THANKS TO ME AND Divya scouting ahead earlier, we’re able to take our team on a detour past the burned down town on our way to the demon’s cave. We don’t need to run into any trouble with the cops, and we certainly don’t need to mess with any of the spirits there. A spirit doesn’t have to be evil to cause some damage. I know that better than most people. The spirits hovering in that town are people who were killed in an awful way. Of course they’re going to be vengeful. Their life was ripped away from them.
We couldn’t take our vehicles much farther than the small road leading into the town, and so we parked them a few miles back from that point, to avoid suspicion. We’ve been trudging through snow ever since. I’m glad Divya knows where to go now, so I’m not the only one everyone is depending on. Between the two of us, we don’t have any trouble navigating our way through the forest. All those monsters I saw with the demon last night seem to be gone, too. We haven’t seen any sign of them. It’s a good thing they’ve stayed away. I’m nervous enough about the demon we’re going to face. We don’t need monsters on top of his already terrifying power. One hunt at a time.
I’m trying to stay focused on what needs to be done, but I don’t want to get any closer to that beast. I don’t know how it’s going to feel to be close to him in my physical body, but I’m anticipating it being worse than in my astral body. I know we still have to walk for a while longer, but that familiar foreboding is back. It’s a feeling that tells me I should stay far away from all of this. This is the life my parents were trying to protect me from. And here I am.
A pang in my chest reminds me once again how much I miss them. Fiona said they were talented hunters, but they were killed by Arsen. They were killed by a demon, and now we’re about to face another one. We’re more prepared than my parents were, but I wonder how much that matters.
Rynne’s sticking close to me. It’s like he can sense how worried I am. I’m grateful to him for it. I grab his hand because I don’t know if I’ll be able to force myself to walk any farther if I don’t. He doesn’t ask questions. He just squeezes my hand in reply.
“Maybe we should take a break and make sure he’s still sleeping,” I blurt.
Fiona shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter. We’re going to take him down whether he’s asleep or awake. We’re almost there, aren’t we?”
Divya hesitates, but responds. “Yes. We’re almost there.”
“It’s dark, though,” I point out. “Evil thrives in the dark. Maybe we should wait until dawn at least, don’t you think?”
“We’re moving forward. It’ll be fine, Tasia. Most of us have been doing this for years.”
She says that, but I don’t feel reassured because no one here but Rynne has been hunting demons.
“Blade, we do need to be cautious. More cautious than we ever have been,” Divya says. “This… being is like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Demons really are in a league of their own.”
It looks like Fiona is going to consider Divya’s words, but then she doesn’t say anything. She just keeps leading the way forward.
“It’ll be just fine, missy,” Donovan joins in. “I know you ain’t done anything like this yet, but have a little faith in us.”
Is Rynne going to tell me the same thing? I give him a pleading look, hoping he’ll see my side of this.
“We don’t have time, Tasia. If we stop to check his position, we’ll only arrive later. If we can catch him while he’s still asleep, we have a better chance of killing him than if he were awake and we had waited for daylight,” he says, but he continues to hold my hand tight. He’s nervous too.
“Well said,” Miguel agrees.
I stare at my feet as I consider their words. I hear what they’re saying. I do, but it doesn’t make me feel any better. I don’t want anyone else to die.
I don’t want anyone else to die.
Now we’re almost at the cave. I wonder how well everyone is going to be able to fight with limited visibility. We have a variety of flashlights, but still. That skin-crawling sensation I feel coming from the cave isn’t unbearable. I hope that means the demon is sleeping.
“Okay,” Fiona says. “You know what to do, teams.”
Divya and I are to stay behind. Our abilities as psychics makes us too valuable to be sent out front. As much as I don’t want to face that demon, I resent that fact. It makes me feel even more helpless to protect anyone. A handful of other hunters are staying behind with us. They’ll act as support if those on the front line need them.
“We’ll be right back,” Rynne tells me.
He somehow manages that perfect smile of his, like this whole thing isn’t a big deal after all. But I know the difference now. This is his calculated smile, his practiced smile. I can’t hold it in anymore. I wrap my arms around him. I squeeze him as tight as I can, but only for a couple seconds before I extract myself from his warmth.
“Be safe,” I order, and then I turn away to walk back to the trees with Divya to get a little more coverage.
I can’t look at Rynne right now. I might end up crying, and that’s not going to help anyone.
But then someone grabs my hand from behind. I startle a little, but I recognize that warm touch. It’s a warmth that can be felt through gloves. I take an experimental peek over my shoulder to see the boy I’m in love with.
“We’ll be back, Tasia. Believe me.”
I wish I could.