Persephone (The Lily Harper Series Book 4) (18 page)

BOOK: Persephone (The Lily Harper Series Book 4)
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He dropped me on the ground and his expression told me he wasn’t happy. To avoid seeing the anger in his countenance, I glanced back at the creature just before the earth swallowed it. The hole that sucked me down into the ground appeared to fill itself with dirt until it was solid ground once more.

I glanced back at Tallis as he suddenly strode forward and, without any warning, gripped me around the waist, lifting me high up and over his shoulder. Still not fully convinced he really was Tallis, I started to fight him until he suddenly produced a blade, which he held directly beneath my chin.

“If ye squirm, Ah will slit yer throat,” he announced, his tone turning cold as ice. “Ah cannae bear yer weight with ye frolickin’.”

I immediately fell silent as I figured my fate was now in his hands, whether he were really Tallis or not. The truth was that I was too exhausted to fight any longer. I took a deep breath and accepted my destiny. I wasn’t sure why, but I suddenly felt better, as if my decision to cease fighting allowed me a brief respite.

Tallis started to hurry his steps and I found myself facing what looked like a forest full of the dirt creatures that were still in the midst of blossoming up from the ground. After a few seconds, however, the earth appeared to reclaim them all. Some were completely formed and standing, while others just had their torsos or heads exposed. But they all began melting en masse back into the earth, as if they’d just received the order to do so.

“That was a close call, nerdlet,” Bill said with a wide smile as he appeared behind me. “I sure as hell am happy we finally found you, nips,” he finished as he patted my arm encouragingly.

“Are you really Bill?” I asked as I studied him, looking for the truth.

“What the hell kinda question is that?” he answered with an expression of total dismay. “’Course I’m the real frickin’ Bill. Who the fuck else would I be?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. My former feelings of powerlessness suddenly overcame me. “I don’t know anything anymore.”

“What the hell?” Bill started.

“She isnae in her right frame o’ mind,” Tallis explained as he patted my leg. “It was the doin’ o’ the Kremelions.”

“The what?” Bill asked.

“The creatures we jist came oop against,” Tallis responded. “They are called Kremelions. They are the protectors o’ the City of Dis,” he continued. “They guard the middle land ’atween the Oonderground an’ the city o’ Dis. Their purpose is tae keep all visitors oot o’ Dis by makin’ any travelers lose their way. They alter yer consciousness, an’ make ye see things that arenae there.”

“Is that why nerdlet sounds like a total Fruit Loop?” Bill asked.

“Aye,” Tallis answered with a brief nod.

“So how the hell long is she gonna be a vegetable for?” Bill continued as he eyed me cautiously.

“Nae long,” Tallis replied as he patted my leg again. “Ah will make sure she is jist fine.”

“Good,” Bill answered, although he continued to regard me suspiciously. Meanwhile, I was so exhausted, I couldn’t even form words. I felt like my brain was completely numb, and it took all I had just to listen to their conversation and try to understand it.

“So, if those ugly fuckers we just met are the protectors of Dis, does that mean we’re close to the city limits?” Bill asked.

“Aye, we are close,” Tallis answered. They both fell silent as we approached the base of the hill.

“And as though wouldst to the sweet world return...”
- Dante’s
Inferno

EIGHTEEN

When we reached the top of the hill, Tallis gently unloaded me from over his shoulder. He set me down on the ground beside the train tracks, but once my feet touched down, I discovered I could barely support my own weight and nearly collapsed. Apparently, Tallis noticed as much because he tightened his grip around my waist as he helped me sit on my butt before positioning my legs out in front of me.

Even though I was well beyond wiped out, there was one thing I could take comfort in: the rain had finally let up. Yes, my entire body was soaked, but I figured it was better to focus on the positive … At least,
eventually,
my clothes would be dry.

“Where to now, sweet cow?” Bill rhymed as he eyed us with interest while crossing his arms over his chest.

“Naewhere,” Tallis answered. He sat down beside me and didn’t bother to look up at Bill.

“Naywhere?” Bill repeated, shaking his head and looking annoyed. “D’ya mean nowhere? What the hell are we gonna do up here then? Wait around ’til we get hit by the flippin’ train?”

“We willnae be hit by the train,” Tallis answered without the least sign of concern. “Now, we rest.”

“Rest?” Bill scoffed. Throwing his hands in the air theatrically, he did his best to look perturbed. “REST!? We’ve gotta get a move on, yo! Think of the soul we gots ta save an’ the demons you gotta kill! There ain’t no time to rest, yo! We got us some shit-kickin’ to do!”

“Nae,” Tallis replied, shaking his head as he studied me for a few seconds. “Besom cannae travel yit,” he explained. He studied me for another few seconds before he reached into the sporran around his waist. “She is still tae weak. The damage from the Kremelions will take soome time tae heal.”

“Time! We ain’t got time,” Bill protested. Then his attention fell on me and his tone softened, ostensibly because I probably looked as bad as I felt. “How much time we talkin’?”

“Oontil she heals,” Tallis answered, looking annoyed. He produced what looked like a twig from his sporran. It was a small tree branch that had five or so green leaves on it. He pulled one of the leaves free and eyed me emphatically. “Ye moost chew this, lass,” he stated. “’Twill help ye restore yer mind.” Then he silently returned the twig to his sporran.

Although I could see Tallis’s mouth moving and I heard his words, I failed to process them. I felt like I was half asleep—that weird phase when your brain doesn’t really connect to your thoughts. Tallis watched me for a few seconds before he took a deep breath. After exhaling it, he reached forward and very gingerly opened my mouth by pulling down on my lower lip. He neatly folded the leaf in half and stuck it on top of my tongue, closing my mouth by pushing up on my jaw. Then he faced me squarely.

“Chew,” he instructed while demonstrating it with pantomime.

I nodded as soon as his instructions made sense to my befuddled brain. I began to chew on the leaf, and despite the bitter taste, I couldn’t say it bothered me. It just was. It seemed almost as if the thought that the leaf didn’t taste good couldn’t make it all the way from my tongue’s receptor cells to my brain central.

I continued to chew the leaf, though, breaking it up into smaller pieces. I swished the pulp around in my mouth until my teeth macerated whatever was left into oblivion.

“Dude! Is she like brain-dead or somethin’?” Bill asked. He almost looked comical as he studied me with one eyebrow raised and a worried frown on his face.

“Nae,” Tallis answered.

“Then what the hell’s wrong with her? She looks like she just got a lobotomy or some shit,” Bill complained as his eyebrows knitted in the middle. Then surprise took hold of him and he suddenly faced Tallis with a newfound sense of purpose. “Dude, she’s turnin’ into a zombie, isn’t she?” Tallis didn’t respond but Bill was already nodding emphatically, apparently already convinced such was the fact. “She’s been infected,” he announced as he eyed me warily. Then he glanced over at Tallis again. “That means you an’ me ain’t got much time left.”

“She isnae ah zombie!” Tallis railed at the much smaller man.

Bill immediately held his hands up. “Dude, I know you’re attached to her an’ shit an’ so am I, but we both gotta think about ourselves, yo. Pretty soon, she’s just gonna be a slobberin’ mess that can’t walk straight. She’s gonna start rottin’ an’ flesh is gonna start hangin’ off her. All she’s just gonna be thinkin’ about is makin’ dinner outta yours and my’s brains.”

“She isnae ah zombie, ye bludy dobber!” Tallis yelled at Bill. “The Kremelions attacked her mind an’ ’tis wounded, that is all!” he continued, his eyes still angry. “She needs tae rest sae her mind can remembah how ta function.”

“Zombie or no zombie, you think by feedin’ her a tiny leaf she’ll come back?” Bill continued, sounding less than convinced. “Sorry ta tell ya this, Conan, but she ain’t no fuckin’ rabbit!”

“’Twas not jist a leaf, stookie angel,” Tallis answered calmly. He momentarily speared Bill with a cross look before he stopped and shook his head, appearing frustrated. “’Tis medicinal, frae the boughs o’ the Prismoos tree.”

“The whatmus tree?” Bill asked, and his eyebrows seemed to reach for the dark night sky.

“The Prismoos tree,” Tallis repeated curtly.

“What the hell is a Priss-moose tree?” Bill demanded.

“’Tis ah healin’ plant, stookie angel,” Tallis simply explained. Sighing deeply, he held his breath and only exhaled some long seconds later. “Mah people, the Druids, brewed tea frae the leaves o’ the Prismoos tree. They used it tae treat all types o’ infections an’ diseases.”

“Pishh!” Bill grumbled while waving Tallis away with a stroke of his hand. He shook his head in disbelief. “Why start fuckin’ around with that hocus-pocus bullshit when you should be givin’ her good, ol’ antibiotics?”

“The sap o’ the Prismoos tree is superior tae any modern medicine,” Tallis declared with a tightened jaw.

“Yeah? Whatevs,” Bill replied, finally conceding to the wisdom of the bladesmith. He circled the area in front of him a few times, like a dog would do, before finally sitting down. After a good scratch, he asked, “Whaz next, dude?”

“Now Besom an’ ye rest,” Tallis answered with feigned interest. “An’ Ah moost assume the role o’ sentry.”

“The role o’ what?” Bill asked as he rolled onto his back and plopped his fleshy arms behind his head. One of his stocky legs sought refuge beneath the other. He looked about as comfortable as could be expected, given that we were lying on the hard ground.

“Ah will stand guard over ye,” Tallis finished. When his eyes found mine, his scowl vanished, and he immediately grew softer. “Rest, Besom, ye need yer strength.” I was surprised when he patted his lap to let me know he wanted me to curl up next to him. However, I didn’t want him to rethink his offer, so I immediately nodded and scooted over until I was beside him.

With my head against his chest, I immediately heard the comforting sound of his heart beating beneath my ear. I wasn’t sure why, but the rhythm soothed me somehow and surprised me at the same time. It surprised me because it proved that Tallis was human, after all. Well, wait … that wasn’t altogether a truthful statement. But at least, he was human enough to possess a beating heart.

Tallis enclosed me with his arm, pulling me closer. I reveled in the heat radiating from his body. I had no clue why he was suddenly okay to be in such close proximity to me, but I didn’t dare jinx it, so I said nothing.

“Sleep now, lass,” Tallis crooned in my ear. I nodded with a smile and closed my eyes.

***

I was searching for something, but I wasn’t sure what it was …

I knew I had to find it, though, if I were to hold up my end of the bargain with Alaire.

I tried not to pay attention to the monsters that surrounded me. It was strange, but I couldn’t quite make them out. They appeared only as blurred objects visible from the corners of my eyes. Whenever they came close, they suddenly backed off again. It was almost as if I were surrounded by a magical force field, which repelled demons just as efficiently as a citronella candle repels mosquitoes.

Search, Lily,
I reminded myself.

Still without a clue as to what I was looking for, all I had to go on was Alaire’s insistence that whatever the object was, it was hugely important to him. Thus, it was crucial that I find it.

I wheeled around, hoping to take further stock of my surroundings, but all I could see were the silhouettes of skeletal trees stuck awkwardly in the swamp water. I was standing on a sliver of land that overlooked the eerie swamp, and I was completely alone. Well, alone except for the indigenous creatures that regularly patrolled the swamp, ducking in and around the trees as they watched me.

I don’t understand what I’m looking for!
I railed in angry frustration.

What you seek lies beneath the water,
a voice suddenly whispered in my ears. The close proximity of the voice startled me and I wasn’t sure if I’d actually heard it or if it were only a figment in my addled brain.

I glanced down at the murky water in front of me and my heart sunk. The idea of traipsing through the icy water, looking for God-only-knew-what, wasn’t an activity that interested me in the least. I took a few steps forward, vainly hoping that whatever Alaire wanted me to retrieve would suddenly walk right out of the water, onto the riverbank and offer itself to me. But, of course, that was just wishful thinking… on steroids.

As I continued to study the water, I noticed a ripple appearing from the middle of the swamp when something swam beneath it.

There’s no way I’m going in there,
I told myself and the voice, if it were listening. I even shook my head for added emphasis.

You made the agreement with Alaire. You are bound,
the voice replied, only this time sounding more perturbed.

Recognizing the truth in the words, I took another step forward. Now I was maybe three inches from the water line. I remembered my sword, which I held in my hand, and reached forward to touch the surface of the water with the tip of the blade. The sword immediately jolted me with a shock that went straight through my hand and up my arm. I wasn’t sure if it jumped from my grasp, or if I dropped it. But when it fell onto the wet dirt, I reached down to pick it up. As soon as I made contact with it, I was instantly overwhelmed by feelings of dread and misgiving.

Of course, the sword couldn’t tell me what was happening, but I knew the feelings that were currently overpowering me had to have been coming from my sword. I clenched my eyes shut and tried to banish the sensations by using my will power, but, if anything, they only increased.

You must not go into the water,
I firmly told myself.
You can’t go after whatever Alaire wants you to retrieve for him.

Why?

It’s a trap,
I answered myself.

Even though the words were mine, I had no doubt that the message came directly from my sword. It had served me well as a warning device in the past.

When I glanced back at the swamp, I noticed the ripples in the middle of the water seemed to be growing stronger. Whatever was down there was definitely coming closer. Still facing the water, I started to back up to make a hasty retreat. The thing in the swamp continued to approach the bank, its ripples now radiating out in a ring pattern. Taking another two steps back, I kept my eyes trained on the water and whatever lay underneath it.

You have failed me, my dear.

I gasped when I heard and recognized Alaire’s voice. His hands tightly restrained my upper arms and prevented me from turning around to face him. He pulled me up hard against his chest before he started walking forward, pushing me toward the water, and whatever lurked beneath its surface.

I tried to stop him and strained to break free from his manacle-like grip, but my efforts were to no avail. He continued to push me forward, inching me ever closer to the mysterious abomination living in the swamp.

Alaire, stop! Please!
I begged him.

But my entreaties fell on deaf ears. He continued to force me forward until my toes were merely inches from the water. I saw the water’s surface parting before a gigantic fin appeared to slice it. It was the color of soot and looked like the texture of leather.

BOOK: Persephone (The Lily Harper Series Book 4)
11.41Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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