Clash of the Otherworlds: Book 1, After the Fall (22 page)

I had just started to mull over the recent events in my mind when Shayla appeared in front of me, still far enough away that she was out of the shade of the tree and in the full sun.  I picked my head up and admired her wings as she walked over.  They were big, almost as huge as Chase's had been.  Hers were not quite as bright though, if I remembered correctly.  It made me sad to think of him, because this was one of those times that I really could have used his strong, steady presence.

"Hello, once again," she said as she approached.

I let my legs go and crossed them, dropping my hands into my lap.  "Hi.  What's up?"  I snapped a nearby piece of grass off and wrapped it distractedly around my finger.

Shayla lifted an eyebrow, sitting down across from me as her wings slowly disappeared.  "The sky.  The stars.  The clouds.  Numerous things."

"Ha, ha.  Where's Garrett?"

She shrugged.  "Who's to know?  I am not his keeper."

"I am here," came a voice from behind the tree.  A split-second later he was standing next to Shayla, and she had her dragon fang out and in her fist, pointed at his groin.

He quickly moved his hands to cover his tender parts.  "Be careful with that thing!  I am not  immune to its charms here!"

"Exactly.  Keep that in mind before you decide to use your vampire speed near me again."

Garrett sighed.  "Shayla, you know I would never hurt you."

She snorted.  "No, I do
not
know that.  So I will repeat myself once more: guard your speed in my presence, lest you feel the sting of dragon fire against your manly parts."

Garrett looked at me.  "She always was one to go for the ... throat."

I smiled, proud of my ancestor's fierceness.  "You're not going to get any pity from me, Garrett.  I'd sting you too if you snuck up on me like that."

"What brings you to the meadow?" asked Shayla, ignoring Garrett and putting her weapon back into the sheath on her leg.  "You seem distressed."

"I am.  All kinds of shit has gone down since I saw you last.  I'm not even sure where to start."

"What is most distressing?" asked Garrett.  "That, for me, is the best way to prioritize, worst to least."

"Well, I guess the worst part used to be that my best friend had dead parts on his soul from being jumped in the Gray; but now since he's being healed by a couple of cheerleader succubi, my biggest and most distressing problem is the fact that I had a dream last night that I pulled a bunch of fae into, and I don't know how I did it."

"A Dream Walker," said Shayla in a reverent voice.

"Don't be too hasty," said Garrett.  "It is not the only explanation."

"She wasn't in the Gray, you know that," she said angrily at him.

Garrett paused for a moment and then admitted, "Yes, that is true.  I would have sensed her there the second she arrived."

"Is that where you guys hang out?" I asked.

"It seems to be a place we can get into and out of from here quite easily," answered Garrett.  "We just can't continue on to the other sides of it.  That way appears to be closed to us right now."

Shayla nodded but said nothing.

I felt a little guilty that I had a hand in them being trapped on this side of the Gray, but before I could apologize, Garrett continued.

"Who was in this dream with you?  And do you know how they got there?"

"Well, first it was a demon named Torrie.  He said I compelled him in.  And while I was doing that, my friend Tony was in the Gray, and he got jumped in there by some demons or something.  He said they looked like regular fae but were from the Underworld.  That's what he thought, anyway."

"Anyone else?" asked Shayla, her hand resting on the butt of her weapon.

"A wrathe named Leck was compelled in too; and he was with Tony in the Gray, supposedly watching his back.  I'm not sure if Tony got jumped before or after Leck got compelled into the dream."

"What difference does it make?" asked Garrett.

"Well, if he was doing his job for Tony, and I screwed it up, then I won't kill him.  But if he sold Tony out to those demons, well, I will do what I have to do."

"You will punish him for his infidelities towards your friend."  This came from Shayla but was clearly meant for Garrett.  She was shooting daggers at him.

"Oh,
do
give it a
rest!"
said Garrett, clearly frustrated.  "How many times do we have to rehash this?  I did
not
do anything disloyal to you
or
your friends!"

"Denial?  That's your best defense?"   Shayla snorted.  "I should have guessed.  Pitiful."  She shook her head.

"Hey, lovebirds!" I said, getting frustrated.  "I appreciate that you have a history; but right now, I'm not all that interested.  Some bad shit is happening, and I really need your help with answers.  No one seems to know what exactly is going on with these demons walking around in the Gray."

"Right," said Garrett, smoothing down the front of his tunic, visibly collecting himself.  "So, disregarding for the moment this issue of whether this Leck has been disloyal or not, let us discuss the other problems that concern you.  I assume it would also include the question of how you managed to do this feat, pulling demons into your dream?"

"Yes.  Definitely."

"And what the demons did to your friend?" added Shayla.

"Yes.  Or what the heck they're even doing at all.  I know it's something really bad."

"On that, I believe we all can agree," said Garrett, looking over and receiving a nod of assent from Shayla.

"How come you think it's bad too, when you yourself come from the Underworld?" I asked Garrett.  It was as if he were talking bad about his own people, which seemed weird.  I didn't get the vibe that he was faking it either.

"I may be an inhabitant of that realm, but that doesn't mean I agree with others' attitudes about where they have a right to be and what they have a right to take for themselves."

"What exactly do you not agree with?" asked Shayla.  There was less challenge to her statement this time, as if she was as curious as I was.

"I guess you could say that the biggest point of contention amongst those of the Underworld is our relegation to that realm without access to the Here and Now, and more particularly, to the humans."

"Access as in ... what?"  I was totally confused.

"Well, as you know -or perhaps you do not- the creatures of the Underworld, regardless of what race they were a part of in the Here and Now, have a thirst for human energy.  It is quite potent, that energy, and it creates a need in us that is nearly impossible to ignore.  When you have lived with lack -complete lack, as we are wont to do in the Underworld- the draw of this energy can be maddening.  All demons crave it, and it is part of our punishment to crave that which we cannot have."

"Wow.  I wonder how stressed humans would be if they knew there was a whole realm of demons wanting to get out and suck out their souls."  I shivered at the thought of a legion of Torries coming after me and all my friends back at school.  There were a few teachers and a Vice Principal I wouldn't mind feeding to them, but for the most part, no one I used to know as a human deserved that kind of awfulness.  Maybe Brad Powers, but that was it. 
Oh, and Samantha, too.

"Let us just say what the humans do not know cannot hurt them," he said, smiling humorlessly.  "Regardless, some demons, having grown quite powerful using the negative energy from the fae world which they
do
have limited access to, made the decision to actively seek a way to breach the space between the realms in order to get back to the Here and Now on a more permanent basis.  Once here, it is clear they intend to take the humans and their energy for their own selfish purposes."

"They are breaching the Gray," said Shayla, matter-of-factly.

"Yes.  They apparently have caused a tear or tears in the veil, and are making their way here, albeit in smaller numbers than they are planning to eventually bring over."

"I don't get it," I said.  "You yourself crave this energy but you don't agree with coming over here and taking it?"

"Yes.  You see, I have other, stronger motivating forces that help me balance out those needs."

"Like what?" I asked, noticing him trying not to look at Shayla.

"My punishment was to live with lack so that I might earn the right to come back to the Here and Now once more and prove myself worthy of the Overworld.  To
have
, as it were.  If I give in to my baser instincts, I will not earn my place here.  I will not earn the right to have anything.  And I really, truly want the opportunity to prove myself again."  It was clear that his last statement was for Shayla.  "I do not agree with changing the Order of Things and forcing my way into the Here and Now to take whatever I want.  I believe that just beyond chaos lies nothing - a void.  And that would be worse than anything I have experienced in the Underworld."

Shayla was refusing to acknowledge his statement, but I could see she wasn't unaffected.  Her throat moved up and down as she swallowed several times in quick succession.  She had to clear her throat before she spoke again.

"We in the Overworld do not feed off the humans.  We share our light with them, but have only done it in times of great need.  Many years ago, we stopped doing so, and agreed after certain events to remain apart from the human and fae worlds.  The fae have taken over our positions, offering their light to the humans when necessary."

"Why would you do that?" I asked, flabbergasted to find that the angels had abandoned us.  "Humans and fae need you guys."

She shrugged.  "That may or may not be so.  But it was not our decision to argue.  The fae did what they felt was best at the time, and we continued our existence while respecting their wishes.  It appears as if the Underworld did not accept their decision so easily."

"You could say that," said Garrett, sounding bitter.

"So what's this big decision?" I asked.  "I'm sorry to be so dense, but none of this is making any sense to me."

Shayla looked at Garrett.  "Should we tell her?"

"I do not know that it is our place."

"Um, hello?  I'm sitting right here."

"Perhaps it is not our place, but she is their Mother.  I cannot believe that she does not have the authority to weigh in on any future decisions they might make."

"That is true.  But again, I ask if it is our place to share.  Perhaps there are others in your realm who might make that decision."

"Hey!" I yelled, getting up.  "I'm standing right here!  Stop talking about all this mysterious shit like I'm not right in front of you!"  I hated that I felt like a child just then.

Shayla looked at me.  "Forgive us for wanting to protect you."

"Oh, shut up," I said, glaring at her, refusing to fall victim to her guilt trip.  

That earned me some raised eyebrows, but I continued.  

"I've been stumbling around in the dark since I got here a few months ago as a human, and let me tell you, I'm friggin tired of it. 
Sick
and tired of it.  Do you know how much better I could get along with people if I knew what the hell was up?  I could stop making so damn many mistakes, for one.  I could make good decisions instead of stupid ones.  I could make people proud instead of angry ..."  I was willing to continue, but I was interrupted.

"But what would be the fun of that?" asked Shayla, expressionless.

"Fun?  What the hell are you talking about?  Life isn't meant to be
fun."

"Well, sure it is.  It is meant to be exactly that.  Growth is fun.  Learning is fun.  Challenge and the rising above them is fun.  If you knew all the answers, would you even bother with questions anymore?"

"Stop getting philosophical on me," I said, not really sure where she was going, but I felt a lesson coming.

"It is not philosophy so much as common sense," said Garrett, joining the fray.  "You are in the Here and Now to discover things for and about yourself.  If you already know everything there is to know, and you never make mistakes trying to find the truth, how will you ever get to
really
know who you are and what you are capable of?  How will you ever be challenged to grow beyond that which you were when you arrived as a squalling babe?"

I sighed loudly.  These particular angels and demons were quickly becoming a pain in my ass.  "Okay, listen ... I get the whole life lesson bullcrap.  Really, I do.  And I appreciate the fact that according to your information here, I've got a lot of super-evolving to look forward to, since I seem to go from one epic fuck-up to another - pretty much on a daily basis it seems.  That's good.  That's great!  But right now, I'd rather know a little more, so I can screw up in a good way, you know?  I don't mind learning from my mistakes, but I kind of hate it when my mistakes hurt others."

"Especially those who you are close to," said Shayla.

"Yes.  Especially them."  Finally, she was getting me.

"And yet, when someone you love is damaged, and sometimes even must sacrifice his or her life, you learn the hardest and most valuable lessons of all."

I was ready to cry with frustration.  "Please, Shayla ... Garrett ... I don't want anyone else to die over this shit.  I really don't.  And if you tell me that my Tony has to ..."  I couldn't finish the words.  The thought of Tony leaving this realm was too much.  I choked on a sob.

Garrett put his hand on my arm.  "Calm down, young Jayne.  There is no need for you to get yourself upset over this hypothetical discussion we are having."  He frowned at Shayla.  "Neither of us knows who will live through the coming days and who will not.  That is above our pay-grade, as they say in the human world.  All we know is just what we have experienced from our own history and what we know from our realms.  And neither of us is so evolved that we have even come close to the Ascended Masters.  We are nearly as in the dark as you."

"Garrett is right.  Take a deep breath and just ask us the questions that plague you.  We will do what we can to answer them for you."