The Dark Rising (26 page)

“I know a demon can’t feel real love for anything.” Hex responded.  “She’s just an obsession to you!  How many times have you tried to kill her now?”

This was the last straw for Vance and he flung me harshly to the side in his attempt to get at Hex.  I tripped and slid rapidly across the smooth floor, my head slamming into the bottom of the island counter with a loud smack.

Vance’s hands closed in a tight grip around Hex’s neck.  Hex looked worriedly over at me.  My vision began to swim and I saw him evaporate from Vance’s grip, reappearing right next to me.  He quickly scooped me up into his arms as Vance turned to face us.

I felt my consciousness slipping away, and my body suddenly became weightless.  All I could hear was Vance’s roar ringing in my ears as we both evaporated into the thin air. Everything went black.

I groaned at the throbbing pain in my head.  My mind fought to climb back to the surface, but reality continued to swim at the edge of my vision, just out of reach.

I tried to concentrate on the moving objects floating above my face, but instead the motion was starting to make me sick

“Portia?  Honey, are you okay?” the concerned voice floated to me, and I instantly recognized the familiar sound.

“Grandma?”  I blinked my eyes in rapid succession trying to bring her image into focus.  “Is that you?”

Slowly, my blurred vision cleared, and I could see the concerned faces of my loved ones standing around me.

“Hi!”  She beamed at me.

“Hi!” I smiled, feeling a little self-conscious.  My arms went around her as she reached down to hug me tightly.

“It’s so good to see you, Lollipop,” she exclaimed while I grasped her.

“How’re you doing, Pumpkin?” Dad’s voice interrupted.

“Dad!” I said shifting to sit up, and Grandma moved so he could hug me too.  I looked over his shoulder and could see Hex standing behind him, smiling with satisfaction.

“Where’s everybody else?” I asked.

A small wave of dizziness passed over me, and I lifted my hand to the tender lump on my head.

“I didn’t let them come,” Dad answered.  “It was too dangerous.  Your Mom and Krista would be sitting ducks if Vance decided to use them.  Shelly and Brad don’t have enough powers to face one demon, let alone a whole coven of them.  Needless to say, none of them were very happy with me.”

“I bet,” I said, thinking about how mad Mom and Krista had probably been over the idea of being left behind.

“We told the rest of the coven members to stay home, unless something came up and we really needed them.  I didn’t want them sitting around here waiting if nothing was really happening,” Grandma added.

“How long have I been here?” I turned to look at Hex.

“About five minutes,” he answered.  “You knocked your head on the counter pretty hard.  When I saw you were losing consciousness, I slipped into your head briefly and told your brain to evaporate you back here.”

“That was not a smart thing to do, Hex,” I said, berating him slightly as I continued to rub my hand over the nice sized knot that was forming on the back of my head.  “Vance is going to be livid.”

“I don’t care,” he replied.  “I’m just glad you’re safely back with us.”

I looked up at him quickly.  “I’m not staying.”

“What?” their three voices said in unison.

“Portia, you can’t be serious!” my dad said stepping toward me.  “He’s a full-fledged demon now.  Your life’s in jeopardy every second you’re with him.  He could turn on you in any given second and kill you. You cannot go back!”

I raised my hand up to stop him.  “I understand what you’re saying, but I gave him my word. I intend to keep it.”

“This is really unwise, sweetheart,” Grandma replied.  She sat next to me on the cot, placing her arm gently around my shoulders.  “I know you love him, but he isn’t the same person you married.  Demons are different.  They operate from a different place than we do.  It’s too dangerous for you to be with him.”

I sighed, trying to think of a way to make them understand.  “I appreciate your concern.  I really do, but I’m going back to him.  Hex has given me powers which give me an added advantage.  I’m safe for the time being.”  I looked at each of them while they stared back at me skeptically. 

“Look,” I continued.  “He’s giving me a week before he tries to do anything … like changing me.  I have absolutely no desire to become a demon, so I need you guys to put your heads together.  Try to come up with some sort of plan.  If you figure something out, Hex knows where to find me.  But until then, I’m going back before he shows up here to freak out on all of us.  He’s had you followed, so I’m pretty sure he knows where this place is.”

I stood up from the cot.  “Thank you for your help.   I’m glad I got to come here just so I could see you, even if it was only briefly.” I smiled.

“Portia, please think things through,” my dad said, stepping towards me.

 I moved to pull some of the fighting clothes Hex purchased for me out of the nightstand next to my cot.  Dad followed me as I made my way to the bathroom.

“Just give me minute, okay?” 

I stepped into the bathroom and closed the door.  I dressed quickly into one of the spandex outfits and the spare pair of boots.  I was missing my utility belt however, since I had left it at Vance’s house.  When I was done dressing, I gathered my hair back into a ponytail before I stepped out.

My dad was still there, leaning up against the opposite wall.  His eyes widened as he took in my strange apparel. 

“What are you wearing?” he asked and then his eyes caught sight of my scabbed neck.  “Are you letting him bite you still?  You’re no longer immortal!” he added in extreme frustration.

“The clothes are some that Hex bought for me to fight in,” I explained with a sigh.  “And yes, I let him feed from me.  He hardly drank anything though.”

At that moment Hex appeared at my side holding another utility belt, loaded full with weapons in his hands.

“This is a spare one of mine.” 

“Thanks,” I said, and I reached out to take the belt, fastening it securely around my hips.

“What’s going on here?” my dad asked while he looked between Hex and me in question.

“I have something I need to take care of,” I answered him.

“Which is what?” he asked me, still prodding.

“There’s a demon outside who’s under Vance’s orders to watch this place.  I don’t want him to have the opportunity to hurt you, so I’m going to take care of him,” I said nonchalantly.

“You’re going to fight a demon by yourself?” my dad asked skeptically.  “I don’t think so.  Your grandma and I will come help you.”

“She doesn’t need your help,” Hex said, stepping closer to me.  “Portia’s a quick learner. I’ve taught her well.”

“I don’t care!” my dad said turning to look at him.  “She’s my only daughter and I won’t send her out to do battle with some demon by herself.  What if the whole coven was waiting to ambush her?”

“They’d have to catch her first,” Hex said with a grin.

Dad looked at me in concern and I reached out to pat his arm. 

“I’ll be right back.  Don’t worry.”  I closed my eyes, centering my thoughts, concentrating on evaporating to the outside of the bunker.  My body rematerialized next to the dilapidated shack up above.

I took in my surroundings, trying to find anything out of character in the lush foliage.  The southern heat quickly caused a slight perspiration to creep up upon my skin and my clothes felt like they were sticking to me.

“Hello?” I called out, stepping forward.  “I know you’re out here.  Vance told me he sent you to follow my family.”

I moved quietly while I stalked toward the tree line.  “I won’t let you hurt them,” I continued on, hearing nothing but my own voice.  After a few moments I decided to try a different tactic.

“As you can see, I’ve escaped from Vance.  I know you have orders to kill if I didn’t stay.”  I wondered if this was going to work at all.

There was a slight rustling behind me and I could almost feel the demon’s hands when he reached out to strike.  I closed my eyes and immediately evaporated a few feet away, turning to face my attacker.

A surprised look registered on his face when his hands closed over nothing but thin air where I’d stood a moment before.

“Here I am,” I called out to him with a grin, waving my hand airily at him to bait him.

We made eye contact and he rushed me again, but I popped away just when he was about to reach me.  This time I came up behind him, kicking out with my booted heel, catching him in the middle of his back.

The demon went sprawling face first onto the moss covered ground, a giant growl of frustration erupting from his chest.  He jumped nimbly back to his feet and turned to face me.

“I’ve heard rumors of the jinn, but I never believed them until now,” he said baring his demon teeth at me.

“Well, I’m happy I could surprise you,” I said, sarcastically.

“Now it is my turn to surprise you,” he responded, and he suddenly disappeared from my sight.

I blinked a few times, swinging my gaze wildly around trying to find out where he had gone.  I saw a slight shimmer in front of me, right before something hard hit me in the face with a loud smack.

Pain exploded through my jaw and I fell backward, landing on the ground roughly.  I saw the shimmer of movement again and I rolled quickly over onto my stomach, swinging my legs out in front of me.  A rewarding thump was heard as I connected somewhere on the approaching demon.  I bounced back to my feet.

“So you can become invisible.  That is surprising,” I said holding my fists in front of me the way Hex had shown, knowing I’d never encountered a power like this one before.

The demon rematerialized in front of me with a snarl.   “You can’t fight what you can’t see,” he said pompously.

“But I can see you,” I replied honestly and he looked confused.  “You shimmer every time you move,” I added, and he immediately vanished again.

I honed all of my senses onto detecting the slightest blur of movement.  The next time he struck out at me, I evaporated slightly to the left before kicking out at him with my leg, making full contact with him.  His figure flashed in front of me before he regained his magical control and disappeared.

The shimmer moved toward me again and this time I threw one of my starred weapons in the direction of it, watching as he flickered back into view again before he howled in pain.  He didn’t disappear, instead pulling the weapon out of his abdomen and throwing it back at me.

Whoops!  That’s not good,
I thought, flashing away from the spinning weapon.  I reappeared next to him and slammed my fist into the side of his head.

He reeled backward before turning to face me full on and began attacking me in hand to hand combat.

We moved together, almost in a graceful dance as we both placed blow after blow against one another, each one making the appropriate countermoves to the others measures.  The demon craftily made his advances toward me until I found myself backed up against a giant tree.

“I guess we can see who the winner is here,” he said with a demonic grin and he leaned in closer to me.

“About that,” I said, lifting my hand to place it over his chest.  “There’s something I should tell you.”

“What’s that?”  His eyes flashed over me and I could tell he was attempting seduction and it nearly turned my stomach.

“My jinn powers aren’t my natural magic.”

Shock registered on his face as I slammed an ice shard clean through his heart.  A burst of blood sprayed up from his mouth and he gurgled, sinking to his knees in front of me.  I removed my athame from my belt and sliced out at his neck, pushing him away from my body as he fell to the ground.

“Don’t ever mess with my family.” I stepped over him, walking back toward the shack.

I heard a clapping sound coming from the direction of the old shack and looked to find Hex standing there with my dad and Grandma.

“Very good, Portia,” he spoke up with a smile. 

“All thanks to you.” I placed the bloody athame back into the belt.

“Let’s go back inside now,” my dad said stepping forward.  He looked around nervously, surveying the area.

“Yes,” Grandma agreed.  “Who knows what else may be lurking out here.”

I shook my head. “Sorry, but I won’t be coming back in,” I replied, wishing I could make them understand.  “If I stay here then the war will come here.  I have to go back.”

“Please stay, Portia,” my dad pleaded with me. He strode out across the ground toward me.

“I love you, Dad,” I said, but I closed my eyes before he could reach me and wished I was back in Vance’s kitchen.  Instantly my body rematerialized next to the counter at the mansion.

I noticed right away Vance was no longer in the room, but I could see the proof of his anger since there was nothing left of the poor dining table but splinters on the floor.

“Vance?” I called, running out of the room to head up the stairs, hoping he wouldn’t be too upset with me.

He must’ve felt me rematerialize because he was already running down the stairs toward me. We met halfway, and I wrapped my arms around his neck.  He pulled me tightly to him in a giant bear hug.

“You came back,” he said against my skin as if he was truly surprised, and I could feel the relief run through his system.  That was when I noticed he was fully dressed and his motorcycle helmet was sitting on the banister.  He’d been getting ready to come after me.

“I never wanted to leave in the first place.”  I laughed when he lifted his hand to remove my ponytail so he could run his fingers through my hair.

“You’re hurt,” he said with a concerned glance when he brushed the knot on my head.  “You also have a bruise on your jaw.”

“I’ll be fine,” I answered and squeezed him tighter, so happy he genuinely seemed to have missed me.

“No,” he replied firmly.  “I’ll fix it.”

I didn’t see it, but I felt his healer’s magic move through me and was extremely surprised.  He’d always been hesitant to use his healing powers, even after his near conversion, not knowing how they might have been affected.