Dancing With Monsters (27 page)

She stood for a few minutes with her
eyes closed. I wasn’t sure what she was doing and scanned the area
for anything threatening. But nothing came as she slowly opened her
eyes and gazed up at me.

“
I remember screaming,
yelling, feet pounding on the ground, and fire. My mother tried to
erase my memories, but I kept them—hidden—even from myself.” Her
demeanor began to change before my eyes. “I nearly had forgotten my
first memory and even my hexmark, that is, until you came.” Her
blue eyes flickered to me and had seemed to age in the matter of
seconds. Even though she still looked the same, something in her
aura or covering it, crumbled.

“
We need to get out of
here, Ella,” I said taking her by the arm that had her hexmark on
it. “You don’t belong here.”

She looked at her hexmark then at me.
“I have the ability to break through my mother—I mean Eveie’s
barriers she makes. Eos is another story.”

“
If you want to get out of
here, tell me what demons we are up against.”

Ella told me that the three demons
were sisters and Eos was the oldest followed by Ebony and then
Eveie. They controlled the shadows and other demons there as well.
Ella was kept away from most of their doings, but remembered a man
that came and bought some of the flowers Ella created with her
gifted magic. She said she cried when he took the white flowers
that glowed and smelled like perfume.

“
He took them all with the
promise of a gift in return. When I asked Eveie what that was, she
said it was coming soon and if I was patient enough, I could have
as much room to run and play in as I wanted.”

Ella also said Eos never liked her,
and would often destroy what she had created. Eveie would get
scolded by Eos for letting Ella play and run around like she did.
Eos never did anything to Ella, but she knew one day that patience
would run out.

As for the third demon, she mostly
kept to herself and watched Ella from a distance.

“
Ebony is beautiful,” Ella
said, with her eyes on the waterfall. “She never really talked to
me, but I can remember when I was first allowed to play with magic,
Ebony came and played with me in the lands I created. That was the
only time she ever acknowledged me.” She shrugged her shoulders.
“After that, she stayed in the shadows, but I could always feel her
eyes on me.”

Ella looked away wrapping her arms
around stomach and gently stroking her arms as if trying to comfort
herself.

I touched her on the shoulder. “Ella,
do you think you can break Eveie’s barrier on us?”

Ella smiled with
confidence.

We ran through Ella’s enchanted land
that mimicked the Borderlands in a haunting way to me. The forests
and streams that forked the land divided the grassy landscape into
pie shapes. If the stream was too wide, Ella simply made a bridge
so we could cross. When we reached the barrier, it wasn’t what I
expected. The barrier was actually an invisible shield, kind of
like a bubble that was flexible. Grey, rocky landscape could be
seen through it, but was blurry.

“
Watch,” Ella said with a
half-smile and a twinkle in her eye.

Sliding her finger along the waving
shield, a thin line was cut from her glowing fingertip. A rush of
the hot air from outside rushed in as we slipped through the small
opening and into barren landscape. Ella resealed our escape hatch
with a quick swipe of her finger.

“
Eveie uses the element of
air too much and too often that I know how to work with it as well.
I wished she’d use something else. I would like to learn how to use
the other elements as well.”

I looked down at Ella with her dark
hair and blue eyes. She looked too innocent to have the knowledge
of demon magic.

“
You mean you can bend the
element of air?” I asked with a confused look from her.

“
Bend? I don’t bend it. I
kind of swirl it around like leaves on the surface of
water.”

“
No, I mean you can make
it do what you want.”

She smiled a sly smile with a nod of
her head. “Yeah, I can make it do what I want.”

Though I had just met Ella, I could
see that something had sparked in her—the demon spell, or whatever
Eveie had put on her, was gone.

“
Now, what way to go,” I
said gazing at the vast and monotone landscape surrounding us. “We
have got to get away from here before Eveie come back.” Ella stood
beside me. “Any suggestions as to where they would be keeping my
friends?”

She peered into the distance, and then
off to our right, she pointed. “There,” she looked at me. “They had
another demon make them a palace. If they’d be anywhere, that’s
where they’d be.” Ella was already walking in the direction she had
pointed. I could see nothing but grey rocks and lavender
sky.

“
Wait, another demon?” I
questioned catching up with her.

“
Yeah, they had another
demon—an architect designed it. Eos ate him though, so he isn’t
around anymore.” Ella walked very fast for a little person. “Come
on, Seth, or we’ll be too late!”

11

April

Ebony stood in front of me with her
grey eyes fixed on me as if she was a living sculpture. I felt the
sweat trickle down my back as my eyes transfixed with hers. They
were like entering a grey, depthless sky of winter. Cold and calm
with tiny sparks of ice that pricked at my skin. I was slowly being
drawn into Ebony—she was forcing me to do a Taking. I tried to
resist as she pushed her way in like a large foot being crammed
into a shoe that was way too small.

“
Stop!” Malachi’s voice
broke through. “You’re killing her!”

I felt something hit the side of my
body hard like a car had smacked into me. I gasped for air as I
pushed myself up to see Malachi standing in front of me with Ebony
glaring at him.

“
You are an ignorant
little monster that doesn’t understand the way things are. You like
April, and will protect her, but you can’t protect her from
everything.” Ebony’s voice was calm as she stood gazing at Malachi
with her head tilted to the side. “How are you going to fend off
the demons, angels, and other countless beings that would love to
have a slice of her and watch for them every hour, minute and
second of time?” She began to pace the floor as Malachi stood over
me with knees bent, and arms in front of him ready to
fight.

Ebony’s footsteps clicked on the floor
as her grey skin sparkled with flecks of gold.

“
The answer to my question
is one that I know you know without it even being brought up—you
can’t.” She stopped and stood with her arms at her side and eyes
fixed on Malachi. “She doesn’t need your protection, Malachi
Stelhollow.” Her lips curled into a smile. “You will die, she will
die, and countless other will die,” she said with a slight raise of
her voice. “Malachi, I know she has two other’s energies in her,
and I can’t destroy Eos by myself and April can’t destroy Eos by
herself.” Her voice was filled with compassionate understanding.
“But we can as one.”

“
You’re a demon—you trick
whoever you want into doing whatever you want!” Like lightning,
Malachi snatched a silver disk from his belt and threw in towards
Ebony.

It hissed through the air towards
Ebony who raised her hands expelling a ball of light that shattered
the disk into fragments that fell to the floor like
marbles.

Ebony knelt to the ground with her arm
outstretched towards the pieces of shattered disk, and twisted and
turned her hand as if tuning an invisible knob. Slowly, the
fragments rolled towards her and one by one, joined and melted
until the disk was whole again.

Ebony picked it up as Malachi took a
step back. She held it between her pinched fingers and slowly stood
up.

“
I could kill you if I
wanted, you know that, but I don’t wish to kill you. Killing is
reserved for other purposes and as a last resort. I want things
different for demons and monsters and even angels. There is no need
to fight and pull each other’s hair all the time. I’ve been around
for a long time, and from the shadows, I’ve witnessed many things.”
Her words were soft and she slightly smiled at Malachi as she
dropped the disk to the floor.

It made a clanking sound that
reverberated through the air, and then skidded towards Malachi,
stopping at his feet.

“
I don’t trick monsters or
anyone. I desire trust and respect and I intend to give respect and
trust to those who wish to join me.”

Malachi looked down at the disk as
Ebony followed his gaze.

“
I don’t trust demons—any
of them,” he replied sternly.

She nodded her head. “I understand,
but if I wasn’t true to my word, and didn’t present my intentions
clearly, I wouldn’t take the time to tell you them. I’d kill you
rather than explain myself.”

Malachi snatched the disk and held it
in his hand. Ebony’s eyes flickered to me for just a
moment.

“
You have a sister that
lived with you in the Borderlands of Iethia,” Ebony tilted her chin
upward as her grey eyes glistened in the dim light of the
orillions.

“
Had
a sister—demons destroyed the Borderlands—you know that.” He
twirled the disk between his fingers as if he was contemplating
about throwing it again.

“
No, you have a sister,
and she’s with Seth as we speak,” Ebony smiled. “I’m telling you
this because I want to see them make it here, but they won’t. Eos
will stop them and kill her along with Seth, Nessa and the
archangel, Edan. Even with the abilities of an archangel, Seth is
not strong enough, and neither is Edan.”

Listen to the demon. Her
words are not tainted, but ring with purity.

Ezra spoke to me, but I think Ebony
could sense it as her eyes flicked to me then back to
Malachi.

I stood up and walked towards
Malachi.

“
Listen to her Malachi,” I
said, looking up at him as he looked at me with horrified
confusion. “Remember when I told you that I could see two
Stelhollow hearts beating instead of one. Myra is
alive.”

“
Your eyes…Ezra,” he said,
switching between Ebony and me. “Back off demon!”

Malachi threw the disk as Ebony
twisted out of the way like a quickly moving storm cloud. Mist
surrounded her, and slowly dissolved as she crouched to the
floor.

“
Malachi!” She yelled but
was too late as a light exploded beside him hurling him through the
air and smacking into the wall. He slumped to the floor as
shattered orillions covered him. I pressed my hands to my ringing
ears and tried to focus on everything as I stood up trying to reach
Malachi.

“
Sister,” Eos said,
standing and gazing at Ebony. “What is this we are doing? A little
venture of our own?” she asked.

Do it now! Take the
demon—take her energy!

Ezra demanded.

“
Malachi,” I said falling
to my knees as my wobbly legs gave out.

Malachi will live only if
you take Ebony’s energy!

I didn’t listen to Ezra’s voice and
continued to crawl towards his lifeless body. I had to make sure he
was alright and fighting off the effects from the blast, I focused
solely on him.

April!

Ezra’s voice echoed in my head, and
suddenly, my limbs were not my own. I stood up and turned towards
the two demon-sisters. Ebony and Eos both looked at me.

“
They both escaped your
little cage, and I caught them.” Ebony gazed at me with her steady
grey eyes.

“
Really?” Eos laughed. “I
don’t believe you, and don’t have time to discuss this.” Eos
snatched my wrist, but quickly let go as her parchment-like skin
singed from her barely touching me.

A look of awe filled her eyes as her
mouth curled into a growl.

“
What have you done to
her?” Eos demanded from her sister.

“
I’ve done nothing.” Ebony
replied glancing between me and Eos. “The monster has more power in
her than you realize, and she isn’t going down without a
battle.”

Ebony raised her arms releasing two
balls of light towards her sister. Eos was thrown backwards through
the air landing with a thud to the ground.

As old and fragile as Eos looked, she
was as strong as iron. She bounced up and glared at her sister.
Ebony’s hands and feet swirled with a fine grey mist that curled
around her arms and legs. She stared at Eos, waiting for her sister
to make a move. But Eos didn’t move, and simply stood gazing at
Ebony.

“
Have you forgotten what
it was like in the shadows?” Eos asked rhetorically. “Has the light
blinded you to what the angels have done to us?”

“
Nothing has blinded me,
sister, but it is you who have been blinded for many years. You
couldn’t see past the hate and evil you held in your heart. Demons
have been deemed to have nothing but these qualities; I intend to
prove them different.”