You Did What?
Disclaimer: I do not own Darksiders, nope not yet although it will be up for sell eventually! Gah I want it!
A/N: Yep you guessed it once again, another dream. Your welcome to them Darkis lol.
I muttered for probably the tenth time as I climbed out of my truck at my mother's house. She was in the hospital again; my brother was out of communication again. So here I was paying my best friend to feed the horses while I came over to my mother's to clean her house and do a few things around the place that my little brother hadn't done while he was living here mooching off my mother. I looked up at the roof that had just been done six months ago and shook my head in disgust. There were leaves and limbs all over it and clogging the gutters. Just something else I needed to do as I shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't like I had enough problems.
About that time my cell phone started ringing and I dug it out before answering with a terse, "What?" My best friend's voice filled my ear then as she answered back, "That bad huh?" I nodded my head before grumbling out, "Oh yes, that bad and so much more." The other end of the line got silent as I knew she had pulled the phone away from her ear to stop from laughing. "Anyway I got your voicemail, what did you need to talk to me about?"
I wasn't sure how to tell her so I figured the best was to tell her straight out. "Stay away from the back right corner of the pasture. If you will notice the horses won't graze there. I found out about a problem that Rose was involved with." She was quiet a moment, "So what did she do?" I could hear the hesitation in her voice so I took a deep breath to tell her.
"Her and her little friend from school decided to look up summoning rituals on the internet and try one. That little twit she is friends with has some romantic notion about Nephilim and that damned game." I heard her chuckle, "I take it that they tried it."
"Oh yes they did and Rose won't tell me what happened only that it scared her and to make mattered worse they used my sword do it with so I have to do a cleansing ritual this evening. That is if the house is clean over here but there is a lot to do outside. I'll just have to make time I suppose." I griped through the phone to the only person who understood my frustrations. "Well you be careful and I will be too." I stuck the phone back in my pocket after I hung up with her and headed inside.
I ended up spending the better part of the day cleaning before I finally sat down exhausted on the couch and sighed looking around. It had taken a while but everything was clean finally. I flopped my head against the back of the couch as I looked at the ceiling. I really needed to get the stuff out of the truck and do the cleansing ritual on my weapon. It would be one less concern. My other concern was ever sense they had performed the ritual Julie and I had been plagued by a rider of some kind.
Granted I wondered if the girls didn't actually summon the Nephilim because the guy vaguely resembled him but with summoning certain things they could take on the image that the person summoning them had in their mind when doing so. Anyway I continued on with my train of thought, the guy popped up on us at random times at the riding trails we frequented, often when it was just the two of us though I kept my boot knife and sword handy at all times now.
My Brio filled Peruvian, Willow, was normally sweet tempered but when this guy appeared she turned into a hard -to-handle fire breathing hell bitch. Julie's horse always bolted regardless if it was Paisley or Red she was riding, both very level headed horses under most situations. I shivered as I thought about the last encounter the past weekend.
We had ridden around the levee of the pond to where the trail turned uphill on the backside. When we came around the curve there he was in all his horrible and fascinating glory. Granted he had never before acknowledged our presence but those silver blue eyes were off putting even when not turned directly on a person. He had silver hair that settled over his chest on either side and came to the bottom of his shoulders. He wasn't armed or armored; instead he was shirtless with deep gray leather looking breeches and metal looking battered boots. The horse was odd looking and huge. It looked like an inverted bay horse; instead of its body being red with black points it was black with red points and its eyes were a brilliant amber color.
This time Willow started slinging her head while pawing before hopping forward on her hind end while stomping her front end. I could handle my horse but Red bolted on Julie and nearly through her which pissed me off because if she was thrown she could be paralyzed due to an injury from a wreck several years ago. I yelled at him and told him to move that couldn't he see he was scaring our horses. He had turned those eyes just a fraction until he was, for once, looking directly at me.
I shivered again remembering it. I wheeled Willow and ran her across the levee to the other side of the pond where Julie had stopped to watch the exchange from a safe distance. Still he sat there watching while my mare pranced and threw her head. I did the dumbest thing I could have ever done. I stood in the stirrups, leaned forward with my hand on the saddle horn and my arm shaking a fist in the air while I yelled at him that the next time I saw him I was riding this prancing dancing bitch over top of him. He cocked his head to the side and grinned.
I had flopped back in my saddle with a side long glance at Julie; she suggested we leave and we did. We ran the horses all the way back to the trailers and were gone. We loaded the horses saddled and all just to get out of there.
I rubbed my temples as I stood up to go to my truck since thinking about it still gave me the shivers. I smiled to myself though; I was at my mom's house and it didn't know where to find me. I opened the back door to the truck and pulled out my sword and the small blue velvet case that held my hand carved goblets.
Taking those things in my arms I walked to the clearing just at the edge of the woods; this was where I had practiced when I was growing up and l lived here. I carefully deposited my load on the ground. I didn't use much if anything for rituals because I didn't need them. I was strong enough now and had always been because I came from a long maternal line of Druids.
The goblets were the only thing I really used in rituals that need particularly strong warding's. I placed each goblet equally spaced from the others until I had them in a circle about me. Then I pulled the six vials out from under the case lining that held the representatives for each element; water for water, dirt for earth, a feather for air, ashes for fire, quartz for energy, and finally a vial of my blood for spirit. After they were poured I stood in the center of the circle and unsheathed my sword. I raised it high above my head before flipping it and stabbing it into the ground.
I sat cross legged on the ground and closed my eyes as I felt the magic and power ebbing and flowing from me to the goblets. I had my grasp on the energy. I envisioned seeing the sword but what I saw made me nearly gasp and break my grasp on the energy mingling with my own innate power. The normal silver aura of the weapon I had custom forged for me was laced with a red that was the color of dried blood. Carefully I extended the power towards it, to my surprise it fought me back and pulsed angrily.
Growling under my breath I called upon my patron spirit, Andraste, to lend me her strength as I pushed back against the aura. It put up a fight but with an angry flash it was purged from the sword's aura. When it sat glowing with a faint silver aura again I opened my eyes with a sigh. I climbed shakily to my feet, shocked it had taken so much strength to do so simple a cleansing. I closed the circle by thanking the elements for their strength and my patron spirit of war and victory for her aid. I packed everything back up saving the sword for last. I extended my aura to it before grasping it. This time thankfully it didn't send violent ripples up my arm.
I decided once I got in the house that it was time for bed. I was exhausted and the gutters and roof would hold until in the morning. That night I tossed and turned in the bed with violent dreams filled with images or memories that were not my own. They were filled with the cries of the doomed and dying as a terrible, fierce, and powerful force wiped them from existence. I woke up the following morning in a cold sweat, grateful that the night was over and I wouldn't have to face them again.
I got dressed after a quick refreshing shower and headed out to the storage building for the yard rake and ladder. I leaned the ladder against the house before chunking the rake onto the roof above me, better to clean the roof first and then clean the gutters. I spent the morning doing that and it was a chore. I came down around lunch to grab a quick bite to eat although something in the tree line close to where I had done my cleansing caught my eye.
I went inside and grabbed a sandwich before heading out to the tree line. I knew I had seen something large standing there for just a second although I had no idea what it had been. I looked along the tree line, walking it slowly. That's when I saw it. There were massive boot prints in the soft ground. I gave a soft growl as the hair raised on the back of my neck which was a sure sign someone was deliberately prodding at the wards I had placed around myself. "I don't know nor do I care who you are but you had better stay away from me." I warned before turning on my heel to go back to the house.
After I finished lunch and had pushed the incident from before out of my mind enough to focus on my job I climbed back up the ladder with gardening gloves on to clean the gutters. Two hours later and the sun was starting to lower in the sky as I squinted up which must mean it was around 3 in the evening. I had both arms propped up on the gutter with my head resting against my right arm, who knew you could sweat in January I thought to myself.
A spilt second warning was all I had before the ladder was yanked viciously out from under me. I gave a scream as I clutched the gutter to stop from taking the bone jarring drop it would mean. I whipped my head around to see who it was but didn't catch a glimpse as I was yanked roughly down by the back of my sweater. My senses caught up with me then, "What the hell you fucker? Put me down this instant."
I squirmed and twisted in the grip whoever it was had on me. I started flailing out with my arms and legs in an attempt to break free when whoever it was swung me with frightening speed and an inhuman snarl until I was pressed against the side of the house, the rough wood biting into my skin through the sweater. The curses died on my lips as I locked eyes with probably the biggest thing I had ever seen in the world.
I am no tiny woman but this guy was comparable to the one that I had been seeing which was broader than me by double. It wasn't him though because this one had hard yellow eyes, a cruel set to his mouth, and shaggy black hair. He currently had his palm flat against my chest holding me against the wall. I knew immediately this thing wasn't human and I bared my teeth at him. "Listen well to me human. The girls that summoned me are mine now to do with as I want of them." He leaned forward to inhale the air close to my face before closing his eyes in wonder for a moment. "You have such raw pure power; why don't you join the girls? Join them in serving me or walk away and forget everything you know. If not I will kill you human."
I grasped his arm with both mine and struggled against him as I hissed out through gritted teeth, "That one is my niece and I will not abandon my 10 year old niece to any demon. She is mine damn you. Release me this moment I command you." He laughed as he leaned forward to hold my gaze, "You are powerful but you do not possess the authority to banish me."
His game was getting tiring as I called on my own power and lashed out at him with it. It hit its mark and made him jerk as he staggered back. I tottered a second to catch my balance. He turned to me and to my surprise I saw the burn mark on his face where I had lashed out at him. "Impudent bitch you will pay for that." He snarled before catching me with a vicious backhand that I could have never dodged in a million years. I wasn't as fast as a demon.
I curled into myself at the last second as I struck the wall of the storage building. I heard a crunching sound but I wasn't sure if it was the wood or my body. I tried to get up but only managed to get my shaky arms under me as my vision was blurring black at the edges. I saw that cruel smile as the thing held a black giant chain in its hands as it approached me. The last thing I remembered seeing though was a broad back and silver hair stepping between me and it.
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War had reached the human just in time to prevent Amon from killing her outright though he wondered if she would be able to survive the blow from the demon. He felt a grudging admiration for the human, hell he had felt it since she had stood in her saddle and yelled at him with a fierceness little seen these days. He stepped in between the demon and the human at the last moment.
Amon sneered at him, "I was freed at the last moment before I was cast into Oblivion and I will not go back Horseman." War arched an eyebrow at the demon, "Your time is over. You will no longer plague the balance among humanity." The demon snarled at him before lashing out with his heavy chain that was coated in acidic demon venom. War blocked it with Chaoseater but the end of the chain still caught his wrist burning into the flesh. If he had been any less than who he was he would have flinched at the contact.
However he didn't and quickly pulled Chaoseater from the chain, the force brought the demon flying towards him. He gave a grin of pleasure as the sword cleaved into the flesh of the demon. It didn't take long for the quivering flesh to erode into nothing but hell born ash that would blow away in the strong breezes.
He turned to look at the human woman slumped against the wall. He nearly rolled his eyes, he couldn't very well leave her laying out here and she seemed to be alone. He kneeled next to her and prodded at her shoulder hoping to rouse her. She groaned softly and cracked grey-green eyes open where War noticed they were lined in a darker green quite a contrast really but he had never been this close to her. When her eyes slid shut again he wrapped his hand into the waist length golden hair and tugged lightly to try and rouse her.
He chuckled as she bared her blunt human teeth at him and creases marred her brow. Still she didn't wake so he scooped her up and headed into the human dwelling. He searched the rooms until he found one that held a messy bed. He laid her gently on it and straightened her hip length deep green sweater so that she was properly covered. There would be no honor in leaving her vulnerable so he sat at the foot of the bed waiting for her to wake up as he picked at the festering injury on his arm.
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I blinked my eyes open and assumed I was alive since everything felt bruised. I took a shuddering breath and looked up at the ceiling, maybe I fell and it was all a dream. A shifting at the foot of the bed made me snap my eyes down and every well placed plan to never panic was shot to hell.
I sprang to my feet on the bed with my back pressed to the wall and started pointing my finger at the man standing at the foot of my bed staring at me. No doubt he was the same person I had been seeing but he was dressed different now. "You are not fucking real, there is no way you are fucking real." I knew I sounded like a hysterical nut but come on…really? He grinned at me with that same grin and for a moment the room spun. My eyes darted to the sword that I had brought in that morning and was sitting next to the bed.
The grin disappeared as quickly as it had come and his deep voice rumbled in the room, "I wouldn't do it if I were you." I swallowed hard and sank trembling to the bed. "You are not real, you can't be." He made a noise in the back of his throat before answering me, "Obviously I am." I took deep breaths to calm myself. Okay I knew most everything has a base in truth so I knew unless I pissed him off I was of no concern to him. However he had saved my life so I was a concern wasn't I?
He settled on the bed next to me and I eyed him warily. I blurted it out, I couldn't stop myself. "You have been stalking me." He laughed as he regarded me, "I wasn't stalking you; I was watching you because I knew the demon would attach to you eventually."
So now I was getting my courage back and the need to protect my niece drove me on. "Speaking of that demon, what did it want? Why was it here?" He smiled at me and then took a deep breath. "The demon was called Amon. He has long walked among humans, tempting children to summon him. He was called to the realm of the Charred Council. He had been sentenced to destruction. When he was summoned though he just stepped through the portal, I followed him."
I nodded, okay I could buy that. "So it still doesn't answer why you were following me." He scowled at the interruption and I snapped my mouth shut. "I felt your aura on the sword the children used to summon him. I knew that if I could find your energy then I knew he could as well. Once you began to interfere with his control of the girls I knew he would come after you. I placed a tad of my aura on your blade so that I could find you always, lucky for you I found you before you purged it. That has never been done by the way, you are an exceptional human."
I grumbled under my breath at that one, "So is my niece safe?" He pondered that for a moment. "I believe she is safe from him but you will need to caution her about further dealings with demons. The council does not take kindly to it, ignorance is no excuse." I snarled softly at that, "They won't lay a hand on her as long as I draw breath."
Suddenly I swallowed hard as he was in my face, "What do you think you can do about it human? You are powerful for a human but you are no match for me or my brothers, girl." I resisted the urge to shove him out of my face and simply nodded my head. He backed out of my face. "I will talk with her about it."
The silence grew heavy and awkward as we both just stared at each other. I looked around for anything to focus on and sat rubbing my hands against my jean clad legs when I caught sight of the festered wound on his wrist. "What happened?"
He looked down at the wound and shrugged, "His chain was enchanted with a strong demon poison and it got on my wrist when I stopped his attack." I felt my heart sink, damn it everything got hurt around me but this I could fix. "May I?" I asked softly as I held my hands out towards him. He nodded and watched me closely as I held my hands over the wound. Slowly it healed before he examined it and then grasped my arms to look at my arms. "That is odd."
I raised an eyebrow in question this time and he answered me, "You are indeed more powerful than you think. Healing by taking part of the pain or injury is common as is healing with herbs but to heal by touch alone is rare. Why do you hold so much power back?"
His interest was sincere and I could hear it in his voice. "I bumbled my way through learning my powers at a young age and when I finally did get a teacher I knew almost as much as him. He insisted on a ritual that I didn't approve of and he ended up using my power to summon something into the group, which consisted of some of my friends. When I tried to draw my power back from him whatever he summoned physically grabbed me and refused to release me."
At his look I pulled up my sleeves to show him the scars on my upper arm and then pulled the top up to my bra line to show him the scars on my ribs. He nodded for me to continue. "I got scared and lashed out blindly. I ended up losing control of my power and I hurt them all. I still am not sure if the thing threw me or I hit it so hard that I threw myself away from it."
"So you refuse to test your limits now?" I nodded as I lowered my head. I was shocked as he gently raised my face to look up at his. "Do not be afraid; you have control now and you know to temper your power. Remember the spirit you claim as your patron was not only a gentle lady. She was also a proud warrior, beautiful, strong, and fierce." His words shocked me as I looked at him dumbly before nodding. "Thank you for saving me."
He rose and I knew he was about to leave and I would never see him again. He turned to look at me seriously. "Mentor your niece and keep your head down. You are a great power and the Charred Council may find you a threat. I pray if you ever have a daughter or your niece comes into her power that they never be as strong as you because they will send us for you both." I nodded in understanding as I swallowed hard and watched him walk away to leave me pondering his words.
