Equinox
Chapter Eight
For the following few weeks, there was rarely a moment I couldn't be found mulling over the conundrum that was Fang. My daily life was filled with vampires, werewolves and other mystical beings; the very definition of strange. Now that something even more mystifying had entered the picture, there was nothing I could do to stop myself from pursuing it.
The root of my curiosity spawned from the conclusion that never, in my many years of schooling, had there ever been mention of a paranormal creature such as Fang. There was a wide margin between he and the fairies, and no other winged beings matched his description either. From what I could tell, he appeared . . . human (aside from the whole wings thing, of course).
Random species of supernatural beings didn't just pop up, though. Yet I had come in contact with someone who verged dangerously between that thin veil . . . and he had sauntered away before I could even create the slightest hypothesis.
To sum it all up, I was driving myself insane.
Anne, after learning that we had left the base that day, had strictly prohibited us from so much as stepping foot outside. Apparently, preventing us from hunting was her punishment of choice. However, even she could observe how discernibly restless I was becoming. Evidently, she surmised that it was in the best interest of everyone on the premise that I was liberated.
No doubt, she considered the havoc I would assuredly wreak on the commiserable employees of the CSM.
At least, that's what I assumed upon catching word that she was lifting her penalty a few days early. No sooner had the message been delivered, then I was streaking for the weapons room; not even pausing to see if Dylan was anywhere near ready to depart. It wouldn't be the first time I hunted alone.
My movements were anything but listless, as I bounded down the concrete aisles of the large warehouse. Flickers of the occasional hunter or small cluster of hunters punctuated the void, their animated tones standing in stark contrast to the metallic glint of the weapons surrounding them. My presence, on the other hand, didn't shock them. They were used to seeing me flitting around the building.
As it was, they were mostly adults. Being only fifteen myself, I never had much reason to seek entertainment where they were concerned. Gazzy, Dylan and I didn't bother them, and in turn they steered out of our much more existential path.
It was a routine we had all been dancing around for the past few years.
"Max!" a voice called suddenly to me, screeching out from a few rows of shelves back. I skidded to a halt, twisting my torso in the correct direction.
Ari materialized from the shadows, grinning from ear to ear. He appeared to be concealing something underneath his arm, approaching me slowly. I waited in interest, eyebrow cocked in question.
"We just got a new shipment of supplies. I thought you might be curious as to what I dug up," he explained loftily, winking cheekily.
Ari had been around the CSM almost as long as I had. Though he was certainly well into his early twenties, half the time he acted as if he were younger than Gazzy. Despite this, the stretch in age had us running different circuits. He spent most of his time sifting through the experimental junk that entered the weapon room; presenting me with items he thought were of significant worth.
"What do you have for me this time?" I inquired, shuffling closer. The immense fluorescent bulbs that hung above trickled down in intensity by the time the light reached ground level, leaving the floor in a dim haze.
"Nothing too special. There are a few makeshift grenades full of holy water, and a smaller model of the Fairy Stun Gun. It still holds the same amount of sugar powder, though. It might come in handy if you run into one from the Unseelie Court." He passed the objects to me as he spoke, carefully depositing them into my arms.
Something that must be understood about fairies is that in order to detain them, you had to slow them down. Way down. If you didn't administer the prescribed actions, they could easily persuade you to join them. The second you let fairy food touch your lips, or become a link in one of their dances; you're done for. Say goodbye to your life, because you just became a permanent slave for the Unseelie Court.
I knew hunters that had come close, and from their description, it seemed worse than any ogre encounter. And those sucked. Trust me.
In addition to that, there were very few methods to control fairies as it was. The most effective measure was to blast them with as much sugar as possible, and hope it hyped them up enough to fizzle their devious little brains.
"Thanks, Ari. These'll come in handy tonight. There've been a lot of reports on a coven of vampires roaming around a ways north from here. Anne hasn't issued me an exact mission, I'm just scouting . . . but if I catch one of the blood suckers, all the better." At this point, my legs were trembling with the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
"Good luck, then." Ari's benign smile hadn't left his lips, and only continued to widen further in reassurance.
-o-o-o-
Despite it being the middle of January, the snow had begun to thaw. There was clear weather throughout the remainder of the forecast, but that didn't mean the inches wouldn't pile back up again later. Now that the Winter Solstice had passed, the paranormals would retreat for the rest of the cold season. This sudden bout of mild temperatures would surely tempt them back into the open.
I headed first east, and then slanted my pace in a northward direction. My current path would draw me away from most civilization, but I had no patience for a stakeout. My nerves were buzzing, and my limbs jerked to be moving. For the time being, I was a predator stalking out my prey. Rather than waiting for it to come to me, I would seek it out myself.
Hours passed, but the muscles in my legs barely burned with exertion. The terrain was becoming less rough, smoothing into a gentle slope. The vegetation thinned, morphing to rock. It was probably the farthest I had traveled from headquarters in a long time. For a moment I had trouble wracking my memory, attempting to determine where I was.
When the rocks turned into boulders, then tapered, jagged peaks; I knew I had traversed much too far.
The sparse, browning grass plummeted steeply, creating a sheer twenty foot drop into the pit below. It was ringed by large monoliths; towering columns that plunged into the dank air like the serrated edge of a deadly knife. Shattered glass sparkled wickedly from within.
Past hunters had asserted it as the City of Lost Souls. Something about it attracted ghosts like moths to a flame. The displaced souls of those deceased congregated in its depth, wailing their unheard sorrows to the wind. The spirits themselves were of no immediate danger. They could barely interact with the living. It was the poltergeists who posed an immense threat.
Essentially, poltergeists could be considered the most dangerous of all paranormal creatures. Though there was a definite absence of teeth, claws or debilitating charms- they had their own way of causing harm. They held the ability to influence tangible, inanimate objects, as well as control a certain amount of air currents.
To put it simply, they can throw things at you: extremely heavy, possibly sharp things.
This wouldn't be so much of a danger, had there been any way you could apprehend one. However, they were still ghosts. Technically, they weren't part of this world, but of a sub-dimension somewhere between. It's not like I could just reach over and knock one out; my hand, or any other appendage, would go straight through.
So, poltergeists were sort of invincible.
I cursed silently at my own stupidity, having wandered aimlessly into a certain trap. It wasn't like me to lose track of my senses so easily, but there was nothing I could do to change that now. I just needed to retrace my steps as quickly as possible.
Vainly praying that I hadn't attracted the attention of some invisible, unwanted eye, I stumbled backwards, weaving around to face where I had come from. Immediately, my breath was lodged thickly in my throat. The distant birds continued chirping, chittering to one another through the trees. The steady drip of melting snow waned in the background, blending with the rustling of the limbs in the wind . . .
And the forked branch that was dangling in the empty space above my head swung sharply toward me.
I ducked, throwing my arms up to protect my head. An icy breeze lifted stray strands of my hair, and I could feel the pressure of the log passing just over me. Before I could straighten to survey for another attack, the poltergeist delivered its desired blow.
The branch clobbered into my stomach, smashing every particle of air out of me. The force of the swing lifted me off my feet, sending me flying into nothing. For a moment I was weightless, suspended in mid-air. Then gravity took its hold, and I pitched onto the rocks twenty feet below.
I couldn't help but cry out, gritting my teeth to strangle the sound. Wincing, I felt every individual piece of stone and glass that was ripping into my back. Warmth flooded around my temple, and I blinked through the trickle of blood that wept down my face. Fire burst from various pats of my body, and I knew that some of my ribs had to have cracked from the blast of the branch.
Of course, the poltergeist's assault was only just beginning.
At the crest of the pit, a monstrous boulder appeared. My eyes widened, and through my torment, I managed to barrel roll myself away; just in time for the giant stone to crash over the lip. It stuck where it landed, shaking the ground perceptively. All the air in my lungs left in a grateful whoosh.
But, I could only imagine how much worse it could - and probably would - get.
It seemed to be just as I was thinking this, that a tinkling, bell-like sound rang through the clearing. My vision ripped in the direction of it. A few feet away, a pile of glass shards was shifting like something was trailing a hand through its midst.
Practically screaming the phrase 'pain is just a message' through my mind, I pushed myself shakily to a stand. My eyes narrowed in fierce determination. No worthless ghost was going to get the best of me.
Without warning, a slab of tapered glass spiraled toward my chest. I deflected it with a nearby chunk of rock. The onslaught began, fragments of glass raining hellishly on my virtually unprotected personage. Most I could block, but some shards sliced through my clothes, biting into skin.
Soon, I would grow dizzy with blood loss.
My breath came faster, panting from between swollen lips. Sweat poured from every pore, mingling with the crimson streaming from my wounds. The salt burned, shooting sharp flickers of bright white light across my already scattered vision. My knees quaked, beginning to buckle.
Just before I dropped, a massive shadow passed over my head. A rush of wind blew my matted blonde hair, swirling it around in the air. Strong, tan arms came around to grip my waist. I didn't even have the strength to howl at the pain the pressure produced. My feet were lifted off the ground, swooping further and further from the earth.
Black feathers appeared in my peripheral vision; an angel come to spare me at last.