alright, last chapter is up! Thanks for reading everyone who has!
Chapter 7
Until Death Do Us Part Has Nothing on This.
Goosebumps raised on my arms and neck as the icy breath of the Reaper brushed across my skin. My mind scrambled numbly for something to offer the Reaper in return for sparing my life. They absolutely detested being summoned and controlled, and I was doing just that: summoning and controlling one. I sent my mind running as I felt the impartial King of Death begin to steal away my life in impatience. "Attero everto ut commoror ut somes , tamen licentia humanus animus intus sospes. Rursus , EGO mos relinquish immortalis ut specto mihi." I told the presence, offering the only thing I knew that I could give without Embry killing me himself.
I felt the ice of the Reaper slide through me, an acceptance of my offer, as it moved to kill the demon. Embry's eyes were wide with terror, the demon within able to see the Reaper's movements; I was grateful that I was blind to the Reaper's visage, because based on the demon's face, it was nothing pretty.
I fell to my knees as a dim light began to grow within Embry, illuminating his black eyes and mouth. As the Reaper grew nearer, the demon attempted to flee, black smoke streaming from Embry's upraised face. The smoke was trapped within the Devil's Trap however, and it began to spiral wildly, attempting to break free. I almost felt sorry for it as a tiny tendril of flame caught at the base of the smoke, rapidly consuming the demon. I stared in awe as the fire burned, destroying smoke instead of creating it.
The moment the last of the smoke was burned away, I felt a cold hand reach inside of me, gripping my heart in its steely grasp. Instante immortalis suscitatio intus vos , Nex vadum vindicatum vos. I shivered as the Reaper's voice reminded me of the deal, speaking directly to my soul. I felt the cold ebb from my body, leaving the clearing entirely as it took the demon to the void that it would now inhabit, and sucked in a deep breath.
I scrambled over to Embry's still body on the ground, breathing heavily, scraping hands and knees in my haste. "Embry…Em, come on, wake up!" I said, slapping him lightly. Impatience grew on me, and I decided to call back out the magic that had been running like adrenalin through my veins. "EGO to order vos ut excito ex is dormio."
Embry's eyes shot open as a deep cough wracked its way up through his throat. He looked up at me, his eyes blurry and unfocused as his mouth worked like a fish-out-of-water. "Unda." I said briefly, a small ball of water blinking into existence and growing above my hand. I held it to Embry's lips, allowing the cool liquid to slide down his throat, guiding it with my mind so that he did not choke.
"Ugh," he muttered once the water was finished, sitting up slowly, "Thanks, Adam. I guess that I…should have listened to you…when you said to get help." I just shook my head, hoping that he decided to avoid the topic of my magic. No such luck.
"So, that was a demon, huh? I had been wondering what you were talking about those few times we were shifted. I would catch you thinking about demons, or some spell or other, every now and then." I blanched at this, having had no clue that he was on to me.
"I…I…I'm sorry, Embry." I muttered brokenly, feeling extremely guilty now that my secret was out. "I should…I should have told you a long time ago. Please forgive me, and please, please don't be mad. I will do whatever you want, just please, please forgive me." I was on the verge of tears, fearing that the person that I loved more than life itself would turn from me now that he knew of my dark little secret. I had been ready to do a headstand and summon up a mansion, so his next words threw me for a loop.
"So, is that how you survived that vampire attack when you were twelve? I guess that I can't be too mad, since it did save your life." I stared at him, the tears frozen in my eyes. He's not even going to yell at me for playing with dark magic? Didn't he see what I just did? I looked into his eyes, and found nothing but sincerity in their depths. He's not mad! I broke into a huge smile as I tackled him into the biggest hug I had ever given anyone. "Thank you, Embry! I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you. I promise never to do it again."
We remained in that position for several minutes, Embry recovering from being possessed, me crying out my tears that Embry had forgiven me without even making me feel guilty. I helped him to his feet; relying on my telekinesis heavily. Even though I did not need to touch him to hold him up, I remained in close contact, enjoying the presence of my still-living Embry.
I turned to look at the source of a rustling sound behind us. I was about to utter another spell when suddenly I was hurtling through the air, grasped by the vampire that had been previously inhabited by the demon. I was pushing against it with all of my telekinetic might, but that merely stopped it from biting at me, pushing against my force like it was holding onto life. "Adam!" Embry screamed as he fell to the ground, too weak still to support himself.
We collided into a tree as I began drawing the pentagram from the bottom-left corner, to cast the creature away from me. I continued to draw a circle around it to increase the length of the spell, adding a blended 'L' and 'P' to make Pluto's sign, a sign of death. I pressed my palm against the symbols, smacking the vampire's chest, and he was blasted away from me with nuclear force.
Not before his hand slashed into my neck, however. I collapsed to the ground, feeling the blood pour from my wound. "Subsisto." I muttered breathlessly, ceasing the flow of blood. I was unable to breathe, gasping on the ground with a gash in my neck, trying to bleed out my life. "deleo meus postulo pro aer." I whispered, using up the last of my air. I immediately felt the pressure on my lungs vanish, the need for air disappearing from my dying body.
Embry POV
I saw Adam crash to the ground, blood spilling from his throat, as the vampire was hurtled through the air. I crawled as fast as I could over to my imprint, terrified that he was already dead; no one could survive more than a few seconds with a slit throat. "…pro aer" I heard him whisper quietly. I gasped out a sigh of relief in response, thinking He's still alive!
I crashed next to him as he fell to the ground, his face pressing into the dirt. I lifted the boy weakly into my arms, careful of his slit-but-not-bleeding throat. His eyes were hazy and unfocused, but I could feel that he was still alive. "Hey, Adam, you're okay, buddy. You're going to be fine!" I crooned brokenly, knowing that it would not turn out that way. "Adam, come on, you're a wizard! You can't die on me, use…some of your mojo…to save yourself!" tears were pouring down my face as I spoke the dying boy in my arms, begging him to save himself. He lifted his fingers up and touched my face, and I could suddenly hear his thoughts. I'm sorry, Embry…I can't. I gave up my immortality when I saved you, and saving myself now would count as invoking immortality. It's…my time to go…Embry. I could feel his thoughts growing heavy, knowing that communication was impossible any other way already.
"No, Adam, you can't die! Please, don't leave me. I need you Adam, don't go. Please." I was whispering by now, knowing that my please were falling on nearly deaf ears. I'm so, so sorry, Embry. Please…don't cry too hard. You are a tough kid…You will be fine. The words pounded in my skull, throbbing like a thousand cars smashing into me at the same time.
Adam's heartbeats were already fading, growing weaker and farther in between. Blood was slowly beginning to leak from the wound on his neck, indicating that whatever he had used to stop it was fading. "Please, Adam. I love you, you can't…can't go!" I was clutching him to my chest for all I was worth, probably breaking several bones; he didn't care, he probably couldn't feel them anyways. This thought sent another wracking sob through my body as more tears exploded from my eyes.
I…love you…too, Embry. I'll…I'll see you…lat- "Adam, don't say that! You can't die, I can't live without you. It feels like…like I'm going to be…smashed into dust…if you go. You can't die, Adam. I need you. Please." I was sobbing hysterically by now, knowing that he was slipping through my fingers, and there was nothing that I could do about it. I'm sorry…Embry. Thank you for…saving me…You're the best…thing that has ever…happened to me. His blood was flowing relatively quickly now, the last of his strength being used to say his parting words.
I love you, Embry…I'm going to miss you. I'm so glad that…you imprinted on me…Thank you for…everything. Adam's body slumped lifelessly in my arms after that last word, the blood pulsing from his throat now that the spell was entirely gone.
I screamed into the night, my wordless yell turning into a howl as I shifted unconsciously. My emotions were too much for my human body to handle, so it took the easy way out; only it wasn't any easier. A dead imprint was a dead other half, rendering the living half completely useless. I screamed my anguish to the heavens, collapsing back to the ground when my legs gave out seconds later. I pressed my head against the dead boy at my feet, drenching his body with my tears.
The others had heard my howls and had come to get me, but none of them could get close. I would lash out and attack furiously anyone who dared to come within snapping distance of me. I remained there for as long as I can remember, Adam laying dead under me while everything that was me slipped into the void, following him into death.
****
Adam's funeral was today; I didn't care. It had been two weeks since Adam died; I didn't care. I hadn't eaten anything that wasn't forced on me; I didn't care. I hadn't taken a shower before today; I couldn't have cared less. For the other guys, I guess it's a good thing that we didn't care about seeing each other naked, because they had to force me into the water to get ready for the funeral. Afterwards, I got myself dried and dressed, but then I just collapsed back onto the couch.
"Embry, man, come on! You gotta get up! At least get up to go to the funeral, pay the last respects." Quil had made me move in with him after Adam died, so that I wouldn't do anything stupid, and he had been begging me over and over again to do things, forcing me to do them in the end.
I heard his words, but they just passed through my ears, skipping right over my brain. I hadn't had a conscious thought in two weeks, and I didn't care. I stood up and walked out to the car, sitting in the passenger seat while Quil drove us to the funeral. He had to drag me out of the car to the gravesite.
The priest said the final rites over the coffin, and then allowed us all to go up to say parting words to Adam, or just cry silently into his coffin. I went up last, standing there for the longest time to whisper into his cold ear, "I'll see you soon, bud." I then turned to walk away while they lowered him into the ground and began filling in the hole.
Back at the house, I didn't even bother with my tux, just dropped onto the couch to wait for Quil. He would understand better than anyone else; he was my best friend before Adam. He walked through the door and took in the sight before him; me sitting upright on the couch, a determined look in my eyes. "Embry…What are you going to do? You had better not do anything stupid! You know that you have people here who care about you, who would miss you should you do anything dumb!" he had charged forward to get right up in my face, grabbing my collar for effect.
I stared him down, my eyes completely emotionless except for the determination that scared him so much. "Is this what people want to hang out with, Quil? Is this something that anyone is going to miss? This dead, walking corpse that they used to call their friend?" I spoke numbly, as I pointed to myself, no emotion coming through at all, but still more than I had used in the past week. "Quil, what would you do if Claire died, was killed by a vampire saving you? What if you knew that there was a way that you could still be with her, even after she died?" I stopped speaking as Quil's gaze dropped to the floor.
"I would do all that I could to meet up with her again." His voice was completely defeated, unable to argue against me anymore. He had lost his only argument after I pulled the imprint card. "Don't worry, Quil, there won't be any mess for anyone to clean up. It's not going to hurt at all, and the only thing that will be out of place is a little black book on the floor next to me.
"I wrote a note the day Adam died, after I figured out how I could follow him, and be with him. It explains everything, and I want you to read it out to everyone who cared about me before I died two weeks ago." He just nodded brokenly, small tears leaking down onto the floor. "Thanks, bud. I'll be done in about an hour, by then it should be safe." I walked out the door then, leaving my last remaining friend, my last link to this life, behind.
I stepped into my house fifteen minutes later for the first time in just under two weeks. I walked into Adam's room and grabbed the black book, that I had found in his closet, from the top of his bed. I opened it to an ear-marked page that I had searched for desperately, dying for a way to follow Adam.
"Purveyor of Nex a Messor EGO postulo , obtempero meus prex EGO voco thee. Ex niger of vorago , adveho meus prex , ut tribuo unto unus suum denique basium. Victus , sanctus , malum vel mortuus , nusquam reluctor quietus cubile." The lights in the house flickered and died, the clocks on the walls freezing at their current time. I felt the dead cold behind me that let me know my spell had worked. I had researched and written down the script that I would use, and I had read that if commanded, the Reaper could speak in English, or any other language. "Narro in English pro meus ears unus , quod pareo meus to order orator huic lingua." I felt the silent nod as it obeyed my first command. As you wish. I smiled grimly and began the second part of my request. "You will tell me, what lies beyond the veil of death." I felt it trembling beneath the command, dying –no pun intended –for its gift in return. "Trust me, you'll get a gift in return. Now tell me, will I see Adam again after I pass through Death?"
The cold wavered as it struggled to decide if it would answer my question. If that is what you would like, then yes, you will be with Adam again. I cannot tell you what lies beyond, except peace. You will no longer feel the pains of this world, and depending on how you have lived, you will be happy. You will see your boy again, regardless. Its words were spiteful, not liking being bossed around by a mortal playing at magic; which is exactly what I was doing, playing at magic.
I nodded in response to his answer, deciding finally on my last request. My voice was hopeful as I spoke, the first emotion I had felt in two weeks. "Take me to Adam. Your gift is my life, as long as you fulfill your promise that I can be with Adam again." I closed my eyes and awaited the cold that I knew would come; I had felt it once as Adam passed on.
So you have requested, so shall it be done. The Reaper was pleased at my gift, and I opened my eyes as I felt it move in front of me. I remembered the terror of the demon that inhabited my body as it died, and so I was shocked when I glanced upon the Reaper that was only visible when it was there for you. I stared at a woman, around the age of twenty-four. She had long black hair pulled away from her face, and her complexion was smooth and pure. She wore a gentle smile as she stepped forward to receive me. Adam will be happy, Embry. She said softly. Her arms wrapped around me and I could feel myself fading fast. My eyes closed as I felt the cold slide from my body, slipping into warmth as I passed beyond Earth to the next realm.
Quil POV
Sam was mad, to say the least. He nearly killed me before he could get himself under control, after I told him about Embry. Seth was there, and he was extremely quiet. I went to ask him if he was okay and he merely nodding and said, "I get why he did it. I hate him for it, but I can't hold it against him. I'm just going to miss who he was a few weeks ago, but I guess that Embry died before today. It was just a bit of buffer space for us to get used to it." A tear slid down his cheek as he spoke, understanding more than Embry had planned for even me to.
An hour later, the entire pack was gathered in Sam's house to discuss what had happened. I pulled out the note that Embry had left, and began to read in the silence that had fallen over everyone.
Dear pack, mom, and anyone else who cares,
I'm really sorry for doing this, but I can't live like this, and I know that you guys will hate me after a few weeks, if you don't already. I'm going to follow Adam, and I have found out how to do it perfectly.
Adam was a wizard, a user of magic. That is how he killed that vampire when he was twelve, and how he saved my life yesterday. I found a black book in his closet, and it was written entirely in Latin, but it had a lot of funky diagrams. I found a page in the back of his book with the written form of the words that he used to kill the demon, which had possessed me, with. I looked it up online, and found out that it was a Reaper summoning. Yes, the Grim Reaper. He would obey your will if you gave him a suitable present, and Adam gave it his immortality, that he would have gained in time, to kill the demon.
This is how I plan to follow him, by summoning the Reaper. I have already worked it all out, and I am going to do it right after the funeral in two weeks; if I make it that long. I feel dead already, and dying is looking more and more appealing if I can be with Adam again.
I know that many of you won't know how I feel, but for those of you who have imprinted, if your imprint died, wouldn't you do anything you could to be with them again? This is better than the Necromancy spell I found, which would bring him back, but he would be evil. I figure that it's better for me to go, than to bring him back killing people.
Don't hate me forever, or do, it's up to you guys. I really am sorry for this, I just want to thank you all for being the best family and friends that I've ever had. I love you all, and hope that you don't miss me too badly.
Embry
Embry's letter had everyone crying, at least a little bit. Seth, Jake and I cried the most, because he was our best friend. I spent the next five minutes praying that I would never have to find out what lay beyond death, because the only thing that would get me there, was Claire dying, and that was unthinkable.
Another grave was dug right next to Adam's, even sharing the same plot space. Their headstones were side-by-side, like the two boys had been for the past seventeen years, except for rare occasions. Embry's coffin was lowered right next to Adam's, two identical boxes resting together. Two halves to one whole, remaining together for eternity.
The end.
Attero everto ut commoror ut somes , tamen licentia humanus animus intus sospes. Rursus , EGO mos relinquish immortalis ut specto mihi.--- Destroy the demon that inhabits that body, but leave the human soul within unharmed. In return, I will relinquish the immortality that awaits me.
Instante immortalis suscitatio intus vos , Nex vadum vindicatum vos.--- The instant immortality awakens within you, Death shall claim you.
EGO to order vos ut excito ex is dormio---I command you to awaken from this slumber.
Narro in English pro meus ears unus , quod pareo meus to order orator huic lingua.--- Speak in English for my ears alone, and obey my commands spoken in this tongue.
Kay, tell me what everyone thinks. I have never written something this depressing before, so I don't know if it is any good. Please review and tell me your thoughts, give advice on what i can maybe fix, etc. Again, sorry for the Latin, I got it from an online translator, so I don't know if it's right. If anyone legitimately speaks Latin, be sure to tell me what the proper stuff is.
Thanks for reading, and be sure to check out my other stuff! (none of it is quite this depressing)
