Dark Spirits (24 page)

A lump formed in my throat, and I stared at my feet.

Brayden was loyal to me
.

Loyalty was a virtue that meant everything to me and something I thought Nathan possessed. Doubt suddenly clouded my mind with questions filtering through it: Was I meant to be with Brayden instead of Nathan? Was Brayden right about Nathan not being like us? But I was in love with Nathan, not Brayden. Could it be possible if I were to open myself to Brayden, I would be?

“This is a beautiful planet.” Bael opened his arms wide and grinned. He did have good taste in vessels. “And nature bows her head to her new master.” He bowed his head, then looked at me, his eyes glinting like blue jewels. “Do you know who coined that phrase?” He didn’t wait for my reply and continued. “Ralph Waldo Emerson. You should read his work sometime.”

The air shifted between us, growing thick with intensity. My heart pounded in anticipation something profound was about to be said. I had the sudden need to understand his psychology. I wanted to know why he desired the power to control the dark spirits. I think he saw it in my face because his features softened but then turned dark.

“It’s impudent to be Mother Nature’s master,” he said, dropping his hands, a note of disgust in his tone. “But humans found a way, and a majority of them has become a virus upon this earth. They continue to rape her, stealing her beauty, taking without appreciation. They persevere in multiplying, unconcerned what a selfish and self-centered act it is. They can’t just produce one child. No.” He shook his head and sighed, exasperated. “And don’t even get me started on technology.”

“So you want Solomon’s power to bring back the old ways?” I asked, even though I knew he did.

“Of course,” he answered. “The ridiculous nonsense in this world needs to be purged.”

 “The only way you could do it, though, would be to wipe out most of the human race, and how could you do that by controlling the dark spirits?” I didn’t like the idea one bit. I mean, I could see his point. However, to me, he would be playing God. My duty as an immortal was to protect humans against the dark spirits, and I planned on upholding it.

“I have a detailed, well thought out plan.” He stuck his hand in his pocket, digging for something. “But something has been puzzling me for quite a while now.” He produced a shiny brass ring with four tiny red jewels sparkling in the moonlight and placed it on his palm. I leaned forward to get a better look and saw a pentagram on the face of it. “I don’t feel anything from it and been questioning why.”

I shrugged, taking a cautious step back, hoping he was too distracted to have noticed. “Maybe it’s not the right one. I heard people were replicating Solomon’s ring,” I said, remembering Anwar telling me Bael had done that.

He frowned and shook his head. “No. This is the right ring. But where’s its energy? Unless, its power is inactive until it reunites with the incantations.”

“That has to be it.” I shrugged again, feigning indifference, but my heart was racing. “Nathan told me the two were connected.”

He pursed his lips. “Yes. I hate to agree with him, but I think he’s correct.” He plucked the ring and held it between his thumb and index finger, raising it near my heart.

Then something remarkable happened. The ring hummed, and his hand shook. He moved it closer to me. The humming grew louder, his hand shaking faster.

He looked at me with wide eyes. “Of course! Kora, you clever little witch.”

I gasped, spun on my heel, and fled.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Nathan

Brayden was right. Paige had vanished, and the more I searched for her, the more panic-stricken I became. There wasn’t a trace of her anywhere, and it bugged the shit out of me because I was a tracker–one of the best. So why couldn’t I find her?

I stopped on a desolate byway to get a grip on myself. Running a hand through my hair, I drew in a deep breath, sucking cool air into my lungs. Thick trees leading into a dark forest, bordered the shoulder of the blacktop road. The leaves swayed in the gentle breeze, and in the distance coyotes were yapping at each other. The haunting sound didn’t bode well with my present state of mind.

I thought about calling Tree and having him and Carrie help search for Paige, but I knew she wouldn’t want me to involve them. I hoped Brayden had the presence of mind not to alert them on her absence.

I had to think and get in touch with my tracking skills. Pretend she was a dark spirit and not my world. What would I do in her present situation? I’d already checked the places she frequented: Café Nation, The Lion’s Den, Reader’s Haven, Movie Central. I’d even gone back to her house, then mine, hoping maybe she’d gone there. But I found no recent signs of her.

My mind buzzed with crowded thoughts, and I could feel the fear entrenched inside me. I knew it was hindering my tracking skills. I needed to push it aside and think. Taking another deep breath, I closed my eyes. I recoiled at the mental picture of the look Paige had given me after I’d broken Cassondra’s kiss. My hand slapped against my chest as if it could stop the crushing feeling. The hurt I’d seen in her eyes could bring the Devil himself to tears. I swear on everything holy in this world I’d repay Cassondra and Anwar for what they’d done.

Where are you?

Then it hit me–Cannon Beach. As soon as the thought entered my mind, I knew she went there. Part of being a tracker was knowing the habits of the one you were tracking, along with removing your own preconceived ideas so you could shift into the mindset of the one you were hunting. My feet flew across the asphalt, passing trees, well-manicured neighborhoods, gas stations, semi-trucks, mom and pop businesses. The crisp air clung to my face and ears, burning them, making my eyes water. She had to be there, but I was worried about the time. Two hours had gone by since she left. What if I were too late? I chastised myself for not thinking about this earlier. Of course she would have gone to Cannon Beach. She felt closest to her parents there.

Blundering, idiot!

 I ran half the nine-mile stretch of beach, straight to the area where we stood the last time we were there. I stopped and looked around. The waves crashed brutally against the shore and rocks, roaring and hissing fine mists of water into the air. In the distance a shrimp boat appeared to be heading to port. It rocked through the swells, reminding me of a toy boat in a tub of rushing water.

She wasn’t here.

Damn it!

I could have sworn she would be. I turned in circles, searching.

Nothing.

I threw my hands up and dropped them to my side. This was maddening.

“Lookin’ for Paige?”A gravelly voice asked from behind a clump of rocks a few yards away, catching my full attention.

In a flash, I stood above what looked like a homeless man. He was half sitting, leaning on one hand. My eyes took in his filthy, black trench coat and long, scraggly salt and pepper hair and beard. It surprised me he didn’t reek of alcohol. Instead, oddly enough, he smelled like dirt and peppermint.

“How do you know Paige?” Not wanting to intimidate him, I knelt to his eye level.

“Know why you can’t hear my heart?” His gray eyes peered at me like a kid divulging a secret to one of his buddies. “I’m a good judge of character, ya know. You got an honest face, so I’ll tell ya why.” Reaching in the front of his collar, beneath his thin shirt, he pulled out a silver medallion. Pinching the chain together, he dangled it over his chest. “It’s Saint Christopher, patron saint of travelers. He protects me and the reason why you can’t hear my heart.”

“I can hear your heartbeat, old man,” I said impatiently. “I was too distracted earlier to take notice.”

Confusion crossed his face, deepening the many lines etched on it like a weathered map of his life. “But–but, you’re immortal. I can tell by how quick you move. The other immortal, Paige, she didn’t hear my heart when she spoke to the demon.” He dropped the medallion back under his shirt as a riot of fear seized my ability to respond. He continued. “I know what’s goin’ on in this God forsaken world, but people don’t believe me. They think I’m--” He raised his finger to his ear and moved it around in circles. “But I’m not, I tell ya. I know demons run wild. They sneak around in human flesh. But I can’t always tell who is one, so it’s better this way–to be alone . . . better this way.”

I swallowed the panic rising in my throat. “How do you know a demon was with Paige then?”

He was staring off into space, murmuring about the immortals and God’s army and his army being divided and Bael and a ring. I took hold of his shoulders and shook him enough to jar him out of his stupor.

“Hey! How do you know it was a demon?” I repeated, relieved he looked at me coherently.

“‘Cause he kinda liked bein’ inside a dark-haired guy, and Paige was mad at him for usin’ Kara . . . or was it Carrie?”

“Carrie,” I spat, fighting the urge to shake the information out of him, knowing now it was the “old one” he was talking about.

“Yeah . . . Carrie. Anyway, Paige was fumin’ ‘cause he used her so . . .” He trailed off and scratched his head, looking up, muddled.

“What?” I groaned out my frustration.

He looked at me, the corner of his mouth twisting. “Can’t recall her name. It was mighty strange. Um, As . . . somethin’.”

“Aosoth!” I almost fell back, but he grabbed my arm, steadying me.

“Yeah. That’s it.” He released his hand, but hovered it above my arm until he was certain I wouldn’t sway again.

“Was anybody else here?”

“Just them two. I was fast asleep ‘til I heard ‘em talkin’.”

My heart hammered against my chest. I rose, intending to get to the bottom of this. Each passing second wasted time away from Paige.

“You know she has a beautiful glow?” His voice and face was filled with wonder, and I had to look away, knowing the dark spirits wanted to take the light away. My voice hitched in my throat, so I nodded instead. “I’m thinkin’ she’s an angel, and that’s why Bael was bein’ nic--”

“What did you say his name was?” I wasn’t sure if I heard him correctly, but I realized he had said the same name a few minutes ago as well. I didn’t think much of it, but now when he said it again, something about it struck me as important.

 “Bael. He told Paige it’s his name.”

I paced and swiped a hand across my face. I knew my mythology. Dark spirits had been adopting the name of demons for centuries, even creating them to spook humans. But this name had a significance behind it and made my skin crawl.

“Ya know what the name Bael means, right?”

I stopped in front of him and sighed. “Yes, I do. It means he’s the first demon, ahead of the infernal powers and rules more than sixty-six legions.”

He looked up from beneath his unruly eyebrows with one wide, bulging eye. “He’s the devil himself, that one.” I noticed his hands were shaking when he lifted them and stuck them in his coat pocket, producing a small glass pill bottle of clear liquid. “Used to be a good Catholic, me. This here’s holy water. Always keep it handy,” he said with pride, holding it between his thumb and index finger.

I wanted to tell him holy water would do him no good, but it would only add to his paranoia. I also didn’t have the time to set him straight on his religion and what was really going on. The angst inside me was tearing me apart. “Did she leave with him?” The very thought of Bael forcing her to do anything, made me burn with anger. I could hear the deep growl in my tone.

“No. She disappeared. Must’ve ran away. But the demon was laughin’ like a hyena. He kept sayin,’ ‘Kora, you clever little witch.’ Remembered the name ‘cause I always liked the name Kora.”

“Wait a minute.” I raised my hand to silence him. “Back up. Before Paige disappeared, what happened?”

“Is your name Brian?”

“No.”
Jesus Christ! This guy had an attention span of a three year old.

“Oh, well, she was tellin’ him to leave Brian alone.”

“Brayden,” I said through gritted teeth. “She was talking about Brayden.”

He stroked his beard, appearing deep in thought. “Sounds right, I think. Anyway, Bael told her Brayden”–he paused to make sure he had the name correct. I nodded, clenching my jaw– “is loyal to only two people–himself and Paige. Before he had said it, Paige looked mighty sad, but then a sweet longin’ entered her face. That’s what it looked like me. My eyesight is good, you see. Serves me well. Did I mention how beautiful she is?”

I couldn’t speak. This whole Brayden–loyalty–sad face–sweet longing deal had me in a chokehold of grief. In that moment, all I could think about was Paige believing I was disloyal to her and seeing Brayden as the faithful one. And then fear and doubt followed. What if I could never regain her trust? I had allowed Cassondra to kiss me. Would Paige understand why? I shook my head to dislodge those thoughts. No! I would not accept defeat. Paige would understand after Cassondra told her the truth.

“Well, she’s a looker,” he went on. “Got a storybook type of beauty.”

I glanced at him, astonished at how well he’d described Paige’s looks. She did look like she’d been plucked out of a classic fairy tale.

“Bael’s back was to me, so I couldn’t see what he was doin’, but he had somethin’ in his hand. I’m thinkin’ a ring. I heard a loud hummin’ noise. Then he said, ‘Of course. Kora, you clever little witch.’ That’s when Paige disappeared.”

The world felt like it was going to capsize on me, and I had to blink a couple times to shake off the feeling. Bael now knew Solomon’s power dwelled inside Paige instead of the ring. And if Aosoth were to find out, there was no telling what she would do, not to mention the dark spirits like Volac who wanted the power destroyed. The muscles in my body tightened as a continuous flow of adrenaline pumped through my veins. Paige was in serious trouble, and I needed to find her. I had to put my emotions aside in order to do it. If I’d done it earlier, Paige would be safe right now, and Bael wouldn’t know our secret.

I threw a wad of cash at the beach bum’s feet, mentally sticking a wall between my emotions and what needed to be done. “Thanks for your help.” I spun and disappeared as he would say.

“Peace be with you,” he called.

My tracking instincts were kicked into high gear. I now knew what to do and where to go, even though I’d never been there before. The directions were engraved in my memory.

 I could feel the beast raging in me, clawing to the surface. I didn’t know what tonight would bring, but I was more than willing to walk through hell and do battle against those wretched souls in order to save Paige.