

  “And you know this how?” Bastian grinds out, his voice vibrating along my skin.

  “The same way we know everything else,” Jackson growls back.

  “She’d tell you herself if she could, but she won’t,” Trenton says as a hand touches my hair. “She’s awake.”

  I blink a few times and open my eyes to the bright sunshine. Bastian stops walking and holds me closer to his chest before lowering me to the ground and helping me sit up.

  “How much did you hear?” he asks, his voice low and gravelly.

  “All of it,” I reply as I push away from him and stand. I heard every word and knew what they said and what it meant. But in the darkness, I also found my purpose.

  “What happened, Scarlet?” Bastian asks as he paces in front of me, while the rest look on, their faces showing a mixture of fear and concern.

  “Nothing,” I mumble, moving past him.

  “Nothing!” he roars at me, grabbing my wrist as I pass. He drags me away from the others into a building built into the side of the cliffs that still surround us.

  I stumble behind him as he propels me into the darkened room. He stops and spins me around before crushing me against the nearest wall. I meet his eyes in a show of defiance as I watch his nostrils flare in anger.

  “For days, all I’ve been able to smell is the stench of your lies and deceit. Stop pushing me away,” he says, his voice low but pleading as his eyes search mine.

  “How can I tell you when I have no idea what’s happening?” I say, even though I’m pretty sure I’ve worked it all out.

  “Scarlet, you need to trust that I’ll always be there for you. You have a family now you just need to trust in us. We can only help you if you let us in,” he says before placing a gentle kiss on my lips and walking away.

  I remain upright against the wall by sheer strength of will, when all I really want to do is curl into a ball and cry.

  Her magic has been with me all along twisting and polluting any Nymph magic I had. She says it’s misunderstood that death is not evil, but I can no longer ignore the dark rage inside me. My only hope now is that it doesn’t consume me, and that I am strong enough to get through this
.

  Tera has shown me what will happen when I embrace her magic and Trenton is right, they knew they have created a monster and they are just waiting to unleash me. This is playing out exactly as Vex wants and I know there is no way I can stop it.

  I take a breath to calm myself.

  Was I strong enough to do what needed to be done?

  Could I save them all and stop him?

  I take another breath as I push away from the stone wall and head outside. I know I can’t hide much longer. As I exit the dark room two white wolves whine and trot over to me, pushing their heads into my sides as they snake around me demanding attention. I sink my hand into their fur and scratch at their heads. Lifting my gaze, I make eye contact with Bastian, his mouth set into a grim line.

  A pain I had felt before stabs through my chest, but I don’t get time to dwell as Bryn saunters towards us, the rest of Seelie and Unseelie teams following shortly behind.

  Bryn smirks before he says, “I detect a hint of conflict in the air.”

  I ignore him and move to stand with Aylesbury and Jared.

  “It looks like we’re all stuck together for now,” Phoenix says, picking up his pack and heading towards the end of the valley.

  We begin walking towards the tall circular building that’s slightly shrouded by mist at the end of the valley. The twins are still in wolf form on either side of me, with Lykos bringing up the rear. Aylesbury and Jared walk beside Silas, and Phoenix walks ahead with Bastian as I watch Adam drop back to fall into step with his brother. Each group is tense but chatting amongst themselves in low whispers.

  I stiffen as I feel Vex drop into step beside me still in the guise of Dom.

  “Dom,” I say, in mock greeting.