part0021

Water dripped down onto my face. A shock shot through my body at the sight. The clouds broke up, the sun piercing through. Rain was falling all around us, the snow melting.

And Whistler’s head lay on the ground beside me, Cheryl standing over his body. His sword lay in front of me as I cautiously reached for it. The ice immediately melted around the blade as the fire imbued itself inside.

I held the sword in the air and could make out the field below us. Screaming came from the fields, the Burning Snow exploding into chunks of ice, melting in the falling rain.

“How?” I questioned as Cheryl kneeled beside me.

“Turns out fire can kill these guys,” she laughed as a sword covered in fire lay next to chunks of ice. “I saw the fire in him; he was encased in ice, wanting to get out. The fire must have melted the ice, releasing his soul.”

“Something you read in your books?” I lay back in the snow, laughing.

She laughed too and helped me to my feet.

“Mark,” Logan called over.

I quickly remembered what had happened to Callie and rushed over to them.

“I’m sorry, man, she was too far gone,” Logan said, pushing me away from the pile of ice and flesh. Callie was gone, just like that, her life taken from me. Lost to the continuous war of good versus evil. I sat down and looked around at the blood and carnage surrounding us and the fields below. We’d won the battle but lost so many good friends. Callie had given her life so we could continue. Wild Eye and Kayden had lost their lives too. I noticed Autumn sitting up.

“Mark, is it over?” she asked as we all sat down next to her.

“It’s over,” I said, putting my arms around her.

“I can’t believe your spirit animal is a humungous rat,” Devin said to Logan as we all laughed briefly.

“What is that?” Logan questioned as he picked a shiny object from the snow.

“Drop it!” I yelped, quickly realizing it was Viktor’s ring.

Logan dropped it and fell back in fear.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” I laughed, picking up the ring and putting it in my pocket. “This was Viktor’s ring, it’s evil.

“At least you have a new sword now, Mark,” Cheryl said as I held it up.

The blade was glimmering, almost blinding if you stared at it for too long. The light blue tint reminded me of an icicle. The handle was made of steel and shaped like a flame.

“Why isn’t it frozen and on fire anymore?” Devin asked.

“I don’t know, it’s like the powers of it were imbued inside it when Cheryl killed Whistler.”

“First Laila, now Callie; our group is getting smaller and smaller,” Logan said, bowing his head.

“They died for a reason; it’s hard to see it right now but once we defeat the Syreni, we will avenge their deaths,” I confided.

“Should we go?” Devin asked.

“Looks like they’re regathering down there. We should probably meet up with them,” Autumn said.

“Yeah, you guys go ahead, I’ll catch up in a few minutes. ”

I sat there a little while, taking it all in; we had defeated the Burning Snow, killed Whistler. Somehow, it didn’t feel like a win, as we’d lost people we cared about.

I stood up and sheathed my new sword, which fitted perfectly. I picked up the handle to my grandfather’s sword before kneeling by what remained of Callie.

“I’m sorry I got you into this. I should’ve protected you. Tell Veronica and Jason I said hello.”

A burning on my leg forced me to look up. Standing ten feet from me was Akira. Her fur was red with blood, her leg held up as I remembered she’d been hit. Before I could approach her, she limped away, disappearing into the fog.

Forcing myself up, I walked through melting ice toward the bloody fields. My body felt weak, powers drained from me. I could hear the cheers of victory coming from the army. We may have won this battle but there was so much more to fight for, so much more on the line.

I walked through the blood-soaked fields, corpses from both sides littering the area. The rain had already melted the ice, revealing the luscious green grass that once grew here.

“Mark, you did it!” Silverclaw cheered as I reached the group.

“We did it,” I nodded at him, noticing the blood all over him. “We should’ve been quicker, and I’m sorry about your people.”

“They were proud to die for the Order. We all are, boy.”

A loud growling came from the forest; looking over, a towering black bear—at least ten feet tall—stood before limping away.

“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said an ancient bear,” Devin said, hiding behind Logan.

“Where’s my dad?” Cheryl asked, looking around the survivors .

“He’s been taking the injured back to the sanctuary,” Silverclaw said, pointing through the forest at the several dozen injured men and women. “You guys should get back and clean up, we’ll take care of the dead and wounded.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Devin said, walking into the forest.

“Wild Eye?” Claw asked, looking back to the mountain.

I shook my head as I walked by him, and Logan handed him his stick.

Walking through the melting forest, bodies lying everywhere, was an eye opener. We didn’t speak through the whole walk as the cries and just the sight of the carnage proved all too great to talk about. I stopped at the tree line and looked back through the forest. The rain had collected the blood and pushed it down the hill around us.

Reaching the sanctuary, I could feel that the barrier had returned. The familiar glow put me at ease as the townspeople were safe again.

“There’s showers at the gym, guys,” Logan said as we headed there.

Walking through the sanctuary, everyone coming together, gave me hope.

Entering the men’s locker room, I never thought I’d be happy to smell that damp, musty smell. Getting undressed, I quickly entered the showers as the hot water fell on my partially frozen face. Looking around, I was the only one in here. Logan and Devin must have gone elsewhere to get washed off.

With every drop of warm water, I felt more at peace. We had done what we set out to do, and the Burning Snow were no more. Whistler had been defeated and the barrier restored. Although I was happy for that, those we’d lost would take a toll on me. One of my last conversations with Callie was me telling her I didn’t want to be with her any longer .

A creaking from the locker room made me jump in terror as I called out. “Who’s there?”

Silence; nothing was there. Walking over to the edge of the showers, I looked around the room and grabbed my towel from the wall, quickly tying it around my waist. As I went to exit the showers, I heard the water intensify. I turned around; the showers were turned on. Steam filled the room as the hot water hit my skin.

I tried to turn the handles on each shower but nothing worked. The steam filled my lungs as I coughed, the hot water becoming even hotter as I jumped out of the way in pain. I could barely make out my hand in front of my face as I tried to enter the locker room.

A faint crying began from somewhere inside it. I couldn’t make out anything.

“Is someone in here?” I called out again as the crying increased.

It sounded like it was coming from the back of the shower area. I cautiously made my way around the hot water and through the steam. Wiping my eyes, I could make out someone sitting up against the wall as the water drenched their clothing.

“What are you doing in here?” I asked as I realized it was a girl about my age.

Her crying slowed as I got closer to her. She whispered something, but I couldn’t make out what it was.

“I can help you,” I said to her as I kneeled in front of her. An eerie feeling came over me in that moment, staring at her black hair brought back a familiarity.

She slowly lifted her head, revealing burns all over her skin that was peeling off of her face as she smiled at me. I fell backward into the steaming hot shower, burning my chest. Looking back, she was gone, I could just make out a silhouette through the steam. She giggled .

A fear came over me, thoughts of Aurora and her ability to transform into anyone or anything entering my mind. I had had several visions before, but nothing this real.

The creaking from the door echoed through the room again as something moved toward me. Scared that she would get me, I let out with a scream.

“Settle down, Carrie,” Devin laughed as he and Logan entered the showers.

“Are you alright, Mark?” Logan asked, turning the showers off.

“I’m fine,” I answered, scrambling to my feet. “I’ll catch up with you guys later.”

Leaving the gym, the cold air hit me. I paused for a minute. Something wasn’t right, I didn’t know what is was, I just knew something was off.

As I walked through the sanctuary, I noticed Silverclaw’s people carrying the bodies down through the town. I followed them down the street and remembered Laila’s funeral. They sent the bodies into the ocean before burning them, a sign of respect among the Order.

I reached the docks and was overwhelmed at the sight of hundreds of bodies laid out. Stacks of single wooden rafts lay near. My thinking was right.

A pain shot through my body, something I couldn’t explain. The stress of the battle and the losses was just too much for me.

“Everything okay, Mark?” Dexter asked, kneeling beside me.

“The barrier is back up, right?” I asked him, sitting down over the dock.

“Yes, we are safe again, for now.”

“While it was down, could a Cambion or demon have gotten in?”

“Of course, it’s possible, but with Claw and his army here, I think we would’ve seen it by now. ”

“Are you sure it can keep demons out, even one as powerful as Aurora?”

“Well as we saw, your principal was given the ancient tattoo and entered the barrier, so yes, it is possible, I guess. I don’t think Lucian took any more of the tools or materials needed for that tattoo.”

“Oh, don’t worry about him, he’s gone.”

“You had a vision about Lucian?”

“Yes, Aurora and the Syreni locked him away in a dungeon.”

“Where is this dungeon, Mark?” Dexter questioned in excitement.

“I didn’t see where it is, why?”

He mumbled something under his breath, but I couldn’t make out what.

“Dexter, without Josiah and Lucian, I feel lost. Can I tell you something?”

The men loaded the bodies up onto the rafts, one by one, as we watched.

“I know I haven’t been there for you, Mark, but trust me, I’m 100% committed to you and the Order.”

“Saw who, your mom?”

“Aurora, well Aurora before she was that beast; she was in the showers. She had burns all over her face and was so real.”

“There has never been a Cambion like you Mark, we have only known few who have had visions, none of which were as powerful as yours. Your powers are like nothing we’ve seen before, they could be limitless. ”

“She just looked so real, it scared me that maybe she’s in the sanctuary, in Dracfort.”

“Aurora is one feeding—one full moon—away from achieving what the Syreni have sought after for 500 years. I don’t think they would risk sending her here to scare you.”

He laughed as he patted my back. I guess he was right, but something still didn’t feel right.

“I’m sorry about Callie, Mark, but just because her physical body is gone, it doesn’t mean her soul has left earth.”

“What does that mean?” I asked, noticing the others coming down the street.

“You haven’t been here long enough to be in my class or read any of the ancient books. Basically, when we die, our soul is transferred into our spirit animals. If there is nothing left for us on this planet, we leave. Sometimes, they remain, however; so, next time you see a butterfly, it could very well be Callie.”

The butterfly I’d saw over her body when she died, that must have been her soul entering it.

“What about people who don’t have a spirit animal?” I questioned further.

“The Order found a way, thousands of years ago, to harness our souls through spirit animals. Normal people who never learn this way will still release their souls upon death. It just won’t be as easy to find, like a physical animal would.”

“So, you’re saying ghosts are real?” I laughed as the others joined us.

Dexter stood up, nodding to the others, “Mark, I’m saying this world is filled with mysterious and amazing things that aren’t always right in front of us.”

“Why is he always so weird,” Devin laughed as Dexter walked away .

“He’s my uncle,” I laughed, following Dexter out onto the dock.

We watched from the docks as they sent out the rafts into the lake. The first raft into the water was covered by a white silk sheet with a painting of a phoenix on it. Josiah, it must have been his body on it. It looked like they were all connected by a rope, the waves carrying them toward the cave. The sun set behind the mountains as the night crept in around us.

Each raft was carrying a member of the Order who’d given their life for the fight. Each one following the previous, tied to the one before, they all stuck together as they floated out into the middle of the lake.

“These women and men gave their lives so that we may carry on,” Silverclaw began from the docks as the rest of the Order and the townspeople gathered. “Their sacrifice will not weaken us but instead give us strength. For that strength will make us prevail in the great war that is to come. Our enemies do not feel empathy nor sympathy for one another. That is our advantage; our losses will band us together to form a stronger family. These women and men did not die in vain; with their bravery, we will prevail, together! I ask that we all join arm in arm once more as Mark Parker leads us into battle against our greatest foe. The Syreni will fall and the evil that exists will finally be extinguished!”

The crowds erupted in immense cheers as the rafts were almost at the cave entrance. I could just make them out from the light of the moon and stars.

I watched as Coyote made her way down the dock, dipped an arrow in fuel, lit it, and placed it in her bow. She pulled the arrow back and let it go. We watched as the single flaming arrow flew across the lake. It landed in the center of the rafts. They all ignited simultaneously, the immense fire lighting up the entire lake as everyone was silent. I could make out a single image in the flames, a phoenix.

We all stayed until the last light burned out. Standing there, watching the lifeless bodies of those who had sacrificed themselves burn away, gave me strength .

“Should we head back?” Logan asked as everyone left the area.

“Sure, I’m pretty beat,” Devin said as we made our way through town.

“How are you holding up?” Cheryl asked as she walked alongside me.

“Do you think if I never would have looked into Veronica’s murder, none of this would have happened?” I asked her.

“It would probably be worse; you are the chosen one.”

“The only thing I’ve done is get people killed, Cheryl, I’m not so sure I’m helping. I didn’t even kill Whistler, you did that.”

“I know it’s hard to see, but these people are counting on you. When you’re face to face with Aurora, you will know it was you all along who was protecting us. In death, there is hope, I know we’ve lost so many people we cared about but it was all for a reason.”

“Thanks, Cheryl, I am just at constant battle with my purpose.”

She grabbed my hand as we walked toward the cabins. “We’ll figure it out together.”

“I was wondering, the Order’s army is very big, why haven’t they just attacked the Syreni in Rockport long ago?”

“You obviously never read the ancient history of the Syreni and the Order of Lai,” she laughed. “You think your parents and other people in that town are the only members of an ancient cult as evil as the Syreni?”

“Well, I never really thought about it,” I laughed.

“There is far more darkness in this world than good, Mark. The Syreni are gaining strength and will soon be able to resurrect the dead and can conjure dark beings. They have so much power they have been building up and if we fail in killing Aurora, the world as we know it is over. The ancient books tell of a new world with new beings if we were to one day fail our destiny. Too bad we don’t have a time machine to go back to the 1500s and kill the first members of the Syreni.”

“No pressure, right? A time machine would be nice but that’s not going to happen. I have been thinking about Rockport lately. It would be nice to have one of Barney’s famous blueberry pancakes though, wouldn’t it?”

“I have a feeling we’ll be getting a chance to eat there again in our future,” she laughed before heading back to her cabin.

Getting into bed, I stared out my window at the starry sky, the partial moon staring down at us, another day closer to the full moon.

“Hey guys, I’m sorry about everyone we’ve lost since I’ve been here, but I wanted you to know I’m proud of both of you and appreciate you sticking with me,” I said.