Consequences (30 page)

In a soft moan, no more than a whisper, I
hear Ann speak into her hands. “Oh, Christopher … I’m so
sorry.”

I lean over and place my hand on Ann’s
shoulder, trying to comfort her, while processing the information
Cassandra just shared. Ellie befriended a traitor … who led her to
his group, and into a trap. The Symboulio work with malicious
ethereal creatures, along with people like Ann, who have talents;
and, they seem to want to collect powerful entities like Cassandra.
As if that’s not enough, they know how to destroy and absorb the
soul of the Ho Thanatos. Damn, this world keeps getting weirder and
weirder.

I hadn’t realized that Lune was sitting next
to me, until he stands and becomes tense; his ears shift back and
forth, and his eyes lock on Christopher’s bedroom door. Artemis
reacts in a similar way to her father, except she is growling deep
in her chest. Her soft guttural rumble is eclipsed by a clatter and
crash that comes from behind Christopher’s door. Closely watching
the light shift underneath the door, Ann and I jump as someone
howls and starts screaming curses … the voice doesn’t seem to be
human. We spring from our chairs in unison, knowing that the noise
is coming from Christopher; and at the same time, knowing that what
waits on the other side of that door, is no longer the Christopher
that we care so much about.

I look over at Ann just in time to see her
lock eyes with Lune. She is terrified, an expression that seems
foreign to her character. I feel Lune bristle next to me, and then
move forward to block the doorway from Ann. His legs are spread
wide, and he lowers his head as if he is stalking the evil
entryway. He flashes his teeth in a disfiguring grin, the skin on
top of his muzzle ripples as a murderous growl escapes his mouth.
Unexpectedly Artemis moves stealthily between Lune and the bedroom.
She is facing her father, pressing her head against his. When he
doesn’t settle, she takes a defensive posture … she is going to
protect Christopher, even if that means she has to fight Lune.

“What is the matter with you, guys? He’s just
a nineteen-year-old kid … Come on. Lune, sit! Artemis, go lay
down!” Artemis glances quickly at me; making momentary eye contact
… she is telling me Lune isn’t going to budge, so she isn’t going
anywhere.

I decide the only way to stop this standoff
is to prove that Christopher is harmless. I shift between Ann and
my chair and step out beside Lune; he turns his head and sets his
growling sneer on me.

I look up at Ann, confused by the intensity
of his response. “Is there something more in that room with
Christopher? Is V here?”

“I … I haven’t seen him. I don’t know; I
can’t sense things like Christopher and Ellie can.” She shifts from
one foot to the other, suddenly self-conscious of talking about
Ellie in the present tense. I can see her flinch at the name.

“You know why he’s suddenly lucid, don’t
you?”

“I think he was listening … I’ve heard him
like this before … this rage is very, very dangerous. Lune is just
trying to protect you … from your own caring nature. Please,
Michael, don’t go in there … I think it might be best if you leave
the cabin entirely.”

“No, absolutely not! If he’s as dangerous as
you believe, then it’s just as risky for you to stay here as it is
for me.” Ann’s eyes are filling with tears and her hands start to
shake; so she balls them into fists, trying to hide her fear. It
never occurs to me that Christopher’s extraordinary story could
have been completely factual … that he could have hurt Ann this
badly.

I had felt as if I was playing some sort of
role-playing game, one that felt real enough; but somewhere in the
back of my mind, I knew it would end, and I’d return to reality.
Now, I can see how wrong I was … I have entered a world where the
fantastic is real: beautiful and enticing, but also dangerous and
cruel. A society, whose knowledge I’ve dreamt about possessing
since I was a kid, is now expecting its membership dues … and I
don’t think I can afford the fees.

Looking at Ann as if I was seeing her for the
first time, I see a woman that never had anyone in her life who
didn’t try to hurt her in some way. I want to save her, to protect
her with Lune’s passion, “Ann, come with me … let me take you to my
house, where you could be safe.” Silently adding, "Where I could
keep you safe."

“No! No, I can’t leave him like this. If
listening to us is what set him off … then I owe it to him, to
stay. I don’t think V is manipulating him, and even if he is here …
Christopher won’t ever let V influence him again.”

Ann is releasing and clenching her fists,
like she is pumping up a bicycle tire, and rolling her head, trying
to force the anxiety out of her neck. When she sets her eyes on me,
I could swear I saw them soften apologetically for a split
second.

Then that breathtaking gaze becomes hard, and
even though, her eyes still hold a warm glow in their color, they
turn cold as she speaks again. “Anyway, what do you think an
average human, like yourself, could protect me from? Are you so
naive to believe that a simple wooden door could keep all of this,
out? ” While talking, she viciously sweeps her arm through the air
as if she was slashing through fog with a sword.

I stand there in the middle of Lune, Artemis,
and Ann, feeling like a complete idiot. I don’t belong here … what
in the hell was I thinking. “I don’t need this from you, Ann.” Lune
responds to my angered tone by sliding further into his crouch,
ready to pounce.

I instinctively raise my forearm to block his
teeth from reaching my throat. Spreading my feet and bending my
legs, my body is prepared to collide with Lune’s massive force.
Anticlimactically, I watch him turn his head, and the snarl leaves
his face as he focuses on our guest, still sitting in the chair by
the stove. Looking up at Ann, I am irritated to see that she has
turned her back on our argument and is now facing Cassandra,
too.

“Damn it! If this is going to turn bloody …
then get it over with!” I have so much adrenalin rushing through my
heart that I can feel my pulse in my ears. I want to hit something
… anything. Turning away from the maddening woman, I stride toward
Christopher’s room, which has grown silent … but I am too angry to
care why.

“No … Michael, wait!” Ann’s voice is urgent
and screaming.

“Too late, Ann … no more games, let’s just
get this over with … and maybe if you’re lucky, Christopher will
kill this naïve, mere human!"

Quicker than I would think possible, Ann runs
in front of me and places her hands on my shoulders. If it wasn’t
for the look on her face, I would push her out of the way. As it
is, I can’t stop myself from grabbing her wrists, and roughly pull
her hands away from me. She doesn’t struggle; she just looks up at
me and quietly says … “He’s here.”

“Who?!” I am not going to let her distract me
from my anger … and she must have realized from the pitch of my
voice that I really don’t care ‘who’. Saying it just gives me
something to yell at her … as meaningful as a caveman screaming
Augg.

She presses her body closer to mine to
reinforce that she needs me to stop and listen. I still have a hold
of her wrists, hard enough to be painful, but she shows no sign of
discomfort. Our arms are trapped between of us; and as she presses
forward, harder into my chest, I can feel my knuckles digging into
her ribcage. She tilts her head back, exposing her neck, and rises
up on her toes. She runs her lips across the scruff on my chin and
jaw line, stopping when she reaches my ear. I can feel her heart
racing against my fingers, and hear her panting lightly against my
ear … she is frightened again, but this time is different.

Whispering into my ear, her breath makes the
hair on the back of my neck rise, “V is here! Cassandra had a
vision of him sneaking around the side of the cabin. He’s affecting
our mood, taking away our feeling of solidarity; he’s hoping that
we’ll turn on each other. Cassandra said, she thinks he’s outside
Christopher’s window … and he may have been there since
yesterday.”

“Could that be what pulled the kid out of bed
last night?” My adrenaline never slows, but my anger is starting to
recede as I whisper back into her ear.

“There is a very good possibility that is
exactly what happened. Christopher isn’t in any kind of shape to
wrestle with V’s power. Now, we may have two extremely dangerous
adversaries behind that door … or, maybe, V took advantage of
Christopher’s weakness; and we just listened to him fight for his
last little bit of sanity.”

“What has Cassandra seen? Can she tell us
anything about what has happened, or what will happen?”

“She said that she doesn’t know what state
Christopher’s mind is in; she can only see him standing in there …
looking out the window.”

In the midst of the intimacy of our position,
I have to ask, “Why aren’t you telling me this from across the room
… using your talent?” I don’t mind, now that I am calmer; I find
that I am enjoying the scent of her hair and the pressure of her
body. But this isn’t the time for contact, and it is hard to keep
my thoughts straight.

She laughs softly against my cheek, “Because
you wouldn’t listen … and I thought maybe if you felt the same way
about me, as I do concerning you … I thought this might get your
attention.”

I can feel the heat of her blush, and I
reprimand myself for being so easily distracted. “We need to go
into that room. Whatever or whoever, we find in there … I
personally can’t leave Christopher in there alone.”

Ann rubs her wrists after I’ve released them,
and takes a step back. I am about to apologize when I hear her
voice in my head … “Don’t you even think about saying you're sorry
… not after what I told you. Just for the record, I never would
have allowed Lune or Christopher to injure this naïve, mere human …
who I have become rather fond of. V will never have that kind of
power over me.”

Nodding at Ann, and trying not to blush or
stutter, I turn to speak with Cassandra, “You may want to hide, or
at least stay out here. I wouldn’t want you to be hurt by whatever
is coming.”

I hear Ann’s disembodied voice again, “She
says that we will be fine … and that we should make sure to take
the dogs with us.”

When I turn to look back at Ann, she shrugs …
it doesn’t make sense to her either. I motion indifference back,
and pat my thigh, calling Lune and Artemis to my side. Walking
tentatively to the door, I quietly turn the knob, and while
standing to one side of the doorframe, forcefully throw the door
open.

The dogs race past me into the room, and
then, just stop … I find myself suddenly feeling very naked without
my sidearm. Christopher is tense, with a defensive stance, with his
head tilted slightly, listening intently to a spot of thin air in
front of his window. Both of the animals are crouched, ready to
attack … and I have a momentary flashback of how scary Lune was
when I was on the receiving side of his anger. Instantly, I know I
am out of my element, and my gun would do nothing to even the odds
… but that doesn’t stop me from wishing I had it in my hand.

When I hear Ann’s voice this time … it is
loud and clear next to me, deep and thunderous; she would make a
Marine Drill Sergeant proud. “Leave, V! You are not welcome, and
you are outnumbered!”

Lune is the first to attack. He jumps with
precision and would take down, if not kill, any man … but instead
of tackling his enemy, he flies into the wall with a low thump that
shakes the whole cabin. Shortsighted by his anger, and need to
protect, he made an almost fatal mistake … hitting the corner of
Christopher’s closet. I am sure he must have broken some ribs. Now,
he lies on the ground whimpering.

Christopher is the first to react, screaming,
“NO!” He rushes at an invisible entity that I imagine is hovering
over Lune’s broken body. I understand, from Christopher's stories
that he doesn’t have the ability to see the creatures the way Ann
does … he told me that James had trained him to understand where
they were from their voices, and then Lune trained him further by
allowing him to look through the dog's eyes. Watching the attack
through Lune's eyes, and then watching the failure and
consequential pain must have erased any remaining rational thought.
I know that he will be just as effective as Lune had been against
this intangible danger; but that doesn’t stop Christopher from
trying to protect his dog.

Ann stiffens next to me, and when I look at
her, I notice she’s moved aside giving room for someone else to
enter the room. Everything happens so quickly, Artemis turns toward
what I can only imagine is Cassandra, and responds as if she is
being spoken to. Then just as quickly, Artemis turns and jumps over
Christopher’s back. I watch as her teeth clamp down on something at
about the neck level on a standing man. She scrambles her front
paws up around her muzzle, bears down with her back feet, and then
starts thrashing her head back and forth … tearing at whatever is
between her jaws. I am completely stunned by the sight of the pure
white wolf pup playing a deadly game of tug of war five feet off
the ground, seeming to be floating in midair.

Christopher stands, and with a wild
expression, focuses on Artemis’s unseen victim. Ann, who has been
standing next to me with a look of horror, watches Artemis’s attack
with seer’s eyes. The carnage must have broken through her shock as
she covers her ears and starts screaming.

“Christopher! Stop, please …” Ann is pleading
with Christopher; her screams dissolving into sobs.

Out of the corner of my eye, I can just make
out a misty, electric fog: like the black smoke of an oil fire at
night, when suddenly highlighted by lightening. When I turn to
focus on Christopher and Artemis, the sickeningly oily energy
disappears, but I know what it is … they are killing V.