Heritage (33 page)

“Alex it was nice meeting you again, and Elle I’ll see you later,” He smirked taking off into the opposite direction to the castle. Watching him walk half way across the field, he turned before he reached the end to smile at us and then shimmered out of sight.

“Later ay,” Alex mumbled nudging me with her shoulder.

“Not now Alex,” I sighed nudging her back.

“Ok, Ok fine but when this is all over. We are so going back to the Fit Demon topic,” She giggled standing up. Taking my hand she pulled me up beside her.

“Fine but for now we need to research this Demetri guy because I don’t want to go into a fight blindfolded,” I sighed climbing on to Peggy. Grabbing Alex’s arm, I pulled her onto Peggy behind me.  This was one hell of a head spin. Not only am I the key to unleashing evil. I’m also the person whose powers were going to be taken by a bad ass demon.  One day I would like to wake up not afraid of my own life problems because frankly my life isn’t looking very good.

“Come on Peggy’s let's go home I think I need a nap,” I sighed as Peggy spread out her wings and flew towards home.

Chapter eighteen

The sun shone brightly through the trees as the open path grew longer, continuing to wind in and out of the forest. We had been walking for a good ten minutes and hadn’t gotten anywhere. My feet began to hurt as the cobbled path beat against the thin soles of my green converse. If we didn’t find Gair’s house soon, I was going to turn back and eat my own body weight in ice cream.  It has been three days since the revelation that I was the person who was going to be used to open the gate to hell. Releasing a terrifying demon, who described in the hundred books we had read, to be the ultimate sorcerer. If that wasn’t intimidating enough on its own, he was also able to create demons out of any substance. That was like deciding against drinking a glass of water and turning it into a killing machine. Was it any wonder I was severely depressed and a little terrified.

“Are we close yet?” I asked Josh as he led meters in front of us. He turned around pushing back his fringe.

“How am I supposed to know? I’m not the one who was asked to come here?” He grumbled. Josh wasn’t exactly thrilled with the fact that we were listening to Logan and researching Demetri. He made it quite clear that he didn’t trust him and who could blame him, he was a demon after all. I would also not trust him if I hadn’t developed an ever growing crush on the guy, which seemed to handicap my vision between the right thing to do and the completely insane one.

“Well whether you were or not, you’re the one that’s guiding us. So for once can you not let your ego get in the way of a mission. You’re driving me insane!” I exclaimed. I didn’t need the extra space in my brain being filled up with useless ego bruising. When it could be filled with useful stuff like for example, the end of mankind, just to exaggerate a little.

“When you guys have stopped bickering, I found it,” Alex yelled pointing towards two mountains in the distance. I don’t know how we could have possible missed it. I needed to bring my head down from the black rain cloud that was forming above my head and pay attention to what was going on now.

“Let’s go then,” I sighed turning off the cobbled path, onto a smother gravel road that had appeared as we had spotted Gair’s house. As we walked down the road and closer to the giants gigantic house, my mind wandered through the pages that I had spent the last three days reading over and over again. 

How is it possible that someone could take away my powers, both evil and good and give them to some dead guy. It was rude if anything else. Why couldn’t he get his own powers and leave mine alone? If I hadn’t been born part evil then I wouldn’t have to worry about being the key. Caressing the cameo pendent that lay on my collarbone, I didn’t want to be mad at my mother even if she had maybe planned my demise all along. I didn’t want to think that I was only born to do this one huge evil deed. My life meant more to me than that. I wasn’t going to let one man take away everything I had been taught over the past eighteen years of my life and use it against innocent people.

“Whoa.” We all gasped as we reached the heavily gated enormous house. The tall iron bars towered miles above us and the speaker box was so far up, we would have to be sixteen feet tall to even reach the bottom of it. The air shifted beside me, as Josh transformed into a huge bat and flew towards the buzzer system. Pushing the button with his head the speaker crackled.

“Who is it?” A voice boomed, shaking the rocks on the floor.

“I’m Adabelle, and these are my friends Alex and Josh. We are here to see Gair,” I croaked. Ten seconds went by before they opened up the tall iron gates. 

Creaking they opened slowly, allowing a small gap for us to walk through. We continued down the path through the over grown garden. Daffodils towered miles above us, painting the stone path with a clear yellow glow. A garden gnome stood around a pond that was the size of giant lake. It stood proud with a gigantic wheelbarrow to match its gigantic self.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been so intimidated by a garden ornament before,” Alex whispered as we walked past the green and red gnome and towards the huge oak door.

“I’m not knocking!” Josh exclaimed.

“I’m Not,” Alex replied quickly.

“Chickens,” I grumbled tapping on the wood. It was a small knock which seemed like the sound of a pin dropping amongst the other noises that were going on around us. Sighing I knocked again. This time the door opened making me jump back.

“Good morning your highness,” Boomed a giant woman wearing a green dotted apron covered in flour, which was also covering her brown hair. 

“This is the part of the story where we get made into pies,” Josh whispered. Alex chuckled beside me as the giant spoke again in a hushed voice.

“You’re here to see Gair ain't ye,” She smiled.

“Yes,” I croaked. Coughing to release the frog in my throat, I looked up at the woman who stood miles above me.

“Come on in.” Ushering us through the door, we walked into their house. It was a typical giant’s house with everything being intimidating big and wooden. Giants had a thing for wooden furniture. Apparently it was because of their ability to tear down trees with a flick of their finger. I’m guessing none of these are magical trees. If they were then Gair was a hypocrite.

“Gair you have visitors,” She chimed as we walked into their kitchen. Without warning,  she picked us all up into the palm of her hand and carried us to a huge table where Gair was sitting eating his breakfast.

“Girls! And Josh. I’m so glad you came to me home,” He boomed slamming his fist onto the table, causing us to fall over the vibrations.

“Gair,” I greeted whilst being helped up by Josh. “Why exactly are we here?” I asked.

“He has a confession,” His wife sighed stirring the mixture in a ceramic bowl. What is it with this picture that is making me think of jack and the bean stalk and a human pie.

“Thank you Berta. I can take it from here,” He bellowed. Turning away Berta continued to stir her mixture, humming to herself.

“A confession?” I asked. What could he possibly confess to?

“Yes your highness. I weren’t entirely honest with ye last time we met. I know what Cedric’s job is. Ye see he is an important part of the Icarus government. He is in charge of thee parties that go on down in the meadow opposite St Clementine church…”

“They are grand parties with fancy gowns and fancy foods. Like them little sandwiches with crusts cut off,” Berta babbled interrupting Gair’s confession. A quick glance from Gair made her go back to her humming.

“Anyway as I was saying. He is in charge of the events and other things like that yee know.”

“What has that got to do with anything?” I asked slightly confused.

“I was getting to that…”

“Sorry,” I apologised.

“A big event is coming up soon. So he has been preparing for a long time. Way before these killings began you see. The people in the government were confused to why he started planning so early. I think this big event may be Thee big event!” He finished staring at me as if I should understand what he was talking about. I didn’t. I was a little more confused than I was before.

“The big event that you saw in a vision you had. It was New years, the day Demetri will rise,” He exclaimed thrashing his arms about, causing a mini whirl wind.

“How do you know that?” I asked fighting the air that was blowing frantically in our direction.

“Sir Ethan told me, when he came to find the stones with young Joshua here,” He explained calming down his hand movement to a cause a gentle breeze.

Of course he did, I thought removing the hair from my eyes. New years day, why didn’t that surprise me of course it was New years. It was the start of a new year. What way to start a new era than on the start of a new year.

“That’s barely a month away,” Alex murmured bringing me out of my thoughts.

“It's Perfect,” I whispered. They turned to me with shocked and confused expressions on their faces.

“What it is. New year, New rein it’s what I would do,” I explained. My explanation didn’t remove the confused expressions but did cause Berta to stop humming and stirring her bowl.

“At least we have a month to prepare and to keep you protected,” Josh muttered.

“Protect me? I don’t need protecting Josh I can look after myself,” I exclaimed.

“Oh my child. You may think you can, but you have no idea what Demetri is capable of.  Also, what his men who are alive will do to make sure he comes back,” Berta sighed, giving my back a gentle stroke of her finger. Being stroked by a finger was the weirdest feeling in the world. Shaking the feeling off, I turned my body towards her.

“What is the big deal with him? I know he is a very evil being and is capable of forming demons from substances, but he can’t be hard to kill. If I don’t kill Lorias first before he uses me for the Key, But if it happens that he uses me against my will then I’ll Kill Demetri.”

“Adabelle If he is resurrected he will need your powers. The only way to get them sweetheart is to… Kill you,” She whispered the end of the sentence, but I still heard it. My stomach flipped, and my heart sank so far in my body that I thought it had replaced one of my kidneys. So I was going to be killed for my powers and would be replaced by a psychopath and Poppy thought she had problems with her cheerleading.

“So we will stop them before they attempt to open the gate,” comforted Alex as she put her arm around my shoulders. It didn’t help , I was so far into my shocked state that their voices were a murmur and their faces a blur.

“How Alex they have the crystals,” I whispered. The words were quiet and barely heard.

“They don’t have the diamond, and they don’t have you,” She sighed laying her head on my numb shoulder. She was right they didn’t have the diamond or me. Then again one month ago they didn’t have the crystals and with their newly formed vampire Megan. They were invincible at the moment. It wouldn’t be long until they had the diamond and then came for me.

“Thanks Gair. I think I need to go home and maybe sleep this confusion off,” I sighed.

“That’s fine your highness…”

“Don’t forget to take a pie your highness,” Berta interrupted Gair again and handed me a normal size pie. Thanking her, I took Josh and Alex’s hand and orbed into the Roots and Wings dining room.

The first thing I want to do is strap down that little elf, that seems to be causing a number of problems. No wonder he was wanted by demons. But if he was planning an event for them, surely he would be in contact with them twenty four seven. So why was he hiding out in our castle? Pulling out my phone I dialled Leo’s number, he answered on the first ring.

“Leo bring Cedric to the Roots and Wings room Pronto,” I exclaimed. He agreed and hung up the phone. He appeared in front of us as soon as I’d put the phone back into my jean pocket.

“Cedric sit!” I exclaimed as Leo let go of him.

“Not with that animal in the room,” He yelled pointing rudely at Josh.

“SIT DOWN NOW!” I yelled. The room shook as Cedric jumped back with shock. Containing my own shock I controlled my stare, following him with my eyes as he took a seat in the arm chair.

“Now listen to me! You have some explaining to do, and you are going to sit there and talk…”

“What about?” He interrupted making the anger inside me grow to a lethal stage.

“Did I sound like I was finished talking,” I shouted. The room shook again, causing chairs to scrape against the floor. The chandelier shook, throwing light sparks over the room. A pain in my eyes began to grow, as the room shook more vigorously as I held my head in pain. Breathing in and out shallow breaths, the pain slowly died down, and my vision cleared to see Cedric huddled up in a corner of the chair in fright.

“What the hell was that!” Yelled Josh. Placing his hand on my shoulder, he stared into my eyes. Blinking my vision became completely clear. The expression on Josh’s face made me turn away. He was scared, and that couldn’t be a good sign. If what I had done scared him, I had petrified myself.

“That is a good question,” I breathed.

“I don’t know anything,” Cedric mumbled crawling from the corner of the chair.

“Don’t Lie to me Cedric,” I exclaimed. Stepping towards him, he cowered back into the corner. I must of really gone psycho Elle on him, for him to be this afraid of me. That had to wait till later, I had to get this information out of him now. It wouldn’t matter if I was going insane if I was going to die in less than five weeks.

“They made me do it Ok. They didn’t tell me why. They just told me that I had to create a huge circus on New Year’s Eve. We normally have a big celebration so I didn’t think anyone would notice, or that it would be a big deal. I didn’t know they were going to bring back him!” He cried. It sounded muffled as his mouth was close to the lining on the chair.

“What exactly did they ask you to do?” I asked.

“Just to arrange a big show for all the residents of Icarus…”

“He wants to turn them all of them!?” Leo gasped stepping towards Cedric with force. I held out my arm to stop him from going any closer towards Cedric. He had enough to be scared of with me causing mini earthquakes. He didn’t need a twenty two year old solider beating him down.