The Unmaking (The Rayne Whitmore Series Book 1) (19 page)

            I look at Selene and then
back at Diana whose words seem to echo even more throughout this room, or maybe
it’s simply because of her words that have me thinking that way. I can’t tell
if she is being serious or not and I don’t really want to know. Instead, I
attempt to change the subject by getting down to business.

            “I apologize, Diana, but I
can assure you that it is important. I’m ready to go back home. Lawrence has
informed me of a demon in my area that is killing children. I have the power
now to stop it and I need to go,” I explain.

            “Foolish,” Diana says.

            “Excuse me,” begins
Selene, taking a step forward, but I stop her with an arm as Diana raises an
eyebrow.

            “What is your plan?” Diana
asks.

            “Well, I’m going to find
out where it’s been hunting, then track it down and kill it.”

            “Ha,” Diana’s voice booms
all around me. “Have you done any research on what it is you’re hunting? Who do
you know that will have information on this demon? Have you even thought about
how uncommon it is for not one but two demons to have been in the same area in
recent months?”

            “Well,” I start.

            Diana laughs, clearly
annoyed. “I have allowed you to spend far too much time with my brother. He is
not always a deep thinker. Still, I’d expect much more from you, after all, it
was I who taught you to use your mind.”

            “I have contacts that we
can use back home. They can find us information,” Selene answers.

            “You, little witch who has
not even used the power of your name there? You, who has hidden from your kind
and most of the supernatural community for years? You have not the informers
that she needs.”

            I look at Selene and then
remember that Diana can take information from the mind. Clearly, she’s been
inside Selene’s head. I wonder what else she knows about my girlfriend that I
don’t. Then, I swear I see Diana give me a knowing look, but I shake it off. I
don’t need this right now.

            “Okay, I get your point
Diana. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking like a protector and it’s clear that I have
a long way to go before becoming one. Luckily, I still have your guidance to
show me the right way,” I respond, hoping to gain points by sucking up.

            “Good. Now, what you will
need to do will be difficult, because you need to draw attention to yourself
without drawing too much attention to yourself.”

            “Huh?”

            She chuckles. “Let me
explain.” Diana motions for us to sit on the bed with her. I sink into the bed
that feels softer than memory foam. “In a world of power and ruthlessness, you
will need to prove yourself. However, if the wrong types of beings start to
realize that there is a human with powers that humans normally don’t possess,
they will do everything they can to kill you. Also, whoever is behind the
murder of your family is also still hiding in the shadows. Your name alone will
turn his attention to you which could be a fatal mistake.”

            “Well, I’m not changing my
name. Still, I understand what you’re saying. Selene, are there places that I can
go to be seen that are still fairly low key?”

            Selene stands there
thinking for a few moments then nods. “Yes, I think I have the perfect place.”

            “Good,” Diana responds
like a teacher who is finally proud of her slowest student. “Now, you have to
figure out what is going on with the demon problem your city is facing. I have
a feeling that this is the beginning of a larger scheme.”

            “If it gets too bad will
you get involved.”

            “No. We Immortals do not
involve ourselves with matters on your plane unless it deals with the oath that
was made.”

            “If things get too bad for
me personally?”

            “No, my virago. I will not
save your life if that is what you’re asking. So please, don’t expect it. I
hope that you understand that we no longer interfere in that way. You now have
strength and a purpose. Use your intellect to make good decisions to keep
yourself alive at least until you have reached your goal. I will be keeping an
eye on your progress, however, because I still think that one day you will be
able to become a protector.”

            “I guess I can understand
that. I am grateful for all that you have done.”

            “Don’t worry, child. If
you ever need my counsel or wish to come back, then you are welcome. This will
always be your home,” Diana smiles at me with open arms.

            Okay, so I could come and
go as I please, but I couldn’t expect them to come help me, even though I’d
done battle with them. How ridiculous. I try not to think too much about it
though. I don’t want her pulling that from my mind. In that case, I truly did
need allies, and fast.

            Selene stands up and grabs
my hand firmly as if I need reassurance that she’ll be by my side. I have no
doubt about that. Keeping our hands locked, I hug Diana with my other. We both
stand and then Diana nods.

            “Shall I summon Lawrence to
see you off?” Diana asks.

            I think about our last
conversation and how I stormed off. It’s probably not a good idea to leave
things the way that they are right now. Lawrence has always been there for me
and even though I don’t understand their way of thinking, I know that he is one
of the good guys. He deserves to know that I appreciate him.

            “Can you both meet us by
the water in about ten minutes? I need to finish gathering my things.”

            “And I’d like to see Kaede
too,” Selene adds.

            “Very well. I will summon
both of them as well to see you off.” With that, Diana simply disappears and
the air around us becomes much colder, empty of her radiant glow. We turn to
leave preparing to take our first steps back to our world.

◊◊◊

            I walk slowly back to the
room that I’ve been staying in for all this time, deeply inhaling the fresh
air, soaking in the beauty, and the calm of it all. I haven’t even so much as
sneezed since being here. This land is truly amazing and rejuvenating. Still, I
can’t believe I’ve survived this long without internet, cell phones, cars, or
hell, a microwave. I guess that’s what happens when you go on a single minded
mission of justice; other things that used to matter just don’t anymore.

            I’m ready though. Even my
toes are beginning to tingle with excitement.  I think I need some of that
Earthly normalcy back and soon. I need the hustle and bustle of everyday life,
the sounds of music playing in people’s cars, children’s laughter, and the
sight of people simply enjoying life. Even though to the world I am long dead
along with the rest of my family, I know Damien will be waiting for me, happy
to pull me into a firm embrace with his chiseled dark arms. He’s the only kin I
have left, and that isn’t even by blood.

            I wonder what he’s been
doing all this time, if he’s found the man responsible for ripping my life to
shreds. My heart begins to pound in nervousness. I never thought of the
possibility that he’d gone too deep in this and ended up getting killed
himself. I am so cut off from my world that anything is possible. World War III
could have broken out and I wouldn’t have known. I wonder if the immortals
would have even told me if they knew. Since I’ve been here, rarely have they
traveled to our plane. I won’t even know what day it is when I get back.

            As I gather my few
possessions, my hands become clumsy and shaky. Selene notices it and puts her
arms protectively around my waist as I breathe in her earthy scent. Her long
hair covers us both in a blanket of love. I start to feel grounded and I smile.

            “Thanks. You always know
when I’m losing my composure.”

            She turns me towards her.
“I’m in tune with you Rayne, don’t forget that. Diana and Lawrence may not be
willing to break the rules to help you out if things get out of hand, but I’ll
be there, and I’m much more capable of handling things than you know,” she says
with conviction.

            There’s a flash of power
in her eyes and I wonder just how much she’s improved. Hell, I don’t know how
much power she had to begin with, so there’d be no way for me to gauge it.
Though I’m sure she wouldn’t have been marked as a high priestess of her people
if she didn’t have some serious magic inside of her. All I know is that it’s
clear that she’s been running from something for a long time and I’ve always
had this feeling that her meeting the Immortals was as much about her as it was
about me.

            Though I’m sure she had
nothing to do with my family, it probably was a better opportunity than she
could have ever imagined, being able to find a reason to summon them. After
all, it seems that even among the supernatural community there is little
knowledge of the Immortals or the pact that they made with my race; but Selene
seemed to know much more than normal. She had been looking for a way in, of
that, I’m sure.

            That was a fact that I’d
accepted a long time ago. After all, she stayed with me the whole time,
supporting me, and healing me in more ways than one. Without her I would have
never obtained this power, and if there was something extra in it for her, who
am I to judge?

            “I believe you,” I tell
her. “I’ll keep a clear head and I won’t just jump into situations that are
impossible to win.”

            “Listen to your instinct
on that. This is going to be more difficult that you can imagine. Trust me on
this.”

            I listen to her words and
let them sink in. I have no doubt that Selene is right about that. Quickly now,
I gather the rest of my belongings.

            When we get to the lake,
our three Immortals are waiting for us, two smiling. The male of the group has
his arms crossed, expressionless, shoulder-length blonde hair blowing freely. I
give him a bright smile to let him know that I’m not upset with him anymore,
and his body relaxes slightly. Selene and I both stop an arm’s length away from
the trio, but Kaede quickly embraces us in a long hug.

            She may look like a young
child with long hair dark as night, a round but otherworldly beautiful face,
almond shaped steel grey eyes, and fair skin with that now familiar immortal
glow, but she out-ages both of us by thousands of years. Still, she has this
child-like demeanor about her that mirrors her outer shell. I’m sure that part
of her personality never changes, no matter how old she looks.

            Next, Lawrence puts one
hand on my shoulder and nods, but I then pull him into a hug. He could never replace
my own father, but in many ways, I could relate his own quiet strength and
pushing to my own dad. For that familiarity, I am forever grateful. He returns
the hug tighter and when we pull away from each other his smile is warm.

            “You are a fool, but I
believe that you have great things to accomplish in your future. You will
become a Machaera and when you do, I’ll give you my own blood for the ritual,”
Lawrence promises.

            I smile at him, but don’t
respond. Being a protector, the immortal’s sword, meant gaining immortality and
that was something that I had yet to think about. Selene would age, I would
stay young forever. Even if she and I didn’t stay together for the rest of our
lives, I have never been one of those people who thought living forever was cool.

            “There are a couple things
that you should know Rayne; lamia will not show their true self until she is
ready to attack. They take human form and will often be beautiful, non-
threatening, and appear to be someone trustworthy. Look for women hanging
around parks alone or late at night on less frequented roads. They will rarely
take children from anywhere other than poor neighborhoods or from areas where
homeless people stay. With the rate of death this high, it is safe to say that
there is a nest somewhere close to your hometown and that the hunting ground
may be covering three states,” Diana explains, and I imprint all that to
memory.

            “Also,” Kaede continues,
“You will need to cut the head off completely and then burn the bodies. Lamia
may be low level demons, but they regenerate at a quick rate and can cause you
a great deal of grief if they manage to get a good amount of venom inside you.
It may not kill you, but it will paralyze whatever area it enters and too much
poison can stop your motor functions and even cause you to suffocate.”

            “Thanks Kaede for those
herbs as well. I know how to create that poison neutralizer too,” Selene says
proudly.

            Kaede smiles at her like a
teacher impressed by her student’s progress.

            “There is one more thing,”
I turn to Lawrence as he begins, his voice flowing all around me, deep and
controlling. “This is just one of many Demon reportings that have been
happening in a five state radius in the past couple years. There has not been
this much demon activity since the Dark Days and even though there is no
evidence that something bad is on the move, I want you to keep track of
anything you may find out or uncover. Your world could be in danger, or it
could simply be that Demon-kind is simply finding more ways to break through
the gates, but I want to be sure.”