part0016

“You really want to help us?” he questioned as tears fell down his cheeks. “Leave, leave us alone; ever since you got here, everything has been hell.”

“Logan, Mark isn’t going anywhere and nor are any of us,” Callie said sitting down next to him on the bed.

“It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have let her come up the mountain with me,” he cried harder.

“Hey, stop the waterworks, we’re all upset here but there are more important things we have to do,” Devin stepped into the middle of the room. “I know I’m the biggest fool here but Laila’s death is enough to wake me up, to make me realize that there is evil out there. Everyone here believes the stories of the Burning Snow now. We’ve been living it up here, protected from the outside world. That stops now guys; we are going to avenge Laila.”

“Well said, Dev,” Callie agreed.

“You didn’t see them Devin, their strength is in numbers,” I cut in. “They are demonic fire encased in frozen skin. They’re strong, fast, and their leader is smart. I saw them up close, they are dead inside and out. I don’t know why they haven’t come down here and slaughtered this town yet but something is keeping them on the mountain.”

“The blessing; demons cannot get into the sanctuary,” Autumn added.

“Your principal got in just fine. If we don’t take the fight to them, they will bring it to us when we’re unprepared,” Devin said.

“So, what are you suggesting, that we five misfits take on a hoard of the undead?” Autumn asked.

“I know we haven’t gotten along here, Autumn, but we need to stick together if we want to defeat them,” Callie said.

Autumn nodded as everyone’s demeanor changed to being serious.

“The question still remains, how are the five of us going to take on the Burning Snow horde?” Logan chimed in.

Rockport suddenly entered my mind. Jason, Patrick, Cheryl, look what happened to them the last time I made my friends help me.

“We’re not, I am,” I said, walking toward the door.

“Mark you’re not going alone and don’t try to talk us out of it,” Callie called after me. “This is bigger than you and us, we are all in this.”

“We don’t need to kill the hoard,” I answered her. “Just Whistler.”

“Mark,” Dexter said as I almost jumped out of my shoes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you but can I talk to you for a moment?”

I panicked that he’d found out I knew he was the traitor.

“Yes, yeah, of course,” I stuttered, following him back to his place.

“Listen, I just wanted to make sure you were prepared for what is coming,” he said as we entered his cabin.

“I think I am, I’ve learned to control my powers and I have a spirit animal.”

“Do you know why the Syreni feeds Aurora on full moons?”

“No, I never understood that.”

“Aurora is what we would call a mermaid. She is an aquatic mystical demon who can take the form of anyone or thing for a period of time. When there is a full moon, the mermaid goes into a frenzy. It does not know what it is doing and will do anything to feed. That is why the Syreni feeds her only on a full moon. If they did not feed her, she would run free, slaughtering everyone around her.”

“So, they feed her on full moons to control her?”

“Yes, once a month, she becomes starving and needs to feed to survive. The Syreni have been feeding her for a very long time, the time is coming where she will be at 100% strength. Are you following so far?”

“Yes, I know how dangerous she is and will become.”

He walked over to his cabinet and grabbed a very old book from it. Opening it, there were pictures of mermaids and other demonic creatures slaughtering villages.

“She first appeared in 1512, long before Rockport was a town. The villagers were granted rich soil and plentiful seas as long as they sacrificed one of their own every full moon. Think about that; there are twelve full moons in a year. It has been 505 years since she first emerged. There is one more full moon left to come before the world as we know it will end. That means Aurora has fed on 6,059 people since she emerged. January 1st , 2018 is almost here, so that last sacrifice will make 6,060 offerings. Once that happens, she will be at full strength and will be able to not only destroy us all but to call upon others to rise up. ”

My mind instantly took me back to the caves in the mountains. 6060 was written all over the walls, the number needed for her to rise.

“I had no idea, Dexter, I knew she was almost ready but I didn’t know how many people were killed. Why couldn’t they feed her more than once a month, to make her more powerful sooner?”

“Her power can only grow when the moon is at its fullest. We have learned some things about her from this scale but she is still a mystery. On that night, when the moon is at its highest, you need to pierce this scale into her heart.”

“Why hasn’t Josiah told me any of this yet? Where did the number 6060 come from?”

“He is trying to get you ready slowly, but we’re running out of time,” he said, grabbing something from his drawer. “The number 6060 is a reference to the first Great War. The angels of heaven defeated the evil of the underworld, and the death toll was great, 6,060 to be exact. This number was placed on the barrier between this world and the underworld. If a single demon ever fed on 6,060 innocents, that barrier would collapse.”

“We have to stop her,” I said, taking the item he handed me.

Unraveling it, I knew what it was. He had forged a dagger using the scale as a blade.

“Keep this with you, along with your grandfather’s sword.”

I took it from him and tied the leather holder to my belt.

“He would’ve wanted you to have that sword, you know; he would have been proud of you.”

“Did you know him?” I asked, trying not to give anything away.

“Not as much as I wished I had. Win or lose this fight, you’ll always be a Cambion, that connection to the underworld will always be there. ”

I nodded at him before turning to head to the door. There were matters to discuss with Josiah. The Burning Snow needed to be defeated before taking on Aurora.

Leaving his cabin, I got a chill on the back of my neck. An eerie feeling of impending doom came over me as I shook it off. I headed for Josiah’s cabin and could see everyone beginning to rebuild the sanctuary. The fires had destroyed most of the living area but that wasn’t going to stop this resilient town from rising up.

“Come in, Mark,” Josiah called as I raised my hand to knock.

“How did you know I was coming?” I asked as I walked in.

“Call it a gift,” he laughed as I remembered Nephilims had great intuition.

Someone else was in his cabin, sitting at his table.

“Mark, come join us at the table, I would like to finally introduce you to someone.”

I cautiously made my way over to the table and sat down across from the man. He looked oddly familiar to me as I stared back at him.

“Mark, this is the pilot who saved you kids on that mountain.”

“Oh wow, thank you sir, for that.”

“You’re welcome, I had just gotten back to Dracfort when Josiah told me to fly up and check on you kids,” the mysterious man uttered, taking a sip from his mug. “I’m sorry we were unable to save your friend, she shouldn’t have died that way.”

“So, you did see the Burning Snow attacking her?” I questioned.

“Yes, not the first time I’ve encountered them either,” he answered. “We’ve recently learned that they have become more active, moving closer to the barrier. I’m sorry we had to lie to you in the hospital but we couldn’t let Dexter know that we knew they’d risen again. ”

“You were there when I was at the hospital?”

“Yes, I tried to speak to you but you fell asleep as I approached.”

I quickly remembered hearing a man’s voice as I drifted away.

“I take it he’s never seen a picture of me before, Josiah,” the man laughed, taking another sip from his drink.

“Do I know you?” I questioned.

“Mark, I’d like to officially introduce you to Jack Wood, he has been with us for some time and I believe you know his daughter Cheryl,” Josiah uttered, pouring me a cup.

“Jack Wood, as in the Jack Wood?” I stuttered trying to comprehend what he just said.

“Yes. Cheryl has told me a lot about you and we’ve been watching you for quite a while,” he answered.

Taking a sip of my drink, I quickly realized it wasn’t just coffee as a burning sensation entered my throat.

“You spiked my drink?” I laughed, coughing.

“Just a little, you earned it,” Josiah said as they started laughing.

“Please, Mark, we are past the formalities. Call me Jack.”

“Jack, I am so sorry about Cheryl. I never should have let her come with me down into those tunnels. She helped me and Jason get into the secret room in the library and she translated the books for us there. After we entered back into the tunnels, Aurora took her. I should’ve gone back for her but I panicked.”

“You’re going to have to try harder if you want to get rid of me, Mark!” a voice called down from above me.

I looked up at the balcony above us and a chill radiated down my spine at the sight of Cheryl standing there watching us .

“Cheryl!” I screamed, jumping up from my chair.

She quickly ran down the stairs and hugged me, almost knocking me to the ground.

“How, I saw you get taken by Aurora in those tunnels.”

We sat back at the table as she pulled up her shirt, revealing fresh scars all around her side and back.

“She carried me through the tunnels, out into the ocean,” she started. “Luckily for me, my dad was waiting at the entrance to the cave. He shot her with a harpoon as she dropped me, retreating back into the tunnels.”

“How did he know we would be in there?”

“I haven’t been totally truthful with you, Mark,” she laughed, grabbing my hand. “I’ve known about Cambions and Nephilims my whole life. My dad has been training me since I could walk. I didn’t know for what until you started talking about this demon. When we learned of its true nature in that library, that was the first I had ever heard about Aurora.”

“I wanted to protect her, but I knew she had to be ready for a fight if it came to that,” Jack said.

“So, after we left the party that night, I texted my dad that we were going to search for clues on Mermaid Cliff.”

“I had known about tunnels all throughout Rockport for some time,” Jack cut in. “I just never could find the doorway on the surface. That burned building was a hidden entrance to the dungeons below. Your mother burned that place down when we were kids, I should’ve known she was hiding something there. She killed a girl in doing so. Anyway, I knew about the ocean entrance and had spent many hours waiting to see Aurora leave it. When Cheryl texted me, I quickly got in my boat and headed to that entrance.”

“My mother told me Mrs. Huber’s daughter died in that fire and the town kept it quiet. I’m just glad you were there to save Cheryl. ”

“Don’t sweat it, Mark, at the time you didn’t know how to control your powers. There was nothing you or Jason could have done to save me. By the way, I’m so sorry about what happened to Jason. The Seven killed Andrea and Jason because of something they thought they did to Veronica. They will pay one day, I can promise you that.”

“My mother led them down that dark path. She has manipulated me and that town for a very long time. I don’t know what I’ll do when I’m face to face with the Syreni but I’m glad I have you guys by my side.”

“Just so you know, Patrick’s body was never found. He wasn’t as lucky as I was.”

“He only wanted to help us find the truth,” I said, taking another sip. “He truly thought it was his mother down there.”

“Yes, Aurora can take the form of anyone or anything,” Josiah cut in. “Being a Cambion, you should be able to sense it’s her. Don’t be fooled once you come face to face with your mother and the Syreni. They will stop at nothing to fulfil what their ancestors started long ago. It is almost time for Aurora to be at full strength.”

“That is what I came here to talk about, Josiah,” I said. “Dexter told me about January 1st , 2018 being the last full moon, giving her 6,060 sacrifices. That is not long from now; why didn’t you tell me?”

“I’m sorry, I wanted you to train as hard as you could without worrying but powers beyond my control intervened.”

“I know we need to stop the Syreni, and kill Aurora, but first we need to deal with the Burning Snow,” I said as he shook his head. “Once we leave here to fight Aurora, the dead will come down that mountain, enter the barrier, and slaughter everyone in Dracfort.”

I slammed my fist down as the rage built up in me.

“He’s right, old friend,” Jack said.

“I know how to defeat them,” I said.

“There was once a great battle between the Order and the Burning Snow,” Josiah started as he sat back with an angered look. “ After thousands from both sides were murdered, we finally pushed the dead back into the mountain. They have not risen until lately, they can feel Aurora growing in power. After we defeated them on the mountainside, the snow ran red, creeks filled with blood. That lake right out there was red for months, red with the blood of my ancestors. We made a choice to attack them and almost lost everything. It’s taken me this long to rebuild and I will be damned if I lose it all again before the most important war the Order has ever seen is upon us!”

He slammed his fist down, creating a split down the middle of the wooden table.

Cheryl looked terrified as Jack lowered his head.

“Like I said, I know how to defeat them,” I stuttered, not wanting to upset him anymore.

“Hear the kid out before you make a decision. He is the chosen one, after all.”

Josiah nodded at me as a rage I hadn’t seen before built on his face.

“If we take the horde head on, we’ll all be slaughtered. We are stronger with our weapons but they are fast and have too many numbers. What we do is think of it like capture the flag.”

“Ok, maybe we shouldn’t hear him out,” Jack cut in.

“No, hang on, Jack,” Josiah said, sitting up in his seat. “You wait until the fight ensues and then send your best warrior to sneak around the fight and capture the flag, ending the game.”

“Whistler has an ice-sword with a single flame burning inside of it,” I said. “I think he controls the dead with it. If we kill him, they will stop fighting.”

“And if you’re wrong?” Cheryl asked.

“We all die and Aurora will rise to power and destroy everything in this world,” Jack answered. “No pressure at all. ”

Josiah sat back with a curious look, as if he was trying to remember a forgotten memory.

“What is it?” I asked him.

“Something Viktor told me one time I was on the mountain,” he said as a crackling of thunder boomed through the air. “He is a crazy old man so I just figured he made it up but it makes sense now. Viktor had seen Whistler riding his elk through a blizzard up there. The dead were frozen solid beneath the snow as Whistler stood over them and held his sword in the air. A fire burned inside the ice as the dead rose from the ground.”

“That’s all the confirmation I need to prove he controls them,” I said.

Lucian suddenly walked in the door, drenched from the pouring rain as a lightning bolt struck down in the distance.

“The kid is right, Josiah; Viktor sent word that the dead is rising from the mountain’s caves.”

“How did he send word? Isn’t he stuck up there?” I asked.

“He sends us messages with his spirit animal about the status of the dead. We never really took it seriously until now.”

“Very well, I will be the one to kill Whistler, call the counsel, have them send their warriors at once!” Josiah ordered as he began coughing.

He nearly fell to the ground as he coughed up a handful of blood.

“What’s wrong?” I questioned as Lucian helped him to his bed.

“Josiah’s time is coming to an end, Mark,” Jack answered as they left the room. “Let’s just say his immortality has an expiration date.”

“He’s going to die?” I asked.

“Josiah has been around for a long time. His family’s immortality runs out when a new member of the order has risen to power. ”

“Who is taking over, Lucian?” I asked nervously.

“You are,” Cheryl answered as her dad nodded at me.

Lucian came back into the room as I sat back in my chair in disbelief.

“I think we should leave him to rest, he needs to regain his strength,” Lucian suggested. “I will send word to the counsel immediately. In three days’ time, we will have an army ready for the Burning Snow.”

“What is the counsel?” I asked as we walked to the front door.

“Do you think Dracfort is the only sanctuary the Order has?” Lucian asked. “We have members who live all around the world. I have not seen them come together in my lifetime but this fight needs the numbers.”

“I am going to kill Whistler while your army distracts the horde,” I demanded.

“Can’t risk the chosen one getting hurt. You kids will remain here to train. Your time is coming, Mark don’t worry.”

I couldn’t get another word in before he pushed me out into the pouring rain. I have to be a part of this, it was my idea.

“There he is; we heard you were with Josiah, what’s the plan?” Devin asked as we walked inside.

“They took my plan and told me us ‘kids’ cannot be a part of it,” I said, kicking the chair across the room.

Callie walked over and grabbed me. “Calm down, we’re going to get through this.”

“Mark Parker, you sure have changed a lot from the nerdy kid in my English class,” Cheryl laughed .

“Who is this, Mark?” Logan asked as the others awaited an answer.

“Logan, Devin, Callie, Autumn, this is my friend from Rockport, Cheryl,” I answered, sitting down on the bed.

“Cheryl, the one who died in the caves?” Callie asked.

“Turns out her dad, who happened to be our pilot up on that mountain, saved her that night.”

“So, he saved Cheryl but couldn’t save Laila? Your dad is a real piece of work,” Logan said.

“Don’t mind him, he’s just in a bad place right now,” Callie said as she hugged Cheryl.

“Welcome to the group, Cheryl,” Devin said as Autumn nodded at her from the corner.

I could tell Autumn was still upset with me about something. We did kiss on that mountain and I still felt a real connection to her, but Callie was just too important to me.

“So, what’s the plan, Mark?” Devin asked as Cheryl sat down on the bed.

“Lucian is sending word to the Counsel. They’re going to send numbers to help with the fight,” I answered. “He said it will take a few days for that to happen. Once the fight starts, my plan is to sneak around the army and kill the Burning Snow’s leader, Whistler.”

“You mean ‘our’ plan; we are doing this together,” Logan cut in. “I’m going to be the one to kill him for what he did to Laila.”

Devin nodded as the rest of the group agreed.

“It’s a plan then,” Cheryl said.

“Well, we can’t do anything until the members get here, so there is one other piece of business we need to discuss,” Callie laughed.

“No, we don’t need to discuss that,” Logan said .

“What is it?” I asked.

“The dance, it’s tomorrow and it is still going to happen,” Callie answered. “Mrs. Crane said she wants all students to be there.”

“Oh, that sounds fun!” Cheryl joined in.

“We have too much going on right now,” Logan answered. “Between demons trying to get in here, frozen dead building an army, a cambion traitor in our ranks, Mark just learning his powers, it’s just too much.”

“Too much, exactly, we are kids who shouldn’t have to worry so much about this,” Callie demanded.

“She’s right, in a way Logan. For one night, we shouldn’t have to worry about what’s coming next,” I said. “When that fight happens on that mountain, we may lose another from our group, or we could all die. When we fight Aurora and the Syreni, the same could happen. But for now, right now, we need to truly harness what we all have and then use that to fight.”

“Wow, Mark, you really have grown here,” Cheryl laughed.

“Mark, I would like to start by asking you to go with me to the dance,” Callie laughed as she took my hand.

Before I could answer, Autumn stood up and walked out into the rain.

“What’s her problem?” Devin asked.

“You know how she is with student activities,” Logan laughed.

“Did something happen up on that mountain?” Callie asked as I shook my head. I didn’t have it in me to tell her what had happened.

“Yes, I will go with you,” I quickly changed the subject.

“Cheryl, is it?” Devin asked. “Would you go with me? And I just lost my sister so you don’t get to say no. ”

“Using her death as a way to get with a girl?” Logan said. “Typical Devin.”

“Sure, I’ll go with you, we humans have to stick together against these half angels and half demons,” she laughed as the rest of us joined in.

“Logan, you have to come, we can take turns dancing with you,” Callie said.

“I’ll come because that’s what Laila would have wanted—but I’m not dancing.”

“It’s getting late, Cheryl…would you like to stay in my cabin?” Callie asked as they stood up.

“Sure, if it’s not too much to ask.”

Callie leaned in and kissed me on the lips, which caught me off guard.

“See you guys tomorrow,” she said as they both left the cabin.

“So, can I sleep on this small couch tonight? I had been sleeping in Laila’s old bed but it looks like I just lost it,” Devin laughed.